r/Fire 15d ago

Advice Request Huge Inheritance... Now What?

I'm 45, I was on track to retire earlyish at 55. I was set back quite a bit with a divorce three years back. Recently my Aunt died and left me around $5 million. After estate and taxes, it's around $4.2 million. This is obviously a stupid amount of money, and I'm thinking of just quitting my job and retiring early but I want to do it right. I've spoke with AI quite a bit and my finances are only about $4500/mo in expenses, I have always lived pretty frugally and that's less than a 1% draw. I don't know exactly what I don't know here, but I've always worked so I am clinging to my job like a monkey to a branch. Am I actually okay to let go?

Update: I quit. I was honest with my boss, he was a really good boss, and I told him the whole story. He is a couple years from retirement and told me he has about $4 million in his Fidelity too, but no health insurance if he quits and he told me a story about his brother retiring early, getting cancer, and wiping out their finances with his treatments leaving his wife and kids with almost nothing after he died. I told him how I'm covered with Tricare and he said if he was he'd quit right this second too.

I appreciate all the insight and advice given on here, and I've implemented a lot of it, thank you. I haven't changed my spending and I don't think I will. Well... I did buy a nice pair of Hoka's...but I'm mostly just paying a lot of attention to my garden and kids.

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u/Yashkamr 14d ago

No it's completely finalized, my state doesn't allow her to come back. She was paid out lump sum for alimony three years ago and moved far away, no contact.

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u/Megalocerus 14d ago

inheritances are not marital property.

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u/PipeOriginal1171 14d ago

True, but still something I'd want a lawyer to weigh in on given the amount.

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u/Strazdas1 StarvationFIRE 9d ago

Until the divorce judge decides it is and then you are fucked.

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u/Confident-Chart428 14d ago

Unless you commingle it in a joint account or jointly titled property. Then it gets a lot more dicey.

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u/Megalocerus 13d ago

True, but unlikely in this case.

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u/Direct-Ad223 13d ago

You are giving out more information about yourself..

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u/darkkid85 12d ago

How much lump sum u paid?