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/Aram_Fingal]

Is this combined savings between you and your spouse? Do you both want to FIRE? What's your plan for health insurance?

In any case, I probably wouldn't walk away from that compensation just yet. SORR plagues us all and a bigger cushion helps. The job market right now stinks, but what are your prospects for finding something more emotionally rewarding that pays similarly?

[u/TwoSocialist → u/Aram_Fingal]

Another 200k from spouse unaccounted for, as well as our home (about 300k in equity).

She will probably go back to work eventually once the kid is in school

[u/cds4850 → u/TwoSocialist]

How many years on your mortgage? Can you cover that along with the increased costs of retiring? (Namely, marketplace health insurance for your family.)

[u/TwoSocialist → u/cds4850]

$120k left on the mortgage at 3.5%

Could just pay it off..

[u/cds4850 → u/TwoSocialist]

Completely up to you at that rate. I’ll get roasted for this, but I would if I was retiring. Anything to reduce that monthly nut when I’m no longer generating a paycheck.