r/coastFIRE

Over a year ago I made a post about how I hit $100k at 24 but I felt burnt out and wanted to quit my job. I asked for advice from FIRE people about what I should do and got a wide range of opinions. The most common advice was: get a hobby, keep your job and line something else up first, spend some more money, go on some dates, just be more balanced in general.

I have followed some of that advice. I increased my living budget, upgraded my room, and started taking trips with friends as much as I can, gone on dates, and have several hobbies. I’m too burnt out to pursue them as much as I’d like though.

However I still want to quit. It’s hard to live a balanced life you enjoy when you despise the way you spend the majority of your waking hours (your job). It’s hard to date intentionally people you’re attracted to when you are living to escape your own situation. I read stories on this forum of guys in their late 30s and 40s who have millions but their life is bankrupt. They have no love, few friends, and they’re just getting started socially. Retirement can’t fix that, FIRE can’t fix that, money becomes a mental escape hatch and does more harm at that point than good. No offense to anyone but I’m trying to avoid that situation.

For reference:
I’m an engineer and my job is incredibly dull.

I am on track to make over $100k in a LCOL area this year.

I only have 2 years of work experience, but I’m not a huge fan of my field. I’d like to avoid burning any bridges but at the same time I don’t want to become too locked into a tiny niche field.

By the end of this year I will turn 26 and have about $250k net worth with 0 debt and <$1500/mo living costs.

$200k is in broad market index funds with half in retirement accounts, $10k in vehicles, $10k emergency fund, $15k business fund (invested for now), and $15-20k cash for lean traveling and basic living expenses.

I have made up my mind to leave my job next spring soon after bonus season. I am not retiring of course, but I want to pursue other career options and travel while I’m young.

I love the FIRE movement but I’m not interested in retiring early if it means I have to live in misery for my entire youth and young adult life. Financial independence or partial independence is my ultimate goal, more like CoastFI than full FIRE, at least until my life is grounded.

So, please stop me… or encourage me if you think that I’m doing the right thing.

Has anyone here taken a leap like this?
Am I throwing away something I can’t get back?

Bestow your wisdom.

To clarify:
I’m not retiring. This is a question about taking a career sabbatical and then coming back to a new job.

I’m not asking if this is the safest possible career path. I’m asking if I’m throwing away something I can’t get back.

I posted this in r/FIRE and got an overwhelmingly negative response to quitting.

I (39F) just learned about Coast FIRE. The calculators I’ve used say I’m good to go. This is hard for me to accept and actually change my ways, so I am looking for some external validation.

Goal: Retire at 60

Expenses at retirement: $96,000 including multiple retiree health care options from jobs.

Roth/401K balance: $460,000

Brokerage account balance: $30,000

Pension available after 40: $3000 per month

Question: Do I reduce my 401K contributions to 7% to continue to receive my employer match and invest the difference in my brokerage account and further reduce my retirement age? Or do I need to continue to contribute large amounts to my 401K?

39yo $556k total invested:

- $282k in 401k
- $135k Roth IRA
- $120k brokerage
- $14k HSA

- $140k in HYSA

I’ve looked at a few calculators as well as AI and have gotten mixed results. Would I be able to retire at 65? I still plan on contributing but just trying to see where I’m at currently. Expenses between $100k - $120k but could probably go cheaper

I am at 2M invested and about 1.1 of that is in my taxable brokerage. I have 150k in HYSA to help support living expenses and keep magi at a certain level for ACA subsidies and hedge against SORR if market drops.

The rest is mostly in traditional IRA with a smaller amount in Roth. I plan to do Roth conversions when my income is lower after quitting my full time job.

I am a renter and am a former homeowner but honestly don’t really want to own again. Everyone keeps advising me against this but I prefer mobility and being able to move if I want. I also live in a HCOL and property taxes are not cheap. I get a better location by renting than what I could ever buy with the inflated home prices and property taxes.

