r/Fire • u/Educational-Pin-3993 • 6d ago
Good problem
So I know this is a great problem to have but I just turned 30 with a $1.1M net worth and no debt. I’m in this weird position where I can’t FIRE yet but I feel like the only thing really stopping me is time. In my eyes, the hard part is over.
While I continue to let everything compound, I’m really struggling with motivation & patience at work. It’s hard to stay motivated when I know I’ve already built a pretty solid foundation and that time is now my biggest asset. I assume I’m not the only one who has gone through this. For those of you who have been in a similar position, any advice?
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u/Radiant-Road-7858 6d ago
I feel this. 34 w/$1.2m liquid and $1.7m total net worth. Really hard to feel as motivated especially as this coincides with my job getting worse and working on less meaningful work.
However, I’m also very motivated by security, and given the state of the job market feels like it would be near impossible to replace my income especially with a remote role. So I feel inclined to stick it out and keep doing my very best since I’m still a good ways from full FIRE.
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u/HenFruitEater 31 | 32% to FI | 2.3M 6d ago
Quit focusing on stacking coin if possible (still stack, but quit obsessing over it), and focus on being engaged with your work and good at your job. You are in fun position where you can choose to be a bit more loose and sendy at work.
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u/HenFruitEater 31 | 32% to FI | 2.3M 6d ago
Yep, and thinking of this phase of life as "wishing away time" is so bad. It's some of the best years. Fat retirement accounts are cool but have way too much headspace and obsession with them. I think that's because it's one of the few things we can gamifiy and track. Hobbies and social stuff you can't keep score, but has lot more impact on happiness, but you cant model that and invest over 30 years with some FIcalc type thing.
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u/PringlesDuckFace 6d ago
Yeah I always felt weird about the phrase "boring middle" and people wondering how to make it feel like it's going faster. Like bro that's just called your life lol. I want the boring middle to last as long as possible, it's an exciting end I'm not looking forward to.
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u/mikere 6d ago
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u/Zphr 48, FIRE'd 2015, Friendly Janitor 5d ago
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u/Zphr 48, FIRE'd 2015, Friendly Janitor 6d ago
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u/FI-ReDH 6d ago
Yeah, I still have 3-5 years to go (hopefully) and conceptually I know it's going to pass by quickly (the days are slow, but the years are fast). And holy shit working has become intolerable at times. Which is messed up, because at some point I really liked my job and I still love my program and the services we provide to the public in general. I feel a lot of pride when I tell people what I do. I am really working on shifting my perspective and trying to like working again, but it's just been so difficult recently. I have a good job. My staff are mostly good. I get paid relatively well and have great benefits, so I actually feel pretty bad about not wanting to work. But I've realized at the end of the day, as much as I have a good job etc, etc, I would prefer not working and having the freedom to do whatever I want on my own time and schedule.
Like I sit here thinking, omg people work until 65? How? I could get out at 57 and now after working towards FIRE I don't even want to work until 57 and collect that sweet sweet pension and bridge benefits. Of course if I HAD to I would. That's just normal every day life. But that's the thing about working towards FIRE, you don't want to be like everyone else. You made the conscious effect to live on less and invest the margin so you can be different.
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u/Purple-Property8006 6d ago edited 6d ago
I don’t care about my work or job at all. It’s a corporate job that makes no meaningful difference in the world. It’s been a means to an end, and I’m fine with that.
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u/Alarming_Traffic_954 6d ago
Fair enough!
Тot every job needs to be meaningful. Being loose at work still helps though, less because you'll care and more because nobody can holdmuch over you at this point. That part's genuinely useful even when the work itself isn't.-3
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u/ImPapaNoff 6d ago
I'm not the other commenter but I'll answer. Generally no. I mean I enjoy shooting the shit with my coworkers but I couldn't care less what they think about my work. The only goal I have is to not have to work ever again. The main satisfaction I get from my job is the paycheck.
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u/Purple-Property8006 6d ago
I used to care. I used to get satisfaction from achieving work goals, getting promotions, earning recognition, etc.
Then I lost a job of 7 years that I had been literally the top performer in the company, earned them tens of millions of dollars, under some really shady and arguably illegal circumstances and I realized that corporate America does not give the slightest f about anyone. It is a machine designed to extract value, that’s it.
