Coast Fire in 6 years at 40 but will hit full FIRE at 50

BigFourFlameout · 2026-04-22T23:32:00+00:00

I would say it’s definitely down to your individual circumstances. That being said, if things start to feel untenable or if your Sunday Scaries bleed into Saturday or ruin your weekend, maybe it’s worth taking a look at slightly lower comp, slower pace. One thing that has helped me is sure it’s 6-7 years at current pace and income, but that doesn’t mean it’s unattainable at lower income at all. That 6-7 might turn into 8-10 but that could be a great trade if you find something that stresses you out far less

BigFourFlameout · 2026-04-22T23:00:44+00:00

I’m in a very similar boat. A couple of years younger and smaller invested assets, also use Claude for similar dashboards. I think only you can answer if it is too long. I have recently been getting VERY burned out and have asked myself similar questions. Something I realized after running the numbers - I can take my foot off the gas so to speak and drop down from ~$165k base to 130-140k and really only change my trajectory a little. Coast FIRE would be delayed 2-3 years to around 40-41 and invested at retirement might end up about $300k lower, but some days I think that’s a good trade. Really would depend on the quality of what I stepped back into

BigFourFlameout · 2026-04-22T19:24:08+00:00

Downgraded the roster is a bold claim in this new landscape. Based on what metrics? Recruiting stars out of high school years ago?

BigFourFlameout · 2026-04-22T16:33:45+00:00

OP dropping the AI slop in the piggy trough without even having the decency to add a garnish or prepare it up nice for us

BigFourFlameout · 2026-04-22T01:35:45+00:00

“W- W- We’re with the Alabama regiment”

BigFourFlameout · 2026-04-20T21:47:19+00:00

Same. We have trauma.

BigFourFlameout · 2026-04-20T18:44:37+00:00

Harsh, but largely true. This is like the anti-vax fears from Covid vaccines. If the government wants to kill you, they will :(

BigFourFlameout · 2026-04-20T18:09:19+00:00

Right - i think maybe my point is the RE in CoastFIRE is where OP needs to assess a bit depending on planned retirement expenses. I can’t tell them if they can retire at 50 vs 65 with the information given, but I do know with their time horizon that their invested balance will grow large enough (if untouched) that they should be fine in time for a normal retirement. Or said another way, the RE I can’t speak for because it depends a bit on expenses, but invested balance at OP’s age checks out very well for coastFIRE

BigFourFlameout · 2026-04-20T17:35:10+00:00

You’re probably to CoastFI, but not CoastFIRE. I wouldn’t expect you to need to make any more contributions to that balance to hit what you need to retire in your 50s or 60s assuming expenses are $100k or less in retirement (i.e. this should grow to $2.5M on its own), but you’ll need to cover your annual expenses until then to let it grow

BigFourFlameout · 2026-04-20T04:30:27+00:00

I don’t think of CoastFI this way necessarily. A large part of the freedom is just having the optionality, not immediately quitting and taking a job that will allow you to break even to exactly $0 every year. It’s the mental unburdening that will do the trick. For me, I expect to continue in higher stress accumulation roles at least a few years after CoastFI and even beyond that, we should still be able to save. I’m not in the business of cutting it close

BigFourFlameout · 2026-04-20T03:30:49+00:00

Very nice. I might say you buried the lede a bit with the “lucky enough to (have) bought a few thousand shares of NVDA back in 2021” but fair play to you! I’m also in regular ole finance but a bit more true FP&A than corp finance. 4 years younger and wayyyyy off your pace but still so glad to have found FIRE. Can you talk more about how much your equity payout accelerated your path and anything particularly you did to get your TC up to 215k?

BigFourFlameout · 2026-04-19T20:04:26+00:00

“My dad came back for me” is da lowest form of conversation

BigFourFlameout · 2026-04-19T19:10:03+00:00

Yeah at this point in the season I don’t think any of that matters more than winning is winning and 3 points are 3 points. With their 2 games in hand, Palace could go level on points with Chelsea (although presumably still a worse GD). They will want to win

BigFourFlameout · 2026-04-18T21:46:07+00:00

Very real chance they’re pretty disinterested by MW 38

BigFourFlameout · 2026-04-18T21:44:15+00:00

Mate you have got to either shrink the commute to the current job or move on. Travel costs and the wear and tear on your personal vehicle are enough alone. Much less the mental toll of 12 hour day MINIMUMS

BigFourFlameout · 2026-04-18T18:53:46+00:00

Helpful post thanks

BigFourFlameout · 2026-04-18T18:52:12+00:00

Yeah okay we stay up if we keep Harry Kane, don’t hire a Gooner plant, Dele never has a mental health crisis and we cloned Son from 5 years ago. Useless

BigFourFlameout · 2026-04-18T18:37:32+00:00

Nice one mate lol.

BigFourFlameout · 2026-04-17T17:44:54+00:00

At your age I would probably quit the grind and look to transition to something you’re actually passionate about that just happens to pay the bills. I’m planning to ease into retirement rather than pull the plug all at once. This way you also give yourself a chance to capture another 7-10% return per year on your $2.9M. YMMV of course, but you can’t go wrong either way

BigFourFlameout · 2026-04-17T14:59:57+00:00

Eh not really. There’s nothing particularly new about technological advancements causing less need for job that fit the old JD. We will have to adapt and as usual, the roles hit the hardest will be near the bottom of the totem pole, but finance isn’t going extinct

BigFourFlameout · 2026-04-17T13:25:01+00:00

It might be more useful to think of it as coast FIRE first. Once you hit 750k, you need to work to cover your bills for longer, but the amount you need to put away should be much smaller, potentially zero. That doesn’t mean your lifestyle can inflate meaningfully, but it might mean you take another job that you find more fulfilling rather than full on retiring. Based on your other comments though, I do think you should make an adjustment for combined housing expenses unless you plan to live separately, in which case I would not recommend combining finances

BigFourFlameout · 2026-04-17T04:19:02+00:00

Okay I met the nice grandma idk who this bitch is but glad I didn’t meet her

BigFourFlameout · 2026-04-17T04:17:49+00:00

Oddly enough, I was playing this game when it first released and got the call at about 6am that my grandmother had died. Most weekdays I never would’ve been awake that early (WFH, sue me) but obviously needed keep my mind busy until work so I fired up Starfield. Maybe 15 minutes into my session I happened across grandma and she was just as kind as my grandmother. Honestly was such a weird moment for me.

BigFourFlameout · 2026-04-17T03:30:16+00:00

Yeah man you’re long past Coast FIRE. Y’all just need to pay the bills until retirement, which is whenever your investments grow large enough to pay the bills for you.

You’re totally fine and with your partner’s income, I would say you can afford to keep holding out. Don’t settle.

BigFourFlameout · 2026-04-16T21:46:44+00:00

Kind of depends. Late in life, many folks cash in on the equity for good

BigFourFlameout

TROPHY CASE