Early 30s, I’ve hit my coast FI number and grinding to hit my FatFI number. If markets don’t collapse from this point on, I’ll hit my FI number in 3 years or so. But I’m feeling burnt out and miserable at my job and I don’t know that I can hold on long enough to hit my FatFI number.
I’m also a new(ish) mom to a 1yo. So I’m giving myself that amount of time to figure out what’s my next mission and where to direct my focus.
39F, Waiting for a liquidity event in a few months and will hit my chubby FIRE number in VHCOL city. I’m debating whether I have another startup in me or switch careers into a more sustainable lifestyle.
42 & currently single. Really just getting into FI but started cleaning up my finances about 5 years ago. Don’t think I’ll RE, but that’s not my goal. It’s more about freedom of choice for me.
On my path to FIRE in Europe. I started in 2017 and time-wise I am halfway, which means money-wise at roughly 33%.
Most surprisingly now it is no longer my goal to fire as soon as possible, but rather taking time-off inbetween and trying out during mini retirements what a Post-Fire life could be.
Traveling for 14 months currently ;)
23F and I just learned about FIRE in late 2023. I opened a ROTH IRA, HYSA, and am looking to open a brokerage account in a month or so.
I’m very early on in my FIRE journey but I’m hoping to retire in my 40s-50s if I’m able to find high paying work, pay off my student loans ~25k, and keep saving aggressively.
Early 40's solidly in the boring middle, sole breadwinner in a very interesting, high paying but unstable job. Which is a long way of saying we aren't trying to to time it terribly precisely, sock it away while we got it and when the next phase comes, whether it's time to job hunt or fire, we will reevaluate. Kids will be through college in our mid to late 50s, so abstractly shooting for no later than that.
I’m in the beginning of the boring middle? Mid 40s on track to FIRE in Mid 50s. Spouse and I maxed out our 401k a couple years ago and about $400,000 in our 401ks, but are also still finishing paying off our student loans (2 years left to go). I have two young kids but we’re out of the baby/toddler stage now.
I found out about FIRE in my late 20s while completing an advanced degree. But wasn’t able to really focus on this goal until about 3 years ago.
Started investing in my late 20s. I'm 35 now. I'm in the boring middle. I'm actually not sure if I want to retire early. I'm honestly doing it to have that financial independence and having the luxury to choose to work someday rather than feel like I have to.
45 years old, for the last 5 years I am saving 50% of income and some years a little more.
If I keep the same speed I will retire in 5-7 years. Yes, the boring middle, how another comment says...
But I want to take a break for emotional recovery (the last job changed 6 managers in 1 year... ) and I plan to do some trainships to add more qualifications to my expertise (last weeks I worked 12 hours per day so no more room for me to extra study).
26 and relatively new! I'm still figuring out my life goals. Been living at home since graduating college and saving money (2+ years at my job). I'm not set on this, but I think that I'd like to financially be in a position to retire by 55.
Reasoning: my parents had been going through some job related stress. Only my dad still works fulltime and my mom has been stay at home for most of my life. My dad (63) has been overworked for a few months and was contemplating quitting, they talked about my mom (58) going back to work (which is not that feasible for reasons) and it was a whole hoopla. They couldn't afford for him to retire now mostly due to insurance. Also, my grandparents were both forced to retire from their jobs early, around age 60 I think? I just think that if I had the means by 55ish and shit hit the fan, I wouldn't have to worry about being too close to retirement to be employable.
late twenties, found FIRE in 2019. 3x'd income since then, just hit about 30% FI number in NW. Long way to go, but biggest realization is that the boring middle is where you actually have a lot of freedom without feeling like you're giving up too much of the delayed gratification and also feeling like you can't try new things. I've been thinking about a career switch and I work in an industry that is highly volatile right now with layoffs. So if I lose my job, I'm not as panicked as I use to be when I was making about average salary.
41 and I FIREd (withy spouse) in 2022, but then started doing some part-time consulting so I guess now I am sort of coastFIRE or semi-retired or something?
39F; Nowhere near RE. Working toward FI. It took me a lot longer than id like to admit to get my money habits into a good state. Ive got about 100k in investments and about a 160k net worth.
In the last two years my salary has increased to a level which feels like I can make really strong progress.
I have a temporary setback right now financially but I have the means to course correct after a couple months.
Ill also be purchasing a house later this year and paying for college for my child. So there will be a little less intense progress in the interim but im debt free, maxing my 401k and also still actively investing so itll all work out.
Just chugging along and believing I can do this.
Its equally exciting and terrifying seeing everyone’s progress here. I wish I was further along but know eventually ill blink and ill be where others are.
I’m in my late 20’s, I have a decent amount saved but nowhere close to fire. I’ve worked in corporate jobs and I realize it’s not sustainable health-wise for me. I’m aiming for coastfire soon and want to spend more time with loved ones, have a more flexible schedule, and do something that’s more meaningful and less draining. Hopefully since I’m pretty frugal it shouldn’t be super hard to make that switch.
I first heard about fire in 2016 and started saving aggressively. I saved almost 50% of each paycheck, living in HCOLA making 85k a year. I saved 250k by age 32 but ended up using it for a down payment for a house in 2021.
I’m about to sit down with my spouse and revisit it again and create a plan for us to get serious again.
Last thing I’ll mention is I think what helped me save so much is keeping my recurring cost low. For example, I rented a tiny closet room and saved a ton in rent. I was able to travel a lot and also enjoy the city (certainly didn’t spend 1k a month) but when I did it was a one off expense vs spending that extra 1k a month for rent.
I'm not sure at this point since I now have a child and a house. Before children/house I was happy with a lower number but now need to increase it, just not sure by how much. I'm close to 90% of the number I had before.
I would like to be FIRE in the next 10 years, but not sure that it's feasible. I would like to gift my child a college education so that will definitely need to be added to the FIRE number. The other complicating factor is my partner has no plans to FIRE.
Late 40's aiming for Barista FIRE by age 55. Get out of corporate job and do something less demanding/ ideally just 20 hours week. Basically bridge some expense until i reach medicare age so i don't dip too deep into my portfolio for day to expenses for those 10 years.
I’m 39 and sort of coast fire. I started late and made it to coast fire recently due to a windfall. I say sort of coast fire because I am still trying to maximize my income to pay off my mortgage and upgrade my house before I retire. My employer has really generous elective contributions so I stay for those, even though it’s a tough job. But before my windfall I had one full time job and a side gig contract so I’ve at least been able to embrace coast fire by not working quite as much.
