Hurrah! We’ve persuaded another Monevator reader to pull up a pew and tell us their strategy for financial independence (FIRE). Learn how 42-year old Geoff – FatBritAbroad in the Monevator comments – is on-track to retire comfortably at 50, even if he stopped saving tomorrow.
A place by the FIRE
Hello! How do you feel about taking stock of your financial life today?
Very honoured to be asked – but a little nervous!
How old are you?
I’m 42 and I live with my fiancee who’s 40. We’ve been together for nine years and will get married next year.
Do you have any dependents?
One daughter, aged three. And a dog – does he count?
I would have previously considered my mother as a dependent, but she passed away at the end of 2021. My father is in his early 70s and my stepmother is late-60s. Both are far fitter than me!
Where do you live?
A suburb of Reading on a quiet side road.
I was born in Stockport but moved down at a very young age with my dad’s job. My mum had long-term health issues, so when I moved out of the family home I wanted to stay close.
Location-wise it’s very convenient – you can walk to the shops, doctor, café, children’s nursery and so on. It also has a 24-hour bus service which saves on taxi fares. London is just a short hop on the train.
But both my partner – who’s Cornish – and I would love to be in the countryside. We’re wrestling with when to make that move.
When do you consider you achieved Financial Independence (FI)?
That’s the million dollar question!
I’d class myself as ‘LeanFI’1 or possibly ‘CoastFI’2 in that my essential bills are covered and I could live a semi-frugal life (by my standards) without working.
I probably don’t have assets in the right places to fully retire yet to the life I want. However even if I don’t save another penny, the growth on my assets should easily get me there.
Will I ever decide I’ve got enough? Or will the goalposts will always move?
Assets: a cool million (and a bit)
What’s your net worth?
£1.1 million.
How’s it comprised?
I own my house worth around £600,000, with an interest-only mortgage of £270,000 – fixed until 2027 at just 0.99%, thankfully. (Yes, I am that insufferably smug person at parties.)
There’s £270,000 in ISAs and other investment accounts and £450,000 in pensions, as well as about £45,000 in cash.
This is between me and my partner. But the vast majority is in my name.
I also have – on paper – a stake in my employer. If it works out that should net mid six-figures. But I don’t count that yet. I also don’t count jewellery or cars in my net worth. If I did there’s about £50,000 of assets there.
I’ve thought about a buy-to-let. But property terrifies me. It’s so illiquid!
Can you explain how these assets will let you coast to FIRE ?
The 4% rule is my guide. So: £750,000 at age 42. Let’s say I retire at 65 like normal people. A 5% real return gives me £2.3m in today’s money. Plenty.
That’s not taking into account our two state pensions or my house equity or future inheritances. So I’m okay should the worst happen and I can’t continue to put savings aside. It’s just a question of when.
What’s your main residence like?
It’s a four-bed one-bathroom semi built in the 1930s, but extended. There’s a large kitchen, decent-sized rooms, and so on. It was my house originally and when I got divorced a few years ago I was fortunate to be able to keep it, then my now-partner moved in.
I would like a larger house with a second bathroom. Emotionally I love the idea of choosing a property with my partner, which she can really call hers. But having just become effectively mortgage-free, I’m struggling with the idea of taking on extra debt again.
Do you consider your home as an asset?
It’s an asset in that I could sell it and realise the cash. But it’s definitely not an investment.
My opinion on property has changed. If I had my time again I’d have stayed in a much smaller property and built up other assets before upsizing. But they don’t teach you these things in school.
This was why I went interest-only on my mortgage a few years ago. I realised tying up a load of money in a property wasn’t very smart and that you could be ‘mortgage free’ by holding equivalent assets elsewhere, while hopefully generating higher returns – as well as having access if needed – and so be far more secure overall.
My opinion is most people in this country own far too much house – by necessity, given house prices – and not enough of everything else.
Earning: by the book
What’s your job?
I’m a broker dealing with business insurance. I advise businesses on risk and have my own roster of clients.
The industry has changed in the last few years and I don’t enjoy it as much as I did. I find the stress difficult, which is what led me to explore FIRE.
My partner works in marketing.
What’s your annual income?
£100,000 exactly! Plus 6% pension contributions. I also earn bonuses for referring clients to other parts of the business, and a theoretical earn-out if the company does well.
My partner works four days a week and earns £32,000 plus an annual bonus – usually around £3,000.
How did your career financial plans progress over the years?
I was interested in money from an early age. I think this stemmed from my background, which is upper middle-class.
My dad was a CEO of various mid-sized companies so he earned good money and was self-made, having come from a very poor background. So I had a very privileged upbringing. I went to private school and always felt I needed to prove myself.
After finishing A-levels, I took a year out before university. I worked in an insurance call centre dealing with personal lines insurance. My first salary was around £10,500 a year.
I decided not to go to uni. Instead I got a job with a small family broker and learned the ropes on commercial insurance. I quickly realised that’s where the money could be made.
Starting salary was around £14,500 in personal lines. During that time I studied and got my insurance diploma. I then went into commercial and worked there for a seven or eight years, with various small increases in salary, before that company was bought out.
I stayed on for two years but I really wanted an advisory role. The business was willing to let me do the job – but didn’t want to pay me!
So I left, but then returned within six months in an advisory role. By now my pay was around £29,000 and I was aged about 30.
The turning point for me was aged around 32 and earning around £32,000, when our company offered us a new contract. We’d be paid as a percentage of our book value. I was good at my job and had a decent-sized book – and I was vastly underpaid. I realised the new contract would result in a 50% hike in my salary year one!
Unsurprisingly I jumped at it. This was life-changing, as I’ve been lucky enough to grow my account by 5% to as much as 20% every year since.
It’s an unusual path to a six-figure income…
Yes, I’m unusual possibly in that I’ve only changed companies three times. And one of those was to go back to my old firm after four months!
The last time was at the end of 2021 when the company I’d worked at for 15 years was bought by a large international brokerage.
My old CEO left, set up a new business, and invited me to join. I was burnt out in my old job – I was already struggling when the pandemic tipped me over the edge – so I decided for once to take the ‘risky’ option.
It’s been a tough first year – particularly losing my mum at the same time – but I’m glad I did it. It’s been a massive confidence boost, which I needed.
What did you learn on this path that you wished you’d known earlier?
That careers aren’t linear and to not put so much pressure on myself to earn a certain amount by a certain age.
The decisions I took were purely financial, whereas I wish I’d got more varied experience. That would have stood me in better stead now. I’d like to change careers but have no idea what else I’d do!
