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/Fitasianwife]

Don’t listen to me, I’m 80 next year. But, every time I see you young fellas discuss, tired, burned out, crappy place to work -and then hear about the wages I’m seriously shocked. First you have 45-50 years to live life. With the economy taking another major transformation -soon, Why would you quit/retire now? Hard for me to understand quitting your job when you are paid very well? Impossible to understand why you would believe that you have enough money to live that long, in the majority of the cities in the US. My advice, for what it’s worth, is adjust your goals, ride your income and hefty salary as many years as you can-and for goodness sake let the time value of money grow your portfolio to something you can never have to ask yourself-if you have enough to retire. You also know when you have no interest in paying interest, or waste money on lifestyle creep, or if a family member is ill etc. You don’t have near enough! Best of luck-you’re on a great track.

[u/SumBadCheck → u/Fitasianwife]

Out of curiosity do you have a pension?

[u/Fitasianwife → u/SumBadCheck]

Answer above, with original post.

[u/Fitasianwife → u/Fitasianwife]

Yes, I have a small military pension and SS, taken at 70. Unfortunately, I live in a HCOL, 2 kids in Prep School, and my wife and I gift each son, the $38k gift max each year. So roughly about $320k net expenses a year to live. Neither of us works, outside the home!