Hi everybody!
I have been on autopilot with saving and investing for awhile now, and it occurred to me last month that I actually need to start planning the endgame now. So, based off of my best guess, 2022 is the year I'm aiming for. Depending on factors I can't control, it's possible I'm off by a year in either direction (or, if everything goes to hell, more).
The one big factor that I have less control of than I'd like is my job. Through 80% luck and 20% skill, I've happened into a career that no one with my background has any right to expect. If this job disappears, it will change the whole equation. I will likely not be able to replace the income without moving (which, for many reasons, I really want to avoid). Really, what I need is one more full year in this position to put me in good enough shape that I start feeling secure.
Either way, I've been super lucky to get this far. There are many alternate paths my life could have taken that involve my working in a restaurant until I drop. At this point, the amount I save and invest is far more than what I ever thought I would make in a year. I have a constant feeling that I've been repeatedly robbing a bank . . . and lately I've started to think I might get away with it.
So this year I'm putting all new money in relatively short term investments while I figure out how I want to set up laddering. It's weird to think about things in those terms, and it's still too far out to get really excited yet, but I'm starting to see a dim light on the horizon.
In any case, I hope I can stick with this cohort, and I'm looking forward to see how everyone else progresses!