I’ve always been an ambitious person. I used to be smart, quick, and highly driven at work, but I’ve never really liked corporate culture.

The main reason I kept pushing myself was financial security. My family had debt, and I worked hard to clear it before getting married. Since I didn’t have any financial backup, I always felt that I had to keep working hard and building a secure future.

Now, I’m getting closer to my Lean FIRE target, which I expect to reach in the next 2–3 years. But something has changed in me along the way.

I’ve started playing safe, avoiding visibility, and losing the ambition I once had. Some days, I don’t even feel like opening my laptop or talking to colleagues. I’m just tired of the meetings, office politics, corporate expectations, and the whole cycle of proving myself over and over again.

The frustrating part is that I know I’m still capable. If I focus for 3–4 months, I genuinely believe I could land a new job with a 50% hike. But the thought of joining a new company, meeting new people, navigating politics, and starting the entire cycle again makes me feel exhausted before I even begin.

At the same time, I know I still have a few years to go before I can comfortably step away from full-time corporate work. I don’t want my current mindset to affect my performance or put my financial goals at risk.

I’m not sure whether I’ve genuinely lost my ambition or whether I’m simply mentally exhausted after spending so many years working toward financial security.

I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have gone through this phase. I want to get through the next few years without feeling like I’m just dragging myself through every working day.

Crafted with AI as my english sentences have grammatical mistakes

well the Bond Market has once again decided that Everyone Must Die haha. 10 year Treasury kissed 5.33% today before retreating to ~5.19. 30 year around 5.50. 5 year basically 5%. 2 year ~4.76%. Headline CPI came in 3.7% and suddenly every guy who spent the summer pricing immaculate disinflation is reopening the spreadsheet entitled higher_for_longer_FINAL_v7.xlsx. But for LeanFIRE this is, strangely, not altogether Bad.

The curve is positively sloped again. 2s10s is roughly +44bp. More importantly the 10-year real Treasury yield is around 2.8%. That is an absolutely savage risk-free real rate by the standards of most of the post-GFC era. You are being paid actual purchasing-power yield to sit there and do Nothing. This becomes particularly interesting when you have Tranches maturing throughout the Autumn:

2-year Notes. 5-year Notes. All manner of Notes.

The beautiful thing about holding individual Treasuries to maturity is that there is no existential discussion about whether TLT is Down 17% or duration is getting its Ass kicked. The Treasury reaches maturity and the United States Government deposits the face value back into my account. The Tranche has completed its Journey.

Then I have Optionality.

If the equity market finally undergoes the Long Promised Great Puking, principal becomes dry powder. If it doesn't, I can simply roll another portion of the ladder into yields that are now flirting with 5% across the intermediate curve.

LeanFIRE is about managing sequence-of-returns risk, duration exposure and reinvestment risk so that I don't have to sell NVIDIA at -38% because I require $1,700 to buy groceries and another Console. A lot of people miss this imho.

Coupon income handles increasingly large pieces of ordinary consumption. Maturing principal supplies liquidity at predetermined dates. Equities can be left alone during a drawdown. And because the maturity ladder continually returns capital, I never have to make one heroic macro call on whether the correct duration is 3 months or 30 years. This is Asset-Liability Management except the Liability is basically food, electricity and the State of Gaming. Discuss.

Age: 35 | India 🇮🇳

I’ve recently reached my 25X Lean FIRE number with a portfolio allocation of 75% Debt and 25% Equity currently after relocate funds

After reaching my Lean FIRE target, I moved my equity investments to the debt side to secure that amount. Now, I can focus more aggressively on building my equity portfolio without worrying too much about my basic financial security.

Current situation:

Location: Bangalore

Job: Recently laid off

Layoffs: Two in the last two years

My plan going forward:

I don’t want to touch my Lean FIRE corpus. Instead, I’ll continue working on contract projects to earn and invest more, without putting myself under the constant pressure of a traditional full-time job.

I plan to work for another 5–10 years at most. After that, I want to return to my hometown in a Tier-2 city, own a house and already run a small business.

