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When it comes to financial independence and early retirement, there is no one-size-fits-all. For some people, their income simply isn’t high enough for traditional FIRE to be practical. For others, they enjoy working and don’t feel the need to scrimp and save in order to retire early.

If you feel traditional FIRE is too draconian or if you don’t mind retiring in your 60’s, coastFIRE is your ideal path to retirement.

What is CoastFIRE?

CoastFIRE treats saving for retirement as a task on a financial to-do list. Once you’ve reached your coastFIRE number, you no longer need to save for retirement; you just need to earn enough to cover your monthly living expenses. You can trust your nest egg to grow on its own so you have enough to retire just as you hit your desired retirement age.Your coast FIRE nest egg allows you to put all your focus into living well as you “coast” to retirement.

CoastFIRE in Practice

Just as with traditional FIRE, your coastFIRE number depends on your retirement age and your expected retirement income. Where it differs is in how your savings rate and current age impacts your coastFIRE number. The more aggressive and the younger you are when you start saving, the lower your coastFIRE number will be.

Why is this?

Since its inception, the US stock market has returned an annual average of 10%, or a real return of 7% adjusted for inflation. By investing in a broad-based index fund like Vanguard’s S&P 500, investors can capture the average return of the stock market without the risk of stock picking.

Coast FIRE leverages compounding to make retirement not just achievable, but downright easy.

As we can see from the chart from Walletburst, the sooner you start, the less you need to save.

These numbers are very conservative. This chart assumes…

• 8% growth rate — the average annual return you’ll get if you began at the height of the 1920’s stock bubble
• 3% inflation, which gives us 5% real investment return
• 3.5% safe withdrawal rate — 4% withdrawal rate is considered safe by finance professionals
• 67 desired retirement age. 

Let’s have a look at what you’ll need to save to retire with $50k in annual income, given these conservative values. In that case we’re looking at… 

$159k at 22

$193k at 26

$235k at 30

$383k at 40

Something to Note…

As you near retirement, it’s advisable to gradually shift your investment portfolio from 100% stocks, which the chart assumes, to a more conservative stock and bond split of perhaps 70% stocks 30% bonds. This protects your investment from short term market fluctuation, as your time horizon shortens. 

Aside from this element, there is also the matter of homeownership. In today’s housing market, many young coastFIRE enthusiasts may be forced to choose between a 20% downpayment on a home or their coastFIRE nestegg. Due to the benefit of compounding, we advise young people in this position to prioritize coastFIRE over homeownership.

Your Personal CoastFIRE Number

As mentioned, your CoastFIRE number depends on the following factors:

• Your Current Age
• Your Desired Retirement Age
• Monthly Contributions
• Annual Investment Growth Rate (5%-7% conservative market returns after accounting for inflation)
• Annual Post-Retirement Spending
• Safe Withdrawal Rate (generally set to 4% according to The Trinity Study and Bengen’s 1994 Paper)

There are a slew of coastFIRE calculators/calculation methods available online. We encourage you to explore and compare the ones from Walletburst, Marriage Kids and Money, and the compound interest calculator from Investor.gov (to find the “length of time in years” subtract your current age from your desired retirement age).

Your coastFIRE number is dynamic and personal so we also encourage you to revisit these calculators as you near retirement and your career progresses.

Who is CoastFIRE Suitable For?

By all accounts, coastFIRE is suitable for everyone. No matter your age or profession, coastFIRE is always a worthy goal to pursue. However, if you fall in one or more of the following categories, coastFIRE may just be your ideal path to retirement:

You are in your 20’s — As the chart makes very clear, CoastFIRE favors the young. If you’re willing to spend your 20’s (and perhaps 30’s) renting with roommates, driving second-hand, not eating out, and working full-time, you could very well have your retirement won and done before you find a spouse and have children.

You have frugal fatigue — CoastFIRE is also excellent for FIRE enthusiasts who are going through frugal fatigue. It’s oft repeated that the FIRE lifestyle isn’t for everyone. There’s no shame in realizing that five years into counting pennies and relying solely on public transportation that you don’t want another fifteen years of the same. People in this position are likely to find that while FIRE is still a while away, coastFIRE is much closer at hand (or even has already been achieved!).

You enjoy work — No matter how much we long to lounge by the beach without work or responsibility, keeping occupied and busy is vital for general health and wellbeing. Early retirees often report staying in their jobs with better hours, downsizing to a low paying but more enjoyable job, or leaving their position to start a business. There’s no reason why you can’t do the same after costFIRE.

CoastFIRE vs Traditional FIRE

Broadly speaking, the different degrees of financial freedom can be laid out accordingly:

1. Debt Free: 

The average American has $104,215 worth of debt across student loans, car loans, credit cards, and mortgages (business insider). However, not all debt is created equal.

Generally speaking, if you have debt with an interest rate of >7%, you should pay it off ASAP. This is because the US stock market has an average real return of 7%. If your debt interest is higher than that, then investing is at best HIGHLY risky and at worst getting yourself deeper in debt.

Once you’ve paid off all high interest rates and all non-productive debt (debt like your mortgage that increases your net worth), you can move on to the next tier.

2. Normal Retirement:

According to data from the Federal Reserve, in 2024 only 67% of Americans have retirement savings and of that number, 34% report feeling that they are “on track” for retirement. Getting on track for normal retirement can require a lot of work and sacrifice, especially as you near retirement age.

Being “on track” also means meeting a certain minimum in financial health, for instance having an emergency fund.

3. CoastFIRE:

This is the next rung up from “normal retirement,” that being, having enough savings to retire in your 60’s, given average stock market returns. While coastFIRE is achievable for the average American, it is more time sensitive than normal retirement and requires greater effort earlier on.

4. Traditional FIRE:

To achieve FIRE, you must be able to fully cover all your living expenses through passive income streams. This means stock investments, real estate income, bond yield, and more. Whatever the means, reaching FIRE means reaching a point where you no longer need to work to live.

Most people get a rough estimate of their FIRE number (how much money they need to be financially independent) using the 4% rule. If your annual expenses make up only 4% of your total investment (aka you’ve invested 25x your annual expense), you’ve achieved FIRE.

As you move up the scale, you become more financially free, but the effort and time it takes to reach the higher tiers also increase. CoastFIRE sits at the compromise between normal retirement and full FIRE.

Once you have reached coastFIRE, there’s no need to put more money aside for retirement any longer (but you definitely still can!), you have the good savings and financial habits of a FIRE enthusiast, and you overall have more flexibility and choice in how you spend your money. Saving for coastFIRE is better than saving for normal retirement in this way; you’ve spent so long putting so much of your money away for investment, once you no longer need to it’s like getting a massive raise!

Aside from CoastFIRE, other approaches to FIRE can also fall on the ladder.

