The Lifetime Trade.

[AstroParticipant 2045]

This could just as well go into “Health and Fitness” but I never posted in “Money” before and it’s good to remember here:

When I was a still a teen, I went with my dad to the tower he worked at. He was a draftsman for TVA. He and a senior were having a conversation about my dad having health problems as he was getting ready to retire. This boss said something to me I will never forget:

“Son, I worked long, stressful hours my entire life. When I am not here, I am flying on business. I have an ex-wife I hardly seen and two kids that hardly know me living in a mansion. I wasted my entire life trading my health for my wealth and for what? So I can now start trading my wealth for my health”.

I never made the income my dad did, much less his boss and I have had good times in my life. Yet I still find myself in the “Lifetime Trade” in a roundabout way. That teen grew up, joined the USN/USNR and then became a CDL driver. I worked long, stressful hours my entire life and much was away from home. I have an ex-wife, a wife (we can’t afford a divorce) I have not wanted to see since 2016 and a son I didn’t get to raise. While driving last year, I was taken down with an epileptic seizure aggravated from lack of sleep and an aneurism. I will never get out of debt.

How many of us trade our health for our wealth so we can later trade our wealth for our health?

[iMickey503Participant 12465]

That’s the trap of life. But I showed you how to get the money you need, and at least have some fun before the dirt nap.

You are all alone. If you have been falsely accused of RAPE, DV, PLEASE let all men know about the people who did this. http://register-her.net/web/guest/home

[MonkParticipant 16995]

There is no point in being the richest corpse in the graveyard.

I cut right back a long time ago. My needs are minimal and easily met. I tick over quietly and pass unnoticed.

[BeerParticipant 11832]

I think I’m the other extreme in life…live off <20% of my gross, invest heavily, and try to retire in my early 40s. I just hope I’m not the guy that gets hit by a bus a week before I’m ready to pull the plug on working. If you avoid the trappings of debt and women, you really don’t need that much money to live comfortably.

[WPLParticipant 2390]

It’s a lousy trade, for sure. Where I work now, I’ve been able to solve a technical problem that 3 highly-paid, external consultants failed to resolve… and what do I get in return? I get told that I need to “do better” when I arrive a few minutes late for a salaried job! I get micro-managed to an unbelievable degree (including, but not limited to, submitting a daily accounting of what I did and the time I spent on each task). Raises? Matching of 401k contributions? Bonuses? Ha! There’s never money for those in the budget.

[AstroParticipant 2045]

How many men lying on their deathbed say “I wish I spend more time at work”?

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