Recent content by Eager Beaver

I will be following this topic with great interest.

My chinese friend translated to the following: Remember that the characters are read right to left, opposite of us: First 2 characters (2 right-most characters): Happiness (in traditional chinese) Following 3 characters: Forever (as in, forever be happy and prosper) Next character: The authors...

Your statement really speaks to me. I tend to operate under the assumption that my knowledge will lead to resolve when times are tough, no matter what happens. Stories such as this, coupled with some of my own prior mistakes, make me less confident that this will be the case. Indeed, I doubt...

Welcome to the board, there is a great wealth of knowledge here. I have hardly made a dent in the archives and I have gained much so far :)

The other day one of my professors asked the class "Do any of you remember where you were when the Discovery launched in 1988?" It goes quiet, and someone near the front awkwardly says "uhh... not born yet?" I am positive at least 75% of the class was born in 87 or 88. The look on his face was...

Your Millenial score is 95! Born 1988... pretty close. Average score for my age is around 80. No tatoos, no piercings, yes to newspapers, 'high' importance on career. Only 1-9 text messages... surprised that the number is so high.

"The wealthy barber" and "Your money or your life" were instrumental in getting the message through my thick skull :) For this 22 year old, planning for FI was hardly a natural extension of my aspirations... but as I neared the end of college I felt I didn't want to run the treadmill any...

You're praying for an equivalent miracle if you think by putting yourself 500k-1M (or more) in debt you can ride out the next 20 years until retirement without incident. I'm not saying its impossible, but in an efficient market (I believe the time frame is long enough to make that assumption)...

Though it is a fairly abstract concept to most, one could put a dollar value on free time. People who early retire, simply choose to spend their money (usually through opportunity costs) on their time and the freedom to do what they want with that time, instead of spending it on expensive...

I'm with Meadbh on this one. Real estate is a good route to go, although you can't call yourself retired if you are self managing enough properties to live off the cash flow entirely. ESR yes, FIRE no. And if you pay someone to manage them for you, you'd have to be rich already or leveraged to...

I'm reading this thinking to myself, "did I post this"?? ??? Check Check Check... Check! 40 is a bit ambitious, but check! Here is where I can't relate... married at 22? I am petrified of such commitment right now! However, as a fellow young dreamer obsessed with the same goal, I...

Hahaha, the draw of big oil is strong... you really got me thinking hard, Ed! I really appreciate the response. As I still have 2 semesters to finish, maybe I'll spend that time trying to land an EIT position with Imperial Oil (Canada's Exxon) or someplace similar. All the experience I have...

I like your thinking, Ziggy :) thanks for the tip. Indeed, most of my life up to this point has been a series of choices made in order to close as few doors as possible. Took all sciences in high school, volunteered with groups that look good on a resume for many industries, took Mechanical...

I wonder how many people are/were just like gvillager, reading and learning from other's experience and discovering their own path to happiness along the way. Not to say that FIRE is for everyone, but it is easy to drown in the sea of consumption and marketing when there are no other options in...

Welcome, RetireAt80. My current fiscal situation is very similar to yours, actually. So while I might not have any beneficial insights or wisdom to add, I will be following this thread with great interest! Best of luck.