35, 330k NW. At a crossroad and I need advice what's next
- Thread starter pixelsage
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@pixelsage I'm 40, and have half of your NET worth. I read your post and it made me quite sad to be honest.
I've just spent the last 5-6 years travelling with my girlfriend and we've just decided to settle down in Lisbon. We both earn about 70-80k between us NET, but we're really happy. We prioritised happiness and experiences over all else and despite us having modest NET worth's, we're both content.
Sometimes life is too short to simply focus on personal finance and wealth. Prioritise your happiness. You've got plenty of time to achieve your financial goals, but a somewhat limited amount of time to make lasting connections and memories whilst you're young.
That's just my advice anyway! Good luck.
I've just spent the last 5-6 years travelling with my girlfriend and we've just decided to settle down in Lisbon. We both earn about 70-80k between us NET, but we're really happy. We prioritised happiness and experiences over all else and despite us having modest NET worth's, we're both content.
Sometimes life is too short to simply focus on personal finance and wealth. Prioritise your happiness. You've got plenty of time to achieve your financial goals, but a somewhat limited amount of time to make lasting connections and memories whilst you're young.
That's just my advice anyway! Good luck.
resjudicata
New member
@clarastew OP got exactly what he asked for in his original post LMFAO. He was whining and complainign about how horrible Europe is and how you can earn lot more in the Carribean or whatever. He got what he wanted so now why is he whining about (according to his original post) unimportant things like "shitty job", "being mentally drained" and "being completely alone". Maximum money and minimum tax is the only thing that matters in life! (again not according me, according to OP's original post).
@clarastew I'm super happy for you and I also want that. I'm just super anxious and afraid that at the age of 50 I will not be able to find any job. I'm afraid that the age discrimination is really strong in the fields I'm working in and if I don't maximize my earning potential now I will regret it in the future.
And i know that life is too short, that's why I want to fire ASAP to be able to enjoy it. I can't imagine myself working till 65 or 70.
And i know that life is too short, that's why I want to fire ASAP to be able to enjoy it. I can't imagine myself working till 65 or 70.
@pixelsage At 30, I quit my engineering job of 10 years to go travelling and had the best 3 years of my life. When I decided not to go back to engineering, I too felt insecure and anxious about the future, but I decided to learn new skills and started an e-commerce company. I don't have any regrets about missed income during the years I earned none, and now I have a lot more freedom, not just in work, but also in mind, to be able to do, and try, anything I want without fear.
@clarastew Don't know if you are from Europe but no engineer from where I come from can earn enough money between their degree and 30 to be able to travel even 5 months. 3 years it's unspoken of
@pixelsage What makes you think there is/will be age discrimination in your field? Boomers are discriminatied today buy our generation, but we are no, so I don’t really understand why this is a concern.
@techo Well I don't see much of 55 years old around me... There're a couple on the director level but just a handful. Where is the rest?
I suspect they are working in kitchens, in services, in retails. They work in construction and destroy their bodies and their lives. I don't want that and I'm afraid of it.
I suspect they are working in kitchens, in services, in retails. They work in construction and destroy their bodies and their lives. I don't want that and I'm afraid of it.
@pixelsage Maybe they left because they saw that the company is full of shit? Maybe what you're seeing is Survivor bias?
@pixelsage You are completely missing my point. Todays boomers didn't grow up with the internet "allready there", and tech is a very young industry. There are few boomers because few boomers, compared to other industries, made the jump.
But in our generation, tech is very big and "everyone" knows something about some tech. When you are 55, all the other devs and techs who are our age now will also be 55. So the issue of how the previous generation is treated is not relevant, not even a little.
But in our generation, tech is very big and "everyone" knows something about some tech. When you are 55, all the other devs and techs who are our age now will also be 55. So the issue of how the previous generation is treated is not relevant, not even a little.
wayfarersoul1978
New member
@pixelsage You sound like you actually just need to invest some of your wealth into therapy to deal with the deep insecurities, fears and anxieties you have around what it means for you to have XYZ kind of life (working or not) by XYZ age. you shouldn't have to be this afraid of it.
