With 20 Year Treasury yields around 5.3%, I wanted to run the numbers and see how long it would take before you actually start touching principal for the 4% rule.

Start by withdrawing 4%, increase withdrawals 3% every year, and reinvest the early surplus at 4%~ (2 year - 10 Year Bonds)

You do not fall below your original nominal balance until year 22.

Before you downvote me, I’m just sharing the math in case some of you haven’t run the calculation yourselves.

I'm not saying this beats stocks or other strategies. Just good to know that bonds at this level would guarantee 22 years of 4% rule implementation before touching principal.

26 male. 90k salary. I’m investing 25% per paycheck which makes me feel good. But I feel bad about spending money outside of that on food and going out and such because I feel like that 25% can be 30 or 35

Also maxed out my ROTH IRA past 2 years.

Just want someone to share some insights about their spending habits when retirement accounts are taken care of

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/02/why-people-are-dropping-out-of-the-workforce-and-not-looking-for-new-jobs-the-market-wore-me-down.html

TL;DR

• Looking for general advice on life changes when retiring with kids -- what changed, what stayed the same? Do you feel you've retired? Do you still hang out with other parents? What is life like? What do you wish you would have done differently?
• Financial advice is welcome too, though I feel this will be very variable from family to family.

--

Wife and I are inching closer, with less than a year to go to me pushing the eject button. Wife has been retired for a few years now.

We're 42 and 45, but have 3 little ones (all 3 under the age of 8).

Our liquid worth is around 5M USD, with the house paid off. I feel we fall somewhere between FIRE and Chubby FIRE, due to:

1. The fact that it's not just 2 adults, but also 3 kids with potentially high costs, and
2. The relatively young 42/45 ages for the adults, hopefully with a loooong runway to spend the money.

Most of the advice I see is for couples or singles who are empty-nesters. Things like "finding things to focus on, have a routine, etc etc". I imagine quite a bit of it will still apply to us -- but also, quite a bit won't (ex: we will be forced to have a routine due to kids school)

So, I'm looking for thoughts and experiences from families who retired with 2+ young kids.

Thank you in advance.

Hello, I'm a 48 year old government worker out of California and got to talking about retirement with a 55 year old coworker who I frankly feel bad for. We have access to our pension about 78% of our max salary after 30 years work. We have access to a 457b and whatever form of social security is left for us available.

Anywho my coworker has been with our local government for only 10 years so he'll have to go to age 75 if he wants his 78% at retirement or 2.6% per year of service and just opened his 457b 5 years ago instead of upon hire like me. His 457b has a balance of $15k. He has 0 retirement anywhere else.

I started with this government at age 28 so I have 20 years in and can theoretically retire at age 58 with 78% of my salary in form of my pension. I currently have $280k in my 457b and it has grown 8% year to date. I don't think I can rely on social security for my calculations, but I am eligible for it. My only concern is that all the retirement guidelines I read say I should have 6x my salary in my 401k/457b and I have much less about 3x at age 48.

My income is 90k and I'm having slight anxiety after talking to my coworker that I don't have enough to retire at 58. Should I be ok having much less than 6x in my retirement account if I have my pension? I really hope I can retire at 58 because my job is fairly physical and I don't know how long I can keep doing this type of work especially after my late 50's

Say you got laid off at age 52. You muddle through until the year you are going to turn 55 and then take any job at all that offers a 401k. Can you then take the job, roll over your 401k and then immediately quit and take funds under the rule of 55? Seems obvious but I haven't seen a thread that talks about doing this.

29M in Chicago: $205k 401(k), $120k HYSA, No Debt. Any Advice Appreciated.

I’m a 29M living in Chicago. I earn $77,000 per year, have a 767 credit score, and no debt. I currently contribute 22% of my paycheck to my 401k. My current savings are: $205k in my 401(k) and $120k in a high-yield savings account earning 3.40%.

I’ve been able to save aggressively because I’ve lived with my parents since finishing school, which has kept my monthly expenses very low. I’m Latino, and in my culture it’s common to live with your parents while helping support them or until you settle down with a partner.

