2029 FIRE Cohort

[DeskJockey2028]

Absolutely a true statement for me too. Any of the downsides to this conflict that I'm facing are trivial right now compared those involved in this war. I've got my family, my home, my safety, food security, clean water and the ability to type this out on a computer whenever I wish.

I will add: I cannot deny the amount of privilege involved in measuring my damage from world events in terms of numbers on a spreadsheet, while there are people--some of whom are my relatives--who are seeing violence and death and destruction.

[DeskJockey2028]

On this day, back in 2017, at 10:03:05 wherever this server is located, the 2029 FIRE Cohort was created! Five long years have passed so quickly! In less that 7 years, we'll be at the start of 2029.

[FI4good]

Hey fellow 29’rs,
 Still keeping on ,  upped the solar array to my inverters max.

 with the 28p per kwh average price of electricity here i will expand and get batteries. not for the 5p they pay for export but to save on the average 28p they charge.

I can see a return on investment of 5-6  years,  with a decent lifespan of equipment a few years of “free energy ” , also i’ve turned an unknown id assume higher future cost into a fixed cost now, a small electric car for the work commute can also be charged from solar. making our life and lifestyle more secure and robust .

Sun is too unreliable to go off grid completely here but i think 80% of our usage is achievable.

still in between 1/4 & 1/3rd , closer to the 1/3rd than 1/4 of recent , not including crazy house price .

[talltexan]

Indeed you deserve a lot of credit for your solar-based lifestyle.

Our house has a nice south-facing roof, but it's streetside, so I'm going to need to look for those solar panels that look like "roof".

[DoneFSO]

Well, I am very glad that I changed my FIRE class from 2020 to 2029!  6 1/2 years to go at this point.  That's not very long, at all, but I think it will likely be long enough to weather these current dark and uncertain times.  If not, we'll probably have bigger fish to fry at that point than concerns about our FIRE prospects.  I plan to keep calm and focus on wealth creation, to the greatest extent possible, from now until 2029.

[DeskJockey2028]

Right? I'm still looking to finish the rat race around the middle of 2028, and am hopeful that the majority of this turmoil will be done by then (and not simply replaced by new turmoil). For now though, stocks are on sale and I'm doing my best to take advantage of that.

[Turtle]

Right? I'm still looking to finish the rat race around the middle of 2028, and am hopeful that the majority of this turmoil will be done by then (and not simply replaced by new turmoil). For now though, stocks are on sale and I'm doing my best to take advantage of that.

Same though hoping to be done by early 2027 at the latest.

[maisymouser]

Hi all, checking in here. Things are really good most of the time but I'm slogging through work lately and wishing I could just pull the trigger and say "FU company!!" ... Or at least, downshift to part-time. I hate hate hate working 8 hours a day. Just not built for it. Is anyone, really?

Anyone else with mixed feelings about the market? On the one hand I'm ready to get whatever recession I'm going to experience going already. On with it. Stocks on sale and all. But on the other hand, it makes FIRE seem that much further away. I had been wavering on a milestone and had finally thought it was locked in, only to watch it erode quickly.

I calculated that if I retire in 2029 at my target with what I'm saving now, I would need a 12% average rate of return. But that's a fatFIRE number and I can't imagine not working at least a little after quitting my full-time gig. I'd need 8% to have a healthy RE or 4-5% for leanFI. This is assuming I outright blow all the preschool money I won't be paying in a year on other stuff, so my savings rate will probably go up and these numbers will change.

So, still on track, but damn, 7 years feels like a long time when I need to draft TPS reports. I need to continue working toward enjoying the process and journey.

On that front, I am really digging my hobbies lately- mainly beekeeping and reading. I reconnected with my 3yo and made intentional time with him last week while DH was out of town. I am hanging out with friends more (though this causes conflict with my Mustachian tendencies, since there is some declining invites to eat out). I have new houseplants that I might be able to keep alive. And my marriage is in a great place.

[BuffaloStache]

Hi fellow '29ers! Sorry it's been a while since I checked in. With the downturn, a really busy period at work, and some house/kiddo projects taking up the majority of my time I haven't been able to check in a lot.

@maisymouser, totally agree with you: I honestly don't think anyone was built for 8 hours of work a day. When I was out on paternity leave with my 2nd, I worked ~3 hrs/day on average and that felt really nice. In fact, since I've worked so much over the past ~4 months (and thanks to the pandemic, basically haven't spent any vacation time in ~2 years), my plan is to take every Friday off of work between now and ~mid-July. I'm hoping that gives me more time for hobbies, exercise, and reading.


Finally, as usual, DJ said it best:

Right? I'm still looking to finish the rat race around the middle of 2028, and am hopeful that the majority of this turmoil will be done by then (and not simply replaced by new turmoil). For now though, stocks are on sale and I'm doing my best to take advantage of that.

I don't know when the bottom will be (the biggest sale!) but we're all certainly far enough away from 2029 to really get some (hopefully) good gains if we can take advantage of this now.
Keep on keepin' on, fellow '29ers!

[DeskJockey2028]

Depending on a lot of different factors - current finances, current state of the market, etc. I'm really toying with the idea of going down to 80% for my last full year of employment. I'd love to be able to work a four day work week with every Monday or Friday off. A year full of 3 day weekends makes for a much shorter year, in my opinion.

My workplace has always supported flexible scheduling and less than full time, so I think it will depend more on my money situation and willingness to sock away a little less than anything else.

I do love my long weekends.

