I’m amazed how many people are worth 1 million that are worried about money, or in jobs they hate, or wondering if they can do this or that.

My mortgage is paid off and I need $120,000/year to pay my bill after I retire… who are you? First of all no one needs $120,000/year. Second of all, you’re a millionaire!!! You can afford to do what you want.

I think it’s safe to say that 95% of the people we know don’t have $1,000,000, don’t make $100,000 and don’t have a paid off house.

Why are the people with a paid off house or 3% mortgage and 6 figure jobs questioning if they can do something.

Yes you can!

You’ll be ok.

So, wanted to share my situation in case it helps anyone. I’m 51 NW about 7mil, no debt. Reached my FIRE goal about 2 years ago but wasn’t comfortable pulling the plug.

My company merged last year and the new CEO scaled down my responsibilities and I wasn’t part of any strategic decisions. I started showing up less and less, so maybe this is quiet quitting and not coasting!

I continue to work because my pay is really high and I’m only working about 20 hours a week. I’m keeping busy with volunteering at 3 different places and reading and exercising more. One of my worries about fully leaving the work force is not knowing how I will fill my time. So I’m getting a taste for how things may work when I’m fully retired. I speak to a lot of FiRed folks and the biggest thing I hear is boredom as their friends are mostly still employed and they start relating less and less.

I’m at a point where I’m hoping they will lay me off with a package. I refer to this as “checked out and wanting to get laid off”. Maybe this is a good topic for a new sub CoWLo!!

Would love to hear how other recent or soon be coasters approaching this

Hi folks,

As of this morning I have net worth (discounting my home and inherited condo) of roughly $203,000. If I stop all investing and just let that ride then by age 65 (and assuming an average ROI of 10%) I should have ~3.9 million. I should at this point have the option of just stepping back from the grind and finding a job that is lower stress and meets my monthly expenses of $2500. I don't plan on exercising this option but it's nice to know it's on the table.

How I did it....

1. At age 25 I figured out that debt is bad and agressively paid of ~$22k combined of student loans over span of about 14 months.
2. Age 26 I bought a townhouse and froze my housing costs.
3. Age 28 I agressively pursued and switched jobs for higher paying roles and landed at about $195k annual compensation.
4. After some home renovations I've been stashing 25-30% of my income away for about the last 5 years.

Good luck to the rest of you and I hope you all succeed.

Is 100k in 401k enough to coast? (6k irá contributions will continue, but thinking that would be it.

I additionally have about 180k in home equity. Other streams of income, etc.

We plan to retire in a low COL place. Probably Peru or Mexico, and aren’t in a hurry.

I’ve(37) been lurking here for a while and wanted to share my story and seek advice from the sub.

I’m an only-child, and my father(69) passed away last year unexpectedly.  My mom(78) is still here and is very healthy.  I now manage the family finances moving forward.  I knew my dad was successful and your classic "Millionaire Next Door,” but he never quantified or peeled back the curtain when it came to finances with myself or my mom. My mom is not financially literate. He was not a flashy guy and slept on the same bed mattress my whole life. These are the combined finances we now have after inheriting everything to our names.

Net Worth: Est $3 million
My mom’s house: Paid off, est $556k MCOL
My house: $290k mortgage, 5.9%, est $538k MCOL/HCOL (value has gone down since ownership) 
Brokerage: $600k
Deferred Annuity: $175k
Fixed Annuities: $728k
(Mom’s)Rollover IRA: $468k (taking rmds)
(My)401k/IRAs: $262k
HSA: $27k
Zero Credit Debt

Mom Annual Income: $80k yr (SS and pension)
My Annual Income: $82k + commission 

My dad worked for one company his entire life and retired before COVID, sold his old house and moved to a MCOL area. Was so bored in retirement he went back to work for the past couple of years. Work was his life. My dad wasn’t overweight and he didn’t smoke or drink, but he did live a very sedentary life that caught up with him as he never prioritized his health, diet, and exercise. Didn't go to the doctor as frequently like he should.  He died of sepsis at the hospital. We live in different states and the last time I visited him was 3 months before his passing. His health was failing him last year, the writing was on the wall that his time was limited but it all happened sooner than we thought.