Debt Free → Normal Retirement → CoastFIRE → BaristaFIRE → LeanFIRE → Traditional FIRE → FatFIRE

• BaristaFIRE — By supplementing the span of time between achieving baristaFIRE and full retirement with lower-stress part-time work, you can lower your FIRE number. This allows you to significantly reduce the amount you need to save and offer you greater flexibility in your work. Very similar to coastFIRE.
• LeanFIRE — This approach to FIRE is for those who enjoy saving money more than spending money. LeanFIRE is all about adopting lifestyles and spending habits that keeps post-retirement costs down so you won’t need to save so much to meet the FIRE benchmark. LeanFIRE also pairs well with baristaFIRE as having all your basic life necessities already covered means any disposal income you earn can go directly to hobby and entertainment.
• FatFIRE — This approach to FIRE is primarily for those who are both big savers and big earners. FatFIRE is for anyone with the means to save millions of dollars so they can retire in their 40’s or 50’s on a six figure retirement income. If this is the tier of FIRE you aspire to, we salute your ambition! Good luck and good speed!

CoastFIRE and Tax Shelters?

As coastFIRE followers don’t intend to retire early, they don’t need to worry about early withdrawal penalties the way traditional FIRE enthusiasts have to. This means there’s no need for a complicated Roth IRA Conversion Ladder and no need to wait around for pension and social security.

With coastFIRE, you’re able to enjoy the freedom and peace of mind of FIRE while keeping your finances simple by following the path of normal retirement. This means:

• Maxing out your 401(k) for employee match
• Potentially opening a Traditional IRA or Roth IRA, as dependent on your present and expected future income
• Broad-based index funds and bonds

All FIRE Techniques Apply!

Of course, all the techniques FIRE enthusiasts use to accelerate their path to FIRE still definitely apply. These ideas include, but definitely aren’t limited to: 

• Picking up a side-hustle — If you’re someone with the drive and energy to do a little extra on the weekends, side hustles are the perfect opportunity for you to get ahead on your retirement savings. Consider dog walking for your neighbors, being a tutor grade schoolers, or heck, starting a YouTube channel. For more ideas, check out our article Side Hustles to Accelerate Your FIRE Journey — the possibilities are truly endless!
• Negotiating for higher wages — As the saying goes, if you never try then you’ll never know. The process of hiring and finding new employees can be expensive for a company, not to mention the work that’s not getting done while the position goes unfilled. If you make yourself valuable to the company you work for, then it’s only right to ask for proper compensation.
• Adopting a minimalist mindset — In order for frugality to be sustainable, it can’t feel like deprivation. Instead, think about how nice it is to live in a clean uncluttered home, how fulfilling it would be to cook food you grew in your own garden, and how much better it is for the environment to buy second-hand. For a more comprehensive breakdown on how you can save for FIRE, check out our article on Best Ways to Save Money for Early Retirement.
• Save on your car and home — Oftentimes the advice is to save money on small things like turning off the AC or switching to a more affordable mobile plan. However the truth is that the lionshare of your paycheck goes towards your mortgage or rent first, your car loan second, and then everything else. The real way to up your savings rate is to keep housing costs down and stay away from expensive cars.

To read more about FIRE and how to get there quickly, check out our articles, How to Retire on a Low Income, and How to Plan for Retirement in Your 20’s.

If you’re newer to FIRE or want a refresher to the FIRE basics, our articles on FIRE Tax Strategies, FIRE Budgeting 101, and FIRE Personal Finance Tips are also excellent resources.

The Pros and Cons of CoastFIRE

With all things, there are two sides to every coin.

Pros:

• CoastFIRE allows a lot of the freedoms and benefits of FIRE at only a fraction of the savings, people who have coastFIRE’d can chose to seek part-time work, take more vacations, or prioritize their hobbies, all in the knowledge that their retirement is secure
• CoastFIRE is a much more achievable goal than traditional FIRE, allowing people more options for family building, career paths, and living locations
• CoastFIRE is a natural by-product of pursuing traditional FIRE, therefore it’s easy to shift gears between the two as your career develops
• Similar to above — your coastFIRE number is dynamic and flexible, once you’ve achieved coastFIRE for a $20k retirement, you can continue on and “upgrade” to higher tiers, safe in the knowledge that your basic necessities are covered

Cons:

• CoastFIRE is a method of saving for retirement, it does not imply early retirement. For that reason, coastFIREdoesn’t offer the same degree of freedom and security as traditional FIRE — you will still need to work to cover your living expenses
• Although not to the extent of traditional FIRE, you need to adopt frugal habits to achieve coastFIRE. Depending on your income and cost of living, coastFIRE may demand a degree of sacrifice that traditional retirement does not. 
• CoastFIRE is heavily skewed in favor of younger people in the way that traditional FIRE is not

Conclusion

When FIRE enthusiasts say that FIRE is for everyone, it can be difficult to believe. How can it be possible for everyone, even the average to low income earner under a mound of debt, to achieve financial independence and retire early? However, with coastFIRE on the table, it’s much easier to envision how the average person might reach a sort of FIRE without resorting to living out of a car.

CoastFIRE may not be as flashy as FIRE, not quite as impressive as a headline like Josh retired at 38, here’s how he did it! but many of us don’t need to be flashy. Security and comfort is the name of the game and if that’s what you value, coastFIRE is just the retirement plan for you. 

The post Why CoastFIRE is Perfect for You appeared first on TheWeFIRE.

If you’re on the FIRE journey, you probably know that one of the biggest financial hurdles is figuring out health insurance. If you’re not getting it through an employer, things can get pricey real fast. That’s where the Affordable Care Act (ACA) comes in. One of its key benefits is providing access to more affordable health coverage for those without employer-sponsored insurance. For many early retirees and freelancers, it’s been a game-changer.

As the ACA continues to shape how Americans secure insurance, it’s necessary to understand its nuances—who can benefit, how costs are managed, and what options are available for those without employer coverage. So, let’s dive in and break it down.

Eligibility

ACA is designed to include U.S. citizens and legal residents who are not incarcerated and live within a coverage area. Though the program primarily targets those without access to affordable employer-sponsored insurance, people at all income levels can sign up for coverage through Obamacare.

Government Subsidies under the ACA

The ACA includes financial assistance through two primary forms of subsidies to help reduce costs:

1. Premium Tax Credits: These directly lower monthly insurance payments based on household income, available to individuals and families earning between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level.

2024 FPL is as follows:

Premium tax credits can lower your premiums for most Marketplace health plans. The amount of the tax credit you may receive depends on your income and the cost of plans in your area. For example, a couple without kids making $45,000 a year might pay about $490 a month for a Silver plan. Without the ACA, though, that could jump to almost $2,000 a month, which would be a big hit to their budget.

To qualify for these credits, you must buy insurance through the Marketplace, not have qualifying coverage through your employer, and meet certain income requirements based on the federal poverty level, adjusted for your region’s cost of living.

2.Cost-Sharing Reductions: Specifically assist with lowering out-of-pocket costs like deductibles and copayments for eligible enrollees.

For example, John expects an annual income of $22,590 in 2025, or 150% of the poverty line. He enrolls in a silver plan, which could include a cost-sharing reduction, meaning he’ll pay less out-of-pocket for healthcare. This plan has an 94% actuarial value, which means the insurance company will cover 94% of his medical expenses on average, leaving him responsible for just 6%. This plan also has a much lower deductible of only $100.

