Early Retirement Extreme Forums

Thank you all for your contributions, and sorry about taking long to get back to you — I have been working on some projects. I did not have the time to be much clear when I first wrote this thread, so I decided to update it a little bit now. I have perused many lists of recommended books (included t...

In his Cool Tools , Kevin Kelly quotes what a certain Ronald Fuller had to say about a book: This old-school government manual for flight instructors is the best how-to guide I have come across for teaching, learning, communication and professionalism about any subject. It says almost nothing about ...

@Jason: I will go with number 5. And #3. And since we have established the whole "obstinate fuck" thing, you surely realize how pointless it would be to argue, right?

@Jason: I have met a number of people over the years who would probably tell you that "an obstinate fuck" is an accurate description of yours truly. In any case, your prayers are welcome—and I will pray for you myself, God willing.

A few years ago I did a cursory reading of So Good They Can't Ignore You ; the following is based on what I have retained. The basic point that Newport makes is that, when it comes to choosing a career, "finding something we are passionate about" is not a good strategy, for: Not everyone h...

After what may have been my first actually productive week in my entire life, I have suffered a major setback. I have a huge liability, and I do not know how to eliminate it without jeopardizing most of the systems I cannot do without at this juncture, but inaction will produce the same disruption o...

@Jason: I do not think so. Well, at least I think I would have noticed by now—who knows? And I have never considered the logistics of the matter to provide you with details regarding best observation positions.

@Jason: You did, I actually enjoy writing jocular posts like the last one—yes, that was an example of my special brand of humor; it is... an acquired taste. And my skin is thick, so political incorrectness hardly bothers me—moreover, my standard is high: I have once met a foreign guy who seriously ...

I figured that if you lived in Brazil and things were bleak you'd just go to the beach and watch the biggest butt competitions. There was an episode of "My Wife and Kids" in which each child described what it would be like if theirs was the "perfect dad." As her dream of a papa,...

@halfmoon: I have very much to learn from all of you; what concerns me is whether I will be mature enough to benefit from all that this forum has to offer, without letting myself be too carried away.

I decided to take a different approach to some things, including this forum. Although having a pseudonym seems to be the common usage here, my old nickname is thankfully becoming more and more of an inaccurate portrait as I make progress in some areas.

brute's not super into the whole God-thing, so he finds it hard to entertain that train of thought. Fair enough. Pragmatically, however, notice that being able to do just that—entertain a thought without accepting it—could give you a competitive advantage in many areas; incidentally, although the a...

@BRUTE: God, specifically.

@Pagliaccio: how does the universe originate from meaning? If you accept as a premise that the universe issued from a random accident, then affirming that there is no such a thing as "meaning" is simply taking the matter to its logical conclusion (so, very consistent of you); just take th...

@Pagliaccio: how does the universe originate from meaning? If you accept as a premise that the universe issued from a random accident, then affirming that there is no such a thing as "meaning" is simply taking the matter to its logical conclusion (so, very consistent of you); just take th...

Researching examples of the extreme variety of a struggle with loneliness—enforced isolation in incarceration—I took particular notice of the activities that the prisoners used to keep themselves occupied (and sane), and they usually had to do with spiritual and intellectual pursuits—some prayed or ...

@halfmoon: Not only dividends, but "most types of U.S. source income paid to a foreign person" [ source ]. Most countries impart similar taxation, though. In my case, there are no tax treaties between Brazil and the United States, so I would have to "pay" the full 30%. As for re...

Like I wrote elsewhere, my presence in this forum is sporadic, and my visits short, so I lack the context of the journal and have not much knowledge of your trajectory up to this point; nevertheless, I really liked to read about the house you are building. We’d chosen a large, gently sloped shelf on...

With hindsight, I should probably have waited until I learned about foreign withholding taxes before I started feeling annoyed at my being a Brazilian citizen; I had not foreseen a 30% cut on my dividends when considering investing in U.S. index funds. Fantastic.

The inability to perceive meaning in a universe that has originated from it reflects a personal disconnection and limitation rather than any objective, ontological reality.