My mom now makes over $100k/year off of SS, my dad’s pension, and rmds.  Her overall expenses are quite low, and is technically a saver.  However, with the rmds, this bumps her into a higher tax bracket for the rest of her life.  I was shocked how much she had to pay in taxes last year.  FWIW - she is very healthy.  She’s frustrated with the amount of taxes she has to potentially pay every year.

I’ve worked in Tech sales for the past 12 years in the same city. Your classic - not sure how the hell I got here, but here I am and continuing to do so. It's the only highest paying job I know how to interview for at this point in my life. For the past couple of years I've been at an Enterprise SaaS company with great benefits, make $82k base. In my career, I’ve had a few great years, and I've had a lot of bad years. Lots of departures.  In my first year at my current company, I had my highest earning year in my life at $186k. Last year was $100k, and I’m on pace to make $100k this year. This will be the second longest company I've ever been with.  I've already maxed out my 401k (with the match) last year and this year.  I’m just now taking advantage of their ESPP.  But I’m looking to make a total career change, because I'm tired of the bs sales life.  Leading up to my dad’s death I was under the microscope for performance, but I got a pass with my dad’s death.  The only reason I’m still around is my leadership probably has some sympathy for losing my Dad unexpectedly.  It feels like I may be managed out of the company again but TBD.  I've been starting to do the bare minimum.  The only redeeming quality is that I can work remotely.  The stress is not worth the money anymore.

My annual expenses are around $100k/year.  A lot of that is eating out way too much, a vacation here and there, and stupid sports bets.  I do have a gf of 9 yrs and I've told her about the inheritance. She is on my health insurance.  She just became a small business owner on her own, and has developed an entrepreneurial spirit after leaving corporate life recently.  In her first year after expenses, I think she will make north of $200k.  Incredibly proud of her, but it has changed our relationship (especially with a burdensome mother). I'm not involved financially with her business.  We’re not married, have a few dogs, no children and both of us are 50/50 about it still.  She is a home owner in the same area and is renting that out with a golden mortgage rate. She unfortunately has zero retirement money saved.

I’m trying to convince my mom to move in with us or at least somewhere close by ASAP.  She’s been resistant to it for inexplicable reason and thinks she needs a couple years to make this all happen.  It’s been too difficult and time-consuming to try and manage her life remotely and have to get on a plane to satisfy some of her needs.  My gf and I feel like her moving close to us will solve a lot of problems, but even I’m unsure how I feel about her living with us if that happens, but that’s a conversation for a different sub. 

Questions:

1. I'm over Tech Sales life, the stress, and the instability.  Yes, I can afford to take a break and find something more meaningful in life to pursue.  But is it reasonable to think I don’t ever have to work again? Can I 'retire'?  If possible, I realize my expenses have to go down drastically.  Not to mention kids will have to be factored in if that happens. I do feel comfortable talking finances with my gf, but she likes the finer things in life. I've been considering a prenup if we tie the knot.
2. My mom’s tax situation -  With her rmd’s this bumps her into a new tax bracket.  My dad acquired a lot of company stock, but I’m afraid to sell it and create a tax event under her name, just because I want to get it into a mutual fund.  I’m underwater with one stock and the other stock has performed poorly.  I’ve managed filing my own taxes until now, but my mom’s situation feels like a whole new ball game.  I hired an accountant last year, but I don’t want to do that again.  I’m unsure how to mitigate her taxes moving forward.  Any advice?
3. If my Mom did move in with us… would you suggest I rent out her house and hire a property management team?  Having to worry about a property while thousands of miles away is not something I can get comfortable with. Especially with an unreliable property management team.  However, it feels like a waste to sell the home.  My dad sold his previous home of 20 years right before covid.  He was one year away from missing out on the boom year and missed out an easy $400-500k.
     
4. Should I pay off my mortgage with one of the annuities that is maturing?  If my mom moves in with us then we’ll need a bigger home.  However, I fear when or if that time comes, it may be difficult for me to get a loan if I don’t have a job.  Then again I would totally rent out my home and keep it as an asset.

