Monthly Archives: February 2022

FIRE.145 FUn bUCKET

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I was typing fun bucket the other day and had a shift key issue and noticed if a few letters were missing and I ended up very similar to “FU money.”   That got me thinking about enjoying, maybe “going for it” a little (or more than a little)

The typo and my mind shift made me really focus in on how going wild with a fun bucket could be similar to YOLO and even FOMO. 

I think how many people on their deathbed do not regret the things they did, but rather, regretting the things they did NOT do.

Missing out on living life seems to be a common theme from people who “wait until later.”  Do people who postpone, possibly postpone too long, until it’s too late.  I always seem to save the best for last.  I always want the bad news first.  I want to get over the bumps and get to the smooth road.  For the past few years, I have wondered if I should do more of the good stuff now.  I’m happy to report (to myself mostly—maybe my wife also) that I am doing the good stuff now.  I’m reducing the friction of life when possible so I can have more enjoyment.  Not just for my personal enjoyment, but for my wife as well—who definitely deserves the best life.  (Those who know me know the saying at my house, “too much Kevin”)  Use your life’s preparation for the good things.  The good things for an enjoyable life all along the way, along the journey.  Do the good things when you are physically and mentally able to do them, AND ENJOY THEM.

When we were in our mid-late 40s we went to Pompeii and walked around the 2000-year-old ruined city.   We both talked about how it would be VERY hard to navigate the nightmarish street stones, and drainage channels, especially while walking up/down the inclines.  For this reason, we are planning our physically harder travels sooner rather than later.  Places like Eastern Europe for example seem like the travel will be harder than France or Spain.  I think for Asia trips how saving Japan until later since it’s easier than some of the other countries where travel will be harder.

I didn’t mention the added benefit of FI and the ability to travel off-peak and avoid a large portion of the crowds as well as the increased cost of peak season travel.  So we bring jackets (and long-running pants/shirts).

Conscientious spending, deferred spending, identifying the want, researching, planning, pricing, and purchasing seems to work for me.  I almost always get what I truly want at a smart price.  Sometimes it seems smarter to make a list of wants and figure out which are important rather than just placing the item in a cart and BAM it arrives at home.  (Yes, I do get shipping/delivery notifications with no idea what the item is, but larger items, I know exactly what’s coming)

This smattering of thoughts brings me back to the retirement bucket strategy addition of the Fun Bucket. A popular retirement cash flow (drawdown/decumulation) strategy is to have three buckets (0-2 years of cash, 2-5/8 years of safe(r) holding/bonds, and the rest in long-term growth assets/stocks).  This then introduces concerns for emergencies, long-term care needs, etc.  It’s all a balancing game with your assets.

I find it a very interesting concept of peeling some money away from one’s asset allocation for FUN—and only fun—seems like a great idea if you have enough funds.  The hard part is actually doing it!

*** Nothing in this article is to be construed as financial advice.  I am not a financial planner, nor do I pretend to be.  You should always consult your own professional when seeking advice. This post is not a piece of literary mastery, just a random thought I had.

FIRE.144 Chautauqua or Minitauqua?

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So it turns out money nerds like hanging out with other money nerds.  It’s like the cool club, but only if you know about it.  I’ve only been to the small-scale gatherings and medium-scale gatherings of this type.  I’ve never been to the granddaddy of FI gatherings.

SMALL GATHERINGS are what I consider local meetups.  They are usually a few hours of your time, possibly up to an hour’s drive away and a load of information.

I’ve been to both ChooseFI local meetups as well as Boglehead local meetups.  (Note: I’ve also been to a sleazy “financial planning education” employment meetings). 

  • ChooseFI local meetups are great.  You get to meet people who live in your area—or are visiting your area—and talk about money topics from the beginning of a financial journey through much later stages of one’s financial journey.  There are people of all ages, places on the financial timeline, different net worths, and different interests.  To me, it seems to always be a very open discussion, and even quite personal at times with people who are very new friendlys.
  • Boglehead local meetings tend to be different.  The meetings I’ve attended are on Monday afternoons and seem to be attended by people who are farther along the personal finance path (i.e. older or retired).  The discussions are quite different in that they tend to be more towards safely/wisely spending your accumulated resources, rather than accumulating resources.

LARGE SCALE GATHERINGS seem more like EconoME or the Financial Freedom Summit idea.  I have not attended either of these yet.  Timing and Topics of interest seem a little different than my current position on the financial journey.  However, I know there are all types of sessions and even more types of people attending that these gatherings would be very interesting.

These are large conference-like settings that aim for 1000+ attendees over the course of a weekend.  There seems to be a presentation-driven structure quite similar to FinCon for the” content creator” folks.

The BIG TIME GATHERING to me is Chautauqua, an entire week set aside for nerds to gather in far off, far-flung locations.  It’s a small group of a few dozen people who have the opportunity to talk deeply about their lives and how being financially sound makes dreams come true.  Well, that’s how I imagine financial intention/success.  I know several  people who’ve been to Chautauqua and every one of them loved it.

Well, what if an entire week on another continent is not possible?  Wouldn’t it be cool if there was a similar version that’s closer, shorter, and with varying levels of FI?  CampFI is like a Minitauqua (I assume)…

MEDIUM GATHERINGS are what I consider to be CampFI weekends.  These are the regional gatherings where people may travel across the country, or even from other countries, to hang out with other money nerds for 4 days over a long weekend.  These are often based around holiday weekends.

Instead of re-hashing my CampFi thoughts, I’ve linked some posts about my amazing experiences at a couple of the CampFI’s I’ve attended.

CampFI Southwest 2018 – CampFI…Mind Blown

CampFI Mid-Atlantic 2019 – Power Center CampFI

CampFI Southwest 2019 – Your Friends…Your Future

CampFI Southwest 2021 – It just keeps getting better

I’ve been to other CampFI’s but I must not have written about them or my search is lacking. I started going in my late 40’s and continued into my 50’s. It’s an amazing weekend that continues to make me better.

Note: I’ve signed up for CampFI MidWest Minn 2022 Labor Day weekend so I can spend time with my intelligent, like-minded, and fun cohorts.

*** Nothing in this article is to be construed as financial advice.  I am not a financial planner, nor do I pretend to be.  You should always consult your own professional when seeking advice. This post is not a piece of literary mastery, just a random thought I had.