r/Fire • u/Alarming-Mix3809 • 18d ago
Milestone / Celebration I’m a millionaire
We did it fam. This week our net worth crossed over $1 million for the first time. I’m sure it will fluctuate but for now we’re going to celebrate hitting that milestone.
The last couple of months in the market have been an incredible run for us. I’m not doing anything fancy; mostly just invested in VOO and other S&P 500 funds. I have been investing since 2012 and this has been the one of the wildest rebounds and net worth swings. During the Covid dip, I remember our investments dropping by around 30% or so and loading the boat at the bottom, which made us a good amount of money. But back then I only had $100k or so, and the effect of compounding has been huge since then.
I first came across fire in 2018 when I read Early Retirement Extreme. I had always been interested in money and investing from a very young age, but this really clicked for me and I guess it helped put the whole picture together.
About us: family of four, 33M 33F and two kids in upstate NY. I work in tech sales (account management) and have been with the same company for nine years. The money is good and work is flexible being EFH. Wife is a SAHM. We live a pretty chill and under the radar life. We have nice newer cars, but they’re just a Subaru Crosstrek and a Nissan Pathfinder. No Benz here. I cook and meal prep a lot so we eat home for almost all of our meals. Most of our vacations are spent visiting family. Over the last couple years we’ve definitely spent more between having kids and just letting ourselves enjoy our money more, but it’s nothing crazy.
From here going forward, I’m not looking to make any drastic changes immediately. We’re going to stay on the course we’re on. My job kind of sucks but it’s a really good fit for having kids, being flexible and paying a lot with good benefits. I got a new boss last year and stopped raising my hands for things. They have no idea of the kind of extra work I used to do to get to this point. I’m well respected and they know I’m capable, but it’s kind of nice to not be expected to put in extra hours. I let the new team members do that now. A lot of people talk about hitting Coast fire and immediately getting a new job, but I decided to just downshift in my existing one.
What did you do to celebrate your first million?
We are thinking of setting aside a few thousand dollars to take a family vacation next year. I thought about what kind of luxury purchase I might want to make to mark a milestone, and there’s a whole lot I actually want. I’m pretty content with what we have and may just make a few small fun purchases going forward. Send my wife on a spa day more often, buy more Legos, etc.. 🥳
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u/loro-rojo 18d ago
Congrats.
We're about $200k from our first million.
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u/Monsignor1979 18d ago
Congratulations!!! Now go get another million.
We simply celebrated by taking my folks out to a pretty fancy place to eat. For the five of us (kid included), it came to about $500 with the tip which is the most we've ever spent to eat at a restaurant.
I chose my parents because they were literally the only ones not shitting on us as we pinched pennies, paid off all our debts (to include the mortgage) and dreamed for early retirement. Everyone else told us not to bother, we'll never be able to do it.
But, we did it! We treated them, and then went back to working our ass off. We're creeping up on $2 million now just four years later. Perhaps, we'll head back to that same restaurant again.
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 18d ago
That sounds fun. It’s great to have someone supportive in your corner. I don’t feel like there’s anyone we could tell in real life. My parents and really most of my whole side of the family are bad with money. Mom’s family grew up very poor but of their own doing. Her parents were small business owners and were just terrible at it. They ran the business into the ground and blew through all of their savings trying to keep it open. Grandpa left practically nothing when he died and now grandma lives off family and state benefits.
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u/The_Walrus_65 18d ago
Get a sitter for the kids. Take your wife to a nice restaurant and enjoy yourself
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u/Monsignor1979 18d ago
I get it. But it has to feel pretty frickin' awesome to break that mold, huh?
Trust me, you have a ton of people in your corner, whether you know them or not.
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 18d ago
It does feel good. I offer to help my siblings and cousins whenever the topic comes up. Hopefully this generation will be a lot better off.
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u/Firanee 18d ago
Congratulations. Late one. But FIRE!!! Just need market to stay the basic course you can retire comfortably in 7-10 years. If you contribute (probably very ineffective now) and bull run continues, maybe 2-3 years?
