u/Ok_Rent_2937

Please throw shade and rant at me as much as you like. Yes, I am humblebragging too, and sorry if you don’t like that.

Anyway, came to US many moons ago with just 2 suitcases of clothes and scholarship to do MS in non-CS field - in fact one of the engineering disciplines that was looked down upon in India - like beta why are you studying this obscure subject.

Any way, finished studies, got married, moved to SF Bay Area, started working in a tech backwater field - not software or mobile or social media or anything hot. Only got paid salary, no stock. Still working, still getting paid only salary, no stock. Did not move up much, stayed as individual contributor. Got GC, became US citizen.

Bought starter house with 5% down. Sold house, bought nicer house (starter + 1) with profits. House has ballooned to $3.1M in value (thanks Silicon Valley techies) and I have $2M in equity. Locked 2.6% fixed rate (I was going for interest only ARM, but bank refused to lend me, thank God), paying $5k per month.

Spouse and I kept maxing 401k, and saved extras into brokerage. Just bought index funds, no individual shares. Never tried options trading, hedge funds, leveraged trading etc. Never tried investing in India bcoz we did not want more complexity. Never tried buying real estate as investment to avoid hassle.

Now portfolio is $4.1M

Net worth is $6.2M.

INR is at 97 to USD.

INR NW is 60 crores. That’s ridiculous money by my standards. Roast me. Peace out.

Will get $120k per year in social security and pensions in 8 years. That by itself is FIRE money if in India and many other countries without touching portfolio.

54/52 couple, both working.

HH has 3 streams of income

Job 1: $265k per year (salary plus bonus), no stock

Job 2: $200k per year salary, no bonus and no stock

Side gig: $100k per year, may continue at some level even after jobs 1&2 stop

Savings:

Pre-tax retirement accounts: $2.8M

Cash, post-tax brokerage, 529: $1.3M

Home: worth $3.2M

Liabilities

Mortgage: $1.1M outstanding, 30 year fixed loan at 2.625%.

Expenses: let’s say $20k per month broken up as

Mortgage: $5.1k per month

Property tax: $2.1k per month

All other expenses: $12k per month

Cars: fully owned, no monthly payment

In 8 years, will receive social security and pension from one job totaling $7k per month

In 10 years, add another social security worth $3k per month.

Can we retire now and bridge for 8-10 more years till full SS/pensions kick in?

Or alternately, can one spouse retire and we downshift to single income plus side gig?

As per rule of 55, one 401k worth $1.1M becomes liquid next year. In 3 years another 401k worth $1M will become liquid.

I have worked past 25 years in structured corporate jobs. Always a paid servant and cog in a wheel. Not been particularly successful at it - failed to launch as a manager but have managed to hang in there as an individual contributor by swallowing my ego, not talking back, not being too demanding, and quietly trying to do the job I have been assigned.

Been saving diligently along with spouse. Hence, reached a reasonably good financial position with:

$2.8M in pre-tax retirement

$1.3M in cash and post tax brokerage

$2M in VHCOL area home equity (but still have a sizable mortgage of $5k per month)

Apart from that mortgage, monthly spending is about $12k.

I know that we are at Coast FI, because the portfolio moves significantly more in any given month than how much we can save that month. So, pretty much our financial future is in the hands of Mr. Market, and that’s fine - S&P 500 seems to be chugging along.

I also know that in 5-6 years, we can FIRE with a portfolio value of around $6M. But then, I don’t want to just retire and do nothing. I can’t slow travel like a nomad because of some responsibilities.

Hence, would like to start developing some paths to a part time work in retirement so as to:

1. Keep some professional identity

2. Structure the days/weeks

3. Keep mentally alert

4. Earn some spending money

I don’t want to volunteer for free because I would probably not take that too seriously myself. A little bit of paid work imparts positive responsibility, I believe.

So, what are some ideas for meaningful part time work in retirement for someone who has spent their career in a 9-5 corporate office setting?

