What’s the 1 financial home run you hit?

[gcgang]

Another good one, QCOM +2,625% since 1996, may come to an end w possible Broadcom acquisition.

 

[CoolRich59]

As much as I despised my previous j@b with megacorp, I do have to concede that their stock options will enable me to retire much sooner than I would have been able to otherwise.

When I first got hired their stock was in the high $20s/low $30s and I just sat on the options. Fast forward several years when I had had enough and made the sudden decision to quit. I then realized that once I terminated my employment those options were gone.

So, late on the Friday before my last day, I sold them all when the stock was at about $75. I'm sure I would have done better if I would have planned it, but after taxes I tripled my retirement savings.

 

[CoolRich59]

Another good one, QCOM +2,625% since 1996, may come to an end w possible Broadcom acquisition.

Oh man. Back in the day, before Qualcomm was even on most people's radar, I had knowledge of what was going to happen to that then-little company.

I could not buy, but suggested to my sister (the only person I knew with any money) that it would not be a bad idea if she did.

She didn't and I have never let her forget it.

 

[dvalley]

The no 1 would be picking a good degree (because it was what I loved at the time) got lucky and made above avg salary from day one.

A close 2nd was buying my first house in the early 2000s, sold it for a $110k profit- that was my first $100k and I got it by doing nothing. Then used it to buy the current home after marriage. Then the divorce took it all away...and much more. Managed to buy the ex out of the house while eating Ramen Noodles for a while. Today the equity is $300k, so still a good investment for something I use/live-in every day.

 

[pb4uski]

....My mom died when I was 15. She didn't have much (recently divorced, went back to get her college degree and had just started a teaching job), but what she did have went into a trust for my sisters and me. But the trust stipulated that we would receive our share when we each turned 24 (she wanted to make sure that we finished college and got a job first). And it must have been invested well. So 9 years later when I turned 24, it was enough for a downpayment on a condo that I never would have been able to save the money for, at least not from my first job. ....

Your mom was a smart cookie to do that for you girls.... wise beyond her years.

 

[Doc0]

I bought some BTC in 2015 when it was $275

 

[USA]

My first car loan was my last.

 

[Montecfo]

I was well coached early. My mom said, "the only way to have anything in life is to save and invest". I think I was 6 or 7 years old.

I was able to go deep a number of times.

DW who shares my values.

10 bagger on Analog Devices AD I. Sold right before tech crash in 2000.

Largest single important financial move was not selling in 2008 when people were panicking. And making new equity investments in beaten down equities with new money in 2009. One example was Williams Companies (WMB), which I added to and eventually when they announced their merger here a few yrs ago (which never happened-good thing I cashed out).

Tried to not leave runners on base!

 

[gcgang]

Oh man. Back in the day, before Qualcomm was even on most people's radar, I had knowledge of what was going to happen to that then-little company.

I had a subscription to George Gilder's Technology Letter. He was very entertaining and informative in describing the emerging technologies. They had an online community where people described their "diversified " portfolios of hardware, software, chips, etc. one guy in particular I remember issuing "sage advice" on tech only portfolios from his boat in the Caribbean. Don't know where he is today.

In retrospect, I think I actually had a larger gain on QCOM in 1999 than I do today. Lol.

 

[FireBug]

Cubic zirconia (JK)

 

[Urchina]

Graduated from college (undergraduate and graduate degrees) without debt. Funded with scholarships, some help from Mom & Dad, and good old-fashioned work. My graduate degree years were also pretty minimalistic in the lifestyle department. Can't believe the house I rented a tiny room in wasn't condemned.

Midway through my grad program randomly picked up a copy of Amy Dacyczyn's The Complete Tightwad Gazette. From there found Robin & Dominguez's Your Money or Your Life.

Straight down the FIRE road since then. Not there yet, totally OK with that.

 

[audreyh1]

The small tech company I went to work for. Overshadows everything else. Of course I took advantage of the opportunity and used the windfall wisely.

 

[garyt]

I bought Netflix at $34. Sold it at somewhere over $200. It went on a roller coaster ride and got up to $700, but I never would've held on when it went from over $300 down to $50 or something

 

[splitwdw]

Surprised with the responses and lack of power, I see lots of dinks and dunks, singles and doubles but not many base clearing hits. I thought I’d see some early Apple or Facebook holders or some business owner who blew up their business or some similar stories

You are thinking like most of the general population. They think they can't save money and win the game while blowing money every week. It's that money that many on this forum saved and invested to win the game.
"Base clearing hits" are few and far between.

