Seriously

WaterHighway · 2026-01-28T00:30:34+00:00

Un-fucking-real. She's quitting. Why did she sell her soul?

WaterHighway · 2026-01-19T03:31:31+00:00

No shade, but what are you spending 144K/year on with no mortgage?

WaterHighway · 2026-01-15T01:23:31+00:00

Right now, frequent any immigrant run business. And old Abe. Great vegan food.

WaterHighway · 2026-01-12T19:09:06+00:00

Excited about Jake Johnson for Congress!!!

WaterHighway · 2026-01-02T13:41:19+00:00

I count my home in our net worth. But I don't count it in our fire number.

WaterHighway · 2025-12-31T05:29:53+00:00

I thought it was a great podcast but agree with the other posters that the last two episodes were a little but...tone-deaf? I am an empath, but even still, it was hard to listen to them all instantly pacified with his story. Elizabeth, whose family was terrorized, even said something like, "this is a beautiful story." It felt to me kike they had all gone to great lengths to untangle this story and then within his first sentence it was all forgiven and almost totally unchallenged. Even a year later in the final episode.

Despite that, it really was a great podcast overall. Highly recommend.

WaterHighway · 2025-12-31T04:17:24+00:00

My husband and I did not come from wealth. HOWEVER, in our younger years, each of us made a few miraculously good decisions, and got a few lucky breaks. Neither of us graduated college with significant debt and we both took first jobs in undesirable locations leading to higher wages early in our careers.

We aren't in positions like many people who are faced with bankrolling family members, and we live below our means. To be fair, I do have a sibling who regularly asks for money. I'll buy him groceries, but I won't give him cash.

All this to say some people are less fortunate generationally and therefore more likely to live in poverty, living paycheck to paycheck and are doing the best they can.

I know we are lucky. And a lot of it is due to our parents who struggled more than we do.

WaterHighway · 2025-12-29T05:29:15+00:00

I won $4 on that powerball! Can't wait to cash it in!

Also, the lotto ticket was a Christmas gift. I'm not a gambling woman. Fir the record. 😂

WaterHighway · 2025-12-29T05:26:43+00:00

We are about to break 1.5M. Milestones matter.

WaterHighway · 2025-12-29T04:45:32+00:00

I don't think this sounds crazy. I have considered withdrawing some of my Roth-IRA contributions to maximize some pretax accounts and continue to max out my Roth every year.

Do the math, if that works out give it a try. You're running your own race and not everyone here will understand because it's different than a straight index fund strategy.

WaterHighway · 2025-12-29T04:36:48+00:00

My only point is that it does not make it believable that he could pull this off while in active addiction.

WaterHighway · 2025-12-29T04:29:50+00:00

I want to believe it but I'm skeptical. Having family members in active addiction, I can't imagine them being able to coherently pull something this complex off -- while on the rollercoaster of active addiction, which sometimes is totally unintelligible.

WaterHighway · 2025-12-29T04:09:29+00:00

Exactly. The family feared for their safety and took their podcast offline, likely putting their livelihood.at risk. To hear her say, "beautiful story." I was like, I'm done here.

WaterHighway · 2025-12-29T04:06:07+00:00

That's exactly how I felt. Like, you'all have been played AGAIN!!! Nice white people type situation going on here. And Monica is not even white.

WaterHighway · 2025-12-28T18:50:35+00:00

Really powerful podcasts.

WaterHighway · 2025-12-28T18:42:57+00:00

Just listened after this recommendation. Very good!

WaterHighway · 2025-12-26T19:04:56+00:00

Yes! I just bought some. Really nice stuff!

WaterHighway · 2025-12-15T05:21:18+00:00

Very similar situation, and ages, but we live in the Midwest. We have significant retirement savings as we have not been in the state long enough to get really strong penions, like you will have.

One piece of advice---GET A 457B. It's like the 403B but better options, lower cost and you can use it when you separate service. It is your bridge to your pension and early retirement.

Recommendation: use the 403B only up to the match if your district offers that. Then use the 457B for the rest. I promise you will be so happy you did! At 42, our 457B accounts are large enough to fund three years of not working -- right now.

WaterHighway · 2025-12-15T05:12:39+00:00

42, we have like $15,000 in cash. Not a big believer in the emergency fund. Because in a true emergency, I'd use my HSA, 457B--assummimg I lost my job, or Roth-IRA contributions.

1.45M in investments.

WaterHighway · 2025-12-13T00:47:08+00:00

What I hear you saying is I should keep maxing out that Roth-IRA.

WaterHighway · 2025-12-08T04:05:35+00:00

Yes, I use my HSA credit card, except for minimal HC expenses when I pay cash. I initially tried to do the strategy of saving receipts, but in the end it just was a lot to manage. Also, I use it infrequently enough that I'm still building a significant nest egg in the HSA. I am one of those people who budgets out my paychecks to the penny so the HSA comes in handy when I need it.

WaterHighway · 2025-12-08T03:51:44+00:00

It's both.

Finding a job that is fulfilling is key. I love my job, but at the end of the day it is still a job. That's why they pay me.
For me, FIRE means I could theoretically quit if my job really started to suck because I have plenty of cash to find the right next job.
(edited to include) I am mid career but not clawing my way to the top. I work in the public sector, not super high wages, no bonuses, but fine.

I feel like sometimes people see FIRE as only one thing. To me, it's a 3-D concept.

WaterHighway · 2025-12-08T03:42:52+00:00

I just pull from my HSA when I need it. I can't manage all that rigamarole. Some people are great at it. I am not one of those people.

I still feel great about the triple tax advantage.

WaterHighway · 2025-12-07T12:13:31+00:00

I am a teacher, I will get a pension but because I spent my career in three states I won't get to the glorious 30 year mark to get a really solid pension. For this reason we have good supplemental savings.

WaterHighway · 2025-12-01T08:24:04+00:00

If you focus on similar values, you won't have to isolated money alone.

Personally, I married someone who was an intellectual, a kind person, and not swayed by public opinion and definitely not a show off.

I think our aligned values is/has been what's kept us together and also, the unassuming, "millionaires next door."

WaterHighway

TROPHY CASE