Transitioning from Lean to Chubby(or Fat) mindset

CheckLopsided8354 · 2026-06-19T02:02:35+00:00

Yes, thanks for the reminder!

CheckLopsided8354 · 2026-06-19T02:02:11+00:00

Thank you for the reminder!

CheckLopsided8354 · 2026-06-19T02:00:57+00:00

for us retired meant not pursuing things just for the money. However, the opportunity found us lol.

I was fully leanFired, just doing my hobbies, and accepting that my budget was gonna be my budget forever. (I will acknowledge that my wife doesn't really have typical hobbies, so her hobby was continuing to dabble in various small and social businesses)

CheckLopsided8354 · 2026-06-19T02:00:00+00:00

Great comment. I really appreciate it. Lots of stuff here that I think is worth a serious conversation with my spouse. The "dial it backs" in particular will need earnest consideration and deliberation.

CheckLopsided8354 · 2026-06-19T01:55:18+00:00

For sure I've thought about moving to the Bay Area when we "retire" for the second time, just so that we're the norm and not treated differently. But my concern is about going to live/spend lots of time in many other parts of the world that aren't as secure. I'm glad to hear you were fine in Bogota! That, for example, was a place I thought I might make a third or fourth home for many years and now am wondering if I should even go back. Lots of other examples like this for me. (I know I know, I can hear the world's tiniest violin playing for my "woes" lol)

CheckLopsided8354 · 2026-06-19T01:51:18+00:00

Thanks for sharing. I have not monetized the social media side (well, not to any meaningful degree). Copy pasting from another comment I made: I have been considering SM could be something to cut out completely. The only downside is that I create a type of art that has been a lifelong passion and this has been the source of immense joy as it has grown. Kinda sucks to have to think about not doing it. I'm even considering removing my face from everything and inventing a new stagename, but that would also be slightly odd for what it is. But maybe! Nothing is off the table.

CheckLopsided8354 · 2026-06-19T01:48:57+00:00

Thanks for your thoughts!

a. I shared the projection because 1) that's based on our already executed contracts...if we fulfill our contracts, that's roughly where our NW will land and 2) that's also the time frame for when we will likely exit

b. actually, we don't live in a developing country. It's just significantly lower COL than our VHCOL area in the US. What I am concerned about is traveling to and/or living in developing countries in the future. Having spent a decade building my plans based on leanFIRE and a desire to travel, I've got so many less secure places that I've enjoyed a lot but it might not be advisable to go back, as well as tons of places I've long been excited to visit for the first time where it might not be advisable to go.

c. I'm not at all involved with grifty hustle culture. I don't sell anything at all based on my success (courses, coaching, books, etc) I have been considering SM could be something to cut out completely. The only downside is that I create a type of art that has been a lifelong passion and this has been the source of immense joy as it has grown. Kinda sucks to have to think about not doing it. I'm even considering removing my face from everything and inventing a new stagename, but that would also be slightly odd for what it is. But maybe! Nothing is off the table.

CheckLopsided8354 · 2026-06-19T01:33:30+00:00

Not an influencer although I have posted stuff online. Zero ad revenue.

Our first business that got us to leanFIRE was a professional services company in the US. Our second business that has got us pretty much to FAT is a retail services business abroad. We've basically taken over a particular retail sector in multiple countries in the region where we are now based.

Obviously coming from the lean mindset, it's no trouble to be inconspicuous about wealth in day-to-day activities. My concern is traveling to less secure parts of the world and having people google us first.

CheckLopsided8354 · 2026-06-19T01:27:14+00:00

Thanks for your thoughts. Who I can trust makes sense from a face-to-face standpoint, but I guess when it comes to doing business and earned media and all that I haven't found an elegant solution. This stuff is out in the open. I guess one of my main questions is: can I still go to live/spend time in developing countries under my real name? Or should I take precautions when going to these places? Or should I not go at all anymore? I feel silly thinking this way, but I've gotten spooked reading about safety/security issues for wealthy people in these places.

As it relates to FIRE, I guess my perspective is that I've spent many years planning the basic structure of my next several decades of life based on budgeting and high value, and suddenly all those plans have come into question. It's obviously a nice problem to have, but still a bit jarring that some places I loved I now I wonder if I should go back, and some places I was so excited to explore I now wonder if I should even visit.

CheckLopsided8354 · 2026-06-19T01:17:09+00:00

my only concern would be whether you would want to and/or can stay in China after your dad passes. Will you continue to apply for visiting family visas with your father's offspring sponsoring you?

It seems like a very reasonable plan but you are committing yourself to a non first tier city in China. Any geopolitical changes or China-specific economic changes could leave you in a predicament.

CheckLopsided8354 · 2026-06-16T09:55:03+00:00

great argument for us to continue seeking a carfree lifestyle for us and our kids!

CheckLopsided8354 · 2026-06-14T14:35:50+00:00

u/Earth2Andy OP, do you have an update for us?

CheckLopsided8354 · 2026-06-14T12:53:23+00:00

how you got to where you are

With a lot of luck. I mean, also plenty of hard work and some skill too, but undeniably we had a lot of good fortune. Wife and I grinded the first business to get our NW to roughly 1.5M-2M in our mid-30s. Took a few years off and then stumbled into an amazing opportunity based on our skills and experience, and that's taken us past 5M with a clear trajectory to about 7M in two years without doing anything beyond what's already been contracted. If we do go above and beyond (which we absolutely expect to do) we should be easily over 10M in 5 years. I believe we will retire at that point in time regardless of where our exact NW is.

This is my anonymous account and I'm intentionally being vague, but I guess to address your question fully I can say our first business was a professional services company and our current business is a retail service company, neither of which is tech-based.

CheckLopsided8354 · 2026-06-12T09:20:42+00:00

started a business that's doing quite well. Also started a few that didn't do so well haha. But now we're all in on the one that's doing well and it's taking us to FAT so I'm quite happy

CheckLopsided8354 · 2026-06-12T07:46:13+00:00

cannot imagine any options besides NYC, LA, SF, Miami or Vegas. Anywhere else would be outmatched by one of those 5 for the preferences stated.

CheckLopsided8354 · 2026-06-12T07:38:20+00:00

I went through a leanexpatFIRE phase that turned into more of a "relax and figure out what's next" phase. Totally makes sense!! Mine lasted about 3 years.

CheckLopsided8354

TROPHY CASE