What's the size of your portfolio?

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

It is a lot smaller today than it was a year ago. :-(

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[Lucantes]

Anyway, please vote on the size of your retirement portfolio: 401k (or similar plan) + IRA's + Taxable accounts. Do not include inheritance (subtract its approx. value from your total), houses, vacation homes, cars, or other valuables.
IMO, this would show saved our sweat earned money and saved for retirement.

I voted, but like many others I didn't understand your exclusion of inheritance and the others etc. (please note that I never had any so it didn't change my number).

 

[jabbahop]

I guess excluding "expected inheritance" makes sense but if one has already received it, seems like ok to include as that is what they retire with.

 

[bingybear]

I guess excluding "expected inheritance" makes sense but if one has already received it, seems like ok to include as that is what they retire with.

It really depends what the OP was looking for. I worked for a company that had a pension plan would start paying full benefits at 50 with 25 years of service. It also had heath insurance coverage in retirement. It blew apart in the tech bust and I walked away with nothing (too little time and too young). I think the OP is looking for what you saved yourself which may not be a good determining factor for readiness for RE as a big inheritance or a good early paying pension may be enough for many who saved very little. But everyone may have a different way to look at it.
May pension plans were replaced with 401k plans, so it it really fair to include the 401k? Some pensions require participants contribute to a pension, but not included here.
It's an open board which in my mind is good. Its can be educational to see how different people look at things. This is just another data point for many people to understand RE.

 

[pb4uski]

I think what the OP may have been referring to with the expected inheritance is what you plan for as an expected inheritance to you heirs.... I guess in their mind that money is then not available to use for your retirement .... if that is the case then IMO it is a silly constraint as I think few retirees think that way... in our case what our kids inherit will be what is leftover... or as I tell them.. "estimating error"!

There should be another choice... none of your damn business.

 

[Jack_Pine]

We are in the middle of the pack but that includes some company investment that turned into a decent payout. Kind of guessing that would be in the inheritance catagory but like others, not sure how to extract it.

Those with great pensions are in a different category than the target of this poll IMHO.

Every time one of these pops up there is some amount of controversy about the value. I kind of like them. I like to see where others are and guess at how secure they feel. Probably just reveals my insecurity about "when do I have enough".

 

[Senator]

I always knew I would never have a $10M portfolio, as long before it got that big, I would be out of the rat race...

The rentals did seem to jump up a bit in the last few years, both in terms of cash flow, and value. Most are paid off.

I set the FIRE date before I really knew what I had, now I am just gong through the motions until that date in July.

 

[bingybear]

I think what the OP may have been referring to with the expected inheritance is what you plan for as an expected inheritance to you heirs.... I guess in their mind that money is then not available to use for your retirement .... if that is the case then IMO it is a silly constraint as I think few retirees think that way... in our case what our kids inherit will be what is leftover... or as I tell them.. "estimating error"!

There should be another choice... none of your damn business.

Maybe the OP can clarify, but I though "expected inheritances" were not addressed directly... but would assume it should be ignored. I took the "inheritance" reference to mean that you should subtract out any inheritance + growth related to any inheritance already received.

In reading it again, it did not really specify a pension other than maybe include it as being similar to a 401k. I would guess the question to the OP would be "do you want the present value of a pension to be included?

 

[Lucantes]

There should be another choice... none of your damn business.

um...er...isn't there? You just don't answer the poll!

 

[easysurfer]

um...er...isn't there? You just don't answer the poll!

+1. I didn't vote but I peeked at the distribution .

 

[travelover]

I'm waiting for the how long is your Johnson poll.

 

[eytonxav]

but I do have large hands.

Where have I heard that before; nevertheless, some on here might refer to you as "Little REWahoo"

 

[Lucantes]

I'm waiting for the how long is your Johnson poll.

Well.... Lyndon was 6'3.5" but Andrew was only 5'10" but maybe you were talking about something else?

 

[Car-Guy]

Anyway, please vote on the size of your retirement portfolio: 401k (or similar plan) + IRA's + Taxable accounts. Do not include inheritance (subtract its approx. value from your total), houses, vacation homes, cars, or other valuables.
IMO, this would show saved our sweat earned money and saved for retirement.

I can understand not including a "potential" inheritance but some us may have major investments in cars, collectables, etc. I know I have "collectables" that I have bought as investments and many (not all) have increased significantly in value. Similar to stocks in my 401k and IRA.

 

[Lucantes]

I can understand not including a "potential" inheritance but some us may have major investments in cars, collectables, etc. I know I have "collectables" that I have bought as investments and many (not all) have increased significantly in value. Similar to stocks in my 401k and IRA.

+1 not that I have any collectables mind you but they should count in someone's net worth, unless that lint in my belly button is actually valuable?

 

[Car-Guy]

Where have I heard that before; nevertheless, some on here might refer to you as "Little REWahoo"

Be careful or this thread may be closed due to the political connotation.

But the "Little REWahoo" reference is pretty funny, for a Texan.

 

[2017ish]

I always knew I would never have a $10M portfolio, as long before it got that big, I would be out of the rat race...

...

+1

DW and I can dream about having twice as much money as we will actually have at retirement--and even a few luxuries, such as chartering domestic flights, that we could spend it on.... BUT, giving up prime, healthy retirement years for it is not worth it.

As always, this type of poll is interesting, but far too many variables to be more than that.

 

[braumeister]

All our essential expenses are covered by pension/SS income, so the portfolio is strictly for discretionary spending.
That's totally different IMHO from someone who relies totally (or even mainly) on their portfolio WR to live on.

So I don't see the point here, and didn't vote.

 

[rodi]

Another issue with this poll is that people are at different stages of their lives. Some/many are already retired, others are still saving towards retirement.

Some are on the tail end of the age curve, others are young whippersnappers.

 

[JoeWras]

Not to poke the bear... but what about folks with gold plated pensions, but not a huge nest egg? Are they poorer than someone with no pension, but a bigger nest egg?

I agree that it's odd to exclude inheritance... if it's money in the nest egg...

Also - what about rental properties... they provide an income stream, and can be sold to increase the nest egg...

Too many problems with how this poll was defined in the OP.

This. Agree 100%.

 

[eytonxav]

Be careful or this thread may be closed due to the political connotation.

LOL, but REWahoo started it with his "big hands" comment.

 

[REWahoo]

LOL, but REWahoo started it with his "big hands" comment.

"He hit me first!"

 

[CaliKid]

I don't get this poll. I would prefer a poll like:

- age
- net worth
- pension/social security income
- expenses

That would more relevant.

 

[MichaelB]

My grandpappy used to say "forewarned is twice warned". This is very difficult to capture as a poll topic, as W2R warned here

If you decide that you want to post a poll of portfolio sizes, go right ahead! Be sure to define what you want people to include. I guarantee you that otherwise, some will include their home, some won't, some will include investment real estate, some won't, and some will include their pension and/or SS, and some won't, some will include cash, some won't.

I didn't vote because I don't have a pension and some people do, we do have a second home that's not included while other people don't, we're older than some and younger than others, we have a separate cash account not included in the portfolio, and I don't think there's an inheritance out there but can't say for sure. Besides, the portfolio categories are spread unevenly.

And what do we do with SS?

 

[REWahoo]

And what do we do with SS?

Send it to me if you can't figure it out.