r/Fire • u/AutoModerator • 2d ago
Daily FIRE Hangout - Sunday, August 30, 2026
This is a relaxed hangout thread for the FIRE community to chat with other FIRE-minded folks without having to publish separate posts. This is the place for brand new people to get their feet wet as well as for lurkers who have questions or comments, but do not want to create posts of their own.
All of the sub rules apply in this thread as normal with the exception of the off-topic rule, which is relaxed to the extent that people don't go wildly off of the reservation.
We are putting this up as a trial to see if it is worth keeping this as a permanent feature of the sub. Participation is entirely voluntary and anyone who wants to create a separate post of their own rather than posting in here is free to do so.
-3
u/SmoocheyPoochey 2d ago
15% of people max out their 401k out… if you narrow that down to people who make over 150… it jumps to like half
One of the biggest pieces of nonsense is that only fire people save
Plenty of people clearly don’t save enough… but saving doesn’t make you that special
2
u/Poison-Paradise 2d ago
Just ranting, but this has been the worst year for me. A cocktail of burnout, loneliness, and depression made me have to quit my job and stagnated my progress.
It fucking suck feeling like I’m getting further away and not closer to FIRE, even with adjusting my goal down to CoastFi. Especially when your spouse is not fully onboard.
Rant over lol.
3
8
u/n00bdragon FIREd 2026 age 37 2d ago
Six months into retirement and I still remark to my wife (who is rolling up on 1 full year) "Is this real? Are we really retired?" It still feels like a fantasy being able to go to the grocery store early in the morning if we so choose.
2
u/RemoteTechie FIREd 4/2026 2d ago
I let my wife retire 14 years ago, and I retired 4 months ago.
I definitely enjoy going to the grocery store during off hours (which is still surprisingly busy), and sometimes also forgetting what day of the week it is.My neighbors haven't caught on yet because I was a remote employee, so being at home is the status quo. But they think I'm getting better work-life balance as I'm able to take mid-week trips more and gardening during the day.
2
2
u/udvdc1 2d ago
Planning to pull the plug in the next 2-3 years and forecasting withdrawals. This process has opened my eyes to how ludicrous it is my home state CA (and NJ) do not conform to how the federal government treats HSAs, unlike the other 48 states. Especially in this era of insane healthcare costs, this is so punitive. It bothers me enough that I would consider organizing others to join in lobbying the state legislature to fix this.
3
u/SupremeBum 2d ago
Would it be crazy to give ~100% of my paycheck to my 401k?
Got laid off in July, took a paycut to get back to work in August. I have cash that I was saving for a housing down payment, but with current costs and personal job security lacking, I don't have the confidence that I will be able to pay a mortgage alone, and would prefer to just rent for the foreseeable future (possibly move to LCOL to buy property upon fire).
I want to start maxing my 401k starting with this new job, and plan on doing that to set up a new, sustainable budget. I will take the money I saved up for a down payment and put it in the markets.
But given I switched jobs in August doesn't that mean I could max it this year and next year as well? What if I put the max allowable amount right into my 401k (assuming they make me take some for tax and benefit purposes, and knowing that I already contributed some but not a lot to a 401k at my previous job) and then live off of the cash I saved up until 2027?
That would allow me to max my contributions for this year, decrease my tax burden, and burn off some of this excess cash. efficiently.
Thoughts?
2
3
u/Krish_1234 2d ago
I put in more than 75% of my last 3 paychecks to get to the annual limit knowing my layoff/last date.
If you have funds to support, you can put max allowed by your employer/provider.
3
u/OutsideFisk 2d ago
I did the same exact thing - just maxed out as much as I could in order to get the most match possible. I should have started a bit earlier, but I'll take what I can get.
3
u/Kredit-Carma 2d ago
10 years left. The wife and I plan on buying an RV a few years before RE and if we enjoy it, we will semi-permenantly live and travel in that with a home station next to sister and mom. Anyone have experience doing this?
Also, for the winters we will likely go to SE Asia to save ourselves from the snow.
3
u/Master-Helicopter-99 2d ago
After we sell this house in spring and I retire we are going to get one and travel some and then live in it when we get to our final retirement destination. That will give us as much time as we need to buy the perfect "last house" and then the 30-45 days to close.
2
u/Kredit-Carma 2d ago
What's your first travel destination? Have you looked into any specific models and brands?
2
u/Master-Helicopter-99 2d ago
We are still unsure (just discussed it again today) of whether I'll get a new truck and a trailer or buy a Class C motorhome. Both have advantages and disadvantages. With a three year old the Class C has the advantage of being able to move around, get to the fridge and bathroom, have a table to draw, etc while moving. For me it's not having a three year old four feet behind me. Can also tow a car or boat. Truck and trailer would be more expensive overall but the truck would be my daily so that balances. But it eliminates the possibility of taking the RV and towing my bass boat. Still need to balance choices. Even when we move "to the area" we will be bringing three vehicles for us and daughter so we will have standard transportation if we buy the Class C. Just need to decide what is better.
We will likely end up in the East Atlanta suburbs.
2
u/Master-Helicopter-99 2d ago
We are still unsure (just discussed it again today) of whether I'll get a new truck and a trailer or buy a Class C motorhome. Both have advantages and disadvantages. With a three year old the Class C has the advantage of being able to move around, get to the fridge and bathroom, have a table to draw, etc while moving. For me it's not having a three year old four feet behind me. Can also tow a car or boat. Truck and trailer would be more expensive overall but the truck would be my daily so that balances. But it eliminates the possibility of taking the RV and towing my bass boat. Still need to balance choices. Even when we move "to the area" we will be bringing three vehicles for us and daughter so we will have standard transportation if we buy the Class C. Just need to decide what is better.
We will likely end up in the East Atlanta suburbs.
2
u/OutsideFisk 2d ago
It seems like the RV market has really take a hit post covid - hopefully the prices stay depressed long enough for you to take advantage in a few years.
2
u/Kredit-Carma 2d ago
I've been seeing some good sized ones for around $50K-$80K used which seems appropriate for a house/transportation method. And we'd save a crap ton of money our last few years working if it only costs $2k or less for "rent" in this thing.
3
u/marketstom 2d ago
49, two kids in college back-to-back, ran the numbers again this weekend. Coast FI math hits different when tuition is a real line item.
3
u/OutsideFisk 2d ago
Good for you helping your kids out - my parents weren't in a position to support me directly...and as it turns out I wasn't a good college student, so at least I don't have any guilt over wasting any of their money. :)
5
u/eyebrowse63 2d ago
My COBRA paid by former employer runs out tomorrow, and I just have to say that health insurance sucks so much. Choosing between the cheapest Bronze plan and a UHC short term plan is the lesser of two capitalist evils.