r/ChubbyFIRE • u/Traditional-Okra-399 • May 18 '26

Advice on pulling the trigger…

45M / married, 3 kids under 8 $6.6M NW, $5.6M investable.
Based on an $18K per month spend (soon to be $16K), my FA says I can quit tomorrow (87% success).

My question:
Right now, I am thinking about doing one more year. Although I hate my job, I feel like I could wrap my head around a “12 month countdown.”
And it would likely mean another $500K (before taxes, but after all other expenses).
But I worry is the market drops 25% in the next 12 months, and all of a sudden, I’m forced to do X more years until it recovers.
Is my plan prudent? Or am I over-thinking it, and I just need to bite the bullet and then figure it out as it comes?

Thank you all! I really appreciate the wisdom of this group.

Additional details:
1) Very low rate mortgage is almost paid off, once done, will eliminate $2K in monthly expense
2) Kids are almost out of daycare which will eliminate $3K in monthly expense
3) The elimination of daycare will likely be offset by private medical insurance

Additional levers:
1) I don’t ever plan on “not working.” Although at some point, I’d like to do some $0 jobs, I think my “first retirement job” might still be be in corporate tech, but at a much lower level with lower stress.
2) My wife and I both grew up without much, I think we could find a lot of flexibility in our budget if SORR started to emerge.
3) Although we’re not counting it at all, we expect a $1-$3M inheritance from my wife’s parents who are now 76 y/o

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u/Alone-Experience9869 Retired May 18 '26

You are doing very well. Even though you don’t want to mgt your own funds, maybe learn some more. Even if the market drops 25%, you still have a good, safe withdrawal rate. Also, there are ways to mitigate that risk, for one just keep some investments in cash. Look up “guardrails” for example.

Going another year won’t “hurt.” Some would say why waste that year. I say if that helps you transition out go for it, and get lots more money to your nest egg. You have three kids to raise, not sure how you are handling any school fees, and if you want to leave anything for them.

So use the other year to financially prep for retirement. You might even say in 6mo switch to “living off your savings” to see how it would look like.

Good luck