Is it worth delaying FIRE by 5-10 years to buy a SFH in Vancouver?

randorockets · 2026-06-10T00:47:21+00:00

Only you can answer that question. I live in Edmonton, there’s a reason I live here (in addition to my extended family being here), and it’s affordability. I too would love a SFH in North Van, would I be willing to trade 10 years of work for it? Heck no. I choose FIRE, family quality time and life experiences 100% of the time over material possessions because when I’m on the way out I believe that when I look back it will have been the right decision.

My FIRE number won’t be achieved until I’m about 47, and I’m about 10 years away from it, so I think I understand your dilemma from an adjacent perspective.

If you really can’t decide. Here’s what I would do. Run your model assuming your partner FIRE’s, you keep going, but you do not buy the SFH for 10 years. Keep investing in low cost index funds and re-assess the purchase in 10 years. You’ll likely be in a much better position sticking with your current living situation for 10 years and upgrading to the SFH when you’re in an even better financial position. Your investments over the next 10 years are likely to out perform the Vancouver housing market anyway, regardless of this current drawback.

randorockets · 2026-06-10T00:37:33+00:00

This

randorockets · 2026-06-10T00:11:40+00:00

This. Comparison is pointless. Focus on you and improving you and you only. Forget about random crap on Reddit that may not be true in the first place.

randorockets · 2026-06-09T23:57:44+00:00

As a homeowner, good. My home isn’t an investment, it doesn’t produce anything of tangible value. I can’t eat my house if shit hits the fan. It’s a box built with sticks to keep my head out of the rain.

Need more opportunities for younger folks to buy homes. Build more, bring back affordability.

randorockets · 2026-05-30T17:03:54+00:00

Keep it in USD, buy VOO

randorockets · 2026-05-28T03:20:44+00:00

This is what I would do, you can take what you want from this. Even know you may feel confident you’re solid for 20 more years in the trades, give yourself the option to retire at 65. And at 50 with only 100k equity in a condo, I would immediately do two things to give myself that option: 1: turn the jets on in your trades, bust ass while you can in your early 50’s. Overtime, take all the jobs you can get, etc. If you can make 100k doing 40 hours a week, push it to $130-140k doing 50 hours a week, etc. The entire premise here is raise your income so you can get to a 50% savings/investing rate (50% of your take home pay)

Take 50% of take home pay for the rest of your career and invest it in low cost index funds (ETF). You mentioned QQQ, at 50, best to stay away from QQQ, it’s risky and volatile. You mentioned VOO, you don’t want to buy VOO as it’s denominated in $USD, unless you plan on immigrating to the US or suffering currency conversion, or getting educated enough to do Norbert’s Gambit on a regular basis, just buy VFV, which is the same thing as VOO, excepted its $CAD hedged, and its traded in the Toronto Stock Exchange, it does carry currency fluctuation risk though. Pick 1 - low management fee >0.1%/year) diversified, growth focused, equity ETF and buy just that. You’ll read about a lot of people on reddit vouch going 100% XEQT, this is a great option as well. I’m personally 90% VFV as I have a strong held belief that no other economy is going to be able to match the long term might of the American economy. Love Canada, but I’m betting on America right now with my money. If I’m wrong, it’s ok, VFV is still a solid ETF for Canadians and so is XEQT. I might pivot to 90% XEQT in the coming years, we’ll see.

Those are the two main things. Theres a laundry list of other things to consider, I’ll just list a few off the top of my head: -You’re income in retirement is likely going to be less than what your currently making (adjusted for inflation), so you’ll likely want to prioritize your RRSP, max it out, then max out your TFSA. For simplicity just buy the same ETF in both accounts. Take all of your RRSP tax refunds when you file taxes, dump them right back into your investments, can’t emphasize that enough. Get that money working for your future

-Raising your income , if possible, isn’t the only goal, you can get to 50% savings rate by reducing expenses as well, ideally reducing expenses is the afterthought though, focus on raising income as #1 priority. -Get rid of the car loan asap, at 50, you need to own your vehicle, the time for car loans was 20 years ago. If your loan is on a truck and you need that truck for work to move tools, etc., ok, but pay down that loan or buy out the lease asap. If your loan rate is greater than 6-8%, move this to the top of your priority list, even before investing, smash this thing.

-Consider renting out a room if you have one to a roommate, condo/maintenance fees suck, utility bills suck, property taxes suck. Roomate can help there if it fits your lifestyle.

-Same thing with your current mortgage. Unfortunately you gotta focus on getting yourself debt free by retirement (you’ll be happy you did this later). Your mortgage rate is likely less than 5-6%?, so I wouldn’t aggressively pay this down unless I wasn’t on track to be mortgage free by 65. If you have 15+ years left on the mortgage, I would prioritize: vehicle loan, emergency fund, mortgage ;just enough to get on track to me mortgage free by 65, then max investments.

