(Preface: MMM has addressed the issue a bit with his "how much is too much" retirement savings article, but I am curious how others handle this issue.) When do you say that enough is enough in your retirement accounts? Assuming a 4% after-inflation return from now until my spouse and I are 59.5 (20+ years), the amount we have invested in retirement accounts (50-50 between traditional/Roth) should be more than enough to sustain us indefinitely, even using a 3% withdrawal rate.
What we don't have, however, is sufficient stash in non-retirement accounts to ER now. I'm aware of the Roth conversion ladder but have always viewed early retirement as a two-pronged problem, the first prong being retirement account funding (most important, to provide compounding time), and the second prong being taxable account/paid off house to sustain us until 59.5. The problem is, as compared to a taxable account, the Roth is so great that it's hard to stop! Maybe I should abandon this bifurcated approach and keep contributing to the Roth knowing that I plan to withdraw those years of contributions before 59.5? (I don't find traditional IRAs, 401ks, etc very compelling as I am in the 15% bracket and there are more restrictions.)
Thoughts?