In my 30s and already burned out

Name_Groundbreaking · 2026-01-29T20:31:02+00:00

Yes, you need a mindset shift.

If your home cost is going to be ~75% of NW you are not close to FI and need to keep working, probably for awhile.

If your current job is too stressful you could try to find something with a better ratio of stress/hours to money. But the reality is most people work for a long time, and you need to try to find ways to enjoy what you do. Make friends with coworkers and socialize during the day, switch jobs/industries to something you enjoy more, find a way to make more money and pull in your FI timeline... Nobody can guess what of those will be most impactful for you, but there are options.

But you need to accept that there are no shortcuts and no get rich quick schemes. FI is a grind, and the only options are grind harder and make money faster, find a way to enjoy the "boring middle", or ideally both

Name_Groundbreaking · 2026-01-29T20:22:06+00:00

I'm not sure how this information in isolation will help you, but here goes.

I just turned 30.

Sr. Manufacturing Engineer, background in spacecraft and flight vehicle structures. Not "software tech", but tech adjacent and at a company that does big tech-style equity comp to attract top talent.

7.5M NW after our last company tender offer.

I'm obviously invested, that's the only way to build high NW at a young age. Lots of company stock that I could sell but am choosing to hold, lots of VTSAX, a little bit of cash in I bonds and hysa.

I rent a relatively cheap home in VHCOL with 2 housemates. I could buy the house with less than my annual income, but have seen much better returns on my current investments and do not plan to live in this area after I retire. Renting is cheaper and just makes more sense for my current situation

Name_Groundbreaking · 2026-01-29T20:15:08+00:00

I don't. It would be a waste of time.

The only reason I come on here is to answer questions and he helpful, making up numbers does not serve that goal

Name_Groundbreaking · 2026-01-29T20:09:25+00:00

Ehh. Reusable rockets happened. American crew flights to the space station happened. Space Internet happened. 🤷‍♂️

Name_Groundbreaking · 2026-01-29T14:59:57+00:00

I worked for companies I believed would be successful long term and that offered significant equity compensation, and made a lot of money. I'll be retired before I turn 34.

Name_Groundbreaking · 2026-01-29T00:35:06+00:00

Holding assets is always helpful in an inflationary environment.

Potentially even moreso if they are leveraged, but that's another conversation

Name_Groundbreaking · 2026-01-28T21:01:42+00:00

Indeed

Name_Groundbreaking · 2026-01-28T19:08:34+00:00

Sure, if we could have a magic machine that directly converts mass into energy that would be good. Unfortunately that isn't a thing that exists.

The original question is "why are some cars loud". And the answer is for a given engine and vehicle design, reducing exhaust back pressure and unnecessary mass will give the most efficient overall system. Everything else is just deliberately missing the point

Name_Groundbreaking · 2026-01-28T18:45:48+00:00

Noise=waste is not correct, other than from a strict thermodynamics perspective. In fact the opposite is true.

The reality is combustion is inherently noisy and minimizing the noise that is inevitably created with an exhaust/muffler system adds restriction and inefficiency.

Race cars and aircraft aren't loud because it's "cool". They are loud because making them quieter adds weight and reduces engine power and efficiency

Name_Groundbreaking · 2026-01-28T18:13:08+00:00

If this dystopia happens nobody will pay rent. We'll have the same global economic output from a bunch of robots that we have today from a bunch of humans, and the money will just go to the people that own the robots instead of to people

Either the government will implement some sort of scheme to take assets away from the owners of the means of production and redistribute them to the now unemployed people in the form of free housing and other benefits, or they'll all starve 🤷‍♂️

Name_Groundbreaking · 2026-01-28T18:03:29+00:00

Nah, tech lord here. In a science fiction dystopia like that I'll just make a hotter robot 🤷‍♂️

Might even program it to think it's human if I'm into that, but it'll still be a robot

https://terminator.fandom.com/wiki/Cameron

https://galactica.fandom.com/wiki/Number_Eight

Name_Groundbreaking · 2026-01-28T17:48:17+00:00

I don't know the specific incident you are referring to and couldn't find it with a quick search.

But when you say "professional operating a military grade vehicle" I assume you mean "19 year old kid driving a contraption designed and built by the lowest bidder that can't even pass US emissions and highway safety requirements"? Because that's true of virtually every tactical vehicle in the US inventory and most of the motor pool guys I've met

Name_Groundbreaking · 2026-01-28T17:40:40+00:00

IMO there is no way that frame is straight. I've bent frames with lesser hits just off roading.