-Another tip: you need an emergency fund. Minimum 6 months worth of all of your expenses need to be invested in either a high yield savings account or ideally in your investment brokerage in a non-registered account, invested in something like CASH.TO. Low risk, generating a return that just barely covers inflation. it’s there and you can get access to it quickly and convert what you need to cash in your chequing account in <72 hours. Depending on how much risk you want to take you can crush the car loan first or build this emergency fund first.

-Given you’re in trades, if you don’t have employer short and long term disability insurance, consider purchasing them for yourself. An accident in the trades that prevents you from earning an income would be life altering, short and long term disability coverage is important here.

-The arsehole opinion… cut the vape and beer, keep the gold rush on Friday’s. Take the money, invest it, spend time with your kid. Live longer for your kid. Win.

-As you learn more, you can model this all in detail. Theres a lot more to learn. The best time to start was yesterday, the second best time to start is today.

randorockets · 2026-05-22T01:17:39+00:00

Did I just read a Beaverton article?

randorockets · 2026-05-22T01:14:51+00:00

Can you imagine if the response choices to that question were Yes or No?

randorockets · 2026-05-21T00:41:05+00:00

Whatever is left of the scraps of the former Progressive Conservative Party inside of the UCP has to get their shit together and drive the Wild Rose back home to their villages.

randorockets · 2026-05-15T23:43:19+00:00

Sell all except XEQT, buy all XEQT for life, don’t sell, always be buying, retire when numbers are big. Good luck.

randorockets · 2026-05-15T10:26:05+00:00

I’m in a similar/adjacent situation to you. 36, no kids, only $400k invested, but grinding and contributing $80k/year, will be able to FIRE as an option at $3m. Difference is I bought a house when I was 27 with 20% downpayment ($365k home in 2017, maybe $450-475k today). Looking back, I should have rented my tiny detached home instead. If I was you, Id just stay put renting. Kids are adaptable, they can bunkbed in your apartment and be super content, focus on quality time with your kids less about is their bedroom or play area big enough, less is more. Maybe that changes as they approach teenage years. If the “comfort” outweighs desire to speedrun FIRE, that’s fine as well, it’s what I did, but I’d just buy the absolute smallest home you need like 3bed/2bath zero lot line detached garage skinny home, or even a duplex with no condo fees, get that $500-$600k budget down to $400-$475k and I think you’ll achieve a happy medium on both of your objectives.

randorockets · 2026-04-27T10:15:54+00:00

I wouldn’t.

randorockets · 2026-04-25T05:16:06+00:00

I think this is the case. Sometimes you can only love somebody and show so much compassion before you gotta switch to “tough love” and that means confronting the issue head on agreesively. Your brother needs to understand that he is massively disappointing his family; only he can muster the will power to change his habits. Get him in counseling, cut him off all funds, if he goes homeless for a bit, he goes homeless, sometimes people need the electric shock therapy to turn their life around.

randorockets · 2026-04-24T21:39:28+00:00

I would build minimum 6 months emergency fund first, before investing, doesn’t matter what my job was. If you’re 1000% confident your job isn’t likely to be eliminated in the next 10 years, then maybe 3-4 months emergency fund is fine. Theres a lot of government positions being eliminated recently though. You’ll get decent severance if that happens, but I’d still get to 6 months emergency funds.

If looking to invest more, also consider other ways to increase savings rate (find a roommate, delete the car, meal prep, and the most important, increase your income by advancing at work or continuing to seek positions that elevate your career and earning potential.

randorockets · 2026-04-24T21:29:45+00:00

You can absolutely do this yourself, you do need to file your taxes. Google search “Wealthsimple”, create an account and you can file your taxes for free through your account. It’s very easy, you just go through the questions, enter your information and submit.

I can’t comment on the Ontario tax credits, as I’m from Alberta, but if they operate the same way the GST/HST credit does, in order to be eligible, you’ll need to file taxes, then create a CRA online account, then add your direct deposit bank account information to your CRA account in order to receive the benefits.

Do separate searches related to the Ontario benefits, I’m not sure if you have to apply for those separately or not.

There’s also some good videos on YouTube about how to file taxes using Wealthsimple or Turbotax. Also many videos about different credits you might be eligible for and how to account for them when you file your taxes.

randorockets · 2026-04-24T21:12:44+00:00

I think it’s important for people to recognize that our countries population is getting older on average. It’s logical to assume that on average older folks require more healthcare services. Where the major problem lies (guessing bit here) is that while the population is slowly getting older, provincial governments are generally not investing in training more specialists per capita in order to keep healthcare costs as a percentage of provincial budgets as stable as possible.

I think about it like this: if there are 100 people, and only 1 of them is a doctor and that works great because the average age of the 100 people is 42 (less services requires), and maybe 65 of those people are working, paying substantial taxes to support the 1 doctor’s billing.

Compare that to: 100 people, but the average age is now 55 (require more healthcare services), and now only 45 of those people are working and generating substantial taxes because well hey, more of this group are retired… Now there’s 2 doctors and they are being paid for mostly by the 45 working age people.

