EP 25: Erich Purpur: What is the "Good Life?"

Description

Today on episode 25 let’s give a hot stew welcome to climber and all-around curious guy, Erich Purpur. Erich works in the university system in Virginia, finding time in the margins to climb up to V10 and 5.13c. Recently, Erich is beginning to envision a potential life of financial independence.

But achieving financial independence may only be the beginning of the next journey.

Erich originally caught my attention because of his insightful line of questioning. He had a few investing questions to be sure, but what captivated me was his deeper questions about “why.”

Why do we bother to save this much money?

How do we come to common ground on money mindsets between our families, friends, and romantic partners?

Why do men and women feel differently on the concept of early retirement?

After all, most of us now know that simply building wealth is far from a sure path to contentment. While I wouldn’t consider this a reader case study per se, a conversation with Erich felt like a representative sample of many of the broader themes of this lifestyle choice.

And on that note, this certainly was a conversation. While I’m accustomed to sitting back and asking all the questions, Erich turned this one around on me. In the end, this felt like a fun fireside chat. I really enjoyed the informal nature of this one.

Topics Discussed with Erich Purpur

Motivations for the pursuit of financial independence
Shifting a natural tendency towards saving to a plan of investing
Addressing different money mindsets in romantic relationships
The beauty of “paying yourself first”
Early retirement mindset differences between men and women
The dilemma between early retirement and part-time, or passion-based work
The incredible value of being a simple person
How to live our best life without full financial independence (it’s a spectrum!)
The FIRE movement as SCANDALOUS!

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