[BuffaloStache]

I completely agree, that working 80% or even 60% for the last year or two of work would be awesome. I'm in a kind of similar, but a little more complicated boat...

My current employer does support people downshifting to part-time and flexible work schedules, which is attractive to me. However, I also know that I could likely make a higher salary (to the tune of 15-25% more) if I leave this company sometime soon. I'm not going to do anything until early-2023 (I vest in some benefits then), but it definitely makes me think...

[DeskJockey2028]

I'm kind of lucky, I guess, in that I have no desire to leave my current employer. I'll have been here 18 years this Fall. I am working for the best boss I've ever had, with a team that jives well. While I'm not going to advance anywhere else in my career if I stay here, I am well compensated for what I do. In fact, as a union employee, I get negotiated raises every year (usually negotiated for a 3 year contract). I've never not gotten a raise here - and they're all percentage raises, so the magic of compounding interest works there too. :)

Plus I get (for the US) a staggering number of days off. 47 days combined of vaca time, sick time, personal days and holidays. And this year (and last year too) they gave us all an additional 5 days off around already long weekends as an appreciation for working during a pandemic.

Our health coverage is amazing (again for the US), and if I stay here until I'm 55 and my combined work history/age are 75 or greater (which will happen when I'm 55) then I can continue to pay the employee premium for health care for the rest of my life when I retire - either as my primary health care or supplemental to medicare/medicaid.

Then there are the other perks - work pays for my cell phone and plan. I'm contractually obliged to only work 7 hours a day. I get a significant percentage of my salary matched in my 403(b) plan. Discounted tickets for local theaters, museums, etc.

I fell into this job pretty much by accident. Sure, I could have left 5 or 10 years ago and probably I'd be managing my own group by now, and making a bit more money too. But I'd be a lot more stressed, I wouldn't be getting home at 3:45 in the afternoon (on the days I go into the office) and I'd have seen my wife and kids a LOT less over the past nearly two decades.

[DeskJockey2028]

This is awesome! I feel like I could have written it myself except: my job is non-union, I work fully remote since Covid, and you get a bit more PTO than I do. I could see doing what I'm doing now for a very long time. Recognizing that it could change anytime is what keeps me working towards FI, but I have absolutely no desire to move, improve, get promoted or shake anything up!

Right? I mean, I recognize also how luck I (we) are. Sometimes I'll be at work and getting frustrated by something and I have to take a moment to recognize that I've got it pretty damned good. In fact, this job would be perfect if it wasn't for all those other people using computers! ;)

There was talk of promoting me to a senior role. If I did so, I'd get a raise that I'd match in two years doing exactly what I do now, just utilizing my already negotiated raises. If I took the promotion, I'd get promoted out of the union into a position where raises are not guaranteed and often don't happen. Uh... I get that plus more work, longer hours and more responsibility? I let them know that I'm happy where I am - and they're still happy to have me here because I'm pretty good at what I do. A win-win combined with a first world problem.

[henramdrea]

I work 4 ten-hour days, so I get a 3 day weekend every weekend.  This weekend is a 4-dayer!
That being said, I'd of course love to work even less.  I've got a real dumb commute (nearly an hour each way) for my trouble, but like DJ, I love my group I work with.  I'm in healthcare so no opportunity for telecommuting for my job.
I'm with maisy above:  let's just get on with this recession/depression or whatever this is turning into, so we can use the time to re-accumulate (man, that sounds selfish...sorry).
I don't think I can yet afford to dial back, but I'll take stock of where we are in about 5 years (I'll be 60) to see if there's a chance to cut back on FT work.  Would sure love to be done with this 40 hours a week thing.  I'm tired.

[FI4good]

Hey Maiseymouser,

 Despite me trying to focus on being breezy and light have no doubt every hour i spend at work feels like an hour of my life wasted.
I have to be wary of the chronic overachiever in myself screwing myself up too hard to achieve, cut things too fine, work too much or looking at more risky investments to magic myself ahead. Ultimately i know the stash will be ready at the right time for me be it 2028 or 2032 .. im doing what i can to live, to get through, im in the fight with time too ..

Best wishes.

[caracarn]

So been a long time since I've posted on this thread of even been on the MMM forums.   Might even be all of 2022.

I like many above are just slogging along, but as the last poster, I am struggling with the waiting at this point as it just feels like forever.   At this point the actual numbers are making the decision for me.  In December I could retire this year, now the date has moved out to 2024-25 with the recent market losses.   Also where we want to move the housing market had literally more than quadrupled in a year ($150K house is spring 2021 now is $850K-1 mil in spring 2022 and this is eastern TN, not a HCOL area, so seems insane).  While our home has gone up I just feel the housing market has lost its damn mind.   I have a coworker in NC in the RNC area who said their neighbor listed their $650K house and in less than 24 hours has 15 offers and took one at $200K over asking price.   Glad those are not my finances because those people are never going to recover from paying that much over value in an upmarket already.   

So I am trying to recalibrate my emotions to remember that I'm not selling and moving now.   I'm not retiring now.   Things will stabilize over a few years as they always do, though I think desk's optimism about drama being over then is unlikely.   I've begun to believe this a fundamental shift in American culture and that we will not move back to a "united' country.   I grieve that and that has been part of my sadness lately.   I have always been very upbeat about the possibilities and potential of the US, but even my exuberant mood has finally been defeated and I no longer believe we will do this.   Why?  Because the young generation that is supposed to save us from ourselves contains some of the most adamant dividers we have in the public square and the power they want is achievable through fear and they are OK with it.   

