u/Cautious_Doctor8961

I met someone in real life who retired early in their 30s pretty lean, and their whole personality is based on how they don’t have to work.

Like they don’t do anything fun. They do things or buy things based on deals or how cheap it is. Basically it seems like their whole decision making process revolves around saving money, not passion or interest for something. And a lot of their conversations are gossiping about how this person or that person finds it weird they’re so young and not working.

It was kind of off putting to be honest, like it didn’t feel like they really reached freedom. They just exchanged the corporate handcuffs for another type of chains.

Build the life you want, then save for it.

That’s the difference in taxes between the US and countries in which those services are covered.

It’s not as competitive as medicine, law, nor as technically difficult as engineering (2/3rds get weeded out in the 1st year). You don’t burn out as much as nursing. It’s a more reliable degree than finance or any other business degree, and its versatility allows you to branch out from just being an accountant into consulting or investment banking. Career ceiling is very high, and could reach millions per year if you make partner or CFO.

Starting pay is $90k in 2026 at accounting firms, and there’s a clear trajectory to $200k by the time you’re 30. There’s a huge shortage right now, so pay has been increasing rapidly.

It’s like the ultimate degree. You don’t need to be that smart, just hard working, and you’ll get the bag.

I stopped caring after $1 million, and only look at it once every few months now. Before? It was like daily. Much better for mental health. I was an addict 😅

I already felt bad for being overweight before those existed. Now it’s even worse.

Either income or net worth.

Adversity during childhood doesn’t increase resilience, quite the opposite. It leads to maladaptive coping mechanisms and mental health issues.

The research shows the most stress resilient people actually grew up soft.

It’s the most misunderstood concept, where some parents believe that by making their kids’ lives harder that they’re making them stronger, when in fact it makes them weaker.

I feel like this is important to share here because many of us are parents or are going to become one soon. Don’t fuck up your kids out of ignorance.

At first, fucking denial, no that shit is dumb as fuck, it’s just a stochastic parrot.

Then the damn rage just came out, like fuck the billionaires, fuck the AI researchers, fuck layoffs, how could they do this to us?

Then it was the anxious stage. No, don’t lay me off, I got a family to feed! I’ll be a good worker, I’ll use Claude all you want boss, yes sir. Don’t spend, invest to reach FIRE.

Then, depression. Like shit… this is real. This Claude can run for hours by itself and give decent results. Damn, it’s really coming for us, and I can’t do anything about it.

Finally, acceptance. Okay, I guess it’s gonna happen in a few years. Shit’s gonna change, for real, and it’ll be devastating. But life goes on, and we’ll figure it out. If it happens, it happens.

Which stage are you at?

At first, fucking denial, no that shit is dumb as fuck, it’s just a stochastic parrot.

Then the damn rage just came out, like fuck the billionaires, fuck the AI researchers, fuck layoffs, how could they do this to us?

Then it was the anxious stage. No, don’t lay me off, I got a family to feed! I’ll be a good worker, I’ll use Claude all you want boss, yes sir.

Then, depression. Like shit… this is real. This Claude can run for hours by itself and give decent results. Damn, it’s really coming for us, and I can’t do anything about it.

Finally, acceptance. Okay, I guess it’s gonna happen in a few years. Shit’s gonna change, for real, and it’ll be devastating. But life goes on, and we’ll figure it out.

At first, fucking denial, no that shit is dumb as fuck, it’s just a stochastic parrot.

Then the damn rage just came out, like fuck the billionaires, fuck the AI researchers, fuck layoffs, how could they do this to us?

Then it was the anxious stage. No, don’t lay me off, I got a family to feed! I’ll be a good worker, I’ll use Claude all you want boss, yes sir.

Then, depression. Like shit… this is real. This Claude can run for hours by itself and give decent results. Damn, it’s really coming for us, and I can’t do anything about it.

Finally, acceptance. Okay, I guess it’s gonna happen in a few years. Shit’s gonna change, for real, and it’ll be devastating. But life goes on, and we’ll figure it out.

Success is for you. When you interact with others, especially if they have a different socioeconomic status, stick to more neutral topics like hobbies, interests, and family.

The moment you bring status charged topics, the relationship/friendship will go downhill 9 out of 10 times.

But real friends don’t envy each other you say? Real friends also don’t make each other feel bad about each others’ lives.

The one exception where you can tell your friends about your achievements is if they were already in on your journey. Like if you told them years ago you were working towards something, and there were regular check ins on the progress, and you eventually got it - that’s something to celebrate together, because your friends feel like they were part of it. But then once the celebrations are done, don’t talk about it anymore.

I see this for careers, relationships, fitness, health, and finances. All those seeds planted a decade or more ago have come to fruition.

I’m starting to see people my age getting senior leadership positions, starting families, being in the best shape of their lives, and reaching their first million in net worth.

Kudos to all those who stayed the course, who stayed disciplined, even when things got tough or scary.

None of these people I know had a straight line to success. It was about not selling investments when the market was crashing, about continuing to show up for others even when others hurt them, continuing to exercise consistently even when they had a million things going on, and constantly showing up every day and doing their best even when it felt like their careers were going nowhere. Innumerable setbacks, but they kept ploughing through.

I see this for careers, relationships, fitness, health, and finances. All those seeds planted a decade or more ago have come to fruition.

I’m starting to see people my age getting senior leadership positions, starting families, being in the best shape of their lives, and reaching their first million in net worth.

Kudos to all those who stayed the course, who stayed disciplined, even when things got tough or scary.

I see this for careers, relationships, fitness, health, and finances. All those seeds planted a decade or more ago have come to fruition.

I’m starting to see people my age getting senior leadership positions, starting families, being in the best shape of their lives, and reaching their first million in net worth.

Kudos to all those who stayed the course, who stayed disciplined, even when things got tough or scary.