I guess it’s natural when you’re a low-earner to focus on the salary. But when I hit my target of £100,000 a couple of years ago, I was surprised it didn’t make me any happier.
Do you have any other sources of income?
I regard my investments as my alternative sources of income. But that’s it.
Did pursuing FIRE get in the way of your career?
That’s an interesting question. One downside of FIRE is as I’ve become more financially secure, the drive to progress has diminished. To the point where I’m considering going the other way – to a lower-paid, less stressful job.
A lot of my self worth is wrapped up in what I do and what I earn though, and I have felt like this would be going ‘backwards’.
The reality is I’m bloody lucky to have the choice.
Saving: dealing with temptation
What is your annual spending?
It’s changed recently as I’m trying to enjoy the money more.
My annual spending has been around £40,000 in recent years. That includes nursery fees, which are extortionate!
I now keep my fixed costs as low as possible but splurge on one-offs. My basic bills are less than £2,000 per month.
Do you stick to a budget?
I used to, ruthlessly. But there’s such a decent margin between our earnings and our fixed costs now that I don’t really budget anymore.
I do use an app to track spending and investments. The latter is mostly automated, and I also top-up with extra spare money.
What percentage of your gross income did you save over the years?
I’ve always been a saver, even on much lower wages – at least 15% into a pension. I had around £100,000 by 30, despite not earning a high wage.
When I found FIRE and with my earnings increases, my savings rate rose to as much as 50%, particularly during the pandemic.
What’s the secret to saving more money?
Paying yourself first and earning more.
Do you have any hints about spending less?
Focus on what you can control and shop around for fixed bills where you can. Allocate time to this or it will drift.
Do you have any passions or hobbies or vices that eat up your income?
Yes! I often describe myself as a FIRE groupie. I love the philosophy of intentional spending and high savings rates – but I am a product of my upbringing and I struggle sometimes with wanting the finer things in life.
I do indoor rock climbing as a hobby and for fitness. We enjoy travel – harder with a child now – and we like short breaks and nice hotels and restaurants. I’m more about spending on experiences than things, though I did buy myself a nice watch with part of an inheritance as a keepsake.
I limit myself to maybe once a year going to top restaurants and five-star spas. Otherwise it’s free holidays to Cornwall, staying with parents, and playing on the beach.
I’m slowly realising that I enjoy these simple holidays as much as swanky hotels. Part of my journey is deciding whether I really enjoy those fancier things enough to continue to work for them.
I’m definitely a work in progress. Is SchizophrenicFIRE a thing?
Family in Cornwall is perfect for FIRE-friendly getaways.
Why are you still saving if you believe you’re on-track to hit FIRE?
A multitude of reasons – starting with anxiety, which I’ve had counselling for this year and which led to me to try to enjoy spending more now.
I’ve found it helps to consider purchases as a percentage of my net assets. If I’m making a fairly big purchase and it’s less than 1-2% of my net assets, I spend more spend freely now.
And 1-2% of £750,000 is a lot! I think this is the biggest difference in your attitude to money when you’re wealthy versus just having a high income. Though I don’t really feel well-off yet – I was shocked to read statistically I’m probably in the top couple of percent in the UK for my age. Saving into accessible ISAs and keeping more in cash has helped.
I’d like to bring my retirement date forward, but having prioritised pensions for so long I don’t have assets in the right place yet.
My aim is ‘FatFIRE’3, but with the option to retire earlier on less. It’s a moveable feast as I’m trying to work out what makes me happy instead of living up to my father. The important thing is flexibility.
I do want a feeling of security whatever happens, and I’d like to be able to help my daughter without it impacting our own living standards.
Finally, there’s a certain amount of making hay while the sun shines. I feel very lucky to end up on this salary, and I want to make the most of it.
Investing: passive, with small lapses
What kind of investor are you?
I’m boringly passive but aggressive – 100% equities at the moment. Almost everything is in a Vanguard global ETF. But I also have a nominal amount in Fundsmith because I like Terry Smith’s targeted approach.
I need to bring some bonds in. But I can’t get my head round why I wouldn’t just hold say three years cash and the rest in shares when I retire. More reading required!
I have a few thousand in a share called Pantheon International too. That’s about as far from a tracker as you can get.
What was your best investment?
Definitely my pension. Given I only really started earning good money ten years ago, I’m living proof of the power of starting early and compounding.
Did you make any big mistakes on your investing journey?
Probably not keeping my first house as a buy-to-let – and divorce. While it was amicable, it cost me £150,000.
The biggest other mistake was falling into the leasing trap for cars. I did this for six years. I rationalised the monthly payment wasn’t much more than the loan I had for my old car, for which I could drive a nice new BMW. A car allowance covered most of the cost.
It was only after reading blogs like Monevator that I realised that between the payments and the opportunity cost this cost me probably around £60,000!
What has been your overall return, as best you can tell?
Being a passive investor I don’t track returns – I wouldn’t know how! I know my money will do better in investments than cash and that’s all that matters.
How much have you maxed out your ISA and pension contributions?
I’ve filled my pension several times – including making use of previous years allowances when I’ve had lump sums from SAYE4.
I usually fill one ISA. I haven’t made much of a dent in my partner’s.
When my mum passed I received an inheritance of around £150,000. I’ve kept a lump sum from that in cash as I’ve never held much before.
To what extent did tax incentives and shelters influence your strategy?
More than it should. I’ve had a weird mortal fear since I was young of being poor in old age so I prioritised my pension, especially when I became a higher-rate tax payer.
I’m now dialing back as of this year, despite the tax hit, which may have been the wrong way round to do it. But I’m still contributing 16% with my employers’ match.
How often do you check your investments?
Daily but only because I find it interesting how the market movements affect it. As your assets grow you’re supposed to become more risk averse but to me it’s been the opposite. The numbers don’t feel real anymore.
When the pandemic hit and the market tanked I upped my pension to the max and did the same with my ISAs.
Wealth management: wealth is health
We know how you made your money, but how did you keep it?
I’m fortunate I’ve always been a saver so I’ve always saved the maximum I can each month. Any lump sums like bonuses or inheritances I regard as just that – a bonus. I invest those as they come.
I suspect I’ve topped out, salary-wise. I’m probably paid 25-50% more than is standard for my job role, and I’m not confident if my new job doesn’t work out that I would get anything like this elsewhere.
My plan is to continue to save 20% of my net salary, but prioritising ISAs for flexibility. This hopefully has me retiring at 50 – or at least gives the option.
