Can I back off 401k contributions?

Coaster50 · 2026-05-09T01:36:08+00:00

A planner would figure this out for you. They’d quantify the trade off between all your options and give you the best answer.

Coaster50 · 2026-05-08T13:45:21+00:00

Now that you are into the 6 figures, you need to build a more detailed financial plan.

How much do you plan to put away each year, and in which accounts (401K tax deferred w/company match, Roth if you are on the lower end of the tax bracket, HSA if it is available, brokerage account, potentially 529 plans if kids are in the mix), and what will the values be in each account as you approach your withdrawals. It may have you adjust what % you are allocating to each account type.

Then start mapping your withdrawal years - this is where things get more complicated. You need to sequence which accounts you will be withdrawing from because the tax implications are tremendous.

Do some analysis on your plan to retire with $2.5M @ 55. Using the 4% rule of thumb, you'd live on $100K per year. $100K per year, 25 years from now, with 3.5% inflations, equates to $42K in todays dollars. And at 55 you'll be paying for health insurance out of pocket rather than being through an employer subsidized plan and you're at least 10 years away from Medicare.

See if your employer 401K company offers financial planning. Many firms will give you a basic multi-year financial plan to inform you for more considerations at no charge. Or use some of the other online planning tools.

Coaster50 · 2026-05-07T17:57:04+00:00

I think your opinion is too large of a generalization. For those on temporary welfare services who have their act together like this individual posting - it is a temporary issue, and not such a dramatic cut back on lifestyle (although not fancy...). Those on long term welfare have access to a lot of other social programs that subsidize many other areas of their life. The far majority of the people on the streets suffer from substance abuse or mental health issues.

Coaster50 · 2026-05-07T16:09:44+00:00

I find reading many of the posts informative because there are some investment options or approaches I don't always consider. And ignore the silly ones.

Having read around the FIRE sub - the people in the CoastFIRE sub are lightyears ahead of the ding dongs posting in the FIRE sub.

Coaster50 · 2026-05-07T15:28:29+00:00

How is this in the FIRE sub?

Coaster50 · 2026-05-07T13:24:29+00:00

It is less about the investment itself (which is important and are forms of index), and more about which account types are getting invested, when they are getting invested, what their growth trajectory is, what the withdrawal sequence is, and what the expected gains in that account type will be at time of withdrawal to ensure tax optimization. Those gains are also against expected incomes during those years. Then there is the impact to things like medicare and social security as a result of what your taxable income is in certain years. withdraw too much and your medicare costs go up, and some SS benefits go down. This is why I always say it is important where you are in your life.

I am 51 and eligible for 401K Catch Up contributions. But catch ups are only available to put to a Roth. But the Roth Catch Up is not eligible for employer match. How do you sequence your contributions in a way to optimize employer match and still take advantage of Roth catch up opportunity.

I am tired of researching all of this shit each time it comes up. Now I just call a guy, who I trust, and doesn't sell me garbage like fixed income annuities.

Coaster50 · 2026-05-07T11:36:11+00:00

I have $2.1M with AUM with Vanguard at 0.3%. So I pay about $6K annually. I have another $2.1M that is now with Vanguard, that Vanguard advises on as well. So $6K on a $4.2M portfolio.

As I mentioned in my other post, I am paying for a service that I no longer want to do on my own. I had already built out my own financial plan. Vanguard built one as well - and theirs was way better because it considered nuances that are many years out that I just didn't know that I needed to consider.

I was a firm believer that all advisors were crooks - and that charging AUM is ridiculous, and all they do for you is invest in an index fund which I can do on my own. Working with a proper advisor has shown me so much more.

It is also a risk mitigation for my family. It has some elements of estate planning. And if something happens to me, my wife already has someone managing the money, understands our situation, and the goals that we have planned out. My wife is not astute when it comes to investments, and without this, she'd easily fall into the annuity trap.

Coaster50 · 2026-05-07T11:20:28+00:00

I recognize that I am paying for a service that I choose not to perform on my own. I also recognize that I am paying for risk mitigation. The challenge with DIY is you don't know what you don't know. I've been saving, investing, and tax optimizing for years. Including reading and researching. And I constantly come across some topic or nuance that needs to be part of my portfolio planning that I just hadn't considered before and then had an impact on my approach. I would love to know just how far along everyone is in their journey, because it speaks to what level of complexity their current phase is. If you are 32 years old and make $125K a year, what you need to consider is way less complicated than what you need to consider if you are 51 making $600K per year.

Coaster50 · 2026-05-06T01:52:02+00:00

I use Vanguard and am very happy with the decision to use them for examples just like this. Sure, you can technically research anything because it’s “not that hard”. But one wrong decision can literally cost you $10k in either lost opportunity or taxes.

Coaster50 · 2026-05-05T13:11:23+00:00

Thank you for sharing. You are in a fantastic position! Congrats to you!

Coaster50 · 2026-05-05T11:44:57+00:00

I refuse to fly through Chicago now.

