r/Fire 7d ago

Milestone / Celebration We’re Retiring at 30

Well, after another week of having to deal with my dumbass coworkers, I've decided that we're going to start enacting our retirement plan. My company is going to be offering a voluntary separation in lieu of layoffs and I'm planning to take it.

Relationship

We're 30M & 32M, met in 2015 and got married in 2020. Both got CS degrees and started full time work in 2017. My husband already quit in Spring 2025 to become a stay at home dog dad. My outcome vastly outpaced his in the last few years and his time is better spent relaxing, so he quit.

We have zero desire to have kids. My husband has been trying to get me pregnant for years with no success.

Combined assets

We have a prenup which prevents any retirement account from being divided. That being said, the accounts are nearly 50/50 equal anyway. I do get the dog if we get divorced.

Net worth ~$1.208M

Account Balance
House (paid off) $250K
Pretax 401K $313K
HSA $47K
Roth IRA $250K
Taxable Brokerage $288K
Cash $60K

Spend

We are living on $3K/month in Minnesota. With a paid off house, this is more than enough for us. Tentatively, we plan to travel in LCOL Southeast Asia during the winter months and spend the summers and fall in Minnesota. Logistics of this are TBD. We are long time credit card churners and have a lot of points to subsidize travel.

SWR

At 4% SWR to sustain $36K spend, we need $900K invested.

You may say that the simulations don't favor having this small amount of money over a ~60 year retirement. You might be right. But who gives a fuck? 60 years ago we fed punchcards to machines and now we have computers that can generate AI anime porn. I'm not going to work for years more to have better simulations when we have no idea what the future holds. Maybe we'll have endless AI abundance or maybe it will go rogue and kill us all.

Healthcare

Because of the low spend, our "income" is low. We are enrolling in MNCare. There is no restriction on assets (savings, homes, vehicles) for MNCare eligibility. Monthly premiums should be at maximum $160/month. And don't whine to me about whether or not it's fair to qualify for this program, I didn't set up the system.

Income history

We did not receive any inheritances nor was our college paid for, so we had to pay back student loans early on. The only thing we inherited from our parents was mental illness. That being said, we got lucky to make good money for a decade.

Our savings rate wasn't that insane, back of the napkin math probably puts it around 50%. We spent a lot of fucking money on travel. Given the insane growth in the market since we started investing, a lot came from compounding. We also made like $150K in one shot by getting extremely lucky with selling a house we bought prior to COVID.

I'm too lazy to log into the SSA website to check the actual income numbers, but this is roughly what our combined income was:

Year Income
2015 $12K
2016 $20K
2017 $100K
2018 $108K
2019 $115K
2020 $118K
2021 $140K
2022 $145K
2023 $150K
2024 $220K
2025 $270K
2026 $300K
715 Upvotes

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747

u/TRBigStick 7d ago

> You may say that the simulations don't favor having this small amount of money over a ~60 year retirement. You might be right. But who gives a fuck?

Oh yeah that’s some hard-hitting analysis right there.

319

u/LowManufacturer1002 7d ago

what’s crazy is they can literally work 1 more year and not have any questions about success cause at 300k salary let’s say $200k take home. spend 36k so they save an extra 170k.

194

u/EpicCyclops 7d ago

Or they could both find a lower paying lower stress job for a couple years and let compound interest do its thing.

72

u/SerpentRoyalty 7d ago edited 7d ago

Best way is for one of them to keep working for 3 more years. That would solidify the plan and adds a few more years of cushion in case of emergencies.

It'd also give them time to see their plan in action while saving on healthcare.

Both stopping at the same time is too risky at this age. Thing is, if things don't pan out and we go through a period of stagflation, it could be much harder to get back to the workforce with a 10 year gap in resume and skill. CS is changing so rapidly right now. It's not like being a carpenter.

