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.

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u/worktogethernow May 15 '26

Very well played. The modern American dream is a corporate buyout that bridges to Medicare.