The Great Debate.

I’ve already touched on this subject, but questions remain.

In my post the point, I explained why even someone (like me ) who loves their job is well served by pursuing the early retirement goal.

And in carpe diem, I pointed out that saving for retirement is not really a sacrifice at all.

But I’ve been getting a lot of interesting comments, indicating that my arguments have been less than persuasive. (I’m looking at you Bob.)

And by the way, keep the comments, coming. I love them. Especially the argumentative ones.

But I thought this would be a good opportunity to list all the reasons why early retirement is a great thing to pursue.

1. The Circular Logic Argument.

This one would not win any debating contests, but that’s not what’s important to me.

The fact is that pursuing early retirement has made me happier. I will dissect some of the reasons for this below. But let me just posit from the start that something that makes you happier, that doesn’t hurt other people, is a thing worth considering seriously.

Happiness after all, is what I’m after. How about you?

2. The F-U Money Argument. 

jlcollonsnh wrote a really nice and personal post about the importance of F-U money.  (Go ahead, read it.)

The essential point here is that no job is secure.

Relationships change, organizations change, people change, the world changes. And most people hold more than one job in their career whether they like it or not.

So having a big nest egg allows you to deal with change from a position of strength.

I like to imagine my nest egg as a collection of thousands of little Joe Pesci’s from Goodfellas. Even though they generally keep to themselves, staying busy earning dividends and appreciating, they’re never too busy to stare menacingly at a problem I’m having while muttering menacingly  “Do you think I’m Funny? Do I amuse you?”

You got a problem that needs talking to, Boss?

3. The Signal To Noise Argument.

Saving for retirement requires you to weigh what is important and eliminate what is not in order to cut spending.

By diverting resources away from that which does not make you meaningfully happier, you are able to fill your life with more things that do make you happy.

One could also call this the smorgasbord argument. Not aggressively saving for your retirement is like eating at an a Hometown Buffet : You eat more and taste less. Though your stomach ends up overstuffed, your pleasure to food ratio ends up very, very, low.

Extending the metaphor, the early retirement lifestyle is more like eating at a fantastic sushi restaurant. Each dish is but a few grains of perfectly prepared rice with a delicate sliver of unadorned fish atop it. But each small bite eclipses the pleasure of 10 smorgasbords.

But cutting away the unnecessary noise, the sweet sweet signal of pleasure is amplified.

4. The Pressure Cooker Argument.

Having debt, or financial insecurity reminds me of that feeling as a kid on the last Sunday night of a vacation.

All the coming assignments, busywork, homework, and boredom, created a dark pit of anxiety in my stomach.

And anxiety bred aggression.  I became a little snippy with my sister. I was less able to stop and smell the sweet aroma of vacation.

Saving money then, and creating wealth, is like slowly pressing down on the pressure release valve on a pressure cooker. Anxiety and foreboding leaves, and in their places come the feeling of progress towards a worthwhile goal.

With this pressure gone one becomes more able to relate to those around him and build meaningful relationships.

And hopefully work too can become less transactional. Less “I’m doing this for X amount of money,” and more, “I’m doing this because it has meaning.”

5. The Change Insurance Argument.

I’m not the same person as I was when I was 16 and decided to try to become a doctor.

Fortunately my career has evolved as I have, and I find I myself in a very personally rewarding niche that I love.

But what if I completely change in the next 10 or 15 years ?

What if I decide that my true passion is watercolors?

(People Change)

At that point would it be preferable for me to continue just punching the clock and making payments because medicine is my only professional skill and my self imposed financial obligations remain?

Or would it be better to have the ability to drop everything and follow my bliss?

Conversely, what if I were to still love my job 15 years from now? What would I have lost, then? Could I not continue working? Would I not have amplified my happiness in the process? Would I not have depressurized my lifestyle?

I certainly won’t have spent less time with my loved ones.  I won’t have gone to bed hungry or wet.  I won’t have missed out on good food or travel.  As far as I can see, all I will have lost at that point  will be a few big-ticket purchases and a bunch of wasteful spending.

And that’s a sacrifice I’m more than willing to make.