Share Your FIRE Milestones - 2021

[F.I.R.E User]

Well, the pro's might, I look at the DJIA each day get what the markets have done for the day.

My unorthodox way isn't the usual way to success. It seems everything everyone does here is opposite of what I did/do. I made it through with taking a different road and thought pattern to win the game.

Keep plugging along it won't be long and cheering you on for your next Milestone.

Do you have investments in DOW?

Broke through the $2.5MM mark... The last one is from the past 5 years.

Congrats.

 

[street]

I'm in Mutual Funds/Index Funds 80/20. I'm above middle 7 figure in portfolio not including NW.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

Hit $5M NW this morning...part of that is a bump in RE values for our house, but investable assets are still at an all time high, too.

 

[F.I.R.E User]

I made it to the following milestone.

$800,750 All time high. All index funds. No RE. Age: 46 but currently battling COVID-19 on day 3.

 

[jollystomper]

I made it to the following milestone.

$800,750 All time high. All index funds. No RE. Age: 46 but currently battling COVID-19 on day 3.

Congrats! Hope you feel better soon.

 

[street]

I made it to the following milestone.

$800,750 All time high. All index funds. No RE. Age: 46 but currently battling COVID-19 on day 3.

Great!!!!

I hope for a fast recovery.

 

[tulak]

I hit a milestone in investable assets today. Well on track to retire at some point in the nearer future, assuming things hold.

I'll celebrate tonight regardless.

 

[NgineER]

I made it to the following milestone.

$800,750 All time high. All index funds. No RE. Age: 46 but currently battling COVID-19 on day 3.

Congratulations hope you feel better soon

 

[Koolau]

Well, the pro's might, I look at the DJIA each day get what the markets have done for the day.

My unorthodox way isn't the usual way to success. It seems everything everyone does here is opposite of what I did/do. I made it through with taking a different road and thought pattern to win the game.

Keep plugging along it won't be long and cheering you on for your next Milestone.

Heh, heh, opposite seems to have served you very well, street!

 

[street]

Heh, heh, opposite seems to have served you very well, street!

Koolau, I have total resect and confidence in the great financial minds this site has. You people have the answers for optimizing every nook and cranny in every aspect of the financial world.

It just amazes me with all the areas and topics that are discussed and hashed over here. I don't think one topic have I done it to the best way or have I made the best of an opportunity to have done it better. NONE everything has been the opposite. LOL

I really should be living under a bridge and eating cat food. The only thing I have done right is to save and live within my means. The only thing I can see I did what others have here.

I have learned a lot what not to do, but I also see there is more than one way to skin a cat.

Thanks Koolau!!!

 

[glasswave]

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[upupandaway]

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Congrats!!!! Although it might not be the finish line it sure feels good doesn't it.

 

[glasswave]

Congrats!!!! Although it might not be the finish line it sure feels good doesn't it.

For most of my life, the term millionaire meant someone who had achieved extraordinary wealth and was in a position to live a life of worry free recreation and luxury.

Now, my having crossed that threshold demonstrates the term millionaire no longer means anything of the sort, instead morphing into one of several requisite indicators that one is on a path to enjoying a modest retirement that will likely be past the verge of financial peril.





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[The Cosmic Avenger]

Congrats, glasswave, that's a huge milestone (although I'm sure it won't be your last)!

I remember when I was young, I thought being "wealthy" would mean buying fancy brand name, not generic, groceries! I feel like it's OK to want more when you know you don't NEED more to be happy. I've built travel into our projected retirement budget, but it's also an insurance policy, a huge swath of fat I could cut and still have everything I need and a lot of what I want.

If you are having trouble spending even though the projections say you have more than enough, check out the "Blow that dough!" thread!

 

[street]

upupandaway, Congratulations!!!

 

[Andre1969]

Congratulations, Glasswave! While $1M might not be the final destination, it's still a pretty worthy milestone!

I started thinking seriously about planning for retirement, back around 1999. I remember at the time, thinking that if I had $1M and a paid off house, I'd be more than happy with that.

By the time I hit $1M though, in February of 2015, it didn't have quite the same magic. Plus, I had a mortgage of around $173K. I also kind of feel like I missed out on celebrating the milestone when it happened. 2012, 2013, and the first half of 2014 were great times for my investments, but then it seemed to stall out over the summer of 2014. So when that $1M finally did come around, instead of being excited about it, my attitude was more like, FINALLY, it's about time!

Still, even though $1M isn't what it used to be, I think once you hit that goal, it puts you in something like the top 10% of the population, wealth-wise.

Oh, and the old saying is true, about the first $1M being the hardest. You'll hit the second one much quicker! Barring accidents, that is.

 

[LateToFIRE]

For most of my life the term millionaire meant someone who had achieved extraordinary wealth and was free to live a life of relative luxury.

Now, my having crossed that threshold, demonstrates the term millionaire no longer means anything of the sort. Instead morphing into one of milestone several requisite indicators that one is on a path to enjoying a modest retirement that will likely be past the verge of financial peril.





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Don't get stuck in the bubble - a million dollar portfolio is nothing to sneeze at. That is more than the vast majority of the population will ever have at any age. This puts you in the top 5% of Americans (assuming you live in the U.S.). Globally, it puts you in an even smaller %. It's easy to get stuck in the bubble, reading blogs like this one, and/or maybe working and living among very wealthy people.

