u/Agile_Tank2768

I've saved money over the past ten years from still living with my dad in California. I'm single and will probably always be single, so my retirement very likely wouldn't factor in for two people.

Essentially I have saved enough into Vanguard's VOO by now and have run estimations through various online calculators so that, if the investment growth rate for the next 30 years is at around 10%, and the inflation rate is at about 2.7%, and the investment fees remain 0.03%, at a 4% safe withdrawal rate I will have approximately $24,000 annually in investments by the age of 65.

This amount combined with what I would get with social security would be enough, I would like to think. Of course if I started to fully max out my Roth IRA that would also give me a bit more by 65.

I'm wondering if what I would have from investments plus social security would be enough considering the retirement lifestyle I would want for myself. I'm already a pretty frugal person and I can't drive since my vision is 20/50, so no car ownership and all the expenses that that carries.

I'm a solitary homebody who doesn't require much in the means of entertainment. I wouldn't want anything lavish during retirement, and am pretty sure about just wanting a small tiny home not too far from a town -- nowhere in the Midwest, probably someplace in Western New York. But not too far from either a town or a bus station.

I imagine I would pass a lot of my free time doing a lot of what it is I already do in my spare time, which is read, exercise, listen to audiobooks, teach myself new topics such as learning some of a new language or learn more history or science, read biographies of influential people/artists/scientists, play video games. I'm very used to not going out much and I am very much an introvert, and consider myself to be an intellectual. I would do some travel, but not often and am already experienced with budget travel for myself and being good and careful with overall spending.

I imagine that even if I didn't elect to build some of my own tiny house by myself, and I purchased the land for it and bought the house from a company, then my monthly costs wouldn't be very high.

I'm wondering if there's currently anyone already living a similar lifestyle -- tiny house, single, no car ownership. I'm wondering what your typical monthly spend is.

I want to be sure I'm on the right financial track for retirement, if it seems like I should be saving even more and putting more into retirement investments instead of starting to save to eventually afford the purchase of land and a tiny house at some point. I've heard stories of people who have made tiny homes through buying sheds and such from Home Depot before making modifications to those.

And I would appreciate any recommendations on what else I could research on my own so that I can be more prepared for eventual retirement.

Thanks in advance.

I am living in San Diego, aged 32. Still living with my dad. I graduated college in 2019 with a film degree. The only work experience is working full-time as a remote video editor for an LLC from 2023 and am still working for the company. Had also worked as a freelance video editor since 2019, editing remotely for clients. I was also a crisis counselor volunteer from 2022-2023.

The only job I'm able to get is at an Amazon warehouse, and the commute will be two-hours each way, but it's the only job I can get right now. No one else will hire me.

I feel I might have screwed myself over by not working any jobs while in school. My dad told me today that my work history is bad, and that he can understand no companies wanting to hire me, despite me applying nearly week for the past six or so years.

I can't even be accepted as a 911 call-taker, and I heard they are extremely short-staffed. I applied twice to San Diego County Sheriff and was didn't get past background both times, though was told everything in my background was fine and that they just wanted to go with more suitable people and wouldn't elaborate. Everyone else who had applied there who showed up for pre-orientation was younger than me, in their early-to-mid twenties.

I can't get hired at a DMV. Or at San Diego Airport.

I've made a few posts in the past about this, months back and years back.

I don't want to be 35 and still having to live with my dad to survive. I want a career. I guess that's too much to want, though?

I don't want to have to be working two $20/hr jobs just to get by and make ends meet.

I'm miserable and would want advice. I feel really stuck. Thanks.

And, the Navy and truck driving wouldn't be options since I have difficulty with driving. My eyesight is 20/50 and I require specialty glasses to even see and read anything.

I suppose on the brighter side I don't have a romantic relationship. I wouldn't want to be seen as a failure by them or pitied, and would want my partner to be proud of me. I'd feel ashamed by being at this point in my life and not having a good paying job where I can save at least some money, ideally have a pension.

I can get a job at Home Depot stores and places like that, yeah, but I'd want a career within the next few years.