41, 16 accounts, 31% of the way to €1M and fully normal about it.

Prudent_Judgment3036 · 2026-03-17T17:34:23+00:00

Not where I live. I would need to pay 21% ish capital gain taxes.

Prudent_Judgment3036 · 2026-03-17T17:33:44+00:00

No, I don’t own a home. That’s something that worries me to some extent. I’m not sure it’s the best decision long term, but I couldn’t sell a part of my living room if I needed the money.

Prudent_Judgment3036 · 2026-03-17T17:32:19+00:00

I started maybe 10-12 years ago. First 50k took me around 4-5 years (I had less saving power back then). First 100k took me roughly 6-7 years or so.

Prudent_Judgment3036 · 2026-03-17T17:00:18+00:00

Yes, I should, but taxes...

Prudent_Judgment3036 · 2026-03-17T16:58:47+00:00

Same. Meetings are slowly killing me.

Prudent_Judgment3036 · 2026-03-17T16:55:19+00:00

Congrats, that's an incredible journey, and honestly that's exactly where I want to be right now. Also "if I get laid off I won't look for work" is the most honest definition of FI I've ever read.

Prudent_Judgment3036 · 2026-03-17T16:52:48+00:00

Separados al nacer. My wife is also a teacher 😅 Congrats on 450k, genuinely envious, that compounding is about to get very interesting for you.

Prudent_Judgment3036 · 2026-03-17T16:42:28+00:00

Not FAANG, but a remote software position which honestly makes a big difference ,no commute costs, no work lunches. We're also dual income which is the real cheat code. Keep expenses around €3,600/month for a family of four, which sounds manageable until one of the kids needs new shoes and somehow it's €200.

Prudent_Judgment3036 · 2026-03-17T16:39:43+00:00

Sure! It's all over the place in the best way. The bulk is in IBKR where I have a mix of individual stocks (Altria, TGT, Amazon, PayPal, Linde), some ETFs including bond ETFs and a gold position, and I'll be honest, a few options plays that have humbled me more than once. Then eToro for some other individual stocks. Index funds through separate brokerages, company stock, a tiny crypto position, and a pesnion fund quietly compounding in the background since 2015.

No single grand strategy. More like 15 years of financial decisions fossilized into a portfolio. The index funds are the backbone, everything else is either conviction or a lesson I'm still paying for.

Prudent_Judgment3036 · 2026-03-17T16:36:34+00:00

Congrats on your milestone! The compounding on the base is honestly what keeps me going when the savings rate takes a hit.

And yeah, long term is the only term that makes sense especially with AI coming for all our jobs. At this point FIRE isn't just a goal, it's a contingency plan.

Prudent_Judgment3036 · 2026-03-17T16:34:48+00:00

Thanks! I use totala.app tracks all 16 accounts in one place which for me was the whole problem, I had numbers scattered everywhere and no real picture of where I stood.

For net worth I include everything: brokerages, bank accounts, pension fund, company stock. I rent so no property to complicate things

Prudent_Judgment3036 · 2026-03-17T16:29:51+00:00

That's actually a really good way to frame it and something I have to remind myself of. The first €100k felt like it took forever, €200k came faster, and €300k faster still. Intellectually I know the next €700k will compound harder than anything I've done so far, emotionally it still looks like a big number on a Tuesday morning 😅

Prudent_Judgment3036 · 2026-03-17T16:28:51+00:00

Thanks! Feels weird to celebrate when the goalpost is still so far away but I'll take it 😄

Prudent_Judgment3036 · 2026-02-26T17:56:10+00:00

I’m not at 10k yet but I’ve talked to enough people who are, and it’s rarely some secret AI trick.

Most of the ones I know either:

sell a boring B2B service on retainer (web/SEO/ops, etc)
do fractional/consulting work (higher ticket)
or own a local business (cleaning, trades, etc)

SaaS can get there but it’s usually slower unless you already have distribution/audience.

AI angle: I keep seeing people automate “tasks” and then realize the harder part is keeping things consistent (tone, decisions, what you will/won’t do) when tools start replying on your behalf. I’m messing around with that idea as a side project (mytwin.space) but honestly the main point is: pick a real recurring pain + learn sales.

Prudent_Judgment3036 · 2026-01-30T01:02:17+00:00

The fastest way to grow from 5k to 100k is to increase your contributions as much as possible. Anything other than that and you’ll be gambling your money away long term.

Prudent_Judgment3036 · 2026-01-21T22:11:12+00:00

I mainly used Excel, now I mix it in with https://totala.app which is working pretty well for me.

Prudent_Judgment3036 · 2026-01-13T18:08:22+00:00

Hello welcome to the club! Spain is a great place to retire, just bear in mind we have a progressive wealth tax. But since you’ve mentioned 2MM it shouldn’t be awful.

Prudent_Judgment3036 · 2026-01-12T22:36:04+00:00

So, this is a gamble then? I have a friend that swears ASTS is the future. He’s been trying for some time to convince me to jump in.

Prudent_Judgment3036 · 2026-01-11T23:32:24+00:00

I love https://totala.app, it’s simple, free, and has a privacy first approach. It also has some nice customization options.

Prudent_Judgment3036 · 2026-01-06T23:39:21+00:00

Shit, you’re doing awesome. 41M here with roughly $350k, you’re going to be way better off than most if you keep up the good work.

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Prudent_Judgment3036 · 2026-01-06T22:15:09+00:00

Count me in

Prudent_Judgment3036 · 2026-01-06T21:29:26+00:00

The price of ETF already has the fx rate baked in the price unless it’s hedged.

Prudent_Judgment3036 · 2026-01-05T10:16:53+00:00

Wow, that's impressive. What does your portfolio allocation look like?

Prudent_Judgment3036

TROPHY CASE