Do you share or tell anyone about your ER dream???

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enuff2Eat He constantly bringing it up in groups with extreme negative tone and laughing about it. too bad, i got another 15 more years of torture like this before i can ER. Do you share your dream with anyone? what's their reaction?? positve or negative?

You need to give him (and everyone else) the quiet, self-confident smile that says "Screw you, my ER portfolio's on track and I'm going to keep this company successful enough to get me there!"

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Originally Posted by Enuff2Eat thanks for all of the respones. i just got to be careful around here. definitely do not want management get an impression that i am not commited. i am committed, i got kids that still need to eat.

I would think that your accomplishments with your personal finances should give management confidence in your abilities while reassuring them that you guys share a common goal-- after all their paychecks are your preferred path to ER.

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Originally Posted by Enuff2Eat From now on, Football Fantasy and Baseball fantasy Forum only. It seems to be the "acceptable" topic around the office and no one seems to care and make any "nasty" comment to me about it.

Well, hey, heaven forfend that work should get in the way of all this lifestyle commentary...

[firewhen]

Remember the phrase "Don't ask don't tell". Better to share here. That is what this forum is all about. If I found someone who was like minded, I would love to be able to talk about it. But most folks complain about bills, taxes and the kids college education. I could just see talking about ER with them--not!

I have been tempted to speak up when someone says something like why don't you get a new car, but I will just say something like it still runs fine. Beats saying something like that kind of thinking will keep you in debt and me retired early.

[GoodSense]

I'm 30 so most of my friends are in their 20s or early 30s. I do encourage my close friends to do retirement planning (Roth IRA, etc.) around tax time, because I think it's good for them. Quite a few of them have now opened tax-deferred accounts and Roth IRAs. I am always happy to discuss with my close friends and family about it if they have questions.

However, I don't share how much I have or how much longer to go for FIRE. One, because I'm not so sure myself, and two, retiring at 40 or 45 will probably sound ridiculous to the non-ER-minded.

Outside of that, though, I don't share with people at work my ER plans. One of my coworkers in her mid-40s just announced her ER in a couple of months. That was encouraging. This forum gives me enough support so that I don't have to announce my plans to the whole world. Thanks, everyone.

[DblDoc]

I too keep it to myself. Its none of their business. In terms of my LBYW lifestyle I explain that as "saving for kids college" or "paying off my mortgage".

In general I'm appalled at how unprepared those around me at work are for dealing with financial security and retirement let alone ER and would NOT want to become the "resident expert". Of course I was just as clueless as they only a few short years ago...

DD

[lazygood4nothinbum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enuff2Eat He constantly bringing it up in groups with extreme negative tone and laughing about it.

up until i pulled the plug i had never before considered early retirement though i always did live below my means, never went into debt and always saved for what i thought might be a rainy day.

i would have loved for someone earlier on to have opened my eyes to the possibility of early retirement. i suspect that not only would i have been an even better saver, but i would have learned more about investing and, even possibly, i might have taken my career more seriously.

enuff, you have done your colleagues a great service even if they acknowledge it with mockery.

[allwork&noplay]

I've stopped sharing my plans for early retirement since nobody seems to understand my desire for ER. They look at me as if I was crazy. Its not that I'm lazy. I just have so many other things that I enjoy doing outside of work. I've been keeping my desires bottled up inside and trying to just go to work and save everything that I can. That's why I'm glad I found this website. I need an outlet to vent my frustrations, seek advice, and share ideas.

[Goonie]

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Originally Posted by Enuff2Eat One of a guy at work saw me looking at this forum a couple of time since then he is making my life miserable... just a matter of time the whole damm office will know. He constantly bringing it up in groups with extreme negative tone and laughing about it. too bad, i got another 15 more years of torture like this before i can ER. Do you share your dream with anyone? what's their reaction?? positve or negative? enuff

I took my last j*b 30+ years ago, because it offered the opportunity to retire @ 55, with very good bennies. I let everyone there know from day one, that I planned to retire at the earliest possible opportunity! Since I was 19 at the time, some just smiled and walked away, others were more like "Yeah...Right! Like you'll ever be able to that."

During the last few years there, some thought I'd actually follow through with my goals. However, many figured I'd have to stay into my 60's, and laughed and made fun of my plans to FIRE, mainly because they were jealous and were in hock up to their eyeballs!

Who's laughing now?! They're still there slaving away, deeper in hock than before, saving nothing, investing nothing, living paycheck to paycheck, putting up with all of the BS!!!

Yeah! Who's laughing now? I am!!!

So, Enuff, let him have his day, and don't let it rattle you. You're day will come, and then he can kiss your @ss!

He who laughs last, laughs best!!! And you'll most likely be the one to get the last laugh in!!! Hang in there, and just keep smilin'......if he sees that he can't rattle your cage or jerk your chain, he'll probably just give up, and leave you alone.

[Goonie]

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Originally Posted by donheff Next time the guy says something act a little peeved and loudly say something like, "hey, dick head, quit talking about me or I am going to tell everyone about those pre-teen sites you visit."

I had a close friend that was being continuously hassled by some dumb @ss. One night we were in a very busy restaurant and the guy was in there with some business associates and clients. My buddy walked by his table, and asked rather loudly, "Hey, man, did you ever quit beating on your wife?" Then he turned and walked away. He said after that, the guy never said another word to him.

