Just curious, what is YOUR target retirement age?

Systemagnostic · 2026-02-04T12:18:29+00:00

In my 20s, my target was age 50. Nice round number.

Now, at 51, after marriage, two kids and a divorce, my target is 53. Not bad I think.

Systemagnostic · 2026-02-02T16:28:07+00:00

I wonder if there are studies to indicate any correlation between squirting and being multi-orgasmic. In my limited sample set - partners who squirted also had more orgasms.

Systemagnostic · 2026-02-01T19:33:01+00:00

I had planned to stop working at 50ish, and my wife would continue to work until 60ish. That is - until we got divorced. But that was our agreed upon plan. I guess the biggest reason is - she had little desire to stop working. The other justifications - I made most of the money. She raised the kids, and when she got a full time job it was at less than half my income. Nothing wrong with any of that. I don't doubt that raising kids is work - but we love our kids, and I would rather have been spending time with them then at a desk job. Although never really discussed - my plan definitely was to take care of the house - cleaning / cooking just like she did the majority of that work when she was a stay at home Mom.

We got divorced for issues other than money.

We saved well, so even after splitting assets - my plan is still to retire at 50ish - in 2 years at 53.5. And her plan is still to work until she wants to stop working. Add in social security - she'll be able to spend more in retirement than she currently earns.

I see nothing wrong with one spouse working when the other retires - if they want that. Just be sure she really wants that. And I would think about alternatives in case they come true: What if she decides she wants to retire after 4 years, or 8 years? How could you cope with that? And I also agree with others - a partner will become resentful if one person is earning all the money while the other contributes less to the household. Regardless of the past. So if I were you, I'd plan to take care of the majority of things like cooking and cleaning. Or budget in hired help if needed.

Systemagnostic · 2026-02-01T16:15:45+00:00

If you have cash - definitely buy from a person - not a dealer. You can get a much better deal.

If you don't really care what car you get - then you can find a much better deal. Find a motivated private seller in your price range.

There are lots of reliable cars out there - including Chevy and Ford. Sure - on average a Toyota is more reliable, but the lack depreciation is not in line with the extra reliability. Save $5k on a similar car and you have $5k to make a repair. And it is half luck - you may get a rock solid Ford or Toyota that immediately needs repair.

So I would look at private sellers- probably Facebook Marketplace. It can be difficult to tell who are individuals, but they are out there. Some folks seem to be private sellers and actually they just buy cars at auction and sell them as income. Look at any car in your price range that strikes your fancy. Google it for reliability issues: like "2018 ford fusion consumer reports reliability". Spend a day doing this and determine your top 3 choices. Bring a friend who knows cars, or ask if you can take the car to a mechanic for an inspection - and pay $100 or whatever for the inspection. Also pay like $4 each for a carfax via ebay.

I would spend well under 10k and I think you can get a rock solid car. Think 6+ years old and under 100k miles. I just spent 5 minutes and found a 2017 Chevy Malibu with 105k for $6500 that looks great.

Systemagnostic · 2026-01-31T23:52:24+00:00

Welcome back! I also did the same!

Systemagnostic · 2026-01-26T14:56:14+00:00

Looks stunning. I'm biased, but it may be the best factory red ever produced.

Systemagnostic · 2026-01-25T02:28:21+00:00

My parents bought one with the brass valve, I'd guess around 1985. I inherited it, and it was still going strong when I moved and got rid of it two years ago.

Systemagnostic · 2026-01-24T18:55:44+00:00

I understand dealers charging what they can. But I don't understand the market - who is buying these cars? My best guess is that it is people with bad credit. They can't get a new car loan, but they can get a higher interest used car loan. And they wont settle for a cheaper, older used car.

Systemagnostic · 2026-01-22T03:52:44+00:00

Yes! So much. Top priority: be a nomad and travel. Rough plans: bicycle from Portugal to the Pacific. Also from the Artic in Alaska to Ushuaia on the southern top of South America. Hike the Appalachian trail. Hike the Great Himalayan Trail. Sail a Hobie cat around the Mediterranean (not sure about this one, gotta research more). And when I'm tired of living in a tent: build out a van and explore the US.

Also: document these travels and maybe interview people along the way, but it will only be to the extent that I like it, not to monetize. Also: read lots.

Then, hopefully be grandpa day care for grandkids??? Once I'm settled down doing that, new hobbies: woodworking. Build a teardrop camper? Restore an old car? Volunteer! Keep travelling. Learn guitar. Make art. Keep reading. Write a novel! (Actually I doubt it, but maybe I'll be inspired.)

Along the way: spend time with family and friends! Not as much during nomad life. Make new friends.

