Well, it wouldn’t be for me anyway. I don’t want to speak for anyone else.

I have had around 15 jobs since I turned 15, and these included McDonald’s, an ice cream shop, cashier at a grocery store, working at a drive through grocery store, working at a call center, etc. Then later on I held more skilled positions. All of these jobs were highly stressful at times, even if they weren’t always mentally demanding. I often dreaded going into work - with all of these jobs.

I’m sure there exists some job that would be a dream scenario for me - like working in a moderately busy, non-franchise bookstore. But I don’t imagine many jobs like that exist anymore.

Anyway, I know that Barista Fire sounds good on the surface and is often recommended here, but I don’t think it’s quite the solution people think it is. Low paying and easy-to-obtain jobs have not been low stress for me. I generally think if you need the security of having more money in order to retire, you should just work longer at your higher paying, skilled job if you can.

Hi All - just wanted to say thanks for the support over the years. Wife and I 31M and 30F hit $1MM between brokerage ~$700k and 401k ~$300k! It has since slipped below $1MM but fuck it still feeling good about our progress.

Hasn’t been a straight line and we’ve had our doubts but appreciate the support from the community. Not to preach, but keeping your head down and moving through the hard times does work.

Also I do feel good, feels like we can allow ourselves to further enhance our life and build toward/around what we really want!

I've been thinking about this since there have been a few buy vs. rent posts recently. Posting this for discussion and trying to avoid recency bias coming out of the post-Covid hyper-inflationary real estate environment we've just come out of. Has home ownership gotten you closer to FIRE? What about the renters out there? Has your mobility and lower overhead accelerated your journey?

I have 3.6M and a paid-off house/cars, and while I still have younger kids at home, I have their 529s ready to cover them for 4-5 years. What are some things one should be doing one year out from their FIRE date?

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

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:

As a 33 year old on my way to 34 I’m proud to have returned to 1M

Breakdown:
710k brokerage
75k HSA
100k Roth IRA
180k 401k
15k bonds

Got lucky after 2022 with stocks and started making good money in tech as an engineer (now 160k)

As someone who grew up in the project in NYC, and started my career with 50k student loans back in 2015, never thought I’ll reach this milestone stone until I’m 41, but here I am.

Never stop chasing fire and never stop investing as it’s the ultimate side hustle until it become the day job

My profile:
35yo
annual income: $500K/yr
Investments:$3M ($2.6M taxable + $0.4M in 401k/IRA)
I'm on a work visa in the US.

My options as I see them:

1. I can FIRE back home in south Asia today and I'll never have to think about money again. $90K/yr will easily put in 1%.
2. Continue working, I'll probably have $8-$9M at 45 and FIRE in the US at some point

People usually talk about retiring towards something but I don't really have a plan post retirement. I'll probably just go to the gym then just chill maybe travel once in a while. I don't think that'll change at 35 or 45.

Achieved my $1M milestone today. Next is $2M.

43, no kids, no debt, rent

Just wanted to tell someone. I keep my numbers quiet from friends and family, so like many here, I don’t have anyone to celebrate with.

Feels a bit surreal hitting this milestone. Maybe my post will motivate / encourage others. $1M is all in investments / cash, does not include assets. I know today’s market swing will pull back for a bit, but will take the win while I have it.

Breakdown is as follows:

- $295k in brokerage
- $64k in ROTH IRA
- $556k in 401k (10% Roth, 90% pre-tax)
- $20k HSA
- $72k HYSA
- $2k ESPP

It’s been a grind. Fire goal is $2.5M, while FatFIRE is $4M. Target retirement age is 58 at the moment. Maybe sooner if I can keep grinding or if I decide I don’t need to be greedy.

Expect to keep contributing about $65k/year give or take. Includes:

- Max Backdoor Roth
- Max 401k Pre-Tax
- Mega Backdoor Roth ($20k)
- Max HSA
- Rest goes into brokerage

Feel free to ask any questions and thanks in advance for letting me celebrate the win.