Honestly, those two layoffs changed my life and the way I look at it. They made me rethink my priorities, financial security, and what I really want from the future.

I no longer want my entire life to revolve around a job and the constant uncertainty that comes with it. I want more freedom, peace of mind, and control over my time.

P.S. I had to create a new account to share this.

Laid off. $973K, 70% stocks/ETFs (taxed brokerage mostly and a small Roth). 25% HYSA, 5% BTC. Burn rate $32K/yr (tested for 5 years). No house, LCOL rent. ACA included. No 401K. Late 40s. Stagnant line of work. Can I give myself the right to leave the rat race and reasonably leanfire?.

I know some people may struggle with purpose or things to do when they're in Fire mode, but trust me, it's better than having to wake up at 7AM everyday to go to a job that may or may not exist in 5-10 years due to AI and the job market is so bad I'm worried if i get laid off I won't find anything in my field for years, if I'm lucky. So if you don't have a reason to be happy today, use that as a reason. Enjoy. Hopefully i'll get there in 10-15 years.

Hear me out. If you commit a minor white collar crime and get sentenced to a minimum security prison for a few years your expenses are basically zero for that time period. When you get out your portfolio will (hopefully) have increased in value which minimizes sequence of returns risk

Minimum security prisons aren’t bad at all. You can read, watch TV, work out, have a job, socialize with other prisoners, etc. That’s like 90% of my life right now

Thoughts?

My personal takeaway from this chart is that it's kind of a crapshoot. If you buy at the right time it can be very good to you financially. But nobody knows the future so maybe it's smarter to prioritize non-financial factors (like, do you want a yard or not). Also, the bias toward buying that is so prevalent especially among long-term owners is perfectly understandable considering buying 20-30 years ago and holding was the sweet spot.

I am literally found out about lean fire recently and wanted to get some outsiders opinion about my situation. It is technically not lean fire because I will still be working.

37M live in Houston. Wife and I have a small single family house fully paid, 2 used 2024 cars fully paid, zero debt, 1 kiddo. Our incompressible fixed charges (property taxes, utilities, HOA, groceries...) are $1500 a month. ​I am able to generate $1000 dividend per month pre-tax from dividends. While I have $150k saved in retirement accounts and $30k safety net.

I am currently in the Tech industry making ~$160K per year, while the salary is nice, it comes with a lot of stress and pressure, and around 60 hours of work per week, not to mention out of state trips. It took a toll on my physical and mental health, and I feel like a slave. So my goal is to financially downgrade to another type of job with less pressure and less mental load. I am targeting a $35 to $45k job. My wife make ~$60k per year but not very stable career. The other option I am looking at is being a contractor at for 6 months at $60k while taking a couple of months break between contracts.

Does anyone had a similar situation?

I wanted to see how others feel about the idea of achieving FIRE and synonymously removing oneself from supporting society within the workforce. I’m not currently in a FIRE position, here’s where I currently stand for reference (35m):

- Home equity $230k, $495k remaining on mortgage
- TFSA $40k, mostly in covered call distribution paying ETF’s (approx $650/month that’s either reinvested or withdrawn to pay for day-to-day expenses).
- RRSP $150k, 25% in covered call ETF’s and the rest in XEQT

I was recently laid off my job which paid me approx $200k per year, and I was on track to consider something along the lines of coast fire within 5 years (saving approx $50-60k per year). Will be going on EI and using that plus TFSA distributions to support my day-to-day expenses while I find something new.

But this stage right now, where I’m not working and not contributing to society, got me thinking about what life would look like if I was at a point where I didn’t ever need to work again. Thoughts like:

- People participating in the workforce makes the world go around. Hospitals, schools, construction, the food industry, etc… how would I feel if I removed myself from being a contributor when I have the youth and skillset to do so?
- We live in a world where more and more people are getting the opportunity to live a lifestyle, whether through FIRE or not, where we’re not necessarily on the ground supporting with day-to-day labour that helps people live their lives. Social media influencers, day traders, young retirees, etc - I fear that there will be less and less people actually keeping society moving when there’s other options that require much less effort.

