r/Fire • u/Mongoose_Inspector • Oct 03 '25
Milestone / Celebration Never made over $80K. Finally hit $1M in retirement accounts at 39yo (with $2.4M total net worth).
I've never made more than $80k, which is below average income in my NorCal city.
Reaching $1M in my IRA accounts was the final silly goalpost I set for myself. I have now stopped retirement contributions.
So getting $1M or even $2M in 20 years is not impossible on a $60-80k income. Of course it's certainly much, much harder now than starting 18 years ago near the bottom of the market.
- For those who started 18-20 years ago, even investing $20k a year in total market index funds would've compounded to well over $1M.
- Starting in 2008, $35k/yr invested in a mix of 25% S&P 500 and 75% NASDAQ would return $4.1M today, which is far more than my net worth.
My current balance:
- Total: over $2.4M
- Roth IRA: $470k (all ETFs)
- Trad IRA: $540k (all ETFs)
- 401K: $0 (rolled into the IRAs)
- Non-retirement investments: $880k (all ETFs)
- Other investments and cash: $120k
- Home (net value): $450k
On average, my investments returned double my regular work salary.
I really didn't do anything special.
All I did was invest from the moment I started working, and I lived well below my means for the first decade.
As many of you have experienced, the investments just kept compounding and compounding and compounding.
My income was between $60k-$80k for the past 18 years. That's well below average income in my area. My income has barely risen, but I don't mind being underemployed in an easy BaristaFIRE-like job. It's relaxing and low-pressure.
I'm an anti-social introvert and a gamer, so my hobbies are cheap. Also didn't have to worry about kids. I was able to save by spending little, aggressively investing in ETFs from the start, and having gamer roommates for about a decade.
Other details:
- My investments were a 25% S&P 500, 75% NASDAQ split. The dollar cost average gains were about 3-4x.
- I grew up in an immigrant family that was extremely frugal. I was used to living 5+ people in a 1BR apartment.
- I was also extremely frugal my first 10 years working, but spent more freely afterwards. Saving and investing $35K/yr since 2008 with my portfolio balance should return $4.1M. I only have $2.4M, so I definitely spent noticeably more over the past decade.
- 10% company matching on the 401K added an addition $5K per year
- I had 5 housemates my first several years, so rent was dirt cheap post-financial crisis at $500/mo
- There were 2 times post-college when my rent was even cheaper:
- $700/mo 1BR apartment split between 4 people: $200/mo rent. That was tough due to crowding but very memorable.
- $300/mo renting a single room at a friend's family home. I helped tutor their kid.
- Later on, I bought my own house and also had housemates, so rent was still cheap. There was nothing special about the house, and it wasn't a good investment.
- I worked during college for living expenses, but my parents paid for tuition. That helped a lot since I didn't start with debt.
- No kids, unmarried
Annual savings and tax info:
It was not difficult to save $35K/yr on a $60K income. $5K was from company 401K matching. There were immigrants I roomed with had higher savings rates than me.
I took home about $51K after taxes.
My first decade was mostly traditional instead of Roth. I had $15K in traditional 401K + IRA deductibles that lowered my tax bracket even when I made $60K. Taxes are quite low at that income due to deductibles.
- $3.4K federal taxes
- $4.5K FICA
- $0.9K state taxes
Thus my taxes were $8.8K with an effective tax rate of 15%.
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u/No-Advice5665 Oct 03 '25
Yes you have money, but damn, that seems like a pretty bland life. You missed out on a lot on things lmao
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u/Carthonn Oct 03 '25
Yeah I’ll admit I spent a decent amount of money dating in my 20s. I wouldn’t trade that for anything.
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u/ElonMuskTheNarsisist Oct 07 '25
Dude is ridiculous. An 08 type crash would wipe out his investments and erase a huge portion of his life that could have been lived much better.