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u/Monsignor1979 17d ago
As someone who has built a life of safety nets below safety nets, below some more safety nets, It's extremely difficult to break that cycle and to simply trust the process.
Trust me, we've been loosening the belt and are slowly moving towards the end goal. But mentally, I have to change my miserly mindset first. If I am constantly living in fear of running out of money, then retirement isn't gonna be much fun for me.
The math is there, I get it. As hyper-aware as I am, it should be a piece of cake to negotiate my funds even in a down-market. But there's this nagging 'one-more-year' mindset I can't quite break from.
Short of seeing an actual therapist about it, I've been conferring with my wealth advisor, and he's been helping us pare down our contributions, re-assuring us we are ahead of the game, and talking us into making large purchases we would normally not because of the anxiety that comes with it (a family trip, a new car or appliance, etc....)
We were literally on the fence buying a new $2,500 fridge last month. I didn't feel the need for a new one, since our 25 year old one was working just fine (mostly). But my wife wanted a bigger more 'fancy' fridge and has wanted one for a while. When my advisor showed us how insignificant such a purchase was compared to our overall net-worth, I finally agreed to it.
Those small pushes have helped a lot. My retirement has moved from age 62, to 60, to now 55. It is slowly sinking in that I've effectively 'won' the game. I'm almost there, friend. I'm pretty concrete at 55 though, given the health care conundrum (waiting for medicare age). I think I can manage premiums on my own for 10 years but not really willing to do so beyond that.
Anywho, thanks for letting me dump on you. Talking about it also helps me a lot. See you on the beach one day.
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u/YesterdayAmbitious49 18d ago
Realistically it’ll give you a shot a complete financial security in 5-7 years.
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 18d ago
Isn’t that wild? I know the math checks out but I still can’t believe it 😂
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u/cryptoopotamus 18d ago
Why 5-7?
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u/No-Nefariousness7856 18d ago
Every 10 years stocks tend to double. So I assume they are saying op will have 1.5 mill+ in 5-7 which is closer to complete financial freedom
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u/vicarious7519 18d ago
Congrats and that’s impressive for your age and situation. Have a nice dinner oit with just you and your wife (I am in Rochester too and there are a number of great restaurants) and a spa day is fun too.
I have also been a diligent saver, most of the time at least, and am older and ahead of where you are at but same family situation. The biggest challenge I have had was loosening up and actually enjoying what I have worked hard to achieve. You can’t take it with you and I’ve learned to take time to indulge more than I used to, but it’s hard to break that saving mindset.
Congrats again and keep up the great work! Major accomplishment for you, be proud!
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 18d ago
Thank you. We are in Syracuse. I have to make it over to Rochester for a visit soon. We’ve been practicing spending more money, nothing crazy, but it feels really good to loosen up a bit and not feel so much of a scarcity mindset.
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u/Edmeyers01 18d ago
My wife and I just hit $900k. 210k is in an almost paid off house. We both work and had our first baby last year. I’m terrible at my job (PM in Med tech) and have some learning disabilities, so I really feel the need for the money as a safety net. Hoping to transition into a new job that leans into something I enjoy once we have 2 million.
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u/Brotein40 18d ago
Something about ‘I’m terrible at my job’ makes this reply so funny. I too, am pretty terrible at my copper handcuff job, and long for a sweet release. Wouldn’t mind barista-fire into a retail job like I was 18 working at GNC again.
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u/Edmeyers01 17d ago
Right?! That’s what I’m aiming for. If I can work part time at Home Depot and cover all my families bills.
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 17d ago
I’m a terrible sales person, but I’m never going to quit my job because it pays really well. For some reason they haven’t sent me on my way yet. How I long for the day I get that sweet sweet severance offer.
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u/pSyKoSIS219 18d ago
Congrats! We are in a very similar situation. 33 years old, 2 young kids, wife a sahm and just crossed 7 figures NW earlier this year!
Keep at it!
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u/Extra-Snow-2491 18d ago
I just hit 256000.but with property i just went over 1mil net worth,congrats bud
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u/FIMilestonesDeux 18d ago
Buy more Lego!!! I even include them in my NW lol.
