I want to scream I did it!

[CoffeeAndDonuts]

But I'm too sheepish IRL and it'd be far too inappropriate!

I'm sure others have been here! I thought about posting in the Throw down the gauntlet forum but I have no interest in competing with anyone.

I'm completely overwhelmed. We've transferred an equity position in a small company into one that is far more credible, bought a new home and sold an old one giving us the chance to leverage up via low interest rates, exercised a variety of tax maneuvers, and can undoubtedly declare (lean)fi.

It came so fast. We crossed $1m nw in spring 2017 and here we are at $1.6m and with a rapid growth towards $1.8 in short time.

I sat in an economics class about 18 yrs ago and did some math. I made a bet on compounding. And, supporting it, on expense control. It worked!

I've long felt like I'd jinx myself by even ackowledging it.  And holy sh*t here I am.

I've got a year to figure it out. I'm glad to have found this community where I can share, occasionally celebrate, and learn a whole lot.

It's been a hecuva year. Just as exhausting as exhilerating.

[PDXTabs]

Code: [Select]

                                ,.        ,.      ,.
                                ||        ||      ||  ()
 ,--. ,-. ,.,-.  ,--.,.,-. ,-.  ||-.,.  ,.|| ,-.  ||-.,. ,-. ,.,-.  ,--.
//`-'//-\\||/|| //-||||/`'//-\\ ||-'||  ||||//-\\ ||-'||//-\\||/|| ((`-'
||   || |||| ||||  ||||   || || ||  || /|||||| || ||  |||| |||| ||  ``.
\\,-.\\-//|| || \\-||||   \\-|| ||  ||//||||\\-|| ||  ||\\-//|| || ,-.))
 `--' `-' `' `'  `-,|`'    `-^-``'  `-' `'`' `-^-``'  `' `-' `' `' `--'
                  //           .--------.
              ,-.//          .: : :  :___`.
              `--'         .'!!:::::  \\_\ `.
                      : . /%O!!::::::::\\_\. \
                     [""]/%%O!!:::::::::  : . \
                     |  |%%OO!!::::::::::: : . |
                     |  |%%OO!!:::::::::::::  :|
                     |  |%%OO!!!::::::::::::: :|
            :       .'--`.%%OO!!!:::::::::::: :|
          : .:     /`.__.'\%%OO!!!::::::::::::/
         :    .   /        \%OO!!!!::::::::::/
        ,-'``'-. ;          ;%%OO!!!!!!:::::'
        |`-..-'| |   ,--.   |`%%%OO!!!!!!:'
        | .   :| |_.','`.`._|  `%%%OO!%%'
        | . :  | |--'    `--|    `%%%%'
        |`-..-'| ||   | | | |     /__\`-.
        \::::::/ ||)|/|)|)|\|           /
---------`::::'--|._ ~**~ _.|----------( -----------------------
           )(    |  `-..-'  |           \    ______
           )(    |          |,--.       ____/ /  /\\ ,-._.-'
        ,-')('-. |          |\`;/   .-()___  :  |`.!,-'`'/`-._
       (  '  `  )`-._    _.-'|;,|    `-,    \_\__\`,-'>-.,-._
        `-....-'     ````    `--'      `-._       (`- `-._`-.   hjw


[EnjoyIt]

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!

This is an awesome feeling to finally do the math and realize that you are there.  You now have real FU money to do what you want with your life knowing perfectly well that you can FIRE today (lean by your definition) and be fine.  That also means you can go part time and let your portfolio do the rest of the heavily lifting for you.  Congrats again.

[CoffeeAndDonuts]

Thanks @EnjoyIt and @PDXTabs!

I hit post and immediately had second thoughts. And even was reluctant to come back on seeing there were replies given my expectation they'd either be "that's not enough" or "you're just bragging."

Sincerely...thanks for your positive responses.

[EnjoyIt]

Hey, you can't brag to your family and friends, but you can go ahead and brag here.  We will support you.  That is what this place is all about.

[Gremlin]

Well done!  Success should be recognised...

[sanderh]

Congratulations, you did it! And without knowing it, just naturally :) Surprising oneself like this is the best surprise.

[okits]

I hear the first million is the hardest!  ;)

Congratulations!!!!!

[PNW Lady]

Such good stuff. Congratulations!!! I hit a big milestone this week and found myself quietly smirking a few times. It was fun news to share with DH.

Just curious... does it make you feel differently about your work situation?

[wenchsenior]

Good for you! Your post even brightened up MY day.

[Candace]

Congratulations! So happy for you, internet stranger.
That's an inspiring story -- someone who takes the bull by the horns, knows they can wrestle it into submission, and through smarts and discipline (and a little luck, no doubt) just freaking DOES it. I know so many people who are always making excuses and then complaining when they don't get anywhere that it's such a relief to read your story! Thank you for sharing and please, scream it from this virtual rooftop. I, for one, love it.

[BTDretire]

Thanks @EnjoyIt and @PDXTabs!

I hit post and immediately had second thoughts. And even was reluctant to come back on seeing there were replies given my expectation they'd either be "that's not enough" or "you're just bragging."

