T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 28
Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #28!
Here are some things I really like and that you might too.
Finance Articles
What If The 4% Rule For Retirement Withdrawals is Now the 5% Rule? (A Wealth Of Common Sense) – “How inflation could impact retirement withdrawal rates going forward.”
A Case for Claiming Social Security Early (ESI Money) – “If we achieved an average yearly after tax investment return of 5% or more, then the scenario of both of us claiming at age 62 was the clear winner.”
Video
It’s time for a dose of the beautiful natural world in high resolution. If you can’t be there the next best thing is to watch it unfold in a beautifully shot video, and this one of South America is a winner.
SOUTH AMERICA – A Time-Lapse Adventure from Morten Rustad on Vimeo.
Who’s Inspired Me
David Goggins.
I know, I’ve posted about Goggins before. Too bad, he continues to amaze and inspire me. Without even announcing he’d be in the race and with minimal training, he recently placed second in the brutal Moab 240. Yes, that’s a 240 mile non-stop running race, the equivalent of 9.2 consecutive marathons.
The guy who won, Italy’s Michele Graglia, is probably the world’s best at ultra-ultra long races like the Moab 240 right now. He wins almost every one he enters and it’s what he specializes in. Goggins on the other hand dabbles in ultra running. After ceding some time in the first 100 miles to Graglia, he essentially matched him for the remaining 140 miles. Then, in classic “can’t hurt me” Goggins style, he did some push-ups immediately after crossing the finish line. He’s a savage.
What I’m Grateful For
My employer. Yeah you read that right. They allowed me to transition to part time even though they wanted to keep me in senior management positions. I celebrated three years of early semi-retirement with my post on Tuesday, I’m grateful to them but I’m also not looking back.
Lyrically Speaking
Sixty-one seconds is all it takes
For the nine to five man to be more than one minute late
From “61 Seconds“, by The Outfield
If you weren’t into music or alive in 1986, you may not realize how big the Outfield were that year. The trio’s debut album Play Deep which was released in late 1985 sold over 3 million copies and spawned quite a few top hits. The song “Your Love” being the biggest.
I absolutely loved the record and every song on it, and still do. It holds up because despite some of the typical 80’s overproduction and dated keyboards, they didn’t overdue it. It’s still a guitar-driven rock record, and the songs are really good.
And here’s to those saving their money so they don’t have to be a “nine to five man” forever.
Tony Lewis, the lead singer of the Outfield with that distinctive high voice, died on Monday at the age of 62. RIP Tony and thanks for the music.
Miscellaneous
25 Again? How Exercise May Fight Aging (possible paywall) – “The muscles of those who worked out looked like those of 25-year-olds and showed less of the inflammation that is tied to health problems as we age.”
Your Future Office Will Be Outdoors – “A new workplace grading system from the CDC puts a high premium on offices that embrace nature and encourage workers to be active”
The rise and rise of creativity – “Once seen as the work of genius, how did creativity become an engine of economic growth and a corporate imperative?”
Happy Friday Dave. Thanks for drawing our attention to “A Case for Claiming Social Security Early”. Interesting read. I may spend some time this weekend attempting to duplicate ESI’s analysis for our own purposes. Enjoy the weekend!
You too!
i read the finance articles like usual. i always wondered if a person runs out of money in retirement due to faulty safe withdrawal rates so they spontaneously combust on the spot the moment the numbers go red? like the drummers in spinal tap? turn into nothing but a globule? i see the general use in the discussion for loose planning purposes but you just can’t do every damned thing in life on auto pilot. i think we’ll take social security at 62 and steward the money ourselves and die young.
I wonder how many people – people who actually planned their retirement – actually run out of money. My guess is that it’s quite small, and medical issues/bills would probably be the main culprit. Or long term care. I get a pension, so I’ll definitely be delaying my SS as long as I can. That could change though if they change the deal in any way. If it looks like they’re going to take a lot of it away which they may have to do, I’ll grab as much of my money as I can. It was my money anyway.
Loved The Outfields in the 80’s. I have their songs my Amazon music. I missed the news about Tony Lewis passing away.
Dang, Goggins is a beast. I read that Graglia took a minute nap on the road. Not sure if that was a slight against the other runners. They said it was to rest up for the big finish, sure. If you are the best, why mock the rest of the runners. Oh well.
Yep sad, the Outfield were only a 3 piece and now two of them have passed at young ages.
I don’t think Graglia was trying to slight the others, he seems like a pretty humble and chill guy. In a 240 miler who knows what goes on with the body. He may have been hallucinating as many of these crazies do and just needed a short brain reset. These folk are another breed.
Ahh, I see your point. I start hallucinating after three miles.. Ha ha.
There’s no such thing as writing too much about Goggins. The man is a ridiculous reminder of what’s possible when we quit making excuses, set insane goals, and go after them. 240 miles? Just when I was talking myself into going for a shorter run this weekend. Ha.
Haha, love it! I’ll make a note of that, more Goggins = good. Guess I already knew it though.
Hope you did the longer run option… stay hard!!
Great stuff Dave, especially the post questioning the 4% rule. The one thing about retirement is spending is not linear and most retirees will spend more in their early years as they travel and do all the things they didn’t have time for previously. Another interesting point is about maintaining a portion of investments in bonds. I’m researching and writing a post which shows that this is also outdated. In fact, bonds are actually riskier with far lower returns in our low interest environment.
Yes I’ve read the same analysis about bonds actually being riskier. But just 16 months ago they weren’t. Things change. Overall I’m okay with bonds long term, we’ll see though.