For some strange reason, I enjoy reading "Blow that dough" wherever it appears on this forum. Maybe because I'm somewhat of a penny pincher and just those 3 words are pushing me to "Blow that dough." I like the nudge.
Share your FIRE Milestones - 2013- 2020
- Thread starter FIREd
- Start date
- Status
ugeauxgirl
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Passed another M mark in our portfolio today- and retirement package starts in 43 days. Whoop whoop! [emoji16]
Last edited:
Monterey298sc
Recycles dryer sheets
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2018
- Messages
- 133
Just turned 60 and we have 1.5 cash , 1.7 m in personal and commercial property . The commercial, my business is worth 1.1. Will sell and close in at 62 and retire.
Hasn't visited this forum for a long time. Time for an update.
After tax cash/stock/bond 1.5m
Pretax stock/bond/cash 3.8m
Investment property 4.0m (soon to sell 1.6m to payoff primary mortgage)
Primary Residence 2.6m with 1.4m mortgage
It seems I have doubled my net asset since I joined the forum 6 years ago.
How many more years to go? I am thinking 5 more years if I can...
After tax cash/stock/bond 1.5m
Pretax stock/bond/cash 3.8m
Investment property 4.0m (soon to sell 1.6m to payoff primary mortgage)
Primary Residence 2.6m with 1.4m mortgage
It seems I have doubled my net asset since I joined the forum 6 years ago.
How many more years to go? I am thinking 5 more years if I can...
Andre1969
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Thanks, everyone! Looking back on my records, I pretty much started in 1998 with zero.
Hit $500K in March 2010
$1M in February 2015
$1.5M in September 2017
$2.0M on 1/1/520.
Once I hit $500K, I only fell back below it once, in the May/June/July 2010 period
Once I hit $1M, I had two months finish below that, in September 2015 and February 2016.
After I hit $1.5M, I never recorded a month where I dropped back below that. However, I only keep the last day of the month, for posterity. On Christmas Eve, 2018, I was down to around $1.458M (I kept record of that date, since that was the bottom of that dip), but by 12/31 I was up to around $1.535M.
So hopefully, with luck, if I do cross back below the $2.0M threshold, it wont be very often. Or, for very long!
I guess the next major goal would be $3M, but honestly, I really don't care if I ever reach that one or not. Unless you factor in inflation, which does tend to creep up on you. Even though it's been low, it's still been enough to raise things roughly 50% in the past 20 years. So, by the time 2040 rolls around, $3M might only be the same as $2M today.
Hit $500K in March 2010
$1M in February 2015
$1.5M in September 2017
$2.0M on 1/1/520.
Once I hit $500K, I only fell back below it once, in the May/June/July 2010 period
Once I hit $1M, I had two months finish below that, in September 2015 and February 2016.
After I hit $1.5M, I never recorded a month where I dropped back below that. However, I only keep the last day of the month, for posterity. On Christmas Eve, 2018, I was down to around $1.458M (I kept record of that date, since that was the bottom of that dip), but by 12/31 I was up to around $1.535M.
So hopefully, with luck, if I do cross back below the $2.0M threshold, it wont be very often. Or, for very long!
I guess the next major goal would be $3M, but honestly, I really don't care if I ever reach that one or not. Unless you factor in inflation, which does tend to creep up on you. Even though it's been low, it's still been enough to raise things roughly 50% in the past 20 years. So, by the time 2040 rolls around, $3M might only be the same as $2M today.
COcheesehead
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
The first M was in 2006
Took until 2013 for the second M
Third was in 2015
Fourth in 2017
Fifth last year.
The plug gets pulled in about 5 months
Took until 2013 for the second M
Third was in 2015
Fourth in 2017
Fifth last year.
The plug gets pulled in about 5 months
jollystomper
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2012
- Messages
- 6,184
The end of 2019 my 401K passed the $1.5M mark. I deliberately withdrew some at the start of January, some to "blow that dough", some for Roth conversions. In a little more than 2 weeks it is even higher, as if I had never taken out anything. Man, I gotta get moving on those Roth conversions... 
Cybertruck
Dryer sheet wannabe
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2020
- Messages
- 24
I started saving and investing in 2003 at the age of 24.
My goal was to reach 1 million dollars and then I would retire.
I saved $250,000 over the next 10 years. I invested the money and eventually reached 1 million 3 years ago when I was 38.
Although I was very proud to reach a big financial goal(I came from a poor family) I decided 1 million wasn’t enough and pushed my retirement plans back until I reached 3 million. I wanted to get to a point where my principle would continue growing even with me withdrawing for retirement.
I reached 2 million a few weeks ago and I plan to start withdrawing 2% a year to supplement my income.
65% of my savings is untouchable in Roth IRAs, but they will be amazing once I hit 59 1/2.
My goal was to reach 1 million dollars and then I would retire.
I saved $250,000 over the next 10 years. I invested the money and eventually reached 1 million 3 years ago when I was 38.
Although I was very proud to reach a big financial goal(I came from a poor family) I decided 1 million wasn’t enough and pushed my retirement plans back until I reached 3 million. I wanted to get to a point where my principle would continue growing even with me withdrawing for retirement.