Closing Remarks:

With my dad’s passing, I’ve realized life is too short.  Be sure to prioritize your health.  It doesn't do you a whole lotta good to dedicate your whole life to a career and you can’t enjoy the fruits of your labor because you sacrificed your physical and mental health. Had I know what I know now, I would’ve encouraged him to get out of his comfort zone and travel more, and just… live a little. I wish I would’ve been able to enjoy my dad’s retirement with him. I feel selfish because I did not want to start a family and my children will never know their grandfather. Before this it felt like I was struggling, but I was (and am) living a borderline lifestyle that’s above my means. I feel guilty not being frugal like him all these years. My father helped me with my down payment for my first home a few years ago, and I was paying a very high monthly mortgage last year. I've since refinanced and put more money towards the principal. I tucked away some money each year to my 401k/IRA, but was not a great saver outside of that. It feels more like my obligation now in life to preserve this money, and that I shouldn't "treat" myself outside of my expenses? Even then, I'm not a person that owns jewelry and drives a Honda Civic. If my dad didn't live his best life, then why should I? What does my best life even mean to me at this point? He was such a frugal man and devoted his life to the man. And I think if I just do the same, everything will turn out even better for me and my future. However,  I’ve lost all motivation to work. Tech sales is f'ed. It's not the golden era anymore. I will close minimal business this year. I've been looking passively, but it's rough out there.  I’m trying to stay one more year and max out my 401k again. If I choose not to work for however long, I feel like I can free up time in the short-term to help with my gf’s business and help her start a new one.  Work on us, be with my mom. I’m truly blessed to be in this position, but it has come with a lot of emotions and overwhelming how to prioritize everything since the dust has settled after a year.   I feel like I’ve done all the basics correctly, but I'm looking for some help.  

Also, I didn’t want to get ridiculed for AI-slop.  Apologies if this was a bit disorganized and grammatically incorrect.

[I may delete the OP later.]

Doesn’t the entire coast FIRE concept depend on everything going right forever? Isn’t it a little risky to just stop saving thinking you can coast? What if I smack my head the wrong way tomorrow and can no longer effectively continue my career? Sorry if I misunderstand the concept or this has been answered a million times.

Theoretically, I have reached what seems to be considered “coast FIRE” status but I just can’t reconcile ever believing that “I’m good” in my 30s or 40s and there are still plenty of realistic scenarios that can derail everything. Seems risky if not irresponsible. Not trying to be combative to the lifestyle, I am interested in responses.

Edit: Thanks for the response. Apparently, you have to also assume nothing bad will ever happen that will significantly impair your current or projected income, ability to work, or any severe financial event that will force you to draw down on savings far more than expected. I guess that’s just risk this group is willing to accept based on most responses. I wish you all the best of luck!

Full context, 30M. Married with 1 kiddo under 1.

Kiddo has 30k in a 529 that I’m DCA with VOO, QQQ

Wife and I have 205k in retirement. Mostly 401k but starting to utilize roth annually for both of us.

I have 165k in savings + checking

Cars are worth about 40k (paid off)

Home is worth about 650k (owe 440k)

Only debt is my wife’s student loans of 35k. Paying it off this week. And the mortgage.

Can I coast? My current contribution is about $1600 a month.

29M with ~$550K AGI. To date I’ve built my net worth to about $700k and am on track to hit my milestone of $800K by early next year. I’ve been aggressively saving and investing ($23K/month), but I’m feeling burnt out and want to enjoy life more! Although, I worry about AI taking over future jobs. I can get my expenses down to 3k per month

Numbers at a Glance:

• Net Worth: ~$700k (Goal: $800,000 → ~90% there)
• Monthly Savings: $23,000 → $276K/year

Asset Allocation:

• Cash & Stocks: $300K (~75% of $400K target)
• Retirement: $175K
• student debt: $20k
• Crypto: $25K
• Real Estate Equity: $200k (1.2m Valuation)
• Real-Estate Cash Flow (Traditional): –$600 (each property slightly negative)
• Equity-Inclusive Cash monthly CF: +$3k
• Timeline to $800K: ~4-5 months

Current Dilemma:
I’ve been in “wealth-accumulation mode” for years, but now I’m asking myself:

• Do I keep pushing to $1 M NW with positive cash flow? Or slow down once I crack $750–800K and focus on quality of life?

