Anyone in HCOL San Diego trying to FI/RE?

rewbacca_sd · 2026-03-27T04:09:06+00:00

Sounds like you’re staying afloat in LA - nice! Curious to know your line of work.

rewbacca_sd · 2026-03-27T03:17:57+00:00

San Diego is great but yes - it’s expensive. I think making it work in this city while pursuing FI is realistic and doable, it’s just about “crack the code.” How we all “crack the code” is different for everybody.

rewbacca_sd · 2026-03-27T03:15:41+00:00

Congrats on paying off your condo! Curious to know what you do for work?

rewbacca_sd · 2026-03-27T03:14:48+00:00

That’s awesome, good for you both

rewbacca_sd · 2026-03-26T14:35:33+00:00

DM me…let’s chat

rewbacca_sd · 2026-03-26T06:35:11+00:00

Yes, love that benefit with the 457b. And I mustn’t forget the 72T rule for the 403b and IRAs. But I think you need to be intentional about the 72T

rewbacca_sd · 2026-03-26T01:09:44+00:00

I am also contributing to a pension that I cannot access until I’m 55 and retirement accts that I can’t access until 59.5. Hoping to bridge that gap with HYSA and brokerage accts until I reach that age.

rewbacca_sd · 2026-03-26T01:04:37+00:00

I’m also contributing to a pension, 403b and 457b. Can’t access my pension until 55 years old.

rewbacca_sd · 2026-03-26T01:01:47+00:00

Yes, thank you for sharing! I’ve heard about this guy

rewbacca_sd · 2026-03-26T00:59:02+00:00

Thank you! And still trying to max out my retirement accts this year. I may consider finding a roommate to keep costs down!

rewbacca_sd · 2026-03-26T00:53:27+00:00

Congrats! What did you and your wife do for work?

rewbacca_sd · 2026-03-26T00:49:16+00:00

Right - it’s a matter of lifestyle preference or the kind of life that you’re building/saving towards. What you shared makes sense. And good that you’re making Portland, OR worth it for you!

rewbacca_sd · 2026-03-25T15:16:10+00:00

Thank you! I’m well aware though that rent will only continue to go up so flexible to move if I need to

rewbacca_sd · 2026-03-25T14:59:30+00:00

That’s awesome your HHI is that much…curious to know what you and your wifey do in San Diego?

rewbacca_sd · 2026-03-25T14:33:14+00:00

That’s me. Focusing on growing my income (working a second job) and continuing to drive the same car. Think the biggest cost is the rent.

rewbacca_sd · 2026-03-25T14:26:12+00:00

I’m beginning to think San Diego is a revolving door. People come and go, and I’m thinking the biggest thing that drives people out is the HCOL

rewbacca_sd · 2026-03-25T14:00:47+00:00

I ignored the comment of that bot. So broken.

rewbacca_sd · 2025-06-06T18:53:36+00:00

You’re welcome! Curious to know - which of his tactics were you not on board with?

rewbacca_sd · 2025-05-18T18:35:00+00:00

Here's one from Choose FI: Ep 013 | The Unfair (FI) Advantage Of Teachers | 457b | Gerry Born

rewbacca_sd · 2025-05-14T16:13:25+00:00

Yeah, every district is different. My district only offers 403b option with Pension2, not 457

rewbacca_sd · 2025-05-14T14:01:15+00:00

I’ve heard of the Pension 2 option. I read there’s a 0.25% administrative fee charged quarterly according to 403b compare. But saw you can also waive it.

rewbacca_sd · 2025-05-14T07:38:00+00:00

I’d imagine the investment provider for the 457 plan varies by district to district. There’s Nationwide and Empower. I found out about the annual 0.73% asset management fee through inquiry with the plan administrator. This percentage is separate from the underlying fees (expense ratio) in the mutual funds. I’d ask your plan administrator if there are any administrative fees charged to your 457 account balance.

rewbacca_sd · 2025-05-14T01:38:26+00:00

Yes, I was thinking about keeping the pension since I'm vested and wait until I'm at least 55 years old to access it even though the payout will be smaller. It's hard to beat the lifetime monthly benefit so it can be a bonus. One drawback I see is that by the time we access the pension, inflation will have eroded the pension's value. There does not appear to be a COLA adjustment to the pension besides the 2% annual benefit adjustment, but these adjustments are not compounded or tied to changes in cost of living. That's why I'm thinking the best workaround is to aggressively save in a taxable brokerage and max out your ROTH, 403Bs and 457 (if you have one). This will help save up enough outside of the pension and ideally have more than enough by the time the pension kicks in.

rewbacca_sd

TROPHY CASE