I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting older and I’m talking to more folks nearing or in retirement…
or that more people are retiring because of the FIRE movement…
But it’s starting to feel like society’s view of retirement as your career’s “finish line” is, and probably has always been, inaccurate.
Retirement is Nothing Like I Thought It Would Be [Physician on FIRE] – “But it’s also true that once you pull the trigger on retirement, there are some things you only come to know from experience. And while you can imagine what things will be like on the other side of your last day at your 9-5, reality may not match your expectations.”
Why You Should Never Retire [Can I Retire Yet?] – “I like the idea of Financial Independence (FI) but I can’t get my head around Retiring Early (RE). I’m 70+ and have been working full time or going to school or both since I was 16. I guess I missed out on the retire early movement. My identity is tied to my profession and I’m not sure what I would do if I did retire–Probably die in a few months. I don’t just put in a nominal 40 hours a week into work, but am involved in all sorts of professional activities and easily put in 60 hours per week. And I plan to do it until I no longer can. Why not?”
What Is the Cost of a Cashless Society? [The Walrus] – “… the digitization of the economy could likely make it difficult to pay for food, basic goods, and transit. In our rush to abandon cash under the guise of technological progress, are we leaving behind the people who rely on it most?” Food for thought.
And for our final story, one about actual food.
A Brief History of Peanut Butter [Smithsonian Magazine] – “But while peanut butter’s popularity abroad is growing—in 2020, peanut butter sales in the United Kingdom overtook sales of the Brits’ beloved jam—enjoying the spread is still largely an American quirk. “People say to me all the time, ‘When did you know that you had fully become an American?’” Ana Navarro, a Nicaraguan-born political commentator, told NPR in 2017. “And I say, ‘The day I realized I loved peanut butter.’””
Enjoy the weekend!