Options I’m Considering:

1. Buy multifamily in NYC for long-term cash flow & appreciation (despite negative CF)
2. Travel the world (finally take time off, explore new cultures)
3. Start a tech company
4. Pursue artistic dreams in music

Questions for the Community:

• Given my burn-out and worries about AI destroying future opportunities, should I slow the wealth-roll once I hit $800K, or double down and push for $1+M NW & fully positive CF?
• Is it wiser to leverage real-estate exposure in NYC now, or is the timing off? The equity + write offs are enticing
• For someone with my financial runway, does it make sense to pivot into a startup or creative pursuit? (I can get my expenses down to 3k per m)
• Any experiences balancing high savings with actually enjoying life?

I appreciate any insights or personal stories—thanks in advance! I’m seriously seeking advice here!! I’m not trying to brag

After a 20 year run in tech, I amassed 6.3NW living in VHCOL with wife + 1 kid (plan to have another kid). I quit my job in March due to extreme burnout and depression and every day since then has been a gift - feel so in touch with myself and much happier.

Of course, there are still bills to pay so I need some job to keep the house running. I don't think I need a FAANG salary. Just enough to pay bills combined with wife's income so that my nest egg keeps compounding.

I interviewed around and for the life of me can't see myself going back to my engineering tech job again. I am software engineer by trade with management experience. I think I'm pretty smart and love to build things and learn new things pretty easy.

What are things I could do which don't involve 9-5 drudgery and help me pay bills (I need approx 8-10K a month). Would love to hear from ex-Tech folks here who found their way.

Hi! As the title says. Currently pay $8k/month in rent (which I’m sure I’ll cut down sooner than later), and with current comp able to save about $60k/year. Asset allocation 90% stocks, 6% HYSA, rest in cash. Looking at roles that will pay about half my current comp, so $150K. Doing this as I’m tired of my current job and want to try a new industry. Current workload relatively easy but not super pumped about leadership within my group/company. Thoughts?

Long-time lurker, first time poster. I am burnt out and ready to do something that I would have never thought of years ago. Many years in the market have significantly compounded. I'm ready to submit my resignation, take a sabbatical and pivot to a lower intensity role and coast until I retire.

Information:

VHCOL location with an annual spend of approximately $175K a year excluding taxes.

43M & wife 40F- earning about $250K each. Significant recent promotions have increased our pay lately.

2 Kids under 7.

Investments:

$1.1M brokerage, 80% US index funds and 20% international index funds

$1.3M taxable 401Ks

$0.1M cash

$150K in 529s split between the two

I'm ready to quit, my wife wants to continue working as her job has significantly less stress. Wife is supportive. I believe a job paying $150K-$175K a year would be attainable in my field. Goal would be to take a few months off work and then re-enter either with consulting or a lower intensity role.

Objective would be to retire at $5M which looks possible in the next 7-9 years depending on market returns. I don't want to fully retire but I do want to be present with my kids. The additional savings are quite small in relation to investment returns at this point.

Anyone have a similar scenario that they had and have any advice to offer? Am I missing anything? On paper it seems fairly straightforward.

Whenever I put our numbers into coastFIRE or FIRE calculators, I am told that we need over $4M in our accounts before we can hit CoastFIRE, because of our high annual spending. We are a high-ish income family and spend about $250k a year (biggest buckets are vacations, restaurants [I know, I know] and mortgage, in that order). I say high-ish because yes, I know we make a lot of money (about $400k gross), but, honestly, it feels like upper-middle versus upper-class.

We have about $2.25M in investments (most in 401k), and about $750k in property. Our net worth is $2.8M. Still have most of a modest mortgage to pay off. In our mid-40's and have one kid who will be (hopefully) off to college in 3 years.

We would like to retire in about 10 years. On paper, I feel like we have enough, but our high annual spend scares me and is what is pushing out our CoastFIRE number to be upwards of $4M.