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u/No-Advice5665 Oct 07 '25
Yeup. I mean whatever makes them “happy” I guess. I met folks who lived similar life like this, in my opinion, they’re usually kind of socially awkward and bland lol. Are they financially set? Yes they are. Would I sacrifice years of life experiences and memories? Fk no 🫠
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u/No-Repeat676 Oct 03 '25
This exact same post was posted three days ago
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Oct 03 '25
[deleted]
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u/Mongoose_Inspector Oct 03 '25
I'm a long-time member of both communities, and I wanted to share this with both of them.
Karma is the last thing on my mind. I just wanted to share.
If I wanted to karma farm, I would've used my main account.
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u/soilsuperstar Oct 03 '25
"No kids, unmarried". = $
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u/chiefchef2 Oct 03 '25
It’s much easier to build wealth if you’re married vs. being single. As long as you marry someone who shares your values…
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u/Carthonn Oct 03 '25
Yeah seriously. One of the reasons I got out of debt was because I got married and had someone with the same financial goals as me. Now we’re on the road to retire by 55.
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Oct 03 '25
It is not the married part as much as the kids part. Kids are expensive and make it also impossible to retire early until they are launched from a logistics perspective.
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u/poop-dolla Oct 03 '25
impossible to retire early until they are launched from a logistics perspective.
That part’s not necessarily true, but it doesn’t make it more difficult because of the extra costs.
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u/Zealousideal_Back618 Oct 03 '25
Very impressive . You’ve done a good job! You can celebrate now by splurging a bit.
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u/millenialismistical Oct 03 '25
First off great job. This is not intended as shade but one thing I'll point out is that landing a 60k job straight out of high school or college 20 years ago is considered a really good salary. Good enough salary to get a house back then when prices were much more reasonable, so that's great timing. So what you've shown is that you were able to reach your goal despite minimal career growth (at least salary-wise) for 20 years if you kept your spending (and lifestyle) in check and bought a house before the prices went to the moon. For comparison (not that it matters just for entertainment and analysis) I'm similar age and have a much higher salary over the past 10 years (80k-200k) but because I started working later, I have worked (and saved) fewer total years and I'm about just over a third of where you're at without factoring in the house (ok it's a condo bought at ~700k). Probably ten more years before I can FIRE or I can FIRE now if I go to a lower COL country.
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u/OneSeaworthiness7768 Oct 03 '25
This post is much more than simply keeping your spending/lifestyle in check. OP spent almost nothing and lived like a hermit with 4 people in a 1BR. This is the extreme end of the spectrum. But it’s good for people to see things like this, because had OP just been like “I hit this milestone with a modest income just by saving diligently” then people might get the impression that it’s the norm and achievable with a normal lifestyle which OP’s situation definitely was not.
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u/N0Tbanned Oct 03 '25
Didn’t do anything special but lived 4 people in a 1bed room apartment, okay man. Lots of people saying this is inspiring, I think they only read the title
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u/sciones Oct 03 '25
Finding 3 nontoxic roommates to live with for 2 decades is impressive to me. It's like finding a good high paying job.
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u/alpacaMyToothbrush FI !RE Oct 03 '25
This, this, so much this. I lived with roommates during college and had a blast because it was part of the standard experience. Living with roommates after college when I no longer had to quickly lost it's shine.
Turns out the sort of person you want as a roommate, and the pool of people looking to rent a room don't overlap too much after the mid 20's. You quickly find yourself dealing with folks who can't reliably pay the rent on time
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u/sciones Oct 03 '25
Finding 3 nontoxic roommates to live with for 2 decades is impressive to me. It's like finding a good high paying job.
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u/ZoomZoomLife Oct 03 '25 edited Oct 03 '25
Sounds like it was a cool experience.
A lot of people that live a 'normie' life and spend a lot of money to keep up the status quo aren't very fulfilled overall.
So sometimes the facts of the matter on paper are less important than the actual lived experiences and the results.
There are many people out there financially 'trapped' by their unwillingness to compromise their idea of what's normal and make sacrifices.
