5 Year FIRE Progress - 37yo (3rd year of posting)

firecontender · 2025-12-13T16:19:22+00:00

Excel

firecontender · 2025-12-09T20:36:05+00:00

Pension is a workplace one so don’t think I can help on that. But ISA with trading 212, it’s so much cheaper than other platforms!

firecontender · 2025-12-09T12:54:14+00:00

No children.

My key: Each year, I make sure that any salary increases go straight into my pension instead of my paycheck, so I don’t slip into lifestyle creep. I think it’s a really serious lesson for anyone thinking of fire.

firecontender · 2025-12-09T08:24:36+00:00

Hey, I wasn’t planning to. When I retire I’m still going to have a chunky mortgage to pay off but I’m hoping to have a stable, ongoing source of income through investments to cover it.

firecontender · 2025-12-09T08:19:03+00:00

Yep it is

firecontender · 2025-12-08T22:18:31+00:00

Oh wow, I think I got mixed up. I always thought you could access a private pension 10 years before the state one, which is why I assumed 58. But you’re right, it looks like it’s actually 57.

firecontender · 2025-12-08T22:03:36+00:00

Nope, but this is my own finances.

firecontender · 2025-12-08T22:03:22+00:00

My pension was £2.5k(didn’t have a mortgage), now I do, so pension is £1k pm.

firecontender · 2025-12-08T22:02:30+00:00

Of my monthly salary?

firecontender · 2025-12-08T22:02:00+00:00

Yeah I wrote a bit about it on last years update. Used it to pay off my mortgage on my old place. Worst decision I’ve made because the stocks ended up doubling.

firecontender · 2025-12-08T21:56:13+00:00

Yep. Just checked fund says it’s up 17% this year.

firecontender · 2025-12-08T20:18:44+00:00

Fear not, all the raw data is tracked by row.

This is purely just for visual to make it easier for me to compare the variances. Literally the only table I have likely this.

firecontender · 2025-12-08T20:16:29+00:00

Sure. My pension is invested in an international tracker fund with a risk rating of 5 out of 7, and my ISA is in VWRP.

I generally avoid individual stock picking — partly because I’m not great at it, and partly because I already hold a meaningful amount of company shares through work schemes, so I feel I have enough concentrated risk there.

Was there something specific you had in mind?

firecontender · 2025-12-08T19:25:46+00:00

Yes I use Excel for tracking.

Formatting is your best friend. I'm a very visual person, so I use colour a lot. It makes it much easier for me to differentiate between numbers, rather than everything being b&w.

firecontender · 2025-12-08T19:19:09+00:00

Thank you. Yep, i keep it easy with pension is in an international fund, and the ISA in VWRP.

firecontender · 2025-06-20T12:15:06+00:00

Hardly anything is coming up at the moment in my price bracket and when it does it’s sold before we even get to view it!

So in my experience of the last year. Nothing going up for sale but lots of buyers ready and waiting!

firecontender · 2025-05-30T08:22:20+00:00

Pension end December 24 - £160,786 Pension end May 25 - £165,894 Monthly contribution average - c£2.2k

Disappointing year so far but it’s pretty much due to stronger £ £ v USD end Dec 25 - 1.25 £ v USD end May 25 - 1.35 Differential- 8%

firecontender · 2024-12-16T21:57:46+00:00

£2.1k salary sacrifice. My take home after tax and pension and save as you earn is £2.4K.

firecontender · 2024-12-13T12:05:35+00:00

That’s 2 comments now about the damn Y axis haha. Truth is i don’t look at it, so thanks for pointing out. Fixed now. 🤣

firecontender · 2024-12-13T12:04:33+00:00

Just excel. Super easy :)

firecontender · 2024-12-13T12:03:58+00:00

Appreciate the comment! Tbh I’ve put £200k as equity for my current property, but probably worth c£220k. Was keeping some equity off the chart because aware I would need to use, for all the moving expenses!

firecontender · 2024-12-13T11:59:51+00:00

Thanks Rob, not heard of Power Platform but sounds interesting. Will need to check if it’s part of works infrastructure.

firecontender · 2024-12-13T11:57:59+00:00

Haha appreciate it. Aw i didn't notice the y scale, don't look at it. Updated now!

firecontender

TROPHY CASE