 

[brucethebroker]

Few home runs (HR), but:

Married the right person. (HR)
Learned investment real estate by reading up on it.
Learned as much as I could about IRS taxes and how to reduce them.
Self employed for 30 years.
Income tax free cash out from primary residence. (Have used it 4 times). (HR)
4 years on a company 401-k. DW 4.5 years.
Downsizing our home (three times).
Selling our second car (4 years ago).
Buying two properties in 2013, just as the market was coming off the bottom. (HR)
Qualifying for ACA subsidy in semi-retirement.

And, finally learning to LBYM.

 

[brucethebroker]

You are thinking like most of the general population. They think they can't save money and win the game while blowing money every week. It's that money that many on this forum saved and invested to win the game.
"Base clearing hits" are few and far between.

Yeah, I'd rather be the Rickey Henderson of ER. Just get on base, and make the pitcher sweat....

 

[athena53]

You are thinking like most of the general population. They think they can't save money and win the game while blowing money every week. It's that money that many on this forum saved and invested to win the game.
"Base clearing hits" are few and far between.

I agree- it saddens me to see so many people at my local supermarket buying lottery tickets. They seem to think that's a more likely path to riches than "slow and steady wins the game".

Even the base-clearing hits can be squandered. Look at all the folks who got big lottery wins and large inheritances who ended up broke again. It's partly luck, partly what decisions you make.

 

[Koogie]

My first car loan was my last.

+1

 

[97guns]

You are thinking like most of the general population. They think they can't save money and win the game while blowing money every week. It's that money that many on this forum saved and invested to win the game.
"Base clearing hits" are few and far between.

I achieved fire through power hitting but I can hit for average also by way of living below my means and saving money. With the help of my first home run, accumulating Home Depot stock and going through 3 splits in 4 years, I was able to set up my next at bat which was a grand slam, smacked out of the park.

Like investing, to hit for power you have to get “your pitch” then square it up and drive it

I just thought that most members here would have hit at least a home run or two.

 

[97guns]

Something that came to mind reading through responses.... is working 40 years and achieving Fire really an accomplishment? 40 years of service, 1/2 your life, to be taken care of for the remaining 15 or 20 years of it? Is that really “retiring early”

Not intended to demean anyone, just a viewpoint from someone whom literally Fired off 12 years in the workforce and hit a couple very meaningful home runs

 

[RunningBum]

I achieved fire through power hitting but I can hit for average also by way of living below my means and saving money. With the help of my first home run, accumulating Home Depot stock and going through 3 splits in 4 years, I was able to set up my next at bat which was a grand slam, smacked out of the park.

Like investing, to hit for power you have to get “your pitch” then square it up and drive it

I just thought that most members here would have hit at least a home run or two.

Like splitwdw says, you don't have to do this. You kind of make it sound like a homer is going to come your way at some point, but you may never get your pitch. You may have to take big chances. People talk about hitting it big in XYZ stock, but to hit a homer with that in many cases you have to invest a pretty good amount, or somehow managed to hit it from bottom to top.

I was one who did hit a home run, and was fortunate enough that my chance came in stock options with a good paying job so there wasn't really much risk, but I got greedy and went for more homers and struck out a few times in the dotcom bust. Then I stopped swinging for the fences and built my nest egg back slow and steady. I applaud the people who did this without ever getting that one big hit to put them out front.

If you look at the e-r.org population, of course those who swung for the fences hit a few homers, that's why they are here. But if you went out to the general population, the % of people who succeeded with that strategy would be much, much lower. A better strategy would be to follow the non-HR hitters here: spend less than you make, make solid investments in the market, real estate, or your own business and taking only measured risks.

Life isn't a baseball game; the ramifications of a lot of strikeouts is a lot more serious.

 

[RunningBum]

Something that came to mind reading through responses.... is working 40 years and achieving Fire really an accomplishment? 40 years of service, 1/2 your life, to be taken care of for the remaining 15 or 20 years of it? Is that really “retiring early”

Not intended to demean anyone, just a viewpoint from someone whom literally Fired off 12 years in the workforce and hit a couple very meaningful home runs

A lot of people here did it in less than 40, but whether it's 25 or 30 or 40, yes, it's an accomplishment.

If you did it in 12, my guess is you were very lucky. Is having good luck really an accomplishment?

 

[REWahoo]

Something that came to mind reading through responses.... is working 40 years and achieving Fire really an accomplishment?

I'd say it is more of an accomplishment than hitting the lottery, retiring early and trolling on the internet.

 

[97guns]

I'd say it is more of an accomplishment than hitting the lottery, retiring early and trolling on the internet.

Why am I a troll? Is this a fight picking thread? Then I’m sorry and I’ll obey the police and stop and cease

 

[Alan]

Thanks for the interesting discussion.