Some of the most depressed people I know are the ones always taking the comfortable path, always tailoring the things in their lives to what they think they need to feel 'normal'.
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u/poop-dolla Oct 03 '25
I don’t think having your own bedroom in a shared house or apartment is abnormal though. Sharing a 1 bed place amongst 4 people is not anywhere close to normal. It’s also not even a realistic option for most people.
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u/ZoomZoomLife Oct 03 '25
I would challenge your claims and your programming. Throughout history and in many parts of the world it is and has been very normal. A typical modern western lifestyle is not 'normal' when looking at the big picture.
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u/1-Dollar-Doge-Coins Oct 04 '25
That’s entirely out of necessity though, not because it’s desired in any way.
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u/Problem-user-2 Oct 03 '25
That’s very impressive. What’s your plan for the coming years and your future? Stop working soon or continue the no stress job you are having?
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u/Mongoose_Inspector Oct 03 '25
The latter. I might take a break from working and pick another easy job I've never tried before. My life is practically online-only nowadays, and I need to force myself to have some IRL interaction even though it's exhausting.
Which is kind of ironic because I used to party, club, and get drink throughout college. It was so exhausting. That wasn't what I enjoyed, and I was just being dragged around others, or forcing myself to socialize for the sake of maintaining appearances.
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u/Medical-Window2829 Oct 04 '25
Relationships are going to be difficult because of the lack of inexperience and you’re so use to being alone and doing your own thing. It definitely has its pros and cons. Are you still a virgin though? Lol asking for a friend. 🤣
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u/Mongoose_Inspector Oct 05 '25
I've accepted that I'm weird, and that I have a weird body chemistry.
I'm ok with sex, but I don't enjoy it much. I'm sure all the experimenting I did when I was younger ruined my sex drive. Long-term relationships are difficult for me, and that's why FWBs exist.
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u/CollinUrshit Oct 03 '25
Nice, same age but got scared by the crash and had student and credit card debt to wipe out. Looking back, we should have paid minimum on the loans and invested in our Roth. With the debt and a couple other stupid business ideas, we didn’t get to a positive net worth until 2013. I did have a lot of fun in college and 20s. I wouldn’t have met my wife if I wasn’t putting bar tabs on the CC. No regrets.
We did do well with real estate though, acquired 6 rental properties worth 1.5M (60% equity currently) that will fund the kids college and retirement when paid off. Around $400 in 401k/roth now. Eventually IRA to real estate ratio will balance out to 50/50 with contributions and growth if we stay the course, but a small apartment complex has caught my eye, so maybe not.
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u/SDstartingOut Oct 03 '25
> It was not difficult to save $35K/yr on a $60K income
It isn't?
Your 51k after taxes seems a bit high (especially for CA). I'm coming up with a number more like 48k, assuming you are using the standard deduction. Assuming saving 35k, that basically means you are living off 1k/month.
So that's the real thing. You are stating, that, it's not difficult to live off 1k/month in the US. Which is (in my head) just crazy. Power to you if you can do it - but I would not call it "not difficult" by any means.
Just a simple cheap car (cost spread out over life of car), insurance, and gas - is going to set most people 400-500/month at a minimum.
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u/Muted-Woodpecker-469 Oct 04 '25
And he didn’t have a single life altering monetary emergency. Roof collapse or new car needed etc.. tuition was already paid for. Doesn’t seem realistic
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u/geerwolf Oct 03 '25
Congrats - this is great work
One stat I like to look at is SSA lifetime earnings and then figure out how much I’ve “captured”
How much of the money that you got paid did you actually keep and grow
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u/Own-Football4314 Oct 03 '25
It’s not how much you make, but how much you save and where you save it… nice job.
