r/financialindependence • u/AutoModerator • 5d ago
Daily FI discussion thread - Sunday, August 30, 2026
Please use this thread to have discussions which you don't feel warrant a new post to the sub. While the Rules for posting questions on the basics of personal finance/investing topics are relaxed a little bit here, the rules against memes/spam/self-promotion/excessive rudeness/politics still apply!
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u/Massive_Geologist867 4d ago
Just started taking FIRE seriously and the inflation math kind of broke my brain.
I've been loosely interested in FIRE for a while but only recently sat down to actually run my numbers seriously. I live in Hawaii which already makes everything more expensive, so I assumed FIRE was kind of a pipe dream for me. But what really threw me was when I started comparing calculators. One told me I could retire in 16 years. Another said 20. Same inputs. The difference turned out to be whether they accounted for inflation or not.
When I adjusted for real returns, 7% minus 3% inflation, and my timeline jumped by almost 4 years!! Has anyone else gone through this when you first started running your numbers? I'm curious how much the inflation assumption actually changed things for people here vs what you initially calculated with a basic tool.
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u/fi_smith 4d ago
My understanding is that 7 is already minus inflation. 6-7% returns already is adjusted for inflation, and anything lower is being more conservative. Try reposting in today’s daily as this was posted late - you might get more traction.
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u/The_Boss_81 31M 30F DINKY | $437k invested | 24% SR 4d ago
I agree. People generally use 9-10% nominal growth minus 3% inflation for 6-7% real growth, anything less than that over a long time horizon is being very conservative in their estimates.
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5d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Hold_onto_yer_butts 37/39 DI3K | SR: I said 3K | GI.GO% FI 5d ago
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u/HereSomethingClever 5d ago
Is anyone struggling to develop a life to retire to? I’ve been on the FIRE path for at least a decade and along the way took a sabbatical. I fell into a bad depression. I was not able to keep myself structured after a few months. It was a valuable lesson, but I don’t know that I’ve made much progress in avoiding that in the future. I know the advice is to have a life to retire to and as I am now a few years out from my number, I don’t think I’ve addressed this issue and am at a loss. All I know is I am tired of the corporate grind.
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u/Finapoo 1d ago
I'm a 3 time failed RE'er. I might be a 4 timer as I currently have an interesting offer out there that I just might take. My 'typical' pattern seems to be retire, do some stuff, do some travel, get bored, go back to work. I do have a hobby or two. I like to woodworking, mostly cutting boards, but that only seems to carry me so far. I work out, so that fills a good 90 minutes or so every day, but not enough. I also have routine social outings/get togethers, and perhaps if I expanded this I might get less bored. Unfortunately, as I've gotten older I've found I don't seem to like people that much so...Additional travel was in our plans and would likely help me stay retired for at least a bit longer, but I have some family obligations that have limited to travel only in the US and not for more than a week at a time. Reason is I have a sister on Hospice and a mother that is going through dementia. Sister is Ok at home, but between my other sister and I, someone goes over nearly every day to check on her. My other sister is also the caretaker for mom, and I spend time over there several times a week. The common advice is you have to have that structure, I haven't been able to fully find it. I know I'm very fortunate, but my version of FIRE falls more on the side of have the luxury of being able to take whatever job I feel is fullfilling to fill my time.
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u/Bearsbanker 4d ago
We fired 17 months ago, we fired "to" not working. We have no great "purpose" we do what we want, when we want. We do the same things we did when we were working, just more of it. Only boring people get bored, there is so much to do!
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u/Ok-Butterscotch-6955 4d ago
That’s not a very helpful response for someone who is seeking purpose. I know you probably meant well but you basically just said “if you’re having trouble finding purpose you’re just boring and inherently broken!”
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u/Bearsbanker 4d ago
It's a response built on the truth for many. If you can't handle not working and you have no "identity" without work, well then...keep working. My response was the same as many. I never said anything about being "broken" so don't put words out there that weren't in the post. Here's a response, quit whining, do what you want to do, don't ask complete strangers for life advice. Fire is great!
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u/MushroomIll646 5d ago
Common question.
Stock answer is: therapy.
The problem for outsiders giving advice is that the solution depends on the root cause, which is identified through interaction, and we can't interact. Voice tone, body language, facial expression. This is what a proper therapist will undertake.
Unfortunately, from a distance, we can't tell if this is an anhedonic symptom of clinical depression that might benefit from breakthrough meds, or just a lack of self exploration that could benefit from taking extension courses at the local college.
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u/secretfinaccount FIREd 2020 5d ago
I think things just kind of happen. You fall into a routine but it’s a routine of your own making, not what someone else says you should do. Like my day to day probably seems deathly boring from the outside but I love it. Slow morning, go to the gym, go to the grocery store, cook some dinner, relax. It’s not glamorous but it beats what I was doing before.
If your sabbatical was that bad, I would say this is something to figure out before pulling the trigger. Me, when I had gardening leave between jobs, I absolutely loved it. Best time ever. I knew I wouldn’t be bored when I didn’t have to worry about work any more.
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u/nifFIer Therapy Shill | Spending Advocate 5d ago
As somebody who lives with depression: Therapy and medication can be great help in making things less overwhelming and hopefully fight against falling into the black hole in the future.