I have worked past 25 years in structured corporate jobs. Always a paid servant and cog in a wheel. Not been particularly successful at it - failed to launch as a manager but have managed to hang in there as an individual contributor by swallowing my ego, not talking back, not being too demanding, and quietly trying to do the job I have been assigned.

Been saving diligently along with spouse. Hence, reached a reasonably good financial position with:

$2.8M in pre-tax retirement

$1.3M in cash and post tax brokerage

$2M in VHCOL area home equity (but still have a sizable mortgage of $5k per month)

Apart from that mortgage, monthly spending is about $12k.

I know that we are at Coast FI, because the portfolio moves significantly more in any given month than how much we can save that month. So, pretty much our financial future is in the hands of Mr. Market, and that’s fine - S&P 500 seems to be chugging along.

I also know that in 5-6 years, we can FIRE with a portfolio value of around $6M. But then, I don’t want to just retire and do nothing. I can’t slow travel like a nomad because of some responsibilities.

Hence, would like to start developing some paths to a part time work in retirement so as to:

1. Keep some professional identity

2. Structure the days/weeks

3. Keep mentally alert

4. Earn some spending money

I don’t want to volunteer for free because I would probably not take that too seriously myself. A little bit of paid work imparts positive responsibility, I believe.

So, what are some ideas for meaningful part time work in retirement for someone who has spent their career in a 9-5 corporate office setting?

I feel that my career has plateaued in USA - while I have a good steady employment, I not received any promotion in over 10 years and my job scope is also limited as an individual contributor (IC). I was initially hired by this company as a first level manager with a group of 5 reports, but things did not go well for the project. Management decided to demote me back to IC, and my boss who was a Director hinted that I should leave. Well, I kind of froze, lost confidence, and did not leave. I lost self esteem and thought of myself as a failure in career and decided to just do my 9-5 as quietly as possible and get laid off when the next reorganization came.

But they never laid me off and I never left and now it has been 15 years working in the same company, and I have remained an IC (though I have been able to move laterally to different roles).

But now, it turns out that my field, which is quite mature in USA, is seeing a renaissance in India. Is it too late for me to try to jump start my career by moving back to India and starting a job hunt there? May be hard to convince spouse, but at least I can entertain the idea and see if there is some chance in theory to advance.

We have saved a decent amount of money in USA. Portfolio has $4.15M, and our home equity is $2.1M for a net worth of $6.25M. We also own an apartment in an Indian metro.

Can I try for senior level roles in India like Sr. Director or VP, despite never having been promoted above Sr. Manager in US? Or will I stand no chance?

Is it a good idea to return to India to pursue better career?

Spouse and I have been DIY investors so far, which is to say we maxed out our 401ks for several years along with employer match, and saved any extras in a brokerage account in which we bought SPY and QQQ index funds. The only other intentional thing we did was to set up a 529 for kid.

Neither of our employers ever gave us stock, so we don’t own any individual equities, just index funds and a target date fund. Do, no concentrated stock positions.

We also bought a home, sold it, and then again bought another home along the way to live in, and managed to refi after the pandemic at 2.6% fixed.

Initially, the numbers were small, but over time they have begun to add up to significant amounts (at least to us). We have never used a financial advisor, and are now wondering when is a good time to do so? Now, or closer to retirement (whenever that happens. For now, we continue to work).

Numbers are as follows:

401k/IRA: $2.78M

Brokerage: $840k

529: $135k

Cash/CD: $365k

Total portfolio: $4.12M

Home value: $3.2M

Loan: $1.1M

Home equity: $2.1M

Own a condo abroad outright: $200k ish

Total net worth: $6.4M

We own 3 cars outright (steady Japanese non-luxury vehicles and low maintenance), but I don’t include value of those. Apart from the cars, we own clothing, furniture, pots and pans, a 60 inch TV, and a few smart phones, iPad, laptop. Did not include these as they have great value to us, but cannot be sold to anyone else for more than a few bucks.

We also are due to get 2 social securities and 1 pension upon retirement. Not sure how to value those, but they should pay out about $120k per year in about 8-10 years. Also have term life insurance policies, fwiw.

