Compounding - Saving early then stopping

[emi guy]

Question for you...Have any of you considered (or actually done it) saving early in your career, then letting compounding take over?

I'm considering getting out of engineering to follow a path that pays "a lot less" money (like 60% less). I think that I can make ends meet on a month to month basis but I know I won't be able to save much more fo retirement.

I've been saving for a long time now and I'm thinking that if my current retrirement savings balance continues to compound at a market rate (say 8%) for another ten years, I'll be okay, even without additional contributions.

Have any of you done something similar? Any advice?

thanks,
cataman

 

[wabmester]

Question for you...Have any of you considered (or actually done it) saving early in your career, then letting compounding take over?

Yes. For many of us, that's the definition of early retirement.

Have you run FIREcalc? Look on the advanced/options page, and you'll find a place to tell it when you plan to start your retirement.

 

[kumquat]

if my current retrirement savings balance continues to compound at a market rate (say 8%) for another ten years, I'll be okay, even without additional contributions.

Have any of you done something similar? Any advice?

thanks,
cataman

Works great if you're < 30, a bit of a problem if you're 57.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Cataman:

I have not done what you suggest, however I have considered it.

I could cut back all of my savings now and let it compound and I'll be just fine. There are two issues with this approach though:

1) Once you get into a saving stride it is kind of hard to break (believe it or not)

2) I can't help but think that if the markets take a long break (ie big drop for a long time) that I'd be better off saving more money now. So I continue my saving ways.

 

[emi guy]

Works great if you're < 30, a bit of a problem if you're 57.

Good point. I assume you are referring to having enough time to weather a down market? I was hoping that I could retire ten years from now, after working at a job that pays less between now and then. As WAB mentioned, I guess that "is" early retirement for some.

 

[maddythebeagle]

I think the point is that the first invested money is the most valuable......esp. the money before 30 or 35ish....and allowing compounding to really work....some folks here post about saving latter in life and it is a lot harder since they have to put more money in....

I would suggest tracking expenses to know what you really need to live on....If you cut back some, you probably will still find some to invest with the pay downgrade...

 

[Sandy]

you may also find that after a lower salary start, as your income increases, you can start to save again; maybe not the same $$, but a reasonable %. Afterall, if you stay in the new profession for any length of time, there should be some increase in compensation.

 

[RedHawk]

This is basically my parents strategy. My dad took about an 80% pay cut after leaving Mega corp 6 months ago and taking a part-time job at 50. My mom also went from sahm to a part-time job. This income covers most expenses. While they are earning a lot less they are not saving anything else towards retirement that I know of besides contributing 9k to Roths from money received from the sale of the house when we moved.
I think they plan on doing this for probably 5-10 years depending on what the market does because I think they need the 401k to increase by another 40% so hopefully the market will be kind.

Although my dad might have to work a few more years than he would have if he stayed at Megacorp, I don't think he regrets his decision. He is much happier, less stressed, and enjoying more time away from work.

 

[Sheryl]

Not exactly compounding of interest, but sort of similar: Thanks to my dad's encouragement and support, about 12-13 years ago I put a relatively small amount of money into Fidelity's Low Priced Stock (FLPSX) and Contra Fund (FCNTX). He made it a game, for each of us to pick a fund and see whose did better. We just left the money there, and it is now a relatively large amount.

It was very educational.

 

[runchman]

I haven't exactly done it in that I'm 43 and still an engineer money-whore. But I think if I stopped contributing today and just let it ride for another 10 years I'd probably be fine.

What I wanted to say though, is if you are single and don't have to support anyone else, and this less-money route would be more soul-satisfying, then there's no better time to do it than now. Once you have a family, hanging on to that engineer salary is much more of a requirement.

Ignore all of the above if you aren't single though

- John

 

[Sandman]

Hi

I have been lurking at this site for several months now and finally decided to contribute something. I find the information on the site to be extremely useful and Firecalc has been a great tool for retirement planning I am (somewhat) following the strategy described above:

I took an early retirement package from Mega corp two years ago at age 50. I am still working full-time (for less money), but with a much lower-stress job and in a great location. I contribute a portion of my paycheck to savings – just not as much as before. The main thing is that my savings accounts (from nearly 30 years as engineer-whore) are untouched and they are allowed to compound at market rate. After this “soft landing” - I will FIRE in two more years. This strategy has worked great for me.