I could list a few more thoughts, but this seems like a very philosophical group who likely has so many other thoughts and feelings around this topic. How do you guys feel about this? Do you feel that what’s enabled you to reach your FIRE number (ie. your contributions to society to date) justify taking yourself out of the workforce? Is there a sense of apathy/numbness to it all?

Mods, if this isn’t relevant to this sub, happy to post elsewhere!

Coming from a school grader means you will think that by

watching some reels i am thinking that i know everything

but Its not what it look like.

How am I gonna retire at 39

- startin currently I am a ten grader in NEPAL.I will complete my school in coming 6 month i am not gonna miss it .The day of my last exam end i will start to build not financialy only build means.Getting better everyday i will watch poadcast go to an MMA gym for my good .

Participate in MUN programs . After my holiday end collage start i will run every day and workout everyday on sunday rest and recovery run . So i will try to get in ST.Xavier collage for more opportunity . My faculty will be

humanity . After any completion of grade 12 i will apply for uk or usa student visa for law degree and prepare for bar exam to become a uk or usa based advocate . I will start to participate in runs and and earn from it and get some thing part time for my trading portifole. I will be and XAUUAD based trader and currently I am a demo trade and new to nepalstockexchange in that i have made fom 22000 to 100000lakha profit in 6 month startin from april 28 . I invested in hydropower which minizimige the risk of lossing and is the future of nepal .

now I am preparing for my SEE exams coming in 6 month and in road to hybrid traning. After SEE I will take part in 25km races and othe races for my health and money .

THINGS I WILL OR WANNA ACHIVE BEFORE MY RETIREMENT

1.Three propertyes acros the country i am in with best ROI(Return on investment) one penthouse in UAE

1. 5 bikes and 5 cars minium one family car two sport and one supar car,one luxary sedan high perforamenc and able to maintain all cars .

3.One 200arcer mainson in scotland with spoet center and office area in same compound .

1. able to take 4 vacation in monaco in one yrs any time i want.

2. 500000 cash , networth of 1.8 billion .

3. I should have great Vo2 max over than 70.

finally this is one part of my personality i have plan B will post soon and its completly different from this comming from a teen ager do not take as time pass if you will you will regrede our

your Well wisher

At my barista FI job, I have a friend who's a bit older came out of retirement to work. I wanted to learn more about him because I find retirement interesting.

I was shocked when he told me he spent three years just following sports and news on TV.

"I don't need to be busy" he told me. I found that interesting because I'm the opposite. I'd hate spending the entire day in front of cable TV.

So who you are you don't really know until you do it. It's a massive difference between people.

I guess my advice to people on r/leanfire path is to build a lifestyle you want to retire to (common advice). Start acquiring and growing hobbies and enjoying life as soon as you can. But you may be like my coworker and not really need hobbies.

I think users here are highly finance and investment oriented so I have an interesting scenario. If you were given a tax-free choice today, which would you rather take: $1,000,000 in liquid cash/assets, or a fully paid-off $1,000,000 property/house?

There's lots of talk about how great investing in real-estate is but if given a clear choice and you weight the options and cost, between taking liquid asset or a property which would you choose and why?

I have my own thoughts on it, but would love to hear what others think. Is real-estate really all that it's cracked up to be?

