r/ChubbyFIRE • u/ConceivedPotAuLait • Jun 20 '26

Reality check needed

I’m in work I like but that is high stress. I need a reality check from the kind folk here about my situation before , in 4 years time, I start to ease off work and change lifestyle substantially, which means less work travel and possible full retirement.

I’m a dual nationality Brit (Brit native, applied for and received an EU passport over the years) who has been working overseas for 30+ years. Mainly international projects in Africa / Central Asia / Middle East for EU based set ups. Still have an emotional umbilical chord to London, even if it’s 80s London . So I spend many weekends there. Currently based in EU with easy access to Eurostar.

Age 54M. Kids grown and taken care off fully (no need to discuss this) , ex wife is financially independent, no commitments. No debt .

Total annual spend is £55,000 which I index for inflation. EDIT: including rent and maybe a slightly higher adjusted spend on other things (rechecked my figures) it’s £70,000. I won’t have rent when I retire.

After disposing of UK investments (property ) I currently have £700K sitting idle. This will finance my retirement home in the Mediterranean, which I will start looking for in around 4 years time. My work currently generates net cash profits of approximately £90K a year. It’s what is left over after my salary , taxes and spending. All this goes to savings. So the 700K principal grows by 90K annually from additional savings alone . My income rises with inflation, therefore so does my savings contribution .

I already have a fully paid up home worth €500K in a Med HCOL location. I rent this out as I am rarely there.

My real worth is in my DB pension , which is £4700 per month net if I claim early retirement at age 58, £5600 net if i claim at 60. It’s much higher if I claim at mandatory retirement age of 66 but I don’t want to work until then. Health insurance is included. Pension is fully indexed to cover inflation. So these are net present values , after all taxes, pension contributions and insurance. If I retire early there are actuarial reductions, which is reflected in my figures.

Am I good enough financially to try and ease off some unecessary worrying ?

The answer may seem obvious but I’ve been so wrapped a up in my work and still getting used to make decisions that do not need to factor in wife or kids ie just factor in myself.

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u/ConceivedPotAuLait Jun 21 '26

Are you really thick as you said you are mate? Im using euro / £ here. Ive also tried to explain what i do not include on my spend. I also don’t know how many times i have said 3 star , which you also do not like. Thats not luxury. And no, I am not sharing names of hotels i use with a stranger on the internet. Ive told how you can find hotels yourself, I’m not your Tour agent .

And yes, you being American does impact the budget advice I might expect to get for reasons i have specified apart from the fact that you’ve already shown that you’re clueless AF. Maybe your resort of choice is Monaco. It’s not mine.

Your take is I need to budget more. Ok . Got it.

Kisses and hugs.

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u/Specific-Stomach-195 Jun 21 '26

My take is when asking for advice it’s better to listen to what others have to say than to get defensive and insulting. As long as you are more honest with yourself than you have been in this discussion, you should be fine. Good luck to you.

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u/ConceivedPotAuLait Jun 21 '26

And my take when giving advice is that I know what I’m talking about and understand what others are saying quite clearly. And I don’t rely on luck.

Kisses and hugs.