Retirement · Book
Future Me Is a Stranger
Jesse · Retirement
Long-horizon planning when your brain discounts the future — systems that run without daily attention, and a flexible plan for episodic income and health.
Chapters
Future Me Is a Stranger
Hyperbolic discounting makes the future self feel unreal, so long-horizon saving is uniquely hard with ADHD. Jesse names it, then lets the system carry it.
Make the Stranger a Friend
Jesse won't always feel like saving for later, so the answer is pre-commitment: decide once, automate it, and stop relying on the mood.
A Plan With No Homework
The best retirement plan for an inconsistent brain needs nothing most days. Jesse sets automatic long-term contributions into the RDSP and TFSA, with no monitoring.
Good Years, Lean Years
For variable freelance pay, Jesse sets a contribution floor that always fires, then adds top-ups only when the good months come.
When the Brain Has Lean Years Too
Episodic health can hit earning and capacity at once. Jesse builds a deeper buffer and a low-capacity default so the plan holds during the worst stretches.
Hands Off the Long Money
Jesse puts real friction between themselves and the long-term accounts, using the RDSP 10-year holdback as built-in protection so a bad day can't undo years.
The Money Comes Back Out
Decumulation should be as automatic as saving. Jesse designs a low-touch drawdown of RDSP payments, CPP, and OAS that a future self with less bandwidth can run.
A Plan That Bends
Jesse stress-tests the whole plan against a bad year for both income and health, confirming it still stands and holds on autopilot.
Still Running
The lifelong system runs itself. A money life built on systems, not willpower, keeps running long after the motivation does, and that's the relief.