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I am rich and have no idea what to do

vinay.sh

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Re: I am rich and have no idea what to do

#711

Post by lucianbr »

psanford wrote: post #574
Animats wrote: post #502

Been there, done that. General comments: - Most people who make a lot of money all at once blow it within seven years. Check out what happens to lottery winners, jocks, and rappers. As a rule of thumb, you can safely spend 4% of your net worth per year. Pay yourself some fixed amount each quarter. - You don't have to get into complex investments. Half in some bond funds, half in some diversified stock funds will work…

> Most people who make a lot of money all at once blow it within seven years This is a commonly recited myth about lottery winners[1]. [1]: https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnjennings/2023/08/29/debunki...

I am a little bit suspicious of Forbes saying "in fact, money does buy happiness". I fear they might have a little bias.

I expected something like a Snopes link. Ah well.

Re: I am rich and have no idea what to do

#712

Post by random42 »

xdfgh1112 wrote: post #673
madrox wrote: post #106

I don't think you have to have Fuck You Money to get to this point. Most people eventually become disillusioned with work enough that they reevaluate what matters to them. Getting a very profitable exit is just one way to trigger that experience. In my experience, a lot of people who get into this state start self-sabotaging hard as a way of rejecting what feels, ironically, like losing control. Sudden freedom can fe…

I did the same as OP. Quit my job then started distancing from everyone and removing responsibility in the pursuit of freedom to do what I want. But all I did was wallow and stay alone. Not sure what the answer is but your insights were very powerful to read.

I am currently at the same place, with no reasonable place out. How did you solve it?

Re: I am rich and have no idea what to do

#713

Post by sceptical »

I retired four years ago just before hitting 50 years of age. There is no real purpose and never was. I got my degree, worked in a field I loved. I was good at it, learned and was successful. But there never was any real purpose except personal growth and being challenged in my field of expertise. I've seen CEOs come and go, engineers much smarter than me leave and poor replacements being hired. Nothing ever really changed. In the work setting nobody is truly important.

I don't know what Loom is and I don't really care. It was not spectacular. It doesn't matter. You succeeded. Now you can start on a new part of life. One where you do not have to prove your ability, you already did. So enjoy, you've earned it.

I am sitting in the cold, snowy Scandinavia. In a few days time I will be travelling to Spain. I cannot wait. When I leave the airport and walk into the sun and the heat, I will be grinning like a madman. After a week of hiking / running, exploring and drinking cold beers in sun I will return home and once I leave the airport I will sigh with relief, home sweet home. After a few days of chores at home I will start looking forward to the trip that is already booked for the next week.

Life is great.

Re: I am rich and have no idea what to do

#714

Post by redlock »

nurple wrote: post #679
Lerc wrote: post #371

In 1997 Kurt Vonnegut did not write Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t. I'm not sure if Mary Schmich (who did write it) takes pride in her words being frequently credited to an esteemed writer, or if it rankles. Later Baz Luhrma…

Thanks for writing this. It reminds me of Steve Job's commencement speech at Stanford. > Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

Until it killed him (ignoring doctors advice on cancer)

Re: I am rich and have no idea what to do

#715

Post by benjam47 »

xdfgh1112 wrote: post #673
madrox wrote: post #106

I don't think you have to have Fuck You Money to get to this point. Most people eventually become disillusioned with work enough that they reevaluate what matters to them. Getting a very profitable exit is just one way to trigger that experience. In my experience, a lot of people who get into this state start self-sabotaging hard as a way of rejecting what feels, ironically, like losing control. Sudden freedom can fe…

I did the same as OP. Quit my job then started distancing from everyone and removing responsibility in the pursuit of freedom to do what I want. But all I did was wallow and stay alone. Not sure what the answer is but your insights were very powerful to read.

I find this to be very familiar. I worked endlessly to be able to have no responsibility and endless freedom. My partner passed away several years ago now, and I still haven't filled that void. I'm not unhappy by any means, but money and freedom are a poor substitute for companionship.

Re: I am rich and have no idea what to do

#717

Post by jcgrillo »

pech0rin wrote: post #490

This is the most childish thing I’ve read. And shows a lot about he doesn’t have any people relying on him or community to support. He takes one hike and throws away 60m. Doesn’t try to find anything interesting to do at Atlassian just calls his coworkers NPCs. This is zero-empathy Peter Pan syndrome at its worse. Sad how he just goes adventure hopping to try and find meaning. The problem is no matter where you are y…

Seems like the ex dodged a bullet

Re: I am rich and have no idea what to do

#718

Post by lylo »

101008 wrote: post #130
j4coh wrote: post #3

Same situation, I truly empathise because it really does seem to take a lot of purpose out of everything. What I’ve found is that you need to replace money/salary/financial success optimisation (assuming you spent a lot of your life and energy to this point focused on these, much like I did) with something else totally unconnected with being measured in that way. For me, I am focused on proving myself as a guitarist…

This is my dream. Having enough money to be able to dedicate to things I like, trying to be good at something without worrying about money, or time, or being tired after work. Open a bookshop, being a rare book dealer, open a small museum about an author, research on a particular topic and write books... That would be the ultimate dream, though I am sure I won't ever be near to fulfill it.

Running a bookshop is entirely possible without FU money, but it will be hard work and probably not make you much money. Read Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop for inspiration :)

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/c9fb361a-30ef-45d5-b777-...

Re: I am rich and have no idea what to do

#719

Post by sd9 »

I find the tone jarring. The author is all over the place. It feels like the author is trying to brag with every quasi-unconventional activity they've taken. Hiking in the redwoods, climbing a 6800m mountain and joining DOGE are a trifecta of cliches.

It's sad that the author broke up with their girlfriend, who was likely the only source of reason in their situation.

Genuine, selfless, introspection might help find a path. Hiking in the redwoods doesn't automatically produce introspection.

Re: I am rich and have no idea what to do

#720

Post by satisfice »

I found myself burned out and with enough money from video game development at the age of 17 to “retire.”

I thought that having lots of time and quiet to read and write code and not worry about money would be wonderful. Instead, I fell into depression and isolation.

I need to feel that I’m helping people. I need to be part of a project. I need people who rely on me. That’s what I learned. That’s where life’s meaning comes from.

I met a girl and married her. She spent my money so I went back to work with new vigor and purpose. All that happened about 40 years ago. My first marriage ended amicably a few years later— and while briefly single again I once more felt depressed. I spun into more wild things. Eventually sold everything and was about to go trekking around the world when I met and married my current wife. That was 34 years ago.

I settle down again. No one is going to make a biopic of my life of not drinking, not doing drugs, and not having fights with my family. But I tell you, it looks boring from the outside— yet from the inside every day is full of contentment. Life is a struggle, because I am NOT rich, but it’s not an emotional struggle. I feel lucky.

Nothing beats reasonable health and a family that loves each other.

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