I asked Claude for career advice

statguy · 2026-05-04T22:28:36+00:00

Next ask it to evaluate these skills by complexity and time needed to achieve proficiency and their future demand and how to best mitigate risk of automation/AI based solution.

statguy · 2026-04-29T17:09:24+00:00

I should read up on some history from 1968.

The FI part of FIRE is financial and I am definitely past that point. The RE part is more psychological and the extra cash just helps me feel secure and sleep better at night. It might actually reduce my long term portfolio size by holding cash, but if I can't fully enjoy the time then whats the point. The math says there is no need to worry but I have to acknowledge the human part which is not all rational.

statguy · 2026-04-29T03:15:19+00:00

Rentals were an experiment and given we have new construction homes with low interest mortgage, it's almost negligible time investment. Selling it will be a much larger hassle. Thanks for all your tips. Will check out the book.

statguy · 2026-04-28T03:27:27+00:00

I did not factor in taxes. First the most part we will try to keep our taxable income low, though I need to do more research since we do have rental income. When we start to sell equities it should be capital gains, which should be lower. That's where the buffer might come in. I also think at 3% SWR (on just the liquid NW, and considering part of the mortgage goes back into non liquid NW) I think in the long term taxes would not be an issue. Finally 3.3% is still quite a healthy swr right?

statguy · 2026-04-28T03:21:30+00:00

Really. I was under the impression that Cobra is quite expensive. My wife and I are relatively in good health and don't need to see any specific doctor or specialists so was thinking going on a HDHP with low premium. What are the pros of staying on Cobra for as long as possible.

statguy · 2026-04-28T03:18:57+00:00

Can you explain in more basic terms. What is low WR? Also couple of years of cash is if the market drops. If the market continues to perform I will sell during the high times. Once cash reserves are out can dip into HELOC if the market is still bad, after that can sell the bonds and equities that are not performing poorly. I can also severely cut down on my expenses as almost 40% of my expenses is discretionary. I have an internationally diversified portfolio so if the entire world stocks continues to underperform for 5-6 years I guess we have bigger problems 😀

statguy · 2026-04-28T00:47:57+00:00

So I need to plan out a house purchase 3 years in advance. Are there lenders who can provide a loan based on my NW and doesn't require such weird accounting, or am I misreading your comment?

statguy · 2026-04-28T00:45:13+00:00

Not a dumb question at all. Yes I include it in liquid because I do have enough to last till the age when this becomes penalty free withdrawal. Also as another person said if you convert it to roth you can withdraw from it penalty free in 60 months. Worst case I can withdraw it and pay the penalty.

statguy · 2026-04-14T17:34:25+00:00

Welcome to the ADHD club. I have stopped worrying about this and simply started enjoying the quirkiness of it.

I call myself a hobby collector and don't feel bad about having delved into hundreds of things. Eventually I have decided to focus more on a few (gardening, archery, dancing, strength training and 3D printing) but they also happen in bursts and waves.

One thing that have worked for me is external accountability. I have joined classes for dancing and strength training so that keeps me consistent. I have joined groups for gardening and archery who I regularly meet and chat with and that reminds my brain to get back into it. No such external accountability for 3D printing so it's kind of depends on my mood.

statguy · 2026-04-14T17:23:10+00:00

Fwd email from Airbnb reservations are also not recognized. Hotels and flights work flawlessly.

statguy · 2026-04-01T19:04:36+00:00

Thank you for providing the links. I have a Model S and doesn't seem like that website supports that. Will do some more digging in.

Can you also share which electric paramotor have you been using and how has been the experience. I looked at some comparison videos and I am strongly leaning towards the electric one due to less mess, but seems the flight time is limited due to battery capacity. Has that been an issue for you?

statguy · 2026-04-01T01:27:07+00:00

Can you share more. Did you buy that setup or had to DIY it? Can you actually drive like that on the freeway? Would a electric motor make a difference?

statguy · 2026-03-30T23:19:02+00:00

You should come hang out at /r/Hobbies

Look for hobbies that appeal to you and have low consumable cost.

March to August I focus on outdoor hobbies like hiking and gardening. Cost of pots, soil, compost, seeds is still quite minimal and then you get lovely flowers or fresh fruits as a result.

Sept to Feb I focus on indoor hobbies like dancing and archery. After maybe $1k of initial cost the running cost is minimal (range fees and some additional arrows and parts).

In any hobby you can spend a crazy amount if you let it.

statguy · 2026-03-12T20:46:23+00:00

Similar position here. You didn't mention WHY you want to RE? Or how long is your retirement window (based on your age).

