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So if "happy" == "completely happy", it's somewhere around $2E6 for me. Enough interest to cover the basics so I can work on anything I like. Anything after tha
by gduffy 19y ago
So if "happy" == "completely happy", it's somewhere around $2E6 for me. Enough interest to cover the basics so I can work on anything I like. Anything after that is just icing on the cake, and it's still fun whether I win or lose (the bills are already taken care of).
I imagine answers to this question vary wildly, but tend to cluster around 3 points: $0, something like my rough calculation, and some large-ish percentage of the GDP.
- paul 19y agoSo what would you do if you had your $2E6?
- gduffy 19y agoHow very Socratic of you :) I would: Mainly - Spend more time with my wife (including doing some of the rest of these things together), when she's not working to achieve her goals - Hack on several ideas that I have, work with/invest in interesting startups (what I would normally save or put into less risky investments) Also - Help my friends out of the rut - Read more math, physics, sci-fi - Learn to fly planes - Keep my thumb on what's going on in the tech world via the web - Build cool stuff: electronics, etc. - Buy cool gadgets and hack on them - Maybe some political stuff, EFF or atheist issues - I like the OLPC project, I think they should work with American kids too. - Pick up the piano and violin again, maybe travel a bit - Say what I think more often - Some normal leisure stuff now and then Of course, this would be after 2 weeks of sitting around in awe that I had arrived at what I dreamed of as a teenager. I can do many of these things in some capacity right now, but I can't really dig in to most of them. I do my current job in hopes of freeing up a half-of-my-waking-life time slice so I can, but that is definitely a gamble. Self-determination is an enticing thing. I imagine that, even though I've done a fair share of it, there is some introspection to do when you arrive. I wish I had more time to think about this question. What's the view like from there?
- kirubakaran 19y agoOr sit around eating Doritos :-) http://philip.greenspun.com/materialism/early-retirement/ http://philip.greenspun.com/materialism/early-retirement/
- gduffy 19y agoThe main difference is that, except learning to fly planes (although I've looked up nearby flight schools, know how much time+money it requires, read up on the basics, and learned what is required to get a private pilot certification) and working with OLPC, I have done these things in my free time already, even concurrently. And when I had more free time (just a couple of years ago), I did them more often. There is just very little doubt in my mind that the choice afforded by a nice passive income would help me do more things that make me happy. Also, I hate Doritos. :-) Know thyself, I guess.
- eru 19y ago"Of course, this would be after 2 weeks of sitting around in awe that I had arrived at what I dreamed of as a teenager." [Just quoted - to upmod it individually.]
- gduffy 19y agoI also wonder if an entrepreneur who already has their $2E6 could focus more on what the user wants. You don't have to worry about what the landlord or electric company wants.