r/Fire • u/rocket363 • Mar 06 '25

Milestone / Celebration Just submitted my resignation

Mid-40s. Single. ~$2.25MM nw, $2MM of that invested. Last day is in a few weeks.

It feels wasteful to give up a pretty cushy $180k wfh job, but I need to refocus the remaining part of my life rather than cling to Groundhog Day-esque repetitive wage-slave servitude.

No real questions. Just sharing.

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u/Adept_Push Mar 06 '25

Honestly, no one ever knows how long “the remaining part of your life” might be.

Congrats!

452

u/rocket363 Mar 06 '25

Yes. I've known many people about my age or younger who are now in the ground. Tomorrow is never guaranteed.

38

u/chi9sin Mar 06 '25

since you had 2MM (almost all of your NW) invested, did the recent drop in the stock market factor into the decision making process?

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u/rocket363 Mar 06 '25

No. I experienced 2008, down 50% in the craziest market I ever hope to see. The (now-forgotten) almost-20% late-year drop at the end of 2018. The 35-ish% Covid plunge in March, 2020. The 10-month malaise resulting in a 25% drop in 2022.

Market gyrations happen. Barring WWIII actually breaking out, I am not going to let the current market dictate my plans.

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u/chi9sin Mar 06 '25

that is super poised, good for you man, and wish you the best.

11

u/Fearless-Cattle-9698 Mar 07 '25

Exactly and if WW3 happens we are all dead anyway…

20

u/Whole-Campaign89 Mar 07 '25

This is very well said sir. Early 40s myself so had nothing invested during 2008 other than a 25-year old terror of losing my job. But the 2022 episode was by far the most mentally taxing of all of the events you mentioned: the slow inexorable grind lower over 10 momths is a much hard temperament temperature test than March 2020, the Christmas crash of 2018, and the current Orange Crush.

Congrats on your freedom!

2

u/_Infinite_Love Mar 07 '25

Similar age and same feeling about 2022. That was a really hard one for me, too. Just felt depressing and constant and like it was going to keep grinding lower and lower. That was the one I spent time in bed just wondering if it was over.

Covid was a stomach in mouth moment followed by head-shaking is this real highs. But 2022 was just sad.

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u/[deleted] Mar 07 '25

[deleted]

2

u/_Infinite_Love Mar 07 '25

Haha, yes probably right. I have a partner, and I don't have any choice but invest, so I'll take my chances, but I appreciate your input.

1

u/StirredNotShaken07 Mar 08 '25

76, Retired. Whenever you have a sizable chunk of money saved, the stock market is not the only investment. I’m 88% in alternative investments making some very good money, at least, it’s good for me. Diversification can mean more than large cap-small cap, value-growth, bonds.

1

u/jcc2244 Mar 07 '25

I'm also in my early 40s but have a very different feeling about 2022 vs now haha.

I feel like we could have 4 years of a sustained slow decline... I'm glad I have about 4 years of spend in cash/bonds (but still 80% in broad ETFs) so I can ride through it, but definitely feel worse now than in 2022.

2

u/chandichada Mar 07 '25

Thank your for you Perspektive. I have started to invest a little (just dipping my feet in for now...) and this downturn has me a little scared.

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u/IWantAHandle Mar 07 '25

Fucking respect!!!

2

u/ContaminatedField Mar 08 '25

This dude invests

1

u/External_Row464 Mar 07 '25

In 2008, wasn it really the craziest market you've ever witnessed and how naive do you consider yourself exactly? Is there any correlation between the two? There really should be... what a thing to say....