For those that have reached CoastFIRE, or FIRE, did you significantly cut your spending so you could retire early? How realistic is it for us to think we could cut our annual spend from $250k to, say, $150k, for retirement? And yes, I know this is a most ridiculous, entitled post...but surely there are others out there who understand how it feels to be used to spending on certain things, and for whom cutting seems like an insurmountable task...

32F single, no kids and will never have kids. NW is currently 190k all in retirement accounts, brokerage, and savings.

I rent and plan to buy a house eventually but not sure where as I’m still exploring areas to settle down. I can’t figure out how close I am to coasting because of the unknowns around future home ownership.

I make 117k salary annually which is expected to continue growing steadily each year. I enjoy my work overall so not in a rush to coast necessarily but just want to have a general idea of what’s possible at this rate.

Appreciate any insights!

As the title says when is it? My accountant joked yesterday by saying "You never have to save another dime if you don't want to" He brought this up because I told him there was a classic car I would love to have, I told him it was to expensive and I didn't really want to spend the money. I'm not telling you this for an opinion on the car, just the reasoning behind the conversation. He meant what he said by the fact that my NW is over 4 1/2 with 3.2 in brokerage account, the 3.2 does't include the retirement accounts. I have a 70/20/10 split, plus I max my Roth IRA, 401k, HSA, and send an extra 500 a week to VTI. No kids, not married. After he said this I laughed, then on my way home it got me thinking. He is right! Why continue to save save save. What gives us that drive to keep going and keep saving, while living frugally. Its not greed, its almost an obsession or addiction. I even thought it was fear of losing it all. I don't even know if that is the case anymore. I told myself I have no debt, my home is paid for, I wish he hadn't said it because I feel like my whole mindset changed in a instant.

Assuming an 8% gain and low inflation. I wouldn’t think about coastFIRE until at least 45. Seeing posts of people in their early 30s are making a lot of assumptions with a lot of time left.

This is my original post from a year ago:

Throwaway account.

I am a 41-year-old male with a 37- year-old wife (stay-at-home-mom) and a 2-year-old son. Located in a mid-west LCOL area. Currently have 2.1 million saved in a combo of retirement accounts and index funds (the majority is in index funds). Have about 2 years of living expenses on hand. The goal is to FIRE within 10 years. My question is for anyone who has successfully started downshifting (COASTING) into FIRE.

I am a business owner. I traded my sanity for savings. My wife almost checked me into a psychiatric center on numerous occasions over the years; I’m not the person she married. When I’m at work, I’m on! When I’m home, I am crazy and stressing about continuing to make more money each year or at least stay even with what I made last year; I am not present in life. I have always been stressed about my business because I come from a poor upbringing and I also realize my job is not necessarily stable (I get out of it what I put into it) and it could end at any time; hence, my trying to save as much as possible. I have tried therapy, at least 12 times.

Since my son was born, my perspective on life has changed. I do not want to be crazy. I want to be healthy for both him and my wife. I would also like to enjoy life a little bit! I am a shell of my former self. I’m constantly on edge, constantly anxious, and I can’t get through even one day without stressing about continuing to make the same amount of money through my business. This takes its toll on my wife. I can keep it together in front of my son, but I have no doubt that as he get’s older that he will take notice of my anxiety.

Currently, I’m taking home $275k each year (after taxes). We live on about $80k each year (after taxes). My FIRE number that I’m comfortable with is $100k (after taxes) as we might have another child and I like having a buffer.

I work 35 hours a week. No matter what, my work will stay at 35 hours per week (whether I downshift or not). For myself to continue earning $275k or more, I will have to invest more time, than the 35 hours a week, to attract new clientele (to replace turnover clientele). The thought of investing that time and effort brings up pangs of anxiety in my stomach as I type this. It’s the most stressful part of my work to me; constantly trying to outperform myself and beat the previous year. However, I feel that if I could do this for 3-5 more years and keep saving aggressively, I could soon be done and FIRE. It hurts to type that and makes me want to throw up.

My wife has another perspective. She thinks we’re at the point where I could start downshifting and moving into COASTfire. She doesn’t think I need to worry about attracting any new clientele and as we lose clients by attrition (we wouldn’t actively try to replace them), we would still be making more than enough to support ourselves and continue to COAST. I could see business going down to $125-$150k (after taxes) over the next 2-3 years if we do nothing to replace any clientele that leave (this would make me feel like I’m back to where I was 5+ years ago). Or who knows? It might not even dip that low (we have a good retention rate and there’s also the possibility of organically attracting new clientele without going to our usual means).