That’s it. Is this a relatively simple case where we can continue DIY, or should we start consulting with a professional financial advisor? What value can they bring at this stage?

I can understand the value of engaging a good financial advisor once we are in 70s since the mind may soften with age, but that’s 20+ years away…

Spouse and I have been DIY investors so far, which is to say we maxed out our 401ks for several years along with employer match, and saved any extras in a brokerage account in which we bought SPY and QQQ index funds. The only other intentional thing we did was to set up a 529 for kid.

Neither of our employers ever gave us stock, so we don’t own any individual equities, just index funds and a target date fund. Do, no concentrated stock positions.

We also bought a home, sold it, and then again bought another home along the way to live in, and managed to refi after the pandemic at 2.6% fixed.

Initially, the numbers were small, but over time they have begun to add up to significant amounts (at least to us). We have never used a financial advisor, and are now wondering when is a good time to do so? Now, or closer to retirement (whenever that happens. For now, we continue to work).

Numbers are as follows:

401k/IRA: $2.78M

Brokerage: $840k

529: $135k

Cash/CD: $365k

Total portfolio: $4.12M

Home value: $3.2M

Loan: $1.1M

Home equity: $2.1M

Own a condo abroad outright: $200k ish

Total net worth: $6.4M

We own 3 cars outright (steady Japanese non-luxury vehicles and low maintenance), but I don’t include value of those. Apart from the cars, we own clothing, furniture, pots and pans, a 60 inch TV, and a few smart phones, iPad, laptop. Did not include these as they have great value to us, but cannot be sold to anyone else for more than a few bucks.

We also are due to get 2 social securities and 1 pension upon retirement. Not sure how to value those, but they should pay out about $120k per year in about 8-10 years. Also have term life insurance policies, fwiw.

That’s it. Is this a relatively simple case where we can continue DIY, or should we start consulting with a professional financial advisor? What value can they bring at this stage?

I can understand the value of engaging a good financial advisor once we are in 70s since the mind may soften with age, but that’s 20+ years away…

Spouse and I have been DIY investors so far, which is to say we maxed out our 401ks for several years along with employer match, and saved any extras in a brokerage account in which we bought SPY and QQQ index funds. The only other intentional thing we did was to set up a 529 for kid.

Neither of our employers ever gave us stock, so we don’t own any individual equities, just index funds and a target date fund. Do, no concentrated stock positions.

We also bought a home, sold it, and then again bought another home along the way to live in, and managed to refi after the pandemic at 2.6% fixed.

Initially, the numbers were small, but over time they have begun to add up to significant amounts (at least to us). We have never used a financial advisor, and are now wondering when is a good time to do so? Now, or closer to retirement (whenever that happens. For now, we continue to work).

Numbers are as follows:

401k/IRA: $2.78M

Brokerage: $840k

529: $135k

Cash/CD: $365k

Total portfolio: $4.12M

Home value: $3.2M

Loan: $1.1M

Home equity: $2.1M

Own a condo abroad outright: $200k ish

Total net worth: $6.4M

We own 3 cars outright (steady Japanese non-luxury vehicles and low maintenance), but I don’t include value of those. Apart from the cars, we own clothing, furniture, pots and pans, a 60 inch TV, and a few smart phones, iPad, laptop. Did not include these as they have great value to us, but cannot be sold to anyone else for more than a few bucks.

We also are due to get 2 social securities and 1 pension upon retirement. Not sure how to value those, but they should pay out about $120k per year in about 8-10 years. Also have term life insurance policies, fwiw.

That’s it. Is this a relatively simple case where we can continue DIY, or should we start consulting with a professional financial advisor? What value can they bring at this stage?

I can understand the value of engaging a good financial advisor once we are in 70s since the mind may soften with age, but that’s 20+ years away…

Spouse and I have been DIY investors so far, which is to say we maxed out our 401ks for several years along with employer match, and saved any extras in a brokerage account in which we bought SPY and QQQ index funds. The only other intentional thing we did was to set up a 529 for kid.

Neither of our employers ever gave us stock, so we don’t own any individual equities, just index funds and a target date fund. Do, no concentrated stock positions.