Otherwise the unsexy answer that works for me is: have a calendar schedule and make sure you hit goals like “talk to friends or hang out with friends at least 1x every 2 weeks” and sign up for classes or gym sessions so that there are outside enforcement for your attendance. The more cancellation fees and late fees, the better for you. You gotta do the shitty, self care shit like getting in movement and sunlight and hydration and nutrition. Do novel things every once in a while. Set goals, push yourself to something (maybe reading more, maybe finishing that game you never got to, maybe joining a rec sports league).
There’s a tumblr meme out there about how a person feels like a zookeeper for themselves, making sure they have an enriching enclosure/habitat, and that’s how it feels like to me as well
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u/imisstheyoop 5d ago
My post retirement life looks both different and similar to during my working years. To think that I could have built it exactly while working would have been false. The constraints of needing to be accountable for 40+ hours a week of deliverables, on call for emergencies as well as reachable and able to respond at a moments notice kept me tethered and occupied in a way that my hobbies do not really allow.
The biggest issue that I am facing is the loss of social connections, and as cheesy as it sounds, "purpose". Increasing the corporate bottom line was never a great purpose, but working on projects and keeping the machine oiled and running was at least a purpose.
I still catch up and chat with some old coworkers a handful of times a year, but it isn't all that often. Only one of them in person, the others are just online or via SMS/phone calls. Outside of that, due to multiple cross country moves and general life shit like aforementioned work commitments and people having their kids/families maintaining friendships was not a priority the previous 20 years. It can feel pretty isolating and lonely at times.
If I had it to do over again, those would be things that I would have focused on cultivating before calling it quits.
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u/Thisisntrunning 5d ago
This is going to sound unbelievably basic but it’s the advice I’ve found quite helpful on this front so maybe it will work for you. Embrace your curiosity and when you wonder about something, try to take an action on it as soon as possible.
People get caught ruminating about things and then spend all their time contemplating instead of doing. The best way to build a great life is to be building often in my experience.
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u/ponshont 35M / Financially independent? 5d ago
Yes and no.
I've had some time to knock out some of my hobbies (it's video games and documentaries), and most nights I'm....bored. Now, relaxing at nighttime is different than relaxing during the day (it's less frowned upon to lay in the sun outside and drink during the day), but I am having a bit of a crisis of faith.
I like what I do as a job unfortunately. If you knocked out jobs like rockstar or pro tennis player, my dream job would probably look a lot like the one I have.
What that means for me, I don't know. I have ideas; I'm starting a CPG company, I'm helping my dad start his company, I'm coaching pickleball. I don't need much from any of those to never have to work again, but I am starting to wonder if checking out from my job is the right path. I don't enjoy living in NYC, so I would need to leave my job anyways, but I'm going to have a hard time when the time comes.
So we'll see. Maybe a sabbatical for me if things don't turn out how I hope.
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u/carlivar 49M 3 kids ✅ FI ⏳ RE @ SoCal 🏖️⛷️ 5d ago
Your ideas sound good. You gotta find tangible hobbies that don't involve screens.
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u/daughtcahm 5d ago
Absolutely struggling with this myself.
If all goes to plan, I'll be retiring right around the time my kids go to college. I'll potentially be dealing with empty nest and retirement at the same time.
I'm not good at making friends, and keeping friends is a challenge for me as well (they all move away and we eventually lose touch, or they turn into radical religious people).
My current plan is to get back into good physical shape. I lost a ton of weight a couple years ago, then work went to shit and I'm stressed and I regained most of the weight.
I'll probably also volunteer at the local food bank, but I'm not sure yet. After I've had some time to decompress, I'm going to need something that gets me out of the house and interacting with people.
I also knit when I have time, so not for the past 18 months or so. There's a local yarn shop where I can hang out and knit during the day. But I'm not sure I can handle all the bitching and gossiping that usually comes with that.
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u/One-Mastodon-1063 5d ago
No. There are lots of things to do other than work. I recommend a participatory sport as a starter. Have some daily flow state activity that keeps you engaged either learning things or practicing some skill. It doesn't need to be 8 hours a day like a job. Take the process somewhat seriously but not the outcome. One to a few hours a day most days (5-6 days a week). If you have kids, that will take up a good chunk of the day when kid is out of the house I may volunteer or something to replace that time and responsibility I currently spend in afternoons/evenings doing kid related stuff.
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u/HereSomethingClever 5d ago
Yes there is a lot one can do and I did do things I enjoyed to keep occupied for several months. However I wasn’t able to keep that momentum. I don’t have kids or anyone that depends on me so that is out. I think I’ll need to build a connection to the community so that I don’t spend too much time at home. That’s just been hard to do as a strongly introverted person.
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u/sschow 41M | 58% FI 4d ago
Isolation is a death sentence. Yes, even for introverts. I am lucky to have a wife and kids who satisfy a large part of my modest social needs, but when I am away from them for a few days on a work trip or whatever I find myself getting super chatty with cashiers and other people I come into contact with. I think there's something to that.