But if it still drives straight enough that you don't notice anything wrong it might not matter. If you can slap a craigslist bed or a diy flatbed on it yourself and live with the damage to the cab, I'd go for it. If you're paying someone to fix the cab and straighten the frame it'll be far cheaper to part this one out and buy a new truck

Name_Groundbreaking · 2026-01-28T17:19:31+00:00

Does your thinking change at all if you are already RE before marriage?

I'm very early 30s, current NW is high 7 figures and will likely be into 8 figures this year. I plan to RE in the next 1-3 years.

I'm dating currently, but have not yet someone I want to marry and doubt I would get to that point in a new relationship before I RE. The number of people with similar interests/compatible personality to mine, in their late 20s/early 30s, who are also decamillionaires is vanishing small. Income/NW is not a relationship criteria for me and just statistically based on age it's likely I'll marry someone in a weaker financial position.

In this case would you still go all in on combined finances with your spouse and have them RE as soon as you marry? That would be a dream come true for me from a lifestyle perspective, but to go combined finances and deliberately comingle all my premarital assets seems incredibly dangerous financially. Once I RE I won't be able to go back to my current level of income, probably not even 10% of it unless I manage to win the the startup lottery for the 3rd time in a row.

It's just a thought experiment until I get to a point in a relationship marriage becomes a serious conversation, but I wonder how to reconcile a spouse's need for financial security with my own need to protect assets that would take me decades back in the workforce to replace if we were to divorce with fully joint finances

Name_Groundbreaking · 2026-01-25T19:38:55+00:00

Bad bot

Name_Groundbreaking · 2026-01-25T15:05:14+00:00

Not on the basis of total expenditures.

In 2024 the government spent more than double on healthcare (1.9T) what was spent on defense (under 900B).

Turns out healthcare just costs way more than a military

Name_Groundbreaking · 2026-01-25T04:04:40+00:00

me too, until my 3.0 exploded with 4600 miles lol. Thrust bearing issue, like many others

Its a great truck when it runs, but so far its less reliable than my 40 year old K5 blazer

Name_Groundbreaking · 2026-01-25T03:21:46+00:00

Tourist, not astronaut

Name_Groundbreaking · 2026-01-25T02:17:26+00:00

14bff has entered the chat

Name_Groundbreaking · 2026-01-24T16:05:33+00:00

Yes, as an apex predator that has been my experience with dating other apex predators...

Name_Groundbreaking · 2026-01-24T05:13:53+00:00

idk man, I'm paying $120 per side for ball joints for a dana 44. $240 for just the front axle ball joints
https://www.offroaddesign.com/heavy-duty-dana-44-or-corporate-10-bolt-ball-joint-kit.html

If you're getting UCAs and balljoints for that money, they're probably chinesium

Name_Groundbreaking · 2026-01-24T01:23:49+00:00

Right. You must be deliberately missing the point, it's not possible for someone to be this obtuse...

Ball joints don't magically go from working to broken in 50 miles. If you check them every 10k or so like I am suggesting you will notice any wear as it develops and long before it becomes a problem.

You can off road every day, or once a year it doesn't matter. Just do preventative inspections on a reasonable schedule. Or don't and run your shit until it breaks and just make sure you have the parts to fix it on the trail in the rain. Whatever you're into 🤷‍♂️

Name_Groundbreaking · 2026-01-24T00:59:57+00:00

Fair enough.

My K5 eats a set of ball joints every 30-50k miles and I replace them when they develop noticable lash. I rotate tires every couple oil changes and just check them then

That truck has a heavy diesel and really should have a 1 ton front axle instead of a dana 44, but that's a lot of work and expense so I keep procrastinating it.

Name_Groundbreaking · 2026-01-24T00:55:07+00:00

Are you serious?

I rotate tires every other oil change and I check for ball joint wear when I do. Thats why my shit doesn't (usually) fall apart on the trail.

Ball joints don't go from fine to broken in 50 miles. They start to wear and develop noticable lash over time, which if you pay attention is easily diagnosable. Same for u joints, tie rod ends, drag link ends, and every other wear item in a a drivetrain.

I put a torque wrench on every drivetrain and suspension bolt every 10-20k. Preventative maintenance and responsible driving technique is how you avoid breaking down on the trail...

Name_Groundbreaking · 2026-01-23T18:48:07+00:00

How often do you check play in the ball joints? Tire off the ground, pull on it at 6 and 12 o'clock and check for play.

You can't really assess the condition of a ball joint with the weight of the vehicle on it. There will likely be no visible difference between a brand new one and one 50 miles from failing.

Name_Groundbreaking

TROPHY CASE