Covered California Silver as an example

Diverse Insurance Types

The ACA marketplace typically offers four types of health insurance plans: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Each tier offers a different balance between monthly premiums and coverage, giving you the flexibility to select a plan that aligns with both your healthcare needs and your budget.

• Bronze Plan: Known for its affordability in terms of premiums, the Bronze plan typically covers about 60% of medical expenses. This plan requires higher out-of-pocket payments, making it ideal for those with limited budgets and minimal healthcare needs.
• Silver Plan: Offering a balanced approach, the Silver plan generally covers around 70% of medical costs. It is a popular choice due to its equilibrium between premiums and deductibles. Plus, Siver with extra savings are available to individuals or families whose income is between 100% and 250% of the federal poverty level when they enroll in a Silver plan.
• Gold Plan: Designed for individuals requiring more frequent medical services, the Gold plan provides approximately 80% coverage of expenses. It has lower deductibles compared to lower-tier plans, thereby offering more comprehensive coverage at a higher premium.
• Platinum Plan: At the top of the tier spectrum, the Platinum plan covers about 90% of healthcare costs. While it has the highest premiums, it offers the lowest deductibles, making it suitable for those needing extensive healthcare services.

Cost estimates when you get care

Coverage

Under the ACA, all marketplace plans are mandated to include a series of essential health benefits:

Application Process

Purchasing ACA insurance involves:

1. Visiting HealthCare.gov (Open Enrollment ends Jan 15) or your state’s marketplace site.
2. Creating an account and providing personal details.
3. Comparing available plans to assess coverage, premiums, and deductibles.
4. Selecting a plan that aligns with your financial and healthcare needs.
5. Completing registration and paying the initial premium.

Filing Taxes and Handling Adjustments

Beneficiaries of tax credits must report them using Form 1095-A when filing taxes. Changes in income can necessitate adjustments to the credits received, managed through IRS Form 8962 to ensure tax return accuracy and reconciliation.

What it means for FIRE group

Many individuals could only access decent health insurance through their employers. While there were a few plans available for individuals, they were often much more expensive and offered significantly less coverage. Although ACA health insurance plans can still be costly, they provide more options, especially for people without employer-backed options. Take, for example, a freelancer who shared her experience online. She has a Bronze plan, and thanks to health insurance subsidies, she was able to reduce her premium from $600 to $442.83, with a deductible of $6,200.

Another Internet post tells that a person who retired at 34 also uses an ACA plan. He pays $1,760 a month for a Platinum plan covering his family of three, as they don’t qualify for subsidies. While he feels that the $21,120 annual premium is excessive given their good health, he acknowledges the importance of supporting those less fortunate.

Many ACA plans are high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) paired with health savings accounts (HSAs), allowing pre-tax contributions for qualified medical expenses and savings for retirement health costs.

Compare ACA options and costs by state

If you’re considering early retirement and using the ACA for health insurance, it’s crucial to assess whether you live in a state with competitive premiums. Health insurance costs can vary significantly from state to state, and this can impact your overall retirement budget. For example, states like Iowa often have higher premiums and fewer affordable options. Some states have fewer insurance providers offering ACA plans, which could lead to higher costs or limited coverage options that may not meet your needs.

Some advocates of financial independence also ponder if they are in the best country for health insurance expenses, exploring options for more affordable coverage. We could discuss this topic in our future articles.

Last but not least, as the healthcare landscape keeps changing, it’s important to stay on top of the latest policies so you can make informed decisions.

The post Is Affordable Health Insurance Still Available? ACA Explained appeared first on TheWeFIRE.

There are many books about personal finance and it’s easy to see why. Many people want to become financially literate, to be rich. However, most personal finance books repeat the same basic beginner-friendly advice; Save your money! Make a budget! Live within your means! And while that’s helpful for beginners, it doesn’t do much good for those of us who already know the basics and want to learn more.

Here at WeFIRE, we have taken the liberty to comb through bestseller lists and several pages worth of book recommendations to bring you a variety of useful personal finance books, so you can find the one you need no matter where you are on your journey to FIRE. Don’t feel like reading a book? No problem! We know your time is precious so we’ve also prepared comprehensive reviews for each book on the list!

Take your pick, your journey to financial independence awaits!

Best books for general financial advice (for beginners):

For those of us who are complete beginners to money management, there are a wealth of options. Virtually any book you find in the personal finance section of your local library or bookstore will do the trick. Of the myriad of options, we landed on these four books as all-around good reads that will provide a strong start to your journey to financial independence.

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter

Main points:

• Invest in yourself! If you can learn and use your mind to generate enormous wealth
• Assets put money in your pocket, liabilities take money out. Know which is which
• Don’t say “I can’t afford it” instead ask “how can I afford it?”
• Start today! Overcome your fear of failure, you need to fail to learn, and learn to succeed

Read the full review: Reviewing Rich Dad Poor Dad – Is this Book Worth the Hype?

The Richest Man in Babylon by George Samuel Clason

Main points:

• Pay yourself first, save 10% (or more) of your paycheck every month
• Make sure you know the difference between needs and wants
• Take advantage of compounding – have patience and money will work for you
• Beware of scams, if something sounds too good to be true, it is
• Own your house and make it an investment
• Establish a future income so you can retire comfortably
• Increase your knowledge and skill so you have greater earning power

Read the full review: Reviewing The Richest Man in Babylon – Is This Book Truly Timeless?

The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko

Main points:

• Millionaires don’t spend money the way non-millionaires think
• Millionaires devote time to planning their annual budgets
• Millionaires invest in what they know and they hold the same companies for years
• Millionaires live in middle-class neighborhoods
• Millionaires drive used cars

Read the full review: Reviewing The Millionaire Next Door – Do We Actually Have Millionaire Neighbors?

A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton G. Malkiel

Main points:

• What is the efficient market hypothesis and how to apply it
• Why retail investors have an edge over professional mutual and hedge fund managers
• Focus on stocks that are both a bargain and have potential for growth
• Consider investing in an index fund
• Diversify in companies with a negative covariance

Read the full review: Reviewing A Random Walk Down Wall Street – Is It Worth A Read?

Best books on investing (for more experienced FIRE chasers):

On the whole, personal finance have two levels of complexity. The first is “lower your expenses” and the second is “increase your earnings.” Lowering your expenses is fairly straight forward: sort out your needs and wants, make a budget, save your money, but increasing your earnings is complicated. There are only so many hours in a day and only so much money our boss can afford to pay us, no matter how experienced and educated we get.

That leaves two options: 1) start businesses, or 2) invest in businesses. We will focus on investing, because it’s far less work (and less risky) than starting a business. While easier than starting a business, investing is by no means easy. Fortunately, there are a number of investment books available to help you along. Unfortunately, some of them are scams. We selected for you the best and most influential investment books (that are not scams, we promise) to help you improve your return on investment.

The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham

Main points:

• Decide whether you are a passive investor or active investor and stick with it
• Passive investors invest in index funds and/or large stable companies with dollar cost averaging
• Active investors can purchase smaller companies but only at a bargain
• Look for net-asset-stocks (cigar butts) where total asset is greater than liabilites + share price
• Don’t listen to the price quotations of “Mr. Market,” trust your own valuation
• Have a margin of safety

Read the full review: Reviewing The Intelligent Investor – Is It Still Relevant?