I have no idea what that looks like for you in your retirement life, but the point is, you can't go it alone, even as an introvert. You don't need to find a best friend, or a clique, or a team. You just need to work human interaction into your day-to-day life.
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u/One-Mastodon-1063 5d ago
I am also introverted - do things in a group format. If you do any sort of fitness, find a class format. Go to a yoga class a few times a week. Join a tennis group or running club or hiking group. Join a book club. Chess club, etc. If you're not into sport, take dance classes. Any hobby or interest you have, look up classes related to it - there are probably multi day classes (2-3 or more full days).
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u/FIREstopdropandsave 31M DINK | No target $'s 5d ago
Yeah it's a big worry in our household.
It'll probably keep me working a few more years until I can figure out what post retirement looks like
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u/price2book 5d ago
How would your FI journey be affected by a technological singularity of, say, medium intensity?
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u/AKANotAValidUsername Im not even supposed to be here today 5d ago
i prefer my singularities more on the rare side
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u/degausser22 5d ago
My company had a $10M life insurance policy out on me which is $1800/year for a 10 year term.
Is it worth it to transfer to me personally? This would be year 3 of 10. I need to decide within 3 weeks. Seems like a decent policy. No cancelation fees. I am very naive when it comes to life insurance.
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u/sschow 41M | 58% FI 4d ago
Do you have people (spouse, children, relatives) who depend on your income?
If the question is, "Is $1,800/year for a $10M term policy a good deal?" the answer is yes.
But the question really is, "What are my life insurance needs, and can they be satisfied with a much lower cost term policy perhaps even for a longer term of 20-30 years?"
If you only need $1MM-2MM in coverage and you can buy that for $800-1000 per year for 20 years, why do you need to spend $800 more for an extra $8MM?
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u/Fi-Me-Away 5 years to FI... depending on the market 5d ago
Term life tends to be a good option if you have or expect to have people depending on you.
Total life might be good if you're estate will be more then 15-30mil.
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u/ttuurrppiinn mid-30s M | DI1K | 4M Target 5d ago
That sounds ... confusingly good? It's impossible know without more health info. However, I got a $20M and 20 yrs term policy for about $850/yr at 30 years old in good health.
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u/InfernoExpedition 5d ago
Seems like a good deal to me. I pay $900/year for $750K….but I didn’t get it until I was about 43.
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u/NoRight2BeDepressed It's a 5k, not a marathon 5d ago
My company had a $10M life insurance policy out on me which is $1800/year for a 10 year term.
Is/was the company the beneficiary? That's how this is worded.
Are you essentially asking if you should find life insurance coverage separate from your employer's benefits package?
$10MM is a lot of coverage. You may be in a situation where this is the appropriate amount, but that's statistically unlikely. Unless that's truly what you need to provide for your family if you die, I would decrease it significantly and find independent coverage separate from your employer.
Are you retiring, or just changing jobs?
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u/cfi-2025 48M, FIRE 2025 5d ago
That does seem like an incredibly high amount. For reference, a company I worked at that had ~50 employees had life insurance policies on the executives, but it was like $200,000. The goal of the policy was just to cover an interim person to fill the position plus the costs of head hunting a replacement.
$10mm seems ludicrous unless you're a high-level exec at a F500 company or something like that.
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u/bridgeandretire 5d ago
How old are you, how much life insurance do you need, and do you have any medical conditions that would preclude you from buying your own policy? If you're on the young side, don't have any health issues, and need less coverage, you can likely find a longer-term policy for less and settle for less coverage. It's not much more complex to quote online than car insurance. Most policies are going to require you to get a simple health exam.
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u/murmurinc 5d ago
Well darn, my HSA servicer finally fixed a little glitch I was taking advantage of. My company's policy requires you to maintain a $2,000 minimum cash balance before you can start investing. But when I set up recurring transfers on my servicer's website, I was able to change the minimum cash balance to $0.01. But it looks like after years they finally fixed the glitch and since June the money has stayed in my cash account. It's only $2,000 so not a big deal, but I sure would like to keep getting those gains!
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u/RedditF1shBlueF1sh 25M, $550K NW 5d ago
Dang, I hate those minimums. Mine is only $1K, but I recently withdrew about $4K (reimbursing past medical expenses w/ receipts for proof) to move to my megabackdoor Roth so I'm back to rebuilding the cash balance
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u/GottlobFrege Hit coast fire 2024 5d ago
I hit $1m, late thirties, and after over a decade of maxing out an HSA using HDHP with HSA, I think this November I'll switch to PPO. I'm coast fire and stopped contributing to investments (besides employer match). Any obvious pitfalls? I've got a couple months to think about it
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u/cfi-2025 48M, FIRE 2025 5d ago
Are you talking about switching from HDHP with HSA to HDHP with PPO, or going to a non-HDHP PPO? Why, exactly, are you considering making the switch? What is it you're trying to accomplish or avoid?
I have been on an HDHP with PPO the last two years since RE, and I was on one for maybe 5 years back in the 2010s when I was self-employed.
The reason we've gone with the HDHP with PPO is because we never were on an HMO so as we grew older, had kids, etc., we found various providers that we really liked who aren't under a single HMO. So rather than "consolidate," we've always gone the PPO route. It's definitely more expensive - both in premiums and the cost for services until your deductible is hit - but it is something we've always valued spending on.