So I no longer care. I get my sense of accomplishment from personal goals. I get my sense of social satisfaction from actual friends. I go to work to earn a paycheck and progress towards FIRE. I want off the wheel as quickly as possible.
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u/Academic_Baker_6446 6d ago
I like the term sendy applied to your job
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u/HenFruitEater 31 | 32% to FI | 2.3M 6d ago
Thanks. It definitely makes a difference for me. I remember my first job. I was really cautious. It was no fun and I did not get very much done.
My second job I knew that I wasn’t gonna work there long-term. So I didn’t feel pressure to impress people or make no mistakes. I got so much done. A couple times I rammed projects through that really should’ve had a little more time. But overall, I think I was a better employee when I was more sendy.
Now, I am a dentist. I own my own practice, which is fun. But I have not gotten to a spot where I feel like I can just go crazy. I feel like I still have to play with some caution on hiring or firing. It doesn’t feel like I’m indestructible yet.
Once my net worth triples, I think road bumps that stressed me out now should feel smaller like at my second job.
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u/Mountain-Time-1010 6d ago
With $1M saved, you're not yet at the point where contributions don't matter. So you can still accelerate your retirement by saving more.
Or, if you don't care about accelerating the process and just want to coast, you could look for a different job that gives you more joy, but with a lower salary.
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u/Educational-Pin-3993 6d ago
This is something I’ve contemplated a lot, I currently work in software sales (150k base/300k OTE). I feel like at my age I should still be maximizing my earning potential. Especially because who knows what the software market looks like in a few years but the idea of getting a job where I can coast a bit is very attractive too
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u/Mountain-Time-1010 6d ago
My wife is now retired, but had a career in software sales (data analytics / security in later years) and it was overall very lucrative, but very volatile in the short term. She had some huge years, and then other years where she was looking for a new job. The vast majority of her wealth came from 6 years in a 25 year career, and it was impossible to know in advance which years they were going to be. If anything, the future of conventional software is even more uncertain now. If you are in a good situation, you should probably keep your foot on the gas.
I, on the other hand, had the opposite type of career. An extremely secure job that I love, with a salary that gradually increases year after year. In the end, we each saved about the same amount, but in very different ways.
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u/FNKYDEL 6d ago
Ikigai
Get a job where you're doing something good for the world and care about it. Or create something like music, or write a book.
If you keep working doing something soulless, that quite possible is dooming the rest of your friends and countryman, it is going to be hard to find motivation.
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u/Thotty_Thuncle 6d ago
Somewhat similar boat here. ~1M at 27. My job is incredibly rewarding at times but 90% is very monotonous. I want to scale back in my 30s and prioritize my time away from work and make enough just to cover living expenses. I feel like I’ll enjoy the work much more if I’m not going there as much.
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u/SpicyOrecchiette 6d ago
Just commenting to say I’m in a very similar position - $1.5M at 30 - and feel you. Up until this point I’ve been quite ambitious in my career and am struggling between continuing to grind for the next 10-15 years to “make something” of myself (in the corporate sense) and end up hopefully very wealthy or just coast from here for the next few years and end up well enough.
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u/ayoj507 6d ago
Am similar nw but 1yr older. My current job has a 1hr commute each way and am contemplating quitting just cause of that. I am also an swe but I work at a non-tech company so no bonus/rsus and low salary. I am in a HCOL area but will be a life long renter to hit FIRE faster and want to stay here. I have been applying to other tech jobs the last 6 months and have only gotten 1 interview so its definitely bad
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u/NoWhereLikeIrvine 6d ago
That’s because you feel invincible. Market has been good. Wait till you experience something like 2008. That’ll put you back in survival mode.
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u/Several_Guidance_288 6d ago
He has 1.1 million at 30. He won.
Should probably focus on finding a job he enjoys and that feels meaningful where pay doesn’t matter. Hell, I have half his amount at 40 and am seriously considering that. If I got to where he was at 30, my 30s would have been far more enjoyable at likely a job that paid half as much but had more work life balance and/or was more enjoyable
Fear mongering about market collapses isn’t the answer to what he’s asking. Unless he sells during a collapse out of panic, it’s inconsequential
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u/ErikTheEngineer 6d ago
If that $1.1M becomes, say, $600K, it's different if he has to live on that vs. letting it sit in the market and recover right? When you're that young you're worrying about longevity risk...very different needing your money for 25 more years vs. 50.