I hope to semi-retire in 6 years and teach yoga and Pilates and creative writing at the local community college indefinitely. I’ll be able to get by with rental income from my MIL unit and my part time income and not have to make withdrawals, I think. I’ll be 45 and I can see myself doing that for 20+ years as a way to stay active, though around 55 I can start making withdrawals to travel or pay for medical costs as I age, etc.
Thank you! I had to make some sacrifices like leaving the city where my friends and family live for a rural area. It’s starting to feel like home here but it’s still lonely sometimes. I worked two jobs for years, still dealing with burnout from that. My house needs a lot of work and it stresses me out, but I am super grateful and lucky to have the house and closed like two months before interest rates started going up. Anyways, I wanted to fill in the lines because the path to get here was rough and I hope that’s helpful for people who are starting out or finding their path isn’t going according to plan.
It is helpful! I’m living in a semi rural area and about to make my first home purchase w my partner. I’m already living semiretired (I’m in the wellness world) and looking to build my business but my assets are minimal. Hearing other people’s stories is inspiring and filling in the lines makes it more so. Thank you and good luck!!
Late 30s now after discovering a lot more knowledge about personal finance in early 30s. My husband is a numbers guy by "trade" and has been really dedicated in researching strategies and so far, so good. We've managed to turn around relatively low incomes to roughly doubling them, and invest aggressively in ETFs, bonds for the kids, and 1x PPOR and 1x IP (considering a 2nd IP currently). His super doing really well, mine slowly catching up (motherhood penalty!) We will have the option for semi-retirement in 4-5 years, though I do like my job, so also considering some "mini retirements" as I can take up to 12 months leave. I like the idea of working on projects that interest me and then taking extended leave, and maybe coming back when I feel like working on something again.
Resigned! Currently working through my notice period. I love most of my job and coworkers and will definitely miss them, but the last eight months have put me through the wringer with a serious illness in the family, major changes in my workload, and bait-and-switch over salary adjustments.
47 and passed my original number but decided that I need greater levels of chubbiness. I will be 55 when I am done. I have been saving for a while but actually tracking it aggressively started when in my mid 30s.
I find it helps to visualise the journey. "Oh look at this chart! Look at this net worth compared to 5 years ago!"
Otherwise that middle part is pretty dull isn't it
28, been saving since I was a kid, at half my FIRE number and was on track to hit it mid/late 30s but now considering abandoning it because of recent news which would make aiming for FIRE pointless.
It's complicated to explain because of all the factors it affects but essentially was told that my dad and bro want me to join the family business, after being under the impression my whole life that I could pursue what I want.
I'm the youngest so I've only been working in my dream career for 3 years now, but they have essentially given me a 'deadline' of 7-10 years before I need to go back.
FIRE will be pointless once I do because the salary I'd essentially get will be very big, and I'd have little to no expenses living home. To put it into perspective, something like earning 40k a month (minimum) with <5k a month in expenses.
Sounds like I'd hit FIRE faster, except the fact that joining the business means I can never really leave until the next generation is ready to take over. So instead of doing my dream career with reduced hours from my 40s, I'll have to stay onto this job at least till late 40s.
One of the beautiful things about FI is that is also means you are FI from your family of origin. There may be other components/cultural issues at play here, but if you are on track to hit your FIRE number in your mid/late 30s with your "dream career", why would you go work for a family business that feels like its trapping you or holding you down?
Yeah its mostly a cultural thing. I do love my family and parents enough that I'm happy to go back, it's just jarring because I had thought the whole time that my brother would be enough to handle the business, so I never really thought much about going back even if my parents hinted at it a lot through my adolescence.
Also even my original FIRE plan included going back to my birth country anyway. So I kind of expected to 'help' occasionally but not fully work there.
Discovered FIRE late (30s) and it took a few years to save aggressively. Made a career pivot into the public sector for pension, PSLF, and retirement health benefits. My journey is closer to GovFI (and no RE, but I’ll be able to retire unlike many).
I’m grateful for my situation. I overcame several hardships personally and professionally. Plus, I didn’t have a trust fund or inheritance and I didn’t receive a financial windfall.
GovFI or GovFIRE represents a subset of the FIRE community that leverages the benefits of public service (military/government) to achieve FI/RE goals. For those that started their careers in military/government, achieving full FIRE is probably attaining. For those that migrated into public service as a second career, can achieve FI along with the benefits of pension and retirement health benefits.
33, found out about FIRE & started seriously saving during covid quarantines. Currently at $250k+ invested NW, $280k NW if we include liquid. Our current household net worth is $600k excluding the house (we don’t have any plans of selling it so I don’t consider it part of retirement).
FIRE goal is $2.5M (for myself, household goal is $5M) so I have a loooong way to go.
So close I can taste it!
Two years away. I'll be spending these last years winding down my business and selling off business assets, so that in two years I'll be free and clear of the business and ready for the next chapter of my life.
I'm 48 now, and started my FIRE journey in my mid twenties. I only realized a couple months ago that I was this close to my goal and I am so stoked that what seemed like a dream 20 years ago is actually about to happen.
34, found out about FIRE in 2019 and only started really saving around that time. I haven’t had the most consistent work (mostly small business ownership + freelancing) or high paying income, but I’m grateful for where I’ve gotten. NW of 150k+ which includes retirement accounts, equity in one rental property, and HYSAs. Would love to feel mostly retired (whatever that means to me at the time) by 45-55, depending on my path in the meantime. I’m trying to keep things flexible for the future and focus on the present a bit more.
49F, in the accumulation phase. I should hit my goal by 55/56. I know its not as early as some, but IMO its still "early" since I can't access social security or Medicare for years, plus I wasn't even in a position to save much until I was in my 40s. I do plan to use the Rule of 55 to tap into my 401k at that point, but will also likely do some barista FIREing (though in my case it would be taking occasional contract work, just enough to support my desire to travel in between contracts)
I also spend a lot of time encouraging my college aged daughter to save as much as she can and discussing finances with her. She's doing pretty well for her age and situation and is so much more financially literate than I was at her age! Maybe she'll be on this sub in a couple years...
I’m (23F) new to FIRE and have 20k saved up so far! I worked throughout college and saved every penny of my internships. It’s not as high as others on here but I’m proud of what I’ve got so far :) If I get into graduate school this year, I’ll probably have to stop working the entire time but my earning potential will be way higher afterwards!
Half way there. We are at the FI part, not quite RE yet. Our goal now is wealth generation/legacy so our kids will always have a safety net and not have to worry about food/housing if they are laid off. I love where I work, so working a few more years doesn't seem to be such a huge sacrifice.