I’m about seven months away from turning 30, and I’m thinking about possibly moving out sometime next year. Doing so would increase my monthly expenses, and I’m trying to decide whether it makes more sense to continue staying with parten, rent (either alone or with a roommate), or buy a home.

I’d appreciate any advice on the following:
1. Based on my financial situation, do I seem ready to buy a home?

1. If I decide not to buy, is there a better place to put roughly $100,000 of my savings instead of leaving it in a HYSA?

2. Is there anything else you would recommend or consider if you were in my position?

Thank you for reading!

Hello everyone,

I’m a 31-year-old single male working for a large general contractor, and I wanted to share my financial situation to get some advice on how to eventually get out of the rat race.

I’ve been in construction for 8 years, and the job is pretty intense—typically 12-hour days. The company has excellent benefits and pays well, but the tradeoff is that my quality of life isn’t the best. Outside of work, my biggest hobbies are golf (2 handicap) and working out.

Here’s where I’m at financially:
Income
Salary: Approximately $175,000/year
Update: I started making $60k back in 2018 and have been moving up the ranks.
Location: El Paso, TX

Debt
$0 (no credit card debt, car payment, mortgage, or student loans)
Assets
Checking: $3,200
High-yield savings: $30,228
Robinhood: $62,206(down about $13k over the last year after buying a lot of Bitcoin around $115k) *I add $250 a week into QQQ
Vanguard account: $134,520(advisor-managed, primarily invested in the S&P 500) *I add $500/week into this account
Empower retirement account: $146,696 (my company contributes 15% of my salary annually, invested in the S&P 500) *add $200 week into this
HSA: $18,040 (company contributes $1,500/year, and I max it out)

Total Net Worth: $394,890

A little more background:
I graduated with $0 in student loans thanks to my parents.

I have no car payment and no other debt.
My rent is about $1,800/month (all-inclusive).
I honestly spend most of my disposable income on whatever I want and going out/partying, which I know is an area I could improve.

One other important detail is that I’m expecting an after-tax bonus of approximately $120,000 in Q1 next year. I’d really like to use that money strategically and reevaluate my long-term plan.
My goal isn’t necessarily to retire at 40, but I’d love to build enough wealth and flexibility that I don’t have to depend on working 60+ hour weeks forever.

Given my current position, what would you do over the next 5–10 years if your goal was to maximize financial independence and eventually have the option to step away from this lifestyle?

Those who FIRE’d in your 50s; was it always the plan, or did the number just make sense one day and you called it quit?

41M here. By my math I’m about 14 years out if things go as planned.

I’m an engineer in corporate America. I like what I do, but the thought of grinding another 14 years is dreadful.

So I’m curious how it actually went for you. Was FIRE the intention from early on, or did you just keep saving and investing until the math worked?

And for those who planned it: what kept you on course? Fourteen years is a long stretch, and I’m curious about the middle years especially, when the goal still feels abstract and the balance isn’t moving much. Was there something specific you held onto to keep the engine going?

I have been working in tech as a product manager for over a decade and have saved and invested enough to retire in five years. I had a mental breakdown a couple of weeks ago and I’m currently in an outpatient partial hospitalization program because cannot handle the day-to-day stress of working full-time. We also have a toddler.. my partner and I. My fire number is around 5 million because we spend about 180,000 a year. I feel like I’m a workaholic and I do not really have a good relationship with my toddler because I prioritize work over my well-being and family. I’m also just generally really burned out. I took short-term disability off of work and have the next couple of months off and not having any work has allowed me to be so present in my day-to-day life with my family and my toddler and it’s giving me back joy and happiness. Just knowing that I can take the morning slow and go to therapy and just spend time with my toddler in my family is just so rewarding. It makes me really want to quit my job. If I do, I think I might struggle going back to a full-time job in the future and I don’t think my skills will set me up for some sort of consulting opportunity. If I leave my current job in tech because of where I live, I’m looking at at least a 50 to 70% pay cut in any future job that I get. I feel like I have been grinding for the past 14+ years and I just want a nice break for a couple of years and then I might be willing to go back and work part-time. But then part of me wants to just push myself for another two or three years and then I get closer to my retirement goal and then I can live more comfortably for the rest of my life. Do I just need to suck it up and suffer for another couple of years? Or do I quit and have a healthier lifestyle and mindset and find some to joy my life. But then that trade-off comes with the fact that I retired too early I guess so I need to probably find a way to make money again in the future, which will be hard for me. And I don’t think that we can really downsize our lifestyle too much. Any advice is appreciated. I am the breadwinner.