I was aiming for a million and a paid-off house but now think I will need more like £2m for the lifestyle I want.
One more year, anyone?
Which is more important, saving or investing?
The savings habit is crucial to build some assets, but then learning about investing is how you make real wealth as a normal person. I wish I’d known this in my 20s.
We’re conditioned by social media with a perception of what a millionaire is – private jets and flash cars. When you get there you realise a million is very attainable. Also – it sounds stupid to say so – but it’s not that much!
Was financial independence a goal with a timeline?
It’s been a goal since I was young though I didn’t have a word for it.
My early goal was to have the option to retire at 50, as I’d seen a lot of people lose their jobs and struggle to get a new one.
Did anything unexpected get in your way?
My divorce was a big shock. We’d been together since we were teenagers. I had a life plan laid out and suddenly it was ashes.
I think a lot of my stress and burn-out stemmed from that.
A lot of people fear divorce will derail their finances for life…
Yes it’s normally a catastrophe. It wasn’t in my case for a few reasons.
We were both high-earners, yet we were young so we had few assets. Also there were was no kids.
Once I realised it was over I became very practical on the finance side. We agreed to a 50-50 split and not to touch pensions.
We had only bought the house a year before so there wasn’t that emotional baggage. I thought about moving and looked at apartments but they weren’t much cheaper. I realised I could keep the house, just about, with a mortgage of nearly six-times my then-salary. I rented two rooms to friends on mate’s rates and that basically covered it.
I was single for about a year before I met my partner, who moved in after 12 months. She was renting the flat she’d had with her ex and couldn’t afford it anymore. I paid my mortgage down aggressively and thanks to salary increases and price rises after five years I could remortgage at 60% LTV.
So divorce was more of a blip for me, as I continued to save aggressively into my pension. A high saving rate is a superpower!
Does money cause friction with you guys, given the wealth disparity?
Great question. Having seen parents in this exact situation tear themselves apart in a divorce I’ve chosen a different approach.
We had the money conversation very early. My partner is very independent and – quite rightly – insisted on paying for every other date.
After a couple of months I sat her down and said: “I want to ask you a personal question. How much do you earn?”
She was earning less than a third what I did, on which she was supporting herself and paying rent. She had less than £50 spare a month after essential bills. I said I didn’t want to be a meal ticket but I’d like to do things she may not be able to afford and it would suck the enjoyment out if I worried about her. I get pleasure from spending on others – more than I do on myself.
I suggested that if I took her out I would assume I was paying and then she could contribute what she was able to, so she didn’t feel she was taking advantage. It worked well. We’d go to the theatre and she’d pay for the train tickets and I’d pay for the seats and dinner, for example.
When she moved in she paid me rent to begin with – her choice, not mine. I kept it in a separate account and made sure she knew it was there and that if we broke up she’d have it back as an asset. She’d had nothing from her ex.
She’s still fiercely independent but she trusts me completely. She knows I’m good with money. She’s frugal but doesn’t understand investing. There are no secrets and I involve her as much as I can. She pays the nursery fees, enabling me to invest more and I made her up her pension contributions as she had very little when we met. She pays a bit into our ISAs (in her name) and the balance of £600 or so of her income she spends on her mobile and as she sees fit, so she doesn’t feel beholden to me.
It’s a struggle to even get her to put non-frivolous spending like petrol for her car on our joint credit card, instead of taking it from her ‘fun money’.
I’ve continued to contribute to her pension periodically. The house is still in my name – one reason I want to remarry. We’ve been together nine years and the vast majority of our assets were built as a couple. She’s been instrumental in supporting me. If we broke up she’d have a home bought and I’d support her and our child until the latter was 18.
It’s what you sign up to. When I left my job she knew it might not work and when I said I might end up on a lower salary and I was the main breadwinner she responded: “being the breadwinner involves keeping some kind of roof over our heads and food and clothing for your daughter. It does not involve business class flights and luxury hotels”.
She’s a good egg. It works because we’re both empathetic of the other’s position.
Do you have any further financial goals?
I would love to be in a position to buy my daughter her first small property. Despite my wealthy background I received almost no help from family and it was only my financial weirdness from a young age that meant I started early.
There’s a balance with these things as I don’t want her to grow up with no struggles. But it’s even harder now than it was when I was young.
At least she already has an ISA and pension!
We’d like to move to Cornwall in the next few years but the salaries aren’t what they are here. And although I work from home most of the time I’d also worry about commuting.
We’ll move when money isn’t an issue anymore.
What would you say to Monevator readers pursuing financial freedom?
Even if you don’t want to retire early, having financial security is life-changing. You never know how you will feel a few years from now.
I always thrived on high-pressure jobs but the last few years are the closest I’ve come to knowing what mental illness feels like. The knowledge I could walk away and be okay has helped me cope.
Wrapping up
When did you first start thinking seriously about money and investing?
I’ve been interested since I was a teenager. From some counselling I’ve had recently, I think it stems from the fact that although I was privileged financially, my childhood was very chaotic – a parent with mental health issues, several breakdowns in my parents’ marriage culminating in a very acrimonious divorce – and I think that instability meant I craved security.
From starting work my process was basically invest a lot in my pension, save a big chunk in cash for things like houses and cars and a safety net, then spend the rest like most people. It was only in the last ten years that I began to think more seriously. Particularly with the big jump in salary.
I began by dabbling with individual stocks and shares. I thought the way you invested was to keep most of your money in cash and then gamble on the market with the small amount you were willing to lose.
It will sound ridiculous to readers given I work in financial services but I suddenly had a light bulb moment: I was already entrusting my financial future to the market with my pension. Through all its ups and downs I’d continued to invest. So why wouldn’t I invest that way in my ISA?
This led me John Bogle’s book and finally to Monevator. My eyes were opened, and at last I understood how the market worked and felt comfortable putting nearly all my money into it.
On a personal note, I also lost a close family member aged 53 suddenly who was a classic high-earner, high-spender. This coincided with me getting towards where I wanted to be salary-wise, and realising I wasn’t any happier than when I earned less. Together with my divorce it all had a profound effect on me – almost a mid-life crisis, in my mid-30s.
All my goals were financial and they felt quite hollow to be honest. A Pyrrhic victory. But then I discovered the FIRE movement. The philosophy resonated with me as a way out. I haven’t looked back since.
Did any particular individuals inspire you to become financially free?
In terms of people in the movement, The Escape Artist and Monevator were the first blogs I’d read.