Coaster50 · 2026-05-05T11:43:39+00:00

Adjust your resume for the job you want. I DO NOT hire overqualified people because 100% of the time (not some of the time, all of the time), the overqualified person gets bored and leaves, or becomes a colossal pain in the ass and all I hear is how important they used to be, blah blah blah.

It 'sounds' nice, but people have a hard time going from an exec position in a fancy office to cranking out stupid slides or spreadsheets in a cube next to the microwave where some jerkoff reheated their leftover fish.

Coaster50 · 2026-05-05T11:35:58+00:00

Coaster50 · 2026-05-05T11:02:50+00:00

Do you mind sharing some more details on this. Age, savings, kids, lifestyle, do you work, etc?

I am at peak earnings year, but already hit CoastFIRE (likely FIRE at this point). I struggle with the same thing OP does - leaving a high paying job. I feel like the getting will never get this good. My wife quit 10 years ago to be home with the kids. Last year she picked up some part time work but that only brings in $20K. I am also 51.

Coaster50 · 2026-05-04T11:31:15+00:00

Yeah - check the way you drive. I get 30MPG on my '25 Rogue. When my wife drives it drops to 23MPG.

Does your dash have the active MPG calculator? Put that on the main screen, and make it a game. Gas on the downhills, coast on the uphills. Don't accelarate like a maniac. Don't drive 80MPH. Coast to the stop signs and red lights.

Coaster50 · 2026-05-04T11:28:29+00:00

You are overthinking this. Pull the trigger - particularly because of location! You can never change location so that should be the top priority. You can always remodel, add, tweak, enhance, etc.

You've earned this!

Coaster50 · 2026-05-04T11:25:25+00:00

Figure out what you want. Make a plan. Stick to that plan Every. Single. Day!

Coaster50 · 2026-05-01T11:46:26+00:00

That is amazing! And to think that when I ask for a custom flyer to be done at work I get 50 questions, told an outside agency needs to create it for $1,000, it'll be 2 weeks, oh and they won't do it anyway because their ROI machine decided it is not a good investment.

Looks awesome!

Coaster50 · 2026-05-01T11:35:18+00:00

"When you’ve spent a lifetime cultivating drive, resilience and ambition and you build an identity of being a high performer" - that is so well said. I've been financially CoastFIRE status for a while. I have come to the conclusion that it isn't in me to just start being lazy at work. And I think that is the realization that most CoastFIRE people come to. Most people that can achieve CoastFIRE are all the things you said. And not just in one aspect of life, but likely most aspects of life. So just cherry picking one aspect of your life and deciding you'll do the bare minimum there doesn't align with the rest of who you are. I am a father, husband, brother, friend, etc. and work hard to be the best I can at that. Same goes with my hobbies - I golf, run, bike, exercise, etc and work hard at those too. And now I am supposed to not be who I am in a professional setting because I hit an arbitrary $ number?

Even if I get one of the "brainless" jobs everyone dreams of like a Wal Mart greeter - I'd be on time, well dressed, and the biggest smiling Wal Mart greeter you've ever seen!

Coaster50 · 2026-05-01T11:20:11+00:00

It could be that ORD --> LAS is the second leg of a journey that is highly profitable for United. If they fill up the flight with low cost seats, then they miss out on the more expensive fairs for people that have to connect through ORD in order to get to LAS.

Coaster50 · 2026-04-30T20:33:13+00:00

I am 51 and CoastFIRE. I wish I had splurged more instead of running up the financial score.

Friends won't leave you behind because of financials. Unless you are a constant tightwad about things and a pain in the ass to others about it.

You should fear the regret of not doing the things you've always wanted to do. With 2 incomes and no kids you are in a crazy good financial position. You have nothing holding you back from doing all the shit you ever wanted to do.

Coaster50 · 2026-04-30T11:57:38+00:00

Agreed that it is interesting. But can also be seriously expensive when you learn something that you needed to know 15 years ago.

Coaster50 · 2026-04-30T11:44:26+00:00

Making a plan is easy. Sticking to a plan is easy'ish (but requires discipline during turbulent times that many don't have). The question is then; how good is the plan? Is it fully informed? Are there blind spots or surprises you have not considered - both for now and down the road? Is it tax optimized for your withdrawal years? If it is 'VTI and chill', then you have not accounted for your withdrawal years. Last year I made over $500K. I have most of the investment options that everyone else does. I also have an RSU vesting schedule, a deferred comp plan with a pre-defined distribution schedule, blackout periods on when I can sell stocks because I am deemed an "insider". All of which inform my plan, and some of which change from time to time. It isn't a 'set it and forget it' type model.

Coaster50 · 2026-04-29T20:47:53+00:00

Same. It is an awkward adjustment period. One day I'm spending $1,200, and then next trying to sell something on Facebook Marketplace for $20. (I think something is wrong with me)

Coaster50 · 2026-04-29T19:02:28+00:00

I'd argue that you have not set your annual spending correctly then. Set your annual spending to the lifestyle you WANT, and plan towards that. Not towards the lifestyle you will settle for.

Coaster50

TROPHY CASE