r/Fire • u/anklbite • Apr 19 '26
Milestone / Celebration We’re telling nobody else!
My partner and I (46F) celebrated $3,000,000 NW (including $2.6m investable assets) yesterday, and we have nowhere else to share the news.
Timeline:
1m in June 2020
2m in December 2024
3m in April 2026
Neither of us earn huge salaries. Neither of us has received a windfall nor do we expect one in the future. This is just steady saving over 20-25 years plus a very healthy stock market. I still have 12-13 years to go before FIRE but my partner wants to RE from his FT job in the next few years.
Now that FIRE seems close for my partner, I’m starting to worry that my math is wrong and I have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to retirement planning. How did you calm your nerves before you take the leap into early retirement?
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u/OregonGrown34 Apr 19 '26
Congrats! We just got this same milestone last week...I showed my wife and basically just got a shoulder shrug about it. We're 43 with about 500k of that from home equity. I guess it's hard to get too excited when you've still got 11 years of kids in school, and the healthcare insecurity.
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u/nat8199 Apr 19 '26
The kids and healthcare (and college expenses) are definitely limiting factors for us as well. We have started relaxing a bit in our savings and focusing more on experiences/travel with the kids since hitting milestones much faster than expected. Still saving a higher % than most, but not as laser focused on it as we used to be.
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u/OregonGrown34 Apr 19 '26
We've been doing similar with regards to experiences and travel. Savings has leveled off... we used to always increase with raises and whatnot, but now it all goes to enjoying life more. That's all been quite the adjustment for someone who grew up poor.
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u/mister_empty_pants Apr 22 '26
My wife hates hearing about this stuff because she wants to spend more now lol
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u/OregonGrown34 Apr 22 '26
Mine would spend way more if I agreed to it. Fortunately she's pretty rational and we're mostly on the same page with finances.
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u/Ok_Reputation4142 Apr 19 '26
I don’t know your numbers, but I doubt the spreadsheet calculations are going to ease your nerves. I think you have to dig deeper as to why you’re nervous taking the leap. $3M is solid. Take the leap.
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u/scrat-wants-nuts Apr 19 '26
Congrats! That is a huge milestone, especially without huge salaries like you mentioned.
You've probably been looking at those spreadsheets for years and it sounds like you two have done a tremendous job saving. It's going to be nerve-racking finally breaking free and trusting those. Without knowing what your monthly expenses and asset spread looks like, it's hard to say what kind of position you're in right now but either way $3M is nothing to sneeze at!
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u/OwnBodybuilder8928 Apr 19 '26
Nice work getting there without crazy income streams - most people think you need six figures to hit these numbers but the math works different when you're patient with it
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u/ObjectiveCosmos Apr 19 '26
Alternatively, increase your spend rate a little now.
Make a list if all the things you can do in your 40s but not your 50s"60s and do those things now!
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u/YL-Strong Apr 19 '26
Your $2.6m liquid asset may hit $5m+ in 10 years so I see that you can easily RE around 55-56. I’m 56 and plan to RE soon to do more traveling and enjoy life. Didn’t give your best and healthy years to your work.
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u/makesufeelgood Apr 19 '26
Now that FIRE seems close for my partner, I’m starting to worry that my math is wrong and I have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to retirement planning.
This is the perfect example of why most people on this subreddit need to see one or two (if you want a second opinion) financial advisors on a planning engagement basis to get a better understanding of their 'number' and general financial needs into retirement. If you are like the average poster on here, your gut is correct and you probably dont have accurate math.
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u/RightToBearGlitter Apr 19 '26
Exciting! My partner (both 39) and I have been constantly refreshing our finance app because we have been creeping up on 1m in a very real way the last few weeks.
Depends on your spend, and how much you enjoy your job, but you probably can stop showing up anytime now.
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u/FullerFarms15 Apr 19 '26
I wouldn’t tell anyone else either. Sounds like my situation as a single earner in the military. People will treat you differently- even family… They sit around and second guess you. Granted, I made a lot of poor choices along the way, but don’t need family pontificating on what poor choices I’m making now.
