Hello everyone,
I've been on the bogleheads forums for a little while, and I thought I'd join here as wel. I am two years out of college, just starting my career as a software developer (I'm 28 years old). It's a good career field for me, and naturally fits my talents.
Having graduated in the midst of the Great Recession, I've managed to stay employed by staying mobile. I've done a lot of contract work since college. It pays well, but it has a fairly high turnover rate. This adds an element of stress for me. It's always there, even in the best of times. Also, it takes time to develop a meaningful relationship with those around you (including the opposite sex). I've seen the toll this lifestyle takes on others who have been in the field a while, and it's a fate I want to avoid if possible.
At this point, I have two options.
A.) Find a very secure job with a low turnover rate.
B.) Become financially independent as soon as possible.
I've been looking for option A, and it simply does not seem to exist anymore. I've concentrated my search on federal jobs (sadly, they prefer to contract out software development), and large defense companies. I'm still hopeful, but I have to move on to...
Option B. I save between 62-74% of my income towards 'retirement'. My goal is to be financially independent by 40. At that time, I intend to go to work part time, but only because I want to, not have to. I've run the numbers on firecalc as well as my own calculations, and it appears workable. I estimate that in 12 years I'll have between 800000 and 1 mil (in todays dollars). This should cover my modest expenses at a 3% SWR. My asset allocation is currently ageInBonds, modeled after the TSP's L2030.
That's the plan. I'm sure they'll be some 'surprises' along the way.
I've been on the bogleheads forums for a little while, and I thought I'd join here as wel. I am two years out of college, just starting my career as a software developer (I'm 28 years old). It's a good career field for me, and naturally fits my talents.
Having graduated in the midst of the Great Recession, I've managed to stay employed by staying mobile. I've done a lot of contract work since college. It pays well, but it has a fairly high turnover rate. This adds an element of stress for me. It's always there, even in the best of times. Also, it takes time to develop a meaningful relationship with those around you (including the opposite sex). I've seen the toll this lifestyle takes on others who have been in the field a while, and it's a fate I want to avoid if possible.
At this point, I have two options.
A.) Find a very secure job with a low turnover rate.
B.) Become financially independent as soon as possible.
I've been looking for option A, and it simply does not seem to exist anymore. I've concentrated my search on federal jobs (sadly, they prefer to contract out software development), and large defense companies. I'm still hopeful, but I have to move on to...
Option B. I save between 62-74% of my income towards 'retirement'. My goal is to be financially independent by 40. At that time, I intend to go to work part time, but only because I want to, not have to. I've run the numbers on firecalc as well as my own calculations, and it appears workable. I estimate that in 12 years I'll have between 800000 and 1 mil (in todays dollars). This should cover my modest expenses at a 3% SWR. My asset allocation is currently ageInBonds, modeled after the TSP's L2030.
That's the plan. I'm sure they'll be some 'surprises' along the way.