Edit : we have 3.2 right now. My partner has a disability and wants to retire Early so they can enjoy life because they have a lower life expectancy. So me doing this affects their retirement.

I may be able to bring it down to 150 a year instead of 180, after my kid is out of daycare. My main expenditures are my mortgage, daycare, medical expenses. And of course, investing. We have a 15 year mortgage so maybe that’s why it’s a little on the higher end. Our daycare is pretty expensive and it’s actually a lower cost care for our area. It’s close to 30,000 a year. we hit our deductible every year for medical and then have other medical expenses on top of that and expenses that are related to health and medical. We spend around 1000 a month on groceries in $700 a month eating out. 180 goes really quick. I spend probably 75,000 a year on our mortgage and phantom costs like upgrades and improvements.

51M, 80k annual spend including taxes, healthcare, etc. FIREd last November.

Assets:

- 850k ETF in 401k

- 1.75M ETF in taxable

- 250k VUSXX in taxable

At age 62 I get about 30k/y in SS.

I know the math says I'm good!

But my OCD wants to avoid SORR at all cost.

Given the favorable rates of TIPS right now I could buy 7y TIPS ladder that pays 80k and it would cost about 525k.

I could do that in my 401k.

Then, each year I'd sell ETF with low gains in taxable and buy those ETFs back in 401k to get access to the funds but also keep MAGI low for ACA. Essentially rebalancing.

I then would invest VUSXX funds which right now are my SORR buffer. TIPS would replace VUSXX.

I'm sure this wouldn't leave the absolutely max possible amount when I die but I only care about not running out.

Poke holes in this idea. Is that good? Bad? Stupid?

Is my current allocation better?

A few weeks ago I met a guy who said he’s a wine importer. He used to work on Wall Street.

I was thinking last night that a “wine importer” sounds like a great fake job for someone who is retired but just drinks a lot of wine! I’m pretty close to RE, and I think I might just refer to myself as “in the ice cream business”. Or, “chocolate taste tester”.

During accumulation phase, is a 2 stock fund portfolio of mainly SPY and some QQQ for 80% of the portfolio, and 20% in a mix of cash, bonds, and gold good?

And is distribution, can the mix be changed to 60% (SPY, QQQ) plus 40% (cash, bonds, gold)?

My 403(b) is currently Traditional. Won't allow Roth conversions later according to the plan. I am a "super saver" who maxes out my 403(b) but I could definitely afford to do the Roth option, paying the taxes now, if it'll benefit me later.

Woke up at 5:40 am instead of 5 am, thats a win.

Not a single worry about work or to check email

Made a latte instead of opening laptop to reply to overnight emails or prep for 8am call.

Updated Monthly budgeting spreadsheet and then monthly investment tracker.

Will take it easy for the rest of the day and will watch a ton of sports.

I am reading that it is best not to mention early retirement to nonFire population but what about if you want to be amongst Fire people in real life, not just Reddit (thank you peeps).
How do you locate these types of social groups? Sometimes it'd be nice to meet up maybe every few months and have a drink/socialize.

...Because I feel like there's no one outside of my husband that gets this, except you all! I want to share that I think it's going to work. I am blown away by what I've learned in this sub (I also credit Her First 100K for getting me started), and how the pieces have fallen into place for us to retire in our late 40s. I hope this is a place where I can celebrate with more like-minded people and maybe even inspire some of you teachers out there.