You realise many, MANY people actually have low stress jobs they enjoy that actually pay quite well and give them a positive sense of purpose and connection to other people, right? Jobs that they happily enough keep up til retirement age. Good for their mind, good for their health, good for their happiness overall.
The more you forsake other rewarding modalities of life by your middle age onward etc (rewarding friendships, family, passions, making good memories), the more desperately you are bound to feel like you need the ultimate wealth to make it all okay. And those other things don't come easily any more by those ages. You get a couple good decades from 20s to 40s to really do something special with those and then it just gets harder and harder. More than any imagined age discrimination you think you will face in terms of high income job or earning potential.
You seem to have extreme tunnel vision as if "need unlimited money, need to not have to turn up to a job anymore" is the only problem in life to be solved. and if you do solve it, you will have another problem - either the ones you are currently overlooking or just the problem of having no problems.
You realise many, MANY people actually have low stress jobs they enjoy that actually pay quite well and give them a positive sense of purpose and connection to other people, right? Jobs that they happily enough keep up til retirement age. Good for their mind, good for their health, good for their happiness overall.
The more you forsake other rewarding modalities of life by your middle age onward etc (rewarding friendships, family, passions, making good memories), the more desperately you are bound to feel like you need the ultimate wealth to make it all okay. And those other things don't come easily any more by those ages. You get a couple good decades from 20s to 40s to really do something special with those and then it just gets harder and harder. More than any imagined age discrimination you think you will face in terms of high income job or earning potential.
You seem to have extreme tunnel vision as if "need unlimited money, need to not have to turn up to a job anymore" is the only problem in life to be solved. and if you do solve it, you will have another problem - either the ones you are currently overlooking or just the problem of having no problems.
@pixelsage You feel miserable, yet you focus on getting richer. It’s not going to make you feel less miserable. Try to find a job you actually like, do hobbies that make you happy. When you do the things you like and feel happy, you will also make friends.
resjudicata
New member
@pixelsage
LMFAO why does any of that matter? What matters is you are earning a lot, not like in shitty Europe that you were complaining about in your original post! Only thing that matters in life is high salaries and low taxes (source: you) You got exactly what you wanted. Good riddance.
LMFAO why does any of that matter? What matters is you are earning a lot, not like in shitty Europe that you were complaining about in your original post! Only thing that matters in life is high salaries and low taxes (source: you) You got exactly what you wanted. Good riddance.
mindofchrist2010
New member
@pixelsage If you're not getting a single call back from any job, there's something wrong with your CV or you're applying to the wrong jobs. Do you have any acquaintances that can give you a referral?
I personally would try to find a new job immediately, preferably one that's tolerable at least, and stick with investing in ETFs. Single stocks are a gamble (unless the stock is Microsoft, lol), you can't fast-forward your savings.
I also don't think the four ways you list to FIRE are the only ways to FIRE, but I do think that some people need to adjust their expectations about what's possible. Like, you can absolutely get to a million in say, 15 years, if your income stays exactly the same, but it sounds like you are hoping to skip ahead and be done faster. You could also FIRE with less than a million, especially if you're targeting Greece or south of France (Spain?), but it sounds like you don't want to compromise in either direction?
This sounds really rough, and definitely not sustainable, so back to the compromises point, I think you need to reevaluate what an ideal life looks like for you and balance all the saving you're doing with actually living a little. Like, what's the point of being retired if you never make any meaningful connections (obviously, some people don't care about that, but it sounds like you do, that's why I'm talking about it). I think therapy is a good option to help you explore what you want your life to look like, and I don't mean just post-retirement, but also right now.
Obviously this is just my personal opinion, hopefully you'll find at least a little bit that's helpful. Good luck
I personally would try to find a new job immediately, preferably one that's tolerable at least, and stick with investing in ETFs. Single stocks are a gamble (unless the stock is Microsoft, lol), you can't fast-forward your savings.
