Would love to hear everyone’s “absolutely will not purchase” items!Even if you could easily afford it and no matter how rich or financially independent you become or how much you make you still wouldn't spend item on this particular item/hobby?

I know this is highly dependent on individual circumstances. But what is everyone using for their annual spend target?

As my accounts have grown, I think I’ve started to increase lifestyle spend and sort of wonder if enough will ever be enough.

Like what level is reasonable ? 120/yr, 180/yr… etc etc

Hey y’all. As the question suggests, I have been curious about coast fire. If someone tells me, if you have x amount of dollars invested (say into s&p500) by age 30 and never have to invest another dollar to still have a decent amount of money left in retirement, it just sounds too good to be true

I’m not talking about having 1 millions invested or anything crazy of course. But the math just seems too good to be true

I know I could be asking a very silly question, but genuinely want to understand how realistic CoastFire is.

First of all thanks for everyone who has posted in this forum, it's been a source of inspiration for many a year and without it I would be completely lost.
I find myself in a position where I've Fired recently but now find I need to rebuild the structure of life to give it some interest and meaning.

Background:
Single Male, 55, Born UK, now residing in Thailand.
I worked in Video Games for my entire life working in the UK, USA, Europe and Sweden, first as a programmer than running some big studios on a reasonable salary. I started saving almost by accident a decade ago as I was working so many hours and slowly came across Fire posts both here and on Youtube which encouraged me to dig a little deeper, spend a bit less and save more.

Numbers:
2021: £328 k ($441k usd)
2022: £445 k
2023: £561k
2024: £862k (+£200k from inheritance)
2025: £1m
2026: £1.1m to date (Approx $1.4m)

40% UK Real Estate - £18k NET rental income
34% Liquid shares
15% Pension locked shares
9% Cash
2% Crypto

Zero debt, no loans or mortgages.

My shares are mainly in tracker ETF's with around £50k in individual stocks (10k max per individual stock) which I'll pair back on soon and put into global trackers as I'm not thrilled with what the economy looks like in the years ahead.

I've been wondering what to do with the cash but I feel comfortable with the rainy day fund which would last 3+years OR I can put it into the market if prices dropped considerably. I find myself wanting to be more aggressive financially but this is more about boredom and I stop myself from tinkering too much and so far the strategy has been holding up although I feel it's not optimal.

Pulling the trigger:
I had just passed the £900k mark when I had a shitty meeting with the new boss of the company who frankly didn't know what end of a pen to use and after a particularly tedious meeting I just decided to quit that same day which was £100k earlier than planned but life is short I guessed.

When I got back to my desk in December2024 I sent the "Here's my 6 month notice" letter to HR (I was a senior in the company). The feeling of freedom when you can do this is just incredible and I embraced this FU move with glee. Fortunately we agreed I could depart within a few weeks to let them re-org and still get paid for the 6 months.
I got rid of my rented condo asap, put my minimal items into family storage and moved to Asia within the month and started to travel around Asia with a single backpack.

Location and costs.
After living in Asian Hotels for the first 8 months of 2025 I rented a Condo in Bangkok just to give me a home base. This costs me around £550 ($740) a month which was slightly less than paying for Hotels every night in various places. My biggest expensive is usually flights when I fly back to the UK to see aging family, flying in Asia until very recently has been very cheap and food costs are minimal.

4% of my NW is around £44k ($60k) but for the past 3 years I've spend very close to £35k ($47k) each year without trying. I track every penny I spend in a spreadsheet which gives me a sense of security that I'm not overspending and can be a source of a challenge to find ways to reduce costs if ever the need. It's also a fun night time project to keep tweaking with the spreadsheet.

Spending:
I'm so out of habit with spending money that I find it hard to justify a significant purchase. I'll do my research to make sure I'm buying a 'thing' of quality then when I go to the store I simply can't find the oomph to go through with the purchase.