My grandfather retired at 53. Seeing him have a number of very happy years before Alzheimer’s took him in his 80s – with a cruel decline from his late-70s – brought home that life is too short.
What resources would you suggest?
Monevator is hands down the best blog I’ve read both in terms of simple and complex topics. (I’m not on commission, honestly!)
I’ve got into podcasts recently. The Property Podcast with the two Robs and Pete Matthews’ Meaningful Money are both excellent.
What is your attitude towards charity and legacy?
I’m generous on an ad hoc basis when something resonates with me but I need to do better at giving more regularly. I guess it’s part of my financial anxiety that I don’t feel able to yet.
I’m more on the ‘charity begins at home’ side. Our extended family don’t have much, so we treat them to experiences they wouldn’t otherwise have.
Inheritance wise I’ve been called a champagne socialist… Set the limit to a decent amount – what I’m not sure, a million does feel low in today’s world – and then tax based on the income of the recipient, that’s my feeling.
If the money could be ring-fenced for social mobility plays I would be very pro that. It’s easy to say I did everything myself but the reality is with a private education and the ability to live at home and save I was streets ahead of friends who are successful now, but who struggled early on.
What will your finances look like towards the end of your life?
I’m mindful of the trap of holding on to assets too long on the off-chance I might need a golden bedpan when I’m 80. I’d like to pass them down earlier and teach my child to manage money to build a legacy for her.
On-track for FIRE on-demand, and with a fair wind any remaining challenges look mostly mental to me. We love to see it! Questions and reflections welcome but please remember Geoff (/FatBritAbroad) is a reader sharing his story, not a hardened trench warrior like moi. Constructive feedback is fine. Personal attacks will be deleted. See our other FIRE case studies.
- The low-budget take on Financial Independence Retire Early. [↩]
- Standard Financial Independence Retire Early, but it’s still a few years away. They key is you coast there on investment growth, without needing to save any more. [↩]
- The luxury higher-income version of Financial Independence Retire Early. [↩]
- Save As You Earn. [↩]
Really enjoy these articles – thanks for sharing.
Fantasically candid and revealing article. Many thanks!
So much chimes with me, particularly the anxiety thing.
One reflection, given your user name and throwaway comment about fitness, is that whilst your financial health is in pretty decent shape, perhaps your physical health is somewhat neglected.
I don’t want to get to the stage where I have the money to enjoy family and life, but not the fitness – I’d encourage you to consider your broader lifestyle (primarily diet, exercise, sleep). Like you, I work in insurance in the City, and I find it brutal and exhausting. I’m grateful to be able to support my family, but worn out…
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences, Geoff. I find it very illuminating. Lovely to hear that your partner is so keen to contribute her share.
I think health (agreed with Ex pat scot) and quality time with your family, especially since you have a young daughter, are very important. I have two older daughters and given my and my friends’ experiences, I think the way we spend time with them and guide them early on can shape their characters and set them up for life. All the best with whatever you do! 🙂
I really enjoy these reader profiles / interviews, thanks very much Geoff for sharing.
This interview in particular resonated with me as its frighteningly similar to my situation. I found your reflections on work life balance and retirement very similar to my own. Even though dialling back makes sense at a point in time I can see I will really struggle with the idea of taking my foot off the pedal.
How do you think things will change for you as your daughter starts school? Will the reduction in childcare costs be put towards your wifes investments or will you use the cashflow to reduce income requirements? My mindset at the moment is almost that school ties you to a location and timetable which does suit working on, although in a reduced capacity. I think I’d love to give up work entirely on one hand but on the other there’s the added security another x100k or 1m brings. I struggle to get away from the latter.
Thanks. Very candid and honest.
Sounds like you have a great partner and resilience to weather whatever comes at you. Ultimately like many your key decisions may end up being what you do when your daughter is approaching secondary school age.
Hello Geoff (AKA: FatBritAbroad), it is great to read your story, thank you for sharing. I have followed aspects of your story for a few years via the comments you posted on various blogs. My own story was featured in the second fire-side chat back in February (domestic geo-arbitrage made it possible). It feels to me that there are some similarities in our stories. I found myself nodding along in acknowledgement and agreement with your thinking and feelings while reading.
I can relate to what you say and how you feel especially regarding the stress and burnout linked partly to your employment, career, changing expectations, and the higher salary not bringing you more happiness. The prospect of one more year and then another one after that is a difficult one to overcome. I am currently in my eighth month since I left employment. The build up to making the decision to leave was a tough one mentally. In my mind I was trying to understand what was enough financially for my family. Would I be at peace with the decision I made? I arrived at the conclusion that there was always going to be some uncertainty even if I continued in my career. Moving forward I will need to try and manage this uncertainty and any doubts that creep into my mind. Especially during the more difficult and volatile times for the market and economy. I could have continued earning to put us in a better position financially. But at what cost to my long term mental and physical health? I realised that at some stage you must act and make the decision. After all it was what we had been planning for and working towards for all those years. I hope when my children are older that they will understand and appreciate that they have hopefully had more time to spend with a fit and healthy father.
Thanks Geoff, really enjoyed this, much of it I can relate to (and much I can’t – good work on the pension!). Best of luck for the coming years!
Geoff many thanks for sharing your story. Well done on the pension , that should compound nicely for when you want/need it. Your comment on more income / hitting your figure not making you happier rings true but then make hay etc.
Enjoy the journey , time with your daughter ( that passes all too quickly ) and thanks for sharing
Great work by FatBritAbroad.
More of these types of articles, please. I really enjoy them!
@all — Thanks for the positive comments everyone. I’m sure FatBritAbroad will return soon to share a few follow-ups.
I hear you all on the call for more of these articles. However they are not easy to source! Of the initial dozens who put their hand up, I’d say 1 out of 3 even replies to my follow-up. Of them perhaps 1 in 3 agrees to go forward. After that, for everyone FIRE-side chat we’ve had, at least two have never completed the process/Q&A.
Revealing — or even thinking about — your life in such detail is fairly taxing I guess, even in a pretty anonymous blog post.
Regardless, approval noted and let’s hope for many more. 🙂
Wow fantastic and humbling response all !
@expat scot. Like everything I’m a mixed bag health wise. I exercise regularly and am alot less stressed since I left corporate life ( possibly too relaxed sometimes ).
I’m overweight but not badly so and cam swing from a rock easily enough!
But I have high blood pressure thats now controlled and vape like a chimney which I need to knock on the head but I’m not too bad now.
The name came from a trip advisor holiday review I did and I could never be bothered to change it.
