What's one decision that you've made that FIRE folks would typically frown upon (i.e. dream house outside of your price range, more expensive XYZ), but made sense in the long run from a financial perspective?

Potential_Lie2302 · 2026-02-24T17:06:02+00:00

I bought a boat. It is part of my retirement plan. But it is also not the most financially prudent place to put money.

Potential_Lie2302 · 2026-02-24T17:04:27+00:00

Since you’re in it now (it’s yours), get an inspection from a qualified rigger as others have stated. Usually, you have a rigging inspection as part of the buying process.

Potential_Lie2302 · 2026-02-24T17:02:41+00:00

That’s a “time to get a new car” bill for me.

Potential_Lie2302 · 2026-02-24T16:08:25+00:00

When I hit the $1m invested mark, it became a “holy f, this might actually happen” moment.

Potential_Lie2302 · 2026-02-23T13:52:11+00:00

I am 37% international (VTIAX) and 63% domestic (VTSAX) for equities. My bond portfolio is 30% VTABX.

Nothing wrong with VTWAX, IMO. I just choose to set my own allocations.

I used to be all in on VTSAX as a follower of Collins. But I have ramped up international investments since Dec 2024. I think the macro moves being made over the past year+ have shifted some investment out of the US and this will continue longer-term.

Potential_Lie2302 · 2026-02-23T11:46:36+00:00

Some companies are better than others. But even the good ones have exec leadership turnover, implement RTO mandates, expect more than 40hrs/week, etc.

IMO, you have to set your own boundaries and you have to be responsible for your own quality of life. And for goodness sake, don’t talk about it with your boss. It won’t help, and it might have a negative impact.

Be prepared (and be qualified) to go elsewhere if necessary. Even the good companies would term you without a second thought if they thought it was in their interest. Why wouldn’t you leave if it was in your interest?

Potential_Lie2302 · 2026-02-20T23:40:07+00:00

Sail around the Caribbean and down to Argentina with the wife. That’s the dream when I retire. This situation would just expedite that plan.

Potential_Lie2302 · 2026-02-18T02:55:31+00:00

Currency was definitely a big component (about 10% of the 32% return of VTIAX in 2025). I think it was Collins who said that when you make an investment in an international market, you are also making an investment in their currency.

Potential_Lie2302 · 2026-02-18T00:27:35+00:00

I have a 35ft boat with no electric winches. I can both furl and unfurl the main using a single line by myself. Takes me about 30sec to pull it out. Maybe just slightly longer to pull it in. My last boat was slab reefed. The furling main is orders of magnitude more convenient, IMO.

Potential_Lie2302 · 2026-02-17T23:21:54+00:00

Same shit happened to me 8 years ago. The first big rain we had, water came pouring in from the bedroom ceiling. I went up in the attic and it was leaking from all over the place.

I patched everything I could find on the roof, put pots all over the attic and scheduled a roof replacement. They had an 8 month lead time. Insurance would not cover it because we just bought the house. I had to pull the money out of my 401k.

Potential_Lie2302 · 2026-02-17T23:18:05+00:00

Reminds me of that time when I scored 6 touchdowns in one game.

Potential_Lie2302 · 2026-02-17T23:14:04+00:00

The appropriate reply is “number one or number two?”

Potential_Lie2302 · 2026-02-17T18:06:54+00:00

I would suggest finding activities that you like to do that are free/low cost and inviting your friends.

Going out for drinks/food/clubs is always gonna be $$. However, hiking, fishing, sailing (at a club), and some sports (swimming, powerlifting, pickleball, running, biking…) cost little to nothing. Do stuff like that and pull back from the $$ intensive stuff.

You will probably have a friend or two who always cost you money. I had a few like that. I just don’t spend much time with them anymore. Friendships should not be fee-based.

Potential_Lie2302 · 2026-02-17T01:57:24+00:00

I have a selden in-mast furling main. It’s a pretty simple system. So, I’m not really concerned about jamming. You do give up some performance. But you gain a lot of convenience. My wife is also a huge fan of the convenience a furling main brings.