As of February my position is officially remote, so I no longer have to even consider going into an office for any days.   I have grown to like this because if I have work to do I do it, and if I do not I do not need to pretend like something is being done.   I just monitor my e-mail and phone while I pass the time.   From a productivity standpoint it is great but because I'm so good at what I do, I can get tasks done very quickly and so it has shown how much wasted effort is put forth in offices when many times you are just waiting for a reply to a question of an approval to an item etc.   Now I just create the procedure, send it out for review and wait while thinking about other things in life.

The good part of this is it has given me a big taste of the fact that I can find enjoyable ways to pass my time when I step away from work, because I "step away" many times a week, sometimes for days at a time as I wait for the next point where I am needed.  I am very blessed that I am at this point in my career and have this particular job at this particular time.   It has helped make the process easier, but it does open up time to contemplate and perhaps drag my emotions down as I watch what I feel are poor decisions being made in our republic that will have decades long ramifications.   

[henramdrea]

Hang in there, caracarn.  I feel your pain acutely.  We are of a generation that is old enough to harken back to the 70's and stagflation when dad had to sit in line for hours to get gas in the family car, when interest rates were over 15% and jobs were becoming scarce.  Our parents were of a different breed though.  Pray we're as strong as they were to weather these times.  We've seen it before, granted it wasn't in combination with social unrest with war abroad (Vietnam was all but over then).  We have to remain hopeful.  Our kids need to inherit a better place than what we have now.

[DeskJockey2028]

Here we are, 45% of the way through our journey from the start of this cohort to 1/1/29! Onward to 50% early next year!

40% of our journey through the start of this thread to January 1st of 2029 has been completed! Happy December everyone!

35% done.

Welcome to this last day of April, 2021! We are now over a third of the way to 1/1/29 since the start of this thread.  Go us!

Tomorrow, Saturday the 26th of September, we will reach our 30% milestone! 30% of the time from the start of this cohort thread to 1/1/29 has passed. Remember when we passed the 2% mark? Now we're nearly a third of the way to 2029, which is a nice milestone to hit! I hope everyone is doing well and keeping safe.

Today's at 2pm local time, we have hit 25% of the way to 1/1/29, from the start of this cohort! ONE QUARTER DONE! Three to go! If our FIRE process was a dollar, this is the first time we'd get enough change out of it to feed a parking meter. Go us!

Today, at 4am local time, marks 20% of the way to 2029! That's 1/5th of the way there! We're starting to show some serious progress here. 3,452 days to the first day of 2029! Less than 9.5 years and way less than the nearly 4,300 we started this cohort with.

Welcome to 15% of the way to 1/1/29! Hope everyone had a decent year and that 2019 brings more good things and more retirement funds!  In 215 days or so, that is, next July, we'll be 1/5th of the way there! We're currently 3,665 days away from 1/1/29. If anyone's interested, we're also 646 days from the day I started this thread!

And just like that, we're in double digits. Happy 10% day! 1/10th of the way to 2029!

Hey all! Tomorrow, Saturday the 14th, is 5% day! Look at that, we've already more than doubled our previous 2% milestone. :) Hope to see you all again on May 18th, 2018 for 10% day!

Happy 2% day!

[pasadenafr]

I was looking at my numbers today and realized something funny - as the stock market keeps trying to move my target to a later date, the USD/EUR exchange rate manages to bring me back to the 2029 cohort. Silver lining for those who are planning on retiring abroad, I guess?

I know full well that none of this is actually meaningful, since we're still 7 years away and markets won't look then like they look today. But it made me smile this morning.

[SotI]

While I live in the EUR zone, a large part of my stock/ETF investment is outside and USD denominated. So the exchange rate has been buffering my investment losses (although it hurts my new investments, ofc).

I know there are a lot of USD doom-sayers here, but I trust the EUR even less and decided early on to not bet against the (current) empire. Whether this will pay off long-term in my retiring years, we will see. So far, so good. Other than that, I put cash into house renovations and backup energy, to minimize inflation-drag in the next few years.

Still aiming to retire by end of 2025, but worst case, I could pad my wallet with freelance work until 2029 ... providing the zombie apocalypse doesn't hit this region by then.

[caracarn]

Been making little retirement progress due to kids adulting.   We're helping out one child get on her feet in her first away from home place after college, and helping another navigate and get her first house which she closes on next month.  Heading to the house inspection she asked me to attend for a bit in a couple hours.   So we've diverted funds that would normally head to investments to investing in our family instead, but that's why we work to financial independence isn't it so that we can help out where it brings us joy, right?

We've also spent lavishly on some fun experiences as we come out of COVID and my wife and I are heading on vacation later this month and looking forward to a bit of return to normalcy after 2-3 years of weird.   

So all that has caused us to basically stay flat even as contributions keep going in, but still very happy with our progress, as sometimes detours end up being where we find something wonderful and unexpected and that's been our path the last few months.

[Turtle]

Been making little retirement progress due to kids adulting.   We're helping out one child get on her feet in her first away from home place after college, and helping another navigate and get her first house which she closes on next month.  Heading to the house inspection she asked me to attend for a bit in a couple hours.   So we've diverted funds that would normally head to investments to investing in our family instead, but that's why we work to financial independence isn't it so that we can help out where it brings us joy, right?

