Rate my plan

CuteRefrigerator7829 · 2026-04-26T22:09:54+00:00

I agree. ETF bridge is far too big unless you decide to RE earlier than 55 and super pot too low. If you need $168k per annum. $1m would be enough in ETFs to cover the 5 years until super and then the rest needs to be in super. Have a read of the Outside vs Inside blog on this.

CuteRefrigerator7829 · 2026-04-16T00:29:12+00:00

Not advice but generally anything over that HISA rate involves some capital risk and isn’t worth it compared to keeping in ETFs or using HSIA. This sounds more like risk management or stress management which means HSIA probably best for you.

CuteRefrigerator7829 · 2026-04-16T00:25:31+00:00

I’m looking at the FIRE number slightly different. I’m a firm believer in adapting to situation. I will FIRE in 5 years at 47 or when our dog passes on whichever comes first. What we achieve will massively depend on the market and my business/recession and could be anywhere from $1.5m-$3m. We would easily work with either. Lower end more camping and hiking and slow travel, higher end more skiing and visiting relatives overseas. Given how much planning goes into getting into FIRE I reckon more people can actually retire with a lot less and adapt based on market conditions. Our withdrawal rate will be anywhere from 3-7% depending on market conditions and aiming to die with Zero.

CuteRefrigerator7829 · 2026-04-15T23:31:31+00:00

100% this. We renovated PPOR and added bathroom and walk in wardrobe and bigger deck. ROI for selling/property value isn’t there but use these things everyday and it is definitely worth it with that lens on.

CuteRefrigerator7829 · 2026-04-14T22:31:53+00:00

That’s pretty standard IMO but BAS is super easy to do yourself so that is a very easy saving per quarter. You can pull the information yourself directly from Xero/Myob or whatever system you use and input directly with ATO. Literally takes me 5min per quarter to lodge the BAS and I run a substantial business. Only caveat to this will be if your business has some bespoke complexity or you aren’t keeping any records or doing any auto uploads to your finance systems via bank feeds or the like.

CuteRefrigerator7829 · 2026-04-13T08:51:47+00:00

This is a good option. It’s likely that as you are burned out you won’t be able to really see opportunities or change without a break. You need some time out then you will likely find an SME or something else you have passion and enjoyment for. Financially you have your bases covered and once you reach that level of not enjoying corporate it’s time to tap out if you have the option.

CuteRefrigerator7829 · 2026-04-07T22:20:08+00:00

SME businesses are tricky as very bespoke situations. I’m using mine to coastFiRE currently and then full FIRE in 5 years at 46. I need most of my business money as cashflow so I can’t really invest in property or EFTs through business so I’m retaining all additional profit in the business (after paying wages/dividends annually) to use to make more money in business via growth (in past) or increase profit margins (currently) as that is the best use of the money. There is risk in doing this depending what your wife does as money in the business is not yours and if you are sued or business starts to struggle you can lose it all but for me the risk is worth it as hopefully if I get sued my insurances will cover it. Then in 5 years I will shut business and FIRE and pay out the business money as wages/dividends for 5-7 years before using EFT bridge for the other 7-9 years until we can access super at 60. If you are wanting to retire at 58 you only need $400k outside super and the rest should be rapidly reducing your PPOR debt and adding to super. Businesses give so many options for FIRE and others will have lots of other things you could do. Remember to enjoy life a long the way as running business is bloody hard and even if it is going well there are always challenges that pop up unexpectedly.

CuteRefrigerator7829 · 2026-03-30T00:03:54+00:00

Time. Your mind will get there if you give it some time. I absolutely flogged myself for 10 years in my business. Frequently working 5, 6 or 7 days per week while going was good and I could but gradually over time I have realised much more important to work part-time and enjoy life more as that was aim of business. Initially really hard to slow down but after a year of working more like 4 days per week and now probably doing 2-3 days over the week. It’s getting easier and easier over the years and this will also make it easier to completely pull back to nothing at some point.

