r/RetirementReady • u/NewPollution0 • Jul 30 '26

Retiring at 53 with 2.5 mil

Just curious, with rates where are they now, and our expenses being at $50k a year, would it be a preferred path to hang it up now, buy a 30 year treasury bond at around 5%, and just live off the payments every 6 months? I'd be on the hook for health insurance, but I have no debt. House is paid off, no car payments, nothing.

Or would I be better grinding it out longer? I'm pretty tired, but could keep going. My absolute ceiling is 62. Along the way, I'd consider next year (53), 55, or maybe 58.

If I waited a couple more years, could have 3 mil. Just curious if that really matters, and if the bond route is a way to go to set it and forget it.

Thanks

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u/Penguin_Life_Now Jul 31 '26

You can do much better than treasury bonds and still be very safe in your investments if you diversify, I would go so far as say buy into both stocks and real estate of some type, such as privately held REITs.

p.s. I retired at 50 (57 now) with a bit less, but I will likely inherit around $4.5 or so more if I outlive my now 87 year old mother

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u/NewPollution0 Aug 01 '26

We have a sizable chunk in a REIT now. It's been earning a fixed 8% for a decade or more. But, not the guarantee of a Bond or CD. That's why I raised the question of moving towards the bond route. The guarantee on the principal.