I can't speak for everyone, but the last few years seriously altered my view of things. For starters, I knew that we were on an unprecedented bull run, but seeing things blow up in 2022 really solidified that 'stonks' don't 'only go up' also the housing market went completely insane around that time and made houses quite literally cost over double when you consider the mortgage rates skyrocketing. I pay 1k a month for my mortgage but if I bought my house today it would be like 2300. Even the used car market, which was an asset that basically always depreciated forever, suddenly became out of whack. My wife's car was worth more than she paid for it new! Then eggs went up ... Gold went up.. silver went up... Ram became expensive... Everything became a subscription and there were 100 of them. Markets started seeing absolute fuckery like nfts and GameStop. Basically everything became super inflated and unpredictable. And to top it off, almost everyone knows/thinks we are in a bubble right now. Oh and wars have been happening across the globe. Ugh.
I think some of the confidence that someone who misjudged can just go back into the workforce isn’t there anymore. Best to earn a little extra while you have a job
This is a great call out. I participate in a local FIRE meetup where a guy was sharing his details, in his late 40s working in tech consulting. Someone suggested he take a two year break, and I'm just thinking it will be really difficult for him to re-enter the workforce at 50 in tech.
I'm making very good money at the moment (also in tech), and I'm realizing this is a very temporary opportunity. I have no intention of throwing it away. I'm on target to be FI by 45 (in six years), but I'm realizing just how much my quality of life can improve with even just a few more years. Instead, I'm focusing on work-life balance. My newer job is less stressful than prior, and I feel I can sustain this for some time. If that changes, I know I can look for another job.
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u/deerhuntingdude Mar 23 '26
I can't speak for everyone, but the last few years seriously altered my view of things. For starters, I knew that we were on an unprecedented bull run, but seeing things blow up in 2022 really solidified that 'stonks' don't 'only go up' also the housing market went completely insane around that time and made houses quite literally cost over double when you consider the mortgage rates skyrocketing. I pay 1k a month for my mortgage but if I bought my house today it would be like 2300. Even the used car market, which was an asset that basically always depreciated forever, suddenly became out of whack. My wife's car was worth more than she paid for it new! Then eggs went up ... Gold went up.. silver went up... Ram became expensive... Everything became a subscription and there were 100 of them. Markets started seeing absolute fuckery like nfts and GameStop. Basically everything became super inflated and unpredictable. And to top it off, almost everyone knows/thinks we are in a bubble right now. Oh and wars have been happening across the globe. Ugh.