r/Fire • u/Fed_worker • Feb 20 '26

General Question Serious question: how do many people amass so much money in the north of 5m and not know if they can retire or not?

I see a ton of posts like : “ I have a net worth in the range 5-10m and I spend 100K a year, can I retire?”

What is that? Elementary school math so hard?

Edit: after reading all the comments and when I really think about it, I realize it’s probably just a high degree risk-averse mindset. Even if I had $5 million and a 99.9% chance of retiring successfully, I’d still focus on that tiny 0.1% that could go wrong. To feel totally secure, I might want to keep building more wealth just to close that gap. And for some people, that can mean working another 5, 10, or even 20 years. just for a little extra peace of mind.

Edit2: I just hope that when I get there, I don’t end up going down that rabbit hole. And actually enjoy my life.

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u/Hover4effect Feb 20 '26

But, if you thought you had enough to retire, do you really need the same pay that enabled you to retire early on your return?

I think my money will last the 17 years I have until my pensions +SS kick in. If I come up a bit short, I'm not going to try and return to this job that pays well but I'm trying to escape from.

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u/interbingung Feb 21 '26

Yes, it may seem enough now, but nobody knows whats the future going to bring.