Early Retirement Extreme Forums

In Denmark and Sweden the central banks have a negative interest rate on money that the banks deposit. By law the banks are forced to deposit a proportion of their customer's money in the central bank, so the banks cannot lend all money to house owners. Therefor the banks in Sweden will try to take ...

I have a colleague at work. He and his wife bought big an apartment about a year ago in a neighboring city when his wife got a new job there. Now he mentioned that they are buying a house close to the apartment and moving there. I think that they will sell the apartment. I got the feeling that both ...

Gold does not grow or produce anything, so probably a bad long time investment. To own some smaller gold bars and coins can be good for emergencies, since it is easy to take with you if you have to flee. If you are worried about a collapse of communications and electricity, gold maybe not the correc...

Have you considered connecting the computer to an external screen or TV? If you already got a screen/tv, cables, mouse and keyboard, you could use it like a stationary computer for free.

I think luck plays a role all the time, but that you can make choices with free will. If you gamble at a casino, the odds are against you. Still, you can be saved by luck. If you invest in the stock market in a reasonable way, the odds are probably in your favor. Still, bad luck may give you losses....

I had the lowest saving rate in April of all months so far, but it is not too alarming. Most of the expenses should not repeat so often. Transport: Transport costs include that I paid for the annual car insurance, bought a new bike and had some additional costs related to the car and bike. Entertain...

I think people think that I am poor, because I rent and only drive an older car. Sometimes it can be smart to appear poor...

My personal opinion is that you have to learn to say no, both to yourself and others. I find that paying for example for a wedding is crazy if you have to withdraw retirement savings. The persons getting married should pay for it themselves and do it in a way that they can afford. Many people also s...

It seems like an good idea to pay back the loan with 5 % interest. Good that you were able to lower the rate. Today I personally and unprofessionally think that 5% is in a tricky middle ground. Even if you are a risk taker and gambler, it is not obvious what is best. Paying back or trying to find in...

So far I am still thinking of retiring in Sweden. Depends also a bit on how things changes with taxes, services and family. +Language and culture +Stable and democratic +Healthcare almost free -Taxes generally high Sweden got the worlds highest marginal taxes on earned income. Sales tax 25% on top o...

How large part of your incone is going into paying interest compared to deceasing debt?

Do some debt got so favorable conditions that you should if possible pay other debt first?

One way is to stop giving to charity now, but instead write about donation in your will.

"Total: 4785" Was that your total expenses or just the part that you pay yourself? Does real estate take alot of time compared to for example investing in an index fund with low fees? Your health costs and nanny costs seem high, but you seem to be earning alot. Here in Sweden healthcare is nearly fr...

I will have no more expenses in Mars. The expenses were quite low in Mars. Report US$ Earned income : 3378 Expenses Rent : 481 Transport : 0 Food : 156 Entertainment : 0 Other : 111 Total : 748 Savings : 2630 Saving rate (%) : 78

The real game changer would be something like Star Trek holodeck. WR will not be really good until it is difficult to know if you are in the real world or in WR.

I think the legal and moral aspects of copyright, DRM, closed vs open, paid vs piracy etc. can be a great debate. My original idea was to live inexpensive within the law, by using inexpensive digital software and services. My opinion is that it is stupid to be fanatic about never paying, since you o...

@Brute I think that if you are looking online for an exact duplication of a real experience, you will fail. I think the key is to be flexible and patient to get good value. Ok, a game is not like Paris, but you will not be seeing flying dragons in Paris (and you will not be eaten by them). If you ar...

Difference between WR and real life seem to be most when your head is fixated, which is not so common at least yet. I guess that 12 hour of screen time per day could have consequences, but on the other hand many working people got 12 hours of screentime.

I been toying with an idea. Many activities cost quite a lot of money in real life. Travel, driving racing cars, shooting with guns, concerts and eating out can all be quite expensive. I think traveling to the world of Pandora (In the game Borderlands), can be just as fun as traveling to Paris. Digi...

Good that you have found a reasonable place to live. A lot of people seem to be buying the biggest and most expensive apartment or house that the bank approve, since prices "always increase". I got the feeling that the upside right now is quite limited and that it could be a big downside if somethin...