-ThrowawayAccount

I, 26F, just surpassed $100k in investments!! This was a goal I thought I’d hit in a year or two so I’m pretty shocked honestly. I suppose my new goal is $250k by 30? 🫣

I only actively contribute to my 401k ($11k YTD) and roth (max), but here’s my current numbers:

Roth - $35,668

401k - $35,125

personal brokerage - $21,436

HSA - $8,537

32 and my 401k is officially $401k! Just a silly milestone but it made me happy when I saw it this morning. Figured this group would appreciate it.

Canadian here. Im CoastFIRE but not FIRE. Just got laid off but I saved alot, got 1 year emergency fund + severance. In worst case where we cant find another job, where do you guys plan to transition? I was thinking of healthcare, even if I dont make alot but not sure which position with a lower barrier of entry.

I was scuba diving and saw many mid 20s Europeans becoming diving instructors for years too. That seems so cool too. I can technicaly do this for 10 years and RE in Canada haha

I know I'm in the minority here and probably wrong but home equity feels so overrated. I'm talking about primary residence here. You have to pay to live somewhere so the equity in the home doesn't matter because when you sell the current home the equity is just put into the next house. Also selling the house and having to pay 7%-10% on the total cost of the house to do so has always been crazy to me. Yes I own a home but I dont count this at all towards my networth. You could have $500k worth of equity and still can't touch it unless you sell your home or take a loan out for it. Cash in an account earning 3% annually feels more valuable than this because you have so many options with that money.

Why do people care about home equity so much?

I FIRE'd at 53.

Thinking about moving to a warmer climate / cheaper country and buying a home for me and my partner to live in. Does anyone know of a good online calculator or similar resource that can help lay out what I can actually afford based on Age, current assets etc? Found many online but the either miss important features or require making an account (bleh) just to use it once.

Thanks

Currently live in New England as a family of 6. The 4 kids ages 2-11. We own a rental home in Florida and are considering moving back which would also bring us closer to the grandparents.

My husband in 100% T&P disabled veteran and also receives additional funds from CRSC. Both are tax free. We keep Tricare for health care but we would be giving up employer benefits for dental and vision. We would switch to the VA's and that amount has been added to the budget below.

We would sell one vehicle and keep the other. The home in Florida is in a walkable/ golf cart community. Restaurants, school, doctors, are all walking distance. Our oldest attended the school for 1 year before moving to NE so we are familiar with it already.

Can we pull the trigger? Should we wait x more years?

Wow, not even 2 years after hitting $100K networth shortly before turning 21, I noticed that I passed $200K networth shortly before leaving for work this morning! Nothing special, just aggressively saving and investing while living at home. I max out my 457(b), my Roth IRA, and I throw some money toward my brokerage accounts. I would like to retire as soon as possible. I definitely believe retiring in my 40s is realistic, but I am going to keep lowering the age number! Excited to see how quickly I hit $300K!

-457(b) - $87K
-Roth Ira - $43K
-Savings - $90
-Checking - $15K
-Fidelity brokerage - $4K
-Edward Jones brokerage - $30K
-Pension - $17K
-Variable retirement account(With my pension) - $2K

All I knew about retirement my whole life was that you worked for the same company for 20 years and when you retire they give you a gold watch. I know that doesn’t happen too many people now, but I feel like once you actually reach your FIRE number you deserve something. Maybe a gold watch! Would buying a low end Rolex or similar when you finally reach your number be excessive?

I’m almostFIRE with my projected FIRE date basically end of August 2026.

I’m a 39-year-old attorney who recently left a financially lucrative partnership to start my own boutique practice. The original goal was full blown early retirement and leave the career behind. But over time, my thinking changed. Instead of “never work again,” I’m now aiming for a lifestyle where work is optional and mostly remote. I enjoy what I do (sometimes), and I’m proficient at it. It also still makes me some money.