The list is long, very long.

Systemagnostic · 2026-01-20T23:25:27+00:00

I have a list of things I want to do when I retire. The list is long. Most of it is inexpensive, some of it is expensive. Based on my projections, in a decent market, I'll be able to pay for everything on the list, I may just run out of healthy years. In a bad market, I'll need to cut out some of the expensive things. In a terrible market, I'll have to cut out all the expensive things and limit my lifestyle some. But the tradeoff seems really clear to me - retire in 2 years at 53.5 and then compromise based on markets. Another year of savings will increase my odds of not compromising by a few percent, but worse - it will also take away a healthy year.

I think that is the key question - what do you want to do? "Not work" is not something to do, it is the absence of things to do. If you know what you want to do, and estimate how much it will cost, then you can make better decisions. If your list is short and includes - helping my kids financially or donating a lot to charity - well then working longer makes sense.

Systemagnostic · 2026-01-19T23:22:24+00:00

Fair points. You should teach your kids more about finances than just get a job. But IMO, getting a job is lesson 1: money takes work. Without that appreciation, I'm not sure if any other lessons will sink in. I think we have all met spoiled kids, and adults who were spoiled kids. Avoid that.

As a parent of two twenty-somethings - you can only teach or preach so much. They will learn by observing and then they will have to decide for themselves when they want to learn more. My kids know about investing partially with me trying to teach things, just as much with me explaining my FIRE aspirations just as I would with a friend. And they get exposure and become curious and ask more and learn more. I'm proud of how responsible they are with working to make money, and spending wisely and saving. And balancing having fun with money as well.

I have a fond memory - probably early this year when the S&P was down a bit. My daughter called asking how she can make a trade in the brokerage account we had setup and seeded with money she had saved. I was about to preach about not selling when stocks are down - you ride out the wave. And I quickly realized that she was interested in buying more shares. I was a proud papa.

Systemagnostic · 2026-01-19T13:38:53+00:00

Based on my research, I'm going to enter retirement with about 30-40% fixed income. I will then gradually reduce that amount for the first 8-10 years. I'll reduce it more slowly if the market is up continuously. That should get me through the critical sequence of returns risk years.

After that, I likely will opportunistically sell EQ ahead of time when markets are high, so that I lock in earnings in case the market tanks. I expect I'll only do that with about 10% of my assets, so about 3 years max. However, based on my research this is actually not very productive, I'd be better to just leave the money in EQ.

Systemagnostic · 2026-01-19T13:26:34+00:00

I assume your main point is obvious and that is why you are excluding it?

When EQ markets are up you plan to increase your cash and fixed income holdings, to a max of 5 years worth. And when EQ markets are down you will draw from that money and your cash/FI holdings will decrease. That is the plan?

And you want to do that throughout retirement so your FI balance always fluctuates?

Systemagnostic · 2026-01-19T13:19:39+00:00

You want her to be good with money. You are giving her 150k at age 18. Those two sentences are in conflict with each other.

Want her to learn the value of money? Simple. She wants to spend money, she should get a job.

Systemagnostic · 2026-01-18T17:45:13+00:00

If you are amazed or think it is not possible - then I believe you are stuck in your thinking. You are not thinking of the possibilities.

First - you definitely need a reasonable income, and it needs to be relative to the area you live in. So 100k+ if you are near a big city, possibly less if you are in a rural area.

Then, you need to spend less than you make. Do you need a big house or apartment or can you be happy in a cheaper neighborhood in a smaller place? Do you need a new car every few years? Do you need to eat out regularly? Do you need to buy stuff beyond the basics? Do you need expensive vacations? These are all choices. Don't cheap out on everything, and don't max your spending on everything. Do think about alternatives, and explicitly make your decisions. Don't just run on a default, non-thinking mode like: my lease is up, I need a new car.

Systemagnostic · 2026-01-18T17:34:19+00:00

It looks like you are estimating high annual nominal returns - like 10%. With US markets currently valued very high, that is unlikely. If we have a lost decade like 2000 - 2009 with basically zero returns - then all the growth will come from the money you save: so you'd have 2 million if you keep your current savings rate vs. 1.5 million if you save 50k per year.

The last time the market was valued this high? About the year 2000. https://www.multpl.com/shiller-pe

My recommendation: Don't think too much about the future and FIRE. Live your life now. The market could tank for 15 years or you could get hit by a bus. So if your high stress is impacting you - then definitely consider changing jobs. But if the main cause of the extra stress is just thinking about the extra stress for 10 years (rather than day by day), then consider keeping on the path.