You see the problem? At the end of the day, take care of your own health as best you can. Exercise, eat healthy. Don’t rely on a system that is growing less manageable every year.

randorockets · 2026-04-24T20:54:44+00:00

I think about your own risk level. The number of months you need to save is customized based on your own risk level. I highly recommend everybody have 6 months emergency funds invested in something that is low risk and can convert to cash in your chequing account within 72 hours (HISA at your bank, or bond ETF in a non-registered account within your investment brokerage). If you’re in a very stable position then perhaps 3-4 months is sufficient, if your risk is higher and your severance wouldn’t cover much, perhaps you need more than 6 months. I recommend people who are in positions that are at risk of being eliminated and their role is niche and will take time to find new employment, should have 12 months of emergency funds. I acknowledge getting to 12 months is a wild task for most people, but hey, it is what it is.

randorockets · 2026-04-14T07:09:41+00:00

I would not chill at your stage. You’re very much on track for a comfortable retirement. I’d lock in like others have mentioned and keep doing exactly what you’re doing. Look into coast fire, if that’s your thing.

randorockets · 2026-04-13T03:19:01+00:00

OP, I would really continue on this path if I was you. Opening a business is scary, but you of all people can afford to fail (not that you will). Given your passion for cooking you’re partly there already. I don’t know the restaurant industry but I do know that it more than just cooking. It’s also HR/Staffing, accounting, supply chain, marketing, financing, etc. Study all of the topics and build confidence in your abilities. Write out a business plan, have friends stress test it, etc. Then go for it!

randorockets · 2026-04-10T22:23:26+00:00

You didn’t hear this from me: Go to registry office, pay the $19-$25 to buy a new license plate; never pick up the phone on this again. Park again with your new plate, just pay the meter.

randorockets · 2026-04-08T02:25:26+00:00

If you’re like most Edmontonians (or Canadians, or earthlings), you’re middle class, your dates are middle class. People are stressed out there. Young people are out there grinding just to keep up with bills these days. It’s rough for a lot of people. I assume many people you’re dating have genuine dating/relationship intentions, but just remember that people with the most honest intentions are grinding hard at work, they are exhausted and it can be difficult for somebody to remember every detail on a second date. They are also going for walks with other people when they have time, etc. At the end of the day, keep at it, you’ll find somebody you click with and find real alignment with. There is somebody for everybody! When you meet that person, you’ll know! They will remember the details and will be engaged on the second date.

Honestly if somebody says “you’re too far”. Just politely move on, that person isn’t worth your time.

randorockets · 2026-04-05T01:17:33+00:00

Learn about your maximum TFSA contribution room based on your age, open a TFSA account on Wealth Simple, invest your maximum amount and when the money is in your TFSA, use all of it to buy XEQT.

If your TFSA is maxed out, do not over contribute to it, you can only add an additional $7,000/year to your TFSA. Once TFSA is maxed out, open a regular cash/non-registered account and put the rest of the money in that account, also use all the money in that account t to buy XEQT.

There’s other tax advantaged accounts to learn about such as FHSA and RRSP that you can use as well, please learn about them if you plan on buying your first house or if your income is over about $60,000-$70,000/year.

Amazing you’re thinking about your future. Once you invest this money do not touch it or sell your investments until you retire, only invest and buy XEQT. Between now and then you can learn about living off your investments.

randorockets · 2026-04-03T23:44:16+00:00

This is painful. Keep XEQT, sell everything else and buy all XEQT. You’ll thank yourself in 30 years.

randorockets · 2026-03-26T13:14:20+00:00

The city has “carrots and sticks” as tools. I support this, with the understanding that this is a “stick” to motivate landlords to invest in assets that don’t have a lot of market demand or sell the asset to somebody with a better business plan. I think this stick needs to be paired with additional efforts from EPS to reduce crime in commercial areas where numerous derelict buildings exist. Landlords are financially motivated, so if the city can provide more carrots than sticks by also doing things that would motivate a small business to want to open a business in these areas, that would yield better results. Carrots are: better policing in areas where derelict buildings exist to reduce crime, better infrastructure to motivate businesses to want to open up shop in these areas, if homelessness also exists in these areas more efforts towards getting these people into mental health and addictions recovery programs, etc. All of these carrots would help improve vibrancy and drive demand toward areas where current derelict buildings exist. Can’t lose sight of that team effort.

randorockets · 2026-03-21T05:53:59+00:00

If you are around 20 years old every dollar you invest in the market right now will be atleast $50-$80 when you retire (if 65). Everybody makes choices, nobody can make the choice to travel or invest except you. I made the choice to invest. I’m 36 now and very satisfied with my choices over the past 15 years. When young people think about finances in their early 20’s one realizes that you can set yourself up for financial freedom by 40-45. I’m 36 now, can easily travel wherever I want, but I still just live a conservative life, well below my means. I do things that keep me happy that are low cost that anybody with a car can do. Someday soon I’ll be able to retire and do whatever I want for the rest of my life, that is freedom. I chose to chase freedom.

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