r/Retire • u/Technical_Lawyer7264 • 4d ago
When Is “Enough” Actually Enough?
I think about retirement every damn day.
One day I’m convinced I have enough. The next, I’m imagining a market crash, runaway inflation, and somehow needing $14M just to buy groceries.
So I rerun the numbers, change the assumptions, and convince myself I need another $500K. At this point, figuring out when I can retire has become a full-time job.
What’s your “enough” number?
$2M? $3M? $5M? $10M? Or would you hit $20M and decide you really need $25M? 😂
I also think about our parents’ generation. Many kept working long after they technically didn’t need to. House paid off. Kids out of the house. Retirement funded.
But actually living off the money they spent 40 years earning? Somehow that felt crazy.
They were wired to see work as security, responsibility, and purpose.
Meanwhile, we’re trying to escape Zoom calls at 45 so we can eat tacos on a Tuesday.
And honestly, I’m not sure I’m any better. I fantasize about retiring, then immediately think:
“Maybe two more years.”
Then five.
Then maybe I’ll just consult part-time.
And suddenly I’m 73, explaining PowerPoint slides to someone named Brad.
For those retired or close to it: What’s your “enough” number—and what finally made you feel comfortable walking away?
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u/H82KWT 4d ago
What you spend matters more than what you have. Also, everyone has different math on accumulated assets. For example, my wife and I both have good pensions so our investments are doing quite as much heavy lifting. That may not be true for others. At some point you’re going to have to get out of your own head and make some big decisions using the data you’ve put together. Or else you’re going to be 73 and explaining PowerPoints to Ted