Sincerely...thanks for your positive responses.

Congratulations, it is rare for anyone to be called out as bragging here. Anytime someone says they have made it, it just proves the point that the whole MMM thing works. We are happy for anyone's success.
  I'm in the same range as you and so happy we made it, even though it took us much longer with an average
inflation adjusted income about 16% above the US median income.
Regarding,  "that's not enough" or "you're just bragging."  I think you're in my comfort range and you're just relating information that would make me want to scream "I did it!" too. Congrates again.

[Glenstache]

Congrats. Awesome to hit that mark after 18 years (!) of steady effort. What's next?

[cloudsail]

Congratulations!!
Any post-FIRE plans?

[Metta]

Yay! That first million feels like nothing else! Congratulations!

[Stash Engineer]

Hells YEAH!  Nicely done!  So...what's next?

[FiveSigmas]

Rock on C&D! Well done.

[mozar]

That's amazing that you were able to hold on for tbe past 18 years. I know so many people who gave up after the dot com crash and/or the great recession.

[nancy33]

Congratulations!

[bcbaseballman]

Congratulations!!

[JustInStarting]

Congratulations!
It's very inspiring.

[MrThatsDifferent]

How is 1.8m only lean FI? Asking for my friends ;-)

[Firehazard]

Congrats C&D!  I know just how good it feels, because we're right there with you....'only' 1.5M here, but also paid off the house this year.  We're just letting the clock run out now, to the end of 2018.  Unless the stock market crashes hard between now and then, we are free come January.

[Retire-Canada]

Nice work. :)

[CoffeeAndDonuts]

Mods- Feel free to move this to the celebrations thread. I knew there was a more proper place for my initial post but I wasn't quite in my right mind to dig enough to find it!

Thanks all. Re-reading my original post, it was more muted than I felt but even posting that was pretty unlike me. Was sitting in our living room later in the evening finishing off a bottle of red wine and listening to Miles Davis in an alcohol infused state of exhiliration combined with a exhale of pent up stess.

@PNW Lady - Thanks. My work situation is changing substantially and I'm emotionally committed to giving it a go for those around me. It feels very different though in that were I to leave, my loss will impact others I care about a lot less and it won't simultaneously sink my own investment of time and effort into our company. I feel like I'm already carrying a lot less stress on my shoulders and we've not even really begun integrating (which will be hard work).

@Glenstache, @cloudsail, @Stache Engineer  - You asked what's next. Right now it's seeing integration through and giving it a try for a year and maybe a bit longer. That'll take us through from $1.5m NW to $1.8m or so (presuming a little bit of market gain). Maybe I'll love it with a larger organization and without all the stresses of running it. I've got ideas if I don't but, for the sake of those around me, I need to carry this thing through the early integration challenges and not spend too much time thinking about RE. I do have ideas though!

@mozar - The great recession was not easy at all and we came close. The small group of owners, myself included, cut salaries by ~80% and then just took any left over profits and split them each month. We were committed to keeping the balance sheet from sinking. When we came out of the recession, we were pretty beat up personally (though we WERE saving every month still - thanks frugality) but the company wasn't laden with debt and came back well. It's been solid since and we directed profits to rebuilding the BS and buying out 2 of the partners so it's hardly been lucrative to myself and my partner. And even now, it's mostly a liquidity move more than some windfall.

@MrThatsDifferent - I get it. Here's why I might assert we're near lean FI. TODAY we're at about $1.55m NW but we owe ~$350k in mortgage debt so by the common definition of liquid NW + paid off home, we are at just ~$1.2m liquid. We're young enough that I like a 3.5% WR (that may not be a lean assumption) and that sets a WR at $42k/year. We could trim a bit and get there within reason (and ACA). I believe that'd be lean'ish though by no means extreme. Our trajectory though includes OMY and my wife's business will continue for some time and possibly at a reduced level. Those things will push us well past lean FI quite quickly.

The accomplishment was less a number for me than it was a massive reconfiguration of our life into something that should reduce stress and give us free reign at the levers to go RE as soon as we want. And that feeling is tremendously freeing.

I'll perhaps share more when we're through what is still a somewhat sensitive time to share info and when I can think a bit more about what late 2019 and into 2020 looks like. Lots of ideas that have drawn inspiration from this community.

In the meantime, off to splurge a bit on a new bike to replace the one that was stolen a week ago. I miss bike commuting! I'm giving myself a little permission here as I really do enjoy a slightly nicer than average bike.

Thanks all!

[CheapScholar]

It’s more than enough. And it didn’t come off as bragging to me at all.

Congrats!

[Bateaux]

Enjoy the freedom!

[Exflyboy]

Fantastic news..:)

Now you can join the "Race from $1M to 2M thread..:)

Well done, stay invested!

[dollarchaser]

Congrats on believing in yourself. And being a disciplined bad ass!

I recently switched homes to position us closer to freedom.  It is a roller coaster in itself.

[Gondolin]

Congrats and thanks for posting!

Posts about achieving FI as an ordinary person (aka non-blogger) are an inspiration to us all!

[partgypsy]

I like positive reports! congratulations!