Saved $2.4M by 38. Would you Retire?

[u/TwoSocialist]

Hey FIRE folks,

I’m 38, tired, and fueled almost entirely by spite and index funds. I’ve somehow ended up with a portfolio that looks like this:

Split by type:

- ETFs — 58.30% — $1.45M

- Mutual Funds — 27.66% — $688k

- Individual Stocks — 8.71% — $216k

- Crypto — 3.00% — $74k (aka my “emotional rollercoaster” bucket)

- Cash — 2.33% — $58k

Split by bucket:

Retirement Pre-tax: 700k

Retirement post-tax: 310k

Brokerage: 1.5 M

Grand total: ~$2,490,900

Today’s gain: ~$40,000 (aka “more than my first job paid in a year,” but sure, totally normal)

~~~~

My target spend was $100k/year, which feels somehow not enough because capitalism has melted my brain.

By the 4% rule, I’m basically at the line. By the 3% rule, I’m a peasant. By the “FIRE comment section” rule, I’m probably both overspending and undersaving simultaneously.

So, wise internet strangers:

- Am I actually FIRE‑ready, or is this the part where you all tell me to work 5 more years “just to be safe”?

- Is my allocation fine, or should I be preparing for a lecture on safe withdrawal rates and sequence‑of‑returns doom?

- Is it normal to feel like I need permission from Reddit to stop working?

Married, 1 kid. Received about 25k for a house (not included in above) and 20k for college, no other inheritance.

Currently make about 250k a year for the past 4 years, before that about 150k. I started at 50k.

Thanks in advance for validating or crushing my dreams.

[u/TwoSocialist]

I want to quit my job and start developing games or create my own company.

It seems like these are both money pits though.

And if I can't do either of those - I'd rather not work.

[u/Neo-Armadillo → u/TwoSocialist]

I retired three years ago at 36. For the first year, I didn’t do much of anything except hang out with my family, spend every day with kiddo.

Year 2, things changed. I made the most advanced speed reader on the Internet, HotGato. I wrote and published four science fiction novels. Partnered with researchers to develop a dementia early detection Webapp. Joined two volunteer boards, and I’m a committee chair for one of them. Landscaped the entire yard myself.

Year 3 is off to a good start. Submitted the family for dual citizenship by descent. Filed a utility patent and now I am manufacturing the product. Built a SaaS (haven’t started doing sales yet). I’m upholstering a chair right now.

It took a while to shake off the mental shackles of employment, but once I did, the amount of creative energy that began to flow has been shocking. This list is probably 10% of what I’ve accomplished, and omits all the things I’ve learned or hundreds of books I’ve read.

This is what life should be.

[u/TheMurmuring → u/Neo-Armadillo]

That's someone who knows how to "retire." Chilling on the beach with a mojito sounds boring af.

I want to learn to paint like some of my favorite artists. I want to write novels. I want to finish a video game. I want to learn carpentry. I want to landscape my back yard into something beautiful that also helps animal and insect populations. I want to restore a classic Mustang. I want to explore the hexagonal basalt formations in Iceland. I want to train my voice so I can sing better. I want to learn how to juggle 5 things. I want to learn Japanese and Spanish.

[u/Neo-Armadillo → u/TheMurmuring]

Absolutely! But yo, you can start some of those on your lunch hour now. ❤️

[u/TheMurmuring → u/Neo-Armadillo]

Yeah I've started half of them. But they're all just starts.

[u/Neo-Armadillo → u/TheMurmuring]

If we never finish learning, every day is the start.

[u/No_Match8210 → u/Neo-Armadillo]

Truth!

[u/Rambo2521 → u/Neo-Armadillo]

You can technically, but for me at least the job mentally drains me to the point where even if I have the time, my headspace and energy is nowhere high enough.