@jake thanks for the commentary yes very much focused on my.family. I saw my dad put career before family for years (though totally understand why) and I wanted to go a different route
@rosario
Once nurseries done we may put it into a bigger house and mortgage I haven’t decided yet (FIRE Groupie remember) . I am still deciding which way I want to go. Living the high life or a frugal but easy life. Like I say I know I’m bloody lucky to have the choice
@7LALILULELO thanks ! I thought actually though it was worth sharing as most people regret not saving enough in to pensions. Pete Matthews I referenced is a big advocate on concentrating on isas first then do pensions later in life (how late is obviously debatable) which I used to be amazed by but on reflection I think he’s right. There is a different ‘value’ to money depending on where it is held. Pre tax or after tax. You miss that when you’re in the weeds thinking about tax. I certainly did
Thank you for sharing your story so honestly, particularly the part where you revealed that the last few years were the closest you’ve come to understanding mental illness.
IMO, the years catch up. My early shiny, golden, impervious self could not have imagined fatigue or anxiety.
I have laughed at risks others avoided. So I was caught short when I first noticed feelings of career fatigue.
It occurred when I changed into a new field. I was unprepared for the gender and professional dynamics that I encountered (which made trading floors seem a bastion of equity in comparison).
While immersed in this environment, I was part of an event where a member of the public was murdered by a person my team was responsible for monitoring. I experienced rage, contempt and complex feelings of grief in the aftermath. In this field, they talk about monitoring your own trauma bank because of the subject matter. But I found the structures, unprofessionalism and poor leadership traumatic more so than the thematic itself …
I have better positioned myself in the years that followed and have attained reputational success. But my God, I miss the simplicity of my former career where success was a dollar value. This is probably why I love my personal spreadsheet so much!!
This is all to say that I concur with the case study and other posters who emphasise the importance of a financial safety net. Sometimes it can be a protective factor mentally.
Because I have learned anyone can break… Money can buy you mobility, safety and the capacity to heal.
PS. Ditto re investing too much in retirement structures. Was I building wealth or a fantastical fortress?
Great chat. Thanks so much for sharing
@ London a long time ago
> IMO, the years catch up. My early shiny, golden, impervious self could not have imagined fatigue or anxiety.
hahaha. Me too. Comes to us all. Sic transit gloria…
@FBA Nice one- many thanks for sharing!
Thanks ermine love your blog its been very inspiring . You also have no Bullsh*t filter which I love
Thank you, superb article, a great read (once I’d got my head around abroad being Reading!), much of which resonated strongly with my experiences and thought processes.
Ha ! You could argue Cornwall is another country. The cornish certainly would !
Great chat Geoff, the first one that seems normal and relatable to me, in fact it seems we’ve been on pretty much the same path and I also found myself nodding and smiling reading it. My kids are a little bit older (both under 10) and I just turned 43 yesterday but I’m definitely feeling the same sentiments as you and intend to take the path of coastFI.
Currently I’m just slowing things down at my corporate desk job working from home, seeing how little I can get by doing, whilst in parallel ramping up my triathlon training and sports coaching, which seems to be giving me my ideal balance for now. I don’t think this is sustainable for the long term, but it’s fine whilst it lasts and when the bubble pops I’ll likely go do something completely different, with more outdoor work and people interaction.
One thing is for sure, as I’ve gotten older the simple frugal lifestyle with 2 – 3 cheap European sun holidays a year does make me happier than spending big on fantoosh furniture, expensive cars, trips to Disney USA etc. When I do spend on sports equipment and holidays, I always use the equipment or value the experience, so I don’t have an issue spending as long as it’s value for money.
Thanks firestarter and happy birthday!.
I was a little worried it wouldn’t be given privileged upbringing, inheritance (not everyone gets one but it didn’t move the needle that much for me though I have more after tax money now and am mortgage free effectively which is great!) and a high salary the lazy response is ‘course you’ve done it you earn alot’ .
Obviously that helps massively but the divorce and the low earnings till mid 30s (and it wasn’t like I went from 30k to 100k that took 8 years !) hopefully makes it alot more relatable.
If I carried on earning low wages I’d have still been fine
The other challenge id expected was whether i could class myself as fi, even coastfi .
I definitely can’t afford a champagne lifestyle without working but I could for example sell my house, buy a £300k one outright and live frugally and I don’t think I’d be far off now (especially if my partner carried on working, not that i think she’d go for that option!). Hence coast fi . We have options . The anxiety meant I couldn’t see that before which is why I blew up my career a year ago
@FBA:
Nice post – I too had made a whole set of seemingly false assumptions based on your ‘handle’. My bad!
IMO, you should be particularly congratulated for pointing out the importance of using a mix of pensions AND ISA’s. Lots of folks miss this subtlety. I was not familiar with the work of Pete Mathews, but have had a quick look this morning. By and large his advice on how to mix them seems sensible during accumulation. In some situations however, there may be factors other than accessibility to consider. IMO you can only really evaluate the efficacy of a pension if you consider taxation on the way out as well as tax relief on the way in.
@TI:
Another great post – lived experiences are always IMO the most illuminating. I appreciate the effort and work behind the scenes in bringing such posts to fruition.
It’s complicated maths for the ISA/Pension contribution below say age 45-50. On the one hand you need to try to save enough in ISAs to be a bridge if you’re going to retire before pension access age. On the other hand it’s hard to turn your back on the tax relief going in and the compounding benefits of that (vs potentially much lower rates when drawing down). And that’s before the moving goalposts of LTAs.
Hard for anyone to optimise unless they are awash with surplus earnings and even then pension annual allowances may kick in.
@TI, not sure if I’m allowed to recommend books here but related to these fascinating personal FIRE stories I recently read “My Money Journey”, how 30 people found financial freedom. Contains 30 short stories but it is USA biased. Author is Jonathan Clements. Purchased via Amazon.
@al Cam yes appreciate its confusing my fault!
It’s been the same for so long I can’t be bothered to change it . I always envisaged retiring to Spain so it may be accurate at some point!
TI made the process very straight forward and I tried to give as much honesty and comprehensive answers as possible and let him cut down on edit rather than have to tease more out of me
@BBBobbins:
Agree this is not simple – but IMO it is too easy to fall into the pensions only camp; which could be a mistake, especially if you need to be able to retire before pension access age. Not everybody gets the chance to retire when they would like to retire; and plans, of course, often change as you age too!
FWIW, I suspect in general the necessary planning may be easier the younger you are as you are less likely to be a HR/AR tax payer – but, as usual, it will be situational.