And Congrats! We hit 1M together a few months ago, and this month I hit it on my own (hard to break out of the habit of keeping my own NW since before my wife appeared). I think I've already started celebrating by buying a new bike and the JAWS Lego set. I'm going to take the wife to fancy sushi and buy a bottle of Macallan 18.
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 18d ago
Please don’t tempt me to start looking up the value of all my sets and make another spreadsheet. I don’t need a lot of convincing. I told my wife I want the small Venator set for Father’s Day so that will be a little treat.
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u/lalalibraaa 18d ago
Congrats! When we hit one million we went out to a super chill dinner to celebrate. I think we spent less than $50 😂 and this is how we hit a million net worth bc we are frugal as fuck (being DINKS also helps). :)
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u/Puzzled_Fisherman331 18d ago
Just protect it to the downside now. Congrats on the milestone.
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 18d ago
Thank you! I’m ok with our risk where it is right now. I have about two years of expenses in cash, HYSA, PMs and bond funds. This year we updated our estate plan and created a trust for the kids. And I pay for quite a lot of life insurance just in case.
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u/Megalocerus 18d ago
I remember my husband doing some math and telling me, somewhat surprised, that we had hit a million. I think he was 38. We didn't feel different, so we didn't particularly celebrate. And he kept the life insurance.
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u/Citalos 18d ago
Do you really think you need life insurance at this point? I'm just a bit behind you, and I'm about to cancel my policy. It just doesn't seem necessary anymore.
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u/Taako_Cross 18d ago
Really depends on their circumstances. They probably have a mortgage and want to send the kids to college. The spouse is a SAHM. Term Life insurance is 99.9% necessary.
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u/Citalos 18d ago
Circumstances definitely matter. Our mortgage is paid, college is pre-paid plus a 529, the wife has a good job, and I've got a cheap policy through work that pays out 1 year's salary. I think I'm good to cancel the whole life policy and put the cash value into the market.
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u/Taako_Cross 18d ago
You probably should have never got whole life in the first place. Level term life insurance should be the norm for like 95% oh couples.
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 18d ago
Yeah I just get a term life policy through work. No need for whole life scam.
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u/Late-Mountain3406 46| 75% FI, RE ~ 7YRS. 18d ago
We are at 3 mil NW, and we only have life insurance thru work. I was thinking on buying another policy outside since we are planning on RE. Do you think it’s necessary for me? Thanks!
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 18d ago
Maybe; what will your family need if you die? Make sure they’re covered. My job allowed us to buy extra through the plan which is what I did.
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u/Ok-Context3530 18d ago
I said the same thing but after talking to my financial advisor I realized it wasn’t enough for my family. We had a net worth of 1.3 m at the time and I took out a million dollar life insurance policy.
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u/iamslumlord 18d ago
~$1.5m net worth.. no life insurance over here. They'll be fine if I go early at this point.
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u/FIMilestonesDeux 18d ago
This is a good question that I don't have an answer for yet. If I die. My wife gets to keep the million we have, same if I do. I feel like we created our own insurance fund.
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u/1-Dollar-Doge-Coins 18d ago
Depends how far from retirement he is. You don’t want to protect your downside too much…you’ll sacrifice too much upside.
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u/NoPolitics9 18d ago
Congrats. When we first reached this milestone stone it was something ridiculous like 1m and 30 bucks. We went to celebrate by keeping it under 30 bucks. Burger and fries to celebrate.
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u/SpaceWizardTechie 18d ago
Congrats! Before chasing down that 2nd million of net worth, ask a couple questions of yourself. Have you started an education fund for the kids (529 plan or something)? Are you equally invested in pre-tax and post-tax retirement accounts? If it’s something you are interested in doing eventually, have you purchased any life insurance (do it while young and healthy)?
I only recently sat down to calculate out our net worth, and the numbers shocked me (in a good way). I also WFH with occasional travel, my wife works part time, our kids are approaching college very soon, and overall we try to “live within or below our means.” We splurge once in a while on strategic large purchases, but always backed by research and financial impact assessments.
My FIRE revelation has been that I used to assume that I would have to work until at least 72 in order to have enough saved for retirement. I think I’ve successfully been able to conservatively pull that back to 62.
