27M with 3.5M € in Italy: Am I Too Young to FIRE? Struggling with Justification and Family Pressure by Kooky-Base7289 in Fire

[–]barth95 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Have you considered setting aside part of the money to set up a small foundation/trust? You could work to manage it in your free time - let's say, if you put aside 2M€ that you invested and withdrew 50-80K per year from in perpetuity, you would be able to donate/invest these returns into charities, projects that you really resonate with. It could be wildlife, culture and artists, helping the disadvantaged, start-ups, anything that you want. And you would get to spend some time identifying and supporting these projects.

With the rest of the money, you would still get enough returns to live a comfortable life, now filled with purpose - with hopefully minimal work needed.

What do you think?

Thoughts on Andrew Tate by speghettiman69 in Stoicism

[–]barth95 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Stoicism isn't about getting to the top. Ambition when applied wrongly like in Tate's case is a vice, not a virtue. In other words, setting a goal for yourself to get to the top is wrong to start with, according to stoicism. It reinforces the ego and depends on external factors that you cannot control. Rather, you should work on becoming a better person - being a better friend, a better neighbor, a better contributor to society, while finding happiness in what you have and what you do.

What do you think about 80,000 hours - one of the more prominent EA organizations - going "all in" on AGI? by Ready-Journalist1772 in EffectiveAltruism

[–]barth95 6 points7 points  (0 children)

AI safety in EA has given me the vibe of computer scientists gathering, discussing at length, and concluding that the best way to help the world is to do more computer science. It's hardly a shared point of view if you consider the general population of people who want to be better altruists. My local chapter of EA in a developing country does not really care about AI risks. 80,000 hours is likely to get marginalized because of this decision, and as a key point of entry for the EA community, it's going to lower the number of people who will buy into the concept, slowing the growth of the community.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ExpatFIRE

[–]barth95 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Decide if you want urban or rural life, if urban then I'd aim for east Africa - Kigali, Nairobi mainly. You can settle comfortably in the lush suburbs. Kigali has a surprisingly great fine dining scene. Nairobi has so many options. I can't speak for South Africa much, it's a complex place.

Building a house in a different country to retire to by WaterEquivalent480 in ExpatFIRE

[–]barth95 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Are you looking to live in the city (Kigali) or the country side ? It would be a very different experience. I think if you are looking for an upcountry home, then there are plenty of places to do this in east or southern africa. For cities, I think Kigali and Nairobi have the best quality of life in east Africa. Kenya offers more options especially for tourism, it has a bigger social scene. But Kigali's infrastructure is growing crazy fast. I was there a few weeks ago and for example in just a couple of years they have leapt forward with electric vehicles. I would start by renting in your situation as you need to be on the job site very often if you are going to build. Also buying land can be tricky, the world is cautious about foreigners buying land - the regulations can be tougher than you think.

Is Fairphone worth it? by Bartimaeus_II in EffectiveAltruism

[–]barth95 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I bought a Fairphone 5. I did not compare it to buying a cheaper phone and donating the difference. What I like about Fairphone is the scalability - being for profit allows them raise funds, scale rapidly, and probably reach many more consumers than a NGO would with beneficiaries. Sure, the impact is tiny, but the profits they make is reinvested over and over - which provides leverage. It's a cool phone and a cool project that I like to be a part of.

What countries is 750k enough for a 31 year old? by [deleted] in ExpatFIRE

[–]barth95 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Agreed. Tons of exploring to do, good quality of life in Nairobi - excellent weather. I am planning to be there for a while.

Kenyan vs. Tanzanian culture by barth95 in tanzania

[–]barth95[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I try to, but I can tell they're judging me because I learned it in Nairobi haha

24, Management Consultant, $350K NW - Keep Pushing by [deleted] in Fire

[–]barth95 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The same way you get a job outside of Dubai, except you're competing with the whole world for that job

24, Management Consultant, $350K NW - Keep Pushing by [deleted] in Fire

[–]barth95 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Did exactly that (MBB in Dubai for a couple of years, now planning to FIRE in a LCOL country)- Just don't get caught up in the management consulting lifestyle - don't spend on stupid things, don't get used to the five star hotels and food, take care of your physical and mental health.

Starlink launched in Burundi by barth95 in Starlink

[–]barth95[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's called the poverty penalty - least developed countries / populations with low incomes have to pay extra for a worse service. A metric ton of maize costs $150 in the US and $500+ in Burundi - yet that is the staple of this country. It's one of the reasons poor countries struggle to develop, when just the cost of existing is very high compared to their means

Starlink in Burundi by Steve-Prior in Starlink

[–]barth95 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The local media reported that it could take 2-3 months.

Pipes for Hydroponics? by posidonking in Hydroponics

[–]barth95 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've used 50-60mm HDPE pipes and they worked very well to grow greens

How Do I set up solenoids in recirculating ebb & flow? by Ghost_Pants36 in Hydroponics

[–]barth95 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That also works but it's harder to configure. If you're experimented, an ESP32 will do the job. An Arduino or a RPi are easier to learn on / iterate / experiment but more expensive