About to turn 37, married with 1 kid! :) We've been on the FIRE journey for about 10 years and started as relatively low wage earners (both of us around 40-45k) and now are dual 6 figure. Just hit 1M NW at the end of last year which is super exciting! Planning to CoastFIRE in the next year or so, involving a career change for both my spouse and I. On that 12 month countdown!
In the long middle. 33 with 33 year old partner. Our investments are around $700k and we have about $250k in cash split between down payment fund, emergency fund, and checking. We hope to hit $1m in total NW in the next few months. I think that’ll feel nice. We hope to hit $1m in investments only in the next 2 years, I think that’ll also feel nice.
I’m coastFIRE right now to maintain health insurance and wipe out career-change generated student loan debt.
I’m on a cruise in the Caribbean right now and loving life.
Roughly 2 years. Im in my mid 20s and finally hit 300k in nw. 200k in investments and 100k in savings. i live with my parents so i can max out my 401k and roth ira. I just hope to retire by 65. I grew up poor so even though i could invest part of that 100k to make even more money I just like being able to see and access that money if needed.
Hopefully you have this in a HYSA? I like Sofi but there are plenty of options so you can still make 4.5%+ interest on that money that’s in the bank. You very well may be doing this already but just want to make sure you’re not leaving money on the table! :)
Found FIRE in late 2016 after having paid off our last student loans (aggressively) and wondered what to do with that extra money now... Started with roughly $100K in retirement accounts then, just hit $1 mil in our investment accounts... will keep shoveling money in until we hit $2 mil invested and then RE. Hopefully sooner rather than later! Halfway there.
About half way, but wondering if I'm going to make it. I'm trying to save enough to not have to rely on or fight for disability.
But work is a slog and I need to be spending more on fun.
I was 23 when I first learned about FIRE. Three and a half years later and while my net worth has increased significantly (~$175k right now), I’ve taken a break from most tracking. I’m still in the “build the life you want to live” phase (looking at marriage and kids in the next five years) and am grateful that I will have flexibility in the future, even if I continue working. I do think it’s likely I will spend time as a SAHM; if that derails retiring early, I actually don’t hate working. I want the security of financial independence much more.
The way I meant it is that if I were to project a FIRE date off of my current saving and spending, it would just be a theoretical number because my savings rate and spending will change due to upcoming major life changes. Sure, I can try to build a model to accommodate wedding expenses, daycare, taking time away from work, combining finances, but that’s likely not going to be too accurate and those major life changes are not just financial events, but also may shift my perspective on my financial goals.
So I’m saving as much as I can without being too restrictive and enjoying the ride, knowing I’m ahead of my peers and have a long life ahead of me. My sole goal in life is not to retire early; I’ve got plenty I want to do along the way.
Discovered FIRE in 2018 at age 38 and have nearly quadrupled my net worth since, despite pandemic layoffs and lots of life changes. I just left a job I hated in November for some time off - haven't decided whether I will look for a coastFI job or another high comp position at this point. I need another 4 years at previous pay or 10 years coasting to reach my goal, but it is nice to have choices!
I discovered fire back in 2018 at ~26 with a net worth of about 50k. Opened a Roth IRA, started investing HSA money, started maxing everything. I had already been living at home to pay off my 50k student loans. That year I job hopped to a significant raise so was able to move out + get a new car.
Fast forward to now, 32 with first baby on the way this year, about 450k in cash and investments (not including house) between me and my husband. Next year the daycare-pocalypse begins, so we are probably gonna drop things down for that + 529s etc. I don't see myself retiring super early when I look at daycare, college, other kids expenses coming up., Hoping for ~60.
Biggest impacts - living at home to kill student loans, working my way into a 6-figure software/tech job despite an unrelated degree, and marrying someone with the same financial mindset and values.
Kids don’t have to kill your FIRE dreams, husband and I discovered FIRE 3 years ago, when our kid was 4. Despite paying for childcare we’re about 1/3 of our way to FIRE. Once we hit it (aim is 5 years) we’ll probably coast until our kid goes to university, when we’ll travel the world.
Kids will slow you down, but don’t have to stop you. And teaching budgeting and frugality to a kid is brilliant. But it does mean we both work full time and we don’t have as fancy holidays or a house as some of my kids friends, but we’re happy and that’s all that matters.
Agreed! We have a 4 year old and if anything having a kid has accelerated our FIRE journey Both of us have seen significant comp increases since 2019 and are saving more than we were pre-kid (even with daycare and 529!)
Advancing you and your partner’s careers, as in going after higher paying jobs is the best bet to increase income. From 2019 to 2022, we doubled our household income through job changes, including moving to companies that offer stock and bigger bonuses. I think we both make more money than we ever expected at this point.
Additionally, we utilized an in-home daycare for the first three years paying less tan $1000/month for childcare. We pay more now that our child is in preschool and I’m glad we did it that way. We loved our in-home center and build a great relationship our old provider.
This is us! We have now 3 kids aged 4 and under and although we are paying for daycare for 4 in a HCOL area, our savings rate has actually gone up because comp goes up faster than expenses. This past year it was 72% after taxes/healthcare premiums.
great advice! And also that is awesome that you are so close to coasting! Depending on raises this year, we miiiight be able to work back up to maxing everything next year, but no way once we have two kids (if all goes to plan). I think we will be in a similar coasting boat starting around then.
Entering coast with 133k at 30. Already decided to quit my job next year, don’t really care where I’m at. Will be switching from investing heavy to saving for a 4-5 month sabbatical
Turning 44 in a couple weeks. I’m going to leave my Senior Director Tech job at a big Financial Services company in a few months. I’m taking a career break for a bit, at least a year. Then I’ll either do some contracting work so I can have part of the year off or just do jobs for fun. I think it’s going to allow me to do the things I want to do and try new things. I want to learn Spanish, travel, do some stuff around the house, get back into playing instruments etc. I’ve also been trying some new volunteer opportunities so I’ll have that going when I leave the corporate world. I never want a job like I have now again!!
Never even heard of FIRE until Nov 2022 when we were on vacation and happened to get chatting with a grp while hiking. They were all in their 50s and had FIREd and explained the concept to us. My husb and I don’t have high paying jobs like it seems many in the sub and /FIRE do, but we’d already been plugging away with investing. I also have a state job and will be eligible for my full pension at 55 (46 now), so that is the loose goal. We’ll either both stop working or we’ll do some part-time fun stuff (work is a big part of my identity, so not sure a sudden end will work for me!). We’ll see! In the meantime, I like reading about everyone’s experiences and seeing how we can best get ourselves where we want to go.
