If you had the money to retire at 30, your savings would be invested and on an average year your earnings would cover your expenses. You would have health insurance, so no worries there. The only catch is that you would have to keep your expenses at 65% of what you spend right now. Would you take it, or would you rather work a few more years for a better lifestyle and financial security?
When I was approaching 30 I was looking forward to kids, and that wouldn’t be sufficient to raise them.
In a couple years though …… once they are through college so I’m done with those payments and child support, living on 65% of my income would be easy.
I’d do it, but retiring early = doing my hobbies instead. Long days writing books, making art, volunteering, and pet sitting. Retiring would just mean working the jobs I want instead of the ones I have to.
65 percent of jack shit is not enough to live on my guy.
Good point, but also my question is pointless if you are already living frugally, because that would basically be “would you like more time and money?”
Yes I would like more time and money thank you
Can I get like 3 time and 1 money and… uhhh… a chocolate shake.
Depends on if I could afford to own a scrapyard/pick and pull first. As a welder and machinist, thats basically a playground for me. If I ain’t working, ill still be making. Otherwise, yes. I don’t spend much now as it is, but growing my own weed would probably drop me below 65% by itself.
We couldn’t. More than 65% of what we make goes just to cover the bills, so it wouldn’t be a possibility. Even if we didn’t eat or have a car.
Would be underwater and back at work within a couple of months.
If you mean some version of 65% of our current lifestyle like magically the house shrinks and costs 65% of what it currently does, then maybe? We don’t eat out much, don’t vacation much, don’t go out much already though.
If you mean health costs all covered, and no more retirement contributions and 65% of GROSS earnings, that would actually give me almost the exact same net pay, and wouldn’t be a different lifestyle. Those things cost 32% of my earnings and taxes 15%.
So I’m not sure exactly how to think about this but in short - I am more willing to work to have a reasonably good life, than to not work and not have a good life, but have a lot of free time. I do know how to have fun for cheap, have been poor before, but I like life now better than then.
It depends on what you mean by current spending. I’m putting almost a third of my pre-tax income into savings already. If you mean I can live off of 65% of my default post-tax salary, sure. That probably wouldn’t change too much from my current expenses, and I would love the free time. If you mean 65% of what’s left over after my normal contributions, then that would be pretty tough. I consider my current lifestyle to be relatively frugal, so that would be very hard.
I’m actually trying to achieve the FIRE lifestyle, so the goal is getting to the point where average post-tax returns on investments is at least annual expenses. But I can’t do it by thirty.
lol… You need like 2 million dollars and a paid off house to make it work in the US and that’s if you know how to manage money and control spending. AND no critical event happened like major illness etc
aka system is designed that vast majority of people can never ACHIEVE IT.
This is a highly pessimistic take. 2 million dollars would conservatively yield $80,000 per year. This would place you at the 70th percentile in the USA for individual income.
I won’t argue individual angle… But not having a family is sacrifice in of itself then.
My numbers did account for a family of 3.
With that being said, cashing out stocks or clipping coupons is a taxable event. Plus inflation and health insurance on a private market.
It is doable but still has risk.
Plus which 30 yo has paid off house and 2 million they earned?
Which 70 year old does either for that matter
No.
My mortgage and childcare are like 80% of my outgoings. Once the mortgage is gone and kids in school maybe
heck. health insurance is a third of my expenses as is. would take that in a heartbeat. not to mention whatever youthened me. thats just a bonus.
Become younger and get money? Sure.
65% of what I spend rn would ne unlivable
You never know what the future holds. Much better to work now while you are in a good position to do so, than to be forced to work later on, when you have been out of the workforce for years.
I don’t think most people could live on 65% of their current income. Many people are poor and can’t handle a surprise $500 expense.
I could live happily on the median income of my area (NYC) - $113,400. Even if I got a more expensive apartment, I could make that work.
I do wonder about people’s budgets sometimes. One of my friends has crushing medical, student, and credit card debt so they’re always struggling. But another friend was like “I can’t leave my job at [evil megacorp]! I need the money!” But when pressed slightly, their “needs” included broadway plays, fine dining, and every hot new game on steam (that they don’t even play). Most people are probably between those two extremes.
I, personally, also prioritize living life.
What’s the point of life if im going to eat rice and beans and never enjoy it. I’d simply resign.
My ‘needs’ include what makes me want to continue living, regardless of what it looks like from your perspective
My ‘needs’ include what makes me want to continue living, regardless of what it looks like from your perspective
My parents would fight about this sometimes. They would blur “need” and “want” together, and that caused difficulties. It’s imprecise and, in my opinion, immature, to conflate the two categories. If you’re looking at a budget and you smush everything into “needs”, how are you going to know what to cut? The electric bill by any reasonable metric is more important than another lego death star, assuming you plan to continue living in society.
Furthermore, “I can’t quit my job at [evil megacorp], because then I might not be able to do luxury dining experiences as often” is laughable. Like, sure, there’s no way to live pure in our capitalist hellscape. We all have bills to pay. But highlighting “I like broadway” as the justification for “I help build AI used by ICE to deport people”? Come on. I’d respect it more if they just said out right that they don’t give a shit about other people. At least that’d be honest.
If I had the money to retire at 30, I’d be so much richer than I am now that even 65% of that would still be more than I’m getting now. But if I was the kind of person who earns that much, would I be content with that? We’ll never know.
The only catch is that you would have to keep your expenses at 65% of what you spend right now.
Permanently? or like, adjusted for inflation? do I get rent control?
Because 65% of what I make now will be worth a lot less in 10 years.
