Supply chain engineer targeting FIRE by 48. ๐๏ธ๐
In racing, the apex gives maximum exit speed. In finance, itโs the number that lets you coast.
Hitting the Apex: The engineering approach to Coast FIRE. ๐๏ธ๐
Most personal finance advice is designed for people who can't do math. This account is for the operators.
I'm a supply chain engineer targeting early retirement by 48. Here is the playbook. ๐งต๐
@Silent_stackers 100% agree with going up to the employer match than working on filling up the other buckets! However, don't forget about the Rule of 55 that allows you to access 401k funds with your current employer the year you turn 55.
We shouldnโt have to pay capital gains tax until the money actually leaves the brokerage account.
โIf you sell to rebalance and immediately reinvest, that cash never hits your bank account - yet the IRS still taxes the transaction.
โSimple portfolio maintenance shouldnโt trigger a tax penalty.
โ#Investing #PersonalFinance #ChangeMyMind #stocks
The biggest 401(k) mistake isn't picking the wrong funds.
It's picking no funds at all.
I see this story constantly on places like Reddit: People contribute part of their paycheck for years, assuming their wealth is growing.
Reality? The money is just sitting uninvested in a cash settlement account. Zero compounding.
Take 5 minutes today to verify your actual asset allocation. Have you ever seen this happen to a friend or coworker?
#PersonalFinance #401k #Investing
It comes down to the timeline. If this is long-term money you won't need anytime soon, the $12k lump sum is the way to go. If it could potentially be needed for an emergency or other use, DCA it.
Vanguard studies show that lump-sum investing beats DCA about 68% of the time because you get compounding working for you immediately.
DCA is perfect for your regular monthly paycheck, but if you already have the cash sitting there, drop it in and let it go to work today.
Mid-month paychecks hit today or tomorrow.
Before allocating cash for Starbucks, dinners out, or weekend plans, the very first transaction should always be paying yourself, and that means more than just investing.
For me, it means automated transfers to my brokerage, plus funding the sinking funds. Texas property taxes are a massive line item in my budget, so moving a portion of this check into a dedicated escrow account smooths out that huge year-end bill.
Fund your investments and future liabilities first. If the cash never sits in your main checking account, you can't accidentally spend it.
What big annual expense do you actively build a sinking fund for?
#CoastFIRE #PayYourselfFirst #PersonalFinance #SinkingFunds
Ever track your Mortgage to Net Worth ratio?
I was curious about it today and since I hadn't really heard it discussed before, I asked Gemini if there were any benchmarks by age or rules of thumb out there.
Excluding my home equity, I'm currently at 13%, running nicely ahead of the curve.
Where does your ratio sit right now, and do you use this metric?ย What other metrics do you personally look at to prep for FIRE?
#CoastFIRE #PersonalFinance #NetWorth
I just started this one so not much yet. From the swing trading lessons I've learned in your neck of the woods, the biggest ones have probably been 1. Recognizing that i didn't have to be in trade all the time or trade every day 2. Risk management and stop losses. 3. Not holding a full position through earnings.
Paternity leave with two under two is total chaos, but one bonus is sneaking in a few pages when the kids finally have overlapping naps. Audiobooks are great, but thereโs still nothing like actually flipping pages in silence.
โCurrently diving into "The Income Factory" by Steven Bavaria to think about building consistent, repeatable cash flow outside the usual market noise.
โWhat are you currently reading, or whatโs one finance book you recommend?
โ#CoastFIRE #PersonalFinance #BookTok #Investing
How I run the sector-specific slice of my taxable brokerage:
For each buy, I split my DCA into two separate buckets:
The Top 4 best-performing S&P 500 sector ETFs (riding the momentum).
The 1 worst-performing sector ETF (buying the dip).
This setup captures the hot hands while always grabbing what is "on sale" for a future turnaround. Here is a look under the hood at the current gains. ๐
@MsVeilMoney I'll be watching it as it comes back to the IPO price of 150. If I do buy, it will be with stops just above the IPO price, so the stock can get clear off all the sellers there will be at $150. If it keeps falling, we can look for opportunities when it consolidates at support.
"Either you run the day, or the day runs you." - Jim Rohn
Dictating the pace and success of your entire week starts on Monday morning. Make a list, knock out the critical items early and set yourself up for success.
We have an emergency fund/escrow fund. Every month I deposit money to cover upcoming one-time expenses (e.g. property tax), but I also withdraw money to my other accounts with automated investments for dollar cost averaging (e.g. brokerage, 529).
It gets replenished every February.
@MsVeilMoney I've got a pretty good idea. Since I got married 4 years ago, we've kept a detailed budget sheet tracking every monthly expense/transaction.