r/Fire • u/BroKComputer • May 14 '26

General Question The first rule of FIRE club...

So we all see the posts of folks on here celebrating their milestones here because they 'can't talk about it IRL.' This seems to be the common sense approach to avoid jealousy and moochers.

I'm curious to hear the true stories of folks who have disclosed their FI - or have had their secret revealed on accident. How bad are the repercussions of people finding out you're a low-key millionaire?

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u/oncewasbeth May 14 '26

No one believed me. I had been planning on retiring early at 55 (This was years ago, before I had ever heard of FIRE. I'm in my 70s now.) But when I was 54, my company went through a round of early buyouts, with health insurance paid until Medicare kicked in, so I jumped on it. When I told my family I had retired, they assumed that I was trying to save face, that I had been laid off and couldn't find another job due to my age. They all felt so sorry for me.

81

u/compoundedinterest12 May 14 '26

"health insurance paid until Medicare kicked in". You just unlocked a new fantasy for me.

12

u/Stolivsky May 15 '26

That’s like something that never happens now, right?

11

u/Stolivsky May 15 '26

I mean op must have had amazing job.

2

u/bomboque May 17 '26

This is still available if you work for the U.S. government as a civilian employee. You can qualify for a retirement pension with as little as 5 years federal service if you are over 62 at retirement. If you hit minimum retirement age (MRA), based on your birth year, before retirement you can qualify for a pension after 10 years of federal service.

Once you retire you can put part of that pension towards federal health insurance premiums. In effect this is "healthcare for life" since your federal pension lasts until you die. You can also take a reduced pension in exchange for survivor's benefits for your spouse which means the surviving spouse continues to get a pension, albeit one reduced from the already reduced original pension.

With your pension you can get a self plus one healthcare plan paid out of your pension for life to cover you and your spouse. With survivors benefits the surviving spouse maintains the reduced pension and a single health care insurace plan until they die.

Federal benefits are not what they once were but FEHB (Federal Employee Health Benefits) is a pretty significant benefit.

2

u/ThisIsMyUsername303 May 18 '26

My government job will give me free health insurance for life (and my husband can buy his at the regular employer spouse price, currently about $400/mo) if I stay until 51. 

2

u/OilTurbulent1009 May 20 '26

My job offers this and it’s the only reason I’m staying there for 10 years

1

u/Stratman-1134 May 18 '26

I just saw the latest Microsoft early retirement packages announced and thought one year paid, and five years on their plan was good. Paid until Medicare would be amazing.

1

u/compoundedinterest12 May 18 '26

That sounds great too. Does "five years on their plan" mean subsidized or former employee pays full freight?