It's oddly frustrating but I simply can't shake it then a month later I remind myself that I survived without the must-have purchase and life goes on as before. I worry that I'll turn up to see family and friends one day and look like Tom Hanks in Castaway after a decade away as I've not bought a new wardrobe in years.

I really want to get out of this habit and enjoy more experiences and have a small number of high quality things that makes life easier but living out of a single backpack (which has expanded to include a small carry-on suitcase), this keeps me honest in my purchases and my possessions to a minimum, I don't feel like this is being cheap but I could certainly loosen the wallet from time to time.

What I have noticed though is my financial focus always points to the next 50k goal. From £950k it moves to £1m, then up by another £50k then to £1.1m etc. and I've not found a level or a number that feels comfortable where I can start to relax. The story in my head changed from spending 4% of my net worth, to living on the passive income from my rentals plus a small amount from my cash pile. I come over in a cold sweat when I think about my net worth number going down.

Secrets:
The only person in the world I told about my financial journey has been my mother, only to give her calm as she's always been a worrier that I'll be poor and homeless (I was brought up in a £poor household) . I've not told any friends, girlfriends or accomplices and If they ask about money or what I'm doing I just say my costs are low and I do some consultancy to make sure I can pay my way. As I don't show any flashy trinkets nobody has ever questioned me beyond general life questions. I take joy in people not knowing that I can buy a few extra rounds in the bar but feel no pressure to perform to social expectations.

The future:
Life does get a little boring 4 or 5 months after Fire when the novelty wears off but the freedom never get's tiring. I cherish every day that I don't need to deal with the old corporate BS. I did a small consultancy gig 'for fun' and disliked every stresfull moment of it. I can't believe I actually lasted for so long in the pressure cooker environment when I look back. I have no urge to go back to work full time.
As I've been static with a rented home base here in Bangkok for 8 months or so, I feel the urge to travel again and I'm currently coming up with the new list of places to visit, I'll then give up the condo and go travel for another 6 months or so.
After decades in front line management running big teams, I do feel the urge to contribute more and have a sense of having pressed pause rather than stop. I'm not fighting this but it's something I need to find a way to scratch this itch of contribution and helping out in the world.

My finances are holding up although I worry when I read headlines about a decade of lower returns and all the doom stories in the news.

Lessons:
Wherever you wake up, you'll still find yourself still in your head.
Who you are is who you'll always be, if you're a scoundrel pre-fire, you'll be a scoundrel after fire. If you're not in the habit of spending pre-fire, you'll find it hard to spend post-fire. Same same with all your other habits, good or bad. The person you are is who you'll always be.

The joy freedom of choice gives you never gets old.

I take more joy out of researching an item to buy then actually buying the item.

After flying a decade in business class all over the world with work paying the bill, going back to economy is torture on the back. On my own dime I've allowed myself to upgrade to economy plus for any flight over 6 hours and my back thanks me the next day. This is the one luxury that I'd skip food for a week to keep.

Once again, thanks for all your help and support in this forum. I really appreciate all the stories and hints people share.

My (22M) current net worth is 116k. no debt. I'm interested how much money I need before I can swap to a 'follow my dreams' mentality and just live a life of fun while having confidence I can retire when I'm old? i.e., not at what point can I live off interest, but at what point can I stop saving for retirement and still be comfortable?

I make 170 a year. My apartment is 1800 ish a month. I don't eat out or do really much of anything. I'm quitting this job for a remote one asap and moving to South America. I'll probably make 120-140 then.

How's everyone estimating healthcare? I'm trying to estimate a 35 year retirement starting in 2040 at age 60 (not FIRE in know) and right now it's looking like a total spend in insurance premiums of 3.1 mil. that seems crazy, but just want to see what everyone else is doing and if you think that seems outrageous as well. thanks in advance for any advice.