I’m 45 years old and single and never plan to marry or have kids. I’ve tallied up expenses over the last few years and I am comfortable saying 75-80k is reasonable. Even less if I leave the HCOL when I quit working.

Knowing all of this somehow I am still afraid of quitting work. All the numbers I’ve run tell me I’m in a good position, but I am still feeling afraid to pull the trigger.

Healthcare in the US is the one thing that’s a big wildcard. I have calculated based on current ACA subsidies but who knows what’ll happen in the future. Anyway, I would be interested in hearing from others who have been in a similar place as me and if you did FI and quit work early, how has it been?

Situation

Age 40, spouse (earns ~$24K), son age 10. Household income is mostly mine (~$130-140K).

Goal: stop working at 45 or take on less stress work if I have to.

Expense: Approx 75 - 80K / year.

Assets (approx.) :

401k = $827K

Taxable brokerage = $182K

HSA (invested) = $105K. Total = 113K

Cash/CDs/HYSA = $130K

Roth IRA = $42K

Investable total = ~$1.28M

Not counted: a 529 with $65K, and percentage in few shared properties.

Current allocation:

401k: That's 90% stocks ( snp500, large cap, world markets etc) and 10% bonds.

Brokerage: voo, schg and vxus, plus some legacy single stocks. Plan is to fund minmium 200 - 250/ week for another 5 years if possible.

Roth: VOO, SCHG, SMH, VXUS, maxed each year.

Plan:

- At 45, start a 72(t) SEPP on the 401k to bridge to 59½.... this seems very risky due to time horizion till 60.

- Fill the rest of spending from the brokerage, the Roth (contributions only) and the HSA.

- Claim Social Security at 63

My own Monte Carlo (10,000 runs, simplified): at $75K/yr, about a 79% chance the money lasts to 95. Assumptions: 8.5% return on the 401k, 7% on liquid assets, 3% inflation.

Questions:

If you are in same situation or has passed through same scenario...

1. Is a ~79% success rate over a 50-year horizon acceptable, or should I work 1-2 more years? Do you use guardrails or a variable spending rule?

2. Would you size the SEPP smaller than my full spending need to stay in a better ACA subsidy tier, and fill the gap from Roth and brokerage?

3)SEPP vs a Roth conversion ladder for a 45-year-old. Am I missing a better bridge?

4)How do you handle family health insurance costs from 45 to 65, given the post-2025 subsidy cliff? what are the options for health care?

5. Is 10% bonds plus $130K cash enough to protect against sequence risk in the first 5 years?

6. For FIRE planning, is a 3.25-3.5% withdrawal rate the right benchmark for a 50-year retirement?

7. What is the withdrawal % of portfolio are you considering or considered? Given it needs to work for 50 years from 45 to age 95..

Appreciate any input and feedback.

41m, single income, married with 2 5yr old kids. TC: $400K.

401k: $370k

Roth IRA: $26K

Roth IRA(Wife's): $22k

529s: $15k

HYSA: $20K

Taxable brokerage: $185k

Mortgage balance: $900k at 5%

Hi everyone! I'm 30, and my partner and I are planning to start a family in the next year or two.

My goal is to Coast FIRE my half of our expenses. If I can keep working full-time for the next 5 to 7 years, I'll have a retirement nest egg plus a bridge fund to cover my half of our expenses through my 40s until retirement age. That way I could stop working entirely, and my nest egg would keep compounding while I live off the bridge.

During those 5-7 years, my husband has his own business and sets his own schedule. My work schedule is also fairly flexible, so we're hoping to figure out the day-to-day together. Still, it all feels very daunting.

I'm in tech marketing, an industry that's quickly being replaced by AI. I'm seeing more and more layoffs and hearing from folks in their 40s who can't find another job in the field. I think it would be very difficult to step away for a few years and then try to get back in closer to 40, so I really hoping to hit my Coast number in one stretch. The way I’ve been living currently and hope to continue living until I reach my cofire number, is fairly restricted, we have a budget for everything that we do, and keep track of it every month. It feels a little overwhelming at times, but I’m hoping that it will all be worth it.

