| In the last two pandemicky years, many people realized there was little point to a job that, minus the necessary city rent, corporate attire, commuting cost and sad desk sandwich, only got you to the break-even point. What was it all for?
Vicki Robin anticipated this problem — and proposed an alternative — 30 years ago this fall, in a book that became a huge, influential bestseller and more recently a totem to a new movement. "Your Money or Your Life," which Robin and her late partner, Joe Dominguez, published in 1992, argued for a different strategy: save up, then quit and live a simple lifestyle off the interest, thus reclaiming your years on earth. Today, the book is still selling, both to workers who got a wake-up call from the coronavirus pandemic and to those in the so-called FIRE movement (Financial Independence, Retire Early), who have embraced it as a bible of sorts.
On a visit to Robin's home on an island in Washington state, Helaine Olen found this prophet of the simpler life very much living out her own advice, surrounded by her flower garden and deeply enmeshed in her community. But as Robin gently made clear, though she is gratified by her book's legacy, she worries some of her message has been lost: the part that is not just about frugal self-interest, but about mutual support, and, as she said, dignity.  (David Ryder for The Washington Post) A book about choosing sustainable living over work is more relevant than ever, but its coauthor says a key part of her message has been lost in translation. By Helaine Olen ● Read more » |    | | | |
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