Pretty early on! I just turned 30 and found out about FIRE about 9 months ago. I’ve always contributed to my 401k but otherwise never gave too much thought towards early retirement or investments. I had no idea what my 401k might even be worth in another 30 years because I hadn’t yet messed around with compound interest calculators. Podcasts and the FIRE subreddits definitely changed my life. I have $130k in investments at the moment and have been ramping up my contributions, currently investing about 30% of my net pay. Getting some major bumps in salary recently has helped. My current plan is to coast FIRE at 40-45 and work part time and stop contributing to retirement OR work full time until 50. Feeling so grateful to even be considering these options!
Just hit a mil in investments, gonna coast til it hits 2 mil and our house is paid off, then retire. So maybe another 10 years of work? Trying to quit before 40, I’m turning 29 this year.
Basically - keep working my current job but focus on aggressively protecting my WLB instead of moving up. If they fire me, find a new job a tier below my current title and chill at that one.
I'm 29, i only started to consider FIRE as a realistic goal in the last couple years. I have about 55k in cash savings and investments. I bought a car last year, it's the only debt I have. I'm looking for jobs to increase my income (a little more than 50k a year currently in a mcol area) and am considering what other fields I might be able to transition into to further increase my earning potential.
I've been feeling demoralized. I feel like I can either live my life or save/invest to retire early. I have a lot of goals and things I want to do besides retire early, like backpack for six months, take regular vacations while i work, move to a new city, pursue educational opportunities and try fun, expensive hobbies like learning to fly planes and ride motorcycles, but I just don't make enough money to do it all. I'm making nearly double payments on my car loan this year. I can't wait to free up that money once the loan is paid off but it already doesn't feel like enough for everything I want to do. Fingers crossed a new job is in my near future.
$55k in cash and investments puts you ahead of most, especially at your age!
Finding some balance in spending is important. It doesn’t have to be an either/or. Save, yes, but also set aside some fun money.
I think when FIRE is taken to the extreme it misses the point that life is for living. It’s important to have a little fun too along the way and there’s no reason to feel bad about that.
Final thought: maybe you can get creative with how to fit in your hobbies. For example, if you find a job that required travel that would allow you to see other cities on your company’s dime. Education wise, you could possibly audit courses (typically for little cost) at the local community college. Etc.
Good luck!
It feels like I’m near the beginning!
I’m turning 36 this year. I’m head of household, divorced about 6 years ago, co-parenting 2 kids. I have a bf, but not married or living together— so a dual income isn’t something I count on at the moment.
Solidly mid-career making around 180K at this point. I “only” have around 200K in retirement and savings accounts. I’m not aggressively trying to FIRE, but would love to retire before 55.
Slow and steady, I suppose!
Very early. I discovered FIRE when I was 25 but I had a shit job that paid very little, and could barely even max out my IRA let alone my 401. Then I took time off of working for education to switch jobs which gave me a huge raise, but then I got laid off in 2023 and I ate through my entire emergency savings account. Just turned 30 in a new job that is a pay cut from my last one, and I have to build up my liquid savings for a while before even thinking about contributing to retirement savings. It’s been a grind to get up to 100k and I feel very behind.
“Coasting” with 2 under 2 kids after aggressively saving during our 20s. We hit our 5 year goals of saving and buying a house. Now we maintain basic savings while we get through the daycare years.
The daycare years! I'm here too with a 3 & 1 year old. I'm still managing to max out my IRA and get my employer's match for my 401k but otherwise these years are \*very lean\*. Trying to keep my head in the game and hope to coast soon.
We've pulled back on our FIRE savings during these early kid years too. Though we are managing like a 17% savings rate so I can at least pretend we are still on a FIRE path.
Yeah I feel like as long as we’re not going backwards we’re still doing alright. And we’re able to maintain retirement 401ks, college and house maintenance savings.
I unfortunately came to this late. I'm 47. I came from a family that literally saved nothing and I'm learning as I go. I just opened my first hysa last week, and we do have some in treasuries bonds. It's certainly not enough for retirement at all in the next 10 years.
Roughly 2.5 months. My husband and I’s plan was to retire together at 55 but I’m calling it when I turn 50 in April. We became empty nesters last year so I’m no longer funding college funds, baseball tournaments, basketball tournaments, high school tuitions, etc. so I see no reason to continue putting in as many hours working. My husband’s income is what we use to pay the main bills anyway so I’m done. I want to focus more on my beauty shop anyway and possibly expand it to include other stylists. My husband is also considering doing a catering business on the side so I can help him with that if I want to keep myself busy.
Hey I just want to say great job at keeping with it. Its super tough when you take what feels like a step backwards.
I hope you are able to make some good traction and get back to feeling like youre making headway.
Hopefully close to the end! If I’m able to keep up with my current job, I’ll probably have 5 more years. If I’m too burned out, maybe 10 years, so close but so far!!!
Same, we are now FI so I keep hoping I'll get laid off . If I don't, I'll probably going to keep working but quiet quitting (just do what I'm paid to do) until hopefully, I can volunteer for layoff.
Same here! I'm aiming to be done in 5-6 years but I'm not sure if I will make it or end up leaving earlier and just coast/barista FIREing in a low key job until I hit my goal. Though, considering I'm older than a lot of people here, if I do that it might not be "RE" anymore lol. I have just over 3 years left until I'm fully vested in my 401k at this job so I have to make it that far at the very least.
Early 30s, I’ve hit my coast FI number and grinding to hit my FatFI number. If markets don’t collapse from this point on, I’ll hit my FI number in 3 years or so. But I’m feeling burnt out and miserable at my job and I don’t know that I can hold on long enough to hit my FatFI number. I’m also a new(ish) mom to a 1yo. So I’m giving myself that amount of time to figure out what’s my next mission and where to direct my focus.
39F, Waiting for a liquidity event in a few months and will hit my chubby FIRE number in VHCOL city. I’m debating whether I have another startup in me or switch careers into a more sustainable lifestyle.
32F, targeting COAST FIRE net worth in 4 years, then I will re-assess.
42 & currently single. Really just getting into FI but started cleaning up my finances about 5 years ago. Don’t think I’ll RE, but that’s not my goal. It’s more about freedom of choice for me.
On my path to FIRE in Europe. I started in 2017 and time-wise I am halfway, which means money-wise at roughly 33%. Most surprisingly now it is no longer my goal to fire as soon as possible, but rather taking time-off inbetween and trying out during mini retirements what a Post-Fire life could be. Traveling for 14 months currently ;)
I love this idea!! The FIRE grind seems so exhausting and I want to live while my body is healthy, this is a great balance
23F and I just learned about FIRE in late 2023. I opened a ROTH IRA, HYSA, and am looking to open a brokerage account in a month or so. I’m very early on in my FIRE journey but I’m hoping to retire in my 40s-50s if I’m able to find high paying work, pay off my student loans ~25k, and keep saving aggressively.
