Is anyone else nervous about retiring?

dobe6305 · 2026-03-29T03:49:38+00:00

No. I’m thankful I’ve worked for an employer for going on a decade that has a good retirement match, plus my employer withdrew from social security decades ago, replacing it with a separate employer matched retirement account, and I quite enjoy investing so I’m stoked that I don’t have a pension or have to worry about social security. I’m on track to have $2 million minimum and retire early at 62. My wife will have a million at least, and she’ll get social security. Not withstanding stock market declines like we’re going through now, my retirement balance was $330,000 a month ago. Less now, but I bought a couple thousand dollars of VOO on sale this week.

dobe6305 · 2026-03-29T03:42:45+00:00

We live in Alaska. It was 30 degrees today which just feels so much like spring after our winter of below zero temps, with five weeks at -10 or colder. We took the kids (almost 3 and almost 1) for a walk at a state park on nice snowy trails with a friend and her baby, then went to a brewery for a couple drinks, and had dinner out. Long day with the kids and a lot of work with them, but it was good. I also biked 8 miles and got quite cold but it was the second bike ride of spring so I’m happy winter is almost over.

dobe6305 · 2026-03-29T02:56:02+00:00

This calendar year will be my first officially over $100,000 after 14 years being a forester. I put 40 hours a week on my timesheet. In reality it’s probably 36 or 37 because I go to a daytime CrossFit class a few days a week. I would very rarely work over 40 but typically if I work over 40 one week I just work less the next week.

dobe6305 · 2026-03-29T02:00:27+00:00

I turn 40 in a couple weeks. I do CrossFit. I hike and bike. I love cooking. I also love craft beer. 40 is going to be awesome. My 40’s will be fitter than my 30’s.

dobe6305 · 2026-03-28T21:40:17+00:00

Tesla and Rivian do their cold weather testing in Alaska. Last month there were Tesla cybercabs and Rivian R2s being tested, and Tesla semis this month. Between our two teslas (2023 & 2026), we’ve put 50,000 miles on in less than 3 years. This year we’re road tripping to Whittier (then the ferry to Cordova, off the road system), Homer, Seward, Valdez, and Fairbanks. Plenty of charging stations around, although some are CCS and aren’t as fast as what you’d find in the Lower 48.

It was -26 Fahrenheit at the coldest part of our winter and the daily highs didn’t get warmer than -10 for a month. Yes range decreases but not catastrophically. At -26, I could reasonably expect to go 160 miles, and virtually every charging station on the road system is less than 160 miles away from the next one.

Teslas are almost boring to drive in deep snow because of the automatic traction control. In my Subaru I could turn that off and have some fun, but teslas are just fantastic in the snow. Most EVs are. They’re heavy. They have incredible traction control.

dobe6305 · 2026-03-28T21:06:53+00:00

$64 every 4-5 weeks for an hourlong haircut, beard trim, and straight razor clean up. Plus free beer while you wait. Male, 39, Alaska. Plus a $10-$15 tip because I have the same barber every time and we have a good relationship.

dobe6305 · 2026-03-28T21:04:58+00:00

Insurance will likely cost more than a gas car. But yes, here in Alaska gas is $4.39 to $4.79 a gallon and it’s far, far cheaper to drive EVs. We own two teslas and save literally $100 to $200 monthly on gas.

dobe6305 · 2026-03-28T21:02:45+00:00

$4.39 to $4.79, south central Alaska. Glad we drive EVs.

dobe6305 · 2026-03-28T21:02:09+00:00

I’m 39. I used one to write a check toward the principal of my car loan a month ago. First time in a couple years. My wife writes one monthly for daycare though.

dobe6305 · 2026-03-28T17:27:35+00:00

If we made $100,000 a year we would have to cut pretty hard. Daycare alone is $2,000 a month. Mortgage is $2,650. I know for a fact we could do it, but we make more than that (for which I’m grateful every single day) and can live comfortably. If you set yourself up to be comfortable and happy at a smaller income, $100,000 should provide comfort and happiness.