(BTW, my friend had no knowledge of any abuse....he just posed the question so there was no easy way to answer. 'Yes', would infer that he had done the beating. 'No', would infer that he continued to beat her. And trying to explain that he never had beat her, might make it look like he was trying to cover it up.)

[unclemick]

Well a really creative and sadisdic asshole(with cheap bastardhood tendences) would have a 'framed' picture of the interest rate curve on his desk/or cubicle wall - and carry a folded up raggedy, coffee stained, sheet of engineering graph paper with 8 and 10% stock return curves drawn with the old no 2 pencil - to be unfolded while lecturing extemporaneaously(and deliberately boringly) on the power of saving early and often along the curve.

heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh - not 'that I ever stooped to that' or got my jollies trying to rub it in or anything.

or Always liked Flip Wilson.

[Goonie]

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Originally Posted by unclemick heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh - not 'that I ever stooped to that' or got my jollies trying to rub it in or anything. or Always liked Flip Wilson.

Glad you added that line, unc. I was just getting ready to ask if that was from personal experience.

The last 12 or 13 months at w*rk, I had all my cypherings in a note book, and at break/lunch time I'd drag it out and go over things and re-recalculate the figures. It drove some of my less-than-financial-suave co-workers bonkers! It was fun!!!

[unclemick]

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Originally Posted by Want2retire Anyway, having told people about it, my vacations to various possible ER locations are pretty easy to explain. I am going to check out Huntsville, Alabama this weekend and several people have told me about things I should try to see while I am there.

Be sure to give us a trip report - haven't been to Huntsville since the early 90's. Since Katrina have a long time friend(we'll call her Blondie) who is in the Fort Payne/Gaylesville/Weiss Lake area - a tad too country for me but getting gentrified fairly rapidly.

heh heh heh

[spncity]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enuff2Eat One of a guy at work saw me looking at this forum a couple of time since then he is making my life miserable... just a matter of time the whole damm office will know. He constantly bringing it up in groups with extreme negative tone and laughing about it. too bad, i got another 15 more years of torture like this before i can ER. Do you share your dream with anyone? what's their reaction?? positve or negative? enuff

This is like sibling rivalry. He'll only keep doing it if, in fact, you seem tortured and miserable due to his remarks.

If, on the other hand, you put on a smug smile, assume an exaggerated tone and retort, "Oh, yeah? Well as opposed to me, Jonesy here is going to work until he's 79 and then eat cat food because he doesn't be-leeve in saving for ruh-tire-mint!" that should shut him up!

[landover]

I think this is a problem with the forum since "Early Retirement Forum" displayed in bold on top of page and people can see it from far. I have seen people zooming their eyes on my computer.

So for people, still in rat race, there should be an option to change the display to something more presentable in general population like "Financial Planning" or something else. It will be a office-life saver. It can be set in user profile.

[Sam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by landover I think this is a problem with the forum since "Early Retirement Forum" displayed in bold on top of page and people can see it from far. I have seen people zooming their eyes on my computer. So for people, still in rat race, there should be an option to change the display to something more presentable in general population like "Financial Planning" or something else. It will be a office-life saver. It can be set in user profile.

This is an excellent idea! Moderators, Andy, please consider this.

[spncity]

Other possible titles for "show"...

"Improving Productivity"
"Time Management"
"Getting More Done With Less"
"Bottom Line Strategies"

Okay - here's the workaround for all you work surfers:

Stick a big Post-It note over the top left part of your screen (where it will just cover up the big Early Retirement Forums title) with something like "Schedule Routine Dental Appointment" or "Pick up milk and bread after work" or some such reminder.

Bonus: You'll have plenty of milk and bread, as well as clean teeth. How many forums do THAT for ya . . . ??!

[Bigritchie]

When he runs around saying stuff like that, what he is really saying is "Do not give me a promotion, I cannot even manage my own house and personal finances, give it to my Co-worker here, he is much more responsible then I am!"

[Milkman]

One of the people at work (aged 67 and says he will have to work til he dies) made a negative comment about "...if he had all of my money." He lives in a lakehouse, has a 34' pontoon boat, drives a Cadillac, has a restored 60s vintage muscle car, and just bought a custom motorcycle. My reply to him was "If I had all of his toys, I would be scared too!" The conversation was a couple of years ago and he hasn't brought up the subject again.

Milkman

[ziggy29]

Not really. After the last couple weeks the "dream" is looking more and more to be just that...

[MasterBlaster]

Quote:

Not really. After the last couple weeks the "dream" is looking more and more to be just that

There are having a sale on stocks this week and last and maybe for the next few months or so.

If you have any cash laying around maybe you could buy some more of those pesky stocks - on sale.

[Meadbh]

Scores of my nursing colleagues are ERing. They are eligible for good pensions and there is a labour shortage so they can come back to do "casual" work at their own discretion. This is becoming the cultural norm; we all attend the retirement parties and of course it is a topic of conversation in the staff lounge. However, among my physician colleagues, ER is still viewed as lunatic. The culture of working till you drop still prevails.

I personally keep my intentions pretty private. I would not want to burn any bridges too soon. As I hold a leadership position, I might become a lame duck if I was viewed as having a short half life. However I have been hinting to my boss that we need to work on succession planning.