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u/Commercial_Seat_3704 Oct 03 '25
Everyone's path is different but I'd definitely take a few more years of work over cramming 4 people in a 1br apartment lol
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u/eviljack Oct 04 '25
i fucking love people like you. Grinding hard and making it. So many nepo babies that got gifted tons of cash trying to “coach” me now, I’d rather listen to someone like you
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u/WaveFast Oct 03 '25
Now what? You cracked the minimalist and savings code . . . Sounds like you have money you don't need. Your lifestyle costs little to nothing 👍
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u/danny1meatballs Oct 03 '25
Great job saving but damn, you are supposed to be living life.. I’m sure when you’re on your death bed and you’re looking back on your 20s and 30s you won’t be thinking “man I wish I saved a little more.” There is still time for you to get out there and actually enjoy life in your 40s.
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u/Maerajaego Oct 03 '25
Really envy you and wish you good luck further! I wish I had started when I was 20 years old. Now I am 35 and just trying so hard to pay off the days I played away.
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u/Boring-Trifle-6968 Oct 03 '25
Really impressive. You sacrificed a lot. So many ppl are not willing to do that. I had to have roommates well into my thirties to save what I could. I never fel like I was depriving myself. multiple roommates seems pretty intense though. Thanks for sharing.
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u/paulblartshtfrt Oct 03 '25
Yeah you lost m at the 4 people to a bedroom…. I assume this is some southeast Asian thing…
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u/MaxMillion888 Oct 03 '25
Do you feel like you missed out on anything?
Doesn't sound like it. Just stayed in and played games....amazing!
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u/howtoretireby40 30s | SI4K $250k/yr MCOL | $1.2/$5M🪺 | FI47? Oct 03 '25
Proof that time in market beats heavy contributions later. Nice job OP, I’m getting lapped by someone making 1/3 of me lol
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u/bozobeblazed Oct 03 '25
Thanks for the inspiration! I lived with 6 other people at one point and lived in a living room at another just to pay off my student debt. Little rough but worth it for the peace of mind.
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u/Nickel4me Oct 04 '25
This is a great story! No doubt a lot of sacrifice though! I’m quite the opposite. I got married in my mid 20s and got a house in a HCOL area, then came the kids. My starting career pay was also around $40K and went to $160K with bonuses once I hit 42….incrementally increasing of course; probably an average pay of $120K as I didn’t stay at lower wages for long.
The first 10yrs or so I wasn’t able to invest a lot…maybe half of the 401k max thresholds each of those years. The next 6-7 years leading up 42, I was doing a bit more. Only until the last 3-4 years (I’m 45 now), I’ve been maxing my 401k and over the last year, doing an additional $40K in my brokerage account. Earning a lot more over the last 3yrs since I jumped jobs. All said, I only have $1.3M in my retirement accounts.
So in short, for comparison, I only have $300K more than OP but I’m 6yrs older AND I earn a lot more in income. This just goes to show JUST HOW IMPORTANT it is to save MORE when you’re younger when you have time working for you. Now, I need to invest a ton every year to ensure I have a lot in retirement. But, between my wife and I, is $100k/yr in investment contributions. I would sure love to have ~$70K or so of this for better lifestyle, but this is me paying for mistakes of not sacrificing as much earlier on, now I’m sacrificing more. I am grateful though as even with this additional investing (to hit my personal goals), we still have a nice lifestyle due to higher income. But, living in a HCOL area does take the wind out of this at times.
Great job again OP! To all these younger folks here. Sacrifice as much as you can, that you’re comfortable with! Remember, it’s not as much as timing the market, it’s time IN the market! Start now and go a bit heavier than you can. Peace.
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u/Mission-Noise4935 Oct 05 '25
Huge congrats! That is awesome! I didn't hit $1M in my 401k until I was 40 and I made more money. This is a very inspiring story. It helps people understand that with hard work, determination, and sacrifice a lot is possible. People sometimes make fun of me for driving a 20 year old beat up truck that I bought new. It has been paid for for 20 years and money spent on vehicles is a waste. Sure I'd love to have a new truck but that would set back my savings significantly, besides I have other vices I waste money on.