I reached 2 million a few weeks ago and I plan to start withdrawing 2% a year to supplement my income.
65% of my savings is untouchable in Roth IRAs, but they will be amazing once I hit 59 1/2.
ugeauxgirl
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Impressive! Congratulations to you!
Hey Andre - You and I are almost exactly going at the same pace, starting 22 years ago. Congrats to you (and I guess to me). It's been a disconcertingly easy ride to be honest. Things will go wrong at some point, but it's nice to have that cushion when it inevitably does.
GoBears
Recycles dryer sheets
Quicken reports our net worth minus home equity is slightly above $2.8M, not including an inheritance of $100k that should fund later this year. Plan is to jump into retirement when we hit $3M, excluding home equity. That should give us a nice cushion since original plan was to retire at $2.5M. If we don’t hit our target this year, I will probably say “the heck with it” and retire at year end anyway.
I don't use Quicken, but didn't realize that it would report a NW value. I'm sure you have to input a lot of stuff into it. Do you allow it to log into your portfolio accounts and pull balances?
I just have a huge-ass spreadsheet that I have used for years and try to pull balances first of every month just to keep tabs on stuff.
GoBears
Recycles dryer sheets
Yes, I use the automatic update feature to pull and import not only balances, but also transactions. It’s great for those of us who are spreadsheet impaired. Learning how to use spreadsheets is one of my goals for retirement.
kblagron
Dryer sheet wannabe
I have been using Quicken since 1987, so I have my net worth since that time, and usually check it every other day or so. For me, it pulls data from Chase, Fidelity, and Compass, but has pulled from many others in the past - I just consolidated the places I keep my money. Highly recommended if your interested in tracking. It has also helped me with lifetime planning - great tool to tell you how much you need to live out your life.
FIRE since 9/2016, and NW is still above when I retired!
wanderingwheelz
Dryer sheet wannabe
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2020
- Messages
- 10
My wife and I both still work full-time(ish), but 2019 was a year where our portfolio grew by roughly triple what our gross earned incomes are, combined. And out combined income in 2018 (don’t exactly know 2019s yet) put us near the 1% in our state.
I guess what I’m saying here is that 2019 was a year where our investment returns (stocks and bond, too) will have been up near the greatest that we’ll ever see. It’s abnormal.
I guess what I’m saying here is that 2019 was a year where our investment returns (stocks and bond, too) will have been up near the greatest that we’ll ever see. It’s abnormal.
Elizrogers
Recycles dryer sheets
Hey Wanderinhwheelz, I wish I had your financial advisor, or that mine had invested in whatever is in your portfolio. I have never had that good a year and have just about regained all I lost in 2000 and 2008 market downturns. I was up a lot more than down in 2018, for a change, but nowhere near doubling, and triple would let me stop worrying about outliving my money. Good for y'all. You made excellent decisions!
What do you plan to do for health insurance? I feel held hostage at work to keep this.
Great work, I’d love to learn your story. High earner?
ugeauxgirl
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
We had an individual policy with BCBS before ACA, and were one of the few people we know whose policy did not get cancelled. I do have the option to buy HI through work for about the same price as BCBS is now but am hesitant to let my current policy go. I have a year to decide. Have heard of companies cutting retirees healthcare. It's expensive, but it could triple before it became a serious problem.
COcheesehead
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Later in life yes. Early on I had salaries of $18,000, $25,000, $32,000. We always saved no matter what we made. I finally saved enough to start a business. Same thing happened there. First year made $32,000, but that is where things really started to change. My income went to $60k, $80k, $120k, $180k...things topped out around $300k, but it took a looooooooong time to get there. I also bought a commercial building and the equity in that has gone up about 8x -10x.
The markets helped a lot too. I was nearly 100% equities for much of my life. Only in the last few years have I taken some off the table moving into more income generating investments.
Retirement at age 57 happens July 10th of this year.
It’s been a wild ride, but I am ready for the next adventure.
Thanks for asking.
Last edited:
Share your FIRE Milestones
I see a lot of threads like this ‘started out low salary only earning 32k’
Indexing $32k, 35 years ago for inflation is the equivalent of earning 80k today. That’s probably at least a top 10% starting salary for today?
Does that sound right or am I missing something?
I see a lot of threads like this ‘started out low salary only earning 32k’
Indexing $32k, 35 years ago for inflation is the equivalent of earning 80k today. That’s probably at least a top 10% starting salary for today?
Does that sound right or am I missing something?
COcheesehead
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
The first year of the business when I made $32k was 20 years ago not 35 and at the time my contemporaries further along in their careers where making 6 figures. Typical seasoned people in my profession where making in the $75k - $200k range. So yes, $32k was low by any measure.
Quicken indicates we also crossed the 2.0M threshold in late March 2019, then kept dancing back and forth for 4-5 months. I just took out 65k from the 403b, but hopefully we'll stay above the Mendoza line, barring a correction.
HI Bill
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2017
- Messages
- 2,556
Just sold enough stock to cover 9 months of expenses for use in the last nine months of 2020...getting ready to RE! Getting ready to blow that dough!
- Status
