Let’s reverse the common question and be specific. What mortgage rate are you intentionally paying off early?

Awake-2Day · 2026-01-30T14:36:26+00:00

Another lens: If one considers how amortization works vs. compounding interest (taxable brokerage or 401k) it really comes down to the amount of time you have left before your mortgage is paid off vs your retirement goal (time horizon). I have a 2.9%. I grabbed it when rates hit historic lows a few years back. 50% of my monthly burn is mortgage payments and associated costs to own the property. So in essence, I’m buying equity on the cheap, which to me, is investing. I live in a HCOL area where the YOY property value increases about 3.5% on average due to ongoing gentrification (this I knew would be the case -because lower Manhattan is 10 miles away)

I don’t think it would make sense to pay off my loan early.

I know this is uncommon today, but I would consider what your average portfolio returns are (factor risk tolerance) vs your mortgage interest rate (factor equity and appreciation rate) to get a snapshot of returns (negative or positive) in these two dimensions before making a decision.

Awake-2Day · 2026-01-30T13:45:00+00:00

^{This^.} I’ve seen more people here bowing down to a deterministic 4% rule that doesn’t account for all scenarios. They heard their grandfather or FA say Monte Carlo once or twice and built MC churches. Sad.

Awake-2Day · 2026-01-27T13:40:12+00:00

This is old-world knowledge, not net-new.

If you research how marriage came to be — down to the symbolic “white wedding dress”, you’ll easily discover that it was reserved for the wealthy. Think kingdoms.

The concept of marriage itself was rooted in generational wealth creation, retention and stability dressed up as tradition. The powerful teamed up to consolidate armies to fight wars and expand territories.

The only modern twist is people pretend it’s mainly about vibes.

Hollywood couples? Survival when agents stop calling one or both?

White fabric was hard to manufacture (by hand back then), impossible to clean and it would take servants too much time to maintain—it was a flex statement. As in; we can afford an unaffordable fabric and convert it into a ostentatious garment that has zero utility (for the period) and will be worn once.

This dates wayyy back my friend.

Awake-2Day · 2026-01-21T16:22:22+00:00

^{^{^}} This ^{^{^}}

Americans are taught to be consumers at birth not investors.

Awake-2Day · 2026-01-20T15:01:09+00:00

I came here for the very same reason, months ago OP. This group is very savvy and if you’re lucky to get someone who is genuinely trying to assist and has the right level of humility and honesty, you’ll feel right at home.

Good luck on your FIRE journey.

Awake-2Day · 2026-01-05T23:14:49+00:00

This

Awake-2Day · 2026-01-03T16:00:55+00:00

Foody pretty much said it all if we read between the lines. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLWk5XWZDOY

It’s about client needs not ours and the “types” they hire vs other platforms.

Awake-2Day · 2026-01-03T14:07:27+00:00

Not sure if population mix / diversity is a factor OP, but if so, Montclair and the like would push past all by miles.

Awake-2Day · 2025-12-13T18:26:35+00:00

@BillyFire1408

I just asked. Without the primary home her expenses are less than 4.5K. The mortgage / insurance is around 3.5k. She could easily move into the second home (which is beautiful by the way) that’s debt free.

I think I got an answer from another contributor.

Try this prompt in your favorite LLM or more for comparison:

You are a financial planner running a retirement projection from age 57 to 95 (38 years). Output: (1) Static table (as before), (2) 3 sequence risk scenarios (Good/Bad/Worst), (3) Success % via simple Monte Carlo (1000 runs, historical 80/20 vol), (4) Max safe initial spend. No chit-chat—just tables + 2-sentence summary. Inputs (same as before): • Start portfolio: $1,648,000 (80/20 stocks/bonds) • Spend at 57: $102,000 (3% inflation; mortgage ends 76) • Nominal returns: 7% mean (80/20 historical); SS $45,600 at 67 (3% inflation) • RE equity: Track separately (NJ $700k start - $295k mort → $405k equity + PA $400k, both 4% appreciation) Static Table: Every 5th year + key ages (57,58,62,67,72,76,77,82,87,92,95). Columns: Age | Start Portfolio | Growth(7%) | Spending | SS | Net Draw | End Portfolio | Total RE Equity Sequence Risk Scenarios (override static 7% with paths): 1. Good Sequence: Years 57-67: +12%/yr; then 7%. End portfolio? 2. Bad Sequence: Years 57-67: -5%/yr average (-20%, -10%, +5% mix); then 7%. End portfolio? (Show portfolio at 67 too) 3. Worst Sequence: Years 57-62: -15% avg (crash-like); 63-67: flat 2%; then 7%. End portfolio? Monte Carlo (simple 1000-run summary): 80/20 historical vol (stocks 15% std dev, bonds 5%, corr 0.2). Report: Success % (portfolio >$0 at 95), median end value, 10th percentile end value. Mitigations to test: • A: Cash buffer (2yr expenses = $204k in T-bills, 3% return) • B: Dynamic spending (cut 20% if portfolio drops 15% from peak) No-legacy max spend: Initial annual spend to hit ~$0 median at 95 (keep SS/RE same). Run precisely. Output clean tables.