We've also spent lavishly on some fun experiences as we come out of COVID and my wife and I are heading on vacation later this month and looking forward to a bit of return to normalcy after 2-3 years of weird.   

So all that has caused us to basically stay flat even as contributions keep going in, but still very happy with our progress, as sometimes detours end up being where we find something wonderful and unexpected and that's been our path the last few months.

Sometimes staying flat is a vital part of the recovery needed for the next big push and setting your children up for long term self sufficiency will pay dividends for both parents and children alike.

[lifeisshort123]

It is a constant balance, figuring out the right pace.  Figuring out how much you want to work, how much you need to work.  What the best way to support your family is.  That’s why I have more or less a 5-ish year window I am trying to hit for retirement.

[FI4good]

Feeling the grind today team .
Was chatting to my 70 yo dad & he said be careful about wishing your time away, i can understand but it doesn’t make today feel much easier to get through.

Have been trying to focus on nearer term milestones like paying off the mortgage but i haven’t got there yet .

Valuing the time of my life is precisely why i’m doing this thing.

Maybe i just need to cut the coffee and focus on gardening or something, can get too wrapped up in projecting into the future i neglect now .

[BuffaloStache]

...
All parts of life are difficult and all parts can be wonderful. Try to enjoy your conversations with that one coworker who makes it bearable. Try to enjoy the relaxing feeling of the paycheck hitting the account. Try to enjoy the weekends. Do whatever you can to enjoy the now, and ignore the bad. There will always be bad stuff. Train your mind not to focus on it. It takes practice and no one ever gets it perfect, but it's worth it to learn how to do. It will last your whole life long.

This is extremely well written, and sorely needed advice for this year. Thanks, @rockstache .

I haven't been on these forums much this year either, because it's been hard to talk about progress when even keeping flat is a struggle. But maybe we should celebrate the plateau a little more!

[lifeisshort123]

I agree… we need to celebrate the victories along the journey.  Otherwise it will be a long 10-20 years.

[DeskJockey2028]

I think that's why I add milestones to my calendar. In terms of pure FIRE stuff, I love seeing the big round numbers tick by as I make progress towards my goal. Both in dollars, and in time.

I also spend far less time thinking about FIRE stuff than I think is apparent from these posts and that may be true for many of us. Most of my life outside of work is spent not thinking much about it, especially now that I'm in the boring middle. However, work affords periods of downtime that I need to fill with something - and thinking about FIRE fits that bill pretty well.

[Calimerostache]

Hello have not posted in a while.
But thought I would check in today.
Found it interesting to see how our progress is tracking very closely
I was at 17% in June (2019)
And today at 42% (jul 2022)

Expecting to be at 50% one year from now.

Here we are, 45% of the way through our journey from the start of this cohort to 1/1/29! Onward to 50% early next year!

40% of our journey through the start of this thread to January 1st of 2029 has been completed! Happy December everyone!

35% done.

Welcome to this last day of April, 2021! We are now over a third of the way to 1/1/29 since the start of this thread.  Go us!

Tomorrow, Saturday the 26th of September, we will reach our 30% milestone! 30% of the time from the start of this cohort thread to 1/1/29 has passed. Remember when we passed the 2% mark? Now we're nearly a third of the way to 2029, which is a nice milestone to hit! I hope everyone is doing well and keeping safe.

Today's at 2pm local time, we have hit 25% of the way to 1/1/29, from the start of this cohort! ONE QUARTER DONE! Three to go! If our FIRE process was a dollar, this is the first time we'd get enough change out of it to feed a parking meter. Go us!

Today, at 4am local time, marks 20% of the way to 2029! That's 1/5th of the way there! We're starting to show some serious progress here. 3,452 days to the first day of 2029! Less than 9.5 years and way less than the nearly 4,300 we started this cohort with.

Welcome to 15% of the way to 1/1/29! Hope everyone had a decent year and that 2019 brings more good things and more retirement funds!  In 215 days or so, that is, next July, we'll be 1/5th of the way there! We're currently 3,665 days away from 1/1/29. If anyone's interested, we're also 646 days from the day I started this thread!

And just like that, we're in double digits. Happy 10% day! 1/10th of the way to 2029!

Hey all! Tomorrow, Saturday the 14th, is 5% day! Look at that, we've already more than doubled our previous 2% milestone. :) Hope to see you all again on May 18th, 2018 for 10% day!

Happy 2% day!

[lifeisshort123]

That is fabulous! You are getting closer!!!! Keep the journey alive.

[HeadedWest2029]

Greetings 2029ers,

About to pull the trigger on a new solar panel system.  It feels strange to write such a big check (paying in cash) while perusing FI.  It's been a long time since I've made such a big investment (outside financial markets)…not since I bought our house in 2006.  I had to overcome analysis paralysis which is in my nature.  Gotta remind myself this is part of the long game when I see the net worth go down short-term (financing would have been 5.4% APY if I went that route).  After federal and state incentives / rebates, the net cost for our 7.4 kw system will be a little over $13k, but additional tax savings could bring it down as far as ~$7,300 net (according to a tax accountant familiar with solar...we'll see).  I should be able to get most of the fed & state rebates in year 1 which helps.   I expect it to pay for itself somewhere between 5 and 8 years with an annualized ROI of between 6.4% and 7.11% over a 25 year lifetime (factoring in net cost, system degradation, electricity savings, and electricity rate hikes).  It also sets me up to buy an EV whenever our 2003 car finally bites the dust. 

Exactly 2300 days until 1/1/2029!