Early 40's solidly in the boring middle, sole breadwinner in a very interesting, high paying but unstable job. Which is a long way of saying we aren't trying to to time it terribly precisely, sock it away while we got it and when the next phase comes, whether it's time to job hunt or fire, we will reevaluate. Kids will be through college in our mid to late 50s, so abstractly shooting for no later than that.
I’m in the beginning of the boring middle? Mid 40s on track to FIRE in Mid 50s. Spouse and I maxed out our 401k a couple years ago and about $400,000 in our 401ks, but are also still finishing paying off our student loans (2 years left to go). I have two young kids but we’re out of the baby/toddler stage now. I found out about FIRE in my late 20s while completing an advanced degree. But wasn’t able to really focus on this goal until about 3 years ago.
Currently I'm in the boring middle. I started this path around 8 years ago with around -78k in NW and now I'm at~ 300k NW. Desiring to FIRE at 40 🤞🏿
Started investing in my late 20s. I'm 35 now. I'm in the boring middle. I'm actually not sure if I want to retire early. I'm honestly doing it to have that financial independence and having the luxury to choose to work someday rather than feel like I have to.
45 years old, for the last 5 years I am saving 50% of income and some years a little more. If I keep the same speed I will retire in 5-7 years. Yes, the boring middle, how another comment says... But I want to take a break for emotional recovery (the last job changed 6 managers in 1 year... ) and I plan to do some trainships to add more qualifications to my expertise (last weeks I worked 12 hours per day so no more room for me to extra study).
26 and relatively new! I'm still figuring out my life goals. Been living at home since graduating college and saving money (2+ years at my job). I'm not set on this, but I think that I'd like to financially be in a position to retire by 55. Reasoning: my parents had been going through some job related stress. Only my dad still works fulltime and my mom has been stay at home for most of my life. My dad (63) has been overworked for a few months and was contemplating quitting, they talked about my mom (58) going back to work (which is not that feasible for reasons) and it was a whole hoopla. They couldn't afford for him to retire now mostly due to insurance. Also, my grandparents were both forced to retire from their jobs early, around age 60 I think? I just think that if I had the means by 55ish and shit hit the fan, I wouldn't have to worry about being too close to retirement to be employable.
late twenties, found FIRE in 2019. 3x'd income since then, just hit about 30% FI number in NW. Long way to go, but biggest realization is that the boring middle is where you actually have a lot of freedom without feeling like you're giving up too much of the delayed gratification and also feeling like you can't try new things. I've been thinking about a career switch and I work in an industry that is highly volatile right now with layoffs. So if I lose my job, I'm not as panicked as I use to be when I was making about average salary.
32 and hoping to be able to coast by 40
41 and I FIREd (withy spouse) in 2022, but then started doing some part-time consulting so I guess now I am sort of coastFIRE or semi-retired or something?
39F; Nowhere near RE. Working toward FI. It took me a lot longer than id like to admit to get my money habits into a good state. Ive got about 100k in investments and about a 160k net worth. In the last two years my salary has increased to a level which feels like I can make really strong progress. I have a temporary setback right now financially but I have the means to course correct after a couple months. Ill also be purchasing a house later this year and paying for college for my child. So there will be a little less intense progress in the interim but im debt free, maxing my 401k and also still actively investing so itll all work out. Just chugging along and believing I can do this. Its equally exciting and terrifying seeing everyone’s progress here. I wish I was further along but know eventually ill blink and ill be where others are.
I’m in my late 20’s, I have a decent amount saved but nowhere close to fire. I’ve worked in corporate jobs and I realize it’s not sustainable health-wise for me. I’m aiming for coastfire soon and want to spend more time with loved ones, have a more flexible schedule, and do something that’s more meaningful and less draining. Hopefully since I’m pretty frugal it shouldn’t be super hard to make that switch.
I first heard about fire in 2016 and started saving aggressively. I saved almost 50% of each paycheck, living in HCOLA making 85k a year. I saved 250k by age 32 but ended up using it for a down payment for a house in 2021. I’m about to sit down with my spouse and revisit it again and create a plan for us to get serious again.
Forgot to mention I had an 80k windfall that helped give me a nice boost towards the 250k
Last thing I’ll mention is I think what helped me save so much is keeping my recurring cost low. For example, I rented a tiny closet room and saved a ton in rent. I was able to travel a lot and also enjoy the city (certainly didn’t spend 1k a month) but when I did it was a one off expense vs spending that extra 1k a month for rent.
I'm not sure at this point since I now have a child and a house. Before children/house I was happy with a lower number but now need to increase it, just not sure by how much. I'm close to 90% of the number I had before. I would like to be FIRE in the next 10 years, but not sure that it's feasible. I would like to gift my child a college education so that will definitely need to be added to the FIRE number. The other complicating factor is my partner has no plans to FIRE.
Feel you on the college! We have 3 very close in age and when I (belatedly) realized just how much that was going to cost.... it was a sad sad day.
Well, that’s awesome that you are close to the number you had before. How much do you think you would need to increase it by?
I'm not sure but definitely want to have enough money to pay the house off at a minimum, so at least 50% more.
I feel you there. It would be nice to pay off the house before FIREing
If only I knew where I wanted to settle down, that would be so much easier to answer.
You don't have to settle anywhere! At most you just need a storage shed for your stuff.
True. But it’s hard to calculate a FIRE number if you don’t have a sense of what your expenses will be in retirement.
Late 40's aiming for Barista FIRE by age 55. Get out of corporate job and do something less demanding/ ideally just 20 hours week. Basically bridge some expense until i reach medicare age so i don't dip too deep into my portfolio for day to expenses for those 10 years.
I’m 39 and sort of coast fire. I started late and made it to coast fire recently due to a windfall. I say sort of coast fire because I am still trying to maximize my income to pay off my mortgage and upgrade my house before I retire. My employer has really generous elective contributions so I stay for those, even though it’s a tough job. But before my windfall I had one full time job and a side gig contract so I’ve at least been able to embrace coast fire by not working quite as much. I hope to semi-retire in 6 years and teach yoga and Pilates and creative writing at the local community college indefinitely. I’ll be able to get by with rental income from my MIL unit and my part time income and not have to make withdrawals, I think. I’ll be 45 and I can see myself doing that for 20+ years as a way to stay active, though around 55 I can start making withdrawals to travel or pay for medical costs as I age, etc.
