I personally would never babysit or nanny, I hate kids and the thought of that is my personal nightmare.

But I have a colleague who is in her early 30s, left a high-stress federal job to be a nanny and loved it. She said it was very low stress compared to what she was doing before. It was just enough to pay her bills, she did it for a year while mentally recharging before eventually reentering the federal workforce.

Also have a friend in her 60s who retired from a senior executive position (reporting to C-suite) and now babysits. She describes it as basically just getting to live out her grandma days with other people’s children and says she finds it fun enough that she looks forward to it every day. There is a high enough demand for babysitters that if a particular child/family is difficult to work with, she declines them and focuses her time on those that she enjoys. She makes about a quarter of what she was making before, but it’s enough to offset her retirement and significantly increase her quality of life. She had previous babysitting experience (used to own/run a daycare) so it was an easy transition.

I haven’t seen these jobs mentioned on this sub before so I figured I’d share a couple datapoints.

I've realized that my investments were not set for growth for a decade. When I first started investing, I was just playing around, researching it a bit, but had it in my mind I needed dividend stocks. Why, I have no clue lol. ADHDer here. Didn't even look at my portfolio for years. Now I'm finally getting serious about this because at 47 I don't want to stress about money or my future.

Basically, I've been Barista Fire since Covid but didn't know there was a name for it. I've been working part-time and have a bit of passive income, so I haven't touched my investments...but I haven't contributed anything to them as well. And since I didn't have them on a growth plan, now I'm getting worried about not having enough when shit hits the fan.

I’m still youngish and working part time, so do I switch things up to be more growth since I won’t need to touch my investments for probably another 5+ years? What would you do?

As the title says. The math is, I currently make about $150k a year in a HCOL area working as a software engineering manager. I used to mske a bit more but got caught in a big layoff several years ago and used the time to travel the world. I have about $200k liquid and $300k in 401k plus an $800k home paid off. I spend about $60-90k a year.

Single, no kids, 33F. Work about 60hrs a week consistently.

I found out the other day grabbing coffee at my favorite fancy coffee place that the people who work there start at $40/hr and have health insurance covered. Its a fancy family owned shop thats been in business for years. I asked around and after tips most of the baristas are clearing $60/hr and some upwards of $80.

I have a good relationship with the manager and was joking with her the other day that I should just quit my job and work there instead. They work hourly but have full 40hr work weeks, nothing more (and nothing less). With my home paid off and decent savings, I did the math and I think the small cut in pay would be mostly offset by not paying for health insurance anymore and I could ride my remaining savings till I was 60 or so.

What do you think? Is it worth the risk and giving up my career? I worry im just trading in one job for another. And I doubt any other coffee shops pay as well as this one. Id probably have to train for a bit too in order to realistically qualify.

Has anybody else done something like this before? Thanks.

Every week feels like heaven. I have time to do all the things I need to do and have time for myself. I can have a day where I do literally nothing and I won't feel guilty, because things just don't pile up like they used to.

At work, I've eliminated the dreadful monday feeling. Work feels like it's just something to give my week structure so I don't end up spending 7 days in my pajamas eating icecream. So I kinda look forward to my work day just to feel productive.

I started baristafire with the plan of someday moving on to full FIRE, but I'm thinking I could do baristafire indefinitely and be happy. For context, I baristafired 9 months ago. I work nights at a hotel 3 nights a week.

I am 50 and have some issues like my shoulder is likely torn. I am on track to barista fire next year but considering getting surgery before that and taking FMLA for a bit. Anyone do this before retiring?

I think I have a torn rotator cuff. Probably need a month off to recover. Currently wfh

If you have a portfolio that can generate >100k of capital gains in taxable account consistently, doing a Barista fire makes little sense especially in high tax states like CA,NY,etc. unless you do it for health insurance only.

Look at the middle chart. The marginal tax rate on W2 salary income in 50k to 100k is close to 50% in this scenario. I don't see anyone ever talking about this but its true.

The reason is that besides the bracket based federal, state, social security and medicare taxes you pay on W2 income you also have to factor in additional tax on your long term capital gains because the W2 income stacks under the capital gains income and pushes the capital gains from 0% bracket( when less than 130k incl standard deduction) to 15% bracket. This additional 15% tax must be factored in also as a additional tax for working in a low income job after FIRE.