[BuffaloStache]

Congrats to both @lifeisshort123 and @HeadedWest2029 ! I too want to put Solar Panels on my house, but am not sure on the order of operations (also need to replace a mid-2000's car soon). I figure the new (to me at least) car, Solar Panels, and likely one home renovation project are the 3 biggest purchases I'll make before FI, assuming we don't move for any reason and stay in our current location.

And I totally agree; it's one thing to plan out in your mind that you are going to make these big purchases, but actually writing the check can be extremely difficult sometimes. Good luck and keep on keepin on!

[talltexan]

With interest rates rising, I think we're going to be in our south-facing house for a while. We knew coming in the HOA wouldn't allow solar on the front roof, so we'll have to find savings in other places.

[maisymouser]

Hi all, checking in here. Things are really good most of the time but I'm slogging through work lately and wishing I could just pull the trigger and say "FU company!!" ... Or at least, downshift to part-time. I hate hate hate working 8 hours a day. Just not built for it. Is anyone, really?

Anyone else with mixed feelings about the market? On the one hand I'm ready to get whatever recession I'm going to experience going already. On with it. Stocks on sale and all. But on the other hand, it makes FIRE seem that much further away. I had been wavering on a milestone and had finally thought it was locked in, only to watch it erode quickly.

I calculated that if I retire in 2029 at my target with what I'm saving now, I would need a 12% average rate of return. But that's a fatFIRE number and I can't imagine not working at least a little after quitting my full-time gig. I'd need 8% to have a healthy RE or 4-5% for leanFI. This is assuming I outright blow all the preschool money I won't be paying in a year on other stuff, so my savings rate will probably go up and these numbers will change.

So, still on track, but damn, 7 years feels like a long time when I need to draft TPS reports. I need to continue working toward enjoying the process and journey.

On that front, I am really digging my hobbies lately- mainly beekeeping and reading. I reconnected with my 3yo and made intentional time with him last week while DH was out of town. I am hanging out with friends more (though this causes conflict with my Mustachian tendencies, since there is some declining invites to eat out). I have new houseplants that I might be able to keep alive. And my marriage is in a great place.

Another check-in. I don't journal here so it's interesting to look back at my posts and reflect on what's changed and what has stayed the same. It's odd to think that in May I was daydreaming about quitting. I effing LOVE my work right now. I know that can change in an instant, but for several months I have been excited for my work and can't imagine leaving anytime soon. I'm trying to soak all that in while I can because it's hard to imagine things will always be like that.

I might have been a bit cavalier when I said "BRING THE RECESSION!!!" Having been a teenager during the '08 financial crisis, I'm probably in that group of people on this forum who are sometimes referred to as those who 'haven't even been through a real recession', 'don't know what it feels like to keep dumping money in during a REAL downturn', etc. While I'm confident that I won't have trouble continuing to plow that paycheck into VTSAX, the prospect of doing this for potentially years gives me some disquiet. I am worried about my savings rate dropping due to rising energy/food costs, house repairs, taxes, etc. I'm glad I have this community to help me stay strong through whatever is next, and really have very little to complain about. (worst case scenario maybe I don't totally 100% max out my tax-advantaged retirement accounts for a year or two..! wahhhh! /s)

Still beekeeping, still reading (right now- Where the Crawdads Sing). Still loving our (now four year old) kid. We are working on becoming licensed for foster care, which I feel anxious/worried about being a decision we could potentially regret for the obvious reasons. Neither of us are gung-ho "let's have another baby", both of us feel concerned about the state of the world/climate change/society and do not have excitement about being responsible for bringing another human soul onto the planet. But I in particular don't feel *done* with growing our family. When I think about the long-term vision it usually includes another person or two in the family we've created. There are loads of children out there already in need of loving homes, yada yada yada. So, this is the direction we are going unless we hit a roadblock or it becomes obviously a bad fit.

About 50% of the houseplants in the aforementioned post are still with us. The rest died a long, slow, very painful death.

With interest rates rising, I think we're going to be in our south-facing house for a while. We knew coming in the HOA wouldn't allow solar on the front roof, so we'll have to find savings in other places.

Solar panels are a bucket list item of mine that probably won't manifest in this decade. It is absolutely effing ridiculous that your HOA doesn't allow solar on the front roof. Who are they, Exxon Mobile?? The Koch Brothers?? I hope that you enjoy everything else about your house and I'm sure the passive heat and extra light you get from the south-facing windows is nice. We're living at the bottom of a hill in the woods so both those things are very limited in our world right now. (Not for long!)

2029 is 7 years away. I'm sure it will be a wild ride and I'm so excited to see how life unfolds until then. Take it easy, y'all. We're in this together!

[BuffaloStache]

Excellent check-in, thanks Maisy! Good luck with the foster care licensing and everything else. I mostly agree/relate to your feeling of disquiet: this year has been the first real "down" year since I started my FI journey. And although I'm still in much better shape than most (especially friends/coworkers/etc. not on this path), it's still hard to look back on a full year and think about the lack of progress, the financial stagnation that this year has brought. My sincerest hope is that in 2-3 years we'll all look back on this and view it as a pause on our road to FI: sure, it may have increased our journey's by a year, but hopefully it better prepared us for life in the FI-zone.

I think we're far enough into November that I can now say: Happy Holidays '29-ers. I hope you all can enjoy the year's end and the experiences it brings.

[FI4good]

Happy new year all,

Net worth plateau at the moment i’d guess , making extra payments on the mortgage as the fixed rate ends in 2025, inflation is my friend as long as my pay rise keeps up .