Title: 28M, married, roughly $600K net worth, tired of the 9–5 grind. Is my dream of building a small beachfront resort and retiring young realistic?
I’m 28M, recently married to my wife (32F), and I’m honestly at the point where I just want to enjoy life instead of constantly working.
My dream has never been to climb the corporate ladder, become a CEO, or work until I’m 65. I want financial freedom, stability, and the ability to wake up whenever I want without having to answer to a boss.
I’ve been thinking about buying beachfront land somewhere in Latin America, or really anywhere with beautiful weather year-round, and building a small motel-style property with multiple rental units. Ideally, we’d build our own house on the same land, but separated from the guests for privacy.
I’d hire local employees to handle cleaning, maintenance, and day-to-day operations while I oversee the business. The goal would be to generate enough income to live comfortably by the beach without having to work a traditional job.
Here’s our current financial situation:
Me: 28M, wife: 32F, recently married.
Cash: Approximately $120,000.
My 401(k): $80,000.
My Roth IRA: $30,000.
Wife’s Roth IRA: $10,000.
Wife’s 401(k): $4,000. She recently started investing.
Real estate:
Property #1: Rental property worth approximately $700,000 according to Zillow. I owe around $440,000, and it generates roughly $1,000/month in positive cash flow.
Property #2: Duplex we purchased last year for $450,000. We owe approximately $330,000. We live in one unit and rent out the other for $1,775/month. The total mortgage is about $3,300/month, plus approximately $100 for water.
My wife plans to continue working, preferably remotely, which would give us another source of stable income.
Career/business background:
I graduated college with a computer science degree and started working as a software engineer making around $75K. Two years later, I got caught in a mass layoff.
It took me eight months to find another job. I eventually became a technical project manager making around $100K annually.
During that time, I was also running a side business after work, generating another $70K–$80K annually.
Well, I got laid off again.
Instead of immediately jumping back into the corporate world, I decided to take my side business full-time.
Here’s how it’s been going:
Month 1: Approximately $24,000.
Month 2: Approximately $40,000.
Month 3: Around $15,000 so far, and we’re not even halfway through.
The problem? My business is extremely physically demanding. I’m 28, I work out regularly, eat healthy, and take care of myself, but I’m absolutely exhausted most days.
The money is great, but I don’t want to spend the next 20 years trading my physical health and time for money.
Here’s where I’m stuck.
Part of me wants to keep grinding for another couple of years, save aggressively, and use that money to fund my dream property overseas.
Another part of me wonders whether I should start transitioning now, while I’m still young and don’t have kids or too many responsibilities.
I also value financial stability. I’ve experienced two layoffs already, and I know how quickly things can change. I don’t want to make a reckless decision and lose everything we’ve worked for.
I’m not necessarily trying to never work another day in my life. I just want to stop trading all my time for money. I wouldn’t mind managing a property, handling bookings, overseeing employees, or dealing with occasional issues if it meant having most of my days to myself.
My questions for people who’ve actually done something similar:
Is building a small beachfront rental property or boutique motel in Latin America a realistic plan with my current finances?
What countries would you recommend for affordable land, reasonable construction costs, safety, and strong tourism demand?
How much capital would I realistically need to buy land, build 5–10 rental units, and a separate home for ourselves?
Would you continue building the current business for another 2–3 years to accumulate cash, or start investing in the overseas property sooner?
For anyone who owns a small resort, motel, or vacation rental business, how passive is it really once you hire employees?
What would you do differently if you were in my position?
I’m not looking to live some crazy luxury lifestyle. I just want a comfortable home near the ocean, enough money coming in to cover our expenses, the freedom to travel, and the ability to spend time with my wife without constantly stressing about work.
I know I’m fortunate to be in this position at 28, but I’m genuinely trying to figure out how to turn what I’ve built into a life I actually enjoy.
Would love to hear from anyone who’s built something similar, retired young, or made the move overseas.

Hi everyone. :)

I'm a 31-year-old woman who's well on her way to FIRE. I've saved and invested enough that I don't have to work a conventional full-time job to make ends meet. My plan is to work part-time in something fulfilling and devote the rest of my time to my other interests.

I've been thinking about dating recently, and I've realized that I'd really like to find a life partner who's in a similar position. Ideally, someone who's financially secure enough to work part-time or not at all, and who's deliberately left the rat race behind to pursue his passions. Not because he lacks ambition, but because he'd rather devote his time to things that genuinely enrich his life than keep chasing more money or status.

I'm interested in philosophy, psychology, spirituality, self-discovery and exploring questions about consciousness and the nature of reality. I'm also working on a speculative fiction book that I'm quite passionate about. I'd love to find someone who shares some of these interests and enjoys travelling and creative pursuits. My ideal life would involve a stable home base in California, the freedom to travel for extended periods and plenty of ordinary, unhurried time together too.

