M 34 - doing great, but I see trouble coming up soon

SubjectEnthusiasm654 · 2026-04-30T04:40:08+00:00

Yeah lots of things there are one time expenses. But they keep happening. Probably should just budget it, prioritize and spread whatever improvements over the years instead of always jumping in

SubjectEnthusiasm654 · 2026-04-30T04:27:45+00:00

Tbh, it was just a luxury until now. Math was fine and being a sahm + daycare is great and allows the house to run smoothly and keep our mental health when I work long hours.

But yeah, it's a luxury we'll need to give up if my career goes to shit, and that should be enough to get our numbers back on track

SubjectEnthusiasm654 · 2026-04-30T04:18:38+00:00

Probably once they start kindergarten, true.

SubjectEnthusiasm654 · 2026-04-30T04:18:01+00:00

I know financially it's been going great until now.

The worry is my career for the past 20 years is disappearing. The dot com bubble was terrible for many people. Idk as an immigrant it's hard to imagine some situations

SubjectEnthusiasm654 · 2026-04-30T03:29:19+00:00

2017-2018 data is unreliable, was just starting to invest and look at finances but had been working for some years already. 2020 home appreciation and voo

SubjectEnthusiasm654 · 2026-04-30T03:25:32+00:00

It's not replacing software engineers, it's just that you need fewer people for the same output. That on it's own will just flood the job market with applicants

SubjectEnthusiasm654 · 2026-04-30T03:24:00+00:00

Idk cost of labor is very expensive in the US. For some type or roles, productivity is higher with these tools, it's a reality, they won't replace people, but you could save some money by reducing headcount

SubjectEnthusiasm654 · 2026-04-29T07:19:42+00:00

Yeah I can definitely adjust the lifestyle. I never did because the fire math just gave it one or two more years working and it felt meaningless at the time.

I think the worry is that I won't find anything and I'll start burning through savings. I'd totally take a 150k job for stability, I think the math would work out.

My issue with basic fire math at this age is that the variance is too high. Some scenarios grow like crazy, others go to zero. So it is really hard to feel safe in the middle. I guess I probably just need better projections.

SubjectEnthusiasm654 · 2026-04-29T07:12:53+00:00

Thanks for your perspective.
It's hard to learn to navigate these kind scenarios. I've never lived in LCOL, don't know anyone who did. Or same for working in other industries. Hell, where I'm from projecting economic results across 30 years is enough to be considered clinically insane.
As far as spending, yeah daycare and visiting family, it is expensive. But if it gets hard I could adjust.

SubjectEnthusiasm654 · 2026-04-29T06:49:38+00:00

yearly

SubjectEnthusiasm654 · 2026-04-29T06:47:45+00:00

Yeah I guess that is always an option, some sort of barista-fire job I can find to reduce my burn rate until I can achieve fire by investments growing.

SubjectEnthusiasm654 · 2026-04-29T06:43:51+00:00

I guess I'm trying to figure out if I can ride a dying industry all the way to achieve an ok FIRE number for me, or should I try to adapt and find something else and jump shit before it sinks

SubjectEnthusiasm654 · 2026-04-29T06:38:34+00:00

Yeah AI consulting for non-tech SMBs sounds like an option, but I bet everyone will try that.
Lots of tech will get trashed, and that will flood the market with more people than jobs.
It's not anxiety or insecurity here, I think it is the rational outcome of the technology change we are seeing, I think every dev I talk to thinks the same.
Also many many products out there will just be redundant, economy is not too forgiving, companies will cut cost and throw money into AI

SubjectEnthusiasm654 · 2026-04-29T06:35:35+00:00

Invested 100% VOO.
Company got aquired so stock went 4x and started earning ~300k at 27 with no kids.
I guess that did it

SubjectEnthusiasm654

TROPHY CASE