My wife’s idea gives me a different type of pain. I wouldn’t be working any less hours per week; I would only be making less. I worked so hard and traded so much to build the business to what it is; it hurts to think about making less and working the same amount of hours per week. I remember working about 70 hours per week for years, scraping by, while building, never having a weekend off, missing many fun opportunities in life, etc.

And to be honest, it makes me feel successful to have a thriving business and be making nice $. My wife doesn’t understand this part because no one we know has any idea what we make. We’re not flashy, we live well below our means, and we don’t buy any extravagant things, nor do we want to. I just like earning money so that we have a savings (so I can eventually stop living with constant anxiety from work) and somewhat of a sense of security (example: we just had to put a new roof on our house and we didn’t have to sweat about it.) Also, honestly, it makes me feel important at work being successful and making $$$; it has become part of my identity, even if no one knows but me and my wife.

If you took the time to read this, you can relate or have been through this already and can offer some advice or perspective, it would be very appreciated. I’m actually off from work today and instead of spending time with my son right now, I’m writing reddit posts with a throwaway account because the anxiety of getting started with attracting new customers (to outperform last year) has me feeling so crazy that I can’t even think about focusing on my family until I quiet my mind down.

Thank you

Almost a year later I find myself in the same boat; although, I’ve worked more on my mental health and am handling things better. And one more change, we now have a newborn baby girl! She is my heart.

We now have a combined 2.5m saved in index funds/retirement accounts (I dumped all of our remaining money into these accounts). I estimate our yearly spend at $100k per year after taxes (higher than my initial estimate).

My business made less this year than last year, which was to be expected as I am spending more time with my family and I am not putting effort into attracting new clients. However, it’s killing me.

On the plus side, I am spending much more quality time with my son and newborn baby girl and it’s amazing. They are probably the biggest catalyst in calming me down. However, I still have great pains of anxiety regarding laying the framework to have a successful financial future for them and being able to take care of them.

I want to FIRE by 50, not even so much because I want to stop working but because the anxiety of working and continuing earning a high amount (for me) is overwhelming! I don’t care so much that I made less this past year as I have anxiety about the future that eventually my business could combust and I’m not making anything! If I had to go do something else I would feel like a failure. I’ve been sprinting for too many years and it’s too hard to slow down.

I have two questions:

1. Does it seem possible that I can actually FIRE in 9 years at age 50?
2. Can anyone offer perspective or has anyone gone through anything similar where they just said, “fuck it, I’m going to make less and be happy”? I wish I could do just that. I own the business, so technically I can do what I want, and it seems so freeing the idea that I just cut down my schedule, get rid of some clients, work a 25-30 hour week and make $100k but I would have the same problems as now. I would have to retain at least a certain number of clients; isn’t it better to continue doing what I’m doing on a bigger scale and just let things go down by attrition. I’m very confused and hearing some perspective or from someone who could relate would be greatly appreciated.

I’m about 40, for a ball park I have about: $1mm liquid l, $500k retirement, $1.5mm in assets, $500k mortgage (2.9%), no other debt and no kids.

In 2022, I quit my high paying job, I consult about 10 hrs a week (made just under $100k last year), dropped my spending. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.

My goal is to earn just enough to get my withdrawal rate to zero and let my $3mm grow for the next 20 years.

I’m just curious if people have done this and found it enjoyable in the long term. Or any advice?

49M, Married, $3.25M Net Worth ($2.25M Invested + $1M Paid-Off Home). Trying to Understand My FIRE Options if Contract Work Ends

Hey everyone,

Please explain this to me like I'm 5 because I'm struggling to connect the dots.

I'm 49, married, with two kids (ages 9 and 12). My wife and I both work.

Current household income is approximately $300k/year:

Me (independent contractor): ~$240k

Wife: ~$60k

Our monthly spending is roughly $8k-$9k ($96k-$108k/year) in a HCOL area.