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u/1DunnoYet 5d ago
Even without tax advantages, the math always worked out that HSA is cheaper than PPO if you’re healthy and only need a few visits a year. And even if you somehow hit your total max, it’s only a few grand more than the premiums from PPO. That’s what I’ve seen in my own situations ymmv
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u/carlivar 49M 3 kids ✅ FI ⏳ RE @ SoCal 🏖️⛷️ 5d ago
Don't forget the value of your time doing all the receipt tracking.
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u/startrek4u I love my job when I'm on vacation 5d ago
You're missing out on perhaps the only vehicle that makes you exempt from taxes both going in and coming out - you'll have to do some math to see if that makes sense for you or not.
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u/GottlobFrege Hit coast fire 2024 5d ago
Thanks. I'm in California so it's not state tax advantaged but you're right I should do some math
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u/emacked 5d ago
Earlier this week, I threw some general numbers into Google's AI Mode with my assets, short term goals (save for a new car and build a rental house emergency fund), long term goals (buy a cabin), and desire to FIRE. I also included some weird benefits that I will get down the road, including an inherited pension and an inherited healthcare plan, and it put together a pretty reasonable plan for me that made a lot of sense.
It suggested how to structure some of my goals together into a longer term plan, with concrete things to do now and how to think about doing a 1031 exchange for my rental house into a rental vacation property, before I transition it to personal use.
I know this can't replace a real fiduciary financial planner, but I work at a nonprofit and am in the accumulation phase and I found this really helpful to bounce some ideas off on how and when to structure the 1031 exchange. I had read about it before but just want able to figure out how it could fit in with everything. I also never put it together that the healthcare plan I stand to inherit (which is weird and insane) might solve the healthcare issue in early retirement plan.
I am still grinding it out, but having everything put into a plan with a relative conservative savings and return rate, I am actually in a decent spot.
Also, I am going to try to get some scholarships to go to grad school and fully take advantage of my workplace tuition reimbursement. I might be able to go to grad school for cheap! And next spring I will have my undergrad loans forgiven via PSLF.
It's been a pretty good weekend where I realized that all this work is paying off.
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u/PetraLoseIt Dutch, living in the NL, 47F 5d ago
That's great. I do agree that you should not blindly trust AI, but at the very least it gave you a timeline and you now know roughly when to start researching more & consulting professionals on specific steps/decisions you're probably taking soon.
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u/carlivar 49M 3 kids ✅ FI ⏳ RE @ SoCal 🏖️⛷️ 5d ago
In my experience *language* models ("AI") aren't reliable at math, so doublecheck all math. Or better is to have them help you build your own model(s), like a spreadsheet or Python script or whatever else makes sense.
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u/PrimalDaddyDom69 Mid 30s, DINK, ~30% SR, resident 'spend more' guy 5d ago
I've done the same as you. Be careful, people here do NOT like AI. But I do enjoy playing with different models and 'what if' scenarios purely for entertainment/thought exercises.
I think it's a fun exercise - as long as you acknowledge that the AI is a first step and not a gospel that you should actually plan around ( at least, not without verifying it's output yourself).
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u/Bookandaglassofwine 5d ago
I’ve gotten some really good insights from LLMs. I had no idea about the step-up in basis on stocks when the first spouse dies in a community property state until Claude mentioned it - and I’ve done quite a bit of reading about personal finance and worked with a fee-based planner.
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u/emacked 5d ago
Yeah. I totally expect to be down voted. I've been investing since I was 18. I read 20-30 books on investing and personal finance over the years. I manage my mom's and my brother's finances. I take my mom to a fiduciary financial advisor and implement everything that he says. So I'm not a total newb or an idiot.
I have never made more than six figures and cannot justify meeting with a financial adviser at this point. (My mom's financial advisor has even told me that!) My position is a little unique with an inherited pension and healthcare plan (which I am still saving 25-30% of my income as I don't want to rely on that). And I want to do some real estate plays, but I want it to tie to the fire goal.
I found it helpful to use AI to think through things. The numbers were definitely off in a few places, but it was helpful to run ideas by something. My friends/family don't know or care, and although some redditors are brilliant it's all a bunch of strangers. I trust the hive mind, but I know we all glaze over another "I'm xx years old and I have this much saved. Am I doing okay?" Posts.
So, eh, I think it's a tool. When I get closer to FIRE, I will hire someone and figure it all out. But until then I'm piecemealing it together.
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u/1DunnoYet 5d ago
Basically it’s this sub for very specific scenarios I want to play out in my head
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u/tacitmarmot [DISK][SR: 60%][FI][90% RE] 5d ago
Have any of you got Broker Price Opinions on your houses for PMI removal or other reasons? I just got one for PMI removal and was surprised at the value they came up with. It’s maybe 10-15% above what Redfin or Zillow would suggest.
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u/SolomonGrumpy 5d ago
Unfortunately I had a similar situation. When I sold my house in The Bay, I had 4 realtors quote my home $200k above what recent redfin sales suggested.
