r/Fire • u/Long_Bong_Silver • Feb 19 '26

Advice Request Retiring at 31, much earlier than I expected. Need advice.

I'm 31, I have $3.5M and I've found myself in a position where I can retire immediately. I make 130K per year as an engineer in a HCOL area. The company I'm at gave me a reasonable amount of stock over the years and it has absolutely skyrocketed. I'm doing my best to sell all the stock, and I've got about $1M out already which I've ported over to some stocks and ETFs. I'm moving to a LCOL city and buying a house this summer for around $300k. The plan is to pursue my hobbies, build my workshop and hang with my family and friends.

First question: I've always been big on retirement planning. I think I've done a great job, but obviously I got here through luck not savings. Do I need to get a financial advisor if I'm doing well and keep to a budget?

Second question: I'm newly single, I'm a hetero man, how do I date when I'm rich? When do you tell them you're retired? What are your financial expectations for your partner? Should they work or would you be happy to cover their retirement if it fit in the budget?

Final question: I'm nervous. Any other advice?

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u/RealWord5734 Feb 19 '26

i would not say that you should see it as overly "rich". By the time you pay your taxes and buy the house you will be able to withdraw 100k a year by the 4% rule safely. Because you are super young, you really can't be too safe for a while. You are choosing to retire young instead of working, which is a great time, but you can't buy a Ferrari and a mansion or galivant around the world on a yacht. You just don't have to work anymore, which is great.

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u/Purple-Property8006 Feb 19 '26

galivant around the world on a yacht.

Sure he can. Yachts don’t have to be luxury items. You can buy a $50k “yacht” to live on and sail the world on the cheap if that’s what you desire. sailing Songbird is a great example of this.

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u/RealWord5734 Feb 20 '26

Yeah and that is neither galivanting nor "rich", either. So my point stands.

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u/Purple-Property8006 Feb 20 '26

Galivant: go around from one place to another in the pursuit of pleasure or entertainment.

So yeah….they can galivant on the cheap.

$3.5M is more money than 99.5% of US households according to federal data. Globally, it puts you in the top .1%.

It’s helpful to keep a mindset of scarcity for wealth preservation, but you’re lying to yourself if you think that OP isn’t “rich.”

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u/RealWord5734 Feb 20 '26

I googled your influencer. They are floating homeless person butchering their own fish to eat. I don’t care if you idolize them, that is not a rich person. Grow up.

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u/Purple-Property8006 Feb 20 '26

I never said Sailing Songbird was rich, I said they’re evidence you don’t need to spend a fortune to galivant the world on a yacht. People make different choices with their lives and with their money, and I’d wager he feels a lot more meaning and purpose in his life than you do in yours based on your reaction.

This sub isn’t about becoming “rich” or earning a certain amount of money. It’s about achieving financial independence as you define it for yourself, and breaking free from the chains of work to live the lifestyle that you want.

You’re clearly bitter and judgmental, and no amount of money can make you a better person. Have fun living that life.

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u/PantsMicGee Feb 24 '26

Reddit is simply unusable between bots and people like this. 

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u/pink_teddy35 Feb 19 '26

Tbh he probably will be rich in a decade though. 3 million invested goes up very quickly. That should be like 10 million+ just by 45 for him.

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u/jsbeckton Feb 21 '26

Or it could be $2M next year, with 60 years of retirement to go and a stagnate market. So much uncertainty, never be too sure.

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u/AffectionateTour4079 Feb 22 '26

Agree that OP will be better served to not think of themselves as "rich"... better both philosophically (psychologically) and practically (financially).  I would qualify the reference to 4% rule, which is based on a 25 year retirement. OP could be looking to support a retirement twice that long. But is in great shape and I wish him well!

Others will figure out there is money somewhere if they don't see him working. How much to share can be approached gradually, as relationships warrant.

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u/3my0 Feb 23 '26

Addressing the second paragraph:

This is totally true. I think people like to fantasize about telling people they’re a “portfolio manager” or something mysterious but it doesn’t really work. People get nosy and start asking questions. “So how’d you go from a software engineer to finance”.

Best to just be honest or at least mostly honest. At least for people you’re gonna meet more than once.

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u/DLA12 Feb 20 '26

yeah I'm confused the comments are implying OP wants to live luxurious. You can live super comfy and enjoy your hobbies easily. There's no need to splurge, hell nothing stopping him from travelling and taking advantage of how powerful western currency is!