Early Retirement Extreme Forums

Welcome Icefish. This forum is a treasure trove and it's a wonder to go down the rabbit hole and explore the variety and evolution of members, topics and the prevailing trends!

ertyu wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 25, 2023 6:16 am

Assuming they are sufficiently abled and that you don't completely alienate them by being a shitty parent (both materially and emotionally), they will probably feel guilt about leaving you to rot in your old age.

True. Love and guilt are reasons why I care for my parents in their old age.

Thanks for reviving this thread. I've been struggling with this issue (wrote a post about this in my journal if anyone is interested). In short, I'm at the age where my childbearing window is very rapidly closing in on me. In terms of capacity/ability (partner's desire and willingness, us being gene...

2022 END OF YEAR REVIEW AND 2023 GOALS HEALTH 2022: Was beset with health problems last year - Covid (the whole works, including loss of smell/taste), bad case of fever and stomach pain (possibly food poisoning) and a fractured toe. Also blew a chunk of money on my teeth. I’m obsessed with straight...

To be honest, reading your post, you don't sound like a person who desires parenthood for its own sake. Imo that's the only case when one should have children -- or when circumstances thrust them on one and make one realize, you know what, i'd be up to that actually. By "desiring parenthood fo...

My initial reaction is that you give a lot of reasons why having a kid might be scary (financial burden, unequal burden with spouse, will I be maternal enough?, etc.). But pretending those concerns could be worked out or eliminated, do you think you’d actually find joy in being a parent? If you’re ...

@AxelHeyst - I hope I'm understanding your point correctly. In terms of effort, I would say its mostly "mental" in nature. Whenever I come across a new lifestyle, I think deeply about it, read about others' experiences, and often try to envision myself in that lifestyle. With regard to con...

This is not a year-end reflection post - that should come soon. Instead, this post is about an issue that I have been struggling for way too many years. It always seems too personal to share, and after having read countless opinions on this issue and even gone through couple therapy (we stopped midw...

when you started this journal in 2017 you were aiming to semi-ERE by this time. How do you view that goal presently? The "semi-ERE" goal was a worthy one, but looking back, the thought process behind the goal was shallow. (The term "semi-ERE" is to me an increasingly loaded term...

Some financial data and reflections: Liquid Assets Working capital (current account): ~0.5x E-fund (high interest savings account): ~3x Short-mid term investments (treasuries/bonds) (conservative): ~6.5x Long-term investments (index funds - world and local indexes) (moderate? risk): ~9.5x Largely Il...

Fortunately or unfortunately, in my first job, I had a sociopathic manager. As such, the initial motivation was to get out of that situation ASAP and to never be in such a situation again. I literally googled for a way out in the first/second(?) week, found ERE, and quit that job within 2 months. Wh...

Replies to OOTB and jacob Thank you for your thoughtful responses. @OOTB – I really appreciate your comment that the recurrent themes in my journal are not “lame”. Whenever I post or want to post, I find myself comparing my content with other forummers as it seems that I am stuck in the “same-old” ...

Some reflections: 0-12: Fetus to semi-conscious 13-18: Growing up years, increasingly conscious, dependent, no agency, highly competitive 19-22: College years, increasing agency and independence, highly susceptible to external influences, decreasingly competitive 23-?? (Current phase): Salary man em...

Self-identifying as one of the many reddit-FI labels feels kind of cringey to me, perhaps maybe because these labels have become so mainstream and/or that I no longer find value in seeking FIRE as much as designing and building a fulfilling life, of which financial security/independence is only a co...

Thanks @chenda and @sky for the recovery wishes. Unfortunately, it seems that I'd jinxed myself as I've since (my last post) lost my sense of smell and taste. I can literally eat a tube of toothpaste or inhale smoke and wouldn't know it. Being robbed of 2 senses have been depressing and I'm not sure...

July Update: Health I've finally succumbed to Covid and am currently in self-isolation. Had body aches, chills and a low grade fever for most parts of yesterday, but thankfully they cleared after a good night's sleep. Currently battling the congested airways, constant hacking and scratchy throat. A...

Nothing particularly insightful to add but just wanted to jump in to say how much I'm enjoying/benefiting from the above discussion. I find myself ruminating on my similar job situation. It's generally easy, pays well, etc, but it more or less feels like passing/doing (dare I say) time. Yet I haven'...

@MBB - Thanks for your post, which made me double-check the prepayment terms. The relevant term states that "If the Loan Facility is partially prepaid, you shall pay us such revised monthly instalment calculated based on the outstanding Loan Facility over the remaining Loan Period..." It s...

Thanks @jacob. While only a rule of thumb (but based on my squatting on this forum for many years, seems to hold some truth!), seems I've got 400+ more posts to go

Today is the last day of my PTO, and it’s going to be largely spent on housekeeping, cooking, reading and self-reflection. I’ve decided to post in this journal more frequently (at least monthly) going forward. I remember reading somewhere in this forum (can’t remember exactly where it was posted or ...