My current job is remote and fairly low-stress, so I'm really hoping to keep it. But I have a lot of fear about the stability of my role in general, since I've been laid off multiple times in just the past handful of years.

This is constantly on my mind: What if I can't work for the next 5 to 7 years? What if I change my mind after I have a child? I find myself negotiating with myself and doing the math, trying to see how long I can push off starting a family so I can save as much as possible while my job is still stable.

I'm also afraid that once a baby is here, all my determination to hit Coast FIRE will go out the window and I'll want to stay home. It's almost like I believe the person I'll be after having a child will be very different from the person I am now.

I'm really torn on whether it's realistic to start a family in the next couple of years and still reach Coast FIRE. I've been stressed about this for months, and it feels like there's a lot of pressure on both sides.

I'm not looking for specific advice, but I'd love to hear from anyone who was working toward Coast FIRE while starting a family. How did you balance it, and did your goals change after kids?

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.

1. 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.

2. Annual Expenses & Burn Rate
   Total Annual Burn: $210k – $250k/year
   Fixed Housing & Utilities: ~$90k (mortgage PITI, maintenance, utilities)

3. 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).

4. Full FIRE (Both Quit): $250k spend against $8M base = ~3.1% Safe Withdrawal Rate (SWR).

5. Sabbatical / Solo Earner: I quit; spouse works. Net draw needed is ~$170k = ~2.1% SWR.

6. 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).

7. Where I Need Your Red Team:

8. 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?

9. 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?

10. Older Kids / Launch Costs: Aside from undergrad, how much did you realistically budget for graduate degrees, weddings, or first-home down payments?

11. 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?

Been dating my girlfriend for about 6 months. She recently heard about FIRE (financial independence, retire early) and got excited, but her version is that I should hit FIRE and she should be the one who retires first, especially if we have kids someday. Which suggests that I should start saving for her in tandem with myself.

Some context:

• She doesn't save much right now.
• She'd rather not be frugal and wants to live in the moment.
• I've been saving 35-80% in my 20's working FT/School FT and investing aggressively for years and would be the one making the sacrifices on small enjoyments, shopping, and some experiences.
• I'm already at 35% savings rate, to double this to 70%, and pay for housing, dating, cars, and travel would be next to impossible.
• I'm $500-650K CAD in XEQT at 30M, spend about $32K a year before housing and car payment.

I'm not against one of us staying home with kids eventually, but I'd want that to be a decision we make together, not an assumption. To me FIRE only works if both people are on board with the saving and trade-offs. If one person wants to enjoy the money now and then reap the benefits of time off later, it doesn't sit well with me.

For couples who've done this, how did you split the saving and spending? Is "you save, I retire" dynamic and those who retired first, was there any friction?

Here is my situation

• Current Income: 190k, wife: 100k, MCOL area. We are early 40s
• Savings 401k: 495k, HSA: 3k, Brokerage: 270k, HYS: 160k, Kids college HYS: 80k, Wife IRA/brokerage: 100k. Total not including kids account: ~1M. Wife works in state gov, so will get a pension
• Only debt is mortgage 180k remaining at 4.2%. We were thinking about moving to a bigger house, but changed our mind. We have too much in HYS at the moment, I'm averaging that into our brokerage every week
• Expenses are roughly 10-12k per month, depending on larger purchase like home improvements, travel, Xmas. We did an extensive budget, and we could cut it to 8k/month, but 9k is more breathable. That means I could make as little as 30k per month, but 60k we wouldn't have to change too much about our lifestyle

I'm a senior software engineer, working remote. I really liked my job until our company got bought by a Mag 7 company 3 years ago. I've survived all the layoffs, but I hate it here. The stress and company culture is doing real damage to my mental health. My wife loves her job and keeps telling me it is okay if I quit to coast fire. She is planning to get another certification that should bump her up to 120-140k in about 2 years.

