cFIREsim help

[Fire2025]

Hello all,
I'm having trouble with the cFIREsim. 

I'm trying to put in, what I assume is a pretty straight forward plan, but the results are strange to me.

I'm getting the success rate I expect: 100% success, woohoo. May try to go PT earlier!!!!

But in the details, it says I'm withdrawing way more money than I think I'm telling it I want to withdraw.

So I'm wondering, am I reading it wrong or am I doing my data entry wrong?  I'm assuming total user error here.

I am putting in a PT/FIRE date of 2025
A stache of 335,000 - 80/20 stocks/bonds .12 fee/drag
extra income of $15,000 - start 2025 ending 2035
Social Security of $15,000 - start 2035
Total spending of $30,000 - start 2025
The results all say that I'm taking $30,000 withdrawals from my stache, except one area that says beginning third $15000.  But I'm planning on $15,000 withdrawal from stache because $15,000 is coming from extra income/social security, right???

Do I need to subtract the money I want to earn PT/Social Security from my spending?  I thought the other income questions would deal with that.

What am I doing wrong?

[Eric]

I didn't check it on the site, but what's the difference?

In scenario 1, you're withdrawing $30k but earning and replacing $15k. - total withdrawn, $15k
In scenario 2, you're withdrawing $15k but earning and spending $15k. - total withdrawn, $15k

Either way, you get the same balance, right?

[Fire2025]

Yes I'm always withdrawing $15,000 but the cFIREsim says I'm withdrawing $30,000.  So I'm wondering if I'm reading something wrong or putting in the data wrong. 

I've run my numbers in other retirement thingies also and I always get great results, so same there. 

But cFiresim is saying I'm withdrawing $30000.  Why does it say that?  What am I doing wrong?

[Mmm_Donuts]

Withdrawal = what you are spending. If you entered 30k in the Yearly Spending field, that will include the SS and Other Income you list later on.

[Fire2025]

okay so withdrawal = whatever I put in spending, not what it's assuming I'm withdrawing from my stache, great/ good to know.

Thank you.

[MM_MG]

Hello all,
I'm having trouble with the cFIREsim. 

I'm trying to put in, what I assume is a pretty straight forward plan, but the results are strange to me.

I'm getting the success rate I expect: 100% success, woohoo. May try to go PT earlier!!!!

But in the details, it says I'm withdrawing way more money than I think I'm telling it I want to withdraw.

So I'm wondering, am I reading it wrong or am I doing my data entry wrong?  I'm assuming total user error here.

I am putting in a PT/FIRE date of 2025
A stache of 335,000 - 80/20 stocks/bonds .12 fee/drag
extra income of $15,000 - start 2025 ending 2035
Social Security of $15,000 - start 2035
Total spending of $30,000 - start 2025
The results all say that I'm taking $30,000 withdrawals from my stache, except one area that says beginning third $15000.  But I'm planning on $15,000 withdrawal from stache because $15,000 is coming from extra income/social security, right???

Do I need to subtract the money I want to earn PT/Social Security from my spending?  I thought the other income questions would deal with that.

What am I doing wrong?

Try using 2017 as your start date and adjust the other dates accordingly.

[Fire2025]

okay that's great.  I got a different success rate and I noticed the stache number had changed on the other sims.  Thanks MM_MG great catch on that.

But the withdraws still=spending not withdrawals from stache.   

I'm fine with 75%, I have a lot of flexibility for those first ten years.  I'm still just glad to be retiring at all thanks to this site.