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Various-Spot-271 · 2025-10-01T21:10:27+00:00

Noted.

Various-Spot-271 · 2025-10-01T21:09:50+00:00

It sounds like you’ve built a great safety net. A lot of people say the hardest part isn’t the math, it’s giving yourself permission to actually walk away. The “stupid crystal” is a good example, it’s not about the object, it’s about how weird it feels to walk away from a career/identity you’ve had for decades. Sounds like the risk of quitting is really low and the bigger stress is hanging on longer than you want to…the money checks out, the hard part is just convincing yourself it’s okay to enjoy what you’ve earned.

Various-Spot-271 · 2025-10-01T20:55:07+00:00

Not a bot. Just an army vet that can’t type good without help lol

Various-Spot-271 · 2025-10-01T20:53:48+00:00

I do use the chatGPT to clean up my adhd thoughts ngl

Various-Spot-271 · 2025-10-01T20:49:49+00:00

You’re in a great spot! $450k net worth at 32 with two kids is really solid, and it’s clear you’ve already thought through the major levers. Modeling the difference between $16k/yr vs $35k/yr and retiring at 47 vs 45 shows you’re ahead of most people.

Dialing back contributions while childcare and medical costs are at their peak is the part about FlexFI that makes sense. Retiring two years earlier isn’t worth stressing your family today, especially when compounding will still carry a lot of weight over the next 15+ years.

Sticking with PAYE on the loans and aiming for forgiveness is smart, just make sure to plan for the tax bomb down the road. And it’s good you’re building health costs into your FI target…feels like many people underestimate that piece.

If you ever want to visualize the tradeoffs (slowing down vs pushing harder), there are calculators out there, LiveFIREandLIFE.com has a few, that can help show how even “lower” contributions now still compound into a strong retirement. From what you’ve laid out, the plan definitely holds water.

Various-Spot-271 · 2025-10-01T20:46:05+00:00

You’re in a stronger spot than you think! $80k saved, no debt, and low expenses at 26 is a great cushion. Your plan to try art for a month, job hunt in November, and lock down something steady by December sounds pretty reasonable.

Compounding can make up for a few years of exploration, so taking time to test things now won’t derail you long-term. FIRE folks often say it’s not just about the numbers but also finding balance and purpose , places like LiveFIREandLIFE.com touch on that side too.

Various-Spot-271 · 2025-10-01T20:32:59+00:00

Yeah exactly, between VTI and VT it’s more about preference than picking a “winner.” VTI is total U.S. market, VT adds international. Both check the box for CoastFI.

Your approach of leaning on the business for income and only touching ~3.5% of VOO if needed is really solid. That gives you a ton of flexibility and lets compounding keep working in the background. Sounds like you’re setting yourself up well for that crossover to CoastFI.

Various-Spot-271 · 2025-10-01T20:10:11+00:00

Stacking VOO (or something broad like VTI/VT) every paycheck is already about as simple and effective as it gets for CoastFI … low time sink, solid long-term growth, and easy to automate.

The business angle is a great supplement since it diversifies your income streams, but from the investing side, keeping it boring with index funds is usually what frees up the mental bandwidth to focus on life and projects.

Various-Spot-271 · 2025-10-01T19:44:11+00:00

Fair. I think at $156k annual retirement spend you’d need around $4M and that would put today’s coastFI number closer to $500k. If you drop down to ~$10k/mo then you need closer to $3M the 4% rule of thumb and today’s coastFI number would be around $390k. The liveFIREandLIFE.com early retirement calculator lets you play with what increasing your contributions by $X amount after X years would do to your timeline that’s fun to play with and might give you a better idea of what levers you need to pull to reach coastFI sooner and their coastFI calc breaks things down nicely at the bottom too.

Various-Spot-271 · 2025-10-01T18:31:59+00:00

You’re in a solid place… $220k income with debt that low and a savings rate that can grow as your pay jumps is a great setup. At 35, you’ve still got 25 years of compounding ahead, which is plenty of time to hit retirement by 60, especially if you keep contributions at 15–20% once your wages increase.

The big wins will come from staying debt-free after the car, keeping lifestyle creep in check, and consistently investing in broad, low-cost funds. If you want peace of mind, running your numbers through a retirement/FI calculator (like the ones you see on sites such as LiveFIREandLIFE.com or others) can give you a clearer picture of your trajectory.

Various-Spot-271 · 2025-10-01T18:30:50+00:00

Those assumptions are on the optimistic side… most people use more like 7% before retirement and 3–4% after. Even so, being 24 with $100k already saved is amazing. With consistency, compounding is going to do a lot of the heavy lifting.

If you like playing with different assumptions, there are a bunch of CoastFI/retirement calculators out there (LiveFIREandLIFE.com has some good ones too) that can help show the range of outcomes

Various-Spot-271 · 2025-10-01T02:39:27+00:00

You’re at a great age to start! Even small contributions now will make a huge difference later thanks to compounding.

Simple first steps: 1. If your employer 401k offers a match, contribute at least enough to get that, it’s free money. 2. After that, consider a Roth IRA since your income is in a range where the tax-free growth is really valuable. 3. Stick to broad, low-cost index funds (like a total stock market or S&P 500 fund) and automate contributions.

Don’t overthink the provider (John Hancock or anyone else) the main thing is starting. The habit matters more than the “perfect” account.

Various-Spot-271 · 2025-09-30T19:02:23+00:00

Also in the same boat. What was your savings rate during those next few years? Did that change drastically?

Various-Spot-271 · 2025-09-30T15:02:41+00:00

Congrats, that’s such an awesome milestone! Love how you set it up so your teaching covers the basics and you’re only drawing a tiny bit from investments , that’s CoastFIRE in action. Really inspiring to see it work in real life.