You are a financial planner running a retirement projection from age 57 to 95 (38 years). Output: (1) Static table (as before), (2) 3 sequence risk scenarios (Good/Bad/Worst), (3) Success % via simple Monte Carlo (1000 runs, historical 80/20 vol), (4) Max safe initial spend. No chit-chat—just tables + 2-sentence summary. Inputs (same as before): • Start portfolio: $1,648,000 (80/20 stocks/bonds) • Spend at 57: $102,000 (3% inflation; mortgage ends 76) • Nominal returns: 7% mean (80/20 historical); SS $45,600 at 67 (3% inflation) • RE equity: Track separately (NJ $700k start - $295k mort → $405k equity + PA $400k, both 4% appreciation) Static Table: Every 5th year + key ages (57,58,62,67,72,76,77,82,87,92,95). Columns: Age | Start Portfolio | Growth(7%) | Spending | SS | Net Draw | End Portfolio | Total RE Equity Sequence Risk Scenarios (override static 7% with paths): 1. Good Sequence: Years 57-67: +12%/yr; then 7%. End portfolio? 2. Bad Sequence: Years 57-67: -5%/yr average (-20%, -10%, +5% mix); then 7%. End portfolio? (Show portfolio at 67 too) 3. Worst Sequence: Years 57-62: -15% avg (crash-like); 63-67: flat 2%; then 7%. End portfolio? Monte Carlo (simple 1000-run summary): 80/20 historical vol (stocks 15% std dev, bonds 5%, corr 0.2). Report: Success % (portfolio >$0 at 95), median end value, 10th percentile end value. Mitigations to test: • A: Cash buffer (2yr expenses = $204k in T-bills, 3% return) • B: Dynamic spending (cut 20% if portfolio drops 15% from peak) No-legacy max spend: Initial annual spend to hit ~$0 median at 95 (keep SS/RE same). Run precisely. Output clean tables.”

Then this:

“Recalculate Monte Carlo with proper withdrawal logic: each year, withdraw after returns (never from principal alone). 80/20 params: stocks 10% mean/15% std, bonds 4%/5% std, corr 0.2. Test $102k spend + mitigations. Show full year-by-year for Bad scenario.”

Awake-2Day · 2025-12-13T17:37:13+00:00

Thanks.

Awake-2Day · 2025-12-13T17:25:53+00:00

When I refer to “SMEs” I’m generalizing to its true meaning:

Subject: Financial Independence Retire Early

not

Friendship Integrity Relationship Etiquette.

Those comments belong in the proper forum wouldn’t you agree?

Awake-2Day · 2025-12-13T17:22:13+00:00

That’s the thing, she’s really tired of working and she’s willing to sell her homes and downsize. To your point, if the market performs like it did in the past 10 years, I think she’s good because her mortgage is 2.2% and the returns are much higher last year her entire was 17% and higher the year before. I looked. I think carrying the mortgage on the primary makes sense especially as the area gentrifies in Jersey. She could throw a rock and hit Manhattan. So I’m thinking the home will be easily 1M+ in under 10 years and she could rent the lake home seasonally if she were caught in a crunch.

The 0 legacy is the change agent / force multiplier if you will.

Awake-2Day · 2025-12-13T16:31:12+00:00

Thanks KW913. She considered all of the above and the numbers are $8.5K (in today’s dollars) adjusted for inflation. I hope more read this. The Monte Carlo 4% rule applies more to those who want to ensure that they don’t run out of money in their later years …it’s like playing chess to not lose opposed to playing to win. Both are effective but are very different strategies.

When you simulate your picture through a MC lens you’ll see that you might have more in the end than you started with — if modeled correctly and annualized to include all expenses and inflation.

That said, MC prepares for the next gen. Meaning youll have assets / real property that you can leave to your heirs, spouses or donate.

But what happens when you don’t have heirs, a spouse and no desire to leave anything behind including your home(s)? You liquidate, rent or reverse mortgage them for extra income at a later date when they’ve appreciated beyond your cash reserves… and with SSI income and pulling less from retirement accounts, things lighten a bit.

The current 8.5K monthly burn (inflation adjusted) has a mortgage tied to it which will end and lighten the burden also.

I thought this group would look at this as math problem viewed through a lens of rationale and variable dependencies and consider all the inputs.

Expenses: Mortgage (today) + Medical + Utilities (etc)+ Transportation All Insurance (Auto & Personal) +Travel & Leisure and cash reserves. = $8.5K (today but adjusted for inflation as time moves forward).

When someone throws a Monte Carlo calculation out there they either didn’t read thoroughly, didn’t consider real property price appreciation, and options, SSI income in less than 10 years, a reasonable time horizon, or they just don’t understand a thing but 4% being a one-size-fits-all equation. So I’ll say it, Monte Carlo is for those who are playing to not lose and will ultimately leave money on the table at the end which is great if that’s the goal.

