38 is definitely possible.
I'm not 38 yet and I'm pretty sure that I'll still be retired at 38.
It seems to me that it's possible for many, but most just never bothered to ask the question of whether doing so was right for them. Of course, if that question doesn't get asked, then the question of how never gets asked. Many folks that I know and love make extraordinary salaries that seem to constantly go up. But every step of the way their spending seems to go up as well. There is so much evidence and literature out there on the importance of financial defence and yet so few practice it. When I started work many years ago, I contributed the maximum to my retirement plan. A colleague who had started at the same time and was much smarter than me said that he couldn't afford to contribute any at all. We both received 15% raises the next year as well as performance bonuses for the year having just past. I asked him a week later if he had started to contribute. Same answer. "I can't afford it right now". The same guy now pulls in mid-six figures. I wonder if he can finally afford it?
There is a massive void between what people can do and what they will do. I try to remain focused in an environment where the fact that most won't seems to color what people believe can be done. It's nice to be amongst the thinkers at early-retirement.org.
I'm not 38 yet and I'm pretty sure that I'll still be retired at 38.
It seems to me that it's possible for many, but most just never bothered to ask the question of whether doing so was right for them. Of course, if that question doesn't get asked, then the question of how never gets asked. Many folks that I know and love make extraordinary salaries that seem to constantly go up. But every step of the way their spending seems to go up as well. There is so much evidence and literature out there on the importance of financial defence and yet so few practice it. When I started work many years ago, I contributed the maximum to my retirement plan. A colleague who had started at the same time and was much smarter than me said that he couldn't afford to contribute any at all. We both received 15% raises the next year as well as performance bonuses for the year having just past. I asked him a week later if he had started to contribute. Same answer. "I can't afford it right now". The same guy now pulls in mid-six figures. I wonder if he can finally afford it?
There is a massive void between what people can do and what they will do. I try to remain focused in an environment where the fact that most won't seems to color what people believe can be done. It's nice to be amongst the thinkers at early-retirement.org.