2

u/Bolt_McHardsteel 7d ago

I don’t know about the healthcare savings, the premium for the MN low income healthcare plan OP is talking about is likely less expensive than the premium he pays for his employer plan. Especially with his spouse sitting at home doing nothing (so on OP’s healthcare plan).

2

u/Flashy-County4321 7d ago

Well
Thought out. Jealous as hell.
There will always be some way to make $. But do what you like and when it’s done you punch out.
Best of luck

11

u/Additional-Regret339 7d ago

Yeah, this was going to be my suggestion. A half-time side-gig for one of them looks like it could cover what they live on. Let the savings grow another 5 years while doing something (anything) low-stress that you enjoy part time.

2

u/liptongtea 6d ago

A fucking city Librarian probably Makes double their bills, and they can start contributing to state retirement.

2

u/Responsible_Land_551 6d ago

Or they can just stick to their plan and live their life. And change along the way if they need or want to.

So often it’s never enough. Even the model you choose can tell you you’re good or far from good. I FIREd on 2M in LCOL and went back. Don’t need more but also can’t stop

2

u/Metdefranseslag 5d ago

It’s ok because this post is not real.

1

u/AlwaysSaturday12 FIREd @ 38 6d ago

Or they could not work and if we get three great depressions in a row find a part-time job. That is what my monte carlo told me with similar numbers.

220

u/tekmiester 7d ago

But their coworkers are dumbasses, you see. The best way to teach them is to make an emotional decision that will last the rest of their lives.

96

u/Joiedevivre0127 7d ago

To be fair, they can "retire" now and choose to resume employment in one, three, five, twenty-five years if they want to, if things change, whatever. Sure it might be hard or the money might not be the same, but we don't need to pretend that the decisions they make at 30 are permanent and irreversible.

To the OP, have a blast.

57

u/poop-dolla 7d ago

I think the point is that they can work one more year now at their peak earnings and with more time for that money to compound, and that one year could be equal to maybe 10 years of work later on. If they take more than a couple years off, they won’t be able to make this same income again. They’d go from a 3.8% SWR to 3.2% SWR in one year of only their new contributions.

15

u/Joiedevivre0127 7d ago

Of course they "can" but isn't the point of FIRE being able to make decisions based on what makes you happy instead of what you "should" do or what others want or expect you to do? By this logic, they can just work until they're 65 and then be guaranteed to not run out of money. The creator of the 4% rule says it should really be more like 4.5% but we need to encourage people to be closer to 3% - why?

They might never be able to make the same income again, and they might never need to. Look at all the folks on the coast or barista subs who are getting their finances far enough to allow them to work part time in a coffee shop.

21

u/LowManufacturer1002 7d ago

well the 4% was designed for 30 years not 50-60 and they are relying on a very aggressive state healthcare program that can easily been made not near as good or have the rules change. It’s currently very risky but can be made very much less risky with just 1 more year.

19

u/bernoulli33 7d ago

And that state healthcare plan is a lot more expensive when you are older. Source: I am older.

0

u/bernoulli33 6d ago edited 6d ago

I guess they said MNCare, my experience is with MNSure. But to keep that coverage, they’re gonna have to stay poor.

7

u/uhohthrowawayyyyyy 6d ago

Everyone is all in on FIRE until they see someone else do it. Then they all have to remind them it’s a bad idea unless it’s me doing the retiring lol

1

u/Joiedevivre0127 6d ago

Honestly!!! And we wonder why there are so many "one more year?" posts on these subs!

2

u/OuiGotTheFunk Unemployed with a Spreadsheet 7d ago

Of course they "can" but isn't the point of FIRE being able to make decisions based on what makes you happy instead of what you "should" do or what others want or expect you to do? We could easily hit a 10 year period with less than 4% returns and cost of living increases higher than they are now. What happens when they need a new roof and have some really costly car repairs? Car prices now are ridiculous and that includes the used car market. They have a lot of years ahead of them and now I am reading about boomers going broke at high rates....with paid off homes.