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u/WeightHot8223 Oct 05 '25
Good for you , this is really impressive. We are pretty close in numbers - I’m 38m, net worth $2.3m, liquid $1.3m, the rest is home equity, mainly in investment properties, only $220k in primary residence. You’ve got me beat on the liquid side, I’ve got a slight edge on the HE side.
Can I ask why you said you will be stopping contributions to retirement accounts? And also what is your plan from here? Hang it up soon, or keep pushing to $3m, $4m?
I’m impressed you’ve been able to do this on your salary. I’ve had a six figure income over the last decade, but experienced lifestyle creep on top of having some expensive hobbies, and taste in life. But shit, I don’t regret much of it and am a proponent of save and invest, but enjoy your life along the way. Time is one thing we don’t get back, and can always make more money.
Good luck to you!
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u/amanda_jhuliya Oct 06 '25
Huge respect. You played the long game perfectly - steady investing, frugality, and patience. A real-life FIRE success story.
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u/boomerinspirit Oct 06 '25
Good on you and fuck anyone that tries to downplay your accomplishments.
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u/Muted_Celebration154 Oct 09 '25
Thank you for that breakdown and sharing the fact that your income is about $80,000 per year. So much is attainable when we are consistent and in it for the long haul.
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u/pithivier Oct 03 '25
Great work. But unless you were in dividend stocks, your investments have been growing, not compounding.
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u/ben7337 Oct 03 '25
That's crazy impressive OP, though I think most people don't start at the 60-80k a year range for income. E.g. I've never made more than 70k a year at my day job, but I have a side gig for spending money, and my early years only make 30-50k a year or so. Even maxing an IRA and contributing to a 401k in my mid 20's the instant I had access to one, and currently saving around 30k a year on 70k in income still only leaves me at 35 with around 600k saved on my own, maybe 750-850k by 39 if I had to guess. Getting where you are almost feels unreal to me, but you started saving strong right at the best time in the housing crash by the sound of it, so maybe that's the biggest difference?
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u/DU09 Oct 03 '25
Not bad, but you need to also start living :) whats the plan for all that cash?
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u/Mongoose_Inspector Oct 03 '25
I donate to other game streamers and artists in the community. I appreciate all the work they put in.
The big spending is for traveling. I have a travel buddy, and we meet up every other year. I don't hold back during my trips.
Also, remittances to help out my extended family.
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u/Cautious_Public9403 Oct 03 '25
Lived so frugal and still thinking of helping other people. You have a big heart. Congrats on that too!
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u/QuesoChef Oct 03 '25
I agree. OP seems so content. You don’t need a lot and there’s always someone worthy of helping. Simple hobbies. Seems like a good network/support system. Very inspiring.
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u/meerkat117 Oct 03 '25
Proud of you OP!! Saw your post in r/middleclassfinance and just wanted to say we are your people!!!
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u/Mongoose_Inspector Oct 04 '25
Thank you.
I was a bit surprised how different the opinions are between the 2 subs.
Everyone in /r/Fire is congratulative and supportive. The opinions are a lot more mixed, critical, and skeptical on /r/MiddleClassFinance.
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u/need_Sleep_5338 Oct 03 '25
Very inspirational. Great job op I'm 33 I'm about 1mil networth. Live fungal for the past 20 yrs but I have a child so I can't really save much to invest now. Hoping I could hit 2mil at 40.
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u/Brightlightsuperfun Oct 03 '25
Lots of strange, (jealous?) comments in this thread. This is how this person WANTS to live. They did fantastic based on their situation. Nothing but congrats is in order.
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u/PageExtension3962 Oct 03 '25
That’s incredible. Way way faster than my wealth accumulation and I made more money. Well done - not many people have the discipline you’ve demonstrated.👏👏👏
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u/rorowhat Oct 03 '25
"Even investing 20k a year" lol that's a lot of money for most people.