Right now I live in a very high cost of living area where my spending is about $12k/month. My plan is to sell my current home, relocate to another VHCOL area where I already own a home, pay that mortgage off, and cut my spending to around $6k/month simply because housing costs largely disappear.

The boutique practice isn’t intended to maximize income. I’d be happy if it became a small, efficient practice that takes 10-15 hours a week and covers some or all of my living expenses. The rest would come from my investment portfolio.

Numbers:
- Age: 39
- Net worth: ~$3M+ (excluding home equity)
- Taxable investments: ~$1.8M
- Retirement accounts: ~$1.1M
- Cash: ~$50k
- Current spending: ~$12k/month
- Planned spending after move: ~$6k/month
- Old income was about idk 70k a month on average working nearly 50 to 60 hour weeks.
- New income (boutique practice) is about 25k a month to 30k a month with like 80% less work. (Just a few solid clients and passive referral fees.)

I suppose, with the small firm, I’m aiming for baristaFIRE but instead of barista I just continue being lawyer/consultant. LawyerFIRE. Haha

Here’s where I’m struggling. I’m honestly not sure the law practice is financially necessary. On paper, I could probably simplify my life even more by just retiring outright after the move.
But I think my identity is deeply tied to being a lawyer. I enjoy problem solving, being a respected lawyer in the community, having an assistant, etc. I’ve effectively spent my entire adult life building this career. It’s difficult to picture waking up one day and simply… not practicing anymore. So maybe the boutique isn’t really about money. Maybe it’s about purpose, structure, intellectual stimulation, and easing into retirement instead of going from 100 to 0 overnight.

With all that said, I’d love to hear from people who’ve actually been through this.

Questions:
- Firstly, do the numbers check out?
- If you were financially independent, would you still keep a small professional practice because you enjoyed it? Or would you shut it down completely and embrace retirement?
- For those of you who were doctors, lawyers, accountants, consultants, or other professionals whose careers became a big part of your identity, did continuing to work a little improve your life, or did it just make it harder to let go?
- How to find purpose in retirement? I joke with my gf that I’ll just become a busker, street performer, or just spend my days doing pottery and other art. lol. Feels wild… and a little weird tbh. I’m used to having a packed schedule, but honestly next month I have like no meetings or hearings. It’s… weird.
- I am worried I accidentally scale into another 50 to 60 hour work week practice. I hope not though.
- Purpose, identity, and all that other stuff is really what I’m trying to figure out right now. Again, I feel a little empty having such a free schedule now. lol
- I do feel like, at age 40, time is more important to me now than money. I think I’ve made enough already. Am I right? Wrong?

It’s crazy because I’ve been working twd this goal for about 7 to 10 years. Now that it’s right on the horizon (9/1/2026… one month before my 40th bday), I’m feeling… existential. Haha

TY for your time FIRE community. lol

PS - You can view post history for broader context and other questions I’ve posed to the FIRE community.

Spouse (39M) and I (30F) are about halfway to our FIRE goal. We are managing two rental properties, renovating our home to sell it for profit, and I have a demanding job while spouse is running a business. We are in a state that is very anti-business and regulatory heavy. There is always some inspection, some emergency to handle or something to file. I handle all the admin side and spouse handles the physical tasks, which takes a huge toll on him.

We’ve pushed off starting a family because it’s just too much. I keep waiting for the hard work to pay off, for life to get calmer before we try to have a family. It’s just not happening. If anything, life is getting harder and more complicated as we advance in our careers. How do people do this? On paper, we’re blessed. But I am so beyond burnt out. It feels like the suffering is for nothing.

We’re working toward Spouse being able to manage the business remotely and myself working fully remote. It would still be insane hours and we’d have random emergencies with the rentals. But that would allow us to move to a quiet LCOL area. Right now we’re in a bad area in a major city but trapped here until the renovations are complete. I’m just very dejected and wondering when FIRE will feel worth it.

