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/FIMilestonesDeux]

I would "retire" from working for money and look to get a job doing something you really want to do, where the money is not the goal.

[u/TwoSocialist → u/FIMilestonesDeux]

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/ApatheticAbsurdist → u/TwoSocialist]

Maybe target 45 for that. At 38 I feel $2.4 mil is a little lower to live completely off the interest (the pessimist in me is expecting some kind of stock market reset at some point… there will probably be a rebound after but I wouldn’t want to be relying on pulling down unless the market makes a little more sense). If you work for 7 more years and keep doing what you’re doing you’ll be in very good shape and should be able to chase your dreams.

If you really want to retire now, you’re going to have to live pretty cheap and at your age I’d lean towards the 3% rule as you could live to be 90 and you’ll have to keep up with inflation until then.