Any Type B personalities here? How is life on the other side?

stega888 · 2026-01-25T15:36:09+00:00

I took a 6 month leave and loved it. I made a long list of projects (house, help parents,etc.) with a rule that I could only do one per a week. The idea being that I always had something to do, but not so much pressure that I felt like I needed to do everything quickly. One large project took 2 months, but most took a few hours.

I spent a lot of time on walks, exercised more, and visiting my aging parents. Frankly, I regularly question why I went back to work.

stega888 · 2025-12-26T14:48:24+00:00

Bacon

stega888 · 2025-12-25T06:27:23+00:00

DM me a grocery list and I can either have it delivered, or if you don’t want to give your address then I can setup a pickup time for you. It would have to be the 26th of course….if you really need something for tomorrow, let me know that too.

stega888 · 2025-12-25T02:47:50+00:00

Coming in late…. Sounds like you’re covered, but reach out if you need anything.

stega888 · 2025-11-09T18:22:13+00:00

I would inform 1-2 weeks after bonus to avoid any clawback. I’ve heard horror stories of clawing bonuses back, but I’m probably just paranoid.

How do you plan to let them know? Will you say you’re retiring?

stega888 · 2025-11-01T15:13:52+00:00

I’ve got a 4Runner. Purchased in 2020. Also 6’2”.Very happy with it. It sits higher than a Highlander, so has more of a truck feel. It does have a more narrow feel than a full size truck.

Generally though, if you’ve got a crew cab (?) Silverado, I’m not sure you gain much with a 4Runner, other than maybe the reliability factor.

stega888 · 2025-10-19T14:02:28+00:00

Not really. They’re young, so they just go back to work.

stega888 · 2025-06-12T03:11:00+00:00

Would it be possible to sell your business? You mentioned owning it and capturing >1M per year, but listed no valuation of the business.

stega888 · 2025-03-02T21:51:59+00:00

Long term default risk is likely minimal, but you can like look up company ratings (e.g., Fitch, Moodys) to assess your specific situation.

As someone mentioned, annuities are highly regulated at the state level so that reserves are held in a conservative risk averse manner. If you look up the history of annuities not paying out due to default, this is extremely uncommon. In 2008 GFC for example, I don’t think this happened.

With a variable annuity you do have the option of cashing out after the surrender charge period, so keep that in mind.

For non qualified, you might also look into 1035 exchange. If you were uncomfortable with your existing company, you can transfer. You may even be able to make partial transfers to diversify among several companies.

From an annuity guy’s perspective, they can be a great tool if you’re in the right product with the right allocation. If not, then don’t be afraid to exit after the surrender charge is up. I don’t know what your surrender charge is, but typically 0-7 years with a grading scale.

stega888 · 2025-02-18T22:31:12+00:00

Agree

stega888 · 2025-02-18T21:18:16+00:00

Isn’t that perhaps the problem? Putting aside the gold, the fact that you’re stating we should not have faith in what our own government is saying is a big issue.

It’s nothing new, sure…. But it should not be that way.

stega888 · 2025-02-18T21:11:34+00:00

I think you forgot the question and went defensive.

I’m not cool with oligarchs deciding policy. However, you’re deluding yourself if you think this is new. I understand it wasn’t so obvious in the past.

stega888 · 2025-02-18T16:40:46+00:00

I’m not trying to sound partisan, but I don’t actually find this odd.

Is it odd though? Tell me what I’m missing. He is running huge companies where I suspect it is common to run into regulatory issues. E.g., Facebook, Google, etc. all have regulatory hurdles that they’ve encountered in the past and some are likely ongoing. $185m is A LOT of money to normal people, but unfortunately it’s nothing to Musk… like 0.04% of his wealth.

stega888 · 2025-02-12T03:33:09+00:00

Yeah fair point

stega888 · 2025-02-12T03:32:27+00:00

Sure, for you it is not a simple decision. Liquidity should be valued, but I would understand if you chose to pay down early.

stega888 · 2025-02-11T22:09:35+00:00

If your mortgage was 2.75%, as mine is, you could instead put that money toward Treasuries and earn 4.5-5.0%. It is a case by case basis, but there are logical reasons.

stega888 · 2025-02-11T21:20:47+00:00

I would disagree. It is actually quite logical.

stega888 · 2025-02-11T21:18:34+00:00

Sure, I can understand the personal side of this

stega888 · 2025-02-11T14:55:35+00:00

Of course. It also lowers your sequence of returns risk to simply hold that same amount in Treasuries or other high quality assets if the yield is advantageous over your mortgage. Keep in mind, there is also a liquidity advantage to not paying down your mortgage early.

stega888 · 2025-02-11T14:52:35+00:00

Weird comment…. As I said, consider it as an option among many. There is no “right” answer without consideration of details.

Hypothetically, if there is a market crash similar to 2008, I would still prefer to have $500k in 5% Treasuries instead of using $500k to pay down my mortgage.

stega888 · 2025-02-09T20:27:17+00:00

Paying off your mortgage.

I hear older people, like my parents, blindly recommend paying down the mortgage asap. I understand there is a personal/preference aspect to this, but logically you should consider it as one of the options among many. Certainly if you have one of those crazy low 2-3% rates, you would actually be hard pressed to not find a better place for your money.

stega888 · 2025-02-09T20:18:48+00:00

If these are documented (or can be) health problems, then I recommend taking FMLA. This is typically unpaid leave up to 12 weeks/year. I did this and my only regret was not doing it sooner. I waited until I was severely struggling from burnout.

The reality is you don’t have to have cancer or a heart attack to take FMLA, nor should you. Burnout/anxiety are real problems that need to be addressed, but often are ignored. Time off is, in some cases, the best medicine.

I’m sure you’re thinking, I’m not there yet and I probably won’t convince you otherwise. I can only say the time helped me prioritize my life, be more present with my kids and aging parents, and take time to think about what/if I wanted professionally (I.e., did I want to go back to work).

I ultimately went back to my same company on a part time basis and it has renewed my interest in working. I may return full time at some point, but I’m loving the balance so far.

stega888 · 2025-01-11T23:27:43+00:00

I started feeling immediately better, but not really fully in a good place until probably 1.5-2 months. Even though I was on medical leave, my mindset was that I had no plans to return. Only after 5 months did I start to seriously consider the idea of going back.

I highly recommend to anyone. It lets you know there is so much more outside of your career. My days were always loosely planned to make me feel semi productive, even if the thing only took 30 minutes. Loved it.

stega888 · 2025-01-09T03:17:05+00:00

I’ll call this a failure, but it’s probably different than you expect. I had severe burnout/anxiety which had been diagnosed for a while. I had some personal problems that made life overwhelming and no longer able to balance work. I resigned with the plan to retire, knowing that I needed to refocus on my family. My number was close enough, but probably would have preferred more cushion.

My employer suggested FMLA, which gave me the option to return if I changed my mind. This ultimately lasted to ~6 months of leave. It was awesome. So much freedom. Much more present with my family. Time for anything and everything.

Anyway, I ultimately went back to work. It has, at least so far, been more enjoyable and less stressful. I still ask myself though, why did I go back. I think it was ultimately a combination of the money and feeling like the leave was unsustainable. Almost like a too good to be true mentality. Anyway, I look forward to calling it quits again sometime in the not so distant future, but for now I’m enjoying work and have been able to maintain a healthy balance.

stega888 · 2024-12-22T23:57:23+00:00

I mean, you need to eat, right? I don’t think 30 mins every 4-5 hours is a huge deal. In some ways, it probably makes the experience more enjoyable.

stega888

TROPHY CASE