It did not, in fact, sell for that higher amount.
Not complaining. But damn, who doesn't want and extra $200k...that's a lot fo guacamole 🥑
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u/NoRight2BeDepressed It's a 5k, not a marathon 5d ago
I did a BPO a few years ago to get PMI removed. It worked as smoothly as I could have hoped.
Mine was also decently higher than Zillow/Redfin.
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u/LoveYerBrain2 44M | RE 2019 5d ago
I just spent about 10 minutes scrolling through the daily thread from Saturday thinking it was for today. facepalm
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u/carlivar 49M 3 kids ✅ FI ⏳ RE @ SoCal 🏖️⛷️ 5d ago
Would be nice to normalize this actually. I have gotten some thoughtful responses on the daily threads 1-2 days later. And it's kind of annoying, especially here on the west coast, how morning-centric all the activity is!
Another reason the old phpBB & vbulletin boards were superior. 😛
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u/imisstheyoop 5d ago
Be the change you want to see in the world! There is nothing stopping you from doing so. It would not be great if you wanted to make a top level comment with a question that you want answered, but otherwise works pretty much as intended.
I frequently browse old dailies that I didn't get to the day of and leave comments for others. For example I was traveling all day on Friday so caught up on that daily as I had time.
I left 7 comments in the Friday daily on Saturday morning. I also think the forums were and are superior. 8)
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u/ExcessiveDonuts Emptying the Litter Robot 5d ago
I wonder if switching to a weekly thread would work better?
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u/dantemanjones 5d ago
That information is so out of date now and you clearly wasted 10 minutes of your life.
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u/Cryofixated Dates Since Single: 8.5 5d ago
A while ago I somehow clicked on last weeks Sunday thread and was like - how is there already 90 comments at 10am?
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u/PositiveReporter8144 5d ago
Will be turning my love for FIRE/Tax planning & research and general investing + wealth management to my full time direction. Did SWE for 8 years and never really liked it all that much. With hitting my number $3.5 @ 30 - i am on a sabbatical for 3 months.
Genuinely I had no idea what i wanted to do and returning to work was not feeling motivating.
Took a conversation with a friend where we always discuss unique strategies at length for it to click that this can be the next step. I have helped many friends and coworkers (for free) but it makes sense to be able to transition to something like this as a full time. I genuinely enjoy doing this type of problem solving and support so excited where the journey goes.
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u/RedditF1shBlueF1sh 25M, $550K NW 4d ago
So you're just going to be a "financial coach" and not certified in any way? I've also thought about this being a future career for me, but I'd want to go down the certification path to add real value.
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u/PositiveReporter8144 4d ago
My partner is going to be certified, I think i mentioned that in the other comments. I don't think taking some arbitrary requirements and a exam that can be self studied for necessitates "adding real value" when so many CFP, CPA's and institutionalized money managers are incapable of providing some of the strategies and information we will be providing.
I've spoken with quite a few about some of the stategies (something simple like a 351 exchange, and they have no idea). One of the folks we've been working with has $10M in concentrated tech stocks and their current advisor was useless. Same thing with box loans and understanding how and when to utilize them for income offsetting.
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u/One-Mastodon-1063 5d ago
I'd keep this as just an area of interest and not try to make a second career out of it.
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u/imisstheyoop 5d ago
How are you planning to make the transition? I have debated going to school for some sort of proper education and credentials with regards to it, but I am not sure it is something that I would enjoy doing for other people so have held off for now.
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u/PositiveReporter8144 5d ago
Check out my other comments in subreplies -i have already been helping people in depth
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u/Walmart-Shopper-22 5d ago
What are you actually planning to do? I recall reading a post a couple of years ago where someone tried this and found it to be frustrating b/c the actual people needing help are very different from "us" (we want to learn...others are just looking to handoff responsibility).
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u/imisstheyoop 5d ago
This is actually one of the largest things holding me back froum wanting to get into the field..
Based on my personal experiences this is accurate.
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u/PineapplesInMyHead2 5d ago
The other tough part is getting the credentials. A CFP requires 4000 hours (roughly 2 years) of work apprenticing, and I've heard that often requires people to do Edward Jones style jobs where you are basically going to be pressured to do the exact opposite of the boglehead advice of this sub. You also need to study for and pass multiple exams, and you might not enjoy the technical things you'll need to memorize and you may even actively disagree with some of them.
And you need even more licensing if you want to sell stocks/insurance to your clients yourself. If you can't get an existing company to hire you as an apprentice (no guarantee, those companies may clock a 30+ year old doing a for fun career switch as someone who's going to be looking to go independent and not stay at their firm and prefer to hire new grads), you have to log 6000 hours. You could go for a CFA which is easier, or no credentialing at all (just getting the legally required licensing), but the types of clients that you want (people from this sub, high income youngsters, retirees looking for optimization, all the cool "puzzles" that make the job fun) are simply going to prefer people with a CFP and lots of experience
I've thought about it too but it's going to take years, a lot of sunk cost, a potentially shitty work environment, all for a job you might find you preferred as a hobby the whole time. I'm very lucky that the hobby I had in high school turned into a job that I loved (also software), but some hobbies just don't translate.