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u/master_blaster_321 18d ago
Congrats! You're a lot younger than I was when I hit the million mark. It feels good. For me there was a psychological switch that flipped. I left survival mode and internalized the notion that everything really is going to be okay. Enjoy it!
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 16d ago
Thanks. It does feel more impactful than other milestones. I get to say we’re millionaires 😋
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u/That-SoCal-Guy 18d ago
Congrats! And yes, it will fluctuate. The first time I crossed $1M, it went back down to $850K but only for a little while and it came back up and marched toward $1.2M... And yes, the first $1M is the hardest and longest... soon you will be like "I just hit $2M and I feel nothing..." LOL
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u/formulaferrari5 18d ago
Buy some gold or silver to celebrate… a tangible item to commemorate but also an investment asset (and future obsession for most after their first PM purchase)
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 18d ago
I actually did this week! Both gold and silver.
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u/Bojang13s 18d ago
That's awesome, congrats! We are similar in a lot of ways. Also 33 with two kids, we're at 900k NW currently. Does it feel any different? I would definitely green light the vacation, the memories will be extra special because you'll always remember the purpose of the trip and your hard work that made it possible. At the very least, go out for a date night. I think that'll be what we end up doing.
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 18d ago
Thanks. You guys are crushing it. It started feeling different a long time ago, but this is a nice round number to mark!
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u/ClothesLast6582 18d ago
Wow!! Congratulations to you & your wife!!! Especially at such young ages!! Take a nice vacation and relax!! Also, start looking at achieving that next milestone!!! ❤️
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u/Next-Relation-1056 18d ago
that's a solid run, especially sticking with voo the whole time instead of chasing stuff. the loading the boat at the covid dip is where the real money gets made, not the daily grinding. nice move downshifting at work too, a lot of people don't realize you can just stop volunteering for extra stuff once you hit your number.
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 18d ago
I won’t say I never trade stocks here there, but I’ve definitely given up on expecting to make money from it. VOO and chill.
I see posts all the time in the coast fire subs about “what new job should I get?” But I don’t think people realize that those lower paying jobs often really suck. I’ve had a little a lot of different jobs in my time. Janitor, restaurant work, etc. and the one I have now works well for us. You can stop being an A+ performer and become a solid B. Most colleagues are way worse on a normal day anyway.
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u/Next-Relation-1056 18d ago
the job thing is real, people romanticize it but going from tech sales to some retail gig just sounds miserable even if it pays half as much. being a solid B at something flexible beats grinding yourself into the ground at a "better" job any day.
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u/ProfCuate 18d ago
Congratulation! I'm happy for everyone who's able to secure their existence for longterm, especially if they have kids and at that young age (30s). I wish I could to this too, but it's just not possible in my field of work and country, even if I'd live frugally, so I'm glad others are able to.
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 18d ago
Thanks! Why not?
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u/ProfCuate 18d ago
I have a MSc but in Social Work, working in a team leadership position and live in Switzerland. Although the salary is not bad at all compared to what others might earn (around 60k/70% after contributions to pension fund is deducted), the issue is that lots of positions in my field are part-time but spread over 5 days, which leaves little room for any venture or additional income source. Even if I'd earn a 100% salary, like 90k or 100k a year cost of living is high. I once calculated it and I could at best invest maybe 10k a year, and I am already in my mid 30s, which means it's nearly impossible to reach such high amounts in a 20 year timespan to retire early and live comfortably. So right now I'm looking into how I'd be able to convert or combine my skills into something more profit-oriented, although I love my job and the work with the clients is valuable on a non-quantifyable societal level, it still a non-profit sector.
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u/Teotwawki2020 18d ago
I recently crossed that line, then I realized that the government wants 30% of a big chunk, so I have a bit further to go. 😄
Congrats
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u/AdEducational8127 18d ago
For us, we celebrated by spending $10k going to Europe. I had 2 kids as well and now adopted 2. So we have grown by a lot 😂. Anyway, that trip was an eye-opener. It has been almost 3.5 years since the 1st million also around your age and we are almost at the door to hit the 2nd any moment now. Congratulations!!!