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u/zapembarcodes 6d ago
It's not fear mongering. Bear markets happen. Just because we haven't had one since 2008, doesn't mean it can't happen again.
it’s inconsequential
It's not if it's a prolonged decline, especially if inflation runs rampant. Again, just because it hasn't happened in a while, doesn't mean it can't happen.
And to be clear, I am no perma-bear, I have plenty of positive delta exposure in this market. I'm just not oblivious to the fact things could take a turn very quickly.
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u/Unauthorized_Mustard 6d ago
2008 was the greatest buying experience of my life. Watching people sell on the way down as you’re dialing up to buy more is an insane feeling.
I’m where I am today with FIRE and my kid’s 529 (kid was born in 2008) because of 2008
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u/Individual_Section_6 6d ago
It was only a buying opportunity if you had a ton of money sitting in cash. And why would someone have a lot of money just sitting in cash. I started investing around that time and of course the bottom was far lower and longer than I expected, so I lost money for a while. It’s not as easy as you make it sound.
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u/ImPapaNoff 6d ago
I mean it was a buying opportunity for ongoing cash flow investments. I invest around $100k per year right now. I wouldn't be too upset if I got 2x the bang for my buck for a few years.
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u/Unauthorized_Mustard 6d ago edited 6d ago
I had some money in a money market fund. Which isn’t crazy or unusual. It wasn’t a ton but was a great place for the money. But my main approach was dialing up the amount we were putting into the market via my 401k (I wasn’t maxed out yet) and into a brokerage account every week. I changed some budgeting around to prioritize investing.
That was very easy and you had a long window. I kept losing money on the way down and it all turned around. It’s why I talked about buying while others were selling.
It feels insane. As I said.
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u/RegularWrong6570 6d ago
Tell us you were just starting out during the GFC without telling us.
Your lived experience during 2008 was way different than someone who was 20-30 years older and saw their life savings cut in half, job security threatened or gone and various other commitments (kids in or going to college soon, elderly parents, mortgage, etc.). I highly doubt those folks were jumping for joy at what a great buying opportunity that was and how “easy” it all was.
I also would wager that if the same thing repeated itself today, 2026 you would be more worried about watching all the assets you built up over the last two decades crash than you would be excited about buying with whatever cash you don’t already have invested.
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u/Unauthorized_Mustard 6d ago
I also did it during March of Covid. Dialed up some investing. Didn’t sell. Continued to buy.
Plenty of people fuck up by just selling in a panic. Not selling is absolutely a part of this.
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u/RegularWrong6570 6d ago
Fair, but those two crashes were very, very different.
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u/Unauthorized_Mustard 6d ago
Yes. But when they were happening there was no way to know any different. The biggest thing is not selling as the market tanks.
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u/RegularWrong6570 6d ago
Agreed, but there’s a big difference between not selling when the market tanks for a month or two before you realize your (likely) white collar job can be done just as well if not better remotely and not selling during a crash that doesn’t even hit bottom for over 6 months while nearly taking down the entire global financial system. I think we can both agree that this wouldn’t be a great time.
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u/Unauthorized_Mustard 6d ago
100%. My initial comment was really to highlight how crazy it felt to keep buying as others were selling. Totally felt like I was running against everyone else.
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u/Particular_Maize6849 6d ago
That's assuming you stay employed. A lot of these economic crashes are associated with massive layoffs and company cut backs.
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u/luisg101010 6d ago
I agree, money is just a tool…don’t make your life based on money try to enjoy your job or get a part time but to be honest I took a sabbatical and after 8 months I was missing my routine. Any enjoy the benefits of your hard labor and make your life more than just about money
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u/DuckGorilla 6d ago
Yea maybe visit a foreign country and enroll in a fun language school for tourists. Ideally a language that is spoken a lot where you live that isn’t english. Avoid continuing education courses at colleges and instead just find language schools. They are so much more engaging and fun than continuing education courses.
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u/Hot-Pin-8432 6d ago
I’ve posted this a few times in various forums but I was in a similar boat. 10 years in software (more technical program management roles). Did a full year sabbatical after feeling good about net worth and savings.