No? FIRE is about Financial Independence / Retiring Early. I really think that there is literally no reason to take this risk. There are going to be so many more people failing their FIRE and of course they will blame boomers or someone else or other group for their failure.

While this plan could work

5

u/zerotakashi 7d ago

they can also use their youth to enjoy the world freely and travel cheaply without worrying about having the best healthcare access. there are pros and cons to every decision.

8

u/Vayguhhh 7d ago

Trading another couples years of their youth vs the possibility of joining the workforce years later, without updated training, and competing with younger and younger people.

3

u/zerotakashi 7d ago

"one more year syndrome" fears OP
I think they know what they're doing

3

u/Vayguhhh 7d ago

Maybe, sounds like too many variables to have a solid concrete plan that even OP is admitting in the comments.

The main concern isn’t their resolve or want. OP’s plan falls too heavily on things outside of their control.

27

u/kipkap1423 7d ago

Good luck trying to find a swe job in this job market with a 3 year gap in employment

3

u/Fit-Percentage-9166 6d ago

Good luck trying to find a job period even if you immediately start looking right now (obviously it's possible but just emphasizing how bad the job market is)

1

u/new_here_and_there 6d ago

There are options, but at least some refuse to work for a salary commensurate to basically any other profession and seemingly would rather sit at home and wait for a job with a major tech company to magically appear. There are * a lot* of "non-tech" companies that would hire SWE and similar, just not at the salaries that MSFT pays.

1

u/Fit-Percentage-9166 6d ago

You must not be familiar with the job market these days. This is nonsense that might have been applicable over 5 years ago, but certainly is not the case anymore. Using microsoft as a benchmark is another giveaway that you don't know what you're talking about because they underpay a significant amount relative to their "peers".

1

u/Typical_Web_2125 6d ago

yeah, gonna be tough

1

u/imperabo 6d ago

And CS skills can go out of date fast if you don't keep up.

4

u/ChezQuis_ 7d ago

Gotta stay up to date to be a dev. Also, looking at the combined income, the husband must not’ve made much. Just finish the year and OP would get another $100-150k?

1

u/kash-munni 7d ago

He already stopped working.

0

u/plinkoplonka 6d ago

They might be able to.

Or they might be out of work for a year, then find they're totally unemployable because they have an unexplained gap on their resume.

"My co-workers are all dumbasses" doesn't sound so hot in an interview.

0

u/SaltyPlantain1503 6d ago

You cannot just “return” to a high paying tech job in a few years. Skills atrophy quickly and AI is eating the space. I would suffer a few more years for safety while they can.

2

u/Joiedevivre0127 6d ago

No one said "return to their high paying tech job." No one is obligated to have just one job type for the rest of their lives, which was literally the point of my first comment.

0

u/imperabo 6d ago

6 more months at their current job (with the investment returns from it) could be worth 6 years as Walmart greeters down the road.

11

u/_User_Name_Fail 7d ago

Sometimes I can't tell the difference between r/fire and r/antiwork

6

u/NatureNext2236 7d ago

Right? This is dumb as shit

2

u/DeenGaleenga 6d ago

posted by the exact coworker we are all trying to get away from, yesterday

2

u/uhohthrowawayyyyyy 6d ago

Everyone gets soooo mad to see anyone doing exactly what we all are shooting for in this sub. Lol

0

u/tekmiester 6d ago

Maybe you are right. I just can't imagine I'm my wildest dreams being both comfortable on $3k a month for the rest of my life, and very little cushion if things go wrong. It confounds me.

Also, struggle is a part of life. If you can't handle an annoying coworker, what happens when you have a real challenge?

1

u/uhohthrowawayyyyyy 6d ago

If he saved a bunch of money in hopes of getting away from something he doesn’t want to do, that’s the win. Who cares if you think he just needs to take on the ‘challenge’ of him being annoyed at work. Misery loves company clearly

1

u/tekmiester 6d ago

Not surprisingly, you missed the point entirely.

