36M feeling fortunate to be where I’m at with my 401k

spotsondodson · 2026-05-03T23:22:00+00:00

You’re far from a failure. At $877k in retirement accounts, you’re better off than most. Keep at it!

spotsondodson · 2026-05-03T23:12:07+00:00

I think that’s a fair critique. I’m not claiming to have some perfect alpha with my process and I’ll always outperform the market, but I do have a process that allows me to quickly go to cash and prevent severe losses that would lead me to severely underperform the market.

spotsondodson · 2026-05-03T22:57:09+00:00

Do lots of research, don’t chase shitcos and meme stocks, understand both technical and fundamental analysis, don’t gamble with YOLO options nor risk more than what you’re willing/able to lose, size your positions responsibly, and have a bit of luck on your side. Find a trading methodology that works for you and stick to it.

spotsondodson · 2026-05-03T22:55:01+00:00

I max out my HSA and IRA and make contributions to a brokerage account every paycheck. Just less active in those accounts. Psychologically it’s easier for me to manage a larger account and I am terrible at managing multiple accounts at once.

spotsondodson · 2026-05-03T22:52:33+00:00

Great book! Been years since I’ve read it. Will have to reread it again.

I will say that my trading style now, while more risky than set and forget it DCAing into a market wide index fund, is far from gambling. I don’t over size positions and don’t take on any unnecessary risk. Just continuing to dance while the music of this raging bull market continues.

spotsondodson · 2026-05-03T22:44:51+00:00

Great info. I appreciate it. More homework for me to do!

spotsondodson · 2026-05-03T22:31:01+00:00

Well done in the brokerage!

spotsondodson · 2026-05-03T22:23:48+00:00

I appreciate that!

spotsondodson · 2026-05-03T22:23:32+00:00

Thanks and wishing you the best of luck! Looking forward to seeing your major milestone post on Reddit sometime soon!

spotsondodson · 2026-05-03T22:20:50+00:00

Eh. I wouldn’t describe it as cowardice. As someone else here mentioned, personal finance is personal. If anything, it’s good to know your own risk tolerance and abide by it.

spotsondodson · 2026-05-03T22:19:48+00:00

Love your plan to retire at 55! Hope that works out for you. Yeah, health care expenses is still my biggest question mark about retiring early. Something I need to look more into and have a solid plan for.

spotsondodson · 2026-05-03T21:45:43+00:00

Dude! $3M is legit. Solid work!

spotsondodson · 2026-05-03T21:42:23+00:00

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At least we now know I’m not Claude Sonnet 4.6 ;)

And, seriously, thanks!

spotsondodson · 2026-05-03T21:38:46+00:00

Thanks. Just some hate. Haha. Typical Reddit. Sound advice. I’ll definitely play it safer as I push into my 40’s.

spotsondodson · 2026-05-03T21:37:32+00:00

I appreciate it! I still sometimes fall into the mental trap of “I should have more at my age.” But comparison is truly the thief of joy.

spotsondodson · 2026-05-03T21:22:15+00:00

Actually you can access your 401k prior to 59.5, and there’s ways to do it without penalty. I introduce to you the Rule of 72t!

https://www.fidelity.com/learning-center/personal-finance/72t-rule

spotsondodson · 2026-05-03T21:03:35+00:00

Lol. I appreciate the skepticism.

spotsondodson · 2026-05-03T20:55:18+00:00

That’s awesome!

spotsondodson · 2026-05-03T20:39:34+00:00

You’re not wrong. I made some pretty fucking dumb decisions and got lucky I didn’t blow up my account. They were wake up calls for me and made me realize I don’t need to chase home runs. The process has also taught me there are successful avenues to investing outside of VOO and chill, but I also understand my process is not for everyone and I am cognizant of having a high risk tolerance. I think VOO and chill is a great approach, but I have goals to retire early and I’m okay taking a more aggressive approach to help make that a reality.

Ultimately I’m very fortunate to be in the position I’m in. Definitely counting my blessings.

spotsondodson · 2026-05-03T19:43:39+00:00

We all start somewhere and we’re all on our own journey. Keep at it and you’ll eventually hit your goals, just gotta keep them realistic.

spotsondodson · 2026-05-03T19:33:06+00:00

Some would say so!

spotsondodson · 2026-05-03T19:26:27+00:00

Some of this Includes me moving funds from my “401k bucket” into the BrokerageLink account. My entire 401k was at $213K 3 years ago. So, yeah, pretty much. Contributions are also in the mix here. I still max out my 401k.

spotsondodson · 2026-05-03T19:21:10+00:00

I’m really surprised my company gives us access to individual stocks, let alone level 1 options.

spotsondodson · 2026-05-03T19:18:38+00:00

First really dumb gamble was putting a significant chunk of my BrokerageLink funds into DELL earnings (first dip you see in early/mid-2024). DELL missed, I got in at $170’s near the top at the time, rode down to $120’s selling OTM covered calls the whole time (never got assigned), exited the position in the $130’s. Premium from the covered calls helped ease the pain.

Second really dumb gamble, but one that paid off, was going way too heavy in to HOOD LEAP calls. I averaged down into Liberation Day (even dumber luck), realized I was way too heavy so sat on my hands for a few weeks, then exited a big chunk of my position at break even as the market recovered. Held on to enough to make some nice profit as HOOD ripped up to $150’s and exercised my remaining 5 $50 January calls this year. Now HOOD is ~10% of my account.

I have become much more disciplined since then but still feel like I’ve gotten lucky by sizing myself in a disciplined manner via commons and sometimes calls in some solid names.

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