Asynchronous2e

I (50F) and my husband (55M) have been lean FI'd for several years now, and suddenly we're ChubbyFI'd. I'm happy to be done with work, which I quit years ago to raise our kids anyway. Hubby is happily chugging away at a start-up he founded.

Despite my husband and our awesome CFP's insistence and spreadsheets, I just can't stop with being frugal! Not just frugal, but fretting about necessary taxes to diversify away from our very overweight position in a unicorn start-up. When did it finally hit you that you have the money and it's there to be spent? When will I finally hire the house cleaner and know that the cost won't even make a dent?

I'm so frustrated with myself but can't seem to bre

I'm comfortably FIRE'd. Husband (55M) is scaling a start-up for his passion project post-FI. We still have a child in high school, so we're looking at options for moving abroad in 2030. We'd like to visit all options for the few weeks before 2030, so I've been talking to AI and making a list. I have a list of possible cities that fit our needs and wants, and I'm wondering what I'm not considering.

Here's what I have as spreadsheet columns so far (for the handful of cities we're planning to explore): weather, crime level, cost of living, healthcare costs and options, healthcare quality, visa requierments and timelines, path to permanent residency, path (if any) to dual citizenship, and cost/

I'm FIRE'd and not active in this space anymore, but for real estate investors and others who have planned to fund college with need-based aid by keeping their income low, this information is essential. The rules of the FAFSA for college financial aid are being completely overhauled for students starting or continuing college in the 2024-2025 school year.

Interesting changes to the FAFSA EFC (now SAI) Simplified Needs Test (SNT) are coming. The rules for the SNT - which governs when assets don't need to be reported (and are not considered) - are now more stringent, and the federal programs to automatically show need have changed.

The means-tested federal benefits no longer include free &

With your time, money, or other resources, did you improve your family, friends, or community (city/state/country/world)? This is your chance to inspire.

I got a music degree for silly reasons and followed it with a law degree that I stumbled into. FIRE’d and not happy being a lawyer and also not happy with not working! Has anyone used these types of test batteries as a student or as an adult looking for a second act? I wish it was an option I was aware of as a young person.

I’m in my 40’s and living in one place for the next 7 years as my teens finish their schooling. Seems like as good a time as any to look into Act II. $750 isn’t a small amount of money, though.

Did you take one, either for the experience or because you couldn’t afford/weren’t ready for college? Did it hinder your FI journey? Help the journey?

I wish I would have taken one but not sure it’s a good idea for a US student. My teens seem burned out by school & not excited about college like I was. College is an expensive choice for someone not really interested, but the US system doesn’t appear to have a process for a year-delayed application (even for National Merit kids).

Looking for stories on both sides of the issue, as well as from those who wish they would/could have made the other choice.

I was shocked when my oldest (a sophomore) said he isn’t excited to go on to colleg

Budgeting for college/post-college (I have 3 teens). How old are your adult children? Do they live with you? If you’re the grown child, I’d love to hear from you, too!

If cohabitating, do you/they pay rent/utilities? Do chores? When do you expect you’ll/they’ll move out? Are you happy with the arrangement if you’re cohabitating?

If not, what age did you/they move out, and do you think it was the right decision for you AND they to FIRE?

What financial surprises did your young-adult kids bring as they grew into their own interests?

I have 3 boys - 11, 13, 15 - who keep surprising me in ways that are both good & bad for FIRE. Whenever I post with questions here, I get confident posts from people with 1-7 year olds. I had all those 1-sport, 1-inexpensive-instrument rules when my kids were that age, too! But then my kids acquired interests of their own (they didn’t like the flute or basketball, for instance). And it turns out that they’re talented at things I didn’t choose but they love.

My boys are frugal and proud of it, despite being far different in that area than their friend groups. One son has special needs that w

My spouse and I have hit our FI number + $500k saved up for college. My kids are teenagers, though, and I miss work. Trouble is the cost of going back: income taxes into higher bracket, losing our generous ACA subsidy, having 20% of my income counted against us for Expected Family Contribution for college, and hurting our chance at financial need-based scholarships (income has been pushed down to $60k next year for this reason). Putting aside moral qualms about taking need-based financial aid, is my math correct? I’m a lawyer - part-time billable rate is $150-$200/hour. And no, we’re not putting aside more for college. Our kids have to take on some of the costs so $250k/child is our limit.

If my husband and I died right now, our kids would be instantly LeanFIRE’d when they turn 18. I’m planning to spread out the timeline to 15% at 22, 25% at 25, and the remainder at 30. But even then how much is too much? Too little? I have not and will not inherit money (although I will get a piece of forested land). Hubby thinks give it all to the kids. I think anything over mid-six-figures is overkill and I’d rather help charities at some point. How did/will you decide? If you inherited wealth, did it change your behavior, and how?

The proposed legislation would prohibit all mega conversions (not just for the rich). Am I overreacting if I transfer as much as I can afford to have taxed this year? Why/why not? https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/09/13/house-democrats-propose-new-retirement-plan-rules-for-the-wealthy.html

My family uses the free passes from our local library, visits free local museums (both home and traveling) and college museums & events, and purchases annual passes for each program (ie NAMM, ASTC, American Horticulture RAP…) to visit dozens of museums as many times as we like. Any other tips for museums/culture? We plan our trips around free reciprocity worldwide. We recently learned that we can find the cheapest museum on the list, buy the pass there even if we don’t live close to it, and use it throughout the museums on the list.

I started off as lean FIRE, then switched to FIRE, and now that I’m about to hit that number I want to increase it again! Anyone else feel that fear of never having enough? How did you overcome it? I have a budget for my retirement years but am always finding reasons to pump up the numbers.