The Most Important Thing by Howard Marks

Main points:

• You must first understand what it means to be above average before you can achieve such a thing
• Know the relationship between price (where are we in the market cycle?) and value
• Be a contarian, be right, and practice mental fortitude
• The influence psychology on the market and yourself
• Know what you don’t know, don’t try and predict the market, it never works
• Understand, recognize, and control risk
• Earn more from the stock market than you give back to achieve alpha

Read the full review: Reviewing The Most Important Thing – How Do People Beat the Market?

Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits by Phil Fisher

Main points:

• The “scuttlebutt” technique – actually talk to people who know the company
• Make sure the company passes at least 13 of the 15 points listed by Fisher
  • won’t know if the company passes these points without first doing the scuttlebutt
• Don’t try to time the market, but don’t overpay for stocks
• Only sell a company if the fundamentals have deteriorated, growth is exhausted, or you have made a mistake

Read the full review: Reviewing Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits – The Lesser Known Foundation of Buffett’s Investment Philosophy

Best books on motivation and changing your mindset:

We all need some motivation from time to time, to remind us why we’re on this path and what we have to look forward to after achieving FIRE. Motivational books that can help change your mindset can be a powerful tool, because before we can accomplish anything, we must first understand why we are doing it and what value it will bring us. The issue is that motivational books can get repetitive, so we’ve selected a couple that have unique insights.

Your Money or Your Life by Joseph R. Dominguez and Vicki Robin

Main points:

• Money is life energy (the condensed value of your time, energy, and skill)
• Know when enough is enough (recognize that more money doesn’t mean more happy)
• Don’t overexaggerate the danger of inflation, being frugal is more important
• Money is the Earth’s life energy (the value of natural resources and energy)
• No shame no blame (money makes us emotional, take a deep breath and keep going)
• Work is not just paid employment (just because you’re not being paid doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing)
• The 9 Step Program to help you achieve self-fulfillment and financial independence

Read the full review: Reviewing Your Money or Your Life – Is It Possible to Have Both?

The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

Main points:

• No one’s crazy, we’re all driven by our unique experiences with money
• Luck and risk are two sides of the same coin, and both are heavily influenced by factors beyond our control
• A small percentage of investments are responsible for the majority of the gains
• True wealth is invisible
• Humans can’t be 100% rational so being reasonable is good enough
• We tend to be skeptical of optimistic and trusting of pessimism – try and adopt a more balanced perspective

Read the full review: Reviewing The Psychology of Money – How Reasonable Are We With Money?

Thinking Fast and Slow by David Kahneman

Main points:

• A book covering the influences on our decision making that are not logical
• System 1 vs System 2
  • Priming – how your subconscious influences your decisions
  • Availability heuristic – the path of least resistence
• Humans and Econs
  • Accounting for loss aversion in attitude to risk taking
  • The fear of regret
  • The importance of taking on an outside view over an inside view

Read the full review: Reviewing Thinking Fast and Slow – 7 Psychological Fallacies That Affect Our Relationship With Money (and everything else)

Best books on Warren Buffet:

To achieve FIRE, you need to be a competent investor, and to be a competent investor, you need to know about more than just money. The stock market operates as a complicated web of relationships, from other retail investors, to large hedge funds, to massive multi-national companies. Navigating this tulmutuous landscape is no easy task, but fortunately, there are experienced explorers whose paths we can follow. We have gathered for you a comprehensive list of the best books on Warren Buffett so you can learn from his investments.

The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder

Main points:

• Don’t undrestimate compounding, Warren Buffett started investing at 10 and is now 92
• Intangible assets like reputation and a loyal customer base are valuable
• Go for companies with a wide moat, they’re more stable and competitive
• It’s better to focus on strong companies than diversification for the sake of diversification
• Invest in what you know, stay in your circle of competence
• There’s no such thing as a new paradigm

Read the full review: Reviewing The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life – What Can We Learn?

The Warren Buffett Way by Robert G. Hagstrom

Main points:

• Fisher and Graham as fundamental influences in Buffett’s philosophy
  • Fisher as the first growth investor, Graham as the classic value investor
• Buffett’s 12 tenets
  • The most important being: invest in people, not stocks
• Psychological pitfalls
  • Overconfidence – we don’t know what we don’t know
  • Loss aversion – don’t wait to sell weak stockpicks
  • Mental account – don’t give back your earnings to the stock market

Read the full review: Reviewing The Warren Buffett Way – Is This A Path Average Investor Can Follow?

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Sequence of returns risk poses a significant challenge to early retirees because the timing of withdrawals during market downturns can deplete savings more rapidly than withdrawals during more stable or growing markets. Here are some strategies to mitigate this risk:

• Create a Cash Reserve:
  • Maintain 2-3 years’ worth of living expenses in cash or a highly liquid account. This buffer can help you avoid withdrawing from investments during market downturns.
• Flexible Withdrawal Rate:
  • Adjust your withdrawal rate based on market performance. Reduce withdrawals during bear markets and withdraw more during bull markets. The “safe” initial withdrawal rate is generally considered to be around 4%, but flexibility helps.
• Dividend-Paying Stocks and Bonds:
  • By investing in stocks that pay dividends and bonds that generate interest income, you can create a steady income stream without needing to sell assets during market declines.
• Consider Annuities:
  • Annuities can provide a guaranteed income stream, which can be a good hedge against market volatility. However, they also come with drawbacks like fees and less liquidity, so careful consideration is required.
• Sequence Avoidance:
  • If feasible, avoid retiring or making large withdrawals from your portfolio during the first few years of a significant market downturn. Consider delaying significant expenditures until market conditions improve.

Now, let’s expand these points and review them in detail.

Understanding the Sequence of Returns Risk

Sequence of returns risk refers to the uncertainty of the timing of poor market performance. Even if the overall average returns over a long period are favorable, the order in which returns occur can significantly impact a retiree’s portfolio longevity. For instance, experiencing lower returns or losses in the initial years of retirement while withdrawing funds can erode a retirement portfolio rapidly, leaving less capital to recover during subsequent market upswings.

Two typical scenarios include: 

• Scenario A: You retire just before a market upturn. Even if the market later goes down, your portfolio has gained enough to withstand the downturn.
• Scenario B: You retire just before a market downturn. You start withdrawing from a shrinking portfolio, which may never recover.

To mitigate the sequence of returns risk, there are 4 common strategies.

1. Create a Cash Reserve:

Maintaining a cash reserve of 2-3 years’ worth of living expenses provides a strategic buffer against the sequence of returns risk. This reserve acts as a readily available source of funds, ensuring that retirees can meet their essential expenses without having to sell investments during market downturns. The concept is simple: By keeping a portion of your retirement savings in cash or highly liquid accounts, you create a financial safety net that mitigates the necessity of withdrawing from volatile investment accounts when market prices are low.

