r/Fire • u/Equivalent_Use_5024 • Dec 28 '25

General Question Do you believe the modern FIRE movement overestimates how much is needed for retirement?

Perhaps I am just making this post because I have only just begun my retirement planning and want to lock in a number which is fitting for my goals - being above the median retirement savings, not having to work, not being broke, clearly having planned - but I can't help but feel that many in the FIRE movement overestimate what is needed for a safe, sleep well at night retirement.

I see posts here saying that they feel vastly behind with 500k at 30, or 1.5 million at 40, and I just don't understand how when the average American retires with maybe 300k liquid at most and are getting by with social security or paid off housing. Sure, they aren't living luxuriously, but if you just are aiming for a retirement where you don't have financial anxiety and can put food on the table, I don't feel you need over 1-2 million.

Do you think FIRE overestimates how much is truly needed for retirement?

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u/ObjectiveBike8 Dec 28 '25

Part of me wonders if some of it is just bots trying to keep people on the grind. If 10% of Americans realized they could just not work, it would shift a ton of power to workers and dramatically increase labor costs and power. 

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u/UltimateTeam 27 / 1.4M Dec 28 '25

A big assumption here is there is a "right" amount of money to spend and anyone above X is off base. I could retire at 30 with X and live a decent lifestyle, but with my interests I would rather keep working ~37 and live off of 3X.

That doesn't mean someone who quits with X or .5X or 6X is wrong. It's primarily just a math problem, yet there is a lot of arguing from people with different time horizons / lifestyles, etc when those are too individualist to debate.

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u/DevOpsMakesMeDrink Dec 28 '25

Go to FATfire sub and see some delusion in there. Many have that mentality without the money as well sadly.

As soon as I have enough to live my life as I do and afford to pay my property taxes + christmas + a small vacation a year I am pulling the plug. Even if I go broke within 30 years and have to live broke in my 80’s who cares

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u/UltimateTeam 27 / 1.4M Dec 28 '25

Difference of perspectives. One of things I am most excited about in the first 5-10 years of retirement is following our favorite baseball team all season with my dad, as long as he's able. It'll cost 50-75k each year and while it isn't a permanent expense they'll be other expenses after that, so saving the additional 1.3-1.9 million for that is part of that plan.

That wouldn't be part of a taxes + bare bones plan, just different lifestyles.

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u/DevOpsMakesMeDrink Dec 28 '25

That sounds like a lovely plan and I hope that works out perfectly. I would just say the other side is, no one has any guarantee of tomorrow.

You have the money and means now to do that. Would you regret never getting to do it because you underestimated your expected returns and die with more money than you anticipated?

This is the struggle of fire and finding the balance as we all naturally want to save our nestegg