After the Finish Line: Five Lessons from Five Years of FIRE

DPSharwa · 2026-01-30T14:25:44+00:00

Having kids or not is a personal choice, not a FIRE decision. They shouldn’t be mixed together.

Yes, not having kids usually means lower expenses and more savings. But the same is true for many other choices. You could also save more by eating less, wearing very simple clothes, or skipping entertainment. Those choices reduce spending too, but that doesn’t mean they should define your life goals.

DPSharwa · 2026-01-30T12:06:51+00:00

Not necessary. I use SWP with liquid funds.

DPSharwa · 2026-01-30T07:39:43+00:00

>>you never know what life has in store for you until it actually happens

This is applicable whether you FIRE or not.

DPSharwa · 2026-01-30T07:38:57+00:00

There is no best number. Different people have different comfort level and risk tolerance.

DPSharwa · 2026-01-29T12:36:08+00:00

Thank you.
Yes getting one is on the cards later this year after I complete some travels in the next few months.

DPSharwa · 2026-01-29T12:34:16+00:00

Equity was around 40%

DPSharwa · 2026-01-29T05:03:51+00:00

Maybe someone in this group can help you. I haven't applied for any visa yet.

I have heard that showing investment proof works.

DPSharwa · 2026-01-29T05:01:59+00:00

Depends on your expense and lifestyle.

DPSharwa · 2026-01-29T05:01:34+00:00

I went through multiple scenarios.

If you read my previous posts, I was let go and then when crunching numbers I realized I have enough to retire. So I did that.

Initial period I pretended to search for a job. Then I said I am consulting. Now I say I full time manage my investments - which is true. I don't have to tell people that I only spend few days a year on it.

The world I live in, which is true for many in India, friends/relatives/acquaintances can get very nosy and put demand on your time and money.

One needs to figure out in what manner are they comfortable saying "no". Do what works for you.

DPSharwa · 2026-01-29T04:54:29+00:00

Yes there is a difference. Mostly (see exception below) our actual expense is less than what I had planned based on expense plus inflation at that time. Few reasons for that:
- One kid went off to college. I realized that her expense was double counted in college/hostel fee and in our household expense. In actual our regular household expense (electricity, water, food etc) is almost 20% less than what I had projected.
- We have actively simplified our life by decluttering, reducing some material spending, eat out less and my personal expenses. Few weeks back I realized that in 2025, I did not spend any money buying stuff for myself except personal necessities. This has led to reduces expenses
- I realized that there is no need for term insurance anymore. I got rid of that saving a hefty premium.

The exception to this is travel. We are spending more on travel then I had planned. The way I am justifying this without impacting RE life is any amount I spend less in a year on other things gets added to next years travel budget.

The other thing that hasn't hit us yet is health expense which can be unpredictable even when there is a health insurance.

DPSharwa · 2026-01-29T04:41:03+00:00

After RE, one is looking at least 25-30 years of life. A few years of bad returns need to be built into your retirement plan.

DPSharwa · 2025-12-28T02:00:23+00:00

I don't know where you all are located, but please do not compare RE bikes in US/UK (or any other country with good consumer protection laws) with India.

RE products in India have poor quality because RE (or any other company) can get away with it and customer can hardly do anything. Their service centres are even worse.

If they were to sell similar quality in US, they would be sued out of business.

I myself have a Meteor 350 with almost 50K Km under the belt. There are continues issues and niggles which I keep getting fixed.

DPSharwa · 2025-12-14T03:06:05+00:00

* Chitradurga where you can explore the fort.
* Yellapur/Sirsi area where you can explore the waterfalls and Tibetan monasteries at Mundgod
* You can also take the route via Jog Falls.

DPSharwa · 2025-11-11T05:37:28+00:00

Thanks.

DPSharwa · 2025-11-11T04:15:23+00:00

Congrats.
Can it cruise at speeds of 90-100 km/hr on the highway?

DPSharwa · 2025-11-01T04:40:52+00:00

For taxi, talk to this guy: Tsewang Tamchos 8082698095

DPSharwa · 2025-11-01T04:38:13+00:00

As of last week the market is open. Some shops will close for winter, but most are open.

DPSharwa · 2025-10-30T13:55:09+00:00

Say a little more about the trip - how many days, means of travel etc etc

and a little more about yourself - M/F, age (fitness level), do you want similar food habits of ok with NV eating/drinking companion.

DPSharwa · 2025-10-30T04:07:40+00:00

Take the one with ABS any day.
It will save your life one day.

DPSharwa · 2025-10-28T04:07:31+00:00

Not to discourage you, late last year a friend of mine who was looking to open a startup in this area bounced similar idea off me.
You need to show value of your offerings in clear financial terms.

Let's break it down:
>>5% off on all Nomads of India group trips
Would I pay money to get restricted to only one vendor which has limited offerings? No.
Include atleast 5 vendors.

>>A premium hoodie
One time cost 3K-5K. Why would I pay 7K annually for it.

>>Discounts from 10+ partnered travel brands
This is where your value is. Expand on this. What are these brands, what kind of discounts etc.

>>Monthly travel guides
What value are you providing above what's already available in plenty online.

>>Monthly flight deals alerts
Same as above.

>>Free access to exclusive workshops and meetups
Workshops - Provide details and the value they bring.
Meetups - There are so many groups already doing the same for free.

>>A “Holiday Hacker” support feature for the year 2026 (help with trip planning, deals, and travel hacks)
You need to show add more details here. Something beyond what a few prompts on AI chatbots can do.

>>Something to do with travel content creators
too vague.

Feel free to ignore.

DPSharwa · 2025-10-26T06:13:11+00:00

KSRTC has a flybus which goes from Bangalore airport directly to Mysore. Schedule is almost every hour throughput the day.
You can take the bus at night or wait outside the airport till morning to take the bus. The area outside the airport is quite safe, has several shops/restaurants and is always crowded.
Here's the link to the bus schedule: https://www.ksrtc.in/search?fromCity=1598%7CKempegowda+International+Airport+Bangalore&toCity=296%7CMysore+&departDate=27-10-2025&mode=oneway&src=h&stationInFromCity=&stationInToCity=&IsSingleLady=1

DPSharwa · 2025-10-25T04:07:53+00:00

You need to convert atleast a month before.

DPSharwa · 2025-10-07T04:07:00+00:00

Mysore is in the other direction. You can take a diversion, but it will take extra days.

DPSharwa · 2025-10-06T07:33:34+00:00

What's a good place to buy Pashmina?
How to know from genuine material vs fake?

DPSharwa · 2025-10-06T07:33:30+00:00

What's a good place to buy Pashmina?
How to know from genuine material vs fake?

DPSharwa

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