Ask HN: Who Is Retiring?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42588349

by edent • 2 years ago

12 17 2 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

After (many) years of work, I've decided to take a break. Maybe for a year. Maybe indefinitely.

Has anyone else here pursued FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early)?

Any tips, tricks, or warnings?

mmaunder• 2 years ago

I think a lot of "I'm retired" is just wealth signaling. I recently lost a 94 year old buddy who was working and curious until the end. No one wants to party with the "I'm retired" guy when that's all he has going on.

badpun2• 2 years ago

In general, I find retired people are more intersting, because they have so much more free time and, in consequence, so much more going on in their lives (interests, relationships, going deep into things), compared to people who just have to work through most of their waking hours.

bdangubic4• 2 years ago

this is because you were thought from young age to define your life through work - i.e. you live to work and not work to live. people working until they are 94 is the saddest imaginable thing. there is sooooo much more to life than work - unfortunately US culture is such that you hear insane statements like no one wants to party with “I am retired” guy two of my childhood friends were lucky to retire in their late-30’s / early-40’s and they are living the lifes most can’t even imagine

deanmoriarty3• 2 years ago

who was working and curious

For a lot of people, not having to work would cause them to become much more curious, with a lot more going on too. I wouldn’t link work, especially modern office work, to those other qualities.

My dad is retired and is the happiest he has ever been. He had a very interesting working career, built several small businesses in his life, but retirement gave him a completely new joy and purpose. He routinely states how retirement is simply amazing, starting from the silly ability to stay up late at night and sleep in every morning (for him late night means 11pm, and sleeping in is 7am, lol).

IronWolve• 2 years ago

I'll prob always do side projects even when retired, since I am really interested in AI projects. But I'll work for myself at my remote cabin with starlink, garden, and raising some dogs. Cheaper cost of living too.

vuggamie• 2 years ago

Health care costs will prevent me from retiring anytime soon, even if my savings are enough. (I am an American in the USA and emigration would be impossible for my family.)

the__alchemist3• 2 years ago

Why, if your savings are enough? You can buy insurance. Healthcare.gov is cheap if you don't have income, and there are tricks to be self-employed as well to do normal insurance.

bdangubic4• 2 years ago

do you think that all of the bankrupcies we have in the US that are due to medical bills are people who had no medical insurance? guessing you followed luigi story as well? in the US you only really have health insurance if you are healthy. if god forbid you get sick you soon realize that you do not in fact have medical insurance…

tacostakohashi• 2 years ago

Maybe, its somewhat appealing, but it's complicated. I guess I could definitely afford to retire, if I budgeted carefully, and lived in a modest cost of living location.

The thing is, I don't mind working per se, and the social, teamwork, learning/challenge aspects can be nice. I just don't need all the BigCo corporate bs, politics, agile, performance review, 80 hr week stuff. It's a pity there doesn't seem to be any such thing as a chill job with chill people any more.

badpun2• 2 years ago

Working inside a government is your best bet for a chill work. They're sheltered from market forces, so don't have to maximize output from their employees.

deanmoriarty3• 2 years ago

2025 will hopefully be the year I choose to retire, at 38, and $6M saved up in liquid assets (very boring index funds).

My tricks will be:

- Living modestly. I never spent more than $50-60k a year in my life even while living in Silicon Valley and traveling internationally a few times a year. I plan to keep it that way, it will probably go up a little bit if I have to pay for my own healthcare on the exchange.

- Traveling extensively but to cheap destinations and off season.

- I am also a dual citizen US/EU so if the US healthcare situation becomes too wild (e.g. ACA gets repealed) I can get universal healthcare in my home country, which is “free” (in quote because in order to get into the healthcare system there I would need to become a resident, which comes with a substantially higher tax on dividend/capital gains than US, but that’s still an infinitely better deal than the US healthcare situation).

nojvek• 2 years ago

$6M saved up at 38, wow! You’ve won at the game of life.

Ask HN: Who Is Retiring?

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