was at $290k back in December.

I watched the market go from -5 to +3 seeming based on comments from the administration. Today is insane. Definitely staying the course but this is wild.

I've worked hard from 22-40, living well below my means. Investing and compounding savings. I work in IT, healthcare, and reentry to the workforce would be pretty easy. On Thursday I checked my accounts one last time. 1.5m, plus my house is paid off. I know I have the runway to make it and I have the contingency plans. This summer is going to be fantastic. My partner and daughter are both already noticing the changes. Cheers fellow fire-ers.

Today I cooked breakfast, cleaned the house, took the doggo for a hike. All things I felt like I never had the energy for before. I don't know the future but I know this is the right move for right now.

I’m in my late 20s with a portfolio of 80% SP500 and 20% big tech RSUs. I’m down over 200k around 20% since February ATH and my cost basis is nearly back to equaling the SP500 price right now. Started investing 4.5 years ago. I feel empty. It feels terrible to know that I’m back to almost zero growth because of these tariffs. I feel like this situation will get worse before it gets better. People say to keep holding, but now I’m wondering if it’s better to sell and buy back in since my cost basis is close to equalling current price right now, and it’ll likely go down more.

I am paying off my house this coming Thursday. Living below my means and have around 500k invested. I still have side hustle income and I am looking to do a big career change.

I worked in Canadian Banking in the IT department and I had 0 control over my time. The canaidan banking IT is made with bubble gum and tape. And i lived through the nightmares of constant tech support. Things break and i am on call to fix it. I have been doing this for last 7 years and I am finally out!

I will be making a big career change and just doing what I like instead of begging my boss for a raise, opportunity or anything else.

To all those who talk about risk tolerance , contingency , asset allocation etc. and have seen the 2008-09 and 2020, it’s still surreal for market to drop at this intensity and speed . Nasdaq 25% down from highs in 1.5 months ( 15+% in 3 days ). How then do people build confidence to invest longer term ? Nothing prepares you for such an event and every time a market crash occurs - it’s unique in nature and first of its kind . It’s very hard to not feel negative about FIRE and long term financial planning at this point . To save billions in trade deficit , we are losing trillions of dollars of money ( so much of it from retail investors ). Rant over .

21m with no real investments right now but this stock dip seems like the perfect opportunity to start my fire journey.

I’ve got 2k to spare rn but I’m not sure where to put it/what to do with it and I want to learn fast while the market is down.

Where can I look to get more financially literate and know how to properly invest using fidelity cause all the three letter acronyms are stressing me out lol

Hello everyone,

This is my first post on Reddit, and I’m not sure if this is the right thread; I apologize if it’s not.

I’m 28 years old and have been employed for several years with a fairly good salary for my country (60k euros), which increases significantly each year.

My job only inspires me sadness and disgust, I don’t feel any motivation anymore. I just don’t feel any interest. I think I've made the decision to resign to travel and spend time abroad. For the past three years, I've been living here just waiting to leave. I have traveled a lot and lived abroad when I was a student, and I was so much happier then. I loved going off for long periods to travel anywhere (in countries quite cheap tbh, in Eastern Europe) and meet new people. I do this one month every summer but still.

My assets, accumulated entirely since I started working, amount to 108k (half is through credit):

• 30k euros available
• 24k in blocked accounts
• 2.5k in the stock market
• 50k in real estate investments acquired through credit. My savings effort (the difference between the credit and the gains) is about 150€ per month.

I'm considering taking out a new loan of 50k, the maximum I can, just before resigning, with a similar savings effort, so that my capital continues to grow while I’m not working and for just 300 EUR per month. Not sure about it.

I don’t plan to work straight once I leave; I just enrolled in a training program to become a certified teacher in my language, and I think I could try to offer online classes in a few months once I’m certified.

I am really determined to leave - I just can’t stand my job anymore, all these emails, calls - maybe spending time in Southeast Asia, Central Asia, or the Caucasus. Do you think this is a stupid idea? Should I take a new loan before ?

I would love to receive some feedback

This is our first market downturn, and I don't mind the downturns as I'm in for the long-run. However, I'm surprised at how many friends freak out are emotional and pull their money out or are thinking of doing so. It seems like they don't understand the opportunity of buying more when each unit is low and "doubling up" whenever the market recovers. Has anyone seen a good big picture Youtube video that explains it that I could share with them? I searched, but can't seem to find a good one that's short and sweet.

Edit: Please stick to the question... I'm not asking about if you think this is or isn't the crash that will never recover. It's a crash for a reason, because it's unique and new circumstances - like all crashes that happend before (otherwise it wouldn't have crashed). I'm of the ones that thinks that it'll recover - otherwise all the rich gals of this world would be panicking... and they're not - they're actually at the top of the decision making chain related to this crash.

