Retire at 32

I have a coworker who once told me that he would like to retire at 32. He is now 25. He must’ve it all figured out because he said he needed at least $2 million to live off on interest income every year until who knows when. I suppose that meant he only considered his current lifestyle. I didn’t really ask how he’d manage to achieve that because he has this tendency to just buy airplane tickets on GrabASeat when he sees them on sale. I know cheap tickets save us money but if we travel many times a year because of cheap tickets, it’s just like splurging on a big trip in the summer.

He seems to know something about investing but, again, I don’t know and don’t ask if he invests. Sometimes I just make conclusions based on his spending. Since I started working at my job, I’ve known that he wants to purchase a Mini car. At one point he came close to buying a vintage one had it not been for its corroding chassis. It was around NZ$6,000 and it was in Auckland. He was willing to fly to Auckland and drive the car all the way back to Wellington. He said that he could sell the car for much more when he returns to the US. He is American by the way. I didn’t know that Minis could really sell for more in the US of A.

One time at lunch he saw me munching on a sandwich that I bought for $5 and he said that it was expensive. It was a big sandwich and I was in my first trimester back then. I would not even think of buying a tiny sandwich to get me through lunch. Yet when we walk into a coffee shop for a team meeting, he buys coffees for $4 or even more should he decide to get a scone with it. I try to believe that he means well when he says it’s expensive to eat here or there, but I wonder if he knows that he has the lowest salary in our team. I don’t mean to make him sound inferior but when he gives that that-place-is-expensive advice, obviously he’s tried it but he’s got this look to warn you as though you could not afford it instead of preventing you from spending more than you should.

I don’t know how to describe his personality about finances. It seems like he’s financially bipolar. :-P