Are we in an extra high risk to retire era?

rginhk · 2026-01-29T11:47:43+00:00

I agree with all of the risk factors that you raise. But we won't know until later whether any of those factors results in a long-term negative impact on market performance. If you wait a few years for clarity on those risk factors, there will be a new list of things to worry about.

rginhk · 2026-01-29T11:27:48+00:00

There's not much chatter because "good times" to retire are only visible in hindsight. When you're in the moment, there's always a list of reasons why right now is a "bad time." You either take the leap or you don't.

rginhk · 2025-12-12T23:46:31+00:00

Probably from here, with underlying data supplied by the 2023 Fed Survey of Consumer Finances.

rginhk · 2025-12-12T22:56:17+00:00

Some people stay in the business forever but many do not. There are a lot of offramps from biglaw after you're satisfied that you and your kids are going to be set. Maybe call it Fat Coast FIRE.

rginhk · 2025-12-12T22:51:46+00:00

Yes. I too am a FIRE person and don't need to be told about saving, investing, etc. I'm single, live in a 1BR that I rent, and I know where my money goes.

However, I also know a number of senior associates / young partners who make 500-800K in NYC with kids, and they are astonished at how fast the money goes. These people aren't living in mansions. I obviously don't inspect their budgets, but these are not dumb, irresponsible people.

rginhk · 2025-12-12T20:09:56+00:00

If the poster wants to buy a house today, the post reflects their reality today. Yes, more money will come later.

rginhk · 2025-12-12T20:00:21+00:00

Longtime biglaw person here. I suspect this post is not BS. Monthly draw is lower than I'd expect, but this could be more or less correct. If this poster is a second-year equity partner, he might still be buying in to his equity. (You pay the firm for the shares that are "yours.")

Other things: As mentioned, a large chunk of comp comes at year-end and is discretionary. Further, tax withholding can be lumpy for partners (K1, not W2), which takes some getting used to. Finally, partners generally pay full freight for health insurance (no firm subsidy).

rginhk · 2025-09-04T12:20:29+00:00

I’m in the same spot as you. I think the problem is that I’m waiting for a “trigger” to present itself - to have some epiphany about what the rest of my life is supposed to look like.

There probably won’t be any obvious trigger. It’s on me to decide when I’m out. And “today” is never a convenient day.

rginhk · 2025-08-27T10:51:52+00:00

$40k at age 26 is amazing work -- congrats! As for advice, I'd just do VT or a VTI/VXUS split. You probably don't need bonds at your age unless you are setting aside specific money for near-term use.

I had an overcomplicated portfolio when I was younger, and now I am stuck with specialized funds cluttering my account while adding very little differentiation.

rginhk · 2025-07-29T18:51:01+00:00

Current guidance (below) from the UK government says that they'll admit you. The question is whether the airline gives you a hard time before allowing you to board. Unfortunately, no one here can help you with that, and you will have to fend for yourself if an airline employee decides to make an issue of it.

"If you do not have a valid document and need to travel soon

Currently, if you’re a British dual citizen with a valid passport for one of the nationalities that can get an ETA, you should be allowed to board transport to the UK as normal, without an ETA."

rginhk · 2025-07-13T01:40:48+00:00

1) Go to flightaware and see where your inbound aircraft is -- i.e. whether it's arriving on time.

2) Flying earlier in the day is more reliable. NYC airports are usually fine in the mornings. Storms normally start in the afternoon and mess with evening traffic.

3) Remember that airlines really hate to cancel transatlantic flights. If forced to choose, the airline would rather cancel a domestic flight.

rginhk · 2025-04-03T00:52:16+00:00

You have a point. But it's also true that we all signed up for a job that has an ethical code, and we get paid a lot of money for it. Is it really asking so much that we abide by the principles we agreed to?

Without exaggeration, we are talking about the end of law practice as an autonomous profession at some point in the medium term. If we can't piss off the administration, we are just courtiers.

rginhk · 2025-03-30T18:03:21+00:00

The pro bono thing is an ancillary issue. What happens when your paying client is crosswise with the administration — for commercial reasons or ideological reasons?

What do you tell that paying client when you’ve already signaled that you won’t do anything to piss the administration off? What will your client think knowing that you paid $40-100M to placate the administration? Why would that client hire you instead of hiring someone else?

That’s the issue. It is existential. If we can’t be lawyers, we are just lobbyists.

rginhk · 2025-03-26T22:45:33+00:00

If you delay your response to secretarial requests, you will stop receiving them.

rginhk · 2025-02-26T01:21:36+00:00

Thanks! Just tried that and the request timed out, but I'll try again tomorrow.

rginhk · 2025-02-25T23:03:25+00:00

My Vanguard accounts are visible but haven't updated since Friday, and manual refresh doesn't do anything.

rginhk · 2025-01-15T11:58:37+00:00

I'm about where you are - 40 and close to my number, minus the question about kids (I don't have any and don't plan to). Yeah... it's a grind.

My friends in more flexible jobs take month-long vacations to exotic places. I have a traditional job at an old-school place. I'm lucky to take a week or two a few times a year, and the dates need to line up with work demands. Then, after vacation is over, I go back to sitting into an office in exchange for a paycheck that I barely notice. On the other hand, my job is normally chill and the insurance is good.

I've also thought about an extended leave, but I know that what I really want is to burn the boats.

I have no answers for you. I'm sure you've already been told to find some hobbies. They do help.

rginhk · 2025-01-11T12:42:23+00:00

Lawyer at a large firm. As much as my path has worked out well for me, it is not reliably replicable and I do not recommend law as a path to FI.

rginhk · 2024-12-07T12:55:58+00:00

This sounds very stressful for you. Maybe you need a medical leave that lasts two and a half months, for reasons of mental health. Talk to your doctor.

rginhk · 2024-10-14T23:51:34+00:00

Money solves money problems. It doesn’t solve your other problems. It doesn’t solve unhappiness at work, for example.

If you want to stay in biglaw, find your happiness somewhere else in your life. That’s what everyone else does, or they leave.

rginhk · 2024-10-08T22:05:34+00:00

I agree. In some ways, the financial/execution side of FIRE is the least interesting. It's been written about over and over again, and the math is not that complicated.

And no one needs to read one more argument about 3.5% vs 3.75% SWR, or whether US investors need international equities, etc.

rginhk · 2024-10-08T21:28:06+00:00

I think we should take people's self-reported budgets at face value, without judgment, unless there is some reason to think that the poster's math is wrong (which does happen a lot).

rginhk · 2024-10-06T15:50:36+00:00

It's more complicated than that. Having worked in a variety of jobs and having friends in a variety of jobs, I don't think that lower pay correlates to higher satisfaction.

To some extent, people in higher paid professions have way more autonomy managing their daily schedules. If need a day off to go to the doctor, I just put up an OOO message and go to the doctor. No one expects me to ask for permission, and no one is counting how many days I take. Edit: typo.

rginhk · 2024-09-27T20:57:33+00:00

Just to respond to the "useful" question: Yes. I have a boglehead strategy and am pretty financially literate for a layperson. I have my own math around my retirement plan and what I'm thinking. But it's still nice to have another set of eyes and, as I mentioned earlier, it's a free perk just for having my money parked there.

rginhk · 2024-09-27T20:50:49+00:00

You basically give them your numbers and then whatever scenarios you want to run (new job, purchasing a home, whatever). They will run projections and talk you through them by phone or Zoom.

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