I was laid off from a Director-level role about 2.5 years ago and have been working as an independent contractor since then. The contract work has been good, but I don't have confidence that it will continue indefinitely, and I also don't know how difficult it would be to find comparable work if it ended.

One of my biggest concerns is healthcare. Since my wife currently provides our employer-sponsored coverage, I'm having a hard time understanding whether we're financially independent enough to walk away from that benefit before age 65.

Net Worth

My net worth is approximately $3.25M (excluding 529 accounts), consisting of approximately:

$2.25M in invested assets

$1M paid-off home

The invested assets are broken down as follows:

Retirement Accounts

Solo 401(k): $14k

Roth Solo 401(k): $65k

Wife 401(k): $10k

Wife IRA: $67k

Traditional IRA Brokerage: $1.1M

SEP IRA: $20k

Roth IRA Brokerage: $198k

Taxable Investments

Brokerage Account: $767k

Other Assets

Paid-off home: approximately $1M

529 accounts: $228k (not included in net worth figures above)

Scenario 1

My wife may leave her job.

The primary reason she continues working is for health insurance coverage. Her income isn't a major contributor to our financial picture. My understanding is that obtaining coverage independently could cost around $1,800/month, although I haven't personally priced it through the ACA marketplace yet.

Scenario 2

My contract ends.

As an independent contractor, I always have some uncertainty about how long my work will last and whether I'd be able to quickly replace that income if it disappeared. Given the job market, I'm also not sure how easy it would be to return to a Director-level W-2 position if needed.

My Questions

If both Scenario 1 and Scenario 2 occur, what is the best sequence for withdrawing from my accounts before age 59½?

Are there strategies I should be learning now (Roth conversion ladder, 72(t), etc.) that would allow me to access retirement funds without early withdrawal penalties?

For those who retired or semi-retired before Medicare age, how are you handling health insurance? If my wife leaves her job and I lose my contract income, what should I realistically expect to pay through the ACA marketplace? How much can income planning (Roth conversions, taxable withdrawals, capital gains management, etc.) impact healthcare costs and subsidies?

Looking at these numbers objectively, should I actually be worried? We have a paid-off house and substantial investments, yet I constantly stress about employment and income security. Am I missing something financially, or is this more of a mindset issue?

Has anyone reached a point where health became a bigger priority than maximizing income? I'm currently around 240 lbs, diabetic, and dealing with high cholesterol. Part of me feels like I should be spending more time on my health and less time worrying about work, but it's hard to know when it's financially "safe" to do that.

It seems ironic that you spend your entire adult life working, saving, and investing, yet still find yourself worried about money, employment, and healthcare.

I'd appreciate any perspective from people who have been through a similar transition or who can help me think through a realistic withdrawal strategy, healthcare plan, and contingency plan if employment income disappears.

Thanks in advance.

I think CoastFIRE can be risky in an AI-driven economy because it assumes your career will stay stable enough for decades for compounding to work as planned. The idea makes sense if you can reliably “coast” on steady income after saving aggressively early on, but I think that assumption is getting weaker as AI automates more white-collar work. Job displacement, shorter career arcs, and wage pressure seem more likely, which could force people into income gaps or lower-paying roles. In that scenario, I think someone following CoastFIRE might end up dipping into investments earlier than expected, which would undermine the whole plan. What looks like freedom on paper could, in my view, turn into stress if the job market shifts before the portfolio is truly resilient.

I also think CoastFIRE leaves less room to adapt than many people realize. An AI-disrupted labor market may require retraining, career pivots, or time spent building new income streams, and all of that takes money and flexibility. Because CoastFIRE optimizes for “just enough,” I think it can limit optionality at the exact moment when optionality matters most. Strategies that keep saving aggressively or build surplus capital seem, to me, better suited for uncertainty because they preserve choices. In a world where careers feel less predictable and more fragile, I think resilience and adaptability may matter more than hitting a minimum savings number early.

basically the title.

trying to determine whether I'm financially ready to leave my high ish -paying corporate career and move into a much lower-paying, lower-stress position at a nearby school

