RetireJapan

I like to try and find good news when it comes to our investments. instead of the doom and gloom of the BBC CNN, et al.

This has to be someone we should look to. He's no Warren Buffet or Charlie Munger, but a humble guy, a little excentric, who invested in mutual funds. and left 4 million to his town. HIS TOWN!
But what's important is how he enjoyed his life too with his hobbies.
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/new-ham ... -millions/

Here is a short video if you prefer.
https://youtu.be/gPBfFcOMz1A

Nice story.

It is a nice story. Might be better if the financial programs instead of pushing another pundit hoping the broken clock will be right, they did way more stories like this. A bog standard guy who just like to save in a mutual fund. Not exactly Warren Buffet or Charlie Munger, but he won. In his own way!

Bubblegun wrote: ↑Fri Nov 24, 2023 2:11 pm It is a nice story. Might be better if the financial programs instead of pushing another pundit hoping the broken clock will be right, they did way more stories like this. A bog standard guy who just ...

wore threadbare clothes, had no furniture and... checks notes... traveled by lawnmower?
Meanwhile, I've been to Starbucks three times in the past week alone. My town ain't gonna get sh!t when I die!

I enjoyed the piece and I think there are take-aways but it's more like. Live well within your means, ideally have lost cost hobbies/interests and save/invest whatever you don't spend. Maybe the real take away here is about someone that was unable to adapt from a deeply ingrained frugal lifestyle.. or maybe they'd reached a higher plane of consciousness..

On the topic of saving rates, I'm just entering level one of the "not so empty nest" stage of life. This is when they have a job, keep all their money but still live at home leaving lights on and "treating this place like a bloody hotel".
I'm being good so far and investing even more aggressively as I push for early retirement.
But what's this. A fully loaded John Deere Ride-on electric lawnmower for only 1 mil yen..

Lawnmower? Shades of The Straight Story. (a great film)

I see these now and then:

As always with MM, his stories are not just entertaining but have a hint of truth in them.

I'm quite far away from retirement (fingers crossed) but I do wonder about divestment strategies. How would I feel about breaking into the nest egg I've built in order to survive. Training yourself over 20-30 years to save and put excess income into investments, while a good habit of course, would probably cause difficulty in your older years in getting rid of it. We can talk about how logically you do need to spend it before you die but I have a feeling that it would be tough psychologically for me.

zeroshiki wrote: ↑Sat Nov 25, 2023 2:37 am As always with MM, his stories are not just entertaining but have a hint of truth in them.

I'm quite far away from retirement (fingers crossed) but I do wonder about divestment strategies. How would I feel about breaking into the nest egg I've built in order to survive. Training yourself over 20-30 years to save and put excess income into investments, while a good habit of course, would probably cause difficulty in your older years in getting rid of it. We can talk about how logically you do need to spend it before you die but I have a feeling that it would be tough psychologically for me.

This is very true. It has really surprised me how difficult it is to spend, how uncomfortable it is to draw down instead of invest, and how anxious I feel not having income. It makes me instinctively clench up and look to reduce spending.

I'm still kind of working on several things and have a small income, but the last year and a half has been a real learning experience.

Moneymatters wrote: ↑Fri Nov 24, 2023 11:21 pm

Bubblegun wrote: ↑Fri Nov 24, 2023 2:11 pm It is a nice story. Might be better if the financial programs instead of pushing another pundit hoping the broken clock will be right, they did way more stories like this. A bog standard guy who just ...

wore threadbare clothes, had no furniture and... checks notes... traveled by lawnmower?
Meanwhile, I've been to Starbucks three times in the past week alone. My town ain't gonna get sh!t when I die!

I enjoyed the piece and I think there are take-aways but it's more like. Live well within your means, ideally have lost cost hobbies/interests and save/invest whatever you don't spend. Maybe the real take away here is about someone that was unable to adapt from a deeply ingrained frugal lifestyle.. or maybe they'd reached a higher plane of consciousness..

On the topic of saving rates, I'm just entering level one of the "not so empty nest" stage of life. This is when they have a job, keep all their money but still live at home leaving lights on and "treating this place like a bloody hotel".
I'm being good so far and investing even more aggressively as I push for early retirement.
But what's this. A fully loaded John Deere Ride-on electric lawnmower for only 1 mil yen..

I gotta agree.
Even now the wife is saying we need to spend some money to enjoy our life, and, it is also true it might benefit the government to install that anxiety into us, especially when they can possibly start to means test the state pension in the future. Even all the YouTube financial guys have us NOT running out of money until we die aged 95. I just had a thought that maybe I would rather give some of my money to the family when they need it, rather than spend it on my needs all the time. And they can benefit from it more than me. I mean seriously when can we say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, or HOW little is Enough?

No offence but let's say we are 89 years old, peeing our pants, god forbid ,pooping them, happy to do the NHK radio exercises on the TV show, dribbling and drooling, and not even on the same planet, which sadly that will come to some of us, why NOT SPEND some of that money we so responsibly saved, then run out, then ask for help from the insurance policy we have all paid into for a few years when we really really need it? Our national insurance.
Surely we can't be saying SAVING UNTIL WE DROP IS THE BEST, and relying a bit on the state for a few years in our final years is SO BAD. I can see the point some sensible people have "Why am I saving so much, for it to be used on the very same nursing care, help that the guy next door is getting, but saved bugger all his whole life.After all we did pay/save into that system too! No?


Anyway the guy in the article seemed really happy, and maybe he had it right, he had friends and simple hobbies but maybe he went too far.
Sometimes, I feel as though I'm trying too hard in this moral world of financial responsibility. I feel terrible doing my hobby, and I feel guilty for going home for the first time in 8 years, because if I have to go to ask for help at 75...I was irresponsible. ( sorry guys, but that's how I feel at the moment).

This site has been very helpful and useful, but we've gotta enjoy life too. I hope the guy did enjoy his life, even though he may have been a bit eccentric.
OUR FUTURE CAR. Incontinence pads, false teeth cleaner in the front, and some Diakon in the back. LOL

I suppose I trust them more than anyone...

Not really the same as spending it down, but I've given some money the last couple years to our kids, with the comment that it should be saved/invested long term, until sometime after we're gone, and it should really only be used before that to take care of us--my wife and I. Besides that it's also kind of a teaching moment--try to get this kind of account for long term investment, keep it simple and do it yourself, park it until then in this fund or that, don't switch/bounce around.