Can't share with friends, so will here. Just hit $1,000,000!

[dabighen]

Congrats!!

Do you already know about the “race to one million” and the “race to 2 million” threads here?

I'll have to look for it!

[oldtoyota]

Congratulations!!

I can understand not wanting to share with people in real life. The only person I might tell is a friend with a trust fund. She has way more than me, probably, and I don't think she'd act unusual if she knew how much I had. She can keep a secret.

What good news! Time to celebrate. =-D

[talltexan]

Congratulations!!

I can understand not wanting to share with people in real life. The only person I might tell is a friend with a trust fund. She has way more than me, probably, and I don't think she'd act unusual if she knew how much I had. She can keep a secret.

What good news! Time to celebrate. =-D

I was listening to "Hamilton", and we got to the "I'm a trust fund baby, you can trust me" part. In the case of my own children, I told them never, ever to say that to anyone. (they're not), but it seems that this friend has done a good job in gaining your trust.

[dabighen]

Well, just checked up.  It looks like I fell to $980K.  But on the bright side, index funds are on sale!

[JAYSLOL]

Well, just checked up.  It looks like I fell to $980K.  But on the bright side, index funds are on sale!

Less dollars, but I bet you own more shares, so you’re still ahead!  I touched $165k before it all started dropping, and now I’m at $155k, and that’s after adding an additional $15k so far this year.  But it’s all good, I own way more shares, and I get to keep buying cheaper shares as long as it stays down.  The awesome thing about where you are at is with just one moderately-good day in the market and your account will easily swing up by that $20k and put you over $1M again.  That’s so cool, a lot of people even with average incomes would have a hard time increasing their net worth by $20k in a year, for you, that could be your “Tuesday”. 

[dabighen]

What a great perspective!

[Parentheses]

Congratulations! I don’t share our info with many people either. A good friend is aware we are comfortable but not aware of how much we have stacked away, and he usually makes fun of me light heartedly.
Yesterday I went outside to paint my own garage because the door panels had been replaced from failing, and I was complaining about how hot it was outside. He said “you’re the worst rich person in the world, just hire someone!”
How did you think rich ppl get rich?

[Chippewa]

Congratulations!!

[change_seeker]

Congratulations @dabighen !!!!!!!

We crossed this threshold in March this year (including home equity), and it is so great to share with this community.  I was pleased to see that it has not dipped below the $1M mark yet as savings are matching the market losses.

[familyFIguy]

LFG!!!

[moof]

Congratulations! I don’t share our info with many people either. A good friend is aware we are comfortable but not aware of how much we have stacked away, and he usually makes fun of me light heartedly.
Yesterday I went outside to paint my own garage because the door panels had been replaced from failing, and I was complaining about how hot it was outside. He said “you’re the worst rich person in the world, just hire someone!”
How did you think rich ppl get rich?

I share info with folks on a similar journey.  In particular a good friend and I made a pact about 6 years ago to retire at the same time.  I bailed a little early (rage quit, thank goodness for FU money), he has everything lined up for quitting next summer.  It was helpful to have a partner in crime so to speak.  He good savings, but lacked a framework to turn it into a plan, and I was helpful in sending him down the right path.

The reality is that FIRE rich is still supporting only a modest lifestyle.  A modest lifestyle got us to FIRE, so why change?  A life lived high on the hog leads to financial ruin.  Even uber rich folks need to watch the purse strings, or you’ll just end up as another failed dynasty.

[dabighen]

Wanted to update while a bull market, $1,154,000.

Hi all,

Its poor taste to tell friends or family but gotta share good news.  We just reached our seventh digit in our investment.  I am sure we will dip above and below several more times but I am proud of this.  I am 36, and technically my net worth is more like $800,000 due to my mortgage, but it is so satisfying seeing 1,004,199.47 in my investment portfolio.  Household income since college along the way:  2009: 33,000...2011:  55,000...2013: 60,000...2015:  110,000...2019:  $130,000

[RWD]

Wanted to update while a bull market, $1,154,000.

Nice! Now even if there is a stock market correction (10% drop) you'll still be millionaires!

[the barefoot badger]

Yay you!!!  Did you have the big eyes big gulp moment?  This, this phantasmal number ... is YOURS. 

I just had a change in financial situation in the family that I've been peripherally aware of, but am now hands-on about.  When I ran the spreadsheet I sounded like someone on a bad sitcom.  "Geh.  Geeg ... Ah!"  Nothing like that stone between the eyes moment when you know it's actually real. 

