u/Lopsided-Narwhal-932

Hey everyone,

Looking for a quick sanity check on my timeline. My goal is to pull the plug on full-time IT work and transition to a Coast FIRE lifestyle in 2 years when I hit 31.

My Background:

• Age/Income: 29M, making $100k in IT. 7 years of total experience across public/private sectors + a few years running a business before that.
• Location: Quebec, Canada (good social safety net, low cost of living).

The Financials (~$500k Liquid NW + Home Equity):

• Invested: $160k in RRSPs and TFSAs.
• Cash/GICs: $250k in GICs (recently sold a property, currently dollar-cost averaging this into global equity ETFs).
• Crypto: $15k (self-custody, outside of registered accounts).
• Tangible Assets: ~$20k in collectibles/miscellaneous assets.
• Pension: 5 years in the public service. Cash-out value right now is $50k+.
• Primary Residence: Bought last year for $450k ($90k down, $350k mortgage balance on a 30-year amortization). Highly walkable/bikeable location.

Lifestyle & Expenses:

• Fixed Housing: ~$2,300/month covers everything (mortgage, heating, insurance, property taxes, internet).
• Transport: Own an old, paid-off car ($50/month insurance). I plan to sell it soon and rely entirely on walking/biking/transit since I barely use it.
• Discretionary: Very low maintenance. Hobbies are working out at home, outdoor activities, gaming, and reading/streaming. Mostly free or cheap.

The 2-Year Plan (Age 31): I expect to hit roughly $600k in liquid capital + my property and pension. At that point, I plan to leave the $100k IT grind.

To fund my life:

1. The House Hack: The property has a completely separate entrance and a full parental suite in the basement (2 bedrooms, full kitchen, 1.5 bathrooms). Renting this out will easily command $1,500/month in my local market. This slashes my out-of-pocket housing costs from $2,300 to $800/month.
2. Drawdown: Pull a conservative ~2% from my investment portfolio annually.
3. Coast Income: Work low-stress, flexible gigs or help out startups on a casual basis to cover any remaining lifestyle gaps.

My Main Question:

• Portfolio Strategy Post-IT: Since I’ll be stopping aggressive W2 contributions at 31, should I keep my portfolio heavily positioned in aggressive growth equities and crypto to maximize compounding over the next 20+ years, or is it wiser to shift a portion into dividend/income-producing assets to help smooth out my low-drawdown years?
• The Gig Work Reality Check: For those who transitioned to casual startup consulting or low-stress gigs, did you actually find it lower stress? I’m mapping out a relaxed schedule, but I want to make sure I'm not trading corporate IT stress for the unstable/chaotic stress of early-stage startups and gig hunting.
• With a 30-year mortgage and a $600k target in two years, are these numbers providing an adequate safety margin for Quebec's cost of living? Or would grinding for just 1 or 2 additional years significantly alter my long-term success probability by buffering against a potential multi-year market downturn right after I leave?
• Does this plan look airtight for a low-maintenance Coast FIRE life at 31, or am I overlooking something? Thanks for any feedback!

Hey everyone,

Looking for a quick sanity check on my timeline. My goal is to pull the plug on full-time IT work and transition to a Coast FIRE lifestyle in 2 years when I hit 31.

My Background:

• Age/Income: 29M, making $100k in IT. 7 years of total experience across public/private sectors + a few years running a business before that.
• Location: Quebec, Canada (good social safety net, low cost of living).

The Financials (~$500k Liquid NW + Home Equity):

• Invested: $160k in RRSPs and TFSAs.
• Cash/GICs: $250k in GICs (recently sold a property, currently dollar-cost averaging this into global equity ETFs).
• Crypto: $15k (self-custody, outside of registered accounts).
• Tangible Assets: ~$20k in collectibles/miscellaneous assets.
• Pension: 5 years in the public service. Cash-out value right now is $50k+.
• Primary Residence: Bought last year for $450k ($90k down, $350k mortgage balance on a 30-year amortization). Highly walkable/bikeable location.

Lifestyle & Expenses:

• Fixed Housing: ~$2,300/month covers everything (mortgage, heating, insurance, property taxes, internet).
• Transport: Own an old, paid-off car ($50/month insurance). I plan to sell it soon and rely entirely on walking/biking/transit since I barely use it.
• Discretionary: Very low maintenance. Hobbies are working out at home, outdoor activities, gaming, and reading/streaming. Mostly free or cheap.

The 2-Year Plan (Age 31): I expect to hit roughly $600k in liquid capital + my property and pension. At that point, I plan to leave the $100k IT grind.

To fund my life:

1. The House Hack: The property has a completely separate entrance and a full parental suite in the basement (2 bedrooms, full kitchen, 1.5 bathrooms). Renting this out will easily command $1,500/month in my local market. This slashes my out-of-pocket housing costs from $2,300 to $800/month.
2. Drawdown: Pull a conservative ~2% from my investment portfolio annually.
3. Coast Income: Work low-stress, flexible gigs or help out startups on a casual basis to cover any remaining lifestyle gaps.

My Main Question:

• Portfolio Strategy Post-IT: Since I’ll be stopping aggressive W2 contributions at 31, should I keep my portfolio heavily positioned in aggressive growth equities and crypto to maximize compounding over the next 20+ years, or is it wiser to shift a portion into dividend/income-producing assets to help smooth out my low-drawdown years?
• The Gig Work Reality Check: For those who transitioned to casual startup consulting or low-stress gigs, did you actually find it lower stress? I’m mapping out a relaxed schedule, but I want to make sure I'm not trading corporate IT stress for the unstable/chaotic stress of early-stage startups and gig hunting.
• With a 30-year mortgage and a $600k target in two years, are these numbers providing an adequate safety margin for Quebec's cost of living? Or would grinding for just 1 or 2 additional years significantly alter my long-term success probability by buffering against a potential multi-year market downturn right after I leave?
• Does this plan look airtight for a low-maintenance Coast FIRE life at 31, or am I overlooking something? Thanks for any feedback!