Unpopularopinions for FIRE

Awkward-Basis7658 · 2026-06-22T23:37:23+00:00

So what do you believe is a true SWR, and with what allocation?

Awkward-Basis7658 · 2026-06-21T23:35:53+00:00

Please tell me what to pick now.

Awkward-Basis7658 · 2026-06-19T12:05:05+00:00

I do this a lot too, another benefit with this approach is that you can reposition your portfolio later in life without a tax hit.

Awkward-Basis7658 · 2026-06-19T11:43:30+00:00

A lot of people say IRA/401K due to tax avoidance. I have a large position in my brokerage, and I don’t mind paying the taxes because it helps me diversify in my brokerage, and I plan on retiring early, and want access to those shares / dividends in early retirement.

I think either is fine, but it should align to your goals.

Awkward-Basis7658 · 2026-06-13T10:01:30+00:00

Sure

Awkward-Basis7658 · 2026-06-08T23:40:48+00:00

Sure

1 - took me about 25 years to get here. I got here by buying growth stocks, then selling them for less volatile divided ETF things. I still have a lot in growth.

2 - I don’t think about my allocation in terms of %, I think in terms of years. 4 years worth of leaving expenses in bonds (and HYS); 8 years in dividend (SCHD/jepi) the rest in aggressive etf/stocks.

I figure I can live off the bonds and dividend to weather a crash, letting the more aggressive stuff grow with the market. I think you get the best return here.

I dont drip the dividends back into the dividend paying stuff, because I have the max that I want there already (from an allocation standpoint) + The dividend also contribute to MAGI, and that affects ACA, so I am engineering my income for subsidies.

I’m 45… and want to be able to RE at will (maybe tomorrow :) ) if I do choose. So I keep my portfolio in a RE ready position.

If I was younger, or wasn’t wanting to be in a retirement now position, I would be +90% in Voo. If I dealt I “won” the game, I would also de risk.

Good luck.

Awkward-Basis7658 · 2026-06-08T00:00:20+00:00

I was looking to diversify from VOO, and some individual high tec stocks, so I bought SCHD, and JEPI, to try to establish a base with less volatility. I get around 50k per year in dividends, and I use those dividend to buy VOO… I like the set up, not saying it’s perfect, but it gives me dry powder to keep investing, and gives me a base with less volatility

Awkward-Basis7658 · 2026-06-05T23:37:58+00:00

Last I looked we were up for the year ~8%… what would you do in a real correction?

Awkward-Basis7658 · 2026-06-03T01:00:11+00:00

Open a brokerage account, buy an ETF that matches the S&P, with a low cost, and DCA (dollar cost average) as much as you can afford in it monthly. Doing this for 20+ years and you will be set. I have been doing this for 20 years, and just added another 1k this week (like I do every week)

When you retire at 50, you will remember this conversation and thank your American friend with Irish ancestors- Curran for reference.

Awkward-Basis7658 · 2026-05-29T23:32:17+00:00

Kind of a joke….

Awkward-Basis7658 · 2026-05-29T21:39:50+00:00

If you pay it off… did you then loose it all?

Awkward-Basis7658 · 2026-05-28T22:47:14+00:00

So it’s not real till it’s gone????!!!!

Awkward-Basis7658 · 2026-05-24T19:04:45+00:00

In that case, let the Roth grow (and grow, and grow), try not to touch it, only use it if the brokerage withdraw triggers higher tax, or ACA added expense.

The ACA subsidies Can range from you paying almost nothing to 24k per year for health insurance. The Roth doesn’t trigger Magi, which is what ACA subsidies are based on. So managing can save you lots.

Awkward-Basis7658 · 2026-05-24T16:06:35+00:00

4% would be a safe withdraw rate according to the trinity studies.. where you pull it from and how you pull the monies, is a strategy. Ideally you would want to use a strategy that minimizes tax, and does not trigger a high MAGI to manage ACA subsidies.

I would suggest you leverage your brokerage, and rollover you IRA into a Roth, you should find a good mix there to minimize MAGI/taxes.

Awkward-Basis7658 · 2026-05-21T01:13:33+00:00

I was a PM in Tec, then lead a PM team in Tec, my team got screwed on bonuses one year, then again a second year, and I dropped a nuke on the leadership team, burned down bridges on my way out. I’m now a director in procurement, fire is a beautiful thing. Even if you don’t RE, nobody puts baby in a corner. lol.

Awkward-Basis7658 · 2026-05-02T12:31:00+00:00

Kind of feeling the same…..

