Comments on: “Living off 50% of our income saved me in an unexpected way”

By: Annette

Annette — Sat, 10 Nov 2018 22:53:31 +0000

What a horrible thing to happen to a family!! But look at that sweet lemonade she made?

This is not a topic people like to take about but it is part of why I strive to live off of 50%. We are at about 30% living off of 1 income. As soon as I go back to work (when my child is in school) the plan is to put away what we do now plus 100% of my take home pay. I can’t wait to calculate that %.

By: Danielle Ogilve

Danielle Ogilve — Sat, 27 Oct 2018 12:29:16 +0000

First off, really impressive how they managed to live off of 50% of their income with 2 kids! It’s also really heartbreaking what happened in the end. I cannot imagine how much courage it took to push past everything after a surprise like that. Especially when you’ve been working for it your entire life.

By: Alaska49ak

Alaska49ak — Fri, 26 Oct 2018 08:59:16 +0000

I got the FI but missed the RE…..retired at 52 with a nice pension, IRA, 403b, investments, bank accounts and a paid off house…..One year later, almost to the day, I went to the doctor and mentioned a little shortness of breath and a pain I would occasionally get in the middle of my chest. Twelve hours later they sawed my chest open for heart surgery…seems my coranary arteries were 99% blocked. If I had not retired and been at my high stress job, I probably would be dead. Dodged that bullet and also thankful that like the lady in the article, we were prepared. I would have liked a boat, snow machine, plane, 4 wheeler, etc. but peace of mind and knowing that being mindful with our money, spending less than we made and investing the difference allowed me to take care of my family, which is a way better feeling than having another toy.

By: Kate

Kate — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 07:48:54 +0000

Wow. This is touching and motivating. I’m almost 45 and my husband turned 41 today. Not really that much younger than this couple was. I made a lot of financial mistakes, had too many divorces and split assets when I was younger, so FIRE is a unlikely dream – however we do have enough life insurance to at least be mortgage free and have a few years of not having to work should something awful happen. I’m glad that having this financial independence has enabled this woman to still be able to create a beautiful and fulfilling life despite her loss.

By: J. Money

J. Money — Mon, 22 Oct 2018 11:23:06 +0000

In reply to Steveark. Haha.... What a great way to enjoy those blessings though! I'm sure Paul and Joe and Sam and Pete are all having their own party watching down on them :)

By: Steveark

Steveark — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 19:22:20 +0000

On a vacation a few years ago my wife and I kept running into the same group of ladies, they were all retirement age and obviously having way too much fun! My wife started talking to them and they told her they called themselves “the merry widows club”. Yep, poor old Paul and Joe and Sam and Pete were all dead but had left their widows set up awesomely for retirement and they now traveled the world together having a blast. The most disconcerting thing was the wistful look in my wife’s eyes.

By: Kris

Kris — Fri, 19 Oct 2018 22:29:59 +0000

Oh wow, this story is very inspiring because it shows that if you have an unfortunate situation but at the same time you are financial set, it becomes less of a burden to not deal with any debt, loans, and/or mortgage. You can plan out your retirement at bit easier because you don’t have to face any financial setbacks. Having a savings rate of at least 50% really helps the process go faster for retirement.
Sorry for the reader’s loss and it helps eases the pain just a bit that she doesn’t have to deal with any financial stress all by herself.

By: J. Money

J. Money — Fri, 19 Oct 2018 11:04:50 +0000

In reply to Prudence Debtfree. I love seeing your notes here so much :) Always so thoughtful and UPLIFTING!!

By: J. Money

J. Money — Fri, 19 Oct 2018 11:03:41 +0000

In reply to Financial Orchid. YUP! Totally... Also allows for one spouse to not have to work if they choose not to as well, if married. Or to take sabbaticals, work on passion projects, change careers, etc etc.

By: Prudence Debtfree

Prudence Debtfree — Fri, 19 Oct 2018 01:52:07 +0000

That post is powerful for me. My husband and I are at about the same age and stage of the game as this couple – and 2012 was also an important year for us, as we started our journey out of debt in June of that year. Now we’re debt-free and making plans for retirement. 2020? 2019? Considering that life holds no guarantees – and that both my husband’s father and his grandfather suffered heart attacks when they were only one year older than he is now … The earlier option might just be the best.
On another note, I remember thinking early on in our financial makeover, “What if I die before I get to enjoy the fruits of our efforts?” My conclusion was that I’d still be doing the same thing. I’d want to leave my family in a good financial situation, and apart from that, I was finding a surprising richness in the frugal life. I believe this woman’s husband would say the same thing. If he had time to reflect before he passed away, I believe he would say he was satisfied with all that he had accomplished with his wife and with what he had set up for the future of the family he was leaving behind.