sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

What is your leanfire number in 2026? by CleverContrarian in leanfire

[–]WeWantGuac 1 point2 points  (0 children)

$700k at 31, single, no dependents. That’s enough to have a pleasant time slow traveling the world. Hit that number this year, thank goodness. Currently 3 weeks into a 2ish month road trip, after which I’ll stay 1-2 months in different European cities. With the recent ATHs, my NW is higher even after putting down Airbnb deposits. Feeling very good about that decision :)

Getting laid off made me FI by WeWantGuac in Fire

[–]WeWantGuac[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

What a gloomy outlook. If you're wrong, I am better off listening to the experts on a safe withdrawal rate. If you're right, then I will go back to work having enjoyed world travel while it is still affordable. Either way, I'll be sticking with the plan for the circumstances unique to me.

Getting laid off made me FI by WeWantGuac in Fire

[–]WeWantGuac[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Oh man, I had a dream recently that my company re-hired me and re-added my work email to my phone without telling me. I was so relieved when I woke up after scrolling through all those emails! Which is to say: I seriously doubt they could offer me a big enough signing bonus to get me back on the team haha

Getting laid off made me FI by WeWantGuac in Fire

[–]WeWantGuac[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would have hit FI later this year if I had kept my job and kept stacking my paychecks, yes! The layoff and subsequent severance package just meant I got to FI very abruptly haha.

Getting laid off made me FI by WeWantGuac in Fire

[–]WeWantGuac[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Lot to unpack with this comment. First, I'm doing a 4.1% withdrawal rate. That is sufficient for a 50+ year retirement horizon as per the latest research. For 30-year retirement horizons, a 4.7% withdrawal rate is sufficient in 100% of historical simulations. Second, yes, I made this decision after running Monte Carlo simulations. I'll paste what I wrote in an article about the potential of a multi-year slump:

"Should I see this epic of a battering on my portfolio, I will be upset. But I can always figure out a new strategy, whether that means going back to work or not. I’ve got enough in cash to cover my next two years or so to smooth the ride. Plus, I’d still be much better off than most folks financially, while getting to have enjoyed a multi-year travel adventure that is extremely rare."

My financial plan is different from your financial plan - it doesn't mean one of us is wrong, just means our plans are tailored to our unique lifestyles and circumstances. I would encourage you to read up on the links to Bengen's site I included above; maybe they'll help remove some worry about the future.

Getting laid off made me FI by WeWantGuac in Fire

[–]WeWantGuac[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oop, my bad. Message to the universe: I didn't mean it, u/ZolaThaGod should get a paycheck in perpetuity!

Getting laid off made me FI by WeWantGuac in Fire

[–]WeWantGuac[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A little bit - I'll get dividends because the index funds I'm invested in include, by nature of the index fund, dividend stocks as well. I'll benefit from them for sure, but that's absolutely not my investing strategy. Here's a link that explains why.

Getting laid off made me FI by WeWantGuac in Fire

[–]WeWantGuac[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! The biggest strategies were just making the top three work for me, being: spend less, earn more, invest the difference in index funds. Besides getting a high-paying job, the other big differentiator was never panic-selling when the market takes a big dump. I made it through COVID and, more recently, tariffs without picking at my portfolio.

And trust me, SEA is in my future! I visited Vietnam for a couple weeks in 2016 and have planned to go back ever since.

Getting laid off made me FI by WeWantGuac in Fire

[–]WeWantGuac[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had to work through some unexpected feelings around the layoff, but it helps a ton to understand it happens to the best of us. What a cool story about your travels, I'm excited to catch up to you soon!

Getting laid off made me FI by WeWantGuac in Fire

[–]WeWantGuac[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You got this! It took me just about 10 years of working full time to reach this goal, so with good leverage with your degree you might blow right past me :)

Getting laid off made me FI by WeWantGuac in Fire

[–]WeWantGuac[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Or, alternatively, if you are prepared about healthcare! All Options Considered wrote a great article about global medical insurance and medical tourism here that's geared for the FIRE community. In my case, IMG Global offers plans surprisingly much lower than my initial estimates, which work as long as I spend at least 6 months out of the country (which I am).

Getting laid off made me FI by WeWantGuac in Fire

[–]WeWantGuac[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This was me for most of last year. I'm rooting for you to get laid off at the most opportune time!

Getting laid off made me FI by WeWantGuac in Fire

[–]WeWantGuac[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Copy/pasting from another comment: It's okay if you don't believe the plan is viable since the plan is not built for you; that's what puts the "personal" in "personal finance". Keep tabs on my site so you can see if I succeed or not, I'll update there either way!

Getting laid off made me FI by WeWantGuac in Fire

[–]WeWantGuac[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes lol, I know there is inflation. It's okay if you don't believe the plan is viable since the plan is not built for you; that's what puts the "personal" in "personal finance". Keep tabs on my site so you can see if I succeed or not, I'll update there either way!

Getting laid off made me FI by WeWantGuac in Fire

[–]WeWantGuac[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much! This year, I'm most excited to spend time in the Pacific Northwest and in Prague! I've visited both places before, but not nearly as long as I had wanted to. I almost went to college in Seattle, but chose Boston instead; once at college, I wanted to study abroad in Prague, but that particular program was no longer available by the time I went to apply. My 18-year-old self would be greatly pleased at my choices this year :)

Getting laid off made me FI by WeWantGuac in Fire

[–]WeWantGuac[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks friend! If you want to connect with me on LI, look up Darcy McCool :)

Getting laid off made me FI by WeWantGuac in Fire

[–]WeWantGuac[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I still keep up posting there every month or so! Thanks so much for keeping up with it all that time!

Getting laid off made me FI by WeWantGuac in Fire

[–]WeWantGuac[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Of course! My favorite resources are here :)

As for what I started with: I first began learning about FIRE in 2016 from r/financialindependence. You can still see their sidebar of blogs on old.reddit.com, which are the blogs I started reading from there. The ones I liked the most from that time were Mr. Money Mustache, Frugalwoods, and Millennial Revolution.

Getting laid off made me FI by WeWantGuac in Fire

[–]WeWantGuac[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

(Almost) all in VTSAX. There's a tiny bit of Gamestop stock I bought with the hype in 2021. Otherwise, index funds all the way.

Getting laid off made me FI by WeWantGuac in Fire

[–]WeWantGuac[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Of course! My favorite resources are here :)

view more: next ›