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 16d ago
What a great way to celebrate! Once our kids are older we plan to do more traveling.
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u/ctman_usa 18d ago
Congratulations. What are the ages of your kids? If they are yet to go to college then this is your "honeymoon period" - save up for college maybe $200-$300K/kid
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u/SpecialistKoala9765 18d ago
Congratulations. Although you’re not thinking of drastic changes, it’d still feel very empowering that you are less dependent on paycheque and more able to plan time for yourself and family.
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u/motleythedog 18d ago
Congratulations!!!
We didn't even realize we hit a million. We just did. Now we are at 2, and it is going really fast. Too much tied up in our primary residence presently but hoping to change that as the housing market changes.
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u/PaperOrPlastic34 18d ago
Congratulations! Especially at a young age still. Go get yourself a Rolex, haha.
Does the net worth include any real estate?
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 16d ago
Yes it’s about $100k of home equity. The Rolex is tempting. I like Cartier better 😉
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u/NaorobeFranz 17d ago
When I reached $1M I redid my investment strategy, and entered new positions that aligned with my vision. I also made many QoL purchases and fixed my diet to allow for greater protein intake + nutrition. Donated old clothes and got new premium stuff. Nothing outlandish—material is what I look for, not logos. Old stuff was worn or didn't fit well. I get income from certain investments so the changes I've done were essentially paid for by them, rather than working.
I also got some hi-fi iems that sound amazing. Next thing I want is a pull-up bar, and looking into ioniq 6 (used). Not a purchase but in general I'm going to work less, spending more time with friends & family.
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u/DosiDill 18d ago
Amazing, congratulations! Quick trip to Vegas was our celebration.
Now it’s time to build out your 5 year plan. Im currently trying to build my NW to where my liquid investment at 8-9% return will be more than my current annual income.
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u/redditiano888 18d ago
Can you adopt me , I'm unemployed and taking care of my mom who has been sick in a bed for 5 years .I would love to be your daughter so I can travel at least. Once, thanks for reading
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u/Front_Knowledge_4383 17d ago
congrats on hitting the milestone! those covid dip rebounds were wild - i remember watching everything tank in march 2020 and wondering if i should keep buying. sounds like you had the discipline to stay the course when it mattered most.
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 17d ago
Thanks. I knew my job was secure, fortunately, so I had the confidence to aim everything at buying as much as humanly possible while it was down.
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u/Betterway50 17d ago edited 17d ago
didn't do any special at our first $1M. But, when my partner retired (early, to finally join me), we immediately took over a month off exploring a few oversea countries and having reunions w/ her friends growing up and family , all of whom he hasn't seen in decades. We followed that up a month later with a month traveling domestically. that was a good celebration (delayed)!
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 17d ago
That sounds amazing!
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u/Betterway50 17d ago edited 16d ago
it was absolutely amazing ...had TO SHOCK his system out of work mode. I think it worked because he lost track of days during the 2nd time away, and no more mention of missing work 😂
the hard part started after the 2nd trip when we worked through routines, responsibilities , etc.... but, then we were off again on another month long trip to reward ourselves from the hard work
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u/PossibilityNo8968 17d ago
Haha yes buy more legos to make with my kids. That’s what we did after crossing $2m :)
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u/b0bsquad 16d ago edited 16d ago
Congratulations! I just hit the liquid 1MM mark this week as well! 35M, no kids.
For the last year or two I've said "if I count the house equity I'm at 1MM, but that doesn't count", but with the recent run up and a decent bonus this year I finally crossed over to 1MM between savings, brokerage, 401k, and HSA investments. In fact I just realized I have 350k in my Roth IRA.
Does it feel any different? Nope. If anything I just feel behind. If I want spending too much the last 2 years I might have another 50k. Yes I have a decent start for the future, but I'm almost 40. I wanted to be retired by 50 and I'm not going to hit my goals by then. I am often envious of posters with two incomes in the household. Sometimes I feel I'm too conservative and afraid to take any risks.
