Several random thoughts on the week past.
It really is more satisfying to give
I have written before about not being a pig, but felt guilty about always being on the receiving end of givers: being put up for free by family in cool places, for example.
We just had a great (if exhausting) time hosting family as the senior relatives this weekend. It was deeply satisfying to provide a getaway for the parents, with food and entertainment provided. They did have to manage kid hygiene, however.
As a bonus, we had to clean up and attempt to child-proof the house. Now that they are gone and the house is quiet, I am amazed at how tidy and spacious the place is. It reminds me of a story I read as a child:
I will see if I can continue to tidy the place a bit more.
Considering the FU Fund
Coming back to work after a 3-day weekend (worn out by guests) was… not that pleasant. I was actually ready to return, but the pent up work was just about overwhelming. I spent 2 hours on “other” work (dealing with messages, calling patients, managing refills) after a full day. This is in addition to postponing finishing my notes until I got home. Ugh.
It’s days like this that I start thinking more about retirement, and wondering where we are on that path.
I’m more tempted by retirement than ever, after completing my annual financial update. Not counting the costs of health insurance, our nest egg is roughly 97% of our goal (if the goal is to amass 25x spending, which should theoretically provide sufficient funds for a 30 year retirement).
Of course, we don’t have health insurance covered, nor the last 3% of our savings goals; and I’m not really sure if 25x of 2019’s spending is the correct goal. What if the roof has to be replaced? Or we have to do some other expensive work we haven’t budgeted yet? What if we want to travel more than we did last year? What if the markets crash correct?
So, I’m not really ready to retire, not financially, nor, to be honest, emotionally. I just had a bad day. I can deal with it. But it’s very interesting to know that money is available in case. You know, in case I decide to book out forever.