Feeling wealthy - at any Net Worth

You didn’t need to delete it, it was a fair point :joy:

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As far as I am concerned, the problems I raised feel legit to me, no shame and I didn’t want to kill the vibe. I’d be the last one to criticize wealthy people struggling with existential issues.

Or even with money problems, be it addiction for more, unable to spend, scare of losing it, ashamed of being rich and happy, ashamed of being rich and NOT happy, shaking when filling tax return (professional investor status pending!), keeping relationships fair and healthy when money doesn’t equal by a lot…

@Stingy_cnt has a way to deal with it by disconnecting their actual NW from their way of living/thinking/identity by trying their best to feel poor. Why not.

@finalcountdown handles it differently by teaching their self to spend money on things that bring them joy.

Let’s not fight, I think it’s very inspirational for real situations we’re not used to talking about. Being rich and struggling is somehow forbidden. Talking about it is often criticized. Here can be a place where we share peacefully, can’t it?

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I would like to add that we’re missing a dimension here and that is „point in fire journey". I’m (assuming, perhaps optimistically, historical returns into the future) half way (in time, not in capital), through the accumulation phase.

Remind me if I’m wrong but finalcountdown you’re beginning RE, no?

Yeah, about to, the whole running out of time before money thing. Things to see things to do

For the record. I dont believe I have any existential issues nor what-to-do-with-my-life questions. But a therapist may beg to differ :joy:

I am happy as fuck as far as I know

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I wasn’t assuming you had issues, just that it does exist.

I Will Teach You To be Rich

Sounds like the journey’s never over, and I guess you’ve reached every level wannabe-FIRE can expect. The fact that you still find it interesting being taught (about anything) is not a therapy but a reality check that it’s not game-over until it is.

Btw 99.9 pct of people would have reached for whatever sharp instrument in reach with my comment. You didnt. Respect.

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Coming back to Wolverines point about the lower limit, that one stuck with me. Theres a baseline below which spend on what you love becomes cut on what you need, and the distance between those two is the part most people dont measure.

For me it helped to actually put a number on that floor. Not the FIRE number, just the floor. What does a year of basic life cost if you stripped the discretionary stuff. Once i had that, the rest of finalcountdowns framing made more sense. You can spend extravagantly on what matters precisely because you know how far above the floor you are.

JEPG put it well a few posts up, money doesnt buy happiness but lack of it drives unhappiness. Below the floor its scarcity thinking no matter the income. Above it you actually get to choose.

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I used to take great interest in finding that floor… until March 2020 came around.

That one really pushed the “spending floor” through whole parts of society as either a) the more interesting fun things were suddenly Verboten, or b) your income was zeroed out

Or if you were like me with 2 young kids (one born in 2020) and no life: no change.

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:joy:same same

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This point got me thinking. I’ve seen a lot, also on this forum, about the 4% rule and simulations of ruin probability based on movements around this rate 3.5%, 4.5%… but given this idea that we should leave the pillars till retirement age, do we need a new rule to determine what multiplier we need to bridge us to retirement age and the release of the pillars?

To use 4% means essentially being way to conservative. One could just not have the pillars at all in that case?

I personally think of fire with my 2nd and 3rd in mind, others clearly see it differently though

You should factor the pension income/lump sum as part of the calculation.

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Good point.

I would also add using the pillars can be alternative to reduce your costs (using to purchase a property). It enables you to withdraw pillars earlier and reduce your costs until pillar 1 / residual pillars kick in