I am 26. I had 300k in stocks 3 years ago I took out 150k to buy a condo for 700k (very high cost city) and the year after I buy it interest rates rise to the point I was forced to rent it out and live at parents ($3400 all in payment on 5600 take home - similar rents for 2600) but worse of all the value dropped 150k wiping the down payment. Now after this big stock crash I am left with 130k in stocks/cash basically net worth. I wanted to do whatever I can to FIRE by 35 max 40 but now even at 2.5k a month save rate it still won’t be enough. Did 1 mistake take back 10 years of FIRing earlier or am I going crazy.

I work corporate job but just want to have kids and a family and spend all my time with them rather then work.

Since it is almost mature, I think it is in the stage where the interest rate is now variable…. However, assuming the interest rate remains at 3.41% for the rest of its life, am I right to think I would probably only earn about $25.92 on this EE bond if I wait until it is fully mature next year?

Denom: $500 Issue Date: 08/1996 Next accrual: 08/2025 Final Maturity: 08/2026 Issue Price: $250 Interest: $353.40 Interest Rate: 3.41% Value: $603.40

I have no experience with bonds so I want to make sure I understand the implication of cashing out an immature EE bond now vs. waiting a year until it matures. The formula I used to calculate the $25.92 was: A= P x (1+r)^t Final Amount= Principal (current value) x (1 + annual interest rate)^Time in Years

I’m a 30-year-old male who’s been in and out of college for eight years. My military service obligations(army reservist) and extenuating circumstances have hindered my ability to graduate on time.

I live in Northeast Florida, and it’s absolutely boring, outside of trying to get my finances in order, this is also a part of my motivation for wanting to make the military a career.

I already have a TSP, and contributed 22% of my earnings to it while I was deployed for a year. I plan to keep this up, and contribute more once I’m active duty again. I’m staying in for a minimum of ten years to pay off my $56k in students loans.

The program I’m taking advantage of is specifically designed for military personnel. It’s income-driven and upon reaching tens years—with honorable service—any balance remaining at that time will essentially be discharged.

So while in, here are my financial goals:

1. pay off my student loan debt
2. Continue contributing higher %’s towards my TSP as I move up the ranks
3. Save a six-figure down payment for a home

I feel like these goals might be hard to achieve and really ambitious, given the little amount servicemembers make in general. Not to mention all of the unpredictable variables that I haven’t thought of or considered, that can come into play and make these goals harder or nearly impossible to achieve.

Outside of conventional wisdom, what are some other great places to invest money, regardless of the conditions of various financial markets, that are generally safe ?

Edit: I could stay in for 20 to get a pension for the rest of my life, but there are MANY sacrifices I’ll have to make to get that financial cushion. I’m committed to 10, but not sold on being a “lifer” just yet. The good new is if I did go this route, because I have 1 year of active service under my belt, I’d only have 19 years to go and I could retire at 50. And 50 isn’t insanely old, either.

44m. First want to say this is a throwaway account but I’ve been a long time student of Fire. Thanks in advance for your feedback.

I was planning on firing this year and on Feb 15th I had a NW of 3.6m (2m retirement & 1.5m in brokerage excluding primary property). Of the 1.5m in brokerage I had 600k in MMA so about 17% cash/stocks. My yearly expense is 90k so it came to be 2.5% SWR with about 7 years of expense runway.

Now on Sunday Apr 6 my NW stands at 3m. About 1.7m retirement 1.3m in brokerage. SWR has increased to 3%.

Looking at futures I’m really preparing myself for the worst. If stocks drop another 15% my SWR will increase to 3.5% and if it drops 25% my SWR will increase to 4%.

Job wise I’m in FAANG. Last year I made $420k but this year it’ll be closer to $375k given the stock price if I stay.

So back to the question. What’s next? Should I pull the trigger now (I was just about to give notice) or should I stick it out and see what happens. 2024 was already my “one more year” so I’m just itching. I dont love my job but its not so soul crushing that its causing me mental issues or anything.

I’m about five years out from retirement and starting to shift gears with my investments. Most of my portfolio is in traditional stocks and mutual funds, but given how shaky things have felt lately, I’ve been seriously thinking about moving a small chunk into precious metals — specifically through a gold IRA. Not going all-in, just looking for some stability if markets go sideways.

Problem is, there are so many companies offering gold IRAs, and it’s hard to tell which ones are actually solid and which are just slick marketing. I’ve seen names like Augusta Precious Metals, Birch Gold Group, Goldco, Lear Capital, and American Hartford Gold — all claiming to be the “top-rated,” all offering “no fees,” “free gold,” or some other promo. It feels like choosing a mattress company… everyone has five-star reviews and some kind of special deal.

