A Milestone of Sorts

[marko]

Updating my portfolio info early this Saturday morning only to find that as of last night we have doubled our investment NW since we RE'd. Not a data point I generally keep track of, but there it was!

I RE'd December 2005 with $X and in the fifteen and a half years since, despite having withdrawn just about that same amount ($X) we now have $2X.

I just want to thank the members of this forum for helping out on this. Really. The things I've learned here contributed to this minor milestone immeasurably.

If my math is correct (unlikely) I'm running a 4.6% 'net return' (gains minus withdrawals) but TRPrice says it's more like 7.2% as my model does not include timing of withdrawals. Nonetheless.........

I've said it before: this forum should be required reading for high school!

So, not looking for congratulations as much as wanting to express my thanks for the help along the way. The journey continues!

 

[Luvtoride]

Updating my portfolio info early this Saturday morning only to find that as of last night we have doubled our NW since we RE'd. Not a data point I generally keep track of, but there it was!

I RE'd December 2005 with $X and in the fifteen and a half years since, despite having withdrawn just about that same amount ($X) we now have $2X.

I just want to thank the members of this forum for helping out on this. Really. The things I've learned here contributed to this minor milestone immeasurably.

If my math is correct (unlikely) I'm running a 4.6% 'net return' (gains minus withdrawals) but TRPrice says it's more like 7.2% as my model does not include timing of withdrawals. Nonetheless.........

I've said it before: this forum should be required reading for high school!

Marko, what a great feeling that must be and congrats on your diligent planning and management.

Your math sounds pretty accurate. Based on the rule of 72’s in 15 years for your money to double you’ve earned a net return of around 4.8%. Well Done!

 

[target2019]

I was just thinking of posting something positive about this forum. So I will whole-heartedly agree with you. It's a fine ship we're on.

 

[Surewhitey]

Thought I'd do a similar exercise. I joined the forum just over 10 years ago, just before taking 3 years down in Mexico. We returned 6 years ago and decided to return to the w*rkforce.

We've 2x'd exactly since the return, saving an insane % of our earnings & very conservative choices of investments. Lots more to learn from this group.

 

[street]

marko, congratulations!! That is a huge milestone and thanks for sharing your success.

As, far as the ER site, I don't beleive there is a better run, better group of people anywhere. Thanks for the hard work and feel fortunate that I can be part of this group.

 

[Jerry1]

We’ve probably all seen those lines in FireCalc that show us having more in the end than what we started with. Some of them show a lot more. Man I hope I’m on one of those lines. Marko, that must be a good feeling. I’ve been retired 3 years and my investable NW is just a little more than when I started (made some mistakes during COVID downturn) and even that feels pretty good.

As for this site, it is certainly one of the best things that happened to me with respect to retiring early. There’s so much good information here to answer all those things “you don’t know what you don’t know”, that I don’t know what I would have done without it.

 

[marko]

OP here.
Thanks all for the comments.
For me it's not the idea of being wealthier. Its more about the comfort of knowing that my "running out of money" fears will likely not be realized.
In 20 years I'll be 90 years old so I think I can run out the clock financially. (With maybe $4X by then!)

 

[VanWinkle]

OP here.
Thanks all for the comments.
For me it's not the idea of being wealthier. Its more about the comfort of knowing that my "running out of money" fears will likely not be realized.
In 20 years I'll be 90 years old so I think I can run out the clock financially. (With maybe $4X by then!)

Peace of mind is worth a lot!!!!

Congrats marko!!

 

[Koolau]

I have to agree with you marco. It's not so much about having a bunch of money - it's the idea that your plan is w*rking, and w*rking even better than you had imagined. I haven't tracked my growth that closely, but I too retired ca 2005. My NW is up very significantly and I spend more now than when I was w*rking. The PLAN is w*rking!

I also agree that this site is very helpful and supportive. I bless the day I found it.

 

[pacergal]

Congratulations, marko.

I, too, agree that this forum is the best! I have learned so much, enjoyed reading about others travels, family life, looking at photos, creative endeavors , etc.
Along with a few laughs.

Thanks to all for keeping it cool.

 

[MC Rider]

I just learned of a new to me concept.
Investable net worth.

Thanks.

 

[Dog]

Great thread. I too am so thankful I found this group about 10 years ago. I don’t post often, but check in at least weekly. Great people, information, knowledge and insights!
DH and I also feel fortunate to have seen our portfolio increase since being retired.

Thank you!

 

[DrRoy]

I just learned of a new to me concept.
Investable net worth.

Thanks.

I've always done it that way. I do not count my home equity, since it won't pay any bills.

On the OP's subject, I'm up 40+% since RE in March, 2017.

 

[marko]

I've always done it that way. I do not count my home equity, since it won't pay any bills.

Not only that but its the only way to track how well you are investing. Your home's value goes up or down with rarely any effort on your part except for improvements.

 

[Koolau]

Not only that but its the only way to track how well you are investing. Your home's value goes up or down with rarely any effort on your part except for improvements.

Heh, heh, so do most of my investments (go up and down without any effort on my part.) Just about the only thing I do is rebalance and most of my "rebalancing" is done via "strategic" RMDs. I take from what has grown most - causing the AA to get out of line with the plan. Otherwise, I rarely change anything. Full disclosure, this year, I may need to tweak some other things as my equities have grown even more than my expected RMDs.

Like most have said, I also do not consider my primary residence as part of my investable assets BUT I consider it one of the "back ups" to my overall plan. It's probably the last asset I would sell, but it would go a long way toward covering long term care, for instance. YMMV

 

[chassis]

@marko Congratulations! What was your withdrawal rate at the beginning of ER?

 

[marko]

@marko Congratulations! What was your withdrawal rate at the beginning of ER?

We've been on the high side; some years better than others. 5.5% on average but last year had us at 10% in order to buy and outfit a new house.

We expect to drop down to 4% or 3.5% in a year or two as a few non-recurring expenses go away and a bit more cash comes our way in the form of inheritances and the dissolving of a trust.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Thank you for sharing. It is quite remarkable to see how our investments have done. I would like to think it was from my super investing skills, but I know it's from fantastic returns. Of course, it doesn't hurt to keep on socking money away, either.

It's not really the overall $$$ amount for me, it's the snuggly comfort that the financial security blanket provides.

 

[marko]

Thank you for sharing. It is quite remarkable to see how our investments have done. I would like to think it was from my super investing skills, but I know it's from fantastic returns. Of course, it doesn't hurt to keep on socking money away, either.

It's not really the overall $$$ amount for me, it's the snuggly comfort that the financial security blanket provides.

As I noted earlier, my own 'super investing skills' would be a whole lot less super if it weren't for many of the things I've learned here. The market can be your friend if you know how to play nice (and not be stupid). For me it's been the 'get rich slowly' game.

You/me got our 'fantastic returns' by understanding that having your money in CDs isn't going to get you there.

 

[Sojourner]

I RE'd December 2005 with $X and in the fifteen and a half years since, despite having withdrawn just about that same amount ($X) we now have $2X.

You made me look I semi-retired in 2014, and my NW number now is 1.9X greater than it was then. Amazing!

Thanks for this thread, marko, and thanks for all your contributions to this great E-R forum over the years.

I just want to thank the members of this forum for helping out on this. Really. The things I've learned here contributed to this minor milestone immeasurably.

As for this site, it is certainly one of the best things that happened to me with respect to retiring early. There’s so much good information here to answer all those things “you don’t know what you don’t know”, that I don’t know what I would have done without it.

+1000
Could not possibly agree more.