I also don't think the four ways you list to FIRE are the only ways to FIRE, but I do think that some people need to adjust their expectations about what's possible. Like, you can absolutely get to a million in say, 15 years, if your income stays exactly the same, but it sounds like you are hoping to skip ahead and be done faster. You could also FIRE with less than a million, especially if you're targeting Greece or south of France (Spain?), but it sounds like you don't want to compromise in either direction?
This sounds really rough, and definitely not sustainable, so back to the compromises point, I think you need to reevaluate what an ideal life looks like for you and balance all the saving you're doing with actually living a little. Like, what's the point of being retired if you never make any meaningful connections (obviously, some people don't care about that, but it sounds like you do, that's why I'm talking about it). I think therapy is a good option to help you explore what you want your life to look like, and I don't mean just post-retirement, but also right now.
Obviously this is just my personal opinion, hopefully you'll find at least a little bit that's helpful. Good luck
@pixelsage Dude, you’re already in the top 5%, not the top 0.1%, but you don’t need that. I do work I like for significantly less than you, and have more than the net amount you’re looking for; it is possible, you just have to find something you care about it. With your age plus what you have, you’ll have a secure retirement if you just go the index funds route and let it work for you for 3 decades. FIRE I cannot help you with. Perhaps start your own business where you can charge absurd fees from millionaires.
@pixelsage Reading that kind of shit makes me so depressed. Your look on life will not change when you get that FIRE thing. You will stay lonely, depressed, bitter judging by looking at your goals in your life, what you consider as important. This whole philosophy of FIRE and similar stuff is destroying the minds of a generation when they are missing the best times of their lives.
You will have more than plenty for your retirement. You already have good finances. Change your look on life. You had a seemingly psycho wife who went to a multimillionaire, IMHO this is a win, some multimillionaire is taking care of your scraps. Your problem is not financial, your problem is 100% philosphical and psychological. Honestly it is a cliche but go out and touch the grass. Believe it or not not all women are materialistic, many actually want a man who is full of life, not money. Anything you have can just vanish in an instant due to forces beyond your control (happened to me) but what matters is health and loved ones. Money is great and very important, but mostly for being able to help people you love and value.
Finally believe it or not, that issue wth career change is also 100% related to your look on life. If you get to change yourself, you will be able to change many more things around you. People, friends, job...etc. Not easy, need effort but definitely doable. If you stop seeing your career as part of your life, and actually try to do something nice, the job's meaning changes. Business is usually a game, it is good to learn the rules and go along with it. Better stuff come up.
You will have more than plenty for your retirement. You already have good finances. Change your look on life. You had a seemingly psycho wife who went to a multimillionaire, IMHO this is a win, some multimillionaire is taking care of your scraps. Your problem is not financial, your problem is 100% philosphical and psychological. Honestly it is a cliche but go out and touch the grass. Believe it or not not all women are materialistic, many actually want a man who is full of life, not money. Anything you have can just vanish in an instant due to forces beyond your control (happened to me) but what matters is health and loved ones. Money is great and very important, but mostly for being able to help people you love and value.
Finally believe it or not, that issue wth career change is also 100% related to your look on life. If you get to change yourself, you will be able to change many more things around you. People, friends, job...etc. Not easy, need effort but definitely doable. If you stop seeing your career as part of your life, and actually try to do something nice, the job's meaning changes. Business is usually a game, it is good to learn the rules and go along with it. Better stuff come up.
@pixelsage If you feel alone or insecure, it would be better to reevaluate your life in terms beyond Euro.
@pixelsage You read a lot of books but your mentality ain’t there my friend.
@pixelsage Why poland?
Also I know people who made a lot of money selling casio watches so unique ideas are not needed, just execution generally.
Also I know people who made a lot of money selling casio watches so unique ideas are not needed, just execution generally.