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Comment by ryandrake | Hacker News Reader

Not to mention, even if you can save this much, put it in your 401(k), not a vacation savings account. The financial impact of taking a whole year without pay in your 20s probably adds 5 years to your retirement date, due to compounding interest and investment growth. Is it really worth it, just so you can fill your Insta with pictures of you windsurfing in Ibiza?

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Counter-point: Enjoy your youth while you're young.

There's a balance to find between saving for retirement and not spending your entire adulthood just working towards it.

You may not be able to windsurf anywhere in your 50s...

If you're writing so much software you hang out on HackerNews for fun, and you're not saving enough to max out your 401k AND have savings left over for 6 months off, you're doing your finances wrong (and/or you can get a 4x pay bump in a new job)

Oh I hang out on Hacker News for fun but it comes at the expense of not "writing so much software" ;)

Most people here, even most software engineers, don’t make the sky high salaries that “very high-level FAANG engineers who also live in the Bay Area” make. Many have families, kids, education expenses, parents they support, expensive health issues, etc. It’s a huge assumption to think that everyone on HN can max out a 401(k) at all, let alone have any left over to save and blow on extended unpaid vacations.

EDIT: Obviously (from the voting) I hit a raw nerve with that original comment. Who knew “save for retirement” was such controversial advice. I personally plan to ensure I do not have to eat dog food when I’m 80 because I partied in my 20s but I guess to each their own. Given the average American’s retirement savings rate, my plan is clearly unpopular!

So you're saying that you're single-handedly pulling in between 2x and 5x the median household US income, yet can't set aside $20k a year for your 401k?

That means you're either not living on a budget at all, or you're doing something ridiculous like paying out of pocket for prescription medication without using the ACA.

Why wait until one is old to have fun? Why assume one will even live to enjoy retirement? Can one even pick up windsurfing at a typical retirement age?

I took off 3 years in my 20’s. 34 now, and back on track to retire in my early 40’s. Saving for retirement and enjoying life today are not mutually exclusive.

This sums up my (admittedly naive) view towards retirement. Why would I sacrifice so much of my youth for a future so far down the road that I will 1) most definitely be in worse shape for, and 2) may not even reach? I think the wringer of grad school is enough of an investment in my future.

"Is it really worth it, just so you can fill your Insta with pictures of you windsurfing in Ibiza?"

Do you really think all these folks want to do is fill their Instagram with pictures of windsurfing in Ibiza?

That misses the entire point of travel. It isn't to show off on instagram (although that can be a fun component, it isn't the driver for 99% of people); it isn't to tell other people you did it.

It is to have this amazing experience with a foreign culture and place. And that is very hard to value.

Yes, planning for retirement is important. But you may also be dead before you get there. It takes balance.

It depends on the person. I think I'd rather go windsurfing in my 20s then try to do it in my 60s when my health is not as good. I probably won't remember posting it on Instagram, but I will remember going wind surfing.

I agree. I had two weeks off between grad school and my current job. I’ve been maxing out my 401k for 25 years and have zero debt (mortgage paid off 2 years ago). Could actually retire now at 49.

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