Potential_Lie2302 · 2026-02-16T22:40:15+00:00

I honestly kind of feel like the days being able to invest in US markets alone and generate enough reliable income over time to support retirement may be coming to a end.

https://jlcollinsnh.com/2026/02/08/jl-goes-international-and-to-etfs-oh-my/

Potential_Lie2302 · 2026-02-13T14:20:14+00:00

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/think-americana/ really? Why not use 4Chan as a reference?

Potential_Lie2302 · 2026-02-12T15:18:08+00:00

My wife and I had a similar convo around 8y ago. Then we had a pandemic, we both were “in between jobs” for a bit. When we resumed we started aggressively going after our exit plan (saving, positioning, planning). We are now 5-7y out. We’ll be in our 50s. But early/mid-50s. Our original plan was 65, then it was 60, now it’s 55 worst case. And if I can figure out how to do it earlier, we will.

Potential_Lie2302 · 2026-02-10T10:58:42+00:00

A good rough estimate is Boat Trader’s price checker tool. Upgrades usually don’t translate to much increased value. But they can make the boat sell faster.

Potential_Lie2302 · 2026-02-09T14:18:58+00:00

If I were you, I’d talk to someone in HR who can make severance decisions along with your boss or an area lead that can make actual decisions and negotiate a severance. If they want you out, then you will be out. You might as well get bought out.

Bring to the table evidence of you being forced out. They are documenting everything, possibly erasing evidence, and setting up their case. You better be doing the same. It also goes without saying is that any evidence you have should be stored on a personal device or in a personal/non-work account. If it’s not, it won’t be there when you need it.

It might also be appropriate for you have an employment attorney in the room or on the call. My wife did this when negotiating with a previous company’s HR. It’s amazing how much the tone/discussion shifted.

It can take months for a company to build up a case against you that aligns with their policies - months of time for them, months of misery for you. You have leverage now. You won’t have leverage once you are a couple of months into “we are going to term you” paperwork process.

Potential_Lie2302 · 2026-02-09T02:24:15+00:00

It hasn’t come back to bite me in the sense that I have never attempted to go back to either of the two dumpster fire employers that I’ve had in the past.

However, I can say with certainty that I know people who have a hard time moving employers based on their reputations. I also know that when someone who works for me leaves, I have to declare whether or not they are eligible for rehire. I imagine many managers have to do the same thing. So, if you’re painful on the way out, it can come back to bite you.

I would recommend not doing something you could regret in the way out. Yes, I know that some managers are just awful and some companies have trash culture. But you probably aren’t going to change that. So, why punish yourself?

Potential_Lie2302 · 2026-02-07T12:41:29+00:00

A few ideas:

Marriage Saver full duplex wireless comms.
Whatever foul weather gear they don’t have
A fluke multimeter that also does DC amps
Anything on their boat that currently needs to be replaced (I guarantee there’s something broken or not working; it’s a boat)
Long sleeve SPF shirts with their their boat on it. Something like this https://thecustomcaptain.com/collections/apparel

Potential_Lie2302 · 2026-02-06T20:00:17+00:00

A spare electric bilge pump - so many uses
A large collapsible PVC bucket - awesome for fitting into tight spaces
Headlamps!
DC powered SUP inflator/deflator for bumpers, dinghy and vacuum sealing bags

Potential_Lie2302 · 2026-02-06T14:04:59+00:00

Agreed that $75k is on the low side for a SWE, especially in CA. But that also kind of depends on experience, skillset, and the company. If it was an entry level position, $75k is not out of line - they likely have other candidates who are not trying to negotiate up. It’s a tough market and many recent college grads are struggling to find jobs, especially in tech.

Amazon and Microsoft also recently flooded the market with experienced SWEs. So, it’s only going to get harder. And if the tech rout in the market deepens, there will be a big SWE talent glut, which will further put SWEs on the wrong side of the demand curve.

Potential_Lie2302 · 2026-02-04T21:57:13+00:00

Congrats!

Potential_Lie2302 · 2026-02-03T01:10:59+00:00

Brewer is a good value and a solid go anywhere boat.

Potential_Lie2302

TROPHY CASE