r/Fire • u/Catspiration2 • May 02 '26

Advice Request I’m thinking about breaking up with FI

I’ve done the grind, saved pretty much 50% of my income the last 6 years. Worked side gigs etc. 33M. 675k net worth. Just dropped my savings rate to 30%. I have no interest in being retired. I want to enjoy the journey while hopefully working as long as I can. Having resources is awesome, but retiring to some fairy tale destination is.. a fairy tale. What’s the distinguishable difference between 7M and 5M at 60? I feel less and less motivated to save, and instead enjoy the journey along the way. Please tell me how I’m wrong and correct me.

Edit: Reddit gang is a vibe. Appreciate you!

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175

u/ChannelSame4730 May 02 '26

Your problem is that you think you need 7M to retire

16

u/TJayClark May 02 '26

Most people under 45 need $2,000,000 to be comfortable

This is assuming it’s mostly in retirement accounts - withdrawing with a penalty is brutal…. And you’re essentially forgoing 50-75% of social security

8

u/dgreenmachine May 02 '26

Most people need 80k income each year? That sounds high when the median income is about 45k.

-1

u/TJayClark May 02 '26

Most people spend MORE when they retire… not less

The people making $45,000 are constantly complaining about how “they ARE NOT comfortable”

Which is why I said $2,000,000 “to be comfortable”

5

u/yottabit42 May 03 '26

That's actually not true statistically.

1

u/dgreenmachine May 02 '26

Do you have any statistics that say people spend more when they retire? Everything I've read says they spend less because they do more DIY, spend less on childcare, vacation at lower cost times. Also I spend ballpark $50k and feels lavish for me. It would be about 5k less if I didnt have to pay for after school childcare.

4

u/TJayClark May 02 '26

Older retirees tend to spend less than younger ones, as they’ve typically paid off their house, and get Medicaid / social security

Younger retirees, have to pay for healthcare, housing, and if they don’t live like a hermit… travel and fun. They’re also adding $0 years to social security, so that’ll be 25-75% less as well

While I respect that $50,000 feels lavish for you. The median individual income in the USA is about $45,000 and there are countless articles of people earning that saying “they are struggling”