Sanity Check: 47M | $8M Liquid | Burnout | 40-Year Horizon (Full FIRE vs. Coast)
Looking for a candid reality check from those who have walked away from executive roles or modeled 40+ year retirements
I’m 47, married with two kids (16 and 12). After 25 years climbing the corporate ladder the stress is impacting my health. I want to know if my portfolio provides me the ability step off the treadmill now, or if I'm underestimating a 40-year horizon.
- Financial Snapshot
Investable Assets: ~$7.8M – $8.1M
~$4.7M Taxable brokerage (broad index funds & managed equities)
~$2.55M Retirement accounts (401ks / IRAs)
~$500k Alternative investments (illiquid/private vehicles)
~$175k Company stock
~$150k Cash reserves
Real Estate: Primary home valued at ~$1.3M–$1.4M with $749k remaining at 3.0% fixed ($5,880/mo PITI).
College 529s: $247k total. Fully covers 4-year in-state public tuition and room/board for both kids. Any private/out-of-state delta will be on them via loans.
Annual Expenses & Burn Rate
Total Annual Burn: $210k – $250k/year
Fixed Housing & Utilities: ~$90k (mortgage PITI, maintenance, utilities)The Scenarios Under Consideration
My spouse earns $130k W-2 in a low-stress role, wants to keep working, and provides our family health insurance (net take-home ~$78k after maxing 401k).Full FIRE (Both Quit): $250k spend against $8M base = ~3.1% Safe Withdrawal Rate (SWR).
Sabbatical / Solo Earner: I quit; spouse works. Net draw needed is ~$170k = ~2.1% SWR.
Coast / Advisory: I take 6–12 months off, then do low-stress independent advisory or institutional work earning $60k–$100k = ~1.5% SWR (fully covered by natural dividend yield).
Where I Need Your Red Team:
40-Year Horizon: At age 47, is a ~3.1% withdrawal rate truly "sleep-at-night" safe against 40 years of inflation and potential lost decades?
The Healthcare Chasm: If my spouse burns out in 3–5 years, we face 10–15 years on the ACA marketplace before Medicare. What are families in our asset bracket actually paying post-tax without subsidies?
Older Kids / Launch Costs: Aside from undergrad, how much did you realistically budget for graduate degrees, weddings, or first-home down payments?
Identity & Executive Decompression: For those who walked away from VP/Director-level authority, did you struggle with the lack of momentum? Did you end up consulting to stay sharp, or was complete disengagement better?
Tear the numbers apart. What blind spots am I missing?