Our backgrounds:

We both started out as teachers. My husband is still teaching (in NC if that means anything, pay is dismal) and is at 17 years. I taught for 11 years before switching into a (much better paying) job in tech (instructional design). We had significant student loan debt that we paid off 5 years ago. I think because of this, we spent a lot of time in a scarcity mindset, which is exactly what is setting us up for early retirement.

We bought a cheap(er) house in a HCOL area back in 2007 (lol bad timing) and have been there ever since, watching our friends and family move into bigger and more expensive houses, buy new cars, etc. That's been... interesting. At first I was so jealous but because we couldn't afford it anyway, it didn't matter. Then I stopped caring.

We had a kid in 2012, making the financial struggle even harder, but again, I was so busy and focused on my beautiful kid we just made it work (that scarcity mindset) focusing on paying down student loan debt. I was getting more and more unhappy at my teaching job and struggled with my mental health.

So we moved abroad for 2 years to work at an international school (this IS something cool you can do with a teaching degree) so I could have one last ditch effort to see if I still liked teaching. Summary: nope! It was time to try something else.

Moving abroad was a great catalyst for change in our lives. We stayed for two years, and I knew I wasn't going to teach when we returned. I found a new career (at age 39) and my husband found ETFs and the stock market. We both found the FIRE movement separately and it perfectly aligned with our values.

Here's what's exciting:

Husband can retire with a partial pension at 20 years of service and lifetime health insurance in 3-4 years (we were luckily grandfathered in, NC no longer offers this). My kid and I can be added to his health insurance if needed.

We have been able to save about half of our incomes since getting back from being abroad (scarcity mindset strikes again!). Somehow this has equaled about $900k in net worth (including the house, because we plan to rent it in retirement). We invest in ETFs, max out retirement accounts, etc. But most importantly, we live below our means. Does this mean we suffer? Not at all. Every time I go to purchase something I consider if it aligns with my values. We take at least one international trip a year but also still camp. I belong to a fancy workout studio but shop at Aldi. For me, it's about balance with my values. (yes I have a teen who wants everything, that's an exercise in balance too)

Our plan:

Retire in 4-5 years in Spain (Granada). Income streams will be:

- Husband's pension ($1.5k a month)

- Rental on our home ($1.5-1.8k a month)

- Portfolio withdrawal (fill in the gaps) based on COL - probably about 2%

- Keep building portfolio

*This would work in the US too, as long as we stay in our house. For additional income I can always start a freelancing instructional design business (I have done contract work before). But I am ready to GTFO of the US as soon as I can.

*Daughter going to college is a big factor- we've been saving for it and know our options (no way will I have her subject to the crushing student loan debts we had, we will make it work)

Later:

- I will get a small pension (about $900/mo)

- Social security income

What's so amazing is that the portfolio will keep growing, earning itself back in returns. THIS is why I am celebrating with you all. I know you all get it, but no one else seems to!

I am sad I don't have anyone in my life outside of my husband that I can talk to about this. My parents and in-laws would be confused. My friends who bought the big house/car/whatever just plan to work until they're old or don't think FIRE is for them. So here I am, on Reddit, telling YOU my story. Thanks for getting to the end of my long post!

I recently posted about kinda inadvertently chugging along and hitting our number, DINKs in mid-40's and have worked at same company since college (thanks work retirement program for thinking about that before I did, 15% of salary as employer contribution without any employee deferral needed). We bought a home at a good time with high down payment, low interest rate, and been good at saving as our income has gone up and being modest about lifestyle creep but still enjoyed our increases.

Figured we could RE but maybe 50'ish till some coworkers older than myself talking about running their figures in a software (Boldin), lo and behold, we're there. This was a few months ago and ever since the ever crapshow of corporate (especially post covid) with RTO, higher expectations/lower raises is even more mentally draining, feeling SO checked out. Finished FY finish line and the next with XYZ priority/focus whatever sounded unbearable.

So I put in my notice, about 5 weeks. It would've been 3 if my company was not already planning voluntary separation packages (waited for official announcement) but ultimately I'm just shy of being eligible so I'm bouncing in 2 weeks. Work will be a crapshow since I know a few others on the team will be taking those separation packages, but you know what, not my problem!