We live in a semi-rural area, so most jobs are 40+ mins away. I've applied to some >min wage coast jobs like office manager, part time SWE, position at a local non profit, but not getting even an interview yet. I'm really struggling with the idea of working full time for min wage. It seems like a lot of work, potentially mind numbing, for so little $.

My wife says she would be okay with me even just being part time min wage if I'm working on the house, other certifications, working on small business etc. I would love to do this, and in theory 7% return on 1M is enough to cover the 30-60k we need, even if we just use like 40k.

I'm fine with the idea that we wouldn't be contributing to our retirement savings any more. 1mill over 20+ years should be more than enough, plus pension and SS (if it still exists). Even so, the idea of taking $ out of our brokerage just fills me with dread. I can't stomach it. That's the $ that is supposed to be growing our retirement. I've always been a person who saves up a lot first and then spends only a fraction after. I understand the market has ups and downs, but I'm afraid to be so heavily reliant on at least a 7% return. I worry about the future of the US government and shifting world powers, etc.

I also have shame of my high achieving parents disapproval when they learn, and a fear of my wife eventually resenting that I'm working way less even though I came into our marriage with 90% of the savings. She has assured me dozens of times that isn't the case, but it is still a fear. In theory I could get back into SWE if it doesn't work out after a couple years, but the SWE market is a nightmare now. Everything is changing so rapidly due to AI and seems like it will def hinder me if I'm out of the market during this time. I'm also neurodivergent and really struggle in interviews. I've essentially worked at the same company for my 20 year career, even though I've been through companies getting purchased a few times

Should I go work at Home Depot part time, or try to stick it out another couple of years without having a mental breakdown?

I find CoastFI to be a very fascinating milestone on the path to FI because it seems like:

a) so many people are interested in it

b) so many people have achieved it or are close to it

c) so few people actually take advantage of it

It's like, hey, that sounds cool.....holy shit, I achieved it....meh, might as well keep on doing what I am doing.

Why is it this way? Is CoastFI too risky? Is it not quite enough freedom? What are your thoughts?

Also, raise your hand if you're coasting - I would love to hear how you decided to coast and what it looks like for you.

Hi all, as mentioned in the title, the idea of not receiving a salary over next 6-9 months actually scares me (37m). It's like I am casted adrift and not knowing when I'll next see land. Context is that I realised that reached coast fire early this year. I tried to keep working but at a slower pace (practically coasting) at my work as a machine learning engineer in a hedge fund, and my team members noticed and the resentment is just building. I then realised that I'm burnt out and I really need to rest Otherwise, I think my number works:

Investment: 820k (coast fire)

Total nw: 1.3 million (include property and other assets)

Savings: 9 months of sabbatical + 3 month of emergency fund

Sabbatical intention is to take long deep rest and test drive retirement life while I still have the market value to come back into the market.

What helped you overcome this fear, if you had it?

Throwaway-ish post because the number feels weird to say out loud.

Quick background: 27, work in tech (engineering), based in Europe now after a US to EU internal transfer. Single, no kids, no mortgage. I know that matters a lot here.

Current breakdown:
401(k)s: ~$145k
Taxable brokerage: ~$77k
HYSA + checking: ~$57k
HSA: ~$2k
Vested company stock: ~$8k
Unvested company stock (vesting over the next 2 years): ~$237k

So call it ~$290k liquid/vested, or ~$527k if I count the unvested stock once it lands (planning to diversify out of it right away, not hold it concentrated).

Here's the part that got me. I ran the numbers assuming zero future contributions, because I moved abroad and literally can't put money into US retirement accounts anymore, and haven't started investing locally yet either. Just letting what I already have sit and grow at a 6% real return until 65.

Even in that "never touch it again" scenario, I land around $2.0 to $2.3M by 65 just from what I already have. That's basically my FIRE number for an $80 to $100k/yr retirement (25x rule). Add the unvested stock once it vests and compounds and it's closer to $4M+.