We also bought a home, sold it, and then again bought another home along the way to live in, and managed to refi after the pandemic at 2.6% fixed.

Initially, the numbers were small, but over time they have begun to add up to significant amounts (at least to us). We have never used a financial advisor, and are now wondering when is a good time to do so? Now, or closer to retirement (whenever that happens. For now, we continue to work).

Numbers are as follows:

401k/IRA: $2.78M

Brokerage: $840k

529: $135k

Cash/CD: $365k

Total portfolio: $4.12M

Home value: $3.2M

Loan: $1.1M

Home equity: $2.1M

Own a condo abroad outright: $200k ish

Total net worth: $6.4M

We own 3 cars outright (steady Japanese non-luxury vehicles and low maintenance), but I don’t include value of those. Apart from the cars, we own clothing, furniture, pots and pans, a 60 inch TV, and a few smart phones, iPad, laptop. Did not include these as they have great value to us, but cannot be sold to anyone else for more than a few bucks.

We also are due to get 2 social securities and 1 pension upon retirement. Not sure how to value those, but they should pay out about $120k per year in about 8-10 years. Also have term life insurance policies, fwiw.

That’s it. Is this a relatively simple case where we can continue DIY, or should we start consulting with a professional financial advisor? What value can they bring at this stage?

I can understand the value of engaging a good financial advisor once we are in 70s since the mind may soften with age, but that’s 20+ years away…

So, I come from a middle class family in India. When I was growing up (4 decades ago), our family’s income was Rs 1500 per month, which was tight but sufficient to put food on the table, clothes on our back, and pay for my school fees. We had no car or scooter/motorbike. We walked or took public transportation. Later on, I got a bicycle. We had black and white TV on which I watched India cricket, Ramayan, Mahabharata, and some TV serials on Doordarshan. My Diwali firecracker budget was Rs 50, which bought a decent box of patakas.

Anyway, I managed to study engineering (not CS or EE, but one of the lower branches, as they say), and managed to land in US to continue studies. Got advanced degree in same field. Then stayed on to work in US since my field pretty much did not exist in India.

In subsequent years, always the concern was that my field did not have any significant presence in India, so there would not be any professional opportunities if I thought of returning.

Bought a house on mortgage with 5% down, kept DCA investing in US index funds in 401k and brokerage. My career did not do well, but I have stabilized and stayed as an individual contributor engineer for many years, still working in same niche field as my undergraduate and post graduate studies.

But something curious has happened. When I came to US, the USD INR rate was 35. Now it is 95. USD has depreciated, INR has depreciated more. Over time, my household’s assets have built up to $4.1M portfolio and $2.1M in home equity. For a total of $6.2M net worth. I know it’s a good number by US standards, puts us comfortably in top 5% here.

But in INR terms, it’s an astonishing Rs 60 crores!!! I don’t even know how to comprehend that much in INR. My parental home still runs very well on a budget of Rs 80,000 to 1 lakh. They are quite comfortable.

So, I now know that if I were to return to India, I no longer need to work. Great! Except that in the past 5 years, my field has finally started to grow in India, so the irony is that after all these years, I finally have a professional path in India … just when I no longer need it.

Such is life …

Early on, I had a promising start to my career and was able to work myself up to a 1st level manager at an up and coming startup within 10 years of starting my career, earning $133k per year salary.

But then things began to stall for me due to some life circumstances. I could no longer afford to put in the long hours required to progress from Manager to Director and beyond. The politics at work, jockeying, blame-game and competition among the ambitious types were all quite intense as well. As a first level manager, I got a glimpse into it and felt like I would not measure up.

Anyways, I ended up getting demoted from Manager back to individual contributor. I think the management of my company expected me to take the hint and leave, but because of my circumstances, I had no bandwidth or desire to search for another job. Instead I told myself that I will deal with job search once I got laid off (which seemed imminent at the time). I confided in my manager that I had some challenging personal circumstances and that I would try my best at work and was willing to accept whatever the outcome was. That was in 2014

Surprisingly, I did not get laid off. Not in 2014, and not in the next 5 rounds of layoffs after that. I never got promoted either. Just got left behind as an individual contributor and was asked to make some lateral role changes every few years. Kept getting 3-4% annual increments on average.