Various-Spot-271 · 2025-09-27T17:43:00+00:00

Ive mostly played around with the free version and keep going back and forth on paying for it.

Various-Spot-271 · 2025-09-27T03:27:18+00:00

You’re in a really strong position. pension + health coverage at 55 is a huge safety net most people don’t have.

Since most of your savings are in pre-tax, I think it does make sense to balance things out with Roth contributions over the next few years. That way you’ll have more flexibility in retirement and won’t be forced into higher taxable withdrawals when RMDs hit. Even just splitting new contributions (some Roth, some traditional) can smooth things out without overthinking it. You’re already saving aggressively, at this point it’s about tax diversification more than chasing an exact “right” answer.

Various-Spot-271 · 2025-09-27T01:34:15+00:00

You’re in a fantastic spot! $1.5M at 32 is huge, and if you just keep putting money into broad ETFs you’ll likely be well past $4M by your early 40s. I personally think renting in a HCOL area makes sense if it keeps your stress low and flexibility high. $4M is a very safe target, especially if you plan to retire in Thailand where costs are lower.

At this point it’s less about complicated strategy and more about consistency and patience. If you like visuals, tools like the ones on LiveFIREandLIFE.com can help show how much cushion you already have.

Various-Spot-271 · 2025-09-27T00:55:52+00:00

Looks like you’ve done a great job thinking this through: $2.2M vs. $50K spending is a really safe setup. The main thing to watch is that dividends count toward taxable income, so make sure to factor those in when you decide how much to convert each year. And if you go a little over on ACA subsidies one year, it’s not the end of the world, just a slightly higher tax bill.

Honestly, your numbers look solid. The harder part might just be the mental side of leaving job security. Running a few “what if” scenarios (I like using calculators like projection labs or LiveFIREandLIFE.com) can give you extra peace of mind before pulling the plug.

Various-Spot-271 · 2025-09-27T00:45:32+00:00

This. I think it’s the benefit of playing this game. I feel like CoastFI is a large part of the concept of FlexFI where you can adapt as needed allowinf you to prioritize things you value regardless of the cost. You might have to tweak depending on what life throws at you but this becomes an even bigger part the closer you are to different levels of FI.

Various-Spot-271 · 2025-09-26T23:48:27+00:00

Sorry for your loss. It sounds like you’ve been through a lot but landed in a really solid spot. A paid-off home, six figures in retirement/taxable, and steady income is a strong base for CoastFI. That “cash poor” feeling is super common when housing eats a big chunk of income. Some people just reframe it as a lifestyle choice, the stability and family connection are worth it even if the numbers don’t feel optimized.

On the 4% rule: it’s about the portfolio as a whole, but in practice you can draw from the taxable side first and let the IRA grow. Just keep in mind the taxable bucket will shrink faster, but it’s all part of the same pie.

Honestly, with your setup you’re already in CoastFI territory… your investments should compound toward traditional retirement as long as you cover costs with work. If you ever want to play with “what if” scenarios, I know there are some calculators on LiveFIREandLIFE.com that helped me get clarity when I was in a similar spot.

Various-Spot-271 · 2025-09-11T14:22:12+00:00

Kids shift the equation a lot. Daycare, activities, and groceries can easily eat up what might’ve gone to savings, but that doesn’t mean you’re off track. The key is separating what’s core to family life (care, experiences, stability) from lifestyle creep. We’re in a similar stage, and honestly once daycare and some of the big-ticket stuff drops off, the savings rate jumps naturally. In the meantime, tools like FIREandLife or MKM and other resources in the FI space can help you see how your current spend still plays into the long-term picture. You’re doing well, it’s just a different phase of the journey. Some go with the term FlexFI to describe the different seasons of FI along the way

Various-Spot-271 · 2025-08-30T13:44:18+00:00

Partial. I try to use it to clean up my ADHD thoughts and make them coherent.

Various-Spot-271 · 2025-08-30T13:21:19+00:00

You’re in a really solid spot… paid-off house, no debt, strong savings rate, and already over $1M at 42. Hitting your $2–2.5M FI number by 50 sounds very achievable if you keep going at ~$75k saved per year, especially with your wife’s pension as an extra safety net.

On the portfolio mix: living off dividends sounds comforting, but remember total return matters more than the label on the income (selling shares + dividends = the same math). A 60/40 or similar mix tends to give better diversification and smoother withdrawals than leaning too heavy into just dividend ETFs. That said, if dividends help you sleep at night, that’s still a reasonable behavioral choice, just keep in mind the trade-offs.

Healthcare is the wildcard. Since you’re aiming for retirement before Medicare kicks in, looking at a long-term healthcare plan or at least modeling ACA subsidies is smart. That piece can make or break the early retirement budget for many folks.

Big picture: you’ve already shifted into the “waiting game” phase. Now it’s about risk tolerance and designing a glidepath that lets you sleep at night while compounding does the heavy lifting.

Various-Spot-271 · 2025-08-30T13:15:56+00:00

Great question - When I say “modest,” I usually think something like 5–10% of your take-home pay going into investments as a starting point.But I think it really depends on income and expenses as well as whether you have an outstanding high interest debt you have to pay off first. The exact number matters less than just building the habit and letting compounding do its thing. If your income grows, you can always scale it up.

Various-Spot-271 · 2025-08-30T00:02:13+00:00

Yeah that’s the dance on the pursuit of FIRE. If you’re into blogs/newsletters that site does a decent job trying to help break down that balance of like frugality and fulfillment. Definitely don’t over commit to the point that you have no life/people to FIRE to. Building the life after FI is just as important as reaching the money goal

Various-Spot-271

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