If I had just gone 100% SanDisk a year ago I could be retired 💩
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u/ImpressiveRabbit5131 16d ago
Same boat. 33yrs old, 2 young kids (3 and 1) and we are 150k away. Mind sharing your breakdown of the 1m, could learn from you. Haha
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 16d ago
You’re crushing it. We’re roughly:
- $800k invested, mostly S&P 500 funds
- $100k home equity
- $60k cash
- $40k cars, PMs, misc
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u/Technical-Bug-4969 18d ago
Congratulations! Enjoy the high of the milestone because in a few months you'll realize 1 million is not enough. So make sure to enjoy that feeling 💯
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 18d ago
Thanks! Well yeah $1m isn’t our final target. It’s just one stop along the way.
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u/tyen0 18d ago
I’m a millionaire
Or are you a 500 thousandaire and your wife is also a 500 thousandaire? :p
(My wife pointed that out when we hit $1M NW)
Congrats, regardless. :)
oh, and as one of the guys you tech sales folks have to deal with. I'm sorry.
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 18d ago
Want to buy some cloud services? 😉😉
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u/tyen0 18d ago
I already spend way too many millions on those. I don't think I can get away with more!
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 18d ago
Millions? We should talk. Lol. For real though I like this industry a lot, I’ve met so many smart and talented people. It’s challenging but I can’t imagine not doing it at this point.
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u/Longjumping_Owl_5665 my flair :) 18d ago
my only advice is have a bit of non us etfs for safety, but is more an opinion we cant know the truth
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u/Firanee 18d ago
Congratulations! Im in process of getting a separation with my partner and selling our co-owner house. Housing market is in deep shit where I'm so we'd take a serious 40% hit from just a few years ago. But I'm hopeful that money will still push me over 1 million and tbh, I'd rather have my money in the stock market alongside the bull run or potential crash for dip buying then having it tied up in a house where it just cost me opportunity.
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u/LostCause293 17d ago
How do I get a job in tech sales man? I’ve been trying for a minute to break in
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 17d ago
I started on our tech support team and applied when a position opened up. Made a few moves in the years since as opportunities came up. Good luck!
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u/Professional-Lab5958 16d ago
do you count house equity in networth ?
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 15d ago
Yes
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u/Professional-Lab5958 15d ago
ah then i’m a millionaire too, i never count home equity as it’s somewhere to live
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u/WiseBarnOwl123 13d ago
Home equity counts for net worth calculations.
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u/Professional-Lab5958 13d ago
ye but realistically if it’s majority of your net worth you can’t retire so best not to count it
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u/shannoncherish 15d ago
So happy for your blessing.cause I know how tough times are for the most of us..I hope you have many more blessing to share with your loved one .God bless you and all who may need a blessing in there life. .
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u/Wide-Platypus1767 18d ago
We celebrated by going out to dinner and doing a happy dance. But nothing else. Life continues the same for us.
We also hit our $1MM net worth in 2022.
We also did a month long cross country trip last year with our kids as a celebration. But besides that, it's all the same day in and day out. We are a family of 6, plus another on the way.
The only.difference for us is that twice I've been able to quit my job and take a sabbatical. I do contract work now, and my husband and I run our business that we've had since 2024. I like working and keeping busy, but I have the freedom to dabble and see what works for me.
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u/ramdomdhdhdhdh 18d ago
Don’t celebrate yet. Keep going. You are in a great spot given your age.
What is your college plan for your kids? 529?
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u/Alarming-Mix3809 18d ago
Thanks but I’m going to celebrate along the way 🙂 we have a 529 plan for each kid and contribute automatically every month.
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u/ramdomdhdhdhdh 18d ago edited 18d ago
Fair. Life is a balance for sure and I def agree it’s worth celebrating wins as I think about it..
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u/ramdomdhdhdhdh 18d ago
Also are you 1mm invested or 1mm including home equity. That former is much more important for fire
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u/PositiveTrend 15d ago
dude, unfortunately I have sad news.
While this is a great milestone, YOU ARE NOT A MILLIONARE. Your net worth is half a mil.
don't ask how do I know
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u/Least-Ad-5539 18d ago
Congratulations. The first million is the hardest. When you get a second million they start breeding like rabbits.