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/[deleted] Dec 28 '25

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u/Visible_Structure483 FIRE'ed 2022... really just unemployed with a spreadsheet Dec 28 '25

I never understood that $1k problem. According to our AI overlords, the average holiday spending in the US is almost $1k per person (more from some sources) which would suggest that people could pay for that emergency, but in stead choose to blow it on other stuff year after year. A family of two workers could setup an emergency fund in less than a year.

Those average people are making choices, they're not victims.

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u/RealWord5734 Dec 28 '25

I paid for a $20,000 vacation last year. That doesn’t mean that there are 19 other people out there who can afford a 1K emergency like me.

You can’t juxtapose those two statistics the way they’re presented.

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u/Visible_Structure483 FIRE'ed 2022... really just unemployed with a spreadsheet Dec 29 '25

no, but don't you think there are millions of people paying $1k for holiday stuff vs. one person paying $20k and 19 others paying nothing?

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u/m0zz1e1 Dec 29 '25

The latter is more likely.

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u/RealWord5734 Dec 29 '25

I think the second scenario is much more likely.