Feeling Like a Weirdo?

I typed this up at 12:30 AM on a Monday night in a dark room as to cut back the blue light so have mercy 😛
Anyone else on this journey feel like a bit of a weirdo? Hear me out…
1 – We live in largely a consumption based society, only recently have many Americans started to really question what is a luxury vs what is essential.
2 – There are lots of people there in the current economy who are literally struggling, unable to pay their rent, mortgage, student loans, car payments, etc.
3 – People are looking toward their state and federal governments to give them a helping hand.

I honestly don’t think my situation is that much better than that of my peers. I’m still an employee, working for a large corporation. If people don’t buy the products we sell, I don’t have a job. On paper I’m a minority, from a middle class suburb, with 3 non-STEM college degrees. I was born in and still live in the United States. In 1999 I started with $5.15/hour, rode my mountain bike or walked to work on days my parents couldn’t give me a ride, and I didn’t break the $50k/yr barrier until a full 14 years after getting my first job. I don’t yet earn a six figure salary, nor am I an engineer.

Am I still priviledged? Perhaps. Being an American I can very easily buy equitities in some of the largest companies in the world, in a very well regulated way, with near zero brokerage fees. My currency of choice is still the world’s reserve currency, and I can invest money in a bank account without fears of the government taking it away from me overnight. I have not had to live through civil wars or periods of gross inflation or deflation. I am living through what I skeptically hope will be a huge step forward through the BLM movement.

I still have no debt. Debt to me is repulsive in a way unless it’s to acquire an asset that produces a steady steam of income or is highly likely to appreciate over time. Some of my ancestors were brought to this country centuries ago as slaves. Their labor was used to cultivate the land, produce resources, build roads, buildings, and make an entire class of people wealthy. They longed for freedom from their opressors and a system that was not designed for them but against them at every level – education, housing and employment discrimination. Then as a gay man… Up until only a few years ago it was completely legal to fire or not hire me to begin with in many parts of this country on the basis of my sexual orientation….I was lucky enough to be born at a time and living in places where I was not impacted. My company is literally one of most LGBT friendly I’ve had the pleasure of working for.

So yes I’m priviledged. I’m lucky but it’s also been a struggle. I’m on the road to a $100,000 investment portfolio before 2021. In 2012 I was at -$45,099.65 and sold my retirement account to cover my expenses from having no job. It scares me that I will have to return back to the “dark ages”. My position at my previous company was eliminated last week in another round of layoffs. An acquaintance of mine who also worked there got a severence package when his position was terminated. I’m thankful to have built up my career while there but also left before my shelf life expired.

It feels weird to be working from home. Since Covid-19 closures started in March happened I no longer have a $545/mo car payment, $80/mo in tolls, $140/mo in gasoline bills, or $85 in parking garage fees. That’s $850/mo of free cash flow per month. I also didn’t move to a $400/mo more expensive apartment closer to the fancier uptown/downtown area. A stimulus check would be nice, but I’m not starving without it.
These are unprecedented times for me. I have so many options. I’m still a long ways from even lean FIRE. My LeanFIRE number is about $1MM. Only 10% there but with my current monthly contribution levels and a 6.5% return rate I’ll be there in 18 years. Who knows though, maybe a $1MM won’t be what it used to be. I’ve been weird all my life, even writing my cash amounts from allowances in an envelope and tracking things in a spreadsheet. Yes more spreadsheets. I’m gonna whip up a few for my next posts. Remember for every success story there is someone who started out with nothing. Also stay the fuck away from fake gurus. Your money is better off in an index fund. 😛

Ok it’s time for bed now. Getting senile. Thanks for reading. Stay strong, be safe. We are all in this together.