Just wondering if anyone has FIRE’d right when they achieved the 4% withdrawal.
OP, do you have a clear idea what your lifestyle and expenses will be in retirement? My only concern about pulling the plug now, at 4% SWR, is the sequence of returns risk. I do think it's likely we'll enter a bear market soon, and I'd be somewhat hesitant to jump right in at 4% without a solid backup plan. If you have the ability to dial back expenses if needed, and/or supplement with part-time work, then at age 53 I think I'd feel comfortable pulling the plug.
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Our biggest problem isn't coming to grips with whether 4% is "safe enough".
Our biggest problem is convincing ourselves that a particular target spending amount is "correct". We've identified a couple spending figures just to have a frame of reference, but only the lower/barebones one has any basis in reality; it corresponds to the lowest possible amount we could imagine our expenses to be without drastically changing our current lifestyle. But it would require some adjustments that we aren't eager to embark upon.
What if we want to move to a higher COL area in retirement? What if we change our minds and decide it's a good idea to help pay for one or more of our kids to attend a very expensive university? What if we get the travel bug? What if we have to contribute some of the cost for the care of an elderly family member? I could easily envision these things happening, and having a huge impact on our yearly expenses.
So what do you do if your yearly expenses might reasonably be anywhere in the range of $50,000-$100,000? Well, for one thing you keep OMY well beyond $50,000. Do you keep going right up to $100,000? Beyond? I don't know. :(