How to Establish and Manage a Cash Reserve

1. Determine Essential Expenses:

Calculate your annual living expenses, excluding any discretionary spending. Focus on mortgage or rent, utilities, food, healthcare, insurance, transportation, and other fixed costs. Multiplying this annual figure by 2-3 will give you the target cash reserve amount.

2. Choose the Right Accounts:

Opt for liquid accounts that offer easy access to funds. High-yield savings accounts, money market accounts, or even short-term certificates of deposit (CDs) are suitable options. These accounts often provide a balance between safety and modest returns, without tying up your money for long periods.

3. Automate Savings:

Build your cash reserve gradually by automating transfers from your income sources to your chosen liquid accounts. Regular, automated contributions can ease the burden of accumulating the necessary amount over time.

4. Reassess and Adjust:

Periodically review your cash reserve needs. Changes in your lifestyle, expenses, or market conditions may warrant adjustments to the amount you have set aside. Ensuring that your reserve remains aligned with your current situation is crucial for ongoing financial stability.

Advantages of Maintaining a Cash Reserve

1. Liquidity in Emergencies:

A cash reserve provides instant access to funds during emergencies, eliminating the need to prematurely sell investments. Whether it’s for unexpected medical expenses, urgent home repairs, or other unforeseen costs, having liquid assets on hand ensures peace of mind.

2. Avoiding Panic Selling:

During market downturns, it can be tempting to liquidate investments to cover living expenses. A cash reserve prevents panic selling, allowing you to stay invested and potentially benefit from future market recoveries. Selling in a bear market can lock in losses that may have otherwise been recouped over time.

3. Smoothing Portfolio Withdrawals:

Drawing from a cash reserve rather than directly from investment accounts ensures that you have a consistent income stream, regardless of market fluctuations. This smooths the sequence of withdrawals, reducing the impact of a poor sequence of returns on your overall financial health.

4. Flexibility for Strategic Financial Moves:

With a cash cushion, you can take advantage of market opportunities that arise during downturns. Having liquidity allows you the flexibility to make well-timed investment decisions, potentially acquiring undervalued assets that can enhance your portfolio’s long-term growth.

2.  Flexible Withdrawal Rate

For early retirees, managing the sequence of returns risk is critical, especially when reliance on a fixed income could be detrimental during market downturns. One effective strategy to mitigate this risk is adopting a flexible withdrawal rate. By adjusting withdrawals in response to market conditions, retirees can preserve their portfolios and enhance long-term financial security. This approach contrasts with the more rigid, traditional methods, like the widely accepted 4% withdrawal rule, offering retirees better control over their financial future.

Understanding the Standard 4% Rule

The 4% rule, developed in the 1990s by financial planner William Bengen, suggests that retirees can safely withdraw 4% of their retirement savings in the first year and adjust that amount annually for inflation. This strategy evolved from historical data analysis and was designed to ensure that retirees wouldn’t run out of money over a 30-year period. Although the rule provides a general guideline, it doesn’t account for fluctuating market conditions, which can impact the longevity and stability of retirement funds.

The Drawbacks of a Fixed Withdrawal Rate

1. Market Volatility:

Rigidly adhering to a fixed withdrawal rate during market downturns can exacerbate sequence of returns risk. When investment values are depressed, withdrawing a set percentage can significantly deplete the account balance, leaving less capital to recover when the market rebounds.

2. No Adaptability:

The 4% rule doesn’t accommodate changes in individual circumstances, such as increased medical expenses, significant lifestyle changes, or other financial needs that arise unexpectedly.

Benefits of a Flexible Withdrawal Rate

1. Enhanced Portfolio Longevity:

By reducing withdrawals during bear markets and increasing them during bull markets, retirees can preserve their portfolios’ principal during downturns and benefit more from market upswings. This approach helps to smooth out the impact of market volatility over time.

2. Adaptation to Personal Needs:

Flexible withdrawal strategies allow retirees to adjust their spending in response to changes in their personal and financial situations, providing better alignment with their actual needs and market realities.

3. Psychological Comfort:

Reducing withdrawals during market downturns can provide a psychological benefit, as retirees may feel more secure knowing they are preserving their nest egg rather than depleting it when markets are down.

Implementing a Flexible Withdrawal Strategy

1. Assess Market Conditions:

Regularly review and assess overall market performance and economic indicators. Having an understanding of market trends can help inform decisions on whether to increase or decrease withdrawal rates.

2. Set Baseline and Adjustments:

1. Start with a baseline withdrawal rate, such as the 4% rule, then adjust based on market performance. For example:
   1. During bull markets, consider increasing the withdrawal rate slightly (e.g., to 5-6%).
   2. During bear markets, reduce the withdrawal rate (e.g., to 3% or lower).
2. These adjustments should be carefully calculated based on your portfolio’s performance and your individual financial needs and goals.
3. Use a Guardrail Approach:

The guardrail strategy involves setting upper and lower limits (guardrails) on withdrawal rates relative to the portfolio’s value. If the portfolio value increases by a certain percentage above the baseline, increase withdrawals slightly. Conversely, if it drops below a set point, reduce withdrawals. This method provides a structured way to implement flexibility. Read more on  Best Withdrawal Strategies for Early Retirement

4. Income Bucketing:

Divide your retirement funds into different “buckets” based on time horizons and market conditions:

1. Short-term bucket: Cash or cash equivalents for immediate expenses (1-2 years).
2. Medium-term bucket: Bonds or other lower-risk investments for the next 3-7 years.
3. Long-term bucket: Equities and growth-focused investments for future needs (8+ years).

3.  Dividend-Paying Stocks and Bonds

Creating a sustainable and reliable income stream during retirement is a primary concern for retirees. One effective strategy to accomplish this goal involves investing in dividend-paying stocks and bonds. These assets can provide a steady flow of income without necessitating the liquidation of principal investments, thus helping retirees to better manage the sequence of returns risk and preserve their capital over the long term.

The Role of Dividend-Paying Stocks

Dividend-paying stocks are shares of companies that distribute a portion of their earnings to shareholders in the form of regular dividend payments. These stocks are generally associated with well-established, financially stable companies that have a history of generating consistent profits.

Advantages of Dividend-Paying Stocks:

1. Steady Income Stream:

Dividends provide regular income payments that can help cover living expenses without having to sell off investments, making them ideal for retirees seeking stability.

2. Capital Appreciation Potential:
   • In addition to providing dividend income, dividend-paying stocks have the potential for capital appreciation, as their value can grow over time, enhancing the overall growth of a retirement portfolio.
3. Inflation Hedge:

Companies that pay dividends often have pricing power that allows them to raise prices over time. This can help dividends keep pace with or exceed inflation, protecting the purchasing power of retirees’ income.

4. Financial Stability:

Companies that consistently pay dividends tend to be financially disciplined, stable, and less volatile compared to non-dividend-paying growth stocks. This makes them a safer choice for retirees who prioritize preserving capital.

Selecting Dividend-Paying Stocks:

1. Dividend Yield:

Look for stocks with a dividend yield that balances between providing sufficient income and maintaining growth potential. Yields that are too high may be unsustainable, while very low yields may not offer adequate income.

