I’ve realized over time that I hate work. I love my job and company, but I hate work.
Societally, I want better worker rights, unionization, paid sick, maternity, paternity leave, etc. because that’s a fundamental level of human decency we should all be entitled to.
However, my hate for work has also led to a very individual aspiration: the best way for me not to work is to be financially independent through safe investments to be self sufficient and not have to depend on employers for income.
I therefore invest 70-80% of my paychecks (I work a high earning job, 6 figures that gives me the luxury to be able to do this and still have fun and pay for essential expenses, of which I’m incredibly fortunate) with the hope that I can retire early and do what I want with my life.
However, I’ve realized that to do so requires my investments to increase in value over time. I invest almost entirely in the S&P500, meaning I’m investing in the 500 biggest and most successful (and thus most exploitative) companies in the US.
How do you all grapple with this conundrum? When my balance goes up because those companies do well, I’m excited at first – yay, more money and faster retirement! On the other, I realize that the reason they’re doing so well is because they maximize profit for shareholders – of which I am one – and by default screw over the workers that work for them.
I’m curious how others who invest but follow this movement think about this: you probably want to invest for a healthy retirement but doing so requires fueling the system and essentially, hoping corporate greed continues.