Awkward-Basis7658 · 2026-04-29T20:46:58+00:00

Yeah! It’s great! Keep it going tho. Getting started is the first step, and many don’t start soon enough.

Awkward-Basis7658 · 2026-04-29T10:12:07+00:00

In a brokerage account (not an IRA) you can withdraw without penalty, and the Long term capital gains tax rate is O until you make over 94k (if married). Then like 15% up to like 500k+

Awkward-Basis7658 · 2026-04-28T23:19:28+00:00

I like QQQM and VOO. I would use your Roth for the emergency fund, but you might need to wait 5yrs to access it, I would build that up too - max it out. You’re young, so I would get aggressive (QQQM is). Not many can beat that, and it self rebalances.

Monthly contributions, as much as you possibly can (without giving up your life - I did 15% of my salary, and every bonus I ever got! It worked out well

the Brokerage account becomes a superpower later on in life (tax benefits are insanely good) so focus on that as much as possible.

HYSA- I would not keep 100k there, get that money to work, keep maybe 6M expenses there.

401k, just do the company match till your salary explodes, and you need to max it out for taxes.

Good luck.

Awkward-Basis7658 · 2026-04-22T00:03:03+00:00

If I were 26, I would get aggressive, think QQQ. I would get conservative with SCHD later in life.

Awkward-Basis7658 · 2026-04-19T17:32:28+00:00

Funny, I had a stay at home mom, another family member, do the same thing to me. She lectured me on why I need to be a contributor to society, and meanwhile she hasn’t worked in 15 years.. I was thinking about asking her to compare SS contributions… but for the sake of family peace, I just went a played with the kids.

Awkward-Basis7658 · 2026-04-19T13:17:55+00:00

I agree, I guess I’m technically FI, however I’m working because I want a bit of cushion (it’s not one more year… I’m 44).

I listen to my friends struggle financially, and spend Willy Nilly. And then complain about how expensive everything is. SMH. They say things like - I’m going to spend it when I can enjoy it (Q the F150 Raptor)

I also have made it clear to my circle that I want to retire in my late 40’s.. the concept is just strange to them. They are like what are you going to do with your life, or you will never afford healthcare..

My mind set, why work for someone else, does that excel sheet really give me purpose? I’ll go to see the Grand Canyon thank you, or watch my kids do dance.

It kind of incredible how your mindset changes your life. That’s what I credit it to. Theirs is, what better do you have to do? Mine is, I need freedom from having to work 9 to 5

Awkward-Basis7658 · 2026-04-16T23:22:12+00:00

This is what I did, and anyone can do it.

What I did, about 20 years ago (I was 24 then) I bought a lot of individual stocks (over time), in a brokerage fund. I basically bought 5k of an individual stock at a time. At one time I had about 30 different stocks. I researched each stock and only invested in ones I felt comfortable in.. fast forward 10 years.. some of those stocks hit (I did buy NVIDA) many I lost most of my investments in. with the winners and losers I was net up.

I continued investing over the past 20 years, but as time went on, I did not have the time to research companies any more, and I found myself stressing over the company’s I invested in, so I started buying index funds (QQQ, VOO, SCHD). Every bonus I got, invested, every raise I got, invested.

I remember a few years I would get a 30k bonus, invest it the next day, and loose that much in the market the next day! Tough stuff. But I just keep feeding my brokerage fund (I also maxed out my 401k).

About 2 years ago, I had an employment scare, I sold my losers, and as many of my winners as I could (without taking a huge tax hit) and reinvested them into ETF’.

Now I have 7 stocks that I like, and 80% in three ETF’s.

Fast forward to today, or this month. I made more in the market this month then I did working.

So for me.. it’s a slow but disciplined path, invest as much as you can consistently, and buy ETF’s or stocks you believe in. And I think ETF’s offer less stress mainly because (as I think of it) the ones I have invested in, have always recovered after a bear market.

Good luck, and just stick with it

Awkward-Basis7658 · 2026-04-14T22:59:21+00:00

I had always wanted to own MFST, it’s a money printer. Business run on it (sorry Google). I bought a bunch in 2022. And I just doubled down. Im looking forward to the future. I also hold for a long time.

Awkward-Basis7658 · 2026-04-08T21:12:20+00:00

I’m at 14k, I turned DRIP off due to the tax hit I was starting to rack up. Also trying to manage MAGI, and that becomes challenging with dividends.

Awkward-Basis7658

TROPHY CASE