I’m 37, part of a small family with a 6-year-old. We currently have about $1.4M in assets. Most of that is tied up in a house in Europe, which I’m planning to sell in the next few weeks due to the new unrealized gain tax laws coming to the Netherlands.

Work-wise, I'm in a comfortable spot: I like my job, the income is great, and there are no personal taxes here in the UAE. My plan was to stay in this role and country as long as I enjoyed the work. However, with the current war situation, I’m worried about (job) security or whether we can even stay here if things escalate.

I have two main questions for the community:

1. The Practical Question: How would you invest $1.15M? (I'm keeping $200k in real estate for our primary residence and $50k in cash as a buffer). With the current market, I don't want to catch a falling knife. Hence I’m leaning toward Dollar Cost Averaging into an index fund, and perhaps picking up some individual stocks earlier during the current SaaS sell-off. How would you invest it?

2. The Philosophical Question: What comes next? There is a real chance I could lose my job if the conflict continues. But then what? Should I look to start a new business, or switch to freelance/consulting just to cover monthly expenses? For those who have been through this, how did you handle that transition?

Hey y’all,

This is my 2nd ever post on the sub. I’m 10% of the way to my fire number. 2 years ago when I was 25, I hit my first 100k invested. Figured I would update it again. I’m 27 now and I’m at 200k+ milestone invested now. You will notice the huge cash position as I am trying to build up a down payment for a home.

Asset breakdown:

401k: 113k

HSA: 17k

Roth: 61k

Brokerage: 13k

Cash: 30k

Car: 20k ish not really counting as an asset. 2022 SUV that I bought used with 25k miles on it.

Gas prices hurt right now but I think I will drive this to the ground before even buying anything else.

Lessons learned so far from 25->27

1. Quit trying to pick stocks lol this is so hard. I bought some Saas stocks and you know how it is right now. I have about 4% of my 401k in this. Used to be 7%.

2. Even if I do pick stocks make sure it’s the mag7 or something with that type of a moat.

3. Life is just getting more expensive as I have gotten older. I do notice that and I am not stressed about it so far. I’m in a pretty good position right now with a decent job, cash pile and healthy. Some AI fears but I don’t believe it will be something that will replace me, more like an helpful tool to use on the job for the next 5-10 years.

4. Cars aren’t worth it. As long as it’s reliable it’s enough.

5. Always have insurance for everything. Car, health, term life. Seen too many examples of people getting screwed fast.

6. Having real skills is something that will always be useful. Especially when I’m young. I will continue to learn and improve my skills/knowledge in my field. Getting these promotions will greatly increase my timeline to fire and improve the quality of my life in this slow grind to 2m invested.

7. Continue to max out my tax advantage accounts much as possible without having to sacrifice my quality or life or worrying about money. Just automatically let this happen in the background. I fell slightly behind on maxing out the 401k past two years and didn’t bother to max out the HSA.

hi! i just recently crossed the milestone of 200k and wanted to share because it felt like something i’ve been working towards forever. i’ve been maxing out money in every vehicle where possible: HSA, 401k, IRA, personal brokerage, and HYSA. i live pretty frugally, the only big expenses i’ve had are recent grad trips with friends i won’t see for a while/gifts for my family.

i’ve been working so hard for as long as i can remember and i finally feel a semblance of financial safety. i graduated college @ 20 with an engineering degree (which was only possible bc of all the community college classes i took in high school - highly recommend) and had 70k$ in savings from working 2 jobs and having a small side business. my parents paid for my college and i can’t thank them enough or express how lucky i was that they did that for me, but they aren’t so well off as to tank that cost without it affecting them and i could tell. i’m getting paid >200k$ now and am on track for some quick promotions (affirmed by my manager!) and hopefully will be making 300-500k$ soon. it’s been rly so amazing to see them happy that i’m able to take care of myself and live out the opportunity they created for me :D

the industry i work in has been pretty unstable w tons of layoffs and i feel 0 sense of purpose day to day, but i feel like i’m pretty good at what i do and i’m hoping i can just last long enough to hit my FIRE goals. i love learning about history, social organization, physics, math, biology, pretty much any subject and i have a whole list of books and projects i want to get to that i’m slowly working through + have as my retirement to-do list.

