I have thought through many usage models for our savings/assets.  How should we pay for our life expenses and desires over time?

We all know about the 4% rule of thumb, other Safe Withdrawal Rate research—and a famous blog series —, various guardrails, the wing it methods, the MDF and Fun Number, the Base Great Life, The Fun Bucket, the FI Bucket, Die With Zero, etc., etc., etc.  Yes, we needed three etc’s because there are so many thoughts.

Personally, we are currently using the MDF approach with Fun Bucket/FI Bucket strategy. 

Before I drafted my Age Grouping post, I had started typing these thoughts, which are still valid as a separate post.

When do you get old?  

When do you realize you’re old?

Is old a number?

Today I realized it’s over—well, over soon.

I’ll soon end my time in my current age grouping.

I noticed that some surveys are using the age groupings for adult into LARGE bands of under 35, 35-54 and 55 and over.  Those make three nice big age groups: younger adults, middle adults and older aging adults.  Simple and clean.

But now that I’m 54 (completed 54 years, now living my 55^th year—example: 1900s were 20^th century) I’m in my last year of this polling age group.  Even if I were in the 45-54 age group, I would be ending that smaller band.

I’m a lot more relaxed and calmer being FIREd.

I think of it as an Optimistic Cautious Disposition.  That is far from some people’s Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders.  It’s not quite the opposite but far towards different ends of the spectrum. 

I will say that for much of my life, I’ve been very detail-oriented.  Very task or goal driven when required.  I’ve also been quite a correctivenest, but not a perfectionist.  I want things correct.

…like this, in early retirement.

I was scheduled for Jury Duty this week.  It was Federal Jury Duty so it was to be a week of calling and driving into downtown, parking, and shuttling to the courthouse to do my civic duty.  Nevermind killing time roaming around at lunch and having to pay for food.

I had prepared for this life interruption by rearranging my life duties and activities to open up this week and possibly the following two weeks in case it was a 3-week trial.

Another post about dying…always interesting to me.

BAM

There’s a simple smack-you-in-the-face saying that I’m understanding better.

“If you don’t fly first class, your kids will.”  Or if you don’t fly first class, your kid’s spouses will.

If I don’t fly first class, my niblings, charity execs, and government leaders will.  I’m NOT thrilled with the HOGs feely spending my decades of deferred spending.

I am not a good practitioner of this use-it logic.  There have been flights where my wife is in first class (because she’s smart) and I’m in an economy seat or premium economy seat a few rows behind her.  My logic (sucks) is that I saved enough on one economy flight to pay for a week of the rental car, gas, etc.  I’m pretty stupid, I know.

Impact

I was driving home thinking about the farmer’s market and how I should go this weekend.  I then thought about how I don’t usually buy much at the market because things cost more than other stores.  I realized that spending $5, $10, $20, or $30 more would be inconsequential to our financial plan.  It would actually be nice to support those businesses more directly.  “Be better to others.”

Enjoy

My thoughts have been shifting toward—what do I value?  What do I truly enjoy, want, or desire?  What have I done without that the saving/waiting period is now over.  What impact would those purchases have on our finances vs my enjoyment?

I don’t really want much.  I don’t desire most things.  I have always researched what I want and then buy the selection that seems to make sense and make me happy, and it usually does for a lengthy period of time.

But, is this delay, or lack of desire limiting my life in any way?  Yeah, it probably is in many ways related to aging.

Doing things now is only going to be easier than when we are older.

Doing things now may only build on themselves with more opportunities to do more.  Spending is a muscle.

Seasons

Missing the window of opportunity, or season of life, can be absolutely disheartening once it’s no longer available.   My mom is quite sad at times for missing the window to travel abroad.  We are missing much of that window now by staying close to my mom to help her with her aging.  She would be upset that we’re letting our seasons pass by.

Soul

Retire TO something.  You hear that often.  “What are you going to do in retirement?” is a common question.

I wish everyone would step back—at any phase of life—and ask “what do I truly love to do that makes my soul happy?”  Do those things NOW.  Do one on Tuesday night.  Don’t wait for retirement, or even the weekend.

Spending Muscle

As for me, I have been bashing on my guitars and my Marshall amps more often than ever.  I have a new Marshall full stack on order from England.  It makes ZERO sense to get an arena-sized amp, but I can, FI Bucket.  Actually, I’m using my playcheck in the FIRE lifestyle/tech categories for the amp so it isn’t even part of our retirement plan spending/retirement spending plan.

Spending my Playcheck is a requirement.  It’s non-negotiable.  Spending the Fun Bucket is a little harder, but I’m getting better…following Kathy’s lead.  I’m starting to ask “Would there even be a negative financial impact 40+ yrs from now?”  In 99% of the cases, probably not at all.

