![]() ![]() If they’re curious to know more, they’ll enquire further. A useful strategy is to be generous with the ideas, but scarce on personal details. But only if people seem genuinely interested. Overall, I do think it’s better to share than not. Maybe they’re looking out for you just in case ASIC is listening to your conversation. ![]() It’s possible they just don’t want to be berated if anything they say comes off the wrong way.Īnd sure, people can ask for guidance, but they may be too uncomfortable or embarrassed to do that. This conundrum leads to assumptions that rich people aren’t interested in helping others with their knowledge. If you share too little (but people kind of know your situation), you’ll come across as selfish and unwilling to share your ‘secrets’. If you share too much, you’ll come across as a bragging know-it-all. It’s better for your mind and soul if you remain honest, sharing as much or as little as you feel comfortable with, navigating the conversation with whatever feels natural. Telling them you’re sitting on a half-million dollar portfolio of shares, or you just paid off your house, is far more likely to enrage them than inspire them!īut don’t feel the need to lie either. This person is 20 years your senior, and it turns out their financial situation is worse than you first realised. ![]() Imagine you’re talking to someone at work. Normal people don’t wanna hear any of that! ![]() Avoid gloating about personal achievements or milestones unless specifically asked. When in fact, most of the time, these successful ones are just normal people who’ve focused unwaveringly on excelling in a particular area for a long period of time.īut I digress! Back to these awkward conversations…įirst things first. As if they couldn’t possibly understand what a ‘normal’ person goes through. Grumpy old man side note: The developed world seems to have reached a point where successful people (in any realm) are dismissed because their accomplishments now make them ‘privileged’ and ‘out of touch’. It’s like if a group of people are talking about fitness and only one of them is actually in shape… but the fit person stays silent and adds nothing to the convo. And fair enough! Why should you feel sheepish about it? If everyone’s sharing, then you might feel the urge to share too. But if there’s a money convo already going, you have two clear options:ġ- Participate and share some info that may be helpful to the group (maybe a basic saving idea or finance/investing concept)Ģ- Smile and nod along while you wait for the topic to change (hoping nobody asks you a question). The safe move, of course, is to say nothing at all about what you’re doing and this FIRE Cult you’re a part of. So we do need a plan for dealing with it. I don’t think anyone should go around declaring their frugality skills, financial prowess and great position for the sake of it.īut it’s also inevitable that money comes up as a topic of conversation between friends, colleagues and family. Once we grasp the principles and realise how life-changing it can be, we want to share it with everyone!īut how do we broach this topic with friends and family? After all, money is like politics and religion, and tends to divide more than unite.įirst, let me be clear. When we first start down the path to financial independence, we can’t believe we weren’t doing it sooner. These are all important questions, so let’s attack them one by one. “How do I explain not working and having all this free time?” “Should I even share my situation with people, and if so, what do I say?”įor others who are further along, closer to pulling the pin on work, anxiety ramps up as they become nervous about standing out from the crowd. Our friends, colleagues and family members are still decidedly chained to the work-spend-repeat-till-I-die treadmill.īecause of this, many worry that becoming financially independent will make them an outcast. There’s now a fantastic Aussie community growing around the FIRE movement.Īn increasing number of people are hopping on board with the idea of saving and investing to become free much sooner than traditional retirement age.īut even though it feels like a tsunami of people waking up at the same time, it’s still a tiny percentage of the population. ![]()
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