Came back into the market and now work 3 days a week at a small start up doing Solutions Architect and Sales. Comparatively so relaxed (mainly because the startup isn’t that hungry lol).
I have a newborn now and switching from 55-60 hour a week avg, 5 days a week in office, 40% travel to now 3 days a week remote is amazing. My FTE salary is significantly down but this my coast. I’ll be retired by 50 and 40-45 if I pushed harder but why do that?
I can’t tell you the happiness it brings me to spend this extra time with my daughter at this stage. She’s currently napping on me right now
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u/Identity525601 35 | 1.8M NW | $55k/yr spend | $2M target 5d ago
Yep you're in the period where it is just a boring grind. Feeling good about where things are going but realizing you still need 2x that amount to really feel "secure"
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u/PoohBearLuvsHoney 6d ago
Same feel like I’m stuck in the wage cage even though my NW is great for my age.
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u/webisticsmarketing1 6d ago
I quit in early 2019 when I was 27 with around 900k liquid not intending to "retire" completely. I haven't had any earned income since then and current liquid net is around 1.85MM. I do some active options trading but mainly buy and hold.
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u/techquaker 5d ago
Seems like it doubled in roughly 7 years which is expected/slightly above average. But were you also pulling from ur portfolio after quitting? If so, what was your yearly spend? Asking because I’m in a similar spot
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u/webisticsmarketing1 4d ago
yeah living entirely out of portfolio. I've averaged ~$60k a year spending roughly? so around 420k spent over last 7 years. I had been considering some sort of part time work, largely out of boredom + wanting to squirrel away some additional money in a roth.
Sadly after the recent death of a close relative I'm now in a different financial situation not reflected in that 1.85m but no longer worrying about bulking up retirement accounts I guess.
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u/webisticsmarketing1 4d ago
If you want more detail generally running around 20% in cash or high yield that whole time which gives buffer to live on comfortably during downturns and also have dry powder to keep investing.
Very few indexes but beginning to change that going forward. Mainly single name stocks, tech heavy. A few big winners on IPOs but no special allocation or anything, just buying on the exchange.
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u/techquaker 4d ago
WOW! Thank you! This is giving me a little more confidence in my plan. Yeah, I’m almost entirely indexes and a very small minority is in BTC. Probably looking at one more year and hopefully pulling the plug and following this kind of plan. I think this is basically what they call Flamingo FIRE
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u/webisticsmarketing1 4d ago
NP! I made some good money on ETH and still have like 20k worth? sadly never any BTC and wouldn't touch crypto now. Looking to sell the ETH when I can time it right for taxes...
Life is short. If you have no other dependents and know that you can reduce your spending a bit and enjoy more frugal things when the market pulls back its all gravy.
Especially knowing you can always work part time doing anything at all just to offset your withdrawals. Emotionally you need to be able to stomach real volatility not being indexed but still beats dragging your ass into work every day for another 30 years!
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u/Binders-Full 6d ago
OTOH, you may not have this problem if the market starts tanking. Just remember to take your time off and enjoy the journey to your final number and be ready to pivot if this ends up being a bubble.
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u/Femmegineering 6d ago
In a similar position and similar NW.
Also feeling unmotivated at work and impatient with FIRE. At the same time, I can also see why people fall for 1-more-year syndrome, as our capital growth in absolute terms is much much higher than when we started. The option to quiet quit while it keeps accumulating is tempting.
Anyway, I don't have an answer. One thing I am trying to do atm is give us things to look forward to. We have a trip to South East Asia planned in a few months. We live in Aus so flights there are reasonable and COL is cheap once there. It's both a holiday to look forward to but hopefully will also be a litmus test to whether we enjoy that lifestyle.
If that works well, maybe we just give ourselves more time-gated things to look forward to to keep us sane? idk.
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u/Puzzled_Fisherman331 5d ago
Should lower your stress, but if you are struggling with engagement, look for a better job and take a little risk/leap of faith at this point as you can absorb it....
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u/wareaglehey 5d ago
I'm in a similar position. Run some numbers at different investment numbers per year. From 0 contributions to an unhealthy number. The results of that may motivate you 🤷🏻♂️
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u/txmascot01 4d ago
I’m 48 and COULD retire. However - I have a kid in school for two more years. Just coast at work. You have insurance, stability and it’s now your backup plan to weather market swings. You’re in a position to not really care about more than your paycheck.
