If/When I do walk away from my current employment what is next? I like to be busy. Golf and I have never gotten along and I know that saying I will go fishing and hunting the rest of my life is unrealistic. Even though I enjoy those things immensely at some point too much of a good thing can go sour.
What will be my next venture?
I have very fond memories of working in the landscaping business. It is physical labor and can be very rewarding. The problem with landscaping is that it will likely be a defined schedule. In my post sales career days I don’t want to be locked down to a specific schedule. For me the purpose of achieving FI is to have the ultimate freedom to do what you want.
I could easily become a full-time landlord. I will have the capital to invest in rentals and I am very handy around a house. I know the tenants will keep me busy and I will get enjoyment out of fixing things. No fixed schedule and rarely would there be an emergency that would keep me tied down for any period of time. The downside is that the return on real estate just doesn’t seem to beat a straight VTSAX investment strategy. It is hard for me to justify putting that much effort into something when the ROI can be beat by putting almost no effort into VTSAX. I still need to do more investigating on this one (another post) but so far a moderate return via VTSAX beats real estate investing in my area.
I have also thought about working part time at Lowes……this is a serious thought. Part time employees get health care benefits, a big plus. Additionally, I would be part time. If the schedule just isn’t working for me I can ask them to alter it or……quit…… the beauty of FU money. Mrs. RO thinks this is crazy as she claims I couldn’t handle retail and all of the BS that comes along with it. She is probably right but it still intrigues me.