This facepunch goes out to my past self.
I just turned 37 and I recently reconstructed my quarterly NW from graduation and USAF commissioning in 2000, through today. Until now, I only had actual records starting in spring of 2012.
I just figured this one out:
If I hadn't been such a dumbass for the first decade of my post-college life, I'd be FIREd by now, instead of 3-5 years out. I basically saved nothing for four years, and after an early peak (deployment), I blew it all and once again floundered for years. A full decade just to permanently get NW above six months of average income? And don't get me started on the divorces! Dog-blammit, Past Self, you're a fuckin' moron!
All that time was a ridiculous price to pay for consumer goods I no longer own and overpriced experiences I can't remember. But hey, you win some, you lose some. As is, I'm still feeling pretty good about stuff. One piece at a time, DW and I are assembling a damn good present life and an even better future. And extrapolating the last three years is looking very promising - even if the market tanks, our SR alone will propel us higher, and we will become more resilient and resourceful all the time.
Things are looking up. :)