FIRE Summaries

• Saving $650k in retirement/investment accounts is great progress. Consider ways to increase income and reduce expenses to get on track for FIRE.

• Determine if a career change to a lower-paying field would be viable given your current net worth and expenses. Explore options that could provide more work-life balance.

• This person is well-versed in finance and investment, has a very high net worth ($24.5M), and has done their own Monte Carlo simulations. They are actively monitoring their withdrawal rate and the tool they are using.

• Continue monitoring their withdrawal rate and investment portfolio to ensure long-term sustainability of their FIRE plan.

• You're operating at 35x annual expenses ($3.85M ÷ $110k)—well above the traditional 25x rule. Your portfolio is well-diversified (95% stocks in VTI/VXUS) and you have $166.91k in cash reserves plus a $1,050/month rental income stream providing a 1.1% yield cushion on top of 4% withdrawals.

• Lock down your healthcare exit strategy NOW before resigning. Run the ACA subsidy calculator with your projected retirement income (~$154k from 4% rule) to understand actual costs. This is your biggest unknown variable and could swing your expenses by $300-800/month depending on subsidies and plan selection.

• Lived below means for 5 years, avoided taking on family responsibilities back home, avoided getting married

• Identify a clear career path and work towards increasing income

• You're doing three things right: (1) maintaining excellent credit and paying bills on time consistently, (2) earning a stable $30/hour income with bonuses ($62k+ annually), and (3) having $20k in liquid capital available rather than leaving it to depreciate. Your willingness to seek professional guidance shows financial maturity.

• Address your self-described shopping addiction immediately before working with an advisor. Track discretionary spending for 30 days to identify exactly where money leaks, then set a strict monthly budget limit. This behavioral change will have more impact than any investment strategy.

• Already has $2.3M invested in early-to-mid 40s with no debt and house nearly paid off. Strategic phased approach: 2 months fully off, then ~20hr/week part-time consultant work allows continued retirement contributions without the pressure of full-time income. Clear, defined target of $5-6M for full retirement shows disciplined planning.

• Document and clarify their expected annual expenses in retirement to ensure the $5-6M target is truly sufficient and to validate their 4% withdrawal rate assumptions for full FIRE.

• Exceptional asset accumulation with $1.86M net worth (23x annual expenses), diversified across $735k taxable, $775k 401(k), and $200k Roth IRA. Strong cash reserves ($96k HYSA + $21k checking) provide 16+ months of expenses, and low-cost mortgage (2.5% rate, $128k remaining) is actually a favorable debt to maintain.

• Model a sustainable withdrawal strategy combining spousal $20k income + $80k expenses with tax-efficient draws from taxable account and 401(k) ladder conversions to minimize tax burden before age 59.5 penalty-free access.

• Hitting £80k net worth at 32 is a tremendous accomplishment. Continuing to save and invest aggressively will help this person reach their £1M/$1.4M goal by 50.

• Determine a clear target annual savings rate and investment strategy to stay on track for FIRE.

• Excellent start: $9,100 in contributions within 6 months on a $66.5k salary (13.7% savings rate), with $2,100/month invested toward a clear $850k target by age 50. Debt-free position + living at home created 26 bi-weekly paychecks/year advantage over his 24-month plan, building-in automatic cushion.

• Establish explicit annual expense tracking to calculate true FIRE number. While living at home masks true cost of living, you need to model realistic post-FIRE expenses (target $100k/yr) to validate your 4% rule assumptions. This directly impacts whether your $850k-$2M targets are sufficient.

• They have a solid net worth of $1.2M, a 3% safe withdrawal rate, and no debt. This puts them in a great position to achieve FIRE.

• Establish a separate cash bucket with 1-2 years of expenses in a high-yield savings account before quitting their job.

• Saving 60% of income, driving a paid-off Toyota Corolla

• Determine a specific net worth target and continue building toward it

• Investing $3-4k per month across Roth, 401k, and brokerage account with a 60% AVGV, 20% AVUV, 20% SCHD portfolio allocation

• Continue advancing career to increase income and savings rate

• Excellent foundation with $1.1M net worth and military pension covering healthcare for life. Withdrawing only $2k/month (2.2% of brokerage annually) is conservative and sustainable. Strategic asset positioning with paid real estate, reliable vehicles, and pending second pension in 10 years ($2,200/month).

• Complete your home renovation projects NOW while still employed, then set a firm retirement date. Stop deliberating and commit—you have the financial runway and you've already admitted work satisfaction is low. Use the salary advantage while employed to finalize lifestyle setup.

• Exceptional position: $4.1M net worth vs $125k annual expenses (32.8x coverage, well above 25x rule). Strong diversification across taxable ($2.5M), 401k/IRA ($1.2M), and real estate ($250k). Already maximizing tax-advantaged accounts with $250k in 529 plans for children's education.

• Run a detailed scenario analysis: calculate worst-case private college costs (assume $80k-100k/year), stress-test your withdrawal plan with sequence-of-returns risk, and determine if paying off the 2.5% mortgage is truly optimal or if keeping the debt and investing the payoff amount yields better after-tax returns.

• With a $550k net worth at 31, this person is clearly making excellent progress towards FIRE. The high income of $161k also provides a strong foundation.

• The main thing to work on is determining their actual annual expenses, which will inform their safe withdrawal rate and whether they have truly achieved FIRE. Documenting their expenses in detail will be key.

• Exceptional 13% savings rate ($3,778/month on $110k income) with disciplined expense control at $29k annually. Strong asset diversification across tax-advantaged accounts ($118.5k Roth 401k, $83.5k Roth IRA, $21.7k HSA) positioning you to exceed your $3.5M target by 55 without the sabbatical.

• Model the specific financial impact: calculate exact career/income recovery timeline needed post-sabbatical (vs. 6% return assumption), determine if your partner's med school financial aid reduces household burden, and set a hard decision deadline for January based on actual offer letters after returning.

• Exceptional execution on forced appreciation strategy—$400k from two properties below market value in one year alone. Strong 56% savings rate ($310k annually on $550k average net income) plus disciplined investments in VTSAX and VOO. Leveraging time-delegation strategy ($240k spend includes cleaners, landscaping, meal prep) to maintain focus on wealth-building while protecting family priorities.

• Clarify your exact FatFIRE number and required annual spending in retirement. If it's truly $15M for early-fifties living, run the math: at current $310k savings/year, you're tracking toward $6.35M in 15 years. Either you need to accelerate savings by 40% or extend timeline to 23 years. Lock in a specific retirement spend target ($400-600k/year?) to avoid lifestyle-creep ambiguity.

• No specific suggestions provided

• Open an HSA to cover higher medical expenses

• Bought a house at 30 that has already appreciated ~$40k, investing since 18 and slowly building net worth

• Determine and track annual expenses to better assess FIRE progress

• You've built an exceptional financial foundation: $5.1M in investments (70/30 stock/bond allocation), generating ~$204k annually at 4% withdrawal rate, which already exceeds your $135k spending without any employment income. Your combined household income of $760k allows you to save $625k+ annually while maintaining a stable family life in a lower cost-of-living area with a 2.5% mortgage.

• Calculate your true decision against a simple metric: Does the $625k salary minus the $12k annual commute cost ($613k net), combined with your wife's $135k, justify staying in a job you 'mostly like' instead of retiring immediately? Run a 20-year projection showing portfolio growth with zero new contributions using your current $135k spend plus estimated college costs ($30-50k/year for 8 years)—you'll likely find retirement is financially bulletproof.