I think I need to make a “shopping list” on my Don’t Forget List to dream and spend.  I don’t know if I ever talked about our year-round Xmas list, where we buy our Xmas gifts for each other all year long with off-season deals when possible.  Maybe I already have a good list, but I need to add dream items…this requires I first need to dream better.

Dumb Ass Husband

Oh, as for our last flight together from Florida to AZ, I was booked 2 rows behind Kathy’s 1^st class in extended legroom economy (assigning the money I saved for our car rental category) and with 3 days left in Florida I checked the upgrade price and it was $126 for 4+ hours of seat time.  I upgraded to the seat next to her (we booked Kathy with an open aisle seat by her just in case). 

Maybe I was lucky to get the seat and a deal, but would a few hundred dollars of our pretty infrequent flights have been a big deal?  No.

(Interesting update: I didn’t lose the extended legroom upgrade money I’d paid; the airlines refunded my credit card a week later for the $86 extended charge.  Even the airline knew I was being stupid/cheap)

Lesson to all—don’t be a dumbass.

*** 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.

For a while, I’ve been perplexed by some people around me pushing the all-being requirement of purpose.

Over and over and over small segments of the communities I’m in are being sold on “finding their purpose.”

Podcast

This most recently came to light on a podcast where the host shared a conversation with a friend about purpose.  They seemed to be on opposite sides of the spectrum.  It made me wonder if the need for purpose is built into someone’s personality.

Promotors

                perplexing pointless purpose perfection promotion

Promotors push: What’s your purpose?  What is it that drives you?  What do you do that makes the world a better place?  What makes your day important?

Everywhere I turn there is the “P” word—in print and podcasts (not those Ps)—especially in retirement circles.  Something like “…now that you are free from spending all day working you can take that time to change the world.  Hit it hard, hit it big.”

Personality

I don’t feel the need to be all-important and world or life-changing.  I’ve never felt that way.

I’ve always been just fine being myself, and doing what I want.  Maybe it’s because I’m an only child who didn’t have siblings to compete with or live up to.  Maybe it’s because I lived away from the big cities with no keeping up with the Jones’ lifestyle.  Maybe it’s the way I was raised to be intentional and true to myself.  I don’t live an external life.  I will freely admit that I focus on myself first because that’s who I am.

I guess my Health, Happiness, and Helping structure shows I’m not totally selfish.  It’s also not “my purpose” it’s just a structure.   Oh, I’m sure purpose-pushers would clarify that as “my purpose.”  Nope, it’s just a priority structure.

There is nothing about the word “purpose” that resonates with me personally.  I wonder if that’s because I don’t feel the need to change the world, others, or things outside of myself and my environment.  Maybe I’m selfish.  Yes, but I also do a lot for others.  “Helping” is my #3 priority.

I do agree with the book “Don’t Retire, REWIRE” and its focus on “drivers.”  I think that is an integral part of what makes a person feel good in their skin.  The traits that give them those good feelings.  I’ve had this on my list for a few years to review the drivers list and pick some…

Oh, that reminds me, I keep my Don’t Forget List of everything interesting that pops into my head.  It is NOT a To-Do List.  A To-Do List stacks up like chores rather than interests or jumping around and trying different things.  Roger Whitney and Cindy Terry call that Dabbling.  Love It.

$lackers

I’ve mentioned the slackers (“$lackers”—read by Siri as “dollar sign lackers”—NOT!).  One day we were all talking about purpose and passion and one of us said “I don’t really have a driving passion,” and another said, “I don’t want to have to find some big purpose.”  I think some of us felt that even trying to dig up a small purpose seems uninteresting in the current phase of our lives.

I said, “We’re just slackers.”  We all laughed and joked about it.  The irony that many of us retired early clearly shows we are driven, goal-oriented over-achievers.  Most of us are super-detailed, type-A personalities, yet we just dig hanging and doing what we want each day.  There’s a retiree joke, “I did THREE things today.”  That is a BIG day for many,

Oh no – the Anxiety bomb

I was BLOWN AWAY by the podcast host opining the other person may have purpose anxiety because their lifestyle didn’t fit with the author’s model.  I thought—I have/am the farthest thing from purpose anxiety.  I don’t EVER dwell on anything like that.  I’m a huge believer (and practitioner) of just doing whatever you want if it doesn’t hurt others.  Live YOUR life.

Personality

I think…I wonder…is this really just a personality trait that leads different people to have different needs?  Do some personalities have an internal drive for a purpose?  Could that same personality lead someone to have anxiety of any/multiple types?

I don’t have either anxiety or a desire for purpose at this time or in my past.  Yet, I’m an educated, skilled professional with a successful history of both career and FIRE.  Maybe I just haven’t had enough time in FIRE to realize others are better than me.

“800words”

*** 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.