 

[free4now]

Yep, I suppose I'm doing something similar... I early "retired" at 35 years old, but really I'm pretty sure I'll end up taking on some sort of work in the future. Because I have enough to live on a bare bones budget without working forever, I now have the flexibility to choose work that will be fulfilling rather than just lucrative. I think this thread is important because it makes clear that the classic "work hard to save big bucks, then stop working completely" formula isn't the only way to go.

What I wanted to say though, is if you are single and don't have to support anyone else, and this less-money route would be more soul-satisfying, then there's no better time to do it than now. Once you have a family, hanging on to that engineer salary is much more of a requirement.

Right on. I can only do this because I'm single. If I end up doing the wife and kids thing I'll definitely need to spend a lot more time working. I really value the opportunity to take time for myself now before I get on the breadwinner treadmill.

 

[Nords]

Yep, I suppose I'm doing something similar... I early "retired" at 35 years old, but really I'm pretty sure I'll end up taking on some sort of work in the future.

My curiosity is not intended as implied criticism, but IIRC you've been ER'd for about a year and you're one of the few who was able to test-drive the process with an extended sabbatical. Similar to Jarhead, you're a canary in the ER coal mine.

You seem to have made the transition pretty well! So what would drive you back to working for money? Even if you met the woman of your dreams and incurred a bunch of future college-fund expenses, you'd be probably able to adopt CFB's/my lifestyle of providing home/child care for a working spouse, right?

 

[unclemick]

Hmmm - yes but only lefthandedly - layed off in 1993, tapped IRA in 2005 - I guess that's compounding.

Temp job, sold and ate duplex, some cash/MM savings from severance pay, small pension when reaching 55, etc.

Compounding was good - it was the 90's and did I mention I was really cheap in those days.

heh heh heh

 

[renferme]

At an 8% return, your money should double in 9 years.
IMHO, 8% is a bit much to assume. If we have another downturn,
like 2000 thru 2002, ... well... you can guess what will happen to your money.
.
Real life story: a friend of mine retired in May 2000 with $600,000 in investments - almost all mutual funds (stocks). His plan was live on $36,000 per year (6% withdrawal) and the market would continue to do like it did thru the 90's.
Needless to say, after taking a beating from 2000 to 2002, he's back to work full-time
again !
.
Bear markets scare the hell out of me! Anyone that retired in 2000 really took a hit and may never recover.

 

[WRBT]

Figuring on a real 8% (as in assuming <>3% inflation erosion) seems a tad aggressive. Overly simplified method = calculate annual increases over inflation so you get some results in today's dollars and do the math:

Starting with 500k, gaining 4%annually over COL:
1 520000
2 540800
3 562432
4 584929
5 608326
6 632659
7 657965
8 684284
9 711655
10 740122
11 769727
12 800516
13 832536
14 865838
15 900471
16 936490
17 973950
18 1012908
19 1053424
20 1095561

 

[SLC Tortfeasor]

I'm also taking this approach. I'm 30. My tentative plan is to save like crazy till I'm about 42, then start working part time, or maybe switching careers completely to something different (and probably low-paying). I'll stop building the nest egg, and I won't tap into it either. It will just grow and grow until I can start withdrawing from it in my 60s.

Who knows whether all of this will actually happen, but it's my plan.

 

[free4now]

So what would drive you back to working for money? Even if you met the woman of your dreams and incurred a bunch of future college-fund expenses, you'd be probably able to adopt CFB's/my lifestyle of providing home/child care for a working spouse, right?

The main thing that would drive me back to working for money would be wanting more money Right now I'm spending just a little over 4% a year, and living on a barebones budget that feels a bit restrictive compared to what I was used to spending (roughly 1.5x as much while working). Right now the free time is totally worth feeling a little restricted, but I suspect as I get older I'll want more of the comforts that money buys.

I don't have the surplus to support my share of kids without working. Also the only reason my budget works is due to being aggressive about cost control, and that's something that is much easier to maintain as a single person.

I will say that the longer I spend not working, the more interested I am in possibly being a stay at home dad. I'm really enjoying preparing healthy food at home, something I missed out on when I was working and only had time for convenience foods.