I’m not looking to get scammed or pressured into buying overpriced collectible coins or locking into something I can’t unwind later. I just want to know who actually treats their clients fairly, keeps fees transparent, and doesn't load you up with stuff that only benefits their commission.

If anyone here has actually set up a gold IRA — who did you go with, and would you do it again? Were the rollover and setup process smooth? Did you feel like they educated you or just pitched you?

I’d especially love to hear from folks who’ve held their gold IRA for a few years and can speak to how it’s performed over time — not just how flashy the onboarding was.

Trying to make a smart move here and not let fear or FOMO push me into something I’ll regret.

I feel like I know the answer to this one, but fear that it may be a mistake in the current environment.

F46yo, MCOL area, WFH, 175K salary (plus bonuses that can range from nothing to 15K). Spouse is same age, works in his dream job (low stress, no desire to leave, 100K salary, at a non-profit). No kids.

Numbers wise, after the 300K we lost Thurs/Fri, our net worth is currently 3.7mil. That breaks down to 330K in cash (mainly CDs), 1.7 mil 401K, 1 mil taxable, remainder is a paid off house (cars are paid off too). Annual spend (not including paycheck deductions for maxed out 401K and health insurance) ranges between 100-110k.

My job is in pharmaceutical marketing (agency side, not client side) and the entire industry is long hours/high stress. I've been doing this for 25 years, and can usually handle it, though I'll admit to disappointing family and friends over the years not being available, and there have been more than a few cancelled/reschedule vacations.

About a year ago a friend got me into a company known for being the best of the best, I was so relieved and thought I'd found a new home to work at until retirement (am senior mgmt). Instead, the account I am on is the highest stress I have ever worked on, and I would call last year the worst I've had in terms of quality of life, while being my highest paid. Non-supportive manager, extremely nasty clients, lots of drama amongst my teammates and direct supports, ridiculous hours (think 7-8am to 10-11pm daily, plus weekend work), tons of travel. I've dealt with all of these issues before in the 20+ years I've been doing this, but never to this degree, and never sustained for over a year. I am exhausted and burnt out, to the point the smallest criticism has me in tears. I pretty much end up crying daily at work (and I realize this sounds very pathetic considering the salary and WFH status).

Maybe it's age, maybe it is job stress, maybe it is unrelated/bad genes, but for the first time ever I have weight gain, heart palpitations, blood pressure is up, early signs of heart damage, enough to freak me out. Have been prescribed blood pressure medication...but wondering, is it the job? Do I just quit? And when? Totally freaked out that my career choice is going to have me in an early grave. Also afraid that I'll tank our retirement not contributing, and selfishly, really do not want to downgrade our lifestyle. I realize "find another job" is the solution to that, but my industry has mass layoffs, and likely more to come with a large merger coming up, trust me I've been trying pretty much since I started at this place.

41m. NW is $2.5m after the market drop this week. Planning to retire at 50 or $6m whichever comes first. Should be saving $200k -$250k/yr for the next 9 years, depending on how the company stock swings.

Since I can’t tap into my retirement accounts till I am 60, I need to sell my investments in brokerage, to fund my expenses from 50-60. Ideally I would love to be 70/30 stocks/bonds split at age 50.

I am currently at 18% bonds. 9% in brokerage, and 9% in retirement accounts. With the market drop, was thinking of DCAing 9% of bonds in retirement accounts to VTI/VXUS, and then yearly savings go into upping the bonds % in brokerage account.

The rationale being, 1. I get to buy stocks at a discount 2. Moving bonds from retirement to brokerage since I can’t tap (or ideally won’t tap) retirement accounts till age 60, so I can take the volatility for 20 years when I need to money, vs risking it in brokerage account.

Does that make sense? Any flaw in my reasoning?

Methinks a lot of pretenders exist among us who were projecting unrealistic gains all along.

If a 15% drawdown after 100%+ gains over the last 3-4 years has materiallyImpacted your plans, something is very, very wrong.

Were some of you really thinking that the market grows 20% YoY, every year? lololol

She's basically 100% stock allocation. All mutual funds. Just retired.

She has some pension. I'm assuming the advice to give her is "just don't withdraw right now," but is it better for her to cut losses and shift to bond allocation?

I'm assuming not. I told her I would ask around but that it's probably best to just weather the storm if she can afford not to draw down her retirement fund.

Hi I’m a 27 year old Male,registered nurse I get paid weekly and for 36 hours of work i make Weekly taxable income ;$1296 Non-taxed weekly income ;$1204 Total weekly;2,500 deposited weekly after everything. Every so often and then I can pick up overtime. I have this job contract locked until November. So at the minimum $10k a month until November.