29M 29F married couple in the Seattle area.

HHI ~280k (tech - formerly ~400k; one spouse lost their job and is struggling to find a new one)

Total liquid net worth ~2.7MM (around 1.3MM in retirement accounts)

Household FIRE number is ~5MM. Plan to have 2 kids (probably the first kid by at latest 35 - timeline somewhat flexible, but don't want to wait too long). The currently working spouse would like to retire ASAP (with a personal FIRE number of ~2MM). The other would be open to working to normal retirement age.

Mortgage on current home ~527,000 @ 2.65%. Home is valued ~900,000 on Zillow.

---

We want to upsize to a larger home in a better school district and a safer, quieter community given we want to have children. Our current 2bd 2.5bath home wouldn't cut it for a family of 4. We're targeting something around the 1.5MM price range (at least a 3bd in a solid school district), but the number isn't set in stone. This would be our "forever" home (i.e. the final residential property we'd buy in Seattle, not including when we decide to retire to a lower cost of living area).

Our main disagreement is with respect to timing.

One of us wants to capitalize on the somewhat stagnating housing market to place a sizable (>50% or around ~1MM) down payment on a home within the next year out of consideration of current interest rates.

The other is concerned that the purchase would tie up too large a portion of our current liquid net worth into a relatively illiquid asset. Given that FIRE calculations are generally predicated on applying the 4% rule to liquid assets, a purchase like this feels like it would "set back" the progress toward our FIRE goal.

We *have* considered keeping our current home as a rental property, but not sure the income and the additional considerations that come with being a landlord offsets the opportunity cost of just living in our current home for a while longer and keeping money invested in the SP500.

Has anyone faced this consideration before? What % of net worth are people generally comfortable in keeping in real estate while still targeting FIRE? Grateful for any advice or insight.

So I'm ready to pull the ripcord mentally and I think the numbers pretty comfortably show I can do it. Current spend is about 2.5% of non-property worth. I've previously done self-funded health insurance so I understand what that will cost (a lot). Mid 50s but half assets are in taxable so won't need early withdrawals. No debt, own house outright. 529 is about 80% funded for my two teens (not included in previous number).

Here's the thing: my spouse is uncomfortable with the idea. If we talk to a retirement advisor and they say it's cool, then she'll agree. So even though I don't think they'll tell me anything I don't already know, and suspect they'll agree with me, I'm willing to spend a little money for peace of mind and marital bliss. Not too much money though :)

Any recommendations or things to look for in retirement advisors? Has anyone done something like this then blindsided by what they told you? I've got accounts at Schwab and Fidelity and Vanguard. I was thinking of checking with them to see what services they have.

Hello everyone, I started to contribute to my Roth IRA sometime in late January. Each paycheck I make sure to contribute $150 per week. I’m 24F and I should’ve started earlier but I made poor financial decisions that set me back a couple years. Right now my Roth has $1500 in it. I hope to max it out by the end of the year. Right now I invest into VTI, VOO, and QQQ. Should I invest more into my portfolio or should I increase the contributions?

A longtime lurker, I’m conflicted about even posting on here but wanted to get some advice and (constructive) feedback.

Background

I’m 36F and I worked in Big Tech for nearly a decade before becoming disillusioned and joining a higher ed program.

I’ve been into saving as much as I could before someone told me, “hey, that’s FI/RE!” (Pun absolutely intended.) I couldn’t have done this without considerable conversations with other similar-minded people, advisors, and my parents (I helped pay off their house with my first paycheck, but I can never truly pay them back).