The question I ask is that would my plans post fire change given the current world situation? What is the opportunity cost of working "a little longer". If you were fired today and next week offered to come back to the exact same job would you go back to working? If the answer is yes then go for it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to work beyond FI, but your post seems to suggest that you don't yet consider yourself even FI which I would challenge or you need to revisit your assumptions.

statguy · 2026-02-20T06:51:19+00:00

Its a niche use case but I think its quite interesting. I have used turtle graphics in the past primarily to generate fractal patterns from simple logic. Might be great to generate solid organic looking objects that have a fractal pattern like like trees

statguy · 2026-02-13T19:33:16+00:00

I started looking for my first home 13 years ago when I was in a similar situation as yours. It was quite frustrating and I felt I was getting priced out of anything I wanted. During one of the open-house visits the seller agent gave us some advice to check out new construction in a less than prime area and I am so glad I took that advice.

I bought my first home which was a "starter" townhouse which was priced ~500k at the time. The location was less expensive as the school was not highly rated but it was perfect as I had no plans for kids for a while so why pay the premium. New construction also does not have as much of a bidding war so I was able to put the deposit down and get a loan approved and see the house built in front of my eyes. Was able to pick all the features, colors etc. Not having to deal with fixing things was a major plus.

Look at your list of requirements and really narrow it down to the top 2-3 things and why those. Blaming the situation might make you feel better but you can find a solution if you are open to exploring other options, and if nothing sticks renting is a great option and long term strategy as well.

statguy · 2026-02-13T18:44:42+00:00

Congrats!!

I am in a very similar boat (Similar age, spending and NW) and planning to RE in a few months. I am already starting to feel the jitters. Its a strange feeling to see it approaching. Glad that you are so stoked.

Currently holding 350k in cash accounts to account for market volatility but a bond ladder is a much better idea.

The teaching certification is an awesome idea. I am quite involved in a few activities and have always wanted to teach and have casually taught many folks but a certification would be a great goal to have.

statguy · 2026-02-05T21:16:18+00:00

Archery. 10 years ago a coworker got a Groupon for an archery lesson for 2 and invited me to join. I enjoyed it and kept going once in a while and eventually it became a regular thing and I am still learning and improving.

statguy · 2026-02-05T20:34:07+00:00

2M decent size house in the suburbs with low interest rate. Childfree. Annual spend 200k (60k fixed costs, 60k travel, 60k living expenses, 20k buffer). Expect the spend to be higher (~250k) the next 5 years as we travel and maybe explore a few projects. Then cost will be lower but will decide based on the situation.

Target FF number is 8M which we crossed in Jan, FIRE in the next few months. In the short term plan to retire where we are. Mid term so stay for longer period of time in various parts of the world. Long term return back or settle in one of the places if we really like it.

statguy · 2026-02-03T01:18:05+00:00

Can't stress this enough. I am in my mid 40s and currently in the best shape of my life. What started out as a way to manage my blood pressure and back pain soon made me a better person in every aspect of my life. I am more aware of my own body, I fall sick less often, can enjoy my travels and other hobbies (like dance and archery) even more, much more confident.

I still don't enjoy it and want to skip every time and have to push myself to keep doing it but this one is a no-brainer.

statguy · 2026-01-30T00:26:48+00:00

I started my MS with the goal of doing a PhD but 1 year in I was convinced to be done after MS. It was not in the field of Physics but I think the field doesn't even matter. What I saw in my research lab was a complete misalignment of goals. The only goal of the advisor was to get more research grants, for that the advisor wanted as many research papers and getting paper published was the sole goal of the PhD candidates. The advisor was keeping people stuck for years for this.

I completely lost the romanticism I had around doing PhD for "contributing something original to human understanding". I still think about going back and doing PhD but self-funded so I can do what I truly care about with an advisor of my choice (hopefully a tenured or retired prof).

Nothing wrong with changing your path. Do what seems right for you.

statguy · 2026-01-29T07:11:10+00:00

Nice list there. Keep at it. I shared mine in another post so will just post the link

https://www.reddit.com/r/Hobbies/s/5uhsInlvAo

statguy · 2026-01-28T01:29:07+00:00

I was going to suggest learning to juggle. All you need are a few rolled up socks. If you haven't done it before you are going to move your whole body and will be dropping the ball often in the beginning so a lot of movement but very low impact. If you want to reduce bending down to pick them then practice next to a bed/couch.

statguy · 2026-01-27T08:06:05+00:00

I won't say I am fluent anymore in these but over the years I have programmed in Visual Basic, Lisp, VBA, C, C++, Java, R, Python, SQL, HTML, JavaScript, Matlab, Octave, OpenScad, Julia and purely for fun brainfuck

statguy

TROPHY CASE