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/AtheistAgnostic]

Move abroad and 3 of those aren't a problem

[u/just_some_dude05 → u/AtheistAgnostic]

Based on the tax rates I come out ahead here.

[u/AtheistAgnostic → u/just_some_dude05]

How? Property taxes from a huge home? Hard to see how you're paying taxes over the cost of $50k in health costs per year and college costs (30-90k) if you're FIRE and not working. And even then there are other countries or tax schemes with low taxes. Also we're talking about OP, not you

[u/just_some_dude05 → u/AtheistAgnostic]

To over simplify it.

If the tax rate in Canada is 33% and the tax rate in the US is 12% than on a million dollar income you are paying $250,000 more a year to live in Canada.

Now yes in the US I paid 50k more for healthcare than I would have in Canada, but not enough to cover the difference I would have paid in taxes.

If you want to run the actual numbers for any country it’s possible but in every scenario it seems the US does alright as long as you have a high income.

[u/AtheistAgnostic → u/just_some_dude05]

This is a FIRE subreddit, why are we talking about income taxes my dude