> The most optimal thing to do in our world is to pick an age, say, 60, and until your 60th birthday, maximize your suffering via frugality to just under the tolerable limit so as to maximize your potential for compound interest. This leaves you with the most freedom and opportunity during the most fun part of your life, when you no longer have to sell your labor and can do whatever you want.
replyThis is the most depressing thing I’ve read in a while.
You don't have to act optimally according to the current system, I don't. My concern is many seem to try to act optimally without understanding how depressing the reality of its incentives are.
replyI think the thing you are missing is that people are quite complex in how they model these things internally. What works for you, may not work for them.
replyI don't think your advice is good "general advice" but if you treat it as a "this works for me, it might for you", then it might be worth reading.
I'm not sure if you caught that my post was a criticism of the system. I'm just describing what the optimal strategy is as prescribed by how our society is structured, not advocating for it.
replyMany of my happiest moments in life have been at the park, for free, with friends and family.
replyYou don’t need to be retired or a millionaire to be happy. Nor is being retired or a millionaire any guarantee of happiness.
Saving for retirement is just about making sure your needs are met when your health starts to decline and you may no longer be able to work. If you’ve got a little extra saved to travel around the world or whatever, even better. It’s important, but don’t wait until retirement to be happy. There’s no guarantee you’ll even live that long, for starters.
Even more optimal would be to pick an age, say, 60, and commit to moving to Canada for MAID at that time. This means you don't need to compound nearly as long, because you don't need to insure against a long life unable to work. Then you can start not selling your labor while you're still young enough to enjoy it.
replyI'm not sure what you think the MAID program is, but (leaving aside your ineligibility for health care in canada until e.g. you gain permanent resident status) if you're not suffering from a grievous and irremediable health condition, you're not eligible for MAID.
replyJesus no, you could be dead or decrepit by 60.
What’s wrong with finding happiness within your limits all the time?
reply“I hope it's obvious that this is a criticism.”
reply