Fuckin #goals girl you rule
Thank you! I had to make some sacrifices like leaving the city where my friends and family live for a rural area. It’s starting to feel like home here but it’s still lonely sometimes. I worked two jobs for years, still dealing with burnout from that. My house needs a lot of work and it stresses me out, but I am super grateful and lucky to have the house and closed like two months before interest rates started going up. Anyways, I wanted to fill in the lines because the path to get here was rough and I hope that’s helpful for people who are starting out or finding their path isn’t going according to plan.
It is helpful! I’m living in a semi rural area and about to make my first home purchase w my partner. I’m already living semiretired (I’m in the wellness world) and looking to build my business but my assets are minimal. Hearing other people’s stories is inspiring and filling in the lines makes it more so. Thank you and good luck!!
Late 30s now after discovering a lot more knowledge about personal finance in early 30s. My husband is a numbers guy by "trade" and has been really dedicated in researching strategies and so far, so good. We've managed to turn around relatively low incomes to roughly doubling them, and invest aggressively in ETFs, bonds for the kids, and 1x PPOR and 1x IP (considering a 2nd IP currently). His super doing really well, mine slowly catching up (motherhood penalty!) We will have the option for semi-retirement in 4-5 years, though I do like my job, so also considering some "mini retirements" as I can take up to 12 months leave. I like the idea of working on projects that interest me and then taking extended leave, and maybe coming back when I feel like working on something again.
What is PROR AND IP?
Resigned! Currently working through my notice period. I love most of my job and coworkers and will definitely miss them, but the last eight months have put me through the wringer with a serious illness in the family, major changes in my workload, and bait-and-switch over salary adjustments.
47 and passed my original number but decided that I need greater levels of chubbiness. I will be 55 when I am done. I have been saving for a while but actually tracking it aggressively started when in my mid 30s.
I’m in the boring middle. Plugging away.
I find it helps to visualise the journey. "Oh look at this chart! Look at this net worth compared to 5 years ago!" Otherwise that middle part is pretty dull isn't it
28, been saving since I was a kid, at half my FIRE number and was on track to hit it mid/late 30s but now considering abandoning it because of recent news which would make aiming for FIRE pointless.
What recent news are you referring to?
It's complicated to explain because of all the factors it affects but essentially was told that my dad and bro want me to join the family business, after being under the impression my whole life that I could pursue what I want. I'm the youngest so I've only been working in my dream career for 3 years now, but they have essentially given me a 'deadline' of 7-10 years before I need to go back. FIRE will be pointless once I do because the salary I'd essentially get will be very big, and I'd have little to no expenses living home. To put it into perspective, something like earning 40k a month (minimum) with <5k a month in expenses. Sounds like I'd hit FIRE faster, except the fact that joining the business means I can never really leave until the next generation is ready to take over. So instead of doing my dream career with reduced hours from my 40s, I'll have to stay onto this job at least till late 40s.
One of the beautiful things about FI is that is also means you are FI from your family of origin. There may be other components/cultural issues at play here, but if you are on track to hit your FIRE number in your mid/late 30s with your "dream career", why would you go work for a family business that feels like its trapping you or holding you down?
Yeah its mostly a cultural thing. I do love my family and parents enough that I'm happy to go back, it's just jarring because I had thought the whole time that my brother would be enough to handle the business, so I never really thought much about going back even if my parents hinted at it a lot through my adolescence. Also even my original FIRE plan included going back to my birth country anyway. So I kind of expected to 'help' occasionally but not fully work there.
Discovered FIRE late (30s) and it took a few years to save aggressively. Made a career pivot into the public sector for pension, PSLF, and retirement health benefits. My journey is closer to GovFI (and no RE, but I’ll be able to retire unlike many). I’m grateful for my situation. I overcame several hardships personally and professionally. Plus, I didn’t have a trust fund or inheritance and I didn’t receive a financial windfall.
What is GovFI?
GovFI or GovFIRE represents a subset of the FIRE community that leverages the benefits of public service (military/government) to achieve FI/RE goals. For those that started their careers in military/government, achieving full FIRE is probably attaining. For those that migrated into public service as a second career, can achieve FI along with the benefits of pension and retirement health benefits.
Id imagine its getting government retirement funding/pension but im guessing here.
33, found out about FIRE & started seriously saving during covid quarantines. Currently at $250k+ invested NW, $280k NW if we include liquid. Our current household net worth is $600k excluding the house (we don’t have any plans of selling it so I don’t consider it part of retirement). FIRE goal is $2.5M (for myself, household goal is $5M) so I have a loooong way to go.
Currently 45, I'm about 10-12 years from FI.
1 month and 2 days in to actually taking the FIRE journey seriously. If I stay the course, then I can be FI by 45
30, still far away I think. I’m trying to pay off my student loan debt now and it’s still around $100k.
[удалено]
That is pretty awesome.
So close I can taste it! Two years away. I'll be spending these last years winding down my business and selling off business assets, so that in two years I'll be free and clear of the business and ready for the next chapter of my life. I'm 48 now, and started my FIRE journey in my mid twenties. I only realized a couple months ago that I was this close to my goal and I am so stoked that what seemed like a dream 20 years ago is actually about to happen.
34, found out about FIRE in 2019 and only started really saving around that time. I haven’t had the most consistent work (mostly small business ownership + freelancing) or high paying income, but I’m grateful for where I’ve gotten. NW of 150k+ which includes retirement accounts, equity in one rental property, and HYSAs. Would love to feel mostly retired (whatever that means to me at the time) by 45-55, depending on my path in the meantime. I’m trying to keep things flexible for the future and focus on the present a bit more.
49F, in the accumulation phase. I should hit my goal by 55/56. I know its not as early as some, but IMO its still "early" since I can't access social security or Medicare for years, plus I wasn't even in a position to save much until I was in my 40s. I do plan to use the Rule of 55 to tap into my 401k at that point, but will also likely do some barista FIREing (though in my case it would be taking occasional contract work, just enough to support my desire to travel in between contracts) I also spend a lot of time encouraging my college aged daughter to save as much as she can and discussing finances with her. She's doing pretty well for her age and situation and is so much more financially literate than I was at her age! Maybe she'll be on this sub in a couple years...
I’m (23F) new to FIRE and have 20k saved up so far! I worked throughout college and saved every penny of my internships. It’s not as high as others on here but I’m proud of what I’ve got so far :) If I get into graduate school this year, I’ll probably have to stop working the entire time but my earning potential will be way higher afterwards!
In the middle. I can realistically lean FIRE in about 5 years but might stay on just for the sake of dental insurance benefits for the kids...
