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Comment by kdamken | Hacker News Reader

I don't think you know what retired actual means here. It doesn't mean never working again, it more refers to being financially independent.

If he wanted to stop all those projects and never do anything again, he could. But that would probably be boring, so he pursues things that interest him, some of which net him income.

He's gone over his family's spending before, if you want to read more - http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2015/01/16/exposed-the-mmm-fa...

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Yes. Also, I would add that MMM and his wife certainly did retire -- in the sense of quitting their conventional jobs and intending to live off the income, having no need to work. It just happened that in retirement they found themselves wanting to do some things, and those things have produced an income of their own. I'm pretty sure, the moment MMM isn't having fun with what he's currently doing, he'll stop and do something else, which choice will not be driven by how much income it produces. How is that not retirement? (The idea that in retirement you sit around all day and do essentially nothing is, I suppose, true for some people, but surely not a healthy or happy way of living your life.)

Beautiful. Since we get to make up our own definition of what retired means, I guess I am also retired.

re·tired rəˈtī(ə)rd/Submit adjective 1. having left one's job and ceased to work.

You can substitute "financially independent" if it makes you feel better. Many people continue doing things that generate income even though they don't need the money. It's worth noting the difference between someone working because it's what they enjoy doing vs. someone who is compelled to work by financial necessity.

if they have enough money that they don't actually need to work and yet do work that generates income why don't they take that income and fully donate it to charity? if MMM doesn't do that, it means he needs that income - not different from just having a job

That's a ridiculous standard. How much money do you make? Do you live on the bare minimum necessary for survival and donate the rest? If you do, then kudos. If you're like most other people, you probably indulge in a luxury once in a while that you wouldn't otherwise buy if you couldn't afford it. That's not unreasonable. If your income unexpectedly declined, I'm sure there's a number of expenses that aren't strictly necessary and could be given up without too much worry.

FWIW, MMM did blog about giving away $100,000 of his blog windfall last year (https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2016/10/26/notes-on-giving-a...) and plans to give away more.

that's not really the point. I have expenses that aren't strictly necessary that I could give up - but those are things I like. So, the question is, why should you claim to be retired and then work part time to afford extra things you like, vs just have a job and afford those things.

Well rather than attempting sarcasm, why don't you tell us what you think retired means? Presumably you're banned from ever doing any task that might even possibly net you any money?

if you are doing tasks that net you money, you are working, you are not retired. Right?

definition of retired:

Dictionary

retired re·tired rəˈtī(ə)rd/Submit adjective 1. having left one's job and ceased to work. "a retired teacher" synonyms: former, ex-, past, in retirement, superannuated More 2. archaic (of a place) quiet and secluded; not seen or frequented by many people. "this retired corner of the world"

If you play poker for fun and win some money while you're at it, are you working?

What about slots?

What about buying antiques, and you wind up with something worth a bunch of money?

I think calling it work requires the intent of earning money. And I agree that MMM is no longer retired.

Look, claiming you are retired while regularly doing 3 jobs for money is disingenuous in my opinion.

BINGO! And he bends the truth with his budget, go look at http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2017/05/19/2016-spending/

Claims they live off of 'About $22,000' after saying that his 30k$ home addition does not count in his budget because it's not a necessary expense... "Finish materials for my house and the homes of some friends/family. Does not include the $30k detached Studio I built."

That's extremely deceptive.

I think a better term for what he preaches is financial independence.

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