For me, the appeal of FIRE has always been having freedom over my time rather than accumulating wealth for its own sake. I want to spend my life doing things that I find meaningful rather than working primarily to make more money than I need. But to be able to have the time and money needed to devote to meaningful endeavours, you need to have significant financial freedom and that's why it's important to me to find a partner who does. 

Which brings me to my dilemma. Should I mention my own financial circumstances when dating online, especially since I intend to be upfront about wanting a partner who's also already largely financially free?

I recently made a post in an LA dating community about the kind of relationship and lifestyle I'm looking for. I mentioned that I had significant savings of my own, partly to make it clear that I wasn't looking for someone to provide for me.

Interestingly, some people still assumed I was looking for a sugar daddy or was a gold digger. Funnily, others thought that I was too independent and stated that that would actually make me less attractive to men in a similar position because they wouldn't want a masculine version of themselves. A few seemed to think I was bragging about being a member of the 1%. This made me wonder if self-disclosing in the manner I did was the right idea. 

I've noticed that quite a few people in FIRE communities are very private about their finances, which makes obvious sense. Many guys discreetly DMed me after seeing my post and stated that they don't disclose their financial status online to avoid scorn or envy. I was even told that I was brave to have even made such a post. 

Given this mixed bag of experiences, I was reflecting on how to proceed with online dating. I have never dated online before and was planning on creating a Hinge account in the next few months but I've already connected with a few people through Reddit and now mulling things over. 

I'm wondering how other people in a similar situation have navigated it. If you were seeking a partner with considerable financial freedom and mentioning that on your dating profile, would you also mention that you're substantially financially free yourself? Or would you keep that information private until you've gotten to know someone better? And how much would you disclose about your financial circumstances as you got to know someone you'd met online? There's always the fear of attracting scammers or people who are more interested in your money than in you.

I'm carefully thinking about how to approach this conundrum and I'd greatly appreciate advice from others, especially those who have dealt with something similar in their own lives. 

Thanks in advance, and hope you have a great day!

So some context

30 F

Make 26.5/hr usually get 10hrs of OT a check

I contribute 20% plus 3 % employer match

I invest min 100 into Roth and buy VTI

I occasionally invest with my brokerage account to buy individual stocks

I have a HSA I'm planning to start to contribute to which will be about 50 bucks a month still undecided on what to invest in

Current Accounts

401K: 71000

Roth: 1200

Brokerage: 200

HYSA: 3500

I have some dental work that I need to do and I'm going to have to get a new car soon so I've put a hold on savings for right now. I do have enough for a 3 month emergency fund currently saved. I'm just curious to see how well I am doing on the path to FIRE. Id ideally like to retire around 59 1/2 so I don't get penalties

Would appreciate any thoughts on how I’m doing as I just started getting into FIRE.

I’m 28M, single, and live with my parents in California. I don’t eat out, shop, or spend a lot, so my personal expenses are low. I don’t own a car or any other property, and I have zero debt.

I have a remote job that pays around $125k and do some additional contracting work on top of it that brings in $1k a month. I usually save around 80% of it by temporarily putting it into a HYSA, then moving it into investments. I’ve max out my annual Roth IRA and my 401k limits (401k has 5% match).

I don’t think I’ll be moving out of my parents’ house soon or getting into a relationship anytime soon.

Checking: $1.8k

HYSA: $47k (I’m thinking this is high and that I can move at least another $25k into investments)

Simple IRA from old employer: $86k

401k with current employer: $52k

Roth IRA: $41k

Personal investments: $183k (all in FSKAX, FXAIX, FZILX, and FZROX)

Series I savings bonds: $11k

Has anyone here successfully done Lean/Barista FIRE for 5+ years?

About me: 38, no debt, renting, living in LatAm. All figures in USD.

Net worth: $720K

• Brokerage (low-cost ETFs): $650K

• Bonds: $70K (short-term, ~4% yield)

• Pending inheritance: $140K

Income: $240K/year net (~$20K/month)

Spending: ~$4K/month, rent and healthcare included

Investing: ~$16K/month

I'm burned out. I don't need much, but being a software engineering manager these days is slowly sucking the life out of me, and my body is starting to send signals. I'm currently dealing with a physiological illness related to stress that has forced me onto unpaid leave.