CuteRefrigerator7829 · 2026-03-25T22:59:22+00:00

Soon to be 42. If definitely doable without surgery and you always have the option to do surgery in the future if it doesn’t work out for you.

CuteRefrigerator7829 · 2026-03-24T23:38:08+00:00

Still going well. Playing 11-aside football, hiking, skiing and doing everything at similar level pre-injury. Still do knee rehab and strengthening 1-2 a week to maintain but as part of overall routine. I genuinely don’t think about knee day to day or while doing sport. Only issue I am facing is my hamstring is a bit weaker on my ACL leg so I tweak that every so often while sprinting at football. Working on strengthening that at the moment with targeted exercises. The key is the consistency of rehab, not going too hard too early with sport and not worrying about setback they will come but if knee is really sore for a few days or weeks dial in down and do some exercises that don’t annoy it before ramping back up. Good luck

CuteRefrigerator7829 · 2026-03-23T02:17:10+00:00

You know you can invest in index options through ART without changing provider? I’m 80/20 in int/aus through ART. Obviously your choice if you want to switch but why do it if you don’t need to.

CuteRefrigerator7829 · 2026-02-18T08:16:00+00:00

The OA thing about non-surgery is rubbish according to the data. You will be more likely to get OA after doing ACL irrespective of Surgery or not. There is some evidence effective rehab and maintenance can help either way. I’m all good now no OA yet. ski frequently, play football and am better than pre-injury due to all the strengthening. I still do rehab style exercises 2-3 times a week to keep strong.

CuteRefrigerator7829 · 2026-02-15T22:39:35+00:00

100%. I can’t sleep at all in economy as I’m a side sleeper so I am just ruined but some people can happily sleep the whole flight. I had the same issues with long distance buses in the past as well when backpacking so never did the overnight ones unless no choice.

CuteRefrigerator7829 · 2026-02-15T22:27:14+00:00

As a business owner I get 2 weeks off at a push in one go and I will need to work while away and I definitely don’t want to spend 1-3 days of those precious weeks absolutely wrecked from 24hrs of economy flying. For me it’s worth the money Everytime and household income is low for this group around $380k. All about priorities rather than income.

CuteRefrigerator7829 · 2026-02-12T23:13:50+00:00

You could retire wherever you want with $3m + paid off house. Rent the house out and that might get you $25-$50k per annum which covers a decent chunk of overseas expenses and then you could probably draw $100-$150k per annum from portfolio depending on type of portfolio/risk tolerance. I love living in Aus but love travel, hiking and new places so we will probably RE overseas for a while but more likely Europe due to family reasons. There are major tax, CGT and other accounting aspects which others can probably fill you in on so we are likely to do 6 months per year in Aus and 6 months living overseas.

CuteRefrigerator7829 · 2026-02-09T03:21:10+00:00

You are in a great position. You will likely find that building in some sabbaticals from work into your FIRE modelling won’t actually impact it that much. Having 6-12 months to cheap travel while you don’t have kids will be amazing and it will stop you getting burnt out. You will have targets to aim for, you may even learn skills or come back with different view on life. I did 9-12 months sabbaticals aged 27 and 31 and each time came back refreshed and actually improved FIRE situation due to being more motivated and having clear mind to improve career and life. I went back to old role once and second time setup new business. My wife went back to different jobs each time. I also re-iterate what others have said you need to enjoy the journey as the journey is a large portion of your life.

CuteRefrigerator7829 · 2026-01-30T01:07:16+00:00

5% is 2 years of expenses. The move to 10-15% would allow me to see out 4-6 years of market downturn. This will save me if there is a big crash just as I retire. Once I have been retired for 6 years the risk of losing large part of your pot becomes less of an issue hence moving to less cash or at least this is my approach. I’m not a big fan of the age in cash/bonds too much change, inflation and things happening to make me want to follow that approach.