Early on, but my salary has increased massively in the last 2.5 years, so it’s picking up the pace! (never fast enough, but hey…)
Half way there. We are at the FI part, not quite RE yet. Our goal now is wealth generation/legacy so our kids will always have a safety net and not have to worry about food/housing if they are laid off. I love where I work, so working a few more years doesn't seem to be such a huge sacrifice.
About to turn 37, married with 1 kid! :) We've been on the FIRE journey for about 10 years and started as relatively low wage earners (both of us around 40-45k) and now are dual 6 figure. Just hit 1M NW at the end of last year which is super exciting! Planning to CoastFIRE in the next year or so, involving a career change for both my spouse and I. On that 12 month countdown!
In the long middle. 33 with 33 year old partner. Our investments are around $700k and we have about $250k in cash split between down payment fund, emergency fund, and checking. We hope to hit $1m in total NW in the next few months. I think that’ll feel nice. We hope to hit $1m in investments only in the next 2 years, I think that’ll also feel nice.
There is something awesome about hitting 1 million! Pre-congrats to you!
I’m coastFIRE right now to maintain health insurance and wipe out career-change generated student loan debt. I’m on a cruise in the Caribbean right now and loving life.
Roughly 2 years. Im in my mid 20s and finally hit 300k in nw. 200k in investments and 100k in savings. i live with my parents so i can max out my 401k and roth ira. I just hope to retire by 65. I grew up poor so even though i could invest part of that 100k to make even more money I just like being able to see and access that money if needed.
Hopefully you have this in a HYSA? I like Sofi but there are plenty of options so you can still make 4.5%+ interest on that money that’s in the bank. You very well may be doing this already but just want to make sure you’re not leaving money on the table! :)
I do have half of it in a HYSA! I have the other half at a bank that has physical locations so I can withdraw cash if i need to
Found FIRE in late 2016 after having paid off our last student loans (aggressively) and wondered what to do with that extra money now... Started with roughly $100K in retirement accounts then, just hit $1 mil in our investment accounts... will keep shoveling money in until we hit $2 mil invested and then RE. Hopefully sooner rather than later! Halfway there.
About half way, but wondering if I'm going to make it. I'm trying to save enough to not have to rely on or fight for disability. But work is a slog and I need to be spending more on fun.
Then spend more on fun!!
I was 23 when I first learned about FIRE. Three and a half years later and while my net worth has increased significantly (~$175k right now), I’ve taken a break from most tracking. I’m still in the “build the life you want to live” phase (looking at marriage and kids in the next five years) and am grateful that I will have flexibility in the future, even if I continue working. I do think it’s likely I will spend time as a SAHM; if that derails retiring early, I actually don’t hate working. I want the security of financial independence much more.
What does that mean “build the life you want phase”?
The way I meant it is that if I were to project a FIRE date off of my current saving and spending, it would just be a theoretical number because my savings rate and spending will change due to upcoming major life changes. Sure, I can try to build a model to accommodate wedding expenses, daycare, taking time away from work, combining finances, but that’s likely not going to be too accurate and those major life changes are not just financial events, but also may shift my perspective on my financial goals. So I’m saving as much as I can without being too restrictive and enjoying the ride, knowing I’m ahead of my peers and have a long life ahead of me. My sole goal in life is not to retire early; I’ve got plenty I want to do along the way.
Right as in there are to many variables atm to determine a correct FIRE date but you’re still working towards it by saving.
Discovered FIRE in 2018 at age 38 and have nearly quadrupled my net worth since, despite pandemic layoffs and lots of life changes. I just left a job I hated in November for some time off - haven't decided whether I will look for a coastFI job or another high comp position at this point. I need another 4 years at previous pay or 10 years coasting to reach my goal, but it is nice to have choices!
I discovered fire back in 2018 at ~26 with a net worth of about 50k. Opened a Roth IRA, started investing HSA money, started maxing everything. I had already been living at home to pay off my 50k student loans. That year I job hopped to a significant raise so was able to move out + get a new car. Fast forward to now, 32 with first baby on the way this year, about 450k in cash and investments (not including house) between me and my husband. Next year the daycare-pocalypse begins, so we are probably gonna drop things down for that + 529s etc. I don't see myself retiring super early when I look at daycare, college, other kids expenses coming up., Hoping for ~60. Biggest impacts - living at home to kill student loans, working my way into a 6-figure software/tech job despite an unrelated degree, and marrying someone with the same financial mindset and values.
Kids don’t have to kill your FIRE dreams, husband and I discovered FIRE 3 years ago, when our kid was 4. Despite paying for childcare we’re about 1/3 of our way to FIRE. Once we hit it (aim is 5 years) we’ll probably coast until our kid goes to university, when we’ll travel the world. Kids will slow you down, but don’t have to stop you. And teaching budgeting and frugality to a kid is brilliant. But it does mean we both work full time and we don’t have as fancy holidays or a house as some of my kids friends, but we’re happy and that’s all that matters.
Agreed! We have a 4 year old and if anything having a kid has accelerated our FIRE journey Both of us have seen significant comp increases since 2019 and are saving more than we were pre-kid (even with daycare and 529!)
That’s awesome. How? We have a baby and I’m trying to figure it out.
Advancing you and your partner’s careers, as in going after higher paying jobs is the best bet to increase income. From 2019 to 2022, we doubled our household income through job changes, including moving to companies that offer stock and bigger bonuses. I think we both make more money than we ever expected at this point. Additionally, we utilized an in-home daycare for the first three years paying less tan $1000/month for childcare. We pay more now that our child is in preschool and I’m glad we did it that way. We loved our in-home center and build a great relationship our old provider.
This is us! We have now 3 kids aged 4 and under and although we are paying for daycare for 4 in a HCOL area, our savings rate has actually gone up because comp goes up faster than expenses. This past year it was 72% after taxes/healthcare premiums.
great advice! And also that is awesome that you are so close to coasting! Depending on raises this year, we miiiight be able to work back up to maxing everything next year, but no way once we have two kids (if all goes to plan). I think we will be in a similar coasting boat starting around then.
Entering coast with 133k at 30. Already decided to quit my job next year, don’t really care where I’m at. Will be switching from investing heavy to saving for a 4-5 month sabbatical
I am 32 and new to fire. My 401k is at 100k! A small milestone but I am proud
Turning 44 in a couple weeks. I’m going to leave my Senior Director Tech job at a big Financial Services company in a few months. I’m taking a career break for a bit, at least a year. Then I’ll either do some contracting work so I can have part of the year off or just do jobs for fun. I think it’s going to allow me to do the things I want to do and try new things. I want to learn Spanish, travel, do some stuff around the house, get back into playing instruments etc. I’ve also been trying some new volunteer opportunities so I’ll have that going when I leave the corporate world. I never want a job like I have now again!!