My progress

Real Estate

* 960K townhome (paid off, currently rented)

* 700K single family (paid off, current primary)

Investment Accounts

* $765K in taxable accounts

* $700K in retirement accounts

Debt

* $0 (I am terrified of debt)

Annual Expenses

* $45K/yr (lean/normal for me) to 80K/yr (bougie for me)

Seeking advice on

1. Early retirement

I honestly never thought I’d have a tough time getting a job when I decided to go back to school. Ultimately, I’m trying to pivot into an adjacent career path to the one I had but recruiters see my YOE and can’t picture me in a more junior role. So I’m essentially having a tough time getting a demotion.

All that said, the past few years in my program have been like an experiment in early semi-retirement life, and it’s been surprisingly fine. My rental covers the majority of my expenses and I have some savings that I eat through maybe $5K/year. I’m highly frugal in my day-to-day and keep my expenses low but quality of life high.

I have no idea if I’m close to my number, but I’ve always assumed it’s around $5M, given my age. I suspect that if I don’t tip the boat too much (read: suddenly become unfrugal), I’m on track?

My biggest weaknesses seem to be vacancies or issues with my rental, and healthcare.

2. Relationships

I grew up in a family that encouraged sole preoccupation with education and discouraged relationships. As a result, I’ve not really been in a relationship or anything of that sort. My flirting skills are hopeless (once asked a guy if he needed help with his taxes, and, needless to say, it went nowhere). All of this is fixable, I believe, to an extent.

However, what concerns me is that, at this point in my life, a relationship feels like more of a hazard/risk than an asset. And I really want to disabuse myself of that notion.

It might be nice to have someone to grow old with, though I am certain I do not want children.

Thoughts on how to navigate relationships (as a noob) when you have a couple dollars in your pocket?

4. Estate Planning

If none of the relationship stuff pans out, who/what entity shall I leave my estate to? Other than my parents, I’m not particularly close to anyone in my family.

I’m curious if anyone has had to make a decision like this, or has any advice. Maybe give it all to my alma mater?

3. Giving yourself permission to spend on a luxury item

I struggle with this, albeit somewhat infrequently. My latest splurge purchase was a $70 Amazfit watch that came with 2 straps (my g-d, the excess!). I wouldn’t say I’m consumed with guilt, just an unignorable sense that there’s a better use for the money.

How do people get over this after being really practiced in frugality? Do you leave a budget for a couple splurges a year?

Let’s say you retire with a liquid portfolio of 1mil and you with draw 4% a year. You’re increasing your spending each year by the rate of inflation.

Your portfolio doubles within the next 3-5 years to 2mil.

Do you continue to take an inflation adjusted withdrawal of the original 1mil amount? At what point can you make an adjustment large enough to make a difference in your spending habits?

Hello Everyone,

​I’m at a bit of a crossroads and would love some outside perspective from people who have balanced Geo-arbitrage with long-term lifestyle goals.

​The Situation:

I’m a 36-year-old Turkish national, currently single, and I just landed a remote role with a company paying approximately €1,500 net. I have about €80k in liquid savings and a debt-free apartment back home that brings in €500/month in passive rent. I’m currently on Month 6 of a temporary residency in Portugal, but I’ve lived in Albania before and still have some contacts there.

I’m trying to decide where to plant my roots. The company is fine with me working from either location, so it's purely a personal and financial choice.

​Option A: Portugal

​Pros: Higher daily living standards and the specific EU lifestyle I've grown to appreciate. I'm already in the residency system here.

​Cons: High cost of living. On a €1,500 net salary, I won't be adding much to my savings. With the potential 10-year residency requirement for citizenship, it feels like a very long path to travel.

​Option B: Albania

​Pros: Very low cost of living and a 0% tax regime for remote workers. With salary and the passive rent O receive I’d have nearly €2,000/month total in a country where that makes you quite comfortable. I could build a significant "freedom fund" while having a great social life, as I find it easier to connect there.