Not really looking at the numbers in the retirement account, rational evidence based investment doesn’t need an irrational monkey brain playing with the controls or doing anything “sophisticated”.

Feeling the urge to buy a car as this kia soul at 12 years old ( owned it for 9) is getting worn out & a bit rusty with sea spray, probably get another summer out of it.. then we will get a smaller more efficient vehicle.

keep on !

[HeadedWest2029]

My 2022 end of year stat, the only one I really care about...savings rate
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/01/13/the-shockingly-simple-math-behind-early-retirement/

62% savings rate for 2022.
Started down the path to FI in 2014.  My cumulative rate is 60% since 2014, so pretty normal year for me in 2022.
2023 will be a different story.  New solar panels went up today so there will a huge upfront payment and won't recoup a lot of the federal tax credits, depreciation write-offs, or state incentives until next year.

I was somewhat surprised to see our spending only increased by ~3% compared to 2021 with the high inflation.  Speaking of, got the new car insurance quote and GEICO increased by something stupid, like 19%.  Oof

[DeskJockey2028]

Happy New Year everyone!

Here I sit, the first day back in the office for 2023 and I'm already missing my winter break. :)

Things for me are rolling right along - E-fund is refilled, investments back to normal, overpaying the mortgage a bit and all that good stuff. Hope everyone's doing okay.

Take care!
DJ

[caracarn]

For me the thing I am wrestling with now, is IF we hit the FIRE number, and with the way markets are going for the last year flattening and with my expectation that our political volatility will cause us to default on the debt for the first time ever and we get to see if the market reaction is permanent to that, I am starting to feel this is a more likely IF than before.   Let's not get into if the R's get their wishes and remove Social Security and Medicare and all the other things that play a part in our calculations and we may all be back here in a few years making all new plans.  I know I for one would need to wait longer if that happened as my model is based on Social Security kicking in in about 10 years to provide the safety net of puling the trigger along with Medicare removing a lot of the concern of health care costs.

But back to what I'm wrestling with.   My wife and I had a talk over the holidays about the fact that our children could stay on our health insurance until they are 26.   The reality is most will need to do that with what it happening economically and with our youngest just turning 18, that means 2030 before we are there; not too far off from the 2029 this forum is about it had deflated me quite a bit as the calculator shows I'm still on pace to be able to hit the number at 2025 or 2026, but if I had to get insurance with the kids on ACA for years then that is not accurate because it would be another $1,800 per month to account for raising the FIRE number a good bit higher.  At 2030, I'll be 60, which is still early, but nowhere near where I've had my sights set for the last couple pandemic years and things have moved along nicely.  I had felt that getting them through college was really the line in the sand that had to be crossed, which is just 4 years away, not 8.   But I know my wife it right, we can't just kick them to the curb and say "figure out your healthcare, we're cutting you off".  So I think I need to recalibrate my expectations from my FIRE number to 2029 maybe we'll have enough of a buffer and being only a year away from when the last must figure other his healthcare cause he cannot stay on ours, that might still happen, but it's not very likely anything earlier will.

[talltexan]

My 2022 end of year stat, the only one I really care about...savings rate
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/01/13/the-shockingly-simple-math-behind-early-retirement/

62% savings rate for 2022.
Started down the path to FI in 2014.  My cumulative rate is 60% since 2014, so pretty normal year for me in 2022.
2023 will be a different story.  New solar panels went up today so there will a huge upfront payment and won't recoup a lot of the federal tax credits, depreciation write-offs, or state incentives until next year.

I was somewhat surprised to see our spending only increased by ~3% compared to 2021 with the high inflation.  Speaking of, got the new car insurance quote and GEICO increased by something stupid, like 19%.  Oof

You deserve credit for that high savings rate, you may well find that you don't need to linger at your paid job all the way until 2029.

[HeadedWest2029]

That's the hope.  It's a moving target for me, but if you asked me today I'm thinking 2025 or 2026.  As much as anything, I want to work longer just to trim down on the uncertainty with such a long retirement & be closer to retirement account withdrawals, social security payments, etc.  I'm impressed by people like MMM who can retire at 30 with potentially 70 years left to live.  Even retiring mid 40s is a long time, but after 10+ years of no work, I'll be a feral animal incapable to working with others

[Turtle]

For me the thing I am wrestling with now, is IF we hit the FIRE number, and with the way markets are going for the last year flattening and with my expectation that our political volatility will cause us to default on the debt for the first time ever and we get to see if the market reaction is permanent to that, I am starting to feel this is a more likely IF than before.   Let's not get into if the R's get their wishes and remove Social Security and Medicare and all the other things that play a part in our calculations and we may all be back here in a few years making all new plans.  I know I for one would need to wait longer if that happened as my model is based on Social Security kicking in in about 10 years to provide the safety net of puling the trigger along with Medicare removing a lot of the concern of health care costs.