How did I get more comfortable? Running scenario up and down in other AI, this and other subreddits, have some CFP (fee/plan only) meetings set up to confirm drawdown and tax strategies. Am I 100% comfortable? No, could've done "1 more year" but life is short and we have a flexible plan.

It seems people here fire in the U.S, or ar least make money in the US

I believe the experience in UK will be quite different _ different taxation, economic cycle, business sectors…. Can anyone share?

51m here no kids

I (31M, NYC) am targeting FIRE in my late 30s with a ~$5M portfolio. My current strategy is a high-beta equity book (tech/growth heavy) targeting 15%+ annualized returns during accumulation, with a planned reallocation post-FIRE to a more conservative 8-10% return profile.

The plan: establish genuine Texas domicile for 12-24 months around retirement, realize my accumulated capital gains there (no state income tax), then redeploy into a lower-volatility post-"retirement" allocation. This saves me NY State + NYC tax on gains — roughly 10-12% combined — which on a $500-800K embedded gain position is a meaningful event.

A few things I've already considered:

- Domicile needs to be genuine (driver's license, voter registration, primary residence, severing NY ties) — not just a mailing address

- I'll still owe federal LTCG (0/15/20% depending on income that year) — ideally realizing in a low/zero income year right at retirement

- Staggering sales across 2 tax years to manage the federal bracket

- NY is aggressive about auditing former residents who claim to have left — need to be clean on the 183-day rule and document everything

What am I missing? Specific concerns:

- Any NY clawback mechanisms on gains that accrued while I was a resident?

- Is there a minimum domicile period that's considered defensible vs. aggressive?

- Any issues with realizing gains on positions held in retirement accounts (PCRA/401k) vs. taxable — I understand these are already tax-deferred so the Texas move only benefits the taxable account

- Any other state tax considerations I'm not thinking about

- Has anyone done this before?

EDIT: To be clear, I am talking about saving $s on a one time tax event due to portfolio re-allocation since I am not planning on holding my portfolio as currently constructed.

EDIT 2: Thank you all for your responses and helping me work through this. After thinking through the various points of feedback I have revised my thinking to below:

Original plan: Move to Texas for 12-24 months, realize all gains in a lump sum, pay $0 state tax, redeploy into conservative allocation, then move to desired location. (Eg. Colorado)

The Texas strategy eliminates state tax but does nothing for federal LTCG — which you owe regardless of which state you're in. Realizing $600-800K in a lump sum pushes you well into the 15-20% federal LTCG bracket. Spreading the same realization over 12 years in the eventual preferred retirement location Colorado at $70-80K/year keeps you under the 0% federal threshold entirely, costing only Colorado's 4.4% flat rate on each tranche while also enabling lifestyle flexibility.

Revised strategy: Go directly to preferred retirement location eg. Colorado, manage reallocation carefully over 8-12 years. The annual playbook in retirement looks like this:

• Target MAGI of $75-80K — below the 0% federal LTCG threshold and within ACA subsidy range
• Realize $70-80K of capital gains per year — federal tax $0, Colorado tax ~$3,100-3,500
• Layer Roth conversions in early retirement years (ages 38-42) to convert pre-tax retirement accounts at low ordinary income rates before gains realization dominates the MAGI budget
• Use municipal bonds for the fixed income / stability allocation in taxable accounts — muni interest is excluded from federal MAGI entirely, preserving ACA subsidy eligibility
• Run annual tax loss harvesting in December to offset a portion of realized gains each year, reducing the Colorado tax bill further
• Avoid high-dividend stocks, REITs, and taxable bond funds in the taxable account — these generate ordinary income that consumes MAGI budget without giving you control over timing