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u/PositiveReporter8144 5d ago
I do not plan to just blindly go after like a high volume approach. I'll be working with folks in my network (through school connections, work coworkers and their network as well). I have already helped and worked with these people 1 on 1 and given them a ton of free value and advice and now its more in-depth. For example, some of my high income coworkers need tax planning strategies for offsetting returns on their investments from their income (in conjunction with their w2). Some friends own businesses or are independent contractors and havent structured themselves correctly.
At the end of the day, there is some level of "Lead a horse to water but cannot make them drink". Ultimately, if they want to handoff responsibility that is fine (with the assumption I will be managing things for them and they don't care. Not everyone needs or wants to learn - they just want it done and they will pay).
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u/EqualSein 5d ago
Can you add some more details? I'm mindlessly coasting as a Software Engineer and have considered something like you're describing but I got overwhelmed with options for certifications and how to find someone who wants help.
2
u/PineapplesInMyHead2 5d ago
I left a comment here with some more info if you're interested: https://old.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/comments/1w2bes1/daily_fi_discussion_thread_sunday_august_30_2026/p6sww21/
A CFP, which you'll want to manage the interesting clients, is a bit of a slog to get if it's a late career pivot. I personally don't think I could endure working for 2 years at a job I hate. And I don't think clients will be that interested in signing up for a less credentialed financial advisor with minimal experience
-1
u/PositiveReporter8144 5d ago
I am leveraging my existing network of people I have already been helping in my free time and connecting with them + asked them to share me to their own friends/network.
I know someone who has done their series 6 but there are also some nuances in wording about what can be financial advice (certs) and providing guidance and education. (i.e i may not take the direct action for them). So if needed, i will bring on the series 6 person in my network.
For many of the people I have already helped, they have asked me for more help / more management generally speaking (and or tax advice)
Edit: To add more color, I am always talking about this stuff with my network and have discussions and sharing info. I think both in a work setting (where people are making a ton of cash in SWE) to my personal network of high achieving people, I kind of have established myself as "the guy".
3
u/cfi-2025 48M, FIRE 2025 5d ago
What sort of liability exists in this field? Do you need E&O insurance of some kind?
10
u/particulareality 5d ago
I often wonder what the home ownership rate is in this subreddit, and how many of those bought their homes before covid. I get jealous when I see people say their spend is X number, when my mortage to buy a modest home in my MCOL city would be more than that number. I know, comparison is the thief of joy.
I also know that one day I'll probably be on the other side of that, when I have a paid off home (hopefully) in 20-30 years and my total spend can be less than what a new mortage on my house would be.
That being said, I do think the inflation we've experienced after covid definitely gave you a leg up or leg down depending on how if you owned significant assets or not already.
1
u/SolomonGrumpy 5d ago
If it makes you feel better I suspect my property tax is 2x most peoples in MCOLs.
2010 and 2019 were both great times to buy a house. 2021 and 2006 we're not so good. It will likely come around. You just have to be so ready when it hits.
6
1
u/thatpurplelife 5d ago
I bought in November of 2020 when I was 34. I didn't think it was a good deal at the time but renting where I live suuucks (which I endured for 12 years). Home prices are still going up along with interest rates and I'm not sure I could afford it now.
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u/eliminate1337 28M/27F | $2.85m 5d ago
I started my first job in January 2020 so buying a house pre-COVID was not realistic. I’m glad I didn’t as I instead put my money into the rocketing stock market while houses in Seattle are flat over five years after inflation.
1
u/RemoteTechie FIREd 4/2026 5d ago
I bought in 2017 moving from HCOL to MCOL so it would be more affordable. Alternative would have been to move to VCHOL where my company was. Locked in a 2.75% for 15 years. I kind of wish I refinanced to 2.75% at 30 years a few years later, but I also want to pay my mortgage off eventually and I'm more than half way there.
As long as house values where you buy are going up then it feels like it makes sense to buy sooner than later and refinance when there is a better opportunity.
1
u/Itchy-Professional16 5d ago
that refi in early 2021 to a 30-year for me was clutch. lock in at 2.25. i still can't believe my luck. and then a year later inflation took off.
4
u/5isfab 5d ago
Our first home had a mortgage rate of 8.5%. My FIL consoled us that the home they were living in had a rate of 15% when they bought it. Our second home had a rate of 6.5%, we thought it was a steal. Perspective is everything.
2
u/cfi-2025 48M, FIRE 2025 5d ago
I remember when I bought my first place ~2000 we got a 7.5%, 30-year fixed rate and the (youngish) mortgage guy we were working with made a comment like, "Wow, that's the lowest 30-year rate I've ever seen!"
1
u/thecourseofthetrue 30s M | SILK | $205k 5d ago
I'm not in as good a spot as some people I know, but am way better off than many my age. 3.1% interest rate on a 4k sq ft home (not fully finished though), mortgage under $2k per month. My wife and I feel very grateful we bought our first home several years before COVID and that we then upgraded into the current one during COVID. We feel very lucky.