Scenario 1: Quit now

• Portfolio supports ~$2,000/month (~3.3% withdrawal, inheritance not included)

• Gap to cover with part-time work: ~$2,000/month

Scenario 2: Quit in July 2027, with the inheritance invested in low-cost ETFs (~$940K total)

• Portfolio supports ~$2,600/month

• Gap to cover: ~$1,400/month

Scenario 3: Grind it out until May 2029 and reach full FIRE (~$1.45M), but probably soulless by then.

For those who went the barista route: how did you find part-time work, did the numbers hold up, and would you do it again? Which scenario would you pick?

Scenario 4: Work part-time at my current workplace, but not as a manager.

With $100,000, I could use over $4,000 to keep investing, though I'm not sure that's feasible. I would need to talk to my boss about it. I'm concerned that starting this conversation might create tension if they refuse.

Hey all! I just created a FIRE tracking app and was wondering if I could get some feedback on it.

http://www.letmefire.io/

I wanted to create a holistic place where I could compare all the FIRE calculations and have it actually look good. Any feedback is appreciated!

I'm 35 female, childfree because I don't want kids. Life has been extremely rough for me. I've always been frugal when it comes to spending but grew up with many limitations, obstacles and missed opportunities. I was born permanently disabled, autism and epilepsy. For many years I had up to a dozen seizures a day, had to be watched closely by my mother, was in and out of hospitals, had three surgeries, had to eventually be pulled out of school and homeschooled for a good while. I also started developing mental disabilities and was diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorder after a former friend's father SA'd me when I was 14 (I have a permanent RO against him). I started getting counseling. Also had to get another surgery because my seizures were getting worse. When I eventually went back to public school I was physically and emotionally bullied by neurotypical students for being socially awkward. I was eventually placed in special ed until I graduated high school. I took the next several years trying to get my seizures under control, getting my GED, and working part time in retail. I had saved up about 25k over the past several years and decided to go to college. I moved to an affordable apartment across the road from campus. I was still having seizures occasionally so I was given accommodations.

Unfortunately, it took several years to get my Bachelor's. I had to take a break in-between because a male classmate who I had became friends with suddenly got angry then physically assaulted me and 🍇'd me when I rejected him after he developed feelings for me. He dropped out of school shortly after, thankfully. Also no pregnancy, thank god. No, I didn't press charges. I wanted to but his father worked at a high position at Wells Fargo and found a way to reach out to my number. He basically told me not to go after his son or else. I eventually resumed my studies but my seizures increased so it became very difficult and I couldn't hold down a job while in college. I applied for SSDI but was denied because I was slightly short on credits so I had to go on SSI and Medicaid, plus by that time I had already used my savings on college. I got an unpaid finance internship at a local church which was better than nothing. I eventually got in a relationship with a toxic guy. After over a year of being together, I left him because of his attitude. He then attempted to sue me for 'emotional damages' so I had to hire a lawyer to defend myself. I paid my lawyer a couple thousand which was the maximum savings limit while on SSI at the time. My ex didn't win obviously.

School moved to an online platform during Covid, and I eventually graduated college in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in finance. It was paid for through a combination of the savings I had along with grants and scholarships so no student debt. Getting employed and staying employed has been incredibly rough though. I'm on SSDI and Medicare now as I have enough work credits. I'm restricted from driving so I either walk or take the bus to work. I work at a blue collar job that pays less than 35k in rural Pennsylvania. Even with networking, reaching out to former classmates, using a local temp agency, using OVR, attending hiring events, and having my resume professionally edited, I still can't get hired into a decently paying job in my field. Remote would be ideal because of my medical condition. I live in a fixer upper home I bought two years ago. It's worth around 200k. I'm not sure if FIRE is realistically possible for someone in my position and with my medical limitations. What do you think? I've been feeling very discouraged and depressed lately.