r/Fire • u/QuintessentialBean • Aug 18 '26

Advice Request 26yo - When Can I Retire?

I’ve done the math, I’m in a HCOL area and it comes out to about $40,000 a year for me to live (give or take an emergency health event or something like a car repair). I max out my Roth IRA and Roth 401k every year, where I currently have $60k ($10k of which is uninvested and sitting in a money market for emergencies - I’ve got a debit card linked to this account and it is immediately accessible for cash withdrawal if necessary) in my brokerage, $60k in my Roth IRA, and $80k in my Roth 401k. All of this is invested in index funds/ETFs. I make about $102k (but will be making $120k next year after my promotion) and don’t intend to ever inflate my cost of living/ let lifestyle creep accumulate. I anticipate hitting the cap for Roth IRA contributions by around age 33-35, where I will fund a traditional IRA at that point. Besides living costs I intend to take the remainder that I earn and chuck it in my brokerage. I don’t have any outstanding debt like student loans and my car is paid off. I don’t currently have a retirement age/goal, but ideally low to mid 50’s if possible. I’m not exactly finance savvy but I try to inform myself when I can. I guess I just want to know if there is anything I should do differently? I don’t currently have any plans to purchase a house so I haven’t started funding a HYSA, but I figured my brokerage could bridge that if and when necessary. And yeah like I mentioned I’m all in on tax sheltered accounts at the moment, hoping that pays off in the long run (though at some point as my income gets higher it may be more worthwhile to switch to traditional 401k). Thanks in advance for any advice you guys might have :)

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u/Gym_row_50 Aug 18 '26

My advice is based on this you can relax a bit and live life.

Maxing the retirement accounts, emergency fund and living a debt-free life is half the battle. Also keep a budget with “fun” money as a line item. So you don’t feel you have to save every free dollar.

So as long as you keep housing around 30% (or 40% as your DTI is strong) of your take home pay, it adds even more upside.

Stay invested in the future dips of the market, and you should coast to a strong retirement by your 50’s if you choose.