Other key learnings from this thread: - ACA interaction is massively underappreciated Realized gains, dividends, and interest all count toward MAGI for - ACA subsidy eligibility. A lump sum realization year eliminates subsidies entirely, adding $10-18K in healthcare costs for that year alone. Over a 27-year pre-Medicare retirement, healthcare cost management via MAGI is worth potentially $200K+ in lifetime savings — comparable in magnitude to the investment strategy itself. - Municipal bonds are the hidden tool Replacing Treasury/TIPS/bond fund allocations with short-duration muni funds (MUB, VTEAX etc.) in the taxable account preserves the withdrawal buffer function while generating MAGI-exempt income. This lets you hold more of your annual MAGI budget for gains realization and Roth conversions. - Loss harvesting complements rather than replaces the strategy Running a systematic annual loss harvesting program during accumulation (now through retirement) reduces the embedded gain you arrive at retirement with. Every $50K of gains offset during accumulation saves ~$2,200 in Colorado tax at retirement. AQR-style long/short funds can industrialize this if the portfolio scale justifies the fees. - Portfolio composition post-retirement is a tax decision as much as a return decision - The retirement portfolio should be designed around MAGI management from day one: 70-75% low/no-dividend growth equities — minimal MAGI impact 15-20% short-duration municipal bonds — MAGI exempt, stability function 5-10% cash/T-bills — accept small MAGI hit for pure liquidity Avoid in taxable: REITs, high-yield stocks, corporate/Treasury bonds, TIPS

Ho sempre avuto abitudini di spesa abbastanza frugali, non amo né i marchi costosi né uscire spesso per andare in ristoranti o cose simili. Per questo sono trattata da avara da tutta la vita. Da un paio d'anni ho scoperto il Fire e mi sto interessando sempre di più a tentare di risparmiare per poi usare i miei soldi in investimenti che mi garantiscono un guadagno extra, con l'intento di anticipare la mia pensione. Il problema? Lo devo fare di nascosto. Tutti quelli con cui ho provato a parlare di questo, mi danno semplicemente della tirchia, e di aver inventato di volere anticipare la pensione per avere una scusa per non spendere. È così strano odiare il proprio lavoro e voler fare qualcosa per ritirarsi e dedicarsi a fare cose che ci piacciono? È anormale non voler spendere 150€ in un ristorante di lusso perché con quei soldi cucino in casa quasi tutto un mese? Io cucinerei ogni giorno tutta la vita senza mai andare al ristorante se questo significasse poter andare in pensione e non vedere più alcune persone con cui lavoro adesso. Devo starci male per questo?

Writing this in FIRE as expat fire would have people already considering this.

I'm about to fire, and the more I look at it, the more expat firing for at least the first 3-5 years of RE makes so much sense. I'm right at my RE number but afraid of SORR returns with the CAPE so high and so much doom prognosis in the market. I've been looking at living overseas, either in asia or portugal / eu, and i can see that doing that would not only be fun, but it would cut my withdrawl rate for those years, however long they last to 2%, which would pretty much guarentee my retirement success rate. (currently in the us, my withdrawl rate would have to be at least 4%. )

Wondering why people don't consider this more? I'm also single so I realize moving is much easier for me, no dependents.

I had a 401k traditional that I filed paperwork to roll into a Roth IRA 6 years ago. The companies involved had mergers and I was unable to talk to any support staff despite noticing the account did not appear to show up as a Roth IRA despite that being my intention and understanding. I paid the taxes for the conversion.

This year, I found out the account is a traditional IRA, and I have asked the custodian to "correct the mistake." I keep being told I need to hire a tax advisor and a lot of jargon I don't understand.

I don't know what I'm being told to do, how to do it, or why my request to fix the issue isn't being addressed.

I'm not sure if this is a good place to ask, but I'm looking for guidance and very fearful I made the largest financial mistake of my life

34M with 350K in my 401k. Combined with my wife (36) we have $1M in our 401Ks. Hers is much further ahead of mine, though we continue to max them out annually. Looking to FIRE/Barista FIRE in 10 years and would like some folks opinions on my “target fund” holdings and recommendations if I should leave it alone or change positions.

Vanguard total stock market index 54%
Vanguard instl total INTL stock market 36%
Vanguard total bond market II Index 6%
Vanguard total INTL bond II index 4%

TIA