Thank you for sharing. As a 45 yo (partner 38) with GBP 1.2m net worth, with investments also 100% in equity world index tracker, I could relate!
Main difference perhaps is that I recently stepped away from a high earning/high stress role to start a job in government, as we are expecting our first child and I wanted a better work/life balance. Also, I have changed jobs many times in my career, starting with 10 years in the corporate world, then 12 in the non-profit sector, and now government. I’ve been very intentional about what jobs I go for since quitting a big Corp back in 2010, and 7 months later being posted to a NGO in Afghanistan. My goal is to keep working for as long as possible in jobs that inspire me, and knowing that we are on track to be comfortable means that I have stopped trying to figure out our ‘number’ (original goal was 1.25-1.5m). I still think about NW though, and can feel the goalposts moving, in terms of what I think is a good number. That study from a while back about a large sample of varying millionaires all thinking that 2-3 times what they have right now would be a good amount is relatable.
Keep ’em coming 🙂
@TI, remember your initial post asking for contributions but decided against it. I’m happy to be featured as a option, if needed and to try an encourage more readers to submit their story, they really are fantastic reads – aged 38 and about a 1/4 of the way to individual FI, with caveats around some luck/good fortune/life choices!
@ Al Cam #27 but as a SR taxpayer the liklihood of having after tax earnings sufficient to highly fund an ISA even after modest pension contributions is also slim unless extreme frugality holds.
Once you hit HR it’s hard to overlook that 600 after tax in your ISA = 1000 in a SIPP/DC.
My bridge was ultimately always building because of my desire to have rainy day money if I walked away from my job and the then introduction of the LTA proved it hadn’t been that stupid (though perhaps if I’d been highly pensions aggressive I’d have been nearer the valuable fixed LTA protections). But I’ve got to admit it was more by accident than design.
Maybe ultimately it’s all about balance and not going “all in” on any specific route whether it be property, ISA or pension. Because the value of not being handcuffed beats attempted optimisation most times.
@JDW — thanks, I’ve still dozens of about 100 to 200 responses to work through for now. Initial responses are not the issue, follow up is.
To be fair the Q&As are probably much more detailed than people first expected. But to me that’s where the value is teased out.
“Even if you don’t want to retire early, having financial security is life-changing.”
Amen. Geoff/FBA, well done and then you for sharing your FIRE journey! I’ve been relatively quiet on here but your story really resonated especially the new job given I’ve also started with a somewhat demanding new role. A job that gives you intellectual stimulation and “eustress” (apparently the opposite of distress) keeps your brain machinery going longer they now say. Best of luck to you!
@TI my application is also somewhere in the pile – Brit currently abroad and getting heavier!
@BBBBobins (#29):
Putting aside affordability (to try to simplify matters) AFAICT Pete Mathews seems to recommend to younger folks that they contribute to their pension only that necessary to secure the maximum employer match and then favour their ISA until that is full, before presumably making any more pension contributions. I assume this only applies until you have ‘sufficient’ ISA holdings. And, whether this initially means ISA over pension if there is no employer pension match is unclear to me. I can see the general sense in this approach at BR tax, but at HR/AR it starts to breaks down a bit for me.
I agree that: a) “all in” is rarely a good idea; b) optionality is generally useful; and c) optimisation is a bit of a chimera – especially seeing as the rules of the game change so frequently!
I too got a lot of my ISA holdings more by luck than careful planning!
I also almost overdid the pensions thing as well!
Hence, my original comment to FBA at #23 above.
Thank you for sharing. An enjoyable and interesting read. As with others, some things in the chat and comments particularly resonated – the unexpected toll of stress, which for me seemed to come on so quickly, after 30 plus years when I felt I was invincible! Thankfully I had the foresight to pack in pension contributions, save some (and pay off mortgage) in the 5-7 years before that, enabling me to jack it all in (admittedly, helped by having some DB benefits due for payment a few years later), just in time too imo before significant harm was caused. Even now, the thought of going back to my career fills be with dread, when I used to enjoy it so much. Its a lesson we can pass on to the younger generation – try, if you can (and I appreciate some may not be able to), to prepare for winding down a bit earlier than you might expect, and take care of your health first and foremost.
Such an enjoyable and inspiring read! Thank you for this
@Al Cam #32. Agree seems a reasonable strategy for someone starting out. The optionality of ISAs beating pension. Thanks for the reference to Pete Matthews who I’d not really come across. He’s a bit Youtube guru “like and subscribe” for my taste and his academy seems quite punchily priced for the likely incremental content but I’ll check out a few podcasts and see if he grows on me.
@BBBobbins (#35):
Just to be clear, I had never heard of Pete M before I read the post by FBA (which mentions him) and have just dipped into Pete M’s stuff earlier today. FWIW, I recognise all of your concerns, but ….
The academy also includes voyant go retirement planning software which I believe normally costs more than the course would
Fwiw I’ve never seen him be anything other than transparent . He’s an ifa that says that most people don’t need ifas !
@FBA:
How did/do you find the Voyant software?
I first came across this package a good few years ago – but noted it was rather costly and was not really aimed at individuals.
Having said that, Voyant superficially (at least) looks rather like the FoC flexible retirement planner, see: https://www.flexibleretirementplanner.com/wp/
which I know quite well of old and incidentally features, from time to time, on Fire V London’s blog.
Never used it I haven’t done the academy . I’m not sure I’m what it’s aimed at as I feel fairly comfortable with investing though potentially want a sense check at retirement
I’m just an avid listener of the podcast and found it had great advice in the same vein as monevator though mostly at a far lower level (they don’t really stray into eis’ etc as it is aimed at the masses ).
He has a few affiliate links like life search which he’s transparent about and certainly gets clients from the podcast which he’s also transparent but I believe him when he says he started it because he was frustrated there wasn’t more information for normal people without having to pay an ifa .
I have suggested he interview monevator in the past!
He gets over 100k downloads a month so is pretty popular.
@FBA (#39):
It is a quite a few years since I played with FRP – but IIRC it was easy to use and pretty good (as far as retirement calculators go). So probably of some use if you are after a free of charge (FoC) ‘sense check’. If I get a chance over the next few days I may just dust it down and load it up with my current scenario and report what I find.
