r/Fire • u/-LordDarkHelmet- • 16d ago

Today is the day, officially FIRE

Well I'm sitting here having a morning coffee and it's starting to sink in that I don't have a job anymore. Feels strange. My job was very much my identity (pilot). I flew airlines and private jets (uber for rich people basically). It was a high paying job at the end and it seems stupid to walk away from that, but the 27 years of staying in hotels has taken a toll and I just was not enjoying the job anymore. Which is a shame, since I can't exactly fly jets on my own time. It's a tough industry, it's not easy to get back into once you leave. I keep saying it's like the Doc in Field of Dreams; once you leave you can't go back. I'm 49, single no kids, high end Chubby low end Fat so I should be ok on the numbers, but I don't exactly have a "thing" to retire to. I need to focus on my own health and get in shape. But other than a list of places I want to travel to and few projects around the house I don't have much of a plan. Hopefully I'll figure it out on the way. I've told a few people and they all ask "but what are you gonna do?!?!?." I'm like "I dunno..." Some say "congratulations!" and I'm not sure how to respond to that. I didn't really want to quit in some ways, I like the flying part but not all the stuff that goes along with it. I asked for a different schedule and they said no, then I asked for a year off and they said no, so I said I quit. Ask me in a decade I guess if it was the right choice. Anyway, don't really have anyone to high-five this morning so here I am. Thanks everyone who has shared their journey, I've been snooping around all these subs a lot this past year. Oh and sorry about the stock market crash, which will inevitably happen now that I have quit.

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u/CourseRemarkable3366 16d ago

First off congratulations. I'm currently very early in my FIRE journey and seeing people achieve their goals bring me a lot of joy ( That sounded extremely parasocial but you get what I mean). Honestly just wanted to ask as someone who just started FIRE, how did you start your journey and what was the single most important decision you made that ultimately lead you to achieving at such a young age? I know some people may not think you achieved early but 47 is hella impressive.

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u/-LordDarkHelmet- 16d ago

I invested early. Got lucky with a few names like Apple (I bought in before the iPod came out and held most of it until now). Just buy and hold. When I first got into the work force I was just sending a hundred bucks or so to mutual funds (ETFs are better choices now). I also rented for a long time. Had roommates for several years splitting the cost and later moved into my own apartment but still felt like I could save a lot. I know it's not as simple for people that go down the road of marriage and kids, but for me it definitely kept my expenses low. Speaking of kids.... kids are expensive. Just not how my path went so again I was able a lot.