Full disclosure, I get stuck in my own bubble and struggle to put things in perspective. I'm within striking distance of an 8-figure NW (already crossed that threshold on total assets) and will likely get there on NW if I don't go on a big BTD spree, but still don't think I'm "wealthy" because so many of the people I associate with often have much more (and often many orders of magnitude more). But, occasionally I smack myself on the head and think: "pull your head out of your rear end, look beyond your bubble, and and appreciate what you've accomplished."

A million dollar portfolio buys you a fine FIRE'd life in a lot of places. Which brings me to another reminder: Whether you believe you're wealthy or not is relative to your needs and wants. Quickest way to wealthy is to reduce the latter.

 

[FedRetired50]

Don't get stuck in the bubble...

Superb advice.

 

[glasswave]

Don't get stuck in the bubble - a million dollar portfolio is nothing to sneeze at. That is more than the vast majority of the population will ever have at any age. This puts you in the top 5% of Americans (assuming you live in the U.S.). Globally, it puts you in an even smaller %. It's easy to get stuck in the bubble, reading blogs like this one, and/or maybe working and living among very wealthy people.

Full disclosure, I get stuck in my own bubble and struggle to put things in perspective. I'm within striking distance of an 8-figure NW (already crossed that threshold on total assets) and will likely get there on NW if I don't go on a big BTD spree, but still don't think I'm "wealthy" because so many of the people I associate with often have much more (and often many orders of magnitude more). But, occasionally I smack myself on the head and think: "pull your head out of your rear end, look beyond your bubble, and and appreciate what you've accomplished."

A million dollar portfolio buys you a fine FIRE'd life in a lot of places. Which brings me to another reminder: Whether you believe you're wealthy or not is relative to your needs and wants. Quickest way to wealthy is to reduce the latter.

Very good points, I have been lucky enough to have traveled a fair bit and I have seen a decent chunk of the developing world. I figured that I would expat for most of my life, but as I get old, one comes to realize, living in the USA is easy, and in many respects, quite economical.

Nonetheless, I am very lucky to have emerged from a barely middle class blue collar family, receive financial aid and student loans, achieve a couple of college degrees, and eventually become a credentialed professional looking forward to a comfortable retirement.

I was also lucky to have struggled after college, due to lacking the familial and social contacts and networking skills, to leverage my degrees toward becoming a solidified, credentialed professional. This taught me to be satisfied with not so much, and to focus more on experiential aspects of life over the short term stimulus of material acquisition.

Thanks.


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[F.I.R.E User]

For most of my life, the term millionaire meant someone who had achieved extraordinary wealth and was in a position to live a life of worry free recreation and luxury.

Now, my having crossed that threshold demonstrates the term millionaire no longer means anything of the sort, instead morphing into one of several requisite indicators that one is on a path to enjoying a modest retirement that will likely be past the verge of financial peril.





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It still means a lot. Look at what the average retire person has in USA today.

 

[Unpaintedhuffhines]

Retired 18 months ago with a $4.7M nest egg (just investments). My hope was even if we kept our current spending that we could maintain that $4.7M.

Checked on Friday and investments have grown to $6.5M... I told my wife "Since I retired, our investments have grown $100K... every single month (on average), which is fairly unbelievable, but sure gives me peace of mind. I fully recognize that at some point we'll have a correction in the market, but until then I'm enjoying the ride!

 

[F.I.R.E User]

Retired 18 months ago with a $4.7M nest egg (just investments). My hope was even if we kept our current spending that we could maintain that $4.7M.

Checked on Friday and investments have grown to $6.5M... I told my wife "Since I retired, our investments have grown $100K... every single month (on average), which is fairly unbelievable, but sure gives me peace of mind. I fully recognize that at some point we'll have a correction in the market, but until then I'm enjoying the ride!

Congrats. What are your investments in?

 

[Unpaintedhuffhines]

Congrats. What are your investments in?

Well, a big chunk of it is in good old MSFT. Was $230 when I retired. Now $420. That's maybe half of the run up. The rest just spread out in a normal diversified portfolio (but about 80% in stock mutual funds).

 

[Koolau]

Very good points, I have been lucky enough to have traveled a fair bit and I have seen a decent chunk of the developing world. I figured that I would expat for most of my life, but as I get old, one comes to realize, living in the USA is easy, and in many respects, quite economical.

Nonetheless, I am very lucky to have emerged from a barely middle class blue collar family, receive financial aid and student loans, achieve a couple of college degrees, and eventually become a credentialed professional looking forward to a comfortable retirement.

I was also lucky to have struggled after college, due to lacking the familial and social contacts and networking skills, to leverage my degrees toward becoming a solidified, credentialed professional. This taught me to be satisfied with not so much, and to focus more on experiential aspects of life over the short term stimulus of material acquisition.

Thanks.


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AND, the next million will come a lot easier and faster!!

 

[Greenblue]

The biggest milestone I can think of is watching the market inexplicably rise in 2020 and thinking, if this somehow keeps up, my investments will make me a millionaire. Lol. No way.

Then the markets did, and I did the math late in the year and sure enough, somewhere in the fall I became a net worth millionaire. It was a very pleasant and sobering moment.