Yes, leave the worry behind! But seven years seems like a long time, especially if you are sharing living expenses...scriptbunny wrote: This line of thinking is silly, of course. My work obligations, though growing, are manageable. At baseline spending levels, I could have a secure semi-retirement-- paid off home, college funds for 2 kids, sufficient >65 retirement account, 5-10 years expenses-- in 7 years if I am being optimistic. If I really cut the waste I could probably do it in 5. I'd rather not exchange the daily worry of work for the daily worry of money. Better to leave the worry behind altogether.
- Have you projected out salary increases and included them in your forecast?
- Have you factored in compounding growth for your retirement money? Assuming you don't touch it, $100k over 30 years > $300k.
- If your ESPP has favorable terms, are you maxing it out?
- You had some RSUs vest recently, are there more on the way?
- You work at a larger company now, perhaps with more resources, any room for additional bonus compensation?
- You work in a city with lots of employment opportunities, have you looked around?
- What does your company's severance package look like? If you can get yourself laid off in a few years, maybe you can shave 6-12 months off your FI date (-:
I think FI-minded people realize this more. I look around at friends and coworkers -- 15 years ago they were winning awards in science class -- and now they're spending the most productive years working on this? A cog in a wheel, making money for someone else, their work not having any significant positive impact on the world. We discussed this at the meetup last week: if your work output isn't world-changing, GTFO ASAP.scriptbunny wrote: More than anything, I think my brain doesn't want to feel beholden anymore. The mental exertion required for my job crowds out my other thinking. My mental energies are spent by the time I get home. I learn daily, but not of things that pique my interest. Better to work a checkout counter, at least then my thoughts would be my own. And when I look at my coworkers, it sickens me that such smart people are wasting their lives on this fruitless exercise.
I too used to remember fondly back to my teenage job. Low-paid and manual, it allowed for lots of meandering thinking. And now, for more money, my employer owns my brain. It'd be nice to have that back but... stocking shelves is also a sub-optimal use of human time. It's a mind-body tradeoff, and either way it's a waste. Once FI, you'll have control over body and mind. Flippin' sweet! You'll be able to persue things you're interested in, and be able to use your body before it falls apart. This is what I use to convince myself when I'm hit by "one-more-year-itis". You can always go back to the mind-body trade, but if you want both, you need to use them while both are still in good working order.