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Re:America vs. Singapore: You Can't Save Your Way Out of Eco... by bjourne on Thursday February 19, 2026 @12:50PM (#47076696)
Statistics! Can a person below the median income afford to retire early? The answer is a resounding no. Can a person the top 10th percentile (upper middle class) afford to retire early? Yes.
Re:America vs. Singapore: You Can't Save Your Way Out of Eco... by raw_anon_1111 on Thursday February 19, 2026 @12:56PM (#47076772)
https://dqydj.com/household-income-percentile-calculator/

So the top 10% is a household income of $250K and most of those couples didn’t reach that until their 40s. They aren’t making $225K as an L5 at 25 years old like a former intern/new grad I mentored when I was at BigTech

Most software developers won’t even see above $160K inflation adjusted during their career. Most work in second tier cities in the “enterprise”z.

Re:America vs. Singapore: You Can't Save Your Way Out of Eco... by mathgladiator on Thursday February 19, 2026 @08:28PM (#47082500)
This guy did it: https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/ on like $65K IIRC

The problem is, at core, fear. Fear of taking responsibility for your life.

Re:America vs. Singapore: You Can't Save Your Way Out of Eco... by raw_anon_1111 on Thursday February 19, 2026 @08:35PM (#47082563)
So exactly how do you “take care” of your insurance if the ACA goes kaput? “Thoughts and Prayers” until you are 65?
Re:America vs. Singapore: You Can't Save Your Way Out of Eco... by mathgladiator on Thursday February 19, 2026 @08:47PM (#47082645)
I pay cash for everything right now since ACA plans are terrible... BUT, I am also one of those nut jobs that only eats meat and it is amazing. But, most people can't even begin to imagine giving up carbs as they are junkies.
Re:America vs. Singapore: You Can't Save Your Way Out of Eco... by raw_anon_1111 on Thursday February 19, 2026 @10:06PM (#47083158)
Are you willing to bet that nothing catastrophic will happen to your health before you are 65?
Re:America vs. Singapore: You Can't Save Your Way Out of Eco... by mathgladiator on Thursday February 19, 2026 @10:13PM (#47083206)
Yes. I will not let fear rule my life.
Re:America vs. Singapore: You Can't Save Your Way Out of Eco... by raw_anon_1111 on Thursday February 19, 2026 @10:29PM (#47083307)
That’s monumentally not a good idea

https://www.cdc.gov/chronic-disease/about/index.html

90% of adults will have a chronic condition by the time they are 65.

https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/most-commo...

Re:America vs. Singapore: You Can't Save Your Way Out of Eco... by mathgladiator on Friday February 20, 2026 @08:40AM (#47087910)
That data alone invalidates any idea of insurance being sustainable, it's a sinking ship.

I, on the other hand, only eat beef, butter, bacon, and eggs and everything is getting better. BUT, I may be in a cult, but this cult has benefits.

Re:America vs. Singapore: You Can't Save Your Way Out of Eco... by raw_anon_1111 on Friday February 20, 2026 @11:53AM (#47090481)
No insurance is viable because the risk pool includes people of all ages.
Re:America vs. Singapore: You Can't Save Your Way Out of Eco... by mathgladiator on Friday February 20, 2026 @04:16PM (#47094084)
No, insurance is not viable until we fix metabolic health in the masses.

Again, I'm a nut job that has a HbA1C of 4.7 because I only eat beef, butter, bacon, and eggs.

Re:America vs. Singapore: You Can't Save Your Way Out of Eco... by eru on Tuesday February 24, 2026 @05:36AM (#47135387)
Why even use pools? Ask your actuary about risks.
Re:America vs. Singapore: You Can't Save Your Way Out of Eco... by heathrow83829 on Thursday February 19, 2026 @06:11PM (#47081077)
there are still tribes in the amazon that have very little money, like the hazda. they may not call it retirement but they don't need to go to the office everyday.

Serious question, what makes us so addicted and dependent to money that we can't imagine any way of life without a lot of it?

Re:America vs. Singapore: You Can't Save Your Way Out of Eco... by mathgladiator on Thursday February 19, 2026 @08:27PM (#47082485)
People play dumb status games.

Here is the crazy thing, I went carnivore after I retired because one thread that worried me about shitty insurance is the risk. Now, I'm pretty sure if I only eat meat and work-out, then I might not even need insurance. Like, my labs are phenomenal.

By taking away the fear and the addiction, I've got a level of calm and control of my life that makes me realize the "modern world" is deeply sick.

Re:America vs. Singapore: You Can't Save Your Way Out of Eco... by raw_anon_1111 on Thursday February 19, 2026 @08:36PM (#47082575)
So you think healthy living will prevent you from needing medical care until you are 65?
Re:America vs. Singapore: You Can't Save Your Way Out of Eco... by mathgladiator on Thursday February 19, 2026 @08:49PM (#47082661)
For the chronic stuff, yes.

For acute accidents, who knows!

With carnivore: I'm off almost all meds, my mobility and flexibility are amazing these days (I am sitting on the floor right now with crossed legs).

Re:America vs. Singapore: You Can't Save Your Way Out of Eco... by raw_anon_1111 on Thursday February 19, 2026 @10:29PM (#47083314)
That’s not how life works…
Re:America vs. Singapore: You Can't Save Your Way Out of Eco... by com2kid on Friday February 20, 2026 @12:35AM (#47084191)
Dude, cancer is an RNG roll away for anyone.

Doesn't matter how well you take care of yourself if a random cell decides to divide in just the wrong way.

Re:America vs. Singapore: You Can't Save Your Way Out of Eco... by mathgladiator on Friday February 20, 2026 @08:41AM (#47087924)
Cancer happens all the time and your immune system deals with it. Look into the recent evidence of how keto deals with cancer. I'm telling you, I live in a world without fear and it is awesome.
Re:America vs. Singapore: You Can't Save Your Way Out of Eco... by raw_anon_1111 on Friday February 20, 2026 @11:54AM (#47090500)
Are you willing going to “happy thoughts” your way into never having a serious illness?
Re:America vs. Singapore: You Can't Save Your Way Out of Eco... by mathgladiator on Friday February 20, 2026 @04:17PM (#47094092)
Yes, 100%, all the way, full send.

edit: to add clarity, I'm going to leverage full placebo and happiness to my advantage: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12883117/

I'm refute any negative emotions as they are counter-productive. I reject fear of the unknown, and I instead believe happy thoughts.

Re:America vs. Singapore: You Can't Save Your Way Out of Eco... by com2kid on Friday February 20, 2026 @02:22PM (#47092622)
I'm well aware of keto and cancer. I spent 5 years in ketosis, I trained semi professionally as an athlete (4 hours a day at a professional MMA gym), I spent years helping people get into keto and lose tons of weight and improve their health.

Keto helps with some cancers that are powered by glucose.

It does nothing to help with any other forms of cancer, of which there are plenty.

Re:America vs. Singapore: You Can't Save Your Way Out of Eco... by raw_anon_1111 on Thursday February 19, 2026 @08:35PM (#47082567)
And what’s their life expectancy?
Re:America vs. Singapore: You Can't Save Your Way Out of Eco... by Otterly99 on Friday February 20, 2026 @06:46AM (#47086809)
Hate to be that guy, but the Hazda live in Tanzania.
Re:America vs. Singapore: You Can't Save Your Way Out of Eco... by triceratops on Friday February 20, 2026 @10:37AM (#47089347)
The Hazda live in Tanzania, not the Amazon. And they grow up learning to live the way they do. They'd be as lost in our world as we'd be in theirs.