End result is that I now earn $220k after 16 years with the company. My salary has gone up by 66% compared to my starting salary. I work out of a desk on an open floor. No fancy office for me. Career stagnated, but I feel very grateful to my employer that they have kept me on the payroll. I add enough and more value than my salary, which is why I am on the payroll still, I have no illusions that anyone is doing me a favor. But I don’t do politics, and I am not seen as a threat to anyone ambitious. So, they don’t need to fire me.

So, in summary: 2010 salary was $132k, 2026 salary is $220k, up by 66%. Did not get any stock or RSUs of significance during this time - maybe $25k worth at most of grants.

In the same time, kept maxing out 401k and paying my mortgage. The portfolio and home kept going up.

In 2010 my net worth was $250k ($200k portfolio and $50k home equity)

In 2026, currently, net worth is $6.2M ($4.1M portfolio and $2.1M home equity)

So, while career stagnated, the net worth grew by 25x.

Don’t know how common my experience is. I had not heard about FIRE in my early days, so it never crossed my mind that I could retire early. 62 was always the age to retire. I am about 10 years away from turning 62, but now after reading the FIRE community’s stories and strategies, I am beginning to think of retirement before 62. Let’s see how it goes …

Early on, I had a promising start to my career and was able to work myself up to a 1st level manager at an up and coming startup within 10 years of starting my career, earning $133k per year salary.

But then things began to stall-out for me due to some life circumstances. I could no longer afford to put in the long hours required to progress from Manager to Director and beyond. The politics at work, jockeying, blame-game and competition among the ambitious types were all quite intense as well. As a first level manager, I got a glimpse into it and felt like I would not measure up.

Anyways, I ended up getting demoted from Manager back to individual contributor. I think the management of my company expected me to take the hint and leave, but because of my circumstances, I had no bandwidth or desire to search for another job. Instead I told myself that I will deal with job search once I got laid off (which seemed imminent at the time). I confided in my manager that I had some challenging personal circumstances and that I would try my best at work and was willing to accept whatever the outcome was. That was in 2014

Surprisingly, I did not get laid off. Not in 2014, and not in the next 5 rounds of layoffs after that. I never got promoted either. Just got left behind as an individual contributor and was asked to make some lateral role changes every few years. Kept getting 3-4% annual increments on average.

End result is that I now earn $220k after 16 years with the company. My salary has gone up by 66% compared to my starting salary. I work out of a desk on an open floor. No fancy office for me. Career stagnated, but I feel very grateful to my employer that they have kept me on the payroll. I add enough and more value than my salary, which is why I am on the payroll still, I have no illusions that anyone is doing me a favor. But I don’t do politics, and I am not seen as a threat to anyone ambitious. So, they don’t need to fire me.

So, in summary: 2010 salary was $132k, 2026 salary is $220k, up by 66%. Did not get any stock or RSUs of significance during this time - maybe $25k worth at most of grants.

In the same time, kept maxing out 401k and paying my mortgage. The portfolio and home kept going up.

In 2010 my net worth was $250k ($200k portfolio and $50k home equity)

In 2026, currently, net worth is $6.2M ($4.1M portfolio and $2.1M home equity)

So, while career stagnated, the net worth grew by 25x.

Don’t know how common my experience is. I had not heard about FIRE in my early days, so it never crossed my mind that I could retire early. 62 was always the age to retire. I am about 10 years away from turning 62, but now after reading the FIRE community’s stories and strategies, I am beginning to financially plan myself for retirement before 62. Let’s see how it goes …

Anyway, my advice FWIW is: the area under the curve of earnings vs time matters more than hitting an earnings peak that you cannot sustain. So, if you can find an employer or job where you can sustain for a long time, it’s worth doing so even if that means your career stagnates.

Early on, I had a promising start to my career and was able to work myself up to a 1st level manager at an up and coming startup within 10 years of starting my career, earning $133k per year salary.

