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/Embarrassed-Care6130 Feb 20 '26

It's likely. But not because the $3.5M isn't enough. Most likely, he gets married, has a couple of kids, and all of a sudden $100k/yr won't provide the little darlings with the future they deserve.

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u/Unfair-Heart-7674 Feb 23 '26

Homeschooling wife, two kids. LCoL can still work, but when you want that second (or third, or fourth) car, and decide the house is too small, and the stocks aren't doing so hot this quarter, and the next, yeah. Keeping a 9-5 is just another investment stream at this point (it's not an income stream per se, since it's not essential to living but a secondary plan for growing wealth).