NW-Bound
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2008
- Messages
- 35,712
I am a Desert Rat, wishing to relocate up in the NW to escape the 110+ weather of the SW, hence my call name.
Hi, everyone. I have been lurking around for the past month, reading a lot of posts. A bit about myself as a way of introduction.
I am a 52-yr old engineer, married with two children in college. DW got fed up with her work, and decided to throw in the towel 2 years ago, after 27 years with the same company.
When I turned 40, perhaps because of a mid-life crisis, quit the comfort of a cushy job at a big corp, and helped founded a small start-up company in an entirely different business. After working hard for 6 years, and not earning enough to justify it, we folded the company and I have been back working in my previous field, but only part-time.
The forced belt-tigthtening during previous lean years conditioned me to feel comfortable with a reduced income, and I have learned to value my free time too much to suffer fools in the big corporations.
I do not regret giving up my earlier job, its pension and benefits to take a chance on my own. If I did not take it, would always wonder what could have been. Though a failure, looking back, it was a life-enrichment experience, although I am too old and tired to ever try again, nor would I recommend anyone else to do it.
We have always practiced LBYM, so have quite a bit stashed up, both in 401k/IRA and after tax. Our net worth, including the main residence and vacation home, is 2M+. Compared to other in our economic class, We spend much less money on new cars, cloth, restaurants, etc... Yet, we love to travel, and have made 6-7 European trips in the last 5 years in addition to domestic vacations, because we value that. (No, we are too old to backpack, or stay in hostels )
Prior to the 2000 crash, I invested mostly in mutual funds, but ever since working part-time, had more free time to become a more active investor. I would say it is too early to say if I can do better than an average mutual fund manager, or a simple indexing strategy.
Hope to join the fun-loving, jesting bunch that you guys are.
Hi, everyone. I have been lurking around for the past month, reading a lot of posts. A bit about myself as a way of introduction.
I am a 52-yr old engineer, married with two children in college. DW got fed up with her work, and decided to throw in the towel 2 years ago, after 27 years with the same company.
When I turned 40, perhaps because of a mid-life crisis, quit the comfort of a cushy job at a big corp, and helped founded a small start-up company in an entirely different business. After working hard for 6 years, and not earning enough to justify it, we folded the company and I have been back working in my previous field, but only part-time.
The forced belt-tigthtening during previous lean years conditioned me to feel comfortable with a reduced income, and I have learned to value my free time too much to suffer fools in the big corporations.
I do not regret giving up my earlier job, its pension and benefits to take a chance on my own. If I did not take it, would always wonder what could have been. Though a failure, looking back, it was a life-enrichment experience, although I am too old and tired to ever try again, nor would I recommend anyone else to do it.
We have always practiced LBYM, so have quite a bit stashed up, both in 401k/IRA and after tax. Our net worth, including the main residence and vacation home, is 2M+. Compared to other in our economic class, We spend much less money on new cars, cloth, restaurants, etc... Yet, we love to travel, and have made 6-7 European trips in the last 5 years in addition to domestic vacations, because we value that. (No, we are too old to backpack, or stay in hostels )
Prior to the 2000 crash, I invested mostly in mutual funds, but ever since working part-time, had more free time to become a more active investor. I would say it is too early to say if I can do better than an average mutual fund manager, or a simple indexing strategy.
Hope to join the fun-loving, jesting bunch that you guys are.