2. Dividend Growth History:

Focus on companies with a strong track record of consistent dividend payments and regular increases in dividend payouts. Dividend Aristocrats, companies that have increased their dividends for at least 25 consecutive years, are often considered reliable choices.

3. Payout Ratio:

Consider the payout ratio, which is the percentage of earnings paid out as dividends. A lower payout ratio indicates there is room for the company to increase dividends in the future, and it shows that the company retains earnings for growth and stability.

4. Sector Diversification:

Diversify across different sectors to reduce exposure to industry-specific risks. Sectors such as utilities, consumer staples, healthcare, and financials often include companies with strong dividend histories.

The Role of Bonds

Bonds are fixed-income securities that represent loans made by an investor to a borrower, typically corporate or governmental entities. Bonds pay periodic interest (coupon payments) and return the principal at maturity.

Advantages of Bonds:

1. Predictable Income:

Bonds provide a predictable and regular income stream through coupon payments, which can be particularly reliable during economic downturns when stock dividends might be cut or eliminated.

2. Inflation Hedge:

Bonds are generally less volatile than stocks and historically, bonds have outpaced inflation over the long term. This makes them a reliable investment for preserving purchasing power. 

3. Diversification:

Bond investments introduce diversification to a retirement portfolio, reducing overall volatility and helping to stabilize returns, especially when equities are underperforming.

Types of Bonds:

1. Government Bonds:

U.S. Treasury bonds, state and municipal bonds (munis), are considered safe investments with low risk of default, suitable for risk-averse retirees.

2. Corporate Bonds:

Bonds issued by companies tend to offer higher yields compared to government bonds but come with higher risk. Investment-grade corporate bonds balance income potential and risk.

3. High-Yield Bonds:

Also known as junk bonds, these offer higher yields but come with significantly higher risk. They can be part of a diversified strategy but should be approached with caution.

4. Bond Funds and ETFs:

These investment vehicles pool money from multiple investors to purchase a diversified portfolio of bonds, offering diversification and professional management.

Constructing a Dividend-Paying Stock and Bond Portfolio:

1. Determine Income Needs:

Calculate your expected annual living expenses and determine how much should come from investment income versus other sources (like Social Security or pensions).

2. Diversification:

Diversifying appropriately can help spread risks and optimize overall returns. For stocks, diversify across sectors and geographic regions. For bonds, diversify across issuers, maturities, and credit ratings.

3. Reinvest Dividends and Interest:

During the early years of retirement, consider reinvesting dividends and interest to grow your portfolio until you need to start withdrawing income.

4. Regular Rebalancing:

Periodically rebalance your portfolio to maintain your desired asset allocation and risk level. This involves buying or selling assets to bring your portfolio back in line with your target allocation.

4.   Consider Annuities 

Annuities offer the promise of guaranteed income, which can serve as a hedge against the uncertainties of the market. However, they come with their own set of complexities, including fees and liquidity constraints. This section will delve into the types of annuities, their benefits, drawbacks, and how to incorporate them into a well-rounded retirement strategy.

What Are Annuities?

Annuities are financial contracts between you and an insurance company designed to provide a steady income stream, typically for life. In exchange for a lump sum or periodic payments, the insurer promises to make regular payouts to you in the future.

Types of Annuities

1. Fixed Annuities:
   • Overview: Offer guaranteed fixed payouts.
   • Advantages: Predictable, stable income.
   • Drawbacks: The guaranteed rate might be lower than potential market returns.
2. Variable Annuities:
   • Overview: Payouts vary based on the performance of investment options chosen.
   • Advantages: Potential for higher returns.
   • Drawbacks: Exposure to market risk and typically higher fees.
3. Immediate Annuities:
   • Overview: Begin payments almost immediately after a lump sum payment.
   • Advantages: Quick income stream.
   • Drawbacks: Less time to grow your money, less liquidity.
4. Deferred Annuities:
   • Overview: Payments begin at a future date.
   • Advantages: More time for investment growth.
   • Drawbacks: Delayed access to income.
5. Indexed Annuities:
   • Overview: Returns are tied to a market index (e.g., S&P 500), but provide protection against market downturns.
   • Advantages: Potential for higher returns with limited downside risk.
   • Drawbacks: Often come with caps on returns and more complex fee structures.

Benefits of Annuities

1. Guaranteed Income:

A key benefit is the assurance of a steady income stream, irrespective of market conditions. This can provide peace of mind, knowing that you will receive regular payments for life.

2. Hedge Against Longevity Risk:

Annuities can protect against the risk of outliving your assets, ensuring that you have an income no matter how long you live.

3. Tax Advantages:

Earnings within an annuity grow tax-deferred, meaning you don’t pay taxes on the gains until you start receiving payments.

4. Customizable Options:

Annuities can be tailored with various features, such as inflation protection, survivor benefits, and guaranteed minimum withdrawals, to suit individual needs.

Drawbacks of Annuities

1. Fees and Expenses:

Annuities can come with high fees, including administrative fees, mortality and expense risk charges, and surrender charges. These can erode the overall returns of the annuity.

2. Lack of Liquidity:

Funds invested in annuities are generally locked up for a period of time. Early withdrawals may incur steep surrender charges, making them less accessible in emergencies.

3. Complexity:

The range of options and features can make annuities complex financial products. Understanding the terms and conditions requires careful consideration and often, professional guidance.

4. Credit Risk:

The guarantee of payments depends on the financial stability of the insurance company issuing the annuity. While the risk is generally low, it’s still an important factor to consider.

Incorporating Annuities into Retirement Planning

1. Evaluate Income Needs:

Determine how much of your retirement income should come from annuities. Consider covering essential expenses with fixed income sources like annuities, Social Security, and pensions.

2. Diversify Income Streams:

Annuities should be one part of a diversified retirement income strategy, which can also include investments in stocks, bonds, real estate, and other assets.

3. Start Small:

If you are new to annuities, consider starting with a smaller annuity to understand how it fits into your overall financial plan. You can always purchase additional annuities later.

4. Shop Around:

Compare products from different insurance companies. Look for annuities with favorable terms, lower fees, and strong financial ratings.

5. Consider Professional Advice:

Given the complexities and long-term implications of annuities, consulting with a financial advisor can be invaluable. They can help tailor an annuity strategy that aligns with your needs and goals.

6. Use Riders Thoughtfully:

Annuities can come with additional features known as riders, such as inflation protection or death benefits. While these can add value, they often come at an extra cost. Evaluate whether the rider benefits justify the additional expense.

7. Regular Reviews:

Continually review your annuity products and overall retirement plan. Changes in life circumstances, health, or financial goals may necessitate adjustments.

Case Study: Integrating Annuities into a Retirement Plan

Consider a 60-year-old retiree with a retirement portfolio of $1 million. They anticipate needing $50,000 annually for living expenses, excluding Social Security benefits.

Identify Essential Expenses: Calculate essential annual expenses, e.g., $40,000.

Allocate to Annuities: Decide to allocate $300,000 of the portfolio to a fixed immediate annuity, offering an annual payout of $15,000.