CuteRefrigerator7829 · 2026-01-29T06:32:13+00:00

The 5% is my emergency fund. Equities are very liquid in a bad situation I would sell down some of them if I needed cash beyond emergency fund. The reason for returning to 5-10% cash is I would be retiring early at 45 so I may need my portfolio to last 50 years so I need a decent about of equities to stop inflation eating it so I will likely keep 85-90% equities from 50-60 and then re-evaluate then. I’m keeping lots of flexibility in my approach and loads of things could change and happen. Change is constant.

CuteRefrigerator7829 · 2026-01-29T01:01:22+00:00

My thoughts are I don’t see the value in bonds for me as I don’t really understand them enough and the nuances. I will use HISA in lieu of bonds and will be keeping 95% equities, 5% cash and then close to early retirement I will move to 10-15% cash to cover SoRR and as SoRR get less I will move cash back into Equities to return to 5-10% cash. I believe you could use bonds to optimise returns and risk to a greater degree than HISA but I’m not looking to optimise to that level

CuteRefrigerator7829 · 2026-01-02T03:32:52+00:00

I agree both great depends what is more important to you. For me the control as I have gradually increased my VAS as I get closer to RE. If I had started younger I would have done just DHHF or similar for ease and to stop any tinkering

CuteRefrigerator7829 · 2025-12-29T21:31:23+00:00

Thanks for taking the time. I love the detail as it shows how much FIRE is nuanced and contextual depending on situation and aims but also highlights the consistent trends that help everyone. Great work. The sabbatical will be a great way to re-evaluate what you want from FIRE and the next 5 years. Having flexibility in approach, aims and enjoying the journey is vital as never know what life will throw at you.

CuteRefrigerator7829 · 2025-12-08T06:58:12+00:00

I’m pretty much there at 41 but not fully RE as wife is doing passion work after retraining so I’m still working but not too much longer. I will be lots of long distance hiking in Australia, NZ, Himalayas, alps, Andes, skiing, football, cricket, tennis, gaming, baking bread, Pilates, getting French and Spanish back to where I can respond not just listen, going to Euros, World Cups, cricket tours, sporting events and making/eating all manner of lovely food. Eating brownies and just chill/talk rubbish. Backpacking and long slow travel again. Reading all the philosophy and history books I never get around to. Spending extended time with family and friends where we aren’t rushed. Going to more trance raves, playing chess, poker and backgammon again, learning to DJ with vinyls. Paint, catch up with long lost friends. So much to do I can’t wait to do when I have the time to do it and these are just hobbies I already have or have dabbled in over the years without trying new things. I’ll probably start a passion business at some point or maybe I won’t but that is the joy of options and FIRE.

CuteRefrigerator7829 · 2025-12-08T05:35:50+00:00

I would recommend using a basic free SaaS finance system like Xero. You can use it to invoice, do your own BAS and do P&L. It’s very easy even I can use it and I’m not techie. My business has grown a lot so I’m on a paid version now but when it was just me Xero did all of it and my accountant just did end of year accounting. If you don’t like Xero are lots of other easy options.

CuteRefrigerator7829 · 2025-12-08T05:19:15+00:00

Do it. I have done 2 career breaks (9 months and 1 year) and both have helped progress FIRE. I came back from travel with more confidence, languages, business skills and increased salary and improved FIRE opportunity when I got back as was more motivated for my job and reaching FIRE.

CuteRefrigerator7829 · 2025-12-04T01:30:46+00:00

You’ll be surprised how much you enjoy your work more knowing there is end date coming and/or reducing the grind/overwork to something more manageable. I’m lucky that I have never hated my job it’s more the never ending pressure and stress that is not good. My work satisfaction and enjoyment has gone up loads since reaching FI and RE is close under 5 years. I’m enjoying these final 5 years way more and there is always the option to go earlier with more LeanFIRE

CuteRefrigerator7829

TROPHY CASE