The greatest investor, by any account, is Warren Buffet and if you follow investing you know that he didn’t do anything special except buy good companies like Coca Cola or Microsoft, held them for a REALLY LONG TIME and continued to reinvest. He also lived a life of frugality and reason. Not the flashy yachts or the cars, just a simple life. Comfortable, gracious and non pretentious because he was of the belief that all of those things were just noise and wanton human behavior.
Unbridled consumption is the most disgraceful of human behavior. Behavior like gluttony, waste and consumption to no end is just part of the the American social mentality. There is no end to the madness of vendors peddling their stuff. I am a product of that. I have 4 cats but I realized they are content to play with toilet paper or get in the paper bags we get from the stores rather than the silly toys that humans think animals like. Animals don’t care. Humans’ care and the vendors that prey on that behavior because they realize how dumb people can be.
This sounds very harsh because it is. I am on the precipice of my retirement arc. I’m about to do it but for the past year I have been researching and researching and analyzing the metrics of doing so. It’s not just turning on a switch, at least for me. Retirement at 55 before 62 is a plan that you have to setup. There are things to consider like the debt you have and when you can pay it off. Considerations like taxes, health care, long term care. A myriad of steps before making the jump.
But all of these things could not have been a reality for me unless you have F-You Money. We all should know what that is. It’s the money in your till that if something goes south, you can just say “F you” to the world. What a feeling!
I realized last month that I had F-You Money because there was a point in my work that I just was not going to deal with the Bull shit any more. Charlie Munger said the following (found it on IG at @thebusinesshacks):
“The Point of getting rich is so you don’t have to work with people you don’t like or get along with people you don’t want to!” – Charles Munger (Berkshire Hathaway)
So true. This realization came for me when I was working on my last project for a large financial company doing a conversion of their system to a new one. The incessant arguing, the stupidity of the paperwork to say that they were doing something when all it was to justify their existence, looking for reasons to point the finger at someone else to say they were the reason why we failed. This is the reason it’s important to have that powder ready to go.
What F-You Money Really Means
- Freedom of choice: You can walk away from a toxic job, a bad client, or even a city you no longer enjoy living in.
- Negotiating power: When you don’t need the paycheck, you can be more selective, demand better terms, or simply decline what doesn’t serve you.
- Peace of mind: Stress melts away when you know that losing a gig, a boss, or even a career doesn’t mean losing your security.
In short, F-you money buys agency. You stop playing life on someone else’s terms.
The Power of Saying “Enough”
The other side of the coin is realizing when you have enough. Without this, even millions won’t feel like freedom — you’ll always be chasing the next benchmark, comparing yourself to someone richer, or living in fear of loss.
- Contentment: Enough isn’t about resignation; it’s about gratitude. It’s knowing your lifestyle, values, and relationships matter more than squeezing out another dollar.
- Time reclaimed: Once you declare “enough,” you stop trading all your hours for money and start spending them on what matters — family, health, hobbies, or simply peace.
- Resilience: Enough makes you harder to manipulate. If you don’t need the upgrade, the bonus, or the approval, you can’t be bought or bullied.
🔹 The Sweet Spot
The combination of F-you money and “enough” is where real wealth lies. Money without “enough” is just another treadmill. “Enough” without F-you money can still leave you trapped. Together, they form a shield — one built of financial security and inner clarity.
I could say a thing or two about the corporate culture. Productivity is hard to measure. A builder or a carpenter has an outcome. You see it! A house, a fixed boiler or an electrical device that works now. Operations in a Financial company? Not so. This is a territory ripe for AI to take over. Can’t wait.
So how many people have that F-You money ready? Have you or Did you prepare? Well, I have been preparing for a while now. I don’t have a job and I like it! I’m out here enjoying time in Thailand at the encouragement of my wife who wants nothing but the best for our family. She knows how important it is for us because time is money and money should be spent on experiences. Experiences bring tranquility and memories that you can share with your family. Money is nice but look how all the wealth that has been handed down through wealthy families has helped them? I see a lot of division and disfunction then anything.
When I discovered that I had no consistent cash flow meaning a job that pays me for my time, I discovered something else that happened along the way. My wealth was increasing not decreasing. The time I spent to acquire rental properties, investments that compounded all contributed to the moment I told the client I was working for – “FYOU! I’m done!”
With F-you money, you hold the power. Suddenly, you’re not working because you have to, you’re working because you want to. That shift changes everything: how you negotiate, how you spend your time, and even how you see yourself.
But here’s the catch: F-you money alone isn’t enough. Without the mindset of enough, it’s just another treadmill. There will always be someone richer, flashier, “ahead” of you. If you’re stuck in the comparison game, no number in your bank account will ever feel satisfying.
That’s why learning to say enough is just as powerful. Enough is the moment you realize you don’t need the bigger house, the fancier car, or the corner office. Enough is waking up and feeling grateful instead of anxious. Enough means you can stop chasing and start living.
When you combine the two, you unlock real wealth:
- F-you money gives you the freedom to walk away.
- Enough gives you the peace to know you don’t need to walk anywhere else.
That’s the sweet spot — financial independence not just on paper, but in your heart and mind.
I hope that you can find your path as I did. It takes time but if you are younger and reading this (this is a love letter to my kids) then you can start now and start practicing it. If you are older, it’s not too late. Keep investing, keep pressing but but find the thing that makes you happy. You don’t need millions to be happy. You just need enough that defines your happiness.
Check me out at https://www.youtube.com/@vincentplansfreedom where I talk about retirement and setting things up with an important tool that use to help me forecast.