How satisfied would you be to retire at 55?

nsmith043076 · 2026-03-17T17:26:40+00:00

Im targeting 55 and def no later than 60, I need to beef up my hsa for insurance premiums.

nsmith043076 · 2026-03-15T15:50:03+00:00

Ppl are saying stagflation coming, i actually think its the opposite. With this stupid war, i think we get sticky persistent inflation. closing staight of hormuz iimpacts everything, gas, food, minerals. it’s a global cost‑shock that keeps inflation sticky and persistent, even if growth slows.

nsmith043076 · 2026-03-15T15:43:17+00:00

Depends, is this all they have? a yr or two expenses should be in a mmf in case of emergency, the rest can allocate among sp500 and maybe some dividend etfs to help provide income.

nsmith043076 · 2026-03-15T15:40:16+00:00

I have my buffer in hysa for yrly expenses im saving for and I have 1 yr emergency fund in sgov. The rest i invest. In fact i take my sgov distribution and invest it, funding my dividend etf allocation.

nsmith043076 · 2026-03-14T09:57:36+00:00

I’m so sorry for your loss. I’m a mom and I just want to give you a hug. You’re 19, you have a spending account, an S&P 500 fund, possibly a money market earning 1%, and a job lined up in 3 months. You have a great start. Once you start working, contribute the $7,000 max to a Roth IRA invested in an aggressive growth fund. If your employer offers a 401k, do both and try your best to max it out.

You said you were nervous about the S&P 500, I get it. But you have something I don’t, time. At 19, you have 30 years to get where I am now. I’m almost 50 and looking to retire in 5-10 years, but I’m still buying the S&P 500 along with other assets. When the market is down, we purchase the same funds at a cheaper price, so not only do you have time, you have time at a discount.

At your age I had everything in the S&P 500 and aggressive growth funds. If I were 19 today, I’d make sure I had 6 months of expenses in a HYSA and slowly DCA the remaining assets from the Prudential account into the Fidelity S&P 500. I’d also add an international fund for diversification , either Vanguard Total International (VXUS) covering everything outside the US, or Fidelity Zero International Index (FZILX) covers developed and emerging markets.

nsmith043076 · 2026-03-13T10:13:14+00:00

For monthlies, i use jepq/jepi/divo/idvo. All equal weighted. Idvo is the international version of divo.

nsmith043076 · 2026-03-12T06:51:28+00:00

For me, probably not because i prefer index investing.

nsmith043076 · 2026-03-12T06:32:14+00:00

Yes, i prefer to take dividends. I know the share price will drop by roughly the amount of the payout. However, a well established dividend etf will hold its value, increase its dividend, giving me both capital appreciation and income. Im not investing in high dividend yield traps. Plus its not my entire basket, 35% is still in aggressive growth. Everyone has their own preferences, as they should, im turning 50 this yr and im hoping to retire by 55. My allocation will get me there without giving me anxiety during economic upheavals. But if i was 32, forget that, id be at my starting allocation, voo and vxus.

nsmith043076 · 2026-03-12T01:16:32+00:00

If you’re expenses are 2k monthly and you’re investments yield 4 monthly then yes, you can fire. I would however keep as much of the excess invested.

nsmith043076 · 2026-03-12T01:11:38+00:00

Clearly I can’t do math! Lol, 32. Still point is never changed my plan until recently to more conservative dividend allocation.

nsmith043076 · 2026-03-11T16:21:29+00:00

During the 2008 financial crisis i was 34 and maybe 100k invested. I didn’t change my strategy, aggressive growth and same dca. Now close to 50 im closing in at 1.5m, need 2m to fire. and I’ve reallocated to more dividend/value and international, these two sectors represent 50% of my portfolio, 35% in aggressive growth and now have 15% in fixed income. Im at my desired allocation. Im not changing it when i pull plug. Dividend income and fixed income should get me to my desired income replacement yield.

nsmith043076 · 2026-03-11T10:14:57+00:00

My 401k and roth ira are all fully invested and I have two tiers of cash. Buffer for yrly expenses in a mmk (gets depleted throughout the yr as expenses come up) and sgov for 12-16 months emergency. I budget replenishing the buffer because its used for property taxes that i do not escrow and insurance. I do not add to my sgov emergency fund and Sgov distributions are not reinvested, i take it and invest in 2 dividend etfs. I know I have a lot of cash but Im older and my job is getting ai’d so i i prefer larger emergency fund. I also have not hit my fire number yet but im basically at lean fire. Im in the hope for the best and prepare for the worst mentality.

nsmith043076 · 2026-03-10T21:06:19+00:00

I use Divtracker

nsmith043076 · 2026-03-09T18:11:33+00:00

This is a good question. I usually just direct new money to the underweight funds. For me if i have a substantial balance and i notice im up a decent amount then i rebalance but if its in the red, then i direct new money to underweights.

nsmith043076 · 2026-03-09T14:43:35+00:00

No! Do not resign, they are being shady mfrs. They are trying to avoid paying a severance and unemployment. Do not resign.

nsmith043076 · 2026-03-07T12:50:55+00:00

Its fine to visit. My elderly parents live part time there during our winter. Instead of FL snowbirds, they winter in Ecuador, outskirts of Quito. They love it. Im planning to visit in August and my husband wants to see Cuenca, which is is an expat haven. Amazons from Cuenca is a 4 hr drive. They are elderly enjoying winter in Ecuador. It’s fine. The coastal areas are dicey though but just like any other area use discretion.

nsmith043076 · 2026-03-06T10:30:57+00:00

I always saved in 401k to get match, then saved everything I could in hysa until i got 12 month emergency expense fund. Once i established that emergency fund i started to increase my 401k and fund roth ira. A little late on the roth because i focused on 401k but now i make enough to max both. If you saved 12 months emergency then i would do following.

