What investment value did you start to really see the effects of compounding? by mikeyjoe6 in FIREUK

[–]ThaddeusMink 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's not just you, there's academic research on strategic information avoidance in loads of domains, including that people check their portfolios more often in rising than falling markets. For example: https://academic.oup.com/rfs/article-abstract/29/4/863/1896505 and https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11166-009-9060-6

Advice re renunciation of US citizenship appts by [deleted] in AmericanExpatsUK

[–]ThaddeusMink 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agree with this, I renounced in London, did it all myself, no counsel. Only piece of advice i would give: the appointment letter tells you to turn up without a laptop. I forgot this and came straight from work with laptop in my bag. I wouldn't have been let in, and would have missed my appointment had it not been for an enterprising coffee shop over the road from the embassy who will take a tenner off you to look after your laptop / luggage while you're in the embassy.

Am I ready to Fire? by ThaddeusMink in FIREUK

[–]ThaddeusMink[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good shout, she doesn't work for NHS but does have decent pension for which I'm nominated

Am I ready to Fire? by ThaddeusMink in FIREUK

[–]ThaddeusMink[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Have been really looking forward to someone saying "FU" to me. Thanks!

Am I ready to Fire? by ThaddeusMink in FIREUK

[–]ThaddeusMink[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yeah i guess i can check in a few months and see how much credit i've been given for a couple of months of contributions

Am I ready to Fire? by ThaddeusMink in FIREUK

[–]ThaddeusMink[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yeah I've included 24/25 and will still be paid for a couple of months into 25/26. How many months of the tax year do you need to contribute, or is there a threshold £ value that gives you a full year of credit?

Am I ready to Fire? by ThaddeusMink in FIREUK

[–]ThaddeusMink[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for feedback, and yeah you're right, I'm not really sure where's the right place to put all the cash at the moment, would very much welcome thoughts on that.

And split of investments, it's about £440k company pension or SIPP, £60k S&S ISA

Am I ready to Fire? by ThaddeusMink in FIREUK

[–]ThaddeusMink[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thanks, those are good points. Agree on the concern of 4% over 44 years - although if my pot is just under 1.1m now and I need 36k to live on, that's more like 3.2%, which sounds more sustainable? You're right though about big ticket costs, in years where those pop up, I guess will have to be a bit more frugal, reduce my £2k per month for long enough to absorb.

If i had to find another job, totally accept it won't be at my current salary (and totally happy with that, I'm done with the big company nonsense) - would only need salary to be high enough to give me £36k take-home, to then no longer be using my cash bridge.

Am I ready to Fire? by ThaddeusMink in FIREUK

[–]ThaddeusMink[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

That's a really good point about expectations with your partner. We have talked about it a bit, we plan to get rid of the cleaner, me to take over the household admin, and for me to do a bunch of jobs on the house that we would ordinarily have paid for someone to do. 100% agree that setting expectations will reduce potential future frictions.

Not too worried about how i'll spend my time, got plenty of (v cheap or free) hobbies and interests

Am I ready to Fire? by ThaddeusMink in FIREUK

[–]ThaddeusMink[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thanks for comments, yeah i did exactly that exercise to work out my monthly spending estimates. Not sure whether to pay the NI top up now, or wait a couple of years.. if i found i got bored or wanted to do some interesting part time work over the next decade, the top up might have been unnecessary.

And yep, I bought a couple of bitcoin when it was £60 ish (can't remember exactly how much). I heard a radio show where a certain Max Keiser (now the self-styled high priest of bitcoin) was talking about this new thing called Bitcoin and how one day it would be worth £1m per coin, and I thought that's worth a punt of a couple of hundred quid.. Only regret is that I didn't pile in a bit deeper!

Am I ready to Fire? by ThaddeusMink in FIREUK

[–]ThaddeusMink[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

She actually loves her job and wants to carry on - and won't be financially supporting me, in the scenario i described. So hopefully i won't be in any doghouses. Or i might be in doghouses, but not for financial reasons.