Balance with Other Investments: If Social Security is anticipated to cover $20,000 annually, only $5,000 remains to be covered from the investment portfolio, which can remain in more liquid and growth-oriented assets.

Incorporate Inflation Protection: Choose an inflation-protected annuity rider, ensuring the $15,000 payout adjusts with inflation.

Evaluate Fees and Terms: Assess the annuity fees and terms thoroughly before finalizing the purchase.

5. Sequence Avoidance

The timing of your withdrawals in retirement can significantly impact the longevity and health of your portfolio, especially if you encounter a market downturn early in your retirement years. This is where sequence of returns risk comes into play—a risk that your portfolio could suffer significant dips just as you start drawing down assets. To mitigate this risk, one strategy is sequence avoidance: specifically avoiding large withdrawals or even delaying retirement during the first few years of a significant market downturn. This section will explore the nuances of sequence avoidance and provide practical steps for its implementation.

Key Principles of Sequence Avoidance

1. Avoid Large Withdrawals During Downturns: Large withdrawals during a market lull can deplete your portfolio significantly. It’s better to withdraw minimally to ensure there are enough assets to grow when the market recovers.
2. Delay Significant Expenditures: Postpone large, discretionary expenses until market conditions improve. This includes luxury purchases, large home renovations, and other significant outlays that could strain your portfolio during a downturn.
3. Consider Delaying Retirement: If possible, delay your retirement if you see a significant market downturn approaching. Even working part-time can reduce the need to withdraw significant amounts from your portfolio.

Implementing Sequence Avoidance Strategies

Sequence avoidance strategies are integrated with all the previously mentioned strategies and more:

1. Build a Cash Reserve:

Maintain 2-3 years’ worth of essential living expenses in cash or cash-equivalent accounts. This ‘buffer’ can keep you from having to sell investments at a loss during downturns.

2. Flexible Withdrawal Strategy:

Instead of a fixed percentage withdrawal, adopt a flexible strategy that adjusts based on market performance. During bad years, withdraw less, and during good years, withdraw modestly more.

3. Stagger Retirements:

If you and your spouse are both planning to retire, consider staggering retirement dates. This allows one of you to remain in the workforce longer, providing additional income and potentially benefits like healthcare.

4. Part-Time Work or Gig Economy:

Explore opportunities for part-time work or gig economy jobs. This income can mitigate the need for large portfolio withdrawals during downturns.

5. Utilize Multiple Income Streams:

Diversify your income streams to reduce dependency on your investment portfolio. This could include rental income, royalties, pensions, and annuities.

6. Reevaluate Expenses:

Review and trim your expenses, especially discretionary ones, during market downturns. Focus on preserving capital and living within a more conservative budget temporarily.

7. Rebalance Your Portfolio: Regular rebalancing ensures your portfolio remains aligned with your risk tolerance and investment goals. This might also mean shifting more towards fixed income or dividend-paying stocks to balance out equity risk.
8. Tax-Efficient Withdrawals: Manage your withdrawals in a tax-efficient manner by drawing from taxable accounts first, followed by tax-deferred accounts, and lastly, tax-free accounts like Roth IRAs. This can help minimize taxes and extend the longevity of your portfolio.

Case Study: Successfully Implementing Sequence Avoidance

Let’s consider Jane and John, both 60, who plan to retire within the next year with a $1 million retirement portfolio. However, they face a significant market downturn just as they approach retirement. To navigate this challenging period, they take the following steps:

1. Creating a Cash Cushion:

They create a cash cushion with $150,000 in a high-yield savings account, covering their living expenses for the next three years.

2. Adjusting Their Retirement Plans:

John decides to continue working part-time for two more years to cover basic expenses and maintain employer healthcare benefits.

3. Flexible Withdrawal Strategy:

They adopt a flexible withdrawal strategy to minimize the impact on their portfolio. Instead of the planned 4% ($40,000 annually), they limit withdrawals to 3% during the downturn.

4. Rebalancing and Diversifying:

They rebalance their portfolio to maintain a 60/40 equity-to-bond allocation, ensuring a mix that is less susceptible to downturns.

5. Reducing Discretionary Spending:

Jane and John delay their planned $50,000 kitchen renovation and luxury cruise until market conditions improve.

6. Exploring Other Income Sources:

They rent out their vacation home for additional income, reducing their dependence on portfolio withdrawals.

Conclusion

By implementing these strategies, you can mitigate the sequence of returns risk and secure your financial future during retirement. Building a cash reserve, adopting a flexible withdrawal rate, utilizing dividend-paying stocks and bonds, and considering annuities are all prudent moves. Additionally, employing a bucket strategy, regularly rebalancing your portfolio, staggering retirement dates, and reducing expenses will further protect your retirement savings. With careful planning and adaptability, you can navigate market downturns and maintain financial stability throughout your retirement years.

The post Early Retirement: How to Mitigate Sequence of Returns Risk appeared first on TheWeFIRE.

Photo by ALE SAL, Unsplash

When we think of jobs that lets us retire early, we think of lucrative tech jobs or entrepreneurs. Rarely if ever would trucking come to mind. However, trucking is an excellent career for anyone who wants an early retirement.

Trucking offers decently high pay without needing a college degree, which means you’ll be able to start working sooner and save more of your money instead of paying student debt. Trucking also has great job security, allowing you to shop around for competitive wages and benefits. Of course, there are downsides as well, trucking can be a dangerous profession, and it can be very lonely when time on the road keeps you from your friends and family. Even so, this does not take away from the advantages truckers have when it comes to achieving an early retirement.

How can a trucker retire early? Largely by doing the same as every other aspiring early retiree: make money, reduce spending, and invest as much as you are able. 

The Steps to Early Retirement

Step 1) Pay Off Non-Mortgage Debt

When it comes to financial health, becoming debt free is always the first step. Fortunately, truckers are ahead of the game. As trucking doesn’t require expensive degrees, truckers don’t have massive student debt. Being a trucker by trade, there is also less temptation to purchase an expensive personal car.

The final type of debt, consumer debt, is the most expensive. Credit cards charge anywhere between 15% to 25% in interest. If you have credit card debt, it will always be in your best interest to pay them off ASAP. However, on the bright side, credit card debt can generally be paid off within a few months of hard work, unlike car loans and student loans which often take years to pay off.

After you are debt free (or if you’re already debt free), the next step is:

Step 2) Optimize Your Savings Rate

Truckers are also well-positioned to have an excellent savings rate. As truckers spend much of their time on the road, they often:

• Travel as a part of work – As a part of the job, truck drivers frequently travel all across the US and sometimes also Canada. Truckers have the ability to plan their routes and many also plan their schedules to spend a weekend getaway out of state. Trucking offers the unique opportunity for inexpensive travel as a part of work. 
• Develop inexpensive hobbies – Much of your day as a trucker is spent on the road. This means occupying your time with activities that won’t distract you from driving, like audio books, music, and podcasts. Enjoying hobbies like these are easier on your wallet and a boost to how much of your income you can save.
• Food prep for long distances – It can be challenging to prepare adequate meals for the long haul when it’s so much easier to get takeout at truckstop. However, it’s much healthier to prepare your own meals and cheaper. Travel cookware and a fridge/freezer can be a great investment for both your physical and financial health.