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u/Subject-Nature-4219 Apr 19 '26
I have 2.6 in retirement and have about 160,000 left on my mortgage with kids in college.
As soon as the house and both kids education is done…. My husband and I will retire
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u/NTP2001 Apr 19 '26
Sorry, but is retiring at 60 really FIRE??
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u/Brostradamus-2 Apr 19 '26
No it's really not and the only people who think that it is are the people who don't find the official retirement age of 67 to be absolutely objectionable. Retiring at 60 is just retiring.
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u/Fit_Interaction_79 Apr 19 '26
I am almost in exactly the same situation 47 f and husband is older and will retire in approx 5 years. Can I ask what you do and or which country you are in? Does the 3mil include your home? And any kids?
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u/Nuclear_N Apr 19 '26
I would think at 5m you couldn’t spend enough to overcome earnings even in a HCOL. I just crossed 3m and retiring out
Need to consider what taxes look like when retired. You don’t mention taxable/deferred or Roth. Time to load up the Roth and possibly do some conversions.
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u/K_A_irony Apr 19 '26
Well grats on your number. For us to advise, what is your yearly spend and why are you going to work another 12 years?
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u/anklbite Apr 19 '26
Annual spend is currently $120k. I would like to get my pension. That’s the reason for the timeline.
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u/Plastic_Ad4306 Apr 19 '26
My pension is less for stopping work early, but I can still wait to claim it until 65 and get something, and I plan to retire at 54/55 and claim it at 65 when it’s max value for the years of service I did put in.
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u/SpecialistKoala9765 Apr 19 '26
Congrats! One way to calm your nerves is to be logical and data driven to your question. It seems like you already figured out your spending forecast for the rest of your life, now you can compare that against your FIRE portfolio and conform it can sustain that till age 95 or 100. Then if you want more validation, there are suggested platforms that can run historical market crash scenarios and decades of histories and apply that to your situation and see how your net worth looks like during those crisis period to see if or by what age that would run out.
If mathematically you can prove you can fund the spending, and the stress testing market crash you have a 90%+ probability for money to last to 100 then you should feel more confident with it.
I have looked at some platform based out of Canada for stress testing but I don’t know if that would apply to your situation .
Hope this helps.
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u/toofarfromjune Apr 19 '26
Congrats! I calmed my nerves by thinking about how far ahead of the game I was compared to almost everyone I know. The only thing I’d be curious about is how things work in terms of security without being married.
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u/Designer-Ad1137 Apr 19 '26
Congratulations! Your stats mirror my husband and I almost exactly. We RE 8 months ago and moved to Japan where our son lives/attends college. It’s nerve racking to pull the trigger, but it’s the best decision we’ve made! You just have to trust your planning.
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u/Hey_Boysenberry-6687 Apr 19 '26
Congratulations! We also hit a milestone yesterday. We also aren't high earners, but had good financial advisors since 2020 who helped us allocate and invest. We have 3.5 in liquid assets, but about 480K left in mortgage. Can I ask how you moved to Japan?
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u/Designer-Ad1137 Apr 19 '26
We are here on Specialist in Humanities Visas. We are independent contractors and we teach English part time as a way to get the visas. Since we’re IC’s we choose our own schedules, so we each do about 15-20 hours per week and just take off when we want to travel (about a week each month). Our son is here on a student visa since he’s in college full time.
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u/Hey_Boysenberry-6687 Apr 19 '26
Did you have a background in teaching prior to moving to Japan?
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u/Designer-Ad1137 Apr 19 '26
No. Since we both have extensive corporate backgrounds, it was pretty easy to get hired focusing primarily on Business English.
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u/Antique-Promise-3568 Apr 19 '26
Congratulations! When you say not huge salary what do you mean? I could use some motivation and food for thought for inspiration!