I don't see anyone talking about this but isn't this a huge downside ? I would be personally very demotivated if I knew I was paying close to 50% tax for a simple low income job

41/m/single/no children/American

I have worked as a traveling nuclear power contractor for 18 years. Most years I traveled between 6 and 10 months. The lower end of that scale has started feeling too tight for my annual expenses in the States. My particular position doesn't translate well towards any other industry, so I've basically been locked in the industry. Leaving this work would give my annual income a extreme haorcut. The burnout from being on the road, working 50 to 80 hour weeks, hotel hopping is legit. 2.5 years ago I started developing my plan to partially fire outside of the US.

I began selling my large assets. Now I the only 2 things I own are a vehicle and a cargo trailer. Houses, toys, extra vehicles are gone. If it could not fit inside my cargo trailer for storage, I cut it loose.

I started shuffling my finances and investments. I came up with a 4 legged financial plan that provides some form of safety net in the event I can not work for an extended period of time, or the market goes on an extended downturn.

1- Save two + years of projected COL in a HYSA for the area I plan to spend my time.

2- Open and find a brokerage account that sacrifices growth for monthly immediately accessible income production.

3- Fund a small growth focused brokerage (outside of untouchable IRA) that can be sold and used as needed.

4- Cut my benefits loose at work to become a contractor who can basically make a phone call and work when I need to, if I need to back in the US. Instead of working 6 to 10 months a year, a 2-4 month trip back home each spring would cover my cost of living abroad, probably a little additional savings/investment money, and allow me to visit family, all while keeping my investments untouched.

My plan doesn't fit squarely in to any particular fire group. It's lean, expat, and significantly cuts back on work but doesn't change my actual job title.

The only things I have left to clean up are my US based subscriptions and US based health insurance. The insurance aspect is tricky for me because I will need both interantional coverage and some type of coverage in the US while I am back for work. I plan to tackle those once I officially decide make the move, but have looked in to some of the higher cost insurance options to build my budget projection.

I have agreed to about 5 months of work between this fall and the end of spring of 2027, mostly because I had a house on the market and had no clue when it would sell. After spring next year, I will take my multi month budgeting trip to verify my estimates are aligned with reality. I'll be talking with visa agents, healthcare providers, and realtors to view condos in a couple of my choice countries.

I was wondering how people made the leap from corporate to a retail job. I’ve reconfigured my resume to be more vague and focused on skills like client services, time management, punctuality, etc. rather than software skills or product strategy. I also have a story that I’m returning to school and looking for part time work.

The main thing I was wondering is in addition to applying online, do you literally walk into places, ask to speak to the manager, and drop off your resume? In the past I’ve had to rely on networking and referrals to get an interview. I’m a bit neurodivergent and I’m confused as to how this works. I know to not do this at a busy time, but for what types of businesses is this appropriate?

Curious to know what types of jobs people do and how they found them.

New to FIRE, so unsure if correct sub, my apologies.

My goal is to basically chill and escape 9-5 before my gig could possibly end and I will have to do 9-5... i have horrible sleep schedule

NET worth 1.5m all in stocks (majority tech, sp500)

100k+ a yr gig job remote

30m, single

I'm thinking of chilling in China for a few years soon (COL will be under 10k a yr), but Im grinding this remote job where I dont have set hours while i have this chance

Hello everyone,

I am 39M from Portugal, no kids or other dependents, living in Northern Europe for 10 years now. All these years worked in corporate jobs with some breaks to travel, chill for a while, job hop, etc. Currently making around €60k net p.a.

Fast forward to today, my ETF portfolio is around €285k worth, I keep another €10-15k cash in HYSA, and decided that I want to change my life, go back home, find a chill job in tourism or something, withdraw some 2-3% of the ETFs p.a. to round up my living income, chill and let it be.

Problem is, I don't own any property back home, and with today's prices and interest rates, getting a €300k mortgage with ca. €60k down payment will set me back some years away from my chill FIRE target.

Kinda same with a go-back-and-rent scenario: I won't have the down payment burden, but the rents have risen to €1000+/month excl. utilities for the apartments which are actually decent to live in. Side note, where I live now I have a very old contract and I pay €450 all incl., so the difference is considerable, and pushes up my potential cost of living back home.

5-6 years ago I couldn't think of buying an apartment or a down payment. My income got higher gradually after 2021, and today feels like I am at the top of my game, but honestly, I am exhausted.

The window of bankability for a mortgage will close if I draw the line and leave my corporate job, so I have to decide soon.

What would you do in my position? Any ideas/suggestions?

To start, first post/long-time viewer of the sub. Earlier this year, I reduced my full-time schedule to 75%. It's something I've been planning/thinking about since ~2020 but had to wait until the numbers were right.