Interesting article and lots of it felt spookily similar to my situation:
Age:43
Location: suburb of Reading
Salary: £100k almost to the penny
Net worth: c.£1.2m, split broadly equally between house, pension & ISA/other investments. Currently mostly saving into pension (c.60% of salary inc employer cont) so my mix also doesn’t really suit ‘RE’
I have significantly higher savings / salary than my wife
Investments: 100% equities (but mix of tracker / self select)
Married & young kids (1 still pre school)
Privately educated
FI has led to a significantly reduced drive at work (is age also a factor)
You sound like you have a good balance in life and a supportive loving partner, both of which are far more important than money / assets – well done
Thanks so much for sharing your story so openly Geoff. I’m a little bit older than you with a little bit less in my pots but a lot of similarities and your comments around stress/ anxiety and prospective around career really resonated.
This is my first comment on here so just wanted to say a massive thanks to Monevator as well.
Thanks for sharing!
@fba – I really enjoyed reading this and took a lot of heart from it.
You seem to have made good decision over the years and have a good attitude – and that’s paying dividends now.
I do wonder if £1.1m (or £2m by 50) in Reading (or Cornwall) is “enough” but you’ve got all the building blocks in place for a comfortable life and optional early retirement.
Maybe it’s a case of keeping up with the Templeton Peckers – the suburbs of the South East must be filled with the comfortably well-off!
Great post @FBA, thanks for taking the time to do it.
A common theme is the concern about when to stop work, I understand this and have been through it myself.
Stuck in a job I no longer enjoyed (I was best described as out of step with the CEO and his sycophants, but often unable to keep quiet!).
I knew roughly when I could make my exit, pension changes had hit hard but I was still in a good position to go early. Health and happiness were more important.
So I decided on a plan, didn’t tell anyone and set my countdown app.
This helped me deal with the daily grind enormously.
Those 3 years went by surprisingly quickly.
Helped along by thinking and planning what I would do next.
It was during this period I found FIRE – MMM, TEA, Monevator etc etc and the lovely ranting Ermine ( I wish I had found it all 10 years earlier though)
Fast forward to today, I have been free from that employer for 2 years and never looked back.
Some of my plans came to fruition but many didn’t (or not yet at-least)
But that doesn’t matter, as I regularly tell people still working, its not about making definitive plans you must stick too that is important, its the process of preparing yourself mentally for the change.
Some colleagues have done this and seem to transition ok, others haven’t and seem to have struggled.
Not scientific research but a regular pattern I have seen.
My wife is a teacher and after 2 years of encouraging her, talking and preparing ,she left her job last month.
27 years teaching have worn her out, its time to change things for her health and well being.
She needed the 2 years to come to terms with the decision – change, fear, worry, stress!
What if we can’t afford it? Often repeated.
My reply- what’s the worst that could happen? If it’s ‘we run out of money’ then we can both get part time work?
Thats got to better than the stress and pressure currently in Teaching.
She will work again but it will be fully on her terms and I have just dipped my toe back in to some well paid ad hoc gigs – 2 ex colleagues made offers difficult to refuse.
Planning, thinking, preparing to leave work before you leave work is very important IMHO, but not at the cost of decision paralysis.
I appreciate all circumstances are different, but whats that saying – ‘in their last moments its not the decisons that were made that are regretted its the ones that are not made’ or something like that.
Good luck and best wishes
Thanks very much Geoff for sharing your journey & details so openly, as it was just fascinating to read! Like others, I found myself nodding and smiling to various points you made.
For what it’s worth, I FIRE’d at age 43 (after being totally burnt out from working), which was 1.75 years ago … and I’ve never been so relaxed, calm, and happy in my life since then!
The best analogy I can give you, which I only realized myself over this past year, is:
During my working career, I felt like I was running uphill on a treadmill, on a really fast speed setting, whilst carrying a heavy suitcase in each hand.
Literally within 48 hours of quitting work, and starting my new FIRE life, I felt like, for the first time ever, a giant weight had been lifted, and I was able to gently stroll and just be at peace / happy.
Best thing I ever did, quitting work 1.75 years ago – and wish I had far better financial literacy during my working career, which would have enabled me to quit working even sooner.
I can fill my time ever so easily now, during this delicious FIRE chapter, reading voraciously, going for long walks, spending time with my husband, enjoying each meal slowly and savouring my delicious freedom.
I don’t think you truly realize how great it actually all feels, until you take the plunge, quit working, and are in those shoes yourself.
I used to be exhausted all the time, during my working life, and “desperately needed” 4 long-haul luxurious holidays each year, somewhere sunny & hot, to rest enough, to continue working. Obviously, that was rather expensive.
Much to my surprise (which I didn’t realize in advance), when I quit working, this “desperate need” of above holidays, simply vanished! I wasn’t yearning for them mentally or physically at all … and a short 1 week long European holiday, once a year, filled that holiday yearning, surprisingly well. This was a nice unexpected surprise, as I spent less than I thought I was going to in my FIRE life.
So, you may also find your projected lifestyle expenses drop quite a lot, purely due to being in a different mental frame of mind, once FIRE’d … which also drastically reduces the “do I have enough money” worries in the back of your mind, due to naturally spending less than you thought you were going to!
Funnily enough, I came across Pete Matthews You Tube videos exactly 1 year ago. And then proceeded to binge watch all 10 years worth of his videos! I feel that he has been completely authentic & genuine, and I have gained a lot of life & financial wisdom from his videos.
One thing that struck me, was in his very early videos, he had a sign above his desk something along the lines of “Remembering that you are going to die one day ……. (couldn’t read the rest of the sign)” – really brought home the point, we are all on borrowed time, regardless of what the ONS life expectancy calculator says!
My neighbour dying at age 60, before he even got to crack open his Pension pot, and enjoy retirement doing exactly what he wanted with his time and money, happened not long after I FIRE’d – and is something I’m conscious of every day, as I look out the window and see his house.
I haven’t signed up to Pete Matthews Academy as yet, but probably will do at some point, because Voyant Go is included in the price. Can’t find the time right now to do his courses, even though am retired – LOL!
You’ve done amazingly well for yourself so far, so should be very proud of yourself. But as the saying goes, no-one wishes on their death bed, they’d spent more time working in the office … so do consider if you can quit working sooner rather than later.
Massive thanks also to @TI for taking the time to do this interview and post it here, for everyone’s benefit. An absolute pleasure & delight to read these case studies! Please keep doing them!
If you run out of people to do case studies someday, feel free to contact me, as I didn’t volunteer initially (when you put out the call late last year), as I didn’t know how anonymous you would keep someone’s name in a case study and thus cyber security worries.
@FBA,
Re #41 above:
Earlier today I did dust down my version of FRP (v 4.2) and as I thought it is pretty easy to use – albeit the presentation style is somewhat dated. It runs very quickly for a MC tool too.
