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I'm sure anyone who has found the FIRE community on Lemmy doesn't need any assistance with "buy index, don't sell it", so what are some other interesting topics?
Has anyone spread the good word of St. Jack Bogle and/or FIRE to friends/family? My work colleagues picked it up very easily (they make the same amount of money as I do), but a lot of my friends are in debt or make so little salary that they'd have to put all their discretionary income away to start investing. My parents have had a lifetime of bad financial decisions and they're close to being forced out of working by their age, so I've taken over their finances a bit but there's not much I can do with the aftermath.
I mostly feel bad for being in such a fortunate position that I'm making fistfuls of cash while my close friends can barely afford their rent. I'd like to help them but I don't know how because the only strategy that I use is not possible for them.
When I met my spouse, they were firmly entrenched in the idea that they would have to work forever, despite having a good job and having frugal habits. I was able to introduce them to the concept of retiring early, and got them to max out their tax advantaged accounts. They do tend to lean towards much more risky investments than I would, but at least they are mostly on the right path. Now they dream of retiring to a hobby of flipping stuff they find on Facebook.
I don't really share my investment philosophy with others though. With people who don't make as much, it could come across as bragging or rubbing their face in it. I'd rather just be a moral support for when they are struggling. If someone asks for advice, then I'm super open with what my philosophy is for my money.
I think a little nudge is good but if they are not receptive to it, I don't bring it up again. Finance is very personal stuff and my some of friends/family get embarrassed/uncomfortable discussing that.
also I think it's important to not be completely out of touch since most people in my circle don't have enough money to have a safe savings/emergency stash, let alone invest into retirement. I don't want to piss people off or make them despair talking about FIRE if I know they don't have good income leftover to begin with. That's just been my experience with it, curious how you guys think about it.
@yenahmik@lemmy.world just going to reply to both of you here since the ideas are similar:
I definitely get the "gentle heads-up but don't push" strategy, and the main thing that is stopping my friends from going down the FIRE path is a lack of income instead of a lack of understanding, but honestly if I had close friends that were making enough to be making proper investments I would feel morally obligated to make sure they understood what was on the table. Can you imagine learning about this stuff when you're 55 and wishing that someone would have told you sooner? Or even that someone forced you to start sooner, when you were a dumb kid and investments seemed like old people stuff?
As is, I'm currently just helping them with frugality, credit cards, getting a HYSA bank etc and making sure they're not leaving free money anywhere on the table. Wish there was more I could do with my knowledge.
I would feel morally obligated to make sure they understood what was on the table
At the end of the day, while FIRE is appealing to me and works well for me, it's not the only right way to live. I think if someone I was close to got set up in a good paying job, offering to explain their retirement benefits to them and help them get set up is fine, but I wouldn't push them more than that because it can seem a little preachy. If they want to know more, then we can talk. Most people don't, and pushing the subject would only be off-putting.
Similar to if I had a morbidly obese friend. Yeah it'd be good if they counted calories and ate mostly fruits and veggies to achieve a healthier weight, but is it really my place to push them towards a different lifestyle? Or should I just be a friend and help them when they ask for it?
I’m not proselytizing FIRE, though I’ve helped family with some general retirement and financial advice. I tried and failed to get my brother to open a retirement account a decade ago when he started working. I think he just now opened one. I did manage to get him to open 529s for his kids by being relentlessly annoying and mentioning that I’d love to make some contributions.
Otherwise I mostly keep my mouth shut about money. I make more than most people I know and any advice I’d give would be out of touch at best.