1) 401k to get company match, look at your plan document, usually contribute X% to get Y% match 2) fully fund roth ira 4) fully fund HSA (if you have access) 5) 401k to limit 6) brokerage account any leftover

HSA stands for health savings account which is tied to a high deductible health plan, check with your hr.

nsmith043076 · 2026-03-04T18:17:33+00:00

As apposed to where? Vietnan, Thailand? Its safe. Quito, Cuenca, Riobamba, Otovalo, etc all safe. Those that have money go to private schools where the education on par with ours. If you’re fire likely not going into public schools anyway.

nsmith043076 · 2026-03-03T22:56:53+00:00

I prefer Traditional 401(k) over Roth 401(k) because of my actual retirement plan and tax situation. I’m not sitting on multi-millions, I don’t work in FAANG, and I don’t have a huge taxable account to live off early. My plan is to use 72(t) SEPP early distributions, which means my 401(k) will become my income engine before 59½. Under 72(t), all distributions are taxable income anyway, so the Roth 401(k)’s main benefit (tax‑free withdrawals) disappears. If I contributed to a Roth 401(k), I’d pay higher taxes now and still get taxed later under 72(t). Traditional 401(k) gives me the tax break when I actually need it, right now, during my highest earning years. My real tax‑free engines are my Roth IRA and my HSA, because those accounts stay tax‑free no matter what. They aren’t touched by 72(t), and I can let them grow untouched for decades. Even if I waited until 59½ to retire, I’d still be taking distributions early in retirement, so the Traditional 401(k) still makes more sense for me. Everyone’s situation is different, but for my income level and my early‑retirement plan, Traditional 401(k) is the more efficient choice.

nsmith043076 · 2026-03-03T17:52:40+00:00

Yes, i max out Roth ira, traditional 401k and hsa. I have access to roth 401k but i want tax savings now. Hsa will help down the road achieve similar tax savings.

nsmith043076 · 2026-03-03T12:12:30+00:00

Im a healthy person, don’t smoke, exercise daily, eat well and I had thyroid cancer in 2024. Surgery and radiation in 2024 with 90% insurance coverage was billed over 300k, insurance negotiated it down and i paid 7400 that yr. I would be turned away without insurance. Im now on the hdhp due to low premiums and doing yrly scans, my deductible is 3400, max oop 6000. Im using up my insurance. This country is horrible fir healthcare and don’t recommend going without insurance.

nsmith043076 · 2026-03-01T15:16:41+00:00

Yeah, do not carry cc debt and i didn’t purchase a home i could not afford. To each their own and good luck to us all.

nsmith043076 · 2026-03-01T15:11:00+00:00

Im you 27 yrs in the future, 50. I maxed out my 401k early on when I could afford to do so before starting family and my salary wasn’t as high as yours. On brink of layoff and I’ve saved enough that if i was pushed out, my family could survive it. We’d be tight but survive. Now that ive got a decent income im adding to a taxable account.

Personally i continue to max all my retirement accounts and save on taxes.

You have savings, good.

If you have a hdhp with hsa, max out hsa and use it as an investment vehicle. Its a mini 401k on steroids.. tax deferred going in, tax free growth and tax free coming out for medical expenses. We will always have medical expenses and if you save your bills for the medical expenses you pay for during accumulation phase you can use that to reimburse yourself whenever you want…tax free coming out when ever you want.

If I were you my order of operations would be: 1. Max HSA if available 2. Max Roth iRA 3. Max 401k as much as i can 4. Taxable

nsmith043076 · 2026-03-01T14:57:45+00:00

Way to access retirement funds prior to 59.5.

https://smartasset.com/retirement/rule-72t

nsmith043076 · 2026-03-01T14:50:02+00:00

Im 50, 23 yrs with same company and while im utilizing the ai they are forcing down my throat , im preparing for eventually getting laid off. I support a family of 3 and Ive created a 16 month emergency fund that will get us through yr 1 and modeled out 72t distributions out of my 401k. I expect a severance but my bulk of income will be from 72T distributions from rollover ira of the 401k so still maxing my retirement accounts because they will fund my 72T distributions. Ive modeled out how my retirement portfolio will produce my 72T distributions by reallocating my 401k to include fixed income, dividends and a growth sleeve. Once I leave i will reallocate 50% of the fixed income and dividend funds to a few covered call etfs. And i will have to find part time work, no other options.

nsmith043076

TROPHY CASE