It is worth noting that some aspects of US tax law (as pertaining to pensions) are [hard] coded into the tool and all the results are presented in todays dollars (ie everything is inflation adjusted).
There is a user support forum accessible via “support” on the FRP home page. This is very good because IMO the tool contains a lot of embedded functionality.
The tool seems to still be available free of charge (FoC) at v 4.4 and IMO is more than usable if you just want a FoC ‘sense check’
@ Templeton peck ha spooky ! Dont work in insurance too do you ?
Hey Geoff/FBA
Thanks for taking the time to share – it’s great to finally read the details of your story all in one place as I too have gleaned snippets from comments you have posted across various blogs over the years.
Whilst others have enjoyed your story due to similarities and resonance with their own lives/stories, I on the other hand enjoyed it because it is fascinatingly different from my own (first gen working class immigrant parents, large family, state school, university, no inheritance, average salary, late starter to FIRE). Yet you still have the same questions I have, e.g. how much is enough, will goalposts move etc?
Well done for getting in the position you are in now with so many options, and all the best to you and your partner (soon to be wife!)
Thanks weenie it shows how much is mental in this journey. Statistically I have more than 99% of people my age and yet still worry . I’m not sure if that says more about me or uk society tbh
@Gentlemans Family Finances
Hey GFF. Intrigued to understand why you don’t think 2 million at 50 is ‘enough’? Looks as though it will be more than enough to jack in work at least on a full-time basis. Perhaps a little part-time job to tide him over but financially it seems to be more than enough.
Ryan – assume the issue is cost of property in Cornwall, and the competition for it. You’d get a lot more for your money in Lincolnshire, for example, but you wouldn’t be in Cornwall.
If you stay off the coast its fine . Still cheaper than Reading for the equivalent house. The gap closed during the pandemic but is rapidly widening again now
Great read Geoff, thanks for sharing so much detail. You’ve prompted me to take the questions and have a go at answering them myself. I turn 40 this year and while the old ‘uns say that’s young, it’s prompting me to re-evaluate.
@TI before I copy the blog post and remove the answers, did you publish just the questions somewhere?
@Unwilling Codemonkey — I have not published the questions somewhere, no. Have you achieved FIRE? If you’re there or very close and it’s a story with interesting angles then perhaps one way to get the questions would be to be featured. 😉
And yes, 40 is young these days! But not a bad time to reflect. 😉
@TI I am a way off FIRE It’s interesting inasmuch as I’ve never had a “proper” job, being self-employed from uni onwards. I’ll start reflecting on the questions above.
@Spoonbill
Thanks! Assumed as much. But as FBA suggested it really does depend where. Some areas of Cornwall/Devon etc are still inexpensive (relatively speaking). There’s still on a whole limited work opportunities outside of some industries and of course tourism.
@FBA #51
I think worry is natural particularly if you’re the personality type to have been putting reserves away. Don’t think you should have particular concerns and might even be in gravy if your business equity comes in.
@bbbobbins yes its difficult
Part of it I think is the difference between how I live generally and my parents. I’m not sure they understand my anxiety around inflating my fixed costs.
When they stay they often make comments about moving to a nicer house and how I’ll ‘need ‘a second bathroom as my daughter grows up and for guests
I think they’ve forgotten how normal people live. And also don’t really get how money doesn’t stretch as far any more . Plus my father earned probably 3 x my salary while working and has at least the same if not more in retirement in terms of income . So they really don’t get why I struggle with the idea of moving to a bigger house (and also why I say often I don’t think I can afford it)
I also feel this significantly as a result of 8 years of focus on FIRE… – “One downside of FIRE is as I’ve become more financially secure, the drive to progress has diminished. To the point where I’m considering going the other way – to a lower-paid, less stressful job.”
Great Post, I’ve often wondered if my interest in FIRE is in some way related to my mental health. Interesting to hear you had some counseling. I’ve been thinking about doing this as well, what was it that finally made you take the plunge? Do you think it was worth it? A combination of job disruption, covid, long covid over past three years or so have been really tough on my side for sure. I kind of feel I need to do something to get me back on a level playing field but not entirely sure what that should be.
@ Rhino
I really struggled for a year in my new job and thought it was me. Turned out it was the company but I’d already booked counselling by that time . I was quite cynical about the process as I felt I’m quite self aware of what makes me tick but actually found it really useful.
My advice would be definitely do face to face. Eap lines with work i found were useless .
If you have private health insurance this will often fund some sessions for you. I paid out of pocket as I’d been recommended somebody who I found was excellent and specialised in anxiety.
Just knowing how my brain worked in terms of catastrophic thinking (i’m either 1 or 10. Everything is either perfect or its an absolute failure) wasn’t unique was quite cathartic.
She taught me tips to manage it . What I liked about this counsellor was she actually had statements (like the comment about my childhood being chaotic- I’d always thought of my childhood as privileged which it was financially but hadn’t really grasped that it was also very insecure till she pointed out the bleedin’ obvious to me ) rather than that irritating ‘ and why do you think you feel like that. ‘ . If I knew that I wouldn’t be here would I.
I was able to have alot of conversations after the sessions with my dad who was carrying alot of guilt himself about being away so much and my having to deal with my mums mental health issues at a very young age . I’ve never held any anger towards him which he thought I had . We’re all just human and he did what he thought was best
The whole thing has brought my dad and I alot closer together . So for me it was well worth it . I had about 10 sessions and that was enough for me
Agreed on the EAP, total waste of time and prob good to keep work and medical separate.
Good you got a recommendation as you feel a bit needle in a haystack otherwise trying to figure out who to see.
I could probably stretch to ten sessions, and can well imagine it a particularly good investment!
I’m think I’m same in as much as its jobs that have absolutely kicked my head in over the last three years or so, but also its been weird in other ways, covid etc. etc.
On the one hand, with the benefit of hindsight I can see that my attraction to FIRE was probably about removing an unpleasant stressor in my life, but then again, maybe better to deal with it rather than run away from it. I’d worry I’d just replace job worry with something else.
That said, I still think working sucks in the main, and haven’t completely discarded the concept of jacking it in. But maybe a bit of targetted counselling first? Get my shit together first and try and ‘move toward’ something, rather than ‘run away’ from something as has been pointed out by wiser heads than mine already..
Interesting interview FBA, thank you
I followed up your suggestion to listen to the Meaningful Money podcast and it was interesting, good to hear a UK finance podcast. Gave me some food for thought – thanks again.