Jacob spotted in the wild over at Bankrate.com

spider1204 · Post by **spider1204** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 4:10 am

I enjoy all the comments looking for "real advice" that can be applied to the majority of Americans. As if there is some magic secret than can allow you retire early all while not changing anything about the way your living.

Spartan_Warrior · Post by **Spartan_Warrior** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 5:03 am

There are a few sensible comments buried in there: "You don't need to work for someone else to be productive. In fact being a slave to someone else is not much better than being dead..."
Kind of like a single sapling poking up out of the nuclear wreckage.

GandK · Post by **GandK** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 7:25 am

@spider1204: That. Everyone wants the magic secret.
The funny thing is, for most people who are able to ER, it's hard work and dedication (and discipline!) that got them there. And just look at the reaction! "You should be working!" Ummm... I did.
I will sum up the entire comments section:
"I don't think it's fair that YOU are able to downshift, so I don't think you should be allowed to. Everybody should have to work the way that I do. I mean, technically I probably COULD save the money that would let me ER but I'd have to give up LIVING in order to pull that off. Anyone who would make that tradeoff is antisocial! I happen to CARE about people and about helping them, and if you cared about people you'd work too! And have some kids, because kids need help too! How does you working help people? You'd be paying taxes, moron! I PAY MY TAXES. I don't like what Washington is doing either but I do my part and get out there and enable them to do it. You're just a slacker/loser/#$%&bag if you don't! This REALLY isn't fair. That's the underlying issue. You're selling drugs or stealing money or something because you can't expect someone to CUT BACK when they've become accustomed to a lifestyle and they need to "represent" and be respectable. And even if you're not stealing money, if you're not out there earning money you're stealing from the public coffers by not paying taxes. I don't even know what a coffer is, but you're clearly stealing from it. For you to be laying around, my tax dollars must be getting spent on YOU... so THAT'S where they go! I'm outraged! I'm the 99%! Wait... who are these people?"

Obadobadope · Post by **Obadobadope** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 7:40 am

The bums will always lose! Do you hear me, Lebowski?! The bums will always lose!
These people are all just sour that they couldn't retire at 33.

Spartan_Warrior · Post by **Spartan_Warrior** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 1:20 pm

GandK, that's pretty good! Don't forget something like "If you're not working some dead-end paper pushing 9-5 job like me, you're not contributing to society!"
Guess they've never heard of Ben Franklin. Nope, they're absolutely right, frugal and financially independent people never make positive contributions to mankind...

Mo · Post by Mo » Sun Mar 18, 2012 1:34 am

I think spider nailed it. Apparently an awful lot of yahoo finance readers think that one day they will read a short article on yahoo and figure out the "secret" to all forms of success. Very realistic.
My favorite comment came from "Jones" regarding Jacob: "... he's way past hugging trees, and has moved onto the hardcore stuff..."
I laugh because I can't figure out if the guy is being sarcastic or not. Strangely it's kinda funny either way-- it seems funny to think of environmentalism as being divided into softcore activities like tree hugging, and hardcore activities like, well, I don't even know what... but to a certain extent that would make tree huggers some sort of horrible middle ground, hated by those who hate "tree huggers" to begin with, and hated by those who think that just hugging trees isn't really a satisfactory effort.

JohnnyH · Post by **JohnnyH** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 5:34 pm

LOL, it must be rough with all that negative attention focused on Jacob... Most of the commenters are probably in their 30s (or nearer to "retirement" age) and that's why they're are so bitter.
So funny that most of them clearly didn't read the article, but also most seemed to have scanned for anything they could use to dismiss the possibility... Many seemed to have found it with the mention of a wife. Thank God Jacob is married or they might of had to question their lifestyles.
I'd like to give a symposium to these people about how I essentially live a lifestyle equal in comfort to their own for under $500 a month... Half would probably be physically attacking me, the other half in the fetal position saying "LALALA! NOT LISTENING LALALA!"