I genuinely did not expect to be coast FIRE at 27. Doesn't feel like I did anything crazy disciplined. Just started early, got lucky with RSUs, and haven't hit the big expenses yet (no kids, no house).

Kind of freaking out in a good way honestly. Anyone else hit this earlier than you expected? Did it change how you thought about work or spending, or did you just keep grinding anyway?

if not will max roth annually be sufficient?

current spend is really about 48k a year doing everything I want.

Maybe later it could be 60-70k but i don’t really spend on much.

I do plan on contributing just wondering if i hit first stage of coast fire?

I dont ever post on Reddit but need a sanity check.

My wife and I (34 y/o) are fairly disciplined when it comes to our finances. My wife over the last 5 years has had a great income, reaching around 200k in moderate COL area, and I make around 100k as a fireman. I recently have been having more and more issues with my back, stemming from my time in the military. Now finding out, I may end up getting disability for this (potentially 4200/mo tax free for life?) Still deciding how I feel about that - part shame i suppose, part who cares, it'll be good for my family. My wife also has citizenship in a low cost of living country that we have always dreamed of living in retirement.

We sat down and did a little audit of our finances as we typically do, and looking at the numbers from a different perspective has me thinking we may have access to way more freedom than I imagined. Our house will be paid off by the end of the year. Between both of our retirement accounts, we have approximately 500k invested. That 500k at an 8% return would be worth ~3-3.5mm when we hit 55.

After the house is paid off we will have ~40-50k in cash. If i end up receiving the disability pay from the VA, I am wondering what the point would be to continue to risk my back at the fire dept, other than my own pride and joy of the job.

Am I crazy to think about hanging it up and pursuing entrepreneurial passion projects and living abroad for part of the year with my family?

Other things to note: my wife is quitting her job when the house is paid off to be home with the kids. And i am approximately 5 years away from reaching the age where I can collect my pension from the FD, giving me approx 3k per month. Or I wait until 60 to receive it.

Also: we have also received gifts from family for wedding, birth of our child, etc, and used them wisely (downpayments on home or lump sum principle payments). Don't want to put anyone down for not necessarily being where we are at. We are very blessed.

37f, single, no kids, rent.

I make anywhere from $200-$400k/ year (I own a business in a somewhat volatile industry)

NW approx 1.5mil
VHCOL city
$600k invested with Vanguard
$50k play money on Robinhood
$850k HYSA (I know this is high. I frequently have to front anywhere from $100-$500k for jobs, sometimes multiple at the same time. And I have been casually looking for a condo or house to buy.)

Rent 3k
Office 600
Utilities range from 200-600
Food prob 1k+
Health insurance 400
Car insurance 200
Other spending probably 3k/month (travel, clothes, etc)
No debt

I currently don’t budget much and more or less do what I want. I am not a lavish person, but I eat out frequently, travel when I want to, and don’t think about money much

I like the work that I do, but it is tiring and stressful. But I also hate working a 9-5. Does anyone actually coast and are you happy with your life?

I still have other dreams and professional goals that would require significant investment (maybe $300k) but I’m starting to wonder if I really need to strive for them. Should I just invest most of my money and coast?

I feel I am at an existential crossroad

Thanks for your insight

My company just announced that remote employees must go onsite at least 4 days per month. I would ideally like to quit and find a part time remote position, but I’m worried that will be difficult with the current economy. Can I quit outright? Or should I try to stick it out until I can find a part time job?

My partner and I are both in our early 30s. Currently leaning heavily towards being childfree. My partner is supportive of being the primary breadwinner as I already take on most of the responsibilities for the home and pets. Our income is about the same, so I’d essentially be cutting it in half.