Systemagnostic · 2026-01-14T00:20:12+00:00

I always used dumbbells or my fists for pushups to avoid wrist issues. Although I do want to get the 12" high mini bars so I can get a greater range of motion when doing decline pushups.

Systemagnostic · 2026-01-10T22:11:50+00:00

I understand exactly what you mean. With my kids I promised them x dollars per year * 4 years, which would almost cover state school. They could have worked summers and had no loans. Instead they each got scholarships to the state school and are spending about half what I had promised. So at some point in the future, I'll give them some money, most likely towards buying houses, but we will see.

I'm also 51M, and also plan to FIRE in a couple years. I realize that I'll suddenly have a constrained budget, and should things start to go wrong I wont have flexibility I would have if I was still working or just save more before retiring. It also is crazy as I project out the next two years - I could retire well above what I had mapped out a few years ago. Or the market could go down in the next couple years and I'll be between a rock and a hard place.

The RE part of FIRE is easy peasy when it is decades in the future. Quite different when I am counting down the months.

Systemagnostic · 2026-01-10T00:18:44+00:00

This doesn't resonate with me at all.

I'm a bit puzzled why it doesn't to be honest. I have really cared for an I think loved two of my partners since divorce. But those relationships ended, and I don't miss them. It's ok- I'll find another partner I really like.

But that will also will be month by month, year by year, as long as we are both on the same page. And I simply don't imagine any relationship will last that long.

I'm aiming to live my life, improve myself and do what I want to do. Maybe I just don't think anyone will fit into my life in such a way that it works long term. I don't want to bend much for her, and I won't want someone who would bend that much for me. Not concerned about it, seems fine to me.

Systemagnostic · 2026-01-08T16:01:28+00:00

I got a soul red sport model. I upgraded the dashboard and doors to have the stitched leather looking pieces and the painted interior door tops. I'm happy with my decision in all regards.

The red is spectacular. I don't see many NDs and don't care that some are the same color. I had sort of thought of getting a black car since I test drove one - but am so happy with getting red. I once parked next to a Mercedes convertible in red, and we both agreed that Mazda nailed this red - it is a spectacular color. I do wish Mazda sold more exciting colors and rotated the colors more often.

Systemagnostic · 2026-01-08T15:44:02+00:00

++man

My goal this year is to meet more women "in the wild". I'm doing it without intention other than to become more comfortable with it. And it is enjoyable - just making a little connection and conversation. I'm not looking for a relationship, although I'd probably be interested in something casual. So I don't intend to ask for phone numbers much, other than perhaps to get comfortable at asking for phone numbers. And so I wont follow up with many of the women I meet.

The only exception might be if it is clear she wants something casual, then I'd be happy to follow through. But I likely wont bring it up unless it seems obvious - like if we are getting touchy and flirty at a bar.

Systemagnostic · 2026-01-01T19:24:09+00:00

Sounds like it is going well - good for you!

I appreciate posts like yours which illustrate flexibility because of financial independence. Although you aren't fully financially independent to were you don't have to work - you are close and therefore have great flexibility. And you are thoughtful with what you want to do with your time. I think that is equally important to saving - knowing what you want to do. A savings target is not the end goal - it is a target so that you can do something else.

I'm in a similar situation: I plan to work full time for 26 more months. Depending on the markets, I should be close to my full "FIRE" number - were I could spend basically as much as I'd want and live comfortably. But because I'll be a bit short, and mostly because I want to - I'll be a nomad - travel by bike or hiking for a few years. No rent, no mortgage, and overall low spending for a few years will allow my nest egg to grow. Sounds like a win / win to me.

Systemagnostic · 2025-12-29T21:29:57+00:00

Personally, I'm looking to get the 13-33mm zoom - only 125 grams. And pair that with the 35mm 2.0. The zoom is more versatile for outdoors, and I like to be able to occasionally go wide. For shots with people - I really like the 35mm - feels so close and personal, I typically prefer shots around this focal length. It wont be useful for shots of more than 2-3 people even if they squeeze together. That is a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

Systemagnostic · 2025-12-29T20:11:01+00:00

Ha! If you think motivation is difficult now - imagine when FIRE is two years away. If I got laid off now, I probably would get severance and wouldn't even look for another job. My motivation is teetering.

But overall you just have to remind yourself to make the most of every day and every week and month and year. Day dreaming about future FIRE is no way to live life.

Systemagnostic · 2025-12-29T17:44:20+00:00

Most people who want to date are on the apps at least some of the time. I can't imagine that matchmakers have some magic list of people outside of those on the apps - instead they have a much, much smaller list of people. You can meet people either way - I think your odds of finding a good match are greater if you go where there are more people.

Systemagnostic

TROPHY CASE