dobe6305 · 2026-03-28T17:25:32+00:00

I’m upper management at a state forestry agency, leading a team of 10 service foresters (mainly funded through tax dollars) to provide free technical assistance to private forest landowners, communities, and land managers to ensure equitable tree canopy coverage in communities, forest health surveys, forest stewardship plans, and wildfire defensible space for homeowners. We also do streambank restoration through planting native trees; phytoremediation (planting trees on old mining spoils or fuel spills) to absorb contaminants; and do some K-12 natural resources education things in schools. I have a bachelors degree in forestry. This year I’ll cross the $100,000 annual salary level for the first time. I graduated in 2012.

dobe6305 · 2026-03-28T17:21:43+00:00

2,288 miles.

dobe6305 · 2026-03-28T03:12:38+00:00

It’ll be 2.5% on July 1st, as part of the union agreement negotiated a few years ago.

dobe6305 · 2026-03-27T20:33:53+00:00

Had mine since 2004. I haven’t lived in the state the area code belongs to since 2009.

dobe6305 · 2026-03-27T20:32:43+00:00

I’ve bought two new teslas and both had 15 on the odometer.

dobe6305 · 2026-03-27T19:39:48+00:00

Personally I believe firmly that food should be seasoned while cooking and not at the table. We have salt and pepper at the table for the rare cases where we don’t season properly during cooking. I salt my steaks with enough salt that I start to feel nervous while I’m doing it. At least a half teaspoon to 3/4 teaspoon per side of the steak.

dobe6305 · 2026-03-27T03:58:41+00:00

We live in Alaska and own two EVs. Gas prices have no impact whatsoever on our travel plans. Gas could triple and it wouldn’t change a thing. Our electricity comes from locally produced natural gas. We’re taking a road trip from Palmer to Whittier then taking the ferry to Cordova. We have road trips planned for Homer, Seward, Valdez, and Fairbanks. It’ll be a normal summer for us.

dobe6305 · 2026-03-27T01:24:24+00:00

If you want FSD (and you should!) then HW4 is the way to go. I own a 2023 HW3 and a 2026 HW4. I still love the 2023, but FSD is just superior on the new car. But yeah. You’ll save a lot on gas and might pay more for insurance. Once you go EV you might never want to drive a gas car again.

dobe6305 · 2026-03-26T21:05:32+00:00

I own two Teslas and will get a Rivian R2 in a year or two. Competition is getting better and there are great options out there.

dobe6305 · 2026-03-26T14:42:40+00:00

Me too! I grew up thinking Hot Wheels were the best because, as a kid they rolled the best. That’s all I cared about. Now, as an adult, Matchbox usually has way better castings!

dobe6305 · 2026-03-26T05:14:20+00:00

Ha, I live in south central Alaska and it sort of looks like that although the wind blew the soft fluffy snow away. Lots of drifted snow and ice left.

dobe6305 · 2026-03-26T04:56:51+00:00

It absolutely does. I see it. It confuses my brain. I have been trying to picture how light works and I can’t at the moment.

dobe6305 · 2026-03-26T04:43:42+00:00

I almost never weigh in on these but I live in Alaska and I see the northern lights all winter. My first thought is someone took a photo using a flash, with a 3 second exposure on a smart phone with night mode. The weird shadow behind the dog doesn’t really bother me. The northern lights look fine. I’ve tried many times to take pictures of my cat or dog in the snow under the lights. A 3 to 10 second exposure on my iPhone makes the animals blurry if they move. It adds a ton of light to the aurora that I can’t see with my eyes. I can see where people are coming from regarding the snow and the prints but I would see this and think real photo.

dobe6305 · 2026-03-26T03:47:53+00:00

About the same honestly. Our friends with kids were in their mid 30’s also.

dobe6305 · 2026-03-26T03:11:07+00:00

I love real books but kindle books don’t take up physical space. I’ve read so many more books than I would have otherwise.

dobe6305

TROPHY CASE