SecretlyFI
Recycles dryer sheets
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2012
- Messages
- 164
Hi,
I'm happy to have found this forum where being responsible with money is appreciated and celebrated. As I've moved closer to FI I've started to feel like it needs to be kept very quiet and not shared with people. Family and friends are either jealous or start taking advantage of you. Co-workers who are busy talking about their expensive cars, houses and vacations seem like they would have some contempt as well. Even worse, I've heard comments made about people who are believed to be in good shape financially as being at the bottom of the list for promotions and bonuses with the explanation that they don't need the money. And these were spoken by the people making those decisions (who also complain about not having enough $$).
So it seems like people like us need to live in the FI closet and/or be subject to penalties. Like it's not bad enough that tax deductions get phased out and SS might start getting means tested and I'll probably never get a break on college aid for my son. Sheesh.
Don't get me wrong, none of this deters me from my goals and I feel happy every day with my success but it sure would be nice to not have to hide it. Have others experienced this?
By the way, here's my stats to round out my intro. 44, married with 11 yr old son. Got aggresive with banishing debt about 3 years ago. We only ever had a mortgage and car loans but I realized it was holding us back and decided once it was gone, I would only earn interest and never pay it again. Paid off the house 2 years ago. Now we're putting 60k a year away after tax in addition to maxing out 401k. Portfolio is at 700k now and I'm feeling good about FIRE by 55. Incredibly I also have a DB pension that would start at 65 for 80k a year. My worst fear is that the pension will be taken away next. Not that we couldn't make it without it but it would be a real body blow and cement that feeling that good guys never get a break.
Anyway, I'm so grateful to have found this forum. Thanks
I'm happy to have found this forum where being responsible with money is appreciated and celebrated. As I've moved closer to FI I've started to feel like it needs to be kept very quiet and not shared with people. Family and friends are either jealous or start taking advantage of you. Co-workers who are busy talking about their expensive cars, houses and vacations seem like they would have some contempt as well. Even worse, I've heard comments made about people who are believed to be in good shape financially as being at the bottom of the list for promotions and bonuses with the explanation that they don't need the money. And these were spoken by the people making those decisions (who also complain about not having enough $$).
So it seems like people like us need to live in the FI closet and/or be subject to penalties. Like it's not bad enough that tax deductions get phased out and SS might start getting means tested and I'll probably never get a break on college aid for my son. Sheesh.
Don't get me wrong, none of this deters me from my goals and I feel happy every day with my success but it sure would be nice to not have to hide it. Have others experienced this?
By the way, here's my stats to round out my intro. 44, married with 11 yr old son. Got aggresive with banishing debt about 3 years ago. We only ever had a mortgage and car loans but I realized it was holding us back and decided once it was gone, I would only earn interest and never pay it again. Paid off the house 2 years ago. Now we're putting 60k a year away after tax in addition to maxing out 401k. Portfolio is at 700k now and I'm feeling good about FIRE by 55. Incredibly I also have a DB pension that would start at 65 for 80k a year. My worst fear is that the pension will be taken away next. Not that we couldn't make it without it but it would be a real body blow and cement that feeling that good guys never get a break.
Anyway, I'm so grateful to have found this forum. Thanks