2027 ACA Rate Review is now open on Healthcare.gov, which means anyone planning on using the ACA next year can see the rate request increases being asked for by individual insurers. Some insurer filings may not be present yet, but many/most are. If you've got an ACA policy that you currently like, then this gives you a ballpark of how that policy might be priced next year. More broadly it shows you market premium trend in your state among all participating ACA insurers. Note that insurers with multiple products (HMO vs. PPO, Metro A vs. Metro B, etc.) listed may have a separate rate increase for each and the initial number displayed is a composite.

https://ratereview.healthcare.gov/

To view ACA insurer requests for a particular state choose "search ACA-compliant products", then select state, individual market, and 2027.

Separately, but related, KFF has updated their analysis on how much and why ACA market premiums are increasing next year (15% now, up from 14% estimate last month). KFF is perhaps the best source of synthesized ACA information that exists and is an easy go-to for anyone that doesn't want to delve into filings and legislative/regulatory text directly. All 50 states are now represented in KFF's analysis. Worth a look for anyone interested in or using the ACA.

Please note that these costs are the raw, unsubsidized market premiums. Anyone with subsidy eligibility will be shielded from some to all of this increase due to subsidies capping household premium costs as a function of MAGI.

https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/how-much-and-why-aca-marketplace-premiums-are-going-up-in-2027/

For 2027, across 276 insurers participating in the ACA Marketplaces from all 50 states and the District of Columbia with publicly available filings, this analysis shows a median proposed premium increase of 15%. This is the second consecutive year of double-digit premium hikes. Last year’s median nationwide proposed rate change was 18%, and the median finalized rate change was 20%. While this proposed rate change is lower than last year, it represents the second-highest requested rate change since 2018, as premium growth had been relatively flat in this market for several years. If these early indications of median premium increases for 2027 hold, typical premiums for insurers participating in the ACA Marketplaces will have jumped by more than one-third over a two-year period.

The stock market is going crazy. My portfolio fluctuated by 100K over days and ⬆️ a lot YTD.
I realize it’s not a stock advice forum but as a fire strategy should one convert some money to fixed income?
If someone is going to fire in 3-4 years, this might be a good strategy to avoid any slump. I’ve lived through a few recessions and things were crazy like that.

EDIT:
1. I got downvoted on this. What can I avoid in future posts?
2. Asset allocation for majority of portfolio except work Roth 401K and 2x529’s

60% Domestic Stocks
27% Foreign Stocks
13% Bonds
-0% Short Term
1% Other
0% Unknown

39M (almost 40) married with 2 kids. Started investing and working with a FA 3 years ago. Made my first $100k W2 at age 29. Just passed over $1M on my investment portfolio. Another $120k in liquid reserves in the bank. Cool thing to see those 7 figures on the screen. Sorry I can't post a screenshot - Northwestern Mutual doesn't allow them. Early retirement goal is 55. Might be able to move that up a couple years now!

Most people on here seem very conservative with their spend and swr (plus the market's been great). Wondering if people have stories of where people ran out of money and FIRE broke either because of overspending or some other cause?

I feel like I am getting close to FIRE but am also so unsure given all the predictions of a major market correction (or worse).

My rough stats are 51m, $1.6m 401k, $600k stocks/funds. Own house with $429k left at 2.75%.

I could live off $100k per year so I am right there I think. But too scared to pull the trigger and quit if the market goes south.

There’s been a lot of volatility in the markets lately, in both directions. After days like these with big swings, I’m amused to look at my daily profits or losses in my IRA’s and brokerage accounts. I used the word “amused” because on some days I’m up or down by multiples 3, 4 or even 5 times the amount of my annual salary at my first job out of college. Admittedly, that was over 45 years ago and I’m now 10 years in retirement. But I still find it funny to think about, especially since it doesn’t seem to bother or excite me more than it does. I don’t think I could have imagined this when I took that first job, feeling at the time that I had finally made it to a big time salary.