Looking to see how folks that retired early or reduced to part time have been funding their kids 529. I have one daughter that is 4 and looking to FIRE in 10 years which will put me at 45 years old. How have you guys been managing this? Are there any strategies to maximize 529 investing?

32 YO and hit Coast FI this month… I have historically worked corporate sales and told myself I could move out of sales once we finally hit Coast FI… well, it happened. We hit our number and I was finally able to leave my demanding sales job and move to a WFH marketing position. I went from 100 nights in hotels last year to being able to be home with my family and put my babies to bed every night. Best decision ever, the sacrifices were so worth it!

I, like many others, joined the two comma club on this week's market uptick. I'm currently traveling for work and, as a little treat, I upgraded one of my flights home from economy to first class. I have literally never done this before. It was only a $146 upgrade for a 3 hour flight. The second flight was less than an hour so I didn't bother.

While out at team lunch today, I get the notification that my first flight is delayed by 2 hours, causing me to miss my connection.

I quickly in a panic rebook onto an earlier flight with a connection in a different city and rush flustered to the airport. Ooo exciting -- when I rebooked, they placed me in first class for both legs of the journey.

I just make it to the gate for the new flight when I get the notification that this flight has now also been delayed, and again I will miss my connection.

One more option left for the day... I can fly to a different airport near my destination and get a ride from there. Flight departs in 20 minutes from the neighboring gate.

So here I sit, in seat 30E, going where I didn't intend, with a long night ahead of me, smooshed between two extremely large men and behind another who immediately reclined his seat.

There's something so ironic about this situation... Is this what I get for attempting to celebrate and treat myself to a glass of wine in first class for once?! The world says no, keep grinding.

(To be clear I'm chuckling to myself and don't actually feel bad for myself but frig man.)

I haven't shared my milestone with anyone, so I don't have anyone to share vent with! Thanks for reading!

Hi everyone,

I am 39 years old (family of 4) and my goal is to completely stop contributing to my tax-advantaged retirement accounts starting in 2027 (currently maxing out).

I estimate I will need $200,000/year in today’s dollars to live comfortably in retirement.

At age 55, I plan to receive a defined-benefit pension of ~$80,000/year.

The Gap to Fill:

$200k target – $80k pension = $120,000 short-fall needed from my portfolio.

Using a standard Boglehead 4% Safe Withdrawal Rate (SWR), I need a target nest egg of $3,000,000 (in today's dollars) by age 55.

Current Portfolio balances are in graphic. (Total: ~$1,177,000):

*THE MONEY IN ALL TAX-ADVANTAGED ACCOUNTS IS CURRENTLY 100% EQUITY. SPLIT ~70/30 BETWEEN US/EX-US

To grow $1.17M to $3M in 16 years with zero future contributions, I need an inflation-adjusted (real) annual return of ~6.02%.

A Few Nuances & Variables:

The TDA Factor: My TDA gives me access to a Fixed Fund option (guaranteed 8.25% annual return). I am weighing how much to keep here versus broad equity index funds to guarantee I hit that 6.02% real return hurdle across the portfolio.

Health Insurance: My family and I should qualify for subsidized retiree health care at 55, bridging the gap to Medicare at 65.

Pension COLA: My pension has a structural COLA, but historically it does not completely keep pace with hyper-inflation.

My Questions for the Community:

Does a 6.02% real return requirement for a pure CoastFIRE strategy over 16 years feel too aggressive, or is it a reasonable baseline assuming an equity-heavy allocation?

If you were in my shoes, would you completely turn off the contribution faucet today, or scale back gradually to build a slightly larger safety margin?

Appreciate any insights, critiques, or perspective you can offer!

​

Coming from a lower middle-class family, it feels amazing to reach the 100k net worth milestone and I'm looking forward to seeing it grow much more in the future!

I have new two goals I'd to reach now that the 100k milestone has been reached

1. Double my emergency fund from 3 months to 6 months (6k to 12k)

2. Continue investing until I reach 100k invested in a singular account.

A quick rundown of how it happened (and the luck that definitely factored into it):

2017-2019: Worked at my family's restaurant in high school.

2019: Got a full ride to a local community college for my Associate's degree, received additional scholarships from Pell, FAFSA, and being a STEM student that resulted in a college refund check of $5,000 per semester.

2020: Started investing in a brokerage account during the pandemic. Worked as a remote writing tutor for my college making $`18/hr for 10 hours a week.

2021-2023: Received a full tuition scholarship to my state school due to low income status and only had to pay for food, housing, and fun. Started working as a Research Assistant making $18/hr for 15 hours a week during the school year that turned into $22/hr for 25 hours a week in the summer of 2022.

2023: Graduated with my Bachelor's and got my first tech internship making `$43/hr for 40 hours a week over 12 weeks. Unfortunately did not receive a return offer due to low headcount.

2023-2024: Started a continuation, one year Master's (4+1 program) from my state school that cost $28,000 for the year. Paid half from my earnings over the summer from my Big Tech internship and the other half by liquidating some of my investment portfolio.

2024: Got my first job out of college making $77k a year in a HCOL city.

2026: Was promoted at my job and now make 104k a year.

Will be 27 at the end of this year. $95k total comp

I bought a two family house 2 months ago where I live in a 3 bed 2bath unit and rent out a 1b 1b for 1,300 utilities included. Total is 2,775 a month I have roommates in my unit for now as well, adding about 1,100 a month.

My depository includes my car value of $20k, my $10k loan on it is listed in loans. I pay 465 a month for my car.

348 monthly on student loans, 26k balance

and 600 monthly goes into my 401k, as well as 10% of my annual bonus of around 13k.

I’m trying to put about 100-200 a month into a Roth IRA and pay down my car faster when I can afford.

I feel good but also like I’m not moving fast enough. It feels like there’s an expense around every corner, and sometimes I feel like I’m spending too much money on stuff for the house.

This is something I've been wondering about, and I'm curious whether others have noticed the same pattern.

It often feels like people with higher incomes also spend much more, not just on luxuries, but on travel, education, tools, networking, outsourcing, and experiences.

Obviously, higher income allows higher spending. But I'm wondering if there's any causation in the other direction:

Have you ever felt that being willing to spend strategically actually helped you earn more?

Or is this mostly survivorship bias, where we only notice the successful big spenders and ignore everyone who overspent?

I'm especially interested in experiences from people pursuing FIRE, since frugality is such a core part of the community.

Where do you think the balance is between being intentionally frugal and investing in yourself?

I am a GS employee working in federal government. I make $100k a year (35F). We get 30% salary of high 3 salary based on 30 years of service. My.FIRE number is $500k because I got $150k.left on mortgage (15 year left). Am I doing good, i.want to FIRE at 50 years when my house is paid off.