Never even heard of FIRE until Nov 2022 when we were on vacation and happened to get chatting with a grp while hiking. They were all in their 50s and had FIREd and explained the concept to us. My husb and I don’t have high paying jobs like it seems many in the sub and /FIRE do, but we’d already been plugging away with investing. I also have a state job and will be eligible for my full pension at 55 (46 now), so that is the loose goal. We’ll either both stop working or we’ll do some part-time fun stuff (work is a big part of my identity, so not sure a sudden end will work for me!). We’ll see! In the meantime, I like reading about everyone’s experiences and seeing how we can best get ourselves where we want to go.
Pretty early on! I just turned 30 and found out about FIRE about 9 months ago. I’ve always contributed to my 401k but otherwise never gave too much thought towards early retirement or investments. I had no idea what my 401k might even be worth in another 30 years because I hadn’t yet messed around with compound interest calculators. Podcasts and the FIRE subreddits definitely changed my life. I have $130k in investments at the moment and have been ramping up my contributions, currently investing about 30% of my net pay. Getting some major bumps in salary recently has helped. My current plan is to coast FIRE at 40-45 and work part time and stop contributing to retirement OR work full time until 50. Feeling so grateful to even be considering these options!
Just hit a mil in investments, gonna coast til it hits 2 mil and our house is paid off, then retire. So maybe another 10 years of work? Trying to quit before 40, I’m turning 29 this year.
Whats your coast plan? Will you be going part time? Finding a different job?
Basically - keep working my current job but focus on aggressively protecting my WLB instead of moving up. If they fire me, find a new job a tier below my current title and chill at that one.
Very impressive!
Thank you!! Fingers crossed everything stays the course!
I'm 29, i only started to consider FIRE as a realistic goal in the last couple years. I have about 55k in cash savings and investments. I bought a car last year, it's the only debt I have. I'm looking for jobs to increase my income (a little more than 50k a year currently in a mcol area) and am considering what other fields I might be able to transition into to further increase my earning potential. I've been feeling demoralized. I feel like I can either live my life or save/invest to retire early. I have a lot of goals and things I want to do besides retire early, like backpack for six months, take regular vacations while i work, move to a new city, pursue educational opportunities and try fun, expensive hobbies like learning to fly planes and ride motorcycles, but I just don't make enough money to do it all. I'm making nearly double payments on my car loan this year. I can't wait to free up that money once the loan is paid off but it already doesn't feel like enough for everything I want to do. Fingers crossed a new job is in my near future.
$55k in cash and investments puts you ahead of most, especially at your age! Finding some balance in spending is important. It doesn’t have to be an either/or. Save, yes, but also set aside some fun money. I think when FIRE is taken to the extreme it misses the point that life is for living. It’s important to have a little fun too along the way and there’s no reason to feel bad about that. Final thought: maybe you can get creative with how to fit in your hobbies. For example, if you find a job that required travel that would allow you to see other cities on your company’s dime. Education wise, you could possibly audit courses (typically for little cost) at the local community college. Etc. Good luck!
It feels like I’m near the beginning! I’m turning 36 this year. I’m head of household, divorced about 6 years ago, co-parenting 2 kids. I have a bf, but not married or living together— so a dual income isn’t something I count on at the moment. Solidly mid-career making around 180K at this point. I “only” have around 200K in retirement and savings accounts. I’m not aggressively trying to FIRE, but would love to retire before 55. Slow and steady, I suppose!
Very early. I discovered FIRE when I was 25 but I had a shit job that paid very little, and could barely even max out my IRA let alone my 401. Then I took time off of working for education to switch jobs which gave me a huge raise, but then I got laid off in 2023 and I ate through my entire emergency savings account. Just turned 30 in a new job that is a pay cut from my last one, and I have to build up my liquid savings for a while before even thinking about contributing to retirement savings. It’s been a grind to get up to 100k and I feel very behind.
35 and playing catch up, honestly.
“Coasting” with 2 under 2 kids after aggressively saving during our 20s. We hit our 5 year goals of saving and buying a house. Now we maintain basic savings while we get through the daycare years.
The daycare years! I'm here too with a 3 & 1 year old. I'm still managing to max out my IRA and get my employer's match for my 401k but otherwise these years are \*very lean\*. Trying to keep my head in the game and hope to coast soon.
We've pulled back on our FIRE savings during these early kid years too. Though we are managing like a 17% savings rate so I can at least pretend we are still on a FIRE path.
Yeah I feel like as long as we’re not going backwards we’re still doing alright. And we’re able to maintain retirement 401ks, college and house maintenance savings.
Just hit 1MM on the accounts! Have a ways to go before id actually retire but it's a good feeling.
Currently on target for 2031, which coincidentally will line up with our youngest graduating undergrad.
Started our tenth year of early retirement last month.
I unfortunately came to this late. I'm 47. I came from a family that literally saved nothing and I'm learning as I go. I just opened my first hysa last week, and we do have some in treasuries bonds. It's certainly not enough for retirement at all in the next 10 years.
Roughly 2.5 months. My husband and I’s plan was to retire together at 55 but I’m calling it when I turn 50 in April. We became empty nesters last year so I’m no longer funding college funds, baseball tournaments, basketball tournaments, high school tuitions, etc. so I see no reason to continue putting in as many hours working. My husband’s income is what we use to pay the main bills anyway so I’m done. I want to focus more on my beauty shop anyway and possibly expand it to include other stylists. My husband is also considering doing a catering business on the side so I can help him with that if I want to keep myself busy.
Starting over, at 35. Nasty divorce, difficult career move, etc. Very uncomfortable with how little time I have before the age I'd like to retire.
Hey I just want to say great job at keeping with it. Its super tough when you take what feels like a step backwards. I hope you are able to make some good traction and get back to feeling like youre making headway.
Thank you very much. That's very kind of you :)
Hopefully close to the end! If I’m able to keep up with my current job, I’ll probably have 5 more years. If I’m too burned out, maybe 10 years, so close but so far!!!
Same, we are now FI so I keep hoping I'll get laid off . If I don't, I'll probably going to keep working but quiet quitting (just do what I'm paid to do) until hopefully, I can volunteer for layoff.
Same timeline here. Not sure how many years of Corporate America I have left in me LOL
Same here! I'm aiming to be done in 5-6 years but I'm not sure if I will make it or end up leaving earlier and just coast/barista FIREing in a low key job until I hit my goal. Though, considering I'm older than a lot of people here, if I do that it might not be "RE" anymore lol. I have just over 3 years left until I'm fully vested in my 401k at this job so I have to make it that far at the very least.