Ugh...these threads have become really depressing. I've spent a lot of time with cfiresim, adding lots of padding in terms of periodic expenses for house repairs, car replacement, and also cutting expected SS and pension payouts, adding in a generous amount to the annual budget for health insurance uncertainties, and using very long life-span predictions. Add on to that the fact that we are pretty bad-ass in terms of survival skills and flexibility, and also have a budget that has fat that can easily be trimmed in case of serious down-turns. I've even built a small business that could generate a difference making amount of income for many years if it was ever needed.
Cfiresim puts us at 100% success, with the lowest ending balances still being fairly substantial.
Despite having gone over the numbers and the assumptions many times, and understanding the basics, on some level DW doesn't really believe the math, and we are basically held hostage by that lack of confidence. Uncertainty about the future combined with family/social expectations (and being engaged by her work) keep us in the game.
Oh well...if cfiresim is on track, then there is a good chance I will get to spend and give away a crap load of money at some point. In the meantime, I tell myself I really can do whatever I want, since there is this huge safety net under me, and bide my time following a passion of mine, and try to gain satisfaction from the stealth wealth factor. But it is still work, and constrains things like substantial travel (which I have done very little of ) and other itch scratching activities...