Thanks for your feedback, I'll look into those sources.
The pension is a defined contribution pension,that the company funds at 6% of salary and grows at the 10-year T-bond rate. It's about 6% of net worth. I'm 37 years old.
I'll look into how much I contributed to Roth IRA's. I've been kept out due to income limits the last several years, though I have been funding a back door Roth for my wife.
I'm maxed out on what I contribute at work. I put in 6%, they put in 6% to the 401k, and another 6% to the pension mentioned above, so 18% of base plus cash bonus. I only put in 6% because that gets me to the IRS limit of 17.5k.
If I buckle down the next couple of years I can grow the taxable account quickly, and use that to draw on; but it won't be enough alone to fund our expenses (using the 4% rule). I have a side job (300 hours per year) that can cover our expenses (once we reduce them), and then the taxable account money would be a cushion.
Right now I'm trying to cut expenses and debt (one of the cars), and get clarity on what assets I can use. I'm also doing the sell on my wife, she's not very happy about this idea - "what kind of man are you if you don't work"; when you have old ideas in your head, it can be hard to change them.
I told her I'd be a man that was able to provide for all the family needs before turning 40; and I'd be home to help raise the kids (and cook more).
She likes her nice things. So do I. But, it's not worth working 2,000 hours a year for these luxuries.
I let our expenses ballon the last 5 years as my income doubled; and now I want to pull that back.
Every $100 I can cut from monthly expenses reduces my capital need by $30,000 (using 4%). That's HUGE!
-dragon