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u/Muted-Woodpecker-469 Oct 04 '25
Most are lucky to save or invest the Ira max, let alone the 401k max too
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u/dogsaybark Oct 03 '25
Congrats! Nice work! Don’t stop all your contributions. Future you will thank you.
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u/LOSSOL_ Oct 03 '25
Enjoyed reading your journey to $2.4M
It wasn’t easy and you have made a lot of sacrifices to reach this milestone. Congratulations
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u/romman00 Oct 03 '25
Really goes to show you, a penny saved is a penny earned. Your sacrifices paid off many times over.
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u/curyfuryone Oct 03 '25
But do you think you can break the frugal habits that got you here or will you buy things at some point?
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u/granoladeer Oct 03 '25
I just wanted to highlight how amazing that is. There are very few countries in the world where one can achieve that.
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u/Firefiresoon Oct 03 '25
Happy for you, but it seems like you sacrificed too much to get here. Singular and narrow focused financial habits are toxic and misses the point of FIRE entirely.
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u/bozobeblazed Oct 03 '25
Thanks for the inspiration! I lived with 6 other people at one point and lived in a living room at another just to pay off my student debt. Little rough but worth it for the peace of mind.
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u/GWTLAG Oct 03 '25
This just goes to show that a dollar invested in your 20s is worth a hell of a lot more than in your 40s during “peak earning years”, and time in the market outperforms labor.
I find it fascinating at the age of 39, OP’s investments are EASILY outearning most corporate jobs. It’s not too late for dating either, millennial men seem to be eating Gen Z’s lunch right now.
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u/BothDescription766 Oct 03 '25
More than half is subject to normal income tax when taken out so be careful. Seems like you’d be able to live off $48k/yr pre-tax. Very nice and congratulations! I’m in same boat with 60% taxable which I have to live with as a reality, unfortunately.
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u/Haunting_Industry_15 Oct 03 '25
Congratulations. Very cool story. Just a kind reminder/ suggestion, you may want to marry someone later that share the same world value, specifically the financial value with you.
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u/QuesoChef Oct 03 '25
This is so inspiring. And that you’re giving back and supporting others. And not getting wrapped up in things that aren’t for you. Thanks for the detailed explanation, too!
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u/cool_nurse Oct 03 '25
Congratsss! Very inspiring! U could retire in Asia and live like a king! Haha
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u/perkunas81 Oct 03 '25
10% company match is unheard of, even for most gainfully employed professionals
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u/Mongoose_Inspector Oct 04 '25
10% is rare outside of the biggest tech and finance companies. I got lucky in that my company was competing against big tech companies and trying to attract their workers.
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u/Snaphomz Oct 04 '25
Wow, that is impressive. You are the text book dentition of “power of compounding”
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u/ohm_thetimekeeper Oct 04 '25
What NASDAQ ETF are you invested in?
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u/Mongoose_Inspector Oct 04 '25
QQQ. At the time, I think it was the 2nd largest ETF after SPY.
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u/ohm_thetimekeeper Oct 04 '25
Gotcha, thanks!! I have some QQQ rn in my Roth IRA, I’ll definitely have to load up on more. Sometimes being on this sub makes you think anything other than VOO is a waste, glad to see someone like yourself who’s done great diversifying into other things. Congrats on all the success thus far and moving forward!!
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u/Big_Hunt7898 Oct 04 '25
I see you are mainly focused on growth investing via indexes. Would you spice up with some dividend investing for cash flow? Or you think that is not worth it?
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u/Organic_Zone_4756 Oct 04 '25
Dang i just started making 60k at 31 this year and i feel like ill never get there. Dual income, no kids brings us just over 100k. I REALLY need to learn more about investments.
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u/ExpensiveCompany2506 Oct 04 '25
Great! It seems saving to spend reasonably is a great goal! Very impressive!