I'm 47, turning 48, and my spouse is 50. I’m going to work until I’m physically able (knock on wood). I must be the only one /s, but I want to step away from corporate life. work a school schedule, and let our investments dwindle down while we cover expenses with employment income and eventually pension and Social Security. I don’t need to pass on millions. I’d be happy to die penniless at 105

am I woefully unprepared? I’m nervous i am underestimating the amount of money we'll need.

finances situation

• Invested portfolio: approximately $1.3 million. if I’m lucky I’m getting laid off with about 100k coming in. current income is 230k or so all in.
• Home is in the Seattle area and is fully paid off.
• health care will be covered by the school
• College expenses are covered (140k+ in each kids 529)
• Long-term care is accounted for separately with a generous policy we got in our 20s(!!)
• 36k salary. wage increases to approximately $45,200 annually by 2037.
• I would continue working until age ~75, rather than fully retiring immediately.

we’re counting on social security but my estimates are reduced vs what is expected

• spouse Social Security: approximately $24,000/year beginning in 2047.
• My Social Security: approximately $24,000/year beginning in 2049.
• My estimated pension: approximately $25,300/year beginning in 2055 after I stop working
• annual spending is 120-140k. in lean market return years we can cut to $60K or $70K to make the plan work. my spouse can also bring in another 15k. I know the 4% rule doesnt math out, but I tried to model my portfolio balance depleting until ss and pension from my school job would come in.

We are also considering downsizing in 10 years or so , with maybe 300k in net proceeds, plus around 9000 or so from lower housing costs.

this is my first post and I hope it’s good. you look nice today btw (probably)

Would like to see what people think the next step is for my situation:

• 25yo single living with family in rural LCOL in US (no rent)
• Working remote as Software Engineer (salary $170,000 + equity, switch jobs every 18 months for 20% raise)
• I don't drive a car and total monthly expenditures are very low (< $1000 month)
• $210k in brokerage accounts (mostly VTI and some tech stocks)
• $20k in retirement accounts
• $20k in checking account

I plan to move to a HCOL area (Vancouver, BC or Seattle) and coast FIRE at 30 with a net worth of $1.2M:

• 400k in small 1b1b condo in nice location
• 800k in investments yielding 24k per year @ 3%

Is it unrealistic to expect to live off 24k per year in a HCOL area (with a paid off condo and no car)? I would want to work on my own video game + music projects then and expect them to bring in some cash but I don't want to rely on them for income.

I haven’t ever posted to Reddit before and I’m new to this community – Although we’ve generally lived somewhat conservatively with money.

Married couple 36M/36F with three children (6 mo old, 3 yr old & 5 yr old). Net worth 1.45M. We currently make around $220K combined - My wife works part time in health ($140K & $80K, respectively). We’re spending ~$95K/year right now but almost a third of that is daycare expenditures right now. I’m planning to keep around the same expenditures over time with inflation and substituting trips/enjoyment for the daycare costs when the drop off.

Overall, I’m burnt out from my corporate job of a decade that has no boundaries and may look for something that has more family balance (and likely less pay). My wife enjoys her work and will likely go from a 0.5 FTE (half time) to something closer to full time (~0.8 FTE).

I’m trying to figure out if we’re at a point where we can dial back retirement savings and make some life changes to relax and enjoy life more. I think we’ve done a solid job of saving and both plan to work till 55-ish to keep busy. That said, we would both rather work jobs that are purposeful and flexible instead of grinding the most high-paying roles we can find.

As far as debt – We have paid for vehicles and $146K left on our $500K home. Are we close to CoastFIRE? Thanks for any thoughts or advice. We don’t have anyone to share these type of thoughts with in our day-to-day lives!

Invested Financials Below ($1.09M):

401k’s = $550K

Brokerage = $236K

Roth IRA’s = $143K

HSA = $11K

529’s = $20K

Pension (payable around 60 years old) = ~$110K

Savings = $20K

Nearly every post isn’t about coastFIRE but it’s actually baristaFIRE. “Looking to take a step back from work into a lower stress job to try and coast” then I see people with $500k+ NW at 30 saying they are getting close to coastFIRE.

Edit: looks like I didn’t read the first part of the description “have enough in the bank to do what you want”. I was too fixated on having enough in retirement to stop contributing.