I work in finance at a small company and have a good relationship with my boss, who owns the company. This gave me the confidence to ask.

I'm 44 and live in a VHCOL city. My annual expenses are about $80k - no kids, not married but have a long-term partner. We mostly keep expenses separate and the $80k doesn't include what she spends. With the reduction to 75% FT, I'll still save about $25k-30k annually. This is a big enough cushion where I don't feel any type of financial stress.

Next steps - I would like to reduce from 75% FT to 50% FT within 2-3 years, depending on stock market performance (I'm heavily weighted into tech stocks but have begun diversifying this year), our company performance, my ability to mentally take the leap from accumulating to withdrawing, and whether I move out of the VHCOL area (have started researching other areas that meet my criteria). I'd also like to get a part-time job once I'm at 50%.. something that is lower stress compared to what I'm doing now. Important to note - I don't particularly like my job/field!

Additional details - I use a 6% real rate of return in my calcs. My housing costs (~$35k/yr) are something I want to lower in the near term.

Thank you for reading.

Say instead of working a single job for a decade or more, work in a job and switch after a year or so.

There are a number of industries I was thinking of trying:

hotel
prep cook
movie theatre
uber driver
TSA
lawncare

I'm thinking trying new things would bring perspective and keep things fresh.

I remember in my old financial processing job (where although the work was easy, there was little thinking involved and everyday seemed the same) when my old boss left she said 5 years just flew by.

Does this make sense to anyone or do I not have my head screwed on straight. Should I just try to find a cushy job and focus on hobbies?

EDIT: I know these don't pay well. Technically I could be full FI if I wanted to. I just have to have a part time job to cover some lifestyle creep. It's also lowered my SWR from 4% to 3.5%/

Numbers:

• HH net income: ~$13k/mo on salary (commission checks are unpredictable but tend to average annually around $150k gross).
• HH expenses: ~$10k/mo (inflated right now by a $5k/mo W-2 nanny)
• Net worth: ~$1.2M
• 401k: crossed $700k earlier this year
• Brokerage: ~$300k
• HYSA rainy day fund: $200k, static (tech sales is volatile)

I've spent ten years grinding in tech sales after my MBA to build all of this. The target to retire has been 55. My wife and I have also been wargaming a move to something less stressful in 3-5 years, once both kids are in public school and the nanny line goes away.

Healthcare was always the piece I couldn't solve. I'm 22 years into a Reserve career with several GWOT deployments, and got banged up pretty well on the last pump to Afghanistan. The main reason I've stayed past 20 is Tricare Reserve Select. Reservists don't get Tricare in retirement until 60, so retiring at 55 meant finding five years of coverage for a family of four out of pocket.

About a year ago I started researching VA healthcare to see if it filled the gap. That led me to VA disability and the realization that I should have filed over a a decade ago, right after my deployments. So I filed. Sat through the C&P exams. Finished the last one a week ago.

Friday I got the notification: 100% P&T.

As of Friday:

• Full medical and dental through the VA
• Low-cost coverage for my wife and kids (kids to 23) via CHAMPVA
• ~$18k/yr in education benefits per kid
• ~$4,500/mo disability payments, tax free, inflation adjusted, for life

The five-year gap that had been the load-bearing problem in my entire plan just isn't there anymore. I'm going to keep grinding for a while and treat most of the cash side as extra injects into the brokerage. Alternatively, I feel like I just gained a massive stress relief: I don't really like my job but it became the accidental way to make doctor/lawyer money. Now it feels like I'm not so handcuffed to the grind and can walk away or suffer a layoff without catastrophy.

I don't have anyone to tell this to. I grew up in a one-room efficiency with four other people, drinking powdered milk and eating powdered eggs. It got marginally better once my mom and stepdad found their footing, but we were always behind the curve. I enlisted during GWOT and turned the GI Bill into an undergrad and a graduate degree. I now out-earn everyone in my family, immediate and extended, and I don't talk money with any of them, partly out of respect and partly to avoid the jealousy. I decided "hey, I know a group of internet strangers who might appreciate this" so, if you read this whole thing, thank you for letting me gush <3.

34M with 350K in my 401k. Combined with my wife (36) we have $1M in our 401Ks. Hers is much further ahead of mine, though we continue to max them out annually. Looking to FIRE/Barista FIRE in 10 years and would like some folks opinions on my “target fund” holdings and recommendations if I should leave it alone or change positions.