Debts; In the past 4 months I was able to pay off 8k in CC debt and 10k of a personal loan. IRS;$9k (went tax free in 2021 and ended up owing 20k for the year) Student loans ;6k at average of 4.25% interest rate

Monthly Expenses: IRS:$88 Phone $140 Student loans:$160 Rent:$675 Subscriptions :$30 Food: varies not really tracked I eat out frequently 3-5x a week Hanging out/fun; $150 a week (easily can cut this out)

Savings ; 5k invested in crypto (now 3.5k but no plan on selling) $1k in stocks(10 shares of NVDA) 21,000 invested in Roth IRA.

No CC DEBT and about 11k in available credit cards I’ll use incase of an emergency.

With the market downturn,I want to maximize investments. I’m thinking about investing 4k /month into stocks and 4k/month into crypto. $500 cash reserves. I can easily life off 1.5k-2k a month comfortable as I’m alone and living in a college dorm room. Should I prioritize investments, or paying student loans / IRS? Where should I allocate my investments mostly ?also with my taxable income being so low, I’ve decided to go tax free for the time Being and want to put that extra $300 weekly into a separate account in the market, and paying all my taxes at the end of the year.

I’m looking for advice on how I should approach this opportunity in the coming months and I am comfortable taking higher risks while not having much responsibility now.I’ve taken care of my family but told them this year I am going to get ahead.

If it helps, my goals don’t revolve around a house or nice car. I want financial freedom and to comfortable retirement my parents. I am a first generation immigrant and don’t expect any inheritance. My father is 59, and mother is 49, divorced and both still working. I want to pay them back for putting me in this position .

When a big dip happens this is the time to hold and to BUY.

We started buying stocks in 1999 and have held many of them. We have lived through many of these dips. I guarantee you it will rise again. This is not the end of a 100+ year system.

If you were playing with options, everyone warned you it was risky. They are the same as betting and gambling unless you have insider news.

You only lose if you click the sell button.

Study the charts of large companies and historical crashes. They rise again.

We can't have an elevator market that never cools off. It needs to present risk and opportunity.

Wanting people to always pay more for the stocks you own possibly makes you greedy and opportunistic. That's a hard pill to contemplate. You didn't offer anything to those companies except some money. Don't be surprised if people took the money and pivot like a school of fish.

This is a discount time. Quit fretting and double down.

Hello,

I am 23 years old and want to pursue FIRE.

I have about 25k in various blue chips as well as VOO and SPY.

I have a budget tracker and aim to save 2k every month not including 401k contributions (15%, 3% company match)

I make 4600 per month after taxes.

I am looking for any advice to put me on the right path and any advice on taking advantage of this market downturn.

Net worth as of post is about 50k. Appreciate you all!

Lots of posts lately about how the market is catastrophic to your plans, etc. This highlights a few truths about the current crop of investors:

• It's easy to be risk tolerant when markets are doing well.
  
• US vs international stock diversification is useful when one market underperforms others. The lost decade illuminated this but it seems most people have forgotten that by just riding in S&P 500 index funds.
• If you are close to retirement, you NEED to be in a more conservative allocation ratio. If your liquid NW is based on the 4% rule, you need 20% bonds for every 5 years you feel you need reserves for. IE 5 year reserve is 80/20, 10 year reserve is 60/40, etc.
• You should be ramping into your allocation as you get closer to retirement. You cannot be 100/0 until you retire and then change at the last moment. You will be selling in a down market if you were to retire say tomorrow.
• Overheated markets will correct. This correction was coming regardless of tariffs, the timetable was just accelerated. The market won't tolerate 30+ PE ratios indefinitely.
• If you're 10 or more years from retirement, you shouldn't really even watch the market, but especially not on a daily basis. Nothing to be gained but stress.
• Nobody has a crystal ball. I don't know when the bottom is, and neither do you or anybody else. Planning for the market losing 50-90% when it's down barely 15% is not productive.
  

Rant over. Hopefully someone takes the bond allocation to heart as they near retirement.

Given everything that's been happening in the stock market.

Some on the right are justifying the crash because you can "buy at a discount" and "if you were invested aggressively in your 401k up until your year of retirement, that's on you".

Just want to hear yalls perspective.

I am very new to this whole FIRE thing and am 26m deep in debt about 13k and have income of about 2k a month but thats still not solid income. What do you reckon i should do?

Peaked at 75k back when PLTR and the rest of the market was high. Sold all my PLTR shares and now I’m on 24k cash should I continue my 1300 DCA per month (1k spy500 300 crypto)? Or be more aggressive in getting my money back in the market?

I was a busser for first 2 years of high school making 200 a week and then now been a server for 2 making 400-600 a week depending on season. Got super lucky with this job cause I only work 15 hours a week