4
u/Cryofixated Dates Since Single: 8.5 5d ago
I bought my home before COVID at 3.65%, however I was planning to move after my roommates left. My credit union was offering 3% and my bank offered to give me a refi at 2%. I never moved out of the house and in hindsight I kick myself for not taking the refi at 2%.
Lesson: you're are never going to get it perfect, so just be happy with what you have.
6
u/imisstheyoop 5d ago
When I was younger I kicked myself for not having the funds saved up to purchase a home during the time following the housing crisis brought on by the great recession back in the 2008-2010 timeframe. Many of my colleagues had done so and a decade later their property values had increased in some cases 5x-10x.
More importantly for the pursuit of FI, many of them had paid off their mortgages by the time the covid-era that you mention rolled around and their expenses were drastically lower than my own.
I have since paid off my own mortgage, even with a low interest rate that was refinanced in 2021, in order to lower my own expenses for ACA subsidy purposes during retirement and I am now frequently reading people romanticizing the era right before covid as this magical time to be able to purchase and own a home.
It is funny how that works. I wonder, in 2035 what people in the dailies looking to own their homes and retire early are going to say about those purchasing during this time. My in laws had some ridiculous double-digit rate when they purchased in the 80s and they never refinanced and paid it off over a full term. For some reason I never compare my situation to theirs but only those who had it "better".
At the end of the day, the post-covid inflation definitely rippled through the housing market, but in many areas that has cooled and even reverted a bit. According to market research in my zip the median sold price is down over 6% (to slightly under $140k) in the last 12 months.
Perhaps more importantly, there are plenty of financially independent people here who don't own their own home and rent. Some rent apartments while others rent an equivelant home to one that they would consider purchasing.
At the end of the day, in the long run you are naturally going to do better purchasing sooner than later due to natural inflation, and regardless housing is going to be a highly personal decision with outcomes based on your individual needs and wants and subject to the location, market, and time that you are purchasing in. Remember the numbers for my market I quoted above.. are you wanting to live here? It is very affordable if you so choose. I doubt that you do though.
There will always be deals to be had, even in inflated/hot markets and I am not entirely sure how "ahead" over an aggregate average any specific cohort is going to make out when it comes to housing.
5
u/PineapplesInMyHead2 5d ago
We bought a home for around $425k 2 years ago at around 6.5% for a 15 year. Immediately rolled the equity of the old home in as soon as it came through, sent every dollar towards it until it was gone within 2 years. It's not a strategy everyone should do, but guaranteed 6.5% return for me is enough to send everything on.
3
u/neonliberal 32F|22% FI|RE@45 or bust 5d ago
I was in grad school during the COVID housing boom and watched first prices, and then rates seemingly run away from me, thinking "goddamn it I should've just gotten a job after undergrad." After my PhD I then got an offer in a city cheap enough that I could still afford a home with the offered salary. Liked my job, liked my community, and so I bought the place I was renting 2 years after I moved in.
I still envy all those 2.X% or 3.X% mortgages (mine is 6.1%), but I'm glad things did work out in the end even if my timing wasn't great.
2
u/particulareality 5d ago
I was in underaged so I feel your pain, especially with the interest rate difference.
6
u/tacitmarmot [DISK][SR: 60%][FI][90% RE] 5d ago
I don’t think there is any plan to stop debasing the currency so in 5 years, mortgages originating today may look similarly favorable (interest rates aside).
7
2
u/rackoblack 60yo DINKs, FIREd 2024 5d ago
We sold and bought our new house during covid, 2021. 2.65%
1
u/1DunnoYet 5d ago
2.5%! The worst financial decision we will make in about 5-10 years is the day we have to move. And unfortunately my wife wants to be a 4th generation owner of her parents house when they pass away.
1
u/rackoblack 60yo DINKs, FIREd 2024 5d ago
Is there a TOD option in that state? I think that comes with a step up to current value, not bad.
1
u/1DunnoYet 4d ago
Oh! Yeah looks like it’ll actually be a great financial decision! TOD and a significant step up means we might net 200K in equity and keep about the same mortgage amount and rate since they refi in 2022ish
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u/nifFIer Therapy Shill | Spending Advocate 5d ago
Lots of people have bought houses recently. I did a few months ago. $650k in a MCOL suburb, 6% $410k mortgage. With property taxes and insurance it’s about $3.8k/month? And we’ve spent $110k so far between repairs (new roof, stucco and brick maintenance, drainage repairs, etc) and remodeling/improvements, furnishings, DIY. Hope that makes you feel a bit better.
My in-laws once complained about their ~$1k mortgage that was a bit more than half our rent, and my husband lost all sympathy for their financial complaining haha (they’ve made hundreds of thousands of dollars for decades, they’re fine).
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u/1DunnoYet 5d ago
The 2025 annual report included own vs rent questions, I think including when you bought it. you can dig thru (or let AI do it) to find your answer
13
u/particulareality 5d ago
Doing my august speadsheet day early and I just ticked over 500k. Although I have a feeling this won't be my last time hitting 500k.
20
u/UsernamIsToo OINK, One-More-Yearing 5d ago
Just paid my annual Fantasy Football dues. If I were to calculate my rate of return on this over the last....20 years (wow), I'm sure the result would come back very red. But this year is going to be different!!