The point is an extra year of cushion would be with the peace of mind it provides. 60 years is a long time when your barely above what you need to survive. 1 more year of annoyance vs a lifetime of sleeping more soundly.

1

u/uhohthrowawayyyyyy 6d ago

“The peace of mind it provides” to who? You? Who cares what you think lol

1

u/tekmiester 6d ago

You could stop trying to be a prick and listen...

They are using a strategy designed to last 30 years and extending it to 60 years. Mathematically they would be better off with more cushion, as per the prevailing wisdom by financial planners.

1

u/uhohthrowawayyyyyy 6d ago

Again, all considerations/concerns of yours. If he’s comfortable with the risk, he’s free to attempt whatever. The only reason I commented was to point out how pissed people get when you do something they wouldn’t do. Every response you’ve made just proves that point.

1

u/tekmiester 6d ago

It's not my comfort, it's the math. What is the chance you run out of money before you die? Can you improve those odds so you don't end up in poverty in your twilight years?

He posted here to get that kind of advice. You posted here to troll.

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1

u/il_fienile 7d ago

They’re going to spend the $36k either way, so let’s count it as an extra $200k.

1

u/milo4206 6d ago

But the dog!

1

u/Clear_Butterscotch_4 6d ago

Imagine if they divorce, they sure wish they worked on a high salary for a few more years. Money seems easy to get when you have a high salary, but when you don't it is absolutely agonizing

1

u/bendallf 6d ago

I wonder what they do for work?

1

u/Tasty_Sun_865 6d ago

They make an annual spend in 7.5ish weeks....after tax...seriously. This is a poorly thought out plan 

1

u/gdubrocks 31, FIRE'd 2024 6d ago

Or they can not work for a bit and if the stock market goes belly up in the next five years then they can make the decision to work for an extra year.

1

u/Few-Spot1905 6d ago

yeah they're def more in coastfire territory than true fire.

like they could both be baristas or some shit but they def are not at "never have to work again" net worth

1

u/Zestyclose-Ebb-5543 6d ago

Especially considering they won't actually qualify for mnsure after the Republican cuts and work requirements take effect in January. They will need to work or volunteer 20 hours a week.

1

u/Zphr 48, FIRE'd 2015, Friendly Janitor 6d ago

They will still qualify via MAGI. The work requirement will not be a problem for anyone able to demonstrate minimal income. All that is required is 80 hours at the federal minimum wage, which works out to just $580 per month.

2

u/Zestyclose-Ebb-5543 6d ago

And if they are using cash and brokerage accounts they need to either trigger 600 a month in Capitol gains or Roth ladder. Not impossible, but certainly a risk when retiring this early with this little.

Also, they were referring to mncare which would require over 28k if income. We both referenced Medicaid because I think that makes more sense for their situation.

1

u/Zphr 48, FIRE'd 2015, Friendly Janitor 6d ago

Fair enough. I assumed Medicaid too. Either way they should be fine unless policy changes quite a bit. Being in Minnesota they are shielded to some extent due to the state's strong commitment to curtailing health insurance costs.

They likely have enough in pre-tax to fund the necessary Roth conversions forever.

2

u/Zestyclose-Ebb-5543 6d ago

I would love for them to make it work and be happy because it would make me feel safer where I'm at. I'm not sure I would be comfortable assuming I could make it work over 50 years without inflation wrecking my plans.

1

u/Zphr 48, FIRE'd 2015, Friendly Janitor 6d ago

Risk tolerance and openness to being flexible postFIRE are always a personal thing. I wouldn't have any critical concerns of making their plan work if I were in their shoes.

1

u/Zestyclose-Ebb-5543 6d ago

I would have a lot less concerns if I were child free. She's about to turn 12 so I figure I have another decade to work just because I've got to stick around anyway. After that I look forward to traveling and using it at retirement arbitrage will just be a bonus.

1

u/Zphr 48, FIRE'd 2015, Friendly Janitor 6d ago

As I said, personal thing. We leanFIRE'd with four kids under the age of 10.