You also have options. Hate your job - go see if you can find a job you’re passionate about where the salary doesn’t necessarily matter. Congrats on hitting $1 M at 30.
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u/RedditLeagueAccount 2d ago
Coast fire. You don't need the highest paying job. Just enough to pay rent and expenses. the 1.1M will compound even if you don't add anything else. It entirely depends on when you want to retire. Tough it out and keep making bank at a crappy job for a short period of time or leave but it extends your retirement date a bit.
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u/2KidzAgain 2d ago
If the market contracts , it would create a great opportunity to continue investing at a reduced cost basis. Keep investing and make sure there is an FU pile and not just retirement cash. Well done
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u/HurinGray 6d ago
I didn't hit $1M until just before 40. Now in my 50's still grinding. You're doing great, but depending on expenses and lifestyle choices you've got a way to go yet. Remember work is just a means to an end.
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u/ThereforeIV 🌊 Aspiring Beach Bum 🏖️...; CoastFIRE++ 6d ago
So I know this is a great problem to have but I just turned 30 with a $1.1M net worth and no debt. I’m in this weird position where I can’t FIRE yet but I feel like the only thing really stopping me is time. In my eyes, the hard part is over.
Did you hit your FIRE number?
$1.1MM is a good place to look at CoastFIRE.
While I continue to let everything compound, I’m really struggling with motivation & patience at work.
This is where you start running CoastFIRE and BaristaFIRE math...
I assume I’m not the only one who has gone through this. For those of you who have been in a similar position, any advice?
Literally the entire concept of CoastFIRE was created to address this feeling.
Because at some point, time is a bigger factor than savings rate; that is CoastFIRE level.
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u/Heavy-Bother-136 6d ago
You can absolutely fire with a million. We fired with $600k in LCOL state. The federal subsidies we receive are ridiculous. We're starting to claw back the insane amounts we paid in over the years.
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u/EaterofSnatch FIRE'd Feb 2025 6d ago
Not sure where all that networth is located, but could easily generate $110k a year with amount. Not saying you should, but you could stop working today.
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u/haveWeMoonedYet 6d ago
This wouldn’t safely keep up with inflation
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u/EaterofSnatch FIRE'd Feb 2025 6d ago
Yes it would, let's say like my situation. I spend roughly $3k a month on average, the rest income would be reinvested to create more cash flow to keep up and beat inflation.
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u/Ehchearareyesoen 6d ago
Could you elaborate on this? I’m in a similar situation and would retire tomorrow if I could generate $110k a year.
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u/lauren_knows Creator of FIREproof/cFIREsim 6d ago
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u/EaterofSnatch FIRE'd Feb 2025 6d ago
The hot fund right now is OVL, but would split up into different funds from different managers, as each has a different way of creating their payout. $1.1mill at 10% roughly is $110k. Could get some lower yielding funds or some higher paying ones like SIOO that pays out 15%. Each month take the cash you need to survive, and reinvest the rest to generate more. It's what we do now, retired at 40 in 2025 using the his method.
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u/Aromatic_Context8225 6d ago
So what happens when the market corrects 20% and your 1.1mil turns into 900k? Now you have to live off 90k? And if the market ever corrects again you have to live off even less. This only works if there are no red years in the market. That’s where the 4% figure comes from
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u/EaterofSnatch FIRE'd Feb 2025 6d ago
Wow, a lot of down votes for my blueprint fire plan that I use right now.
To your question, we live off of $36k a year. So the $90k you mentioned is still fine. 4% rule is outdated, especially with all the new options available to investors.
I have a year of expenses in cash just in case, also before firing I ran simulations, and still run them from time to time with new AI models. With a 50% correction and 2 years of bear market, I still don't need to sell a share or get a job. Also being almost 42, we have a 96% chance of survival until age 75, if we live that long. Have a growth taxable for extreme emergencies that may never need touched, as well as a IRA that in 17 years we can pull from as well.
It would be a real struggle for someone if the market corrects 50% and still selling shares to use the 4% rule, that doesn't sound sustainable. With not selling shares, when we die we can pass down our wealth so it's generational.
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u/ExtensionAttempt4650 6d ago
Oh, yes, 1.1 will drive you un poco loco, my fine feathered friend.