​Cons: It’s not the EU. Infrastructure is average, it's a step down in standards. I’d be walking away from the 6 months I've already invested in my Portuguese residency.

​I want to start a family in the next few years. In my shoes, would you value the immediate "comfy" lifestyle and high savings rate of Albania, or is the safety, future permanent residency and long-term stability of the EU worth the "break-even" financial life in Portugal at age 36?

THANK YOU!!

40m and 36f. 2 kids. MCOL. in the last two years we both became high earners ~$400k HHI before taxes and deductions. before this we were under the roth ira contribution limits.

my main question is should we be investing differently? the company we work for is great, the work is challenging and stressful and we’re working towards being able to exit in the next 8-10 years.

401ks - $600k - currently they are probably 70/30 roth and pre tax. we switched to pre tax when we hit higher income. these are in 2065 TDF

Roth IRA - $90k

Taxable brokerage - $300k

Cash/HYSA - $80k - I realize this is overweight currently

HSA - $20k

529s - $70k

Mortgage - $115k left, around $400k in equity. won’t exit until this is paid off.

Yearly spend is currently around $100k without the mortgage.

currently maxing 401ks, automatic $1k into taxable every two weeks. add more based on commissions and bonus, typical yearly taxable contributions are now around $50k to $70k

main questions - am I right to be throwing all the cash at taxable or would contributing to a traditional ira make sense and do roth conversions? my main thought about going all in at the taxable is i would like to not have to roth ladder the 401ks as a bridge until 59.5 if at all possible?

I am 55 and debating to retire by end of this year or work one more year after that, so retire by end of 2027. I have a defferred comp with a 10 year distribution schedule once I retire. My question is on the financial impact 10 years down the road if I push out retirement for one more year. I can see it will mean that my IRMMA contribution will be higher for one more year when I start Medicare due to the deferred comp income. Are there any other financial impact 10 years from now that I am not thinking of? Trying to do the math to see if it's worth the one more year delay (assuming it won't make much difference financially right now).

I was on such a good route to FIRE. Had $60k in investment accounts by 25. $10k savings. Car loan halfway paid. Was renting a cheap apartment to invest and save more. Then, due to series of unfortunate events, some out of my control and some out my own ignorant decisions, im now out of all investments i had (except 401K, which i cant touch). $60k in debt (regular, not even mortgage or good debt) and very very demotivated and burnt out.

Im stuck at a job i dont like but got good benefits and great 401k match, however i cant work anywhere else for the next 2 years at least. Im 29 and everyone around me expects me to start a family but i cant even begin to think of that until im out of debt and have some investment/ savings

Any advice on what to do or pathways to take? I work in healthcare but i like tech. I will need to get another degree if i were to switch to tech

Hello everyone,

I’m 28M and have been following this subreddit pretty religiously. Really appreciate the knowledge and perspectives shared here. I wanted to share my financial journey and get feedback on how I can improve further.

Edit: Title is misleading it is 533k not 513k

Current Net Worth: $533k

Assets – $533k

• Cash: $5k

• 401k: $191k

• Home Equity: $67k

• Individual Brokerage: $165k

• Roth IRA: $73k

• HSA: $10k

• Car: $20k

• Misc Accounts: $1k

Liabilities – $0.5k

• Credit Cards: $500

Net Worth Progress

• 2023-2024: $250k

• 2024-2025: $340k

• Current: $513k

Year-over-Year Growth

• $250k → $340k = +36% growth (2024)

• $340k → $533k = +56.8% growth (2025)

Overall, that’s more than 2x growth (~105%) in ~2 years, which I’m grateful for.

Stretch Goal: To reach 1M$ by 30

Questions / Advice

1. Am I too heavy in retirement accounts vs taxable brokerage?

2. Should I be doing anything differently at this stage (~$500k NW)?

3. Any strategies you’d recommend to accelerate toward $1M?

4. Would you adjust asset allocation given current market conditions?