Step 3) Emergency Fund

The next step to the journey of financial independence is to establish an emergency fund. Open a new high yield savings account (here are some great options) and use that for your emergency fund. This way you won’t be tempted to spend it and it’s encouraging to see the number go up. To know how much you need in your emergency fund, you’ll want to track your spending for 1 month and multiply that by 3 so you have 3 months worth of your living expenses.

It takes a bit of work, but you can track your expenses on a notebook, or through excel. If you’d prefer a faster, more efficient method, WeFIRE is currently running a limited time offer. Download the WeFIRE app and come try out our secure account tracking features and the AI Copilot for 1 month for free by clicking on this link. 

Having an emergency fund is important because it offers you a sense of security. This way in the case of accidents or unexpected costs, you have a couple thousand dollars sitting in the bank that can cover you. It also means you have a safety net while investing. Knowing that you’ll be fine even when the markets are down will give you the fortitude to stay invested, which is how you really reap the rewards of investing.

Step 4) Tax Shelters

Before fully getting into investing, especially stock investing, it’s important to know which taxes you can avoid paying. Your take-home income has already been taxed. In order to encourage the public to save for retirement, the government offers programs like the 401(k) and the IRA to reduce the taxes you have to pay.

Here’s a table comparing the 4 main types of tax shelters.

Because of tax incentives, it’s best to max out these accounts first before opening up an independent taxable brokerage account. Also, while stocks, bonds, and futures can be held in these tax advantaged accounts, real estate cannot and can still be taxed.

To learn more about this topic, check out our articles How to Withdraw Money from Roth IRA Without Penalty, How to Take Money Out of 401(k) Early Without Penalty, and Tax Strategies on FIRE.

Step 5) Investing

As a rule of thumb, to achieve financial independence, you’ll need to have 25x your yearly expenses saved and invested in a broad-based index fund. This is called the 4% rule and it guarantees you 30 years of retirement income, as long as you withdraw no more than 4% of your stock portfolio. We also have an article going into detail on the 4% rule if you’d like to learn more.

Even so, there are a variety of ways to invest so that your money grows with time. Let’s go through them now, starting with…

Stocks

Since the creation of a tracking system for the US stock market, it’s been recorded that the US stocks has grown by an average of 10% every year. If we assume an inflation rate of 3%, that makes for a real annual return of 7%. As long as you invest in a broad-based index fund, you’ll be able to capture the stock market return at very low management fees.

Of course, the market is volatile and unpredictable in the short term. It can be up 15% one month, only to drop by a third in the next. Trying to time the market doesn’t work, which is why it’s better to ignore short term price increases or dips and focus instead on the very long term. Only then will the 10% average returns prove out.

Because effective investing is so long-term, the headstart truckers get for their career means you’ll be able to invest more and sooner, which will have big payouts after compound interest works its magic. For example, at an average of 10% compound interest, an additional $1k in monthly contribution to stock investments from ages 21-25 works out to $3.3 million when you turn 65.

Bonds

A bond is a contract between you and a company or the government, where you agree to lend them a certain amount of money and they agree to pay you back by a certain date plus an additional amount in interest. 

Bonds are graded according to how trustworthy the burrower is. If you’re lending money to the US Government (Treasury Bonds), you’re guaranteed to get your money back but the interest will be lower, however if you’re lending money to a company that has a history of defaulting on bonds (junk bonds), the risk is much higher and so the interest will also be much higher. Exactly how someone with a higher credit score can borrow more money for lower interest.

In today’s economy, bonds don’t offer very high interest rates. The 10-year US Treasury bond offers a yield of 3.78%which only barely covers inflation. Meanwhile CCC junk bonds have a yield of 13.38%, but come at the fairly high risk of losing your principal (initial amount you lent out).

At these rates, bonds do not make for an effective method to store wealth. A high yield savings account offers rates from 4.5-5% and because they are FDIC-insured, they’re almost as safe as US Treasury bonds. 

You may want to keep a certain amount of money in bonds for the purpose of diversification as you near retirement but at their current rates, they are not good for building wealth. Interest rates often change, if bond yields increase in the future, then we’ll reconsider.

Real Estate

Unlike stocks or bonds, real estate serves a purpose beyond growing wealth; shelter. People need places to live and well-situated locations are especially in demand. If chosen correctly, a real estate property can be a very good investment, both as a property you rent out, and as an asset you sell after its value increases.

Before diving into the choppy waters of real estate investing, there are somethings to consider:

• Real estate is not a passive investment. Unlike monthly contributions to a broad-based index fund, real estate ownership requires finding a good property, bidding, maintaining the property and vetting renters if you intend to rent it out. Finding a good place to rent out requires a good eye for consumer demand. Although rent income is a great income stream, the process can be time consuming.
• The US housing market is currently in a bubble. Does this mean that buying a house now will definitely lead to a drop in value and cause you to lose money? Not necessarily, we wouldn’t dare try to predict when the bubble will burst (or if it even will, for that matter). The fact is, mortgage application is at its lowest since May 2023 and home prices are still far above what the average salary can afford.
• Houses take time to buy and sell, which means a big opportunity cost. As an illiquid asset, your money can be tied up in real estate for years and decades. During this period of time, you won’t be able to put it anywhere else, whether or spend it, in stocks, or in bonds. It’s quite a lot of money too, since a big down payment has to be made.

Other Investments

Aside from the options above, there are many other ways to invest. Each comes with its own risks, and some can be quite risky. So if you do invest in them, it’s best not to put too much money in them (5-10% of your total portfolio).

• International Investment – The US stock market is not always in sync with foreign markets. For example, while the whole world was impacted by the Great Depression, Japan and Latin America were less affected. There is also growth potential in emerging markets as they transition from developing to developed countries, i.e. Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. 

BEWARE: Today’s global economy is far more interconnected which has reduced the efficacy of diversification. The potential of emerging markets also comes with risk as these economies are less regulated and mature. Finally, there is additional cost that comes with international investment, as you need to pay currency exchange rates and higher management fees.

• Cryptocurrency – This is a new technology that offers decentralized currency with a cap on supply so value is maintained. Since Bitcoin’s introduction, it has seen incredibly dramatic peaks and troughs, going from record highs to a quarter of its value in a span of days. 

BEWARE: Bitcoin is perhaps the most reliable and least volatile of the cryptocurrencies and even then it has seen scary drops. Crypto is also very complex and its price is driven mostly by hype and has little in the way of real world value. Crypto advocates argue that the value comes from crypto’s potential to become a universal global currency separate from any single government, but if that were to come to fruition, the crypto would no longer have the same dramatic price hikes it does now, reducing its potential in wealth building.

• Gold/Precious Metals – Ever since the US stopped using the gold standard, there have been growing concerns with the value of money. Buying gold served as a way to mitigate this fear, the idea being that if your wealth was stored as an objectively valuable and scarce resource, it offers stability and safety that fiat currency cannot.

BEWARE: While gold has increased steadily in value, it’s not a wealth building tool with its low return on investment