But back to what I'm wrestling with.   My wife and I had a talk over the holidays about the fact that our children could stay on our health insurance until they are 26.   The reality is most will need to do that with what it happening economically and with our youngest just turning 18, that means 2030 before we are there; not too far off from the 2029 this forum is about it had deflated me quite a bit as the calculator shows I'm still on pace to be able to hit the number at 2025 or 2026, but if I had to get insurance with the kids on ACA for years then that is not accurate because it would be another $1,800 per month to account for raising the FIRE number a good bit higher.  At 2030, I'll be 60, which is still early, but nowhere near where I've had my sights set for the last couple pandemic years and things have moved along nicely.  I had felt that getting them through college was really the line in the sand that had to be crossed, which is just 4 years away, not 8.   But I know my wife it right, we can't just kick them to the curb and say "figure out your healthcare, we're cutting you off".  So I think I need to recalibrate my expectations from my FIRE number to 2029 maybe we'll have enough of a buffer and being only a year away from when the last must figure other his healthcare cause he cannot stay on ours, that might still happen, but it's not very likely anything earlier will.

I have 2 kids in their early 20's.  One is in the military so only on my insurance because it's a "with kids" rate but unlikely to use it.  Youngest is at first job post college, which does include healthcare but at a higher cost than adding onto mine.   That kiddo is putting part of every paycheck into a joint savings account to mostly cover my extra cost, and we'll review later this year at Open Enrollment time whether or not to do the same for next year.  (I'm just leaving the money there for the moment -- it's my "emergency help the kiddo" fund, unofficially.)

You might have the option of helping your youngest with getting or paying for their own insurance rather than keeping them on yours.  Either way, bringing them into the discussion and evaluation of options would be valuable life experience for them.

[caracarn]

For me the thing I am wrestling with now, is IF we hit the FIRE number, and with the way markets are going for the last year flattening and with my expectation that our political volatility will cause us to default on the debt for the first time ever and we get to see if the market reaction is permanent to that, I am starting to feel this is a more likely IF than before.   Let's not get into if the R's get their wishes and remove Social Security and Medicare and all the other things that play a part in our calculations and we may all be back here in a few years making all new plans.  I know I for one would need to wait longer if that happened as my model is based on Social Security kicking in in about 10 years to provide the safety net of puling the trigger along with Medicare removing a lot of the concern of health care costs.

But back to what I'm wrestling with.   My wife and I had a talk over the holidays about the fact that our children could stay on our health insurance until they are 26.   The reality is most will need to do that with what it happening economically and with our youngest just turning 18, that means 2030 before we are there; not too far off from the 2029 this forum is about it had deflated me quite a bit as the calculator shows I'm still on pace to be able to hit the number at 2025 or 2026, but if I had to get insurance with the kids on ACA for years then that is not accurate because it would be another $1,800 per month to account for raising the FIRE number a good bit higher.  At 2030, I'll be 60, which is still early, but nowhere near where I've had my sights set for the last couple pandemic years and things have moved along nicely.  I had felt that getting them through college was really the line in the sand that had to be crossed, which is just 4 years away, not 8.   But I know my wife it right, we can't just kick them to the curb and say "figure out your healthcare, we're cutting you off".  So I think I need to recalibrate my expectations from my FIRE number to 2029 maybe we'll have enough of a buffer and being only a year away from when the last must figure other his healthcare cause he cannot stay on ours, that might still happen, but it's not very likely anything earlier will.

I have 2 kids in their early 20's.  One is in the military so only on my insurance because it's a "with kids" rate but unlikely to use it.  Youngest is at first job post college, which does include healthcare but at a higher cost than adding onto mine.   That kiddo is putting part of every paycheck into a joint savings account to mostly cover my extra cost, and we'll review later this year at Open Enrollment time whether or not to do the same for next year.  (I'm just leaving the money there for the moment -- it's my "emergency help the kiddo" fund, unofficially.)

You might have the option of helping your youngest with getting or paying for their own insurance rather than keeping them on yours.  Either way, bringing them into the discussion and evaluation of options would be valuable life experience for them.

We certainly have those discussions and with him being a Type 1 diabetic since age 2, insurance is a crucial item for him so it has been a discussion his whole life. 

[DeskJockey2028]

Today is 50% day! We're halfway through from the start date of this cohort to 1/1/29! Wooo! If this were a hill, we'd be at the top and ready to start heading down.

Here we are, 45% of the way through our journey from the start of this cohort to 1/1/29! Onward to 50% early next year!

40% of our journey through the start of this thread to January 1st of 2029 has been completed! Happy December everyone!

35% done.

Welcome to this last day of April, 2021! We are now over a third of the way to 1/1/29 since the start of this thread.  Go us!

Tomorrow, Saturday the 26th of September, we will reach our 30% milestone! 30% of the time from the start of this cohort thread to 1/1/29 has passed. Remember when we passed the 2% mark? Now we're nearly a third of the way to 2029, which is a nice milestone to hit! I hope everyone is doing well and keeping safe.

Today's at 2pm local time, we have hit 25% of the way to 1/1/29, from the start of this cohort! ONE QUARTER DONE! Three to go! If our FIRE process was a dollar, this is the first time we'd get enough change out of it to feed a parking meter. Go us!

Today, at 4am local time, marks 20% of the way to 2029! That's 1/5th of the way there! We're starting to show some serious progress here. 3,452 days to the first day of 2029! Less than 9.5 years and way less than the nearly 4,300 we started this cohort with.

Welcome to 15% of the way to 1/1/29! Hope everyone had a decent year and that 2019 brings more good things and more retirement funds!  In 215 days or so, that is, next July, we'll be 1/5th of the way there! We're currently 3,665 days away from 1/1/29. If anyone's interested, we're also 646 days from the day I started this thread!

And just like that, we're in double digits. Happy 10% day! 1/10th of the way to 2029!

