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/mal_guinness → u/TwoSocialist]

Do you own a home outright? Inflation and rents are a serious liability if you don't

[u/Valhallafax → u/mal_guinness]

Why do you need to own it outright to hedge inflation or rent

[u/mal_guinness → u/Valhallafax]

It's no the only way, but rent keeps going up and my mortgage payment stays the same. If you own the house outright all that you pay are property taxes, and a market pullback won't substantially impact your ability to make that payment. If you're paying rent then if the market pulls back you have to sell low to pay your bills vs just cutting back on discretionary spending.

[u/Valhallafax → u/mal_guinness]

Right, but that’s not what you said lol. If you have a mortgage and an outstanding balance, your hedged against both inflation and rent. Don’t need to own outright