[billygoatjohnson]

[/quote]

My family is already judgmental enough about my choices that the idea of telling them that we're millionaires seems like pouring gasoline on a fire.
[/quote]

Understandable. I told my co workers I'm big into investing. One asked how much. I said a lot. He said a few hundred thousand? I'm like yeah. He scoffs at me and makes up excuses how I was able to save that much... In reality I have 2.5 million (900k in markets)

[Just Joe]

I can tell half of our family we're doing really well and they get it, and have to temper how we describe it to the other half. And with certain individuals within the family - we don't even discuss money b/c different choices, different outcomes. I get it.

Our net worth is above $1M-something now. Not sure how to value our pensions. Met with our financial advisor yesterday who confirmed we're all good. Just keep doing the same thing. Can retire in a few more years with a retirement income similar to our current income. Pension+SS+investments. Hope to operate mostly on the pension and let everything else grow a while longer. Eventually help our offspring financially with a few life milestones.

CONGRATS! Baring any sort of catastrophes, you don't need to worry about money.

[dabighen]

Update: my net worth passed the $1,500,000 this month with no change in income, I am 39 now.  Pretty cool! Glad I can share this joy with you all. I feel comfortable now laying off the gas a little bit and we (my family of 7, had one more kid last year) are starting to travel more.

What have you all done differently lifestyle wise with your wealth?

[Dicey]

Congratulations!

We give a lot more to charity now. Having a Donor Advised Fund is fun! We also worry about money a lot less.

[JupiterGreen]

Congratulations!

We give a lot more to charity now. Having a Donor Advised Fund is fun! We also worry about money a lot less.

Honest question, at what NW did you stop worrying about money? We have 1.7m (investments not including house) but are getting a mortgage again because we moved to a higher cost of living state. We are still working but not really sure what our spending will be until we have a few months of the new mortgage under our belt. I've been stressed about how the money will shake out. Maybe it's just all the changes underway. I know it's different for everyone but I'm hoping this feeling will go away at some point, please tell me it will! :)

congratulations @dabighen

[charis]

Update: my net worth passed the $1,500,000 this month with no change in income, I am 39 now.  Pretty cool! Glad I can share this joy with you all. I feel comfortable now laying off the gas a little bit and we (my family of 7, had one more kid last year) are starting to travel more.

What have you all done differently lifestyle wise with your wealth?

We crossed the 1m mark in about February this year and are hovering around 1.19 in late Dec.  During that time, I took a pay cut for a new job and we're cutting back on savings (maxing 2.5 retirement accounts instead of 3) and tracking spending much less.   The latter is a byproduct of Mint closing down and I took it as an opportunity to "care" less.  We haven't changed our lifestyle very much but we are more likely to plan an international trip in the next couple of years and some expensive but boring home projects.

[maizefolk]

I've actually had a similar experience in that mint closing down made it a little harder to track (and so a little easier to not care) about month-to-month spending variation. I still update a spreadsheet with net worth about once a month, but as long as that is either continuing to move up, or, if it is moving down I can check and see that it was because the stock market declined, I don't track or sweat my spending or savings rate anymore.

[TwoCommas]

Congratulations!

We give a lot more to charity now. Having a Donor Advised Fund is fun! We also worry about money a lot less.

Honest question, at what NW did you stop worrying about money? We have 1.7m (investments not including house) but are getting a mortgage again because we moved to a higher cost of living state. We are still working but not really sure what our spending will be until we have a few months of the new mortgage under our belt. I've been stressed about how the money will shake out. Maybe it's just all the changes underway. I know it's different for everyone but I'm hoping this feeling will go away at some point, please tell me it will! :)

congratulations @dabighen

Congrats to all of those in this thread being my screen namesake.

I feel this post all too much. We have some potential changes in the coming year or so - a move out of state due to family member health and the unknown has me worrying about scenarios of 'doing the right thing'.
We hit $1M investments earlier this year, and are hovering around $1.2M between investments and cash. There was some volatility at work this year with some corporate wide layoffs. Mixing that with the unknown of the next house and the need to accumulate a new down payment stash led us to opt to let off the gas a bit to increase available cash. Just moving money away from maxing a 401k feels 'wrong' after getting to the point of being able to do so for a few years.

I certainly don't worry about money like I used to, but I would like to be worry-free...I just don't know if that will ever happen.

[Dicey]

Congratulations!

We give a lot more to charity now. Having a Donor Advised Fund is fun! We also worry about money a lot less.

