![](\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEjP5BhI9JCqeSO1is393qm9cIapYHroMvzX0Rc-ZtVSMqUb8AQjrcTsxCD_2pInIJ6-LAZRkMSJIgf33CapQBRwbjyV2AThE7Kl0ipgwQ55vD_T81hr-L5l6fdEAFBSRM3TtVcxjCK7ApGBlyhsTQ3XPDYdirv3IFWTvSY4X9BFCdl7kjE4FuPyAumDSA5I\/w640-h581\/rb35.png\")
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\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
There was a response to my comment that \u201che went back to
\nwork in the end\u201d, as if to point out something went wrong with his early
\nretirement plans. <\/p>\n
In reality, RB35 went back to \u201cwork\u201d for 2 more years because
\nhe couldn\u2019t travel freely due to Covid, which was how he spent 2018-2019. Not
\nbecause of monetary issues. RB35 retired at 33, went back to \u201cwork\u201d for 2 years
\nat 35\/36, and has now retired again at 37\/38. Which is still way<\/i> earlier
\nthan most folks and I\u2019d say that\u2019s still pretty amazing.<\/p>\n
Pro-work folks like to jump up and yell \u201ccheckmate\u201d whenever
\nFIRE folks face the slightest of setbacks. What\u2019s the obsession with what other
\npeople choose to do with their lives? Do you spend your entire life hoping that
\nsome early retiree will screw up their retirement plans, so that you can jump
\nin and say \u201cI told you so\u201d? <\/p>\n
If people get to retire early, I genuinely feel happy for
\nthem. I think it is fantastic to be work-optional. People who reached financial
\nindependence are generally happier. And having more happy people is good. There\u2019s
\nzero envy from me. It really doesn\u2019t matter to me how<\/i> they came to that
\nwealth. <\/p>\n
Whether you retired early because you won the lottery,
\nreceived an inheritance, built and sold a business, made 100x your money in
\ncrypto\u2026 or for the rest of us in the 99%, through working and investing
\naggressively, it doesn\u2019t matter to me. As long as we reach financial
\nindependence, I don\u2019t think there\u2019s a difference how<\/i> we got there. What
\nmatters would be, at that level of wealth, how do we plan for a sustainable
\nretirement?<\/p>\n
Criticism of dividend stocks<\/u><\/p>\n
Another warped perspective that I\u2019ve seen is someone questioning
\nwhy Singaporeans prefer dividend stocks, rental income, or generally any cashflow
\nbased instrument, rather than investing for \u201cgrowth\u201d. I am not sure what\u2019s the
\nissue here. What I can say is, I\u2019m certain that someone like AK71 with SGD 200k+
\nof dividends annually, would definitely not <\/i>be complaining.<\/p>\n
I am more than happy to continue to perpetuate this
\npreference for dividend stocks on this blog. The irony is that from a dividend
\ninvestor\u2019s perspective, it would be fantastic <\/i>if these naysayers choose
\nto shun dividend stocks, if there\u2019s less demand for dividend stocks, we get
\nhigher yields on our investments \u2013 please don\u2019t<\/i> buy dividend stocks, so
\nthat I can get them at cheaper prices!<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIf I were to summarise the above 3 points into a sentence,
\ntying together my views regarding work, retirement and investing for dividends,
\nit\u2019d just simply be: <\/p>\n
I\u2019d rather be unemployed with 5k\/month of passive
\nincome, than be employed and earning a 5k\/month salary.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
The former is (almost) permanent, the latter is not. I don\u2019t
\nthink it gets simpler than that.<\/p>\n
\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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