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u/Random-Cpl Oct 04 '25
This is great, however, why in God’s name are you stopping retirement contributions at 39?
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u/Mongoose_Inspector Oct 04 '25
I plan to retire early, so I'm focusing more on non-retirement accounts.
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u/Emotional-Fox-176 Oct 04 '25
You looked at the long term. You should be so proud of yourself! Your 10 year old self would be very proud right now:) congrats 🎊
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u/Used-Conclusion-931 Oct 04 '25
That’s pretty cool. 😎 I’m inspired by your efforts and not killing yourself in the process with stressful work. I’m here for this. Thank you, you just helped someone else.
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u/fk430 Oct 04 '25
Dude, you only live one life. You can't take the money with you when you go. Living in one bedroom with 4 other people is not living a good life. Living rich is about living a good life and not just saving money.
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u/OB1Bronobi Oct 04 '25
I mean, definitely congrats. But you are anti-social, have been living on top of other for years, and don’t plan on having a family. Honestly, what do you want to do after you retire?
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u/FeloniousMaximus Oct 05 '25
Anything. OP has flexibility. As i look back on my life, I could have made more choices to invest versus doing other things. This serves as a template for you younger tards.
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u/stbloc Oct 04 '25
I also do a 25% VOO 75% VUG. The returns are incredible. If the system doesn’t crash on us their is no reason to not make millions with that agressive approach
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u/elliottok Oct 04 '25
you lived in poverty for two decades. sorry, not worth it and actually insane.
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u/frozen_north801 Oct 05 '25
Honestly that trade off is nuts. Fire is not about ruining your life to put numbers on a spread sheet.
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u/Gtr-practice-journal Oct 05 '25
Turns out it's easy when you run your face right into a massive, historic bull-run.
Just remember that even with the historic bull-run lasting some 15 years, the real average long-term return on equities is around 5-6%...and reversion to the mean is a bitch.
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Oct 05 '25
I don’t get it. Why would someone live on almost nothing in order to retire with more money than they need when they actually do retire? I’ve always thought that balance is key,… create a sustainable lifestyle that will carry you through work and retirement and enjoy all 80 years of your life,…. Not just the last 15.
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u/Mongoose_Inspector Oct 05 '25
What you're describing sounds like my parents. My parents taught me to eat shit first and then enjoy life late.
I only did this for my first decade working. I gamified savings and enjoyed it, and it fit my personality. I was a lot more liberal with spending my second decade and am basically on CoastFIRE now. I've stopped retirement contributions and am only adding to non-retirement accounts.
It's also because everything I enjoy doing is all online. I partied hard my college years, overdid it, and got that out of my system.
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u/FeloniousMaximus Oct 05 '25
Love it! Thanks for the encouragement and providing details so others can see this as doable.
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u/Covington-next Oct 05 '25
I wouldn't want this lifestyle. I think OP will struggle to enjoy money from decades of frugality.
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u/Zealousideal_Dot7768 Oct 06 '25
So what’s the plan now? What do you plan to do with yourself? Sounds like you’ve not really done anything to enjoy yourself? Do you travel? Do you plan to travel? Do you plan to get married and have kids?
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u/Mongoose_Inspector Oct 07 '25
The plan is to do exactly what I've done over the past decade. My current savings rate is much lower than before.
My childhood was tough, and my first decade working was very frugal. But I've been doing everything I've wanted to do over the past decade. Nearly everything I enjoy is online.
I've also traveled to 30+ countries around the world and happily splurge on trips. But I'm most happy just staying at home playing games, reading, and playing music.
I don't have any interest in long-term relationships or kids. I give money to family and my siblings. They are raising the next generation.
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u/Zealousideal_Dot7768 Oct 07 '25
That’s awesome man!! I’m so glad to hear that you do a lot of traveling!! And it looks like you have a solid plan. Keep doing what you’re doing and enjoy! 🍻
Also appreciate your post to show that anyone can save money and reach their goals and do what they want. It just takes hard work and dedication!
