“Our portfolio is down and prices are up. This has caused some anxiety in our household, and I’ve considered going back to work (even just part time.) I think more income will help with cash flow and reduce worry… but I’m concerned that I will feel like I failed at early retirement. What do you think about this?”
I don’t know the best way to work through this decision and associated emotions, but a technique that I have used successfully in the past is to find others who have been through something similar and see if I can learn from their decisions and example.
Prior to this time a year ago, I had never purchased lumber in my life.
But then I walked into one of those big box home improvement stores to purchase some outdoor furniture for the deck and the pool, and I was blown away by how poorly all of that stuff was made. And they wanted thousands of dollars for this junk… stuff that was probably going to break in just a season or two.
So… I set out to make my own. “How hard could it be?”
Using fewer fossil fuels is a goal that is increasingly popular. And it certainly helps if it is a financial benefit as well.
We have mostly weaned ourselves off of oil for transportation – We have an EV that is fueled largely from hydroelectric and other renewable sources. Our electric cargo bike has reduced car mileage even further.
Next up is optimization of our home. We now have some shiny new solar panels on our roof.