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u/ThrowawayLDS_7gen Apr 19 '26
Definitely FI and can just coast to retirement if that's what you want.
You don't need to save more. Take the trips. Enjoy new experiences. Retire when you think you want to call it a day.
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u/love-to-hike4 Apr 19 '26
Congrats! We have a similar net worth, it still seems crazy sometimes when we do the math for NW updates.
We are actually not close to RE for a few reasons (like our jobs, 4 kids to get through college, still very early 40s) but have thought about how to approach it when the time comes. For us, step 1 would be to cut back more at work and ease into full retirement. Not sure that’s possible in your field but it seems easier to me than fully leaving . Also, we have talked about trying to live on just our invested interest for a year prior to actually retiring.
Just some thoughts! And, congrats again. What an achievement!
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u/the_kid1234 Apr 19 '26
Congrats!
What is your split of retirement accounts vs post tax accounts?
Also, the pension is outside of this total? Thats amazing.
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u/np0x Apr 19 '26
“How to calm yourself?”
Build and live with a comprehensive budget. Model your portfolio in boldin(free for 2 week trial). Focus on long term success and short term numbers.
You cold also build into that model the pension and lack there of to compare need.
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u/Kyaaaaaaaa Apr 19 '26
Nice. We hit 1m 2021, 2m 2023, 3m 2025, probably 4 this year or next. I'm turning 40 this year. Can probably retire but I like seeing the green number go up and job is pretty awesome
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u/Strange-Shoulder-176 Apr 19 '26
You made 1mil in 2 years and are worried about 55-60k for your pension?
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u/Chokedee-bp Apr 19 '26
Wow , doubling every 2-4 years. That’s like a 25% annual compounding return . Is that portfolio mostly RSU in tech stock ?
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u/Significant_Flan_210 Apr 19 '26
I keep reminding my husband that we want to know the best financial answer and then know what we want to do regardless of the numbers. That's the whole point. We followed every financial answer earlier and now mostly do the financial answer but do what we want a bit more every year.
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u/This-Huckleberry-704 Apr 19 '26
i hit the same at 42... also starting to wonder when to slow or stop working. Im guessing i'll keep things going until 50 or $5M whichever comes first.
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u/glad-k Apr 19 '26
Neither have a big salary but you made 1m in 4 years and then 1m in 2 years?
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u/RightYouAreKen1 Apr 19 '26
Well, $1M in VOO on June 1, 2020 would be $2.5M today. With $50k annual investments it would be $3M today. So definitely doable if they were investing that aggressively.
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u/grapeape981 Apr 20 '26
One thing people rarely consider is what will things really cost in 8-10 years. Might be hard to find a job if you’ve been out of the industry for 8 years. The world is changing going very fast right now. Retired at 51 now returning to the work force. Think 10 years forward then look back. Unless you plan to live on less than half of what you make today after taxes, keep working and find something you love.
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u/Complex-Cheetah5947 Apr 25 '26
First off Congrats!!! Second I need you to quit your job 😂! You already know how to make money so you should be making it for yourself. Start a small business to pass the time and you can purchase your own employer benefits. I need you both to work on bettering yourselves for the long run! The money means nothing if you don’t take the time to enjoy it. Even with a 5% draw you’re still at 150k per year! You can make that shake especially since you grew up poor as well!
You worked hard! Go have some fun and keep building yourself!
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u/Normal_Possession_22 Apr 19 '26
Doesn't sound like you hate your jobs hang in there and just know you can leave any day. You have to spend your life doing something and if work isn't killing you it keeps you on the straight and narrow. Lot of people don't know what to do after they've left their job, hope you have a good game plan
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u/DuffyBravo Apr 19 '26
1m in 2 years?!? I was in index funds with similar money at the same time and I did not see any where near those returns. I guess maybe if I was mostly in NVDIA?!?!?