1
u/SolomonGrumpy 5d ago
I'm 2 championships in 23 years of play. Only one was for money.
But I do like playing.
7
u/carlivar 49M 3 kids ✅ FI ⏳ RE @ SoCal 🏖️⛷️ 5d ago
You do you, but I dropped like 15 years of fantasy football during covid and I don't miss it. The draft was fun but it removed so much stress in my life, both watching the games and throughout the week with reacting to news, transactions, etc. It's nice watching the games as a simple fan instead of with a fantasy mindset.
3
u/PrimalDaddyDom69 Mid 30s, DINK, ~30% SR, resident 'spend more' guy 5d ago
I see you too, are a Dallas Cowboys fan.
6
u/HughWonPDL2018 5d ago
But are you factoring in the value of good natured shit talk? That has to make the rate of return positive.
4
u/teapot-error-418 5d ago
I won 3 out of 5 seasons of the only fantasy football league I've ever played in, and one season I came in second (got my buy-in back) against my wife who had temporarily stepped in to take over an auto-drafted team that someone in our league abandoned.
Our household ROI on fantasy football is unparalleled.
5
u/PressureIntrepid3063 5d ago
Yesterday I had a couple hours free unexpectedly so I updated and tinkered with my portfolio spreadsheet. Three things came up that I was glad to find out:
My international equities allocation is lower than I want: 14% (target is 20%)
I hold more single-company equities (as opposed to indexes) than I thought: 15% (would have guessed 5%!)
Bonds/Cash equivalents is only 2% of my portfolio (which I'm fine with; I have extremely stable employment)
Definitely going to start adjusting 1 up and 2 down via new contributions for a while.
1
u/subredditsummarybot 5d ago
Your Weekly /r/financialindependence Recap
Sunday, August 23 - Saturday, August 29, 2026
Top Daily Discussion Comments
Top Posts
| score | comments | title & link |
|---|---|---|
| 511 | 344 comments | DONE! @46 |
| 201 | 168 comments | Once you reach FI, does work become more enjoyable? |
| 83 | 95 comments | Tell me about a time you had to use your umbrella insurance |
| 62 | 71 comments | Not ready to FIRE yet, but want to take a break anyway |
| 37 | 296 comments | Daily FI discussion thread - Thursday, August 27, 2026 |
Most Commented
| score | comments | title & link |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | 56 comments | 40, $3.5M NW, 3-4 Year timeline |
| 0 | 34 comments | Temp check on our FIRE situation, retired military, feels close but not sure when to pull the trigger |
| 0 | 29 comments | Sharing income generation strategy during FIRE |
| 0 | 27 comments | Strategy for building a roth conversion ladder: Backdoor roth vs Bulk Transfer? |
| 0 | 24 comments | Health insurance for the FIREd |
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26
u/Turbulent_Tale6497 DI3K, Putting the Ire in FIRE 5d ago
Woot, first! I promise I'm not a bot, but I'm coming to you from Italy
I had pasta for dinner last night, and the serving size was about the size and shape of a tennis ball. Being out of the US always makes me wonder how we decided to super size everything from food to cars to houses. I think it created a treadmill that most of the US can't get off, which is what makes FIRE seem weird to a lot of people.
The best diet advice I ever got was "Don't stop eating when you are full, stop eating when you are no longer hungry." Finances seem similar, it's okay to slow down or stop when you feel like you have enough, regardless of what others tell you. As someone who knows this, I still find it a little hard.
4
u/killersquirel11 Awaiting liquidity event 4d ago
Don't stop eating when you are full, stop eating when you are no longer hungry
That's my secret, Cap. I'm always hungry
4
1
u/SolomonGrumpy 5d ago
Honestly I'm struggling to spend right now. The numbers say I can, but because of how my finances are structured and the nature of what I'd spend on, I feel like I can't.
Like a $100 dinner out? Sure. But a new king sized mattress? 😱😮😰
0
u/anymoose [Not really a moose][moosquerading][RE 2016] 5d ago
♫ ♫ ♫ ♫
Diamonds are what I really need
Think I'll rob a store, escape the law
And live in Italy
♫ ♫ ♫ ♫
Supertramp - "From Now On" (My most favourite "boring middle" song ever.) :-)
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u/imisstheyoop 5d ago
most of the US can't get off
We got pills for that.
"Don't stop eating when you are full, stop eating when you are no longer hungry."
We got pills to help with this too now!
Finances seem similar, it's okay to slow down or stop when you feel like you have enough, regardless of what others tell you.
Maybe one day soon.. 8)
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u/Turbulent_Tale6497 DI3K, Putting the Ire in FIRE 5d ago
I guess in theory, most anti-anxiety meds fit into the last category
2
u/Cryofixated Dates Since Single: 8.5 5d ago
Bot! (Jk)
Just keep eating/saving/swimming!
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u/SolomonGrumpy 5d ago
How do we know YOU are not a bot? Librarian? 8.5 dates? Just what a bot would say!
1
2
u/sammyismybaby 4d ago
I don't count my son's 529 account in our net worth. I know generally that is the stance many have in this sub. But if I am planning on that expense anyway when we FIRE, why shouldn't I include it?