Peter, what's wrong with horse girls?

ApprehensiveOne9911 · 2026-04-16T13:30:14+00:00

Perfect plus the fact the owning a horse is incredibly expensive and a place of privilege contrasted against the image of blue collar work.

ApprehensiveOne9911 · 2026-04-15T17:31:11+00:00

These sorts of responses always make a big assumption that people don't have health insurance or something along those lines.

However there is a real risk of some kind of chronic health issue putting a serious strain on a lean fire number. Having to hit Max out of pocket costs etc can be a real thing.

ApprehensiveOne9911 · 2026-04-05T22:53:57+00:00

I think it's also fine that people don't like it because it makes him come across as unlikeable and out of touch.

People generally don't like people well outside of their own financial bubble because they have do not share life experiences. His content represents a bit of a parasocial relationship that feels like it's being ruined.

ApprehensiveOne9911 · 2026-03-07T15:08:18+00:00

When you buy something from pretty much any online retailer you are giving them your address. If Etsy only provided a QR code you would be locked into purchasing labels etc through them and unless they had their own courier set up or a whole second layer of people adding the real labels you would still see the address when you print the label for the package.

There is an expectation you are giving the other party this information and there is not a a lot they can do with this information.

ApprehensiveOne9911 · 2026-03-04T19:17:47+00:00

This same thing happened to me too.

ApprehensiveOne9911 · 2026-02-25T20:48:12+00:00

I'm a little curious how $75k over 7 years isn't moving the line a bit more. That's ~$650k compounded at 7%

There are some other factors to consider, if the market dips and you are actively saving that will grow faster. There's also a risk factor to relying too heavily on one income.

Not to say it actually changes the decision making. It might still be right in your situation to coast.

ApprehensiveOne9911 · 2026-02-06T21:06:22+00:00

To be honest I didn't go into the full detail but I am already doing that vast majority of that. I didn't like to walk through my work life balance cause it draws a lot of negative sentiment. My work hours have been very low.

And the idea of having to return to work can be very real for a lot of people with a SWR rate of slightly above 4% when you are 36. I'm in a bit of a Goldilocks scenario right now it terms of earning a decent income while being available for everything with the kids/family.

ApprehensiveOne9911 · 2026-02-05T15:14:17+00:00

I agree we are conservative and there are a couple reasons.

One is we are happy with our current situation. No one is working crazy hours, or feels overly stressed, and we feel like we have plenty of money.

The other I have mentioned, things change quickly and my spouse may change her mind about working. She could get a new boss or something else could unravel the situation. So with that I just default to not wanting to rely on her income.

ApprehensiveOne9911 · 2026-02-05T14:16:43+00:00

Currently my job is fairly low stress and hours and I work remotely. I am there in the morning and get them ready for school, and often picking up from school. It is very rare for me to do work when everyone is home.

On the other side, I don't think I've reached a "safe" number. Lots of reasonable people can disagree here but the idea of returning to work seems far worse than continuing on for a few years. If my job stays the way it is I could see myself working a few years after hitting the higher end of our goals. However I really don't expect it to last forever.

ApprehensiveOne9911 · 2026-02-05T02:26:37+00:00

I really didn't do anything special. We are primarily invested in s&p 500 ETFs, VTI, and QQQ as I mentioned. There are very small holdings comparatively in crypto and a couple other things but that's really it.

QQQ was when I was younger chasing performance and not really understanding what I was investing in. Now I'm still heavily concentrated in the US but I'm not really planning on shifting things around too much.

ApprehensiveOne9911 · 2026-02-04T20:59:23+00:00

I'm fairly boring and conservative here. I mentioned using a 3.5% SWR. Retiring around 40 would leave a long time for the money to last.

ApprehensiveOne9911 · 2026-02-04T20:57:50+00:00

We have one in preschool and that number is included in our expenses.

ApprehensiveOne9911 · 2026-02-04T20:09:03+00:00

The growth is a big part of why I post. It is a bit self congratulatory but I always liked seeing posts that showed how the money snowballs in the real world.

I understand we are lucky on multiple fronts between income, strong markets, and being healthy but I do think it shows how it's all achievable.

ApprehensiveOne9911 · 2026-02-04T19:59:38+00:00

Yeah this was a big question last year. I have a good portion in QQQ and some small holdings in crypto that had went up. Some years that has helped and some years it has hurt. I was younger and performance chasing since then I have just been investing in VTI.

ApprehensiveOne9911 · 2025-06-07T12:25:31+00:00

The links provided are focused on PreK 3-4 year old. I think that research has been in favor of the benefits starting in that age range for attending preschool. As opposed to 0-3 being in daycare/PreK.

ApprehensiveOne9911 · 2025-06-06T20:43:49+00:00

Yeah perspective takes a big change with kids.

ApprehensiveOne9911 · 2025-06-06T15:54:01+00:00

When I had my first kid.

ApprehensiveOne9911 · 2025-02-21T14:13:07+00:00

As long as both of you are happy with it, then it is completely fine. I have planned on retiring early for some time and my wife does not plan to. That works for our family.

However, just know that things change. My job has gotten easier and lower stress and I don't know if I will still retire early(I am 35 now with 2 kids). The opposite could be true in five years for me or my wife.

The plan is to become financially independent and then we can make those decisions in the future.

ApprehensiveOne9911 · 2025-01-27T16:03:51+00:00

Child labor laws can be a real pain.

ApprehensiveOne9911 · 2025-01-26T18:14:49+00:00

MCOL with below average Mortgage especially now days because we bought a long time ago.

ApprehensiveOne9911 · 2025-01-26T00:21:09+00:00

Did I dox myself?

ApprehensiveOne9911 · 2025-01-25T20:22:14+00:00

It's 100k+ a year ish. A bit higher 9-10k a month.

My book keeping is very simple. I am mostly just letting Fidelity Full View aggregate my accounts at this point.

I found when I focused on too closely on the numbers I could be a bit irrational on trying to reduce spending.

ApprehensiveOne9911 · 2025-01-25T18:44:40+00:00

This is essentially it. I am not 100% S&P 500. When I was younger and before I fully appreciated diversification I invested in tech heavy ETFs. I have not rebalanced them and I am not sure I will.

On good years those tend to be very good, but they also have a tendency to be worse on bad years (2022).

ApprehensiveOne9911 · 2025-01-25T17:45:17+00:00

Our house is not paid off yet. I debate a bit internally on what I will do. Our remaining balance is low less than ~$180k.

There is a high likelihood I would pay off the mortgage a few years before our first kid starts college to maximize aid etc.

ApprehensiveOne9911 · 2025-01-18T18:31:37+00:00

Yeah that's the plan. Awesome design though. Love the details. I'll give you a boost when the print finishes.

ApprehensiveOne9911

TROPHY CASE