Hey all! Tomorrow, Saturday the 14th, is 5% day! Look at that, we've already more than doubled our previous 2% milestone. :) Hope to see you all again on May 18th, 2018 for 10% day!

Happy 2% day!

[BuffaloStache]

...
But back to what I'm wrestling with.   My wife and I had a talk over the holidays about the fact that our children could stay on our health insurance until they are 26.   The reality is most will need to do that with what it happening economically and with our youngest just turning 18, that means 2030 before we are there; not too far off from the 2029 this forum is about it had deflated me quite a bit as the calculator shows I'm still on pace to be able to hit the number at 2025 or 2026, but if I had to get insurance with the kids on ACA for years then that is not accurate because it would be another $1,800 per month to account for raising the FIRE number a good bit higher.  At 2030, I'll be 60, which is still early, but nowhere near where I've had my sights set for the last couple pandemic years and things have moved along nicely.  I had felt that getting them through college was really the line in the sand that had to be crossed, which is just 4 years away, not 8.   But I know my wife it right, we can't just kick them to the curb and say "figure out your healthcare, we're cutting you off".  So I think I need to recalibrate my expectations from my FIRE number to 2029 maybe we'll have enough of a buffer and being only a year away from when the last must figure other his healthcare cause he cannot stay on ours, that might still happen, but it's not very likely anything earlier will.

I have 2 kids in their early 20's.  One is in the military so only on my insurance because it's a "with kids" rate but unlikely to use it.  Youngest is at first job post college, which does include healthcare but at a higher cost than adding onto mine.   That kiddo is putting part of every paycheck into a joint savings account to mostly cover my extra cost, and we'll review later this year at Open Enrollment time whether or not to do the same for next year.  (I'm just leaving the money there for the moment -- it's my "emergency help the kiddo" fund, unofficially.)
...

We certainly have those discussions and with him being a Type 1 diabetic since age 2, insurance is a crucial item for him so it has been a discussion his whole life.

Another option is to pull the trigger on a "Barista FIRE" type situation. After you hit your number in 2025-2026, you could try to downshift and either work part-time at your current job (just enough to get health benefits; at my company that's >=20 hrs/wk on average, as calculated on a quarterly basis), shift to a job in your same industry that you know will be less stress that still offers healthcare, or fully switch to a more part-time type job with health care. I'm not suggesting that it'll be easy to find the ideal situation for you, but you'll have ~5 years to work on it and I'd bet that effort is better than continuing to work full time at your current job... Just a thought.

Today is 50% day! We're halfway through from the start date of this cohort to 1/1/29! Wooo! If this were a hill, we'd be at the top and ready to start heading down.

Happy New Year and Happy 50% day everyone!

[caracarn]

Right now, current job is pretty stress free (other than the possibility of RIFs when sales are down, but any company has that).   I work from home, can do other things as I monitor e-mail etc.    It's kind of part time as it is as the work load is low, I just need to stay near my e-mail so that when something comes up I get it done in a few hours, but many of the tasks are literally five minutes to set up a workspace etc.

The part I'd be missing is not needing to be beholden to anything at a specific time or between certain hours.   Any job requires that, so that's why I'd like to fully step away and just really FIRE.

[Turtle]

Right now, current job is pretty stress free (other than the possibility of RIFs when sales are down, but any company has that).   I work from home, can do other things as I monitor e-mail etc.    It's kind of part time as it is as the work load is low, I just need to stay near my e-mail so that when something comes up I get it done in a few hours, but many of the tasks are literally five minutes to set up a workspace etc.

The part I'd be missing is not needing to be beholden to anything at a specific time or between certain hours.   Any job requires that, so that's why I'd like to fully step away and just really FIRE.

Sounds like you and I are in similar positions.  I was happy to continue coasting last year while buying stocks on the downturn.  Planning to continue to let it ride for a couple more years at least.  Once the stash has recovered to chubby FIRE territory, I may start chaffing at the clock more.  At the moment, though, my stash is too lean to support much travelling so coasting isn't too onerous.

[DeskJockey2028]

Shoes

One of the positive perks about now driving into work as opposed to walking to the train, walking to the next train, walking to my office and repeating the process on the way home is that I've been going through sneakers at a much slower rate. I'm now working on about 1 pair of sneakers a year, as opposed to 3-4 pairs a year.

Of course, I had to buy a car, so the savings aren't really there.

[BuffaloStache]

Right now, current job is pretty stress free (other than the possibility of RIFs when sales are down, but any company has that).   I work from home, can do other things as I monitor e-mail etc.   ...

This definitely seems like a pretty ideal situation, as far as work set-ups go. Have you tried pushing how "agile" you can make that? e.g; do you have a work phone with email on it, so you could be outside hiking/running/gardening/doing-whatever-your-hobby is and then get a ding or notification when you need to go "back to work"?

Shoes

One of the positive perks about now driving into work as opposed to walking to the train, walking to the next train, walking to my office and repeating the process on the way home is that I've been going through sneakers at a much slower rate. I'm now working on about 1 pair of sneakers a year, as opposed to 3-4 pairs a year.

Of course, I had to buy a car, so the savings aren't really there.

Yea, I'm sure the car purchase price negates the savings, but it still is a little victory!

[DeskJockey2028]

Just a quick note to say it's this Cohort's 6th birthday! Formed on this day in 2017 when 2029 seemed oh so far away. Now it's jut far away!

[talltexan]

I joined the group when it became clear I wasn't keeping up with the 2027 cohort. Thanks for making me feel welcome with less urgency than those crazy folks!