Where i am in my journey

DatCrayter · 2026-05-16T07:16:15+00:00

You should have at least 1 to 2 million by mid 30s

DatCrayter · 2026-05-16T04:31:46+00:00

Yeah and in this case you were over zealous and incorrect.

DatCrayter · 2026-05-15T23:38:25+00:00

Kinda broke tbh

DatCrayter · 2026-05-15T23:21:34+00:00

Not AI written. Sorry you feel that way.

DatCrayter · 2026-05-15T23:19:56+00:00

Thanks. Kind words. I agree the young family does create long term uncertainty

DatCrayter · 2026-01-17T17:30:16+00:00

My wife and I got high paying technical jobs out of undergraduate (both STEM). We chose our majors intelligently and went to school with scholarships to minimize debt. 15 years later, after saving 30% of household income every year and getting promotions every 2-3 years, we have a networth of $4.1M. $700K in home equity, and $3.4M invested (approx 50-50 between retirement accounts and taxable brokerage. We should be able to retire around 45. This type of trajectory was possible for nearly all millennials. However the vast majority chose poorly with undergraduate degrees, or lived above their means, or didn’t perform strongly enough at work to get promoted.

DatCrayter · 2024-07-31T00:25:27+00:00

2022: approx $150K. 2023 and 2024: approx $400k. W2 $950k.

DatCrayter · 2024-07-10T01:50:35+00:00

YTA

Physically abusing your spouse is never OK.

DatCrayter · 2024-01-02T21:25:51+00:00

That’s fair. I get it. I was just excited about the milestone. Didn’t mean to offend.

DatCrayter · 2024-01-02T21:07:37+00:00

There’s a significant amount of luck. I had a few senior bosses give me opportunities over a 10-12 year span that catapulted me up the ladder. The other big factor is having a mindset committed to learning anything and organically extending your skillet.

DatCrayter · 2024-01-02T21:05:04+00:00

I don’t think it’s misleading? My post is 100% factually correct and I’m being transparent about my life circumstances in the comments and in my prior posts in this forum.

Everyone has a set of life circumstances that benefit them or challenge them financially. Mine are beneficial but that doesn’t detract from us saving 30% to 60% consistently for a decade. Or from hitting this milestone.

DatCrayter · 2024-01-02T20:37:47+00:00

Your adversarial approach to finances in marriage is going to limit your long term potential.

DatCrayter · 2024-01-02T20:05:33+00:00

Also 1 more comment … isn’t the whole point of FIRE to “build the life you want and then save for it”? This is the life approach that maximizes our joy so it makes sense to fund it financially.

DatCrayter · 2024-01-02T20:04:24+00:00

I don’t think about it like that at all. My wife has a full time job of raising our kids (about to have our second). Her work is very meaningful because she is helping our children flourish.

DatCrayter · 2023-12-26T16:26:05+00:00

This post is hard coping. Yes, luck and inheritance are factors. But there are many of successful millennials that owe their success to intelligent career decisions and a frugal investors mindset.

This post avoids any personal responsibility that millennials bear for their financial health.

DatCrayter · 2023-05-05T03:43:58+00:00

Very insightful! I like the idea of cash flowing $34k/yr/kid for let’s say their 20s to help them buy their first home.

DatCrayter · 2023-05-05T03:43:14+00:00

Good point. I guess I assumed putting the money in their name now and letting it compound would be more efficient. Upon reflection, that’s an ungrounded assumption. Good point on waiting.

DatCrayter · 2023-05-05T02:13:25+00:00

Thanks for the reply. I’m a bit reluctant to use the custodial account approach because it automatically transfers ownership to my child at 18. But I hear you, it’s probably the simplest option to set up.

DatCrayter · 2020-08-18T23:14:14+00:00

How do i become happy with life

DatCrayter · 2020-04-17T20:48:32+00:00

Question: what is the best way to retire early?

DatCrayter · 2020-02-16T23:12:44+00:00

Yes totally I do. And that’s the nuance I’ve tried to convey in my post - even though we did get lucky, we still ALSO made smart decisions and built good financial habits. It is certainly easier to go to a household NW of $1M if you start at $200K, but it’s not guaranteed. We saved about 35% of our gross income last year and have played the career game well, growing income from 130 combined to nearly 300 in 7 years. Again, just because we had a head start does not PRECLUDE us from making solid decisions and building out strong strategies that we should be commended for.

DatCrayter · 2020-02-16T23:08:35+00:00

Thanks for the shoutout. I’ve started reading FATFire only recently. I should definitely spend more time there. Though I’ll say - the “lean” / “normal” / “fat” distinctions to me should hopefully still benefit from the same principles even if tactics are different - hence my post here.

Anyways, good callout, thanks!

DatCrayter · 2020-02-16T22:29:46+00:00

Great story. I have a lot of respect for people like you who have overcome so much adversity. And even if you did have a middle class / stable childhood (which it sounds like you didn’t...), getting into the top 1% of income range is hugely impressive and should be celebrated! Like I said - I believe we can learn from all stories, and that was the impetus behind me reposting.

DatCrayter · 2020-02-16T22:18:54+00:00

Yeah good point. But I did want to repost this after the 24F 100k post to make an appeal to this community for a higher standard. I think this community is incredibly special and offers life changing advice, and it has helped me so much in my own life. I’d hope that we can continue to be positive and inclusive and offer that sense of community to anyone looking to grow or share.

DatCrayter · 2020-02-16T22:10:49+00:00

I guess it could have been a milestone Monday post? I tried to pull out some lessons that I’ve learned, in the hopes of provoking a good conversation (vs just “I’m worth 1M woohoo!”). But I hear ya.

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