Partner take home: variable but on average $6K per month
House is paid off (likely our forever home)
Expenses: can probably live comfortably off $3K per month
401K: $150K
HSA: $20K
Etrade (mostly ESPP and RSU I’m holding on to for capital gains tax): $125K
Money Market / Savings: $350K

I’m new to FIRE, but I know that I need to move most of the $350K into some sort of investment. I would welcome and advice/tips on that as well.

Using a burner acct because I’m still in contentious severance negotiations with my company and may be identified putting together other info on my regular account. I think I am going to straight coastfire but it’s nerve wracking to think about.

I’m a burning out divorced doc in west coast HCOL with, even though I have 50/50 custody, a high child support/alimony payment locked in for the next 10 years. I have my own practice that I run and in which I employ other doctors (job 1) and see patients myself through that practice a couple days/week (job 2). There is no guarantee in the field I am in, that any of them won’t just leave at any time and (written in contract or not) take their patient panel with them. So basically, my income as a business owner tomorrow is never guaranteed. But so far none have left and it’s profitable and my seeing my own ppl is profitable.

I have also always had another part time job (job #3). Over time my income from that has grown as I take on more and more roles and responsibilities outside of just seeing my own patients. As has the stress from the job - it’s corporate-run medicine where more and more unsafe and unethical decisions are made while I have to do my best to still treat patients in these conditions that make it challenging to do so. Although it’s part time that I’m there, I also supervise other clinicians who are there full time and am constantly overseeing putting out fires on the days I’m not working there. I am going to be laid off from that job, after many years, due to their own corporate reshuffling and concern for their bottom line. It will be a substantial income hit, but it’s likely they ultimately are doing me a favor.

I have been able to aggressively pay off loans and save these last ~7 years. Here are the numbers:

Age: 40
Annual spend for at least the next 10 years (all in, including saving for college, child support, etc): $225k
Net worth - $1.9M
-~$500k of that is in retirement accounts, $100k cash and the rest (~1.3M) in brokerage mostly in VT/VTI and some target retirement funds.
Historical income up to this point: 625k
Income starting soon after part time gig lay-off: $350k

My gut reaction initially was to start looking for other side gigs to fill my soon-to-be-empty time (2.5d/week) or start opening my schedule for more patients in my own practice. However talking with my therapist, partner, friends, family, chatGPT, I have come to realize that I shouldn’t be living with the amount of stress I have been the past few years. I have had basically 3 jobs whose hours may amount to 40, technically, but the emotional and mental load of each is the equivalent to as if I were working each one full time. Part time seeing patients or doing administrative tasks, full time amount of stress and responsibility I walk around with x 3. Plus a single dad half the time which obviously also isn’t only 50% of the job “load.”

I want to mostly retire in my early to mid 50’s maybe seeing patients 1d/week, and then probably unless I absolutely love what I do again with the lower demands, be fully retired by late 50’s or 60. Crunching the numbers, it looks like I can get away with coasting for a decade as long as the markets don’t horribly suck.

I have been saving/investing 200-250k/year for at least the past 5 years. So as everyone discusses here, it’s HORRIFYING to imagine not saving anything. But nonetheless, I think if it’s possible to do my life would be completely and utterly turned around if I can spend 2-2.5d/week relaxing, hobbies which I am lucky enough to have but no time to do now (woodworking, golf, music, mycology, gym), and have 1/3 less of the work mental and emotional load as I do now.

On the other hand, I can fill 2d and accelerate my FI by a few years and then if I make it to my 50’s will be at a place quicker where I can decide to work a little or not at all. Or be much richer in the future than I would be with the coast plan.

I am not sure, but I THINK coasting now while my kids are young and while I’m in my 40’s is the right choice vs what I am inclined to do which is operate on fumes while continuing to race to financial independence. It just feels soooooo risky and scary. If I was commenting on someone else’s post I would say of course coast with this life and these numbers. But it feels so different being the one actually in the position.

So anyway, is there anyone with advice, perspective or, hopefully reassurance? Anyone who had a similar situation and decided to coast or not to coast and are either glad or regretful that you made the decision you did? I am both excited and terrified.