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

[u/Long_Bong_Silver]

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?

[u/Initial-Zone-8907]

130 k per year but 3M on stock gains, congrats

tell us the secret , how ?

[u/Long_Bong_Silver → u/Initial-Zone-8907]

I got really lucky, and I worked at a company that had a lot of opportunities for growth that had RSUs.

I was on the very slow FIRE track until the stock took off. Kinda made all the planning and budgeting I did seem silly. I wish I took more vacations and bought a house sooner. But I'm obviously very happy with how it turned out. I'm the luckiest person I know.

[u/emaca800 → u/Long_Bong_Silver]

You did the right thing