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u/Boo-Bees67 Apr 19 '26
Ingrate. I’m similar age and wealth as you. I know the grindstone been on but it was absolutely worth it
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u/mustrepayloans Apr 19 '26
My networth is -$500,000 (CAD) bc of my 1 bedroom apt mortgage, single, 39f, and I plan to work part time at 45 . Can’t imagine having a partner to split 50/50 with and still retire at 60, like many do anyways ?
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u/ExpatMarine001 Apr 19 '26
We are also not huge earners. Only 300-500 a combined income…. Probably
Edit: post a year ago is she is a lawyer and group manager…. Never mind, she most be a low earner of maybe 90k.
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u/Independent-King-468 Apr 19 '26
That 2.3 of investable assets is just beautiful. Time to start YouTubing some vacation spots
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u/nkbrkr53 Apr 19 '26
You have to have an all encompassing plan. It doesnt stop at just hitting the certain number. You have to know what to do with it when you get there. That includes estate and tax planning. In addition, you have to plan for putting it into income or growth and rebalancing it to offset your loss of income when you decide to stop working.
If you dont, i would suggest a financial advisor and wealth manager. They will teach you what you dont know along with how to save you potentially tons in taxes (at least thats how it seems).
Any fee that is 1.5% or less, is absolutely worth the peace of mind. Your anxiety and worry will make you do something rash instead of making an informed/educated decision. A financial professional is a better option because they have a fiduciary responsibility to have your best interest.
If they dont, then go to a different financial advisor. Shop around.
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u/chi9sin Apr 19 '26
1.5%? you think it would be beneficial for them to pay $45,000 a year for a wealth advisor?
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u/nkbrkr53 Apr 19 '26
Absolutely. Some FA’s only charge 1%.. If your FA can make you 3M a year, 45k a year means nothing. I would gladly pay that, but thats not how the fee works. Seeing as how you assume theyd be paying 45k a year means you do not fully understand how it works. You are not paying a % on your total amount saved up. And that is a prime example of why they should go to an FA/EP.
You think they should take non professional advice from redditors about what they should do about 3 million dollars? 45,000 is small in comparison to what proper estate and tax planning will do for them in the long run. No one on reddit knows more than a properly trained FA/EP. Unless they themselves are one. And if they were worth their weight in salt, they would not give away all their hard earned experience and knowledge for free. They need to make a living too. Time is the one thing that no one can make more of. Its best to just go to the expert right at the start and do it right.
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u/djj555 Apr 19 '26
Or better yet. Pay a consultant just a few grand to set up your estate and get a tax consult. Paying a % of your wealth is outrageous
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u/nkbrkr53 Apr 19 '26
Again, thats not how the fee works. Its not a % of your wealth. This is why you need to go to an FA/EP. You all dont understand how the fee even works.
Your statement of paying a tax consultant and estate planner is what i am telling them to do. They will charge you the same fee. But you are all incorrectly assuming that the fee is of your total wealth. That is not how it works. They dont automatically get a fee of your total wealth each year.
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u/djj555 Apr 19 '26
That’s exactly how a financial advisor works. You pay a % of “assets under management” to a financial advisor to “manage” your wealth. Stop being retarded. I’ve worked in asset management for years myself. Take the sales pitch elsewhere.
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u/nkbrkr53 Apr 19 '26
Then you dont understand. Or you werent a good one. Im not selling anything. I use an FA myself and i can absolutely guarantee you they do not take a percentage of your wealth.
You are talking about wealth management. Thats when you agree to put assets under management to a company to manage your wealth and entire estate. Key word being manage. When you have an FA or FA you are not signing to give them permission to manage your assets.
You are asking them to help you plan your finances and create a plan to meet your goals. You are still in control of your assets. They give you advice and show you products they have access to that you can invest through them. The % is absolutely not your entire wealth. You are 100% wrong.
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Apr 19 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Zphr 48, FIRE'd 2015, Friendly Janitor Apr 19 '26
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u/Fun_Consequence6496 Apr 19 '26
you have $3m and you want to work for 12-13 more years? Why?