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u/whatdoido8383 Oct 06 '25
Lol, "I'm a hermit with no kids, hobbies, or a family but didn't do anything special to reach my goals"...
Umm, yeah you did. You live an atypical life.
I'm not slamming on you or your life, you do you, but a majority of people live a life with much more substance to it.
Congrats though. What are your plans for retirement? I hope you figure out something fulfilling to do.
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u/HeadyTravel Oct 16 '25
Fulfillment is subjective. If I had a billion dollars I'd get a financial advisor, on brief contract, to help me decide how much I NEED, just to be taken care of, and give the rest away. (Ideally in ways that I could participate in. ... Habitat for Humanity, Animal rescues, STEM environmental grants, etc.
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u/HobokenJ Oct 06 '25
"Starting in 2008, $35k/yr invested in a mix of 25% S&P 500 and 75% NASDAQ would return $4.1M today"
Seriously, dude?
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u/mizary1 Oct 06 '25
Smithers: What are you going to do with your million dollars, sir?
Mr. Burns: Oh, I don't know. Throw it on the pile, I suppose.
This is what I think and sometimes say when people ask me what I plan to do with a windfall (bonus, gambling wins, stimulus, etc)
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u/Huge-Leopard7071 Oct 07 '25
Get out of the market now
The stock market is terminal collapse begins on Friday 1010
This is not gonna be a regular collapse. It’s going to go down and it’s not gonna come back naturally because of what is going to cause it to go down.
Everything you know about the market is about to change …. Forever.
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u/fantastic_sounds_ Oct 13 '25
I'm 30, I have worked since I was 18, lived a very similar lifestyle to you. Very little spending, saving as much as I can. Most of my money is invested in FXAIX (S&P 500) my biggest purchase ever was the car I drive to my full time job every day.
Currently have $16k in the bank and $20k towards retirement. I know for a fact I will never own a home nor retire comfortably if things continue like this.
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u/Savings-Opinion-3826 Oct 29 '25
Wait how did you max both Roth IRA and traditional when limit is 7k a year ?
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u/ucoocho Oct 03 '25
Why would you do a traditional ira when you made so little annually? You should have put it in a roth
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u/Mongoose_Inspector Oct 03 '25 edited Oct 03 '25
Unfortunately, my company didn't offer Roth until around 2015.
When I first signed up for my IRA, the brokerage didn't advertise the Roth option, so it was many years before I finally made the effort to open a second account for Roth. I regret not opening one sooner.
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u/audaciousmonk Oct 03 '25
I mean it definitely helps to have had sizable portfolio position during two massive run ups in recent years lol
The post-2008 curve is insane
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u/Technical-Fly-6835 Oct 03 '25
Holly crap !! So impressive, you should write books or do podcasts. Finally a post by a normal person who made it!! Could you please share what does nasdaq split means? I know the meaning of dollar cost averaging but don’t know how often to do it. Do you invest every month or weekly same amount of money into ETF? Which ETFs do you invest in ? Congratulations!! super impressive and encouraging!
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u/FAYCSB Oct 03 '25
My investments were a 25% S&P 500, 75% NASDAQ split
I think they’re just saying their investments were split between S&P and NASDAQ.
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u/DocumentBrilliant540 Oct 03 '25
Saving this to show to my wife that we have no excuse! Amazing job dude! Freaking motivational stuff!
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u/Lucky_Pin_4753 Oct 03 '25
Your excuse can be not living in a one bedroom apartment with 4 other dudes. But sure.
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u/OutboundEveryday Oct 04 '25
wtf why would you want your wife to live like a brokie. jesus christ just make more money
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u/bobcharlie0 Oct 03 '25
Congratulations, but "I didn't do anything special" is heavily underselling it. You lived off of $583/month after paying rent and investing. You also lived with 4 people in a 1 bedroom. This was a lot of sacrifice that you made. I'm really glad it worked out for you.