Honest question, at what NW did you stop worrying about money? We have 1.7m (investments not including house) but are getting a mortgage again because we moved to a higher cost of living state. We are still working but not really sure what our spending will be until we have a few months of the new mortgage under our belt. I've been stressed about how the money will shake out. Maybe it's just all the changes underway. I know it's different for everyone but I'm hoping this feeling will go away at some point, please tell me it will! :)

congratulations @dabighen

Sorry for the delayed response. I’ve been thinking this over since you asked. Honest answer: it happened gradually.

The first Aha! moment was when our daughter and granddaughter flew in for a holiday visit. We borrowed a car seat for the baby and installed it in the back seat. We didn't check the straps, which we discovered at busy SFO. As DH and daughter were struggling with them, I held the very cranky baby. The airport traffic cop was looking at us menacingly and telling us we had to move. I suddenly realized we could just go buy a new one. Wow, having plenty of money makes problems easy to solve. Who knew? Fortunately, they figured out the strapping system and the crisis was averted. It seems minor, but it really was a light bulb moment.

The next was when we were trying to launch DH's son, who is on the spectrum. After consulting the forum, we decided to spend part of his inheritance on a small condo not far from his work. We paid cash to get our bid accepted, then did an extensive $25k (materials only, we did the labor) remodel. He is now living on his own, and we were able to do it without debt, and with no impact on our long-term financial picture. We love doing work like that and getting him launched successfully felt great.

Finally, I had breast cancer, and it didn't wreck us financially. In fact, I never worried about money at all, which was a massive relief.

[JupiterGreen]

Congratulations!

We give a lot more to charity now. Having a Donor Advised Fund is fun! We also worry about money a lot less.

Honest question, at what NW did you stop worrying about money? We have 1.7m (investments not including house) but are getting a mortgage again because we moved to a higher cost of living state. We are still working but not really sure what our spending will be until we have a few months of the new mortgage under our belt. I've been stressed about how the money will shake out. Maybe it's just all the changes underway. I know it's different for everyone but I'm hoping this feeling will go away at some point, please tell me it will! :)

congratulations @dabighen

Sorry for the delayed response. I’ve been thinking this over since you asked. Honest answer: it happened gradually.

The first Aha! moment was when our daughter and granddaughter flew in for a holiday visit. We borrowed a car seat for the baby and installed it in the back seat. We didn't check the straps, which we discovered at busy SFO. As DH and daughter were struggling with them, I held the very cranky baby. The airport traffic cop was looking at us menacingly and telling us we had to move. I suddenly realized we could just go buy a new one. Wow, having plenty of money makes problems easy to solve. Who knew? Fortunately, they figured out the strapping system and the crisis was averted. It seems minor, but it really was a light bulb moment.

The next was when we were trying to launch DH's son, who is on the spectrum. After consulting the forum, we decided to spend part of his inheritance on a small condo not far from his work. We paid cash to get our bid accepted, then did an extensive $25k (materials only, we did the labor) remodel. He is now living on his own, and we were able to do it without debt, and with no impact on our long-term financial picture. We love doing work like that and getting him launched successfully felt great.

Finally, I had breast cancer, and it didn't wreck us financially. In fact, I never worried about money at all, which was a massive relief.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. I've had a few small things like this happen where I felt like I could throw money at a problem so maybe we are on our way to getting there. We are not paying cash for the new house, but honestly we do have enough money in a brokerage account to pay off the new mortgage, it is just earmarked as later money so I think I just need to relax about that. From what you wrote it sounds like the key is part logic, understanding the math and feeling good when the numbers match the overall objectives and part mental, trusting that when the "math is mathing" that your projections are correct and that the money will grow and be there when you need it.  I've written before about how my partner is "head in the sand" when it comes to our financials, I think I worry more than the average bear because I'm not good at math and don't trust my abilities to fully calculate everything so my problem is the former and the latter. But I think the mental part weighs the heaviest so it gives me a strategy: to compare logic against my thoughts. And my partner and I can actually work on both of these parts together.

This was really helpful, again thank you I appreciate it.

Edit: Sorry about your cancer diagnosis that stinks but so glad money wasn't one of the things you had to worry about. Also want to say, wow you are amazing parents. How you cared for your child warms my heart.

[41_swish]

Congratulations! I just started my journey about 2.5 years ago and really started taking savings seriously as of a couple months ago. I am excited to see what 2025 has in store for me. Posts like this give me hope!

[talltexan]

The other answers here are already great. I will add from my own experience that there is eventually just a feeling of gravity almost as you realize the systems around you are pointing upwards. I didn't used to feel it, but getting the housing and car budget under control were one big burst, and kids getting older (and not requiring $1,400+ of monthly expenses) was a second one.