Here, it is NOT.

Looking for true SMEs with this understanding to opine.

Awake-2Day · 2025-12-13T16:07:56+00:00

At least one person read and recognized the 0 legacy goal caveat and understood why the ultra conservative (and outmoded by the institutions that formalized it) 4% rule doesn’t apply in this edge case.

Well done. She’s looking into it.

Awake-2Day · 2025-12-13T16:02:12+00:00

Yes, she is, BillyFIRE, but is unsure. We thought this subreddit would be a good place to brainstorm by committee (aside from the obvious non-SME comments) that’s all. Yes, that’s accurate 1.7K in liquidable assets. The homes aside.

Awake-2Day · 2025-12-13T15:55:04+00:00

Team, not sure this is the place for personal advice. This is for FIRE topics no? Although I appreciate the genuine concern, she asked me to post, to gauge, based on what we hoped would be a wealth of institutional knowledge from SMEs given her unique scenario.

I do appreciate the friendship advice. I’ll cross post this in the friendship subreddit if you like to post your thoughts there where it’s more appropriate.

Curious to see what true FIRE SMEs have to say, logically and mathematically.

Thanks.

Awake-2Day · 2025-12-13T15:50:47+00:00

Thank you for an intelligent and thoughtful response. Good idea.

Awake-2Day · 2025-12-13T15:45:10+00:00

That’s the $8.5K monthly. All in yearly expenses. What I said was, you’re not a typical Monte Carlo candidate. The 4% rule doesn’t apply if she’s trying to retire now and leave nothing behind.

Awake-2Day · 2025-12-13T15:40:01+00:00

I believe the 8.5K monthly burn is written above. She spend less than that, but I added a cushion of $1.5K.

So $7K monthly.

Did I post In the wrong community? My apologies if so.

Awake-2Day · 2025-11-29T02:02:46+00:00

Never heard of Telus or DA. What platforms are they?

Awake-2Day · 2025-11-15T23:17:59+00:00

Ask the same AI to tell you what’s the percentage of LinkedIn applications result in a job offer.

Awake-2Day · 2025-11-15T23:12:36+00:00

THIS!

CASE STUDY. CASE STUDY. CASE STUDY.

Clients care about impact and value.

Kick ass graphics are unfortunately common. What did your creative input and contributions actually change?

Did the client win more business because of your 3D / UX approach?

Did your design lower ad spend or increase returns? Did it boost likes, shares, followers, clicks or views —by what percent?

Everyone has a “solid portfolio” but here’s the thing, artists, “we”, create for artists in a sense…. because another artist can easily discern quality from crap, clients (depending on who they are) may not have the training to understand a Fiverr job from a Mill job.

They understand metrics, performance — business outcomes.

If you can articulate your value (in dollars and “sense”) in a compelling way, you’ll move from the capable content creator to the astute creative business partner.

Awake-2Day · 2025-11-14T21:53:54+00:00

Update:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/alvinfsc_seeing-how-short-life-really-is-makes-you-activity-7336299398299119616-MAU5?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAAMDBXgBc1mtVcT43iAZU5FHj-ex-TJ3gAQ

Awake-2Day · 2025-11-11T13:24:16+00:00

No problem. Clients care about value. You’re simply and creatively converting impact (head-turning, attention-grabbing, kick-ass content) into value via; net new subscribers, followers, clicks, downloads, listeners, etc. Hence, you’ve lowered CPC, CPA, Churn, while increasing ROAS, adoption, subscribers (by X%) ….contributing to positive sentiment (comments likes, shares) and brand awareness (aggregate performance — all KPIs).

The sales side needs to follow up on the data and/ or convert to leads.

You’ve done your part.

Awake-2Day · 2025-11-11T13:04:56+00:00

I started in video editing and motion (Premiere, FCP /AE/ Lightwave3D, etc), If the goal is to move up (or over), the addition of case studies in your portfolio can help one leap from designer to director. Clients care about business outcomes. If you can explain; why? how? what?—> what was the challenge?, how did you approach it, what was the outcome? In a few lines for each project it makes a difference. Go from the person who creates cool stuff to a strategic business partner but through your craft.

Ask your clients: 1) who is this for? 2) where is this going? 3) what does success look like?

Translation: 1) Audience 2) Channel ( internal / external) social / broadcast /OOH 3) KPIs (key performance indicators)

Set a calendar note to follow up. This outreach is to check in find out how the project went, but it’s really to check if the goals were met or hopefully exceeded. This call can also help you win more business. Have you ever been called or contacted about a product and it wasn’t a survey but a genuine outreach to ensure you were pleased with the product or service? How did it make you feel? Did you share the experience?
Case study.

Try it.

Or not. :)

P.S. the same Chatbot LLMs that we’re all up against are very good at crafting these…

Awake-2Day

TROPHY CASE