But then things began to stall-out for me due to some life circumstances. I could no longer afford to put in the long hours required to progress from Manager to Director and beyond. The politics at work, jockeying, blame-game and competition among the ambitious types were all quite intense as well. As a first level manager, I got a glimpse into it and felt like I would not measure up.

Anyways, I ended up getting demoted from Manager back to individual contributor. I think the management of my company expected me to take the hint and leave, but because of my circumstances, I had no bandwidth or desire to search for another job. Instead I told myself that I will deal with job search once I got laid off (which seemed imminent at the time). I confided in my manager that I had some challenging personal circumstances and that I would try my best at work and was willing to accept whatever the outcome was. That was in 2014

Surprisingly, I did not get laid off. Not in 2014, and not in the next 5 rounds of layoffs after that. I never got promoted either. Just got left behind as an individual contributor and was asked to make some lateral role changes every few years. Kept getting 3-4% annual increments on average.

End result is that I now earn $220k after 16 years with the company. My salary has gone up by 66% compared to my starting salary. I work out of a desk on an open floor. No fancy office for me. Career stagnated, but I feel very grateful to my employer that they have kept me on the payroll. I add enough and more value than my salary, which is why I am on the payroll still, I have no illusions that anyone is doing me a favor. But I don’t do politics, and I am not seen as a threat to anyone ambitious. So, they don’t need to fire me.

So, in summary: 2010 salary was $132k, 2026 salary is $220k, up by 66%. Did not get any stock or RSUs of significance during this time - maybe $25k worth at most of grants.

In the same time, kept maxing out 401k and paying my mortgage. The portfolio and home kept going up.

In 2010 my net worth was $250k ($200k portfolio and $50k home equity)

In 2026, currently, net worth is $6.2M ($4.1M portfolio and $2.1M home equity)

So, while career stagnated, the net worth grew by 25x.

Don’t know how common my experience is. I had not heard about FIRE in my early days, so it never crossed my mind that I could retire early. 62 was always the age to retire. I am about 10 years from turning 62, but now after reading the FIRE community’s stories and strategies, I am beginning to financially plan myself for retirement before 62. Let’s see how it goes …

I know lot of Indians on student visa and H1B are returning to India from USA because the immigration system is too daunting and the jobs are more plentiful in India.

But with this pipeline of new Indians immigrating to US effectively shutdown, is US still worth trying to stay for those Indians already in the US with either GC or US citizenship? Or is it better for all Desis to R2I? In VHCOL places like Bay Area and NY/NJ, there are thriving Indian communities today. But the strength and vitality of those communities is arguably still dependent on maintaining a pipeline of fresh immigrants from India coming in. With that pipeline shut off, will the Desi communities in US slowly wither away?

Dual income household, should we be doing anything different or stay the course?

Dual income HH, ages 54 and 51. Been working continuously for past 26 years in corporate 9-5 jobs in VHCOL area, looking to retire from full time work in 8-10 years, and thereafter try to continue part time.

As of today, asset picture is as follows:

Tax deferred Retirement accounts: $2.72M

Taxable brokerage (incl. a 529 to support a kid): $950k

Cash: $360k

Total: $4.03M in financial assets

Own a home worth $3.2M, with mortgage balance of $1.1M at 2.6% fixed rate. Monthly payment is $5.1k.

No loan apart from the mortgage. We own our 3 cars outright, all are reliable mid-tier vehicles (not luxury brands).

Original target was to reach around $5M by age 62 ish, which seems achievable even without adding anything to savings.

Expect to receive $120k per year from 2 social security and 1 pension starting in 8 years. That plus $200k (4% of $5M) would result in $320k per year pre tax which seems enough to sustain lifestyle. But of course, don’t know what inflation will do to these projections in a decade.

If we keep adding to savings and remain employed for 8-10 years, may reach $7-8M, which seems to put us well over the top. So, there is some flexibility moving forward.

Should we stop maxing out 401k (with catchup and employer matching it works out to $95k per year for 2 of us) and instead save more in brokerage. Or just stay the course and don’t tinker?