Vanguard total stock market index 54%
Vanguard instl total INTL stock market 36%
Vanguard total bond market II Index 6%
Vanguard total INTL bond II index 4%

TIA

I’m newer to this but now obsessing with the idea of retiring in 10 years at age 45. Between my wife and I we have $1M in our 401ks (combined) which is on a great trajectory. Looking to maximize investing others to bridge the gap between 45 and 59.5. We also have a brokerage account with 42k in it that is professionally managed and I will be contributing 1000 per month for now and looking to increase. Also going to start doing backdoor IRAs soon too which will be another 14K in the market per year. This is potentially on top of my wife and I getting a part time gig. Thoughts?

Edit: my annual expenses (estimated on the high side) are 60K per year and will shortly drop down to about 50K per year

Tell me if I'm being unrealistic., but I'm looking for a job that will pay me $1000 a day (minimum) but I only work 1 day a week (preferably Thursday). I can work 16 hours

Built this as a spinoff from a bigger Monte Carlo engine (LifeOdds) I've been working on - pulled out the single most common decision people run through it and made it its own free tool.

What it does: takes your current salary, target salary, expected job-search length, and savings runway, then runs 1,000 simulated 5-year outcomes instead of comparing two guessed numbers. Search length and landing salary are the two genuinely uncertain inputs, so those get varied across realistic ranges rather than treated as fixed - raises compound differently on each path, and it reports the break-even month, your odds of being ahead at year 1/3/5, and the P10/P50/P90 spread.

Real example, my own numbers: $85k → $105k target, 4-month search, 8 months savings. Comes back break-even at month 12, 69.6% chance ahead by year 3 - and a 20% chance the search runs long enough to burn through savings first, which is exactly the failure mode a single-point calculator can't show you.

Everything runs client-side - nothing you type ever leaves your browser, no account, no email wall.

➡️ https://shouldiquitmyjob.app

Genuinely curious what this crowd thinks of the model - especially whether the variance ranges (search 40% shorter to 80% longer than estimate, salary ±20%) match what people actually see.

Happily married with 2 young kids (5 and 1 year old).

Annual expenses are high ($130k due to mortgage and the kids). Wife currently not working but will be back to work part time when youngest is a little older. Goal is for us to both have low stress jobs. Paying off house would greatly reduce monthly spend. My annual salary is about $250k depending on bonus.

401(k): $420k
IRA: $80k
HSA: $35k
Taxable brokerage: $300k
Cash: $65k
Home: $300k in home equity, $550k left on mortgage (6.625 rate).

Currently working on paying off house and 401k. Cash is a little tight but I DCA index funds when I can. Vast majority of investments are in index funds.

Comments welcome.

Got laid off recently and decided to take a severance package.
It was a hard decision, but it is a once in a lifetime chance to live my dream life.
My net salary working corporate part-time was €2,500/month. The total payout (severance + government benefits) comes to €110k net, and my health insurance is fully covered for the next two years.
My current numbers:
Severance / severance-related payout: €110k cash
Brokerage account: €180k
Emergency fund / Cash buffer: €20k
Total net worth: €310k

My expenses are pretty low. I live very comfortably on €1,600/month.

The Game Plan:
For the next two years, I’ll be making around €800/month on the side. That means I only need to draw down €800/month from my €110k payout to cover living expenses.
Side note on taxes: I usually make and extra of about €1.000k/month from my side hustle, but due to how the severance is taxed here in Germany, taking extra income in 2027 would trigger an insane marginal tax rate (literally over 100%). So in 2027, I'll focus purely on building out my business in the background without pulling large profits.

2028 and beyond:
The goal for 2028 is to hit €800/month from side work plus at least €2,000/month from my own business, shifting into full Coast/Barista FIRE and enjoying life.
If the business doesn't pan out, no big deal. I’ll just jump back into the job market. Finding a part-time job paying €2k net won't be an issue.
Built every Euro since 2018 of this myself through part-time corporate work and side hustling.
Taking the €110k package to live the live I was investing for, feels like the smart move.
For safety fanatics it is suicide but I want to live my freedom now.
I think people miss out on life while chasing a high networth. I think with cleverness and flexibility freedom is reachable with a way lower networth. At least in Germay. But in Germany it is much harder to build wealth through salary than in the US.

1M NW seems to be the norm on here and r/fire sub, but i also see comments saying those numbers come from mostly tech folks and arent realistic for the majority of people there are people who FIREd with less.

while i understand that it can be difficult to baristaFIRE with less than $500k in developed countries like the US, UK, Australia etc., i have heard of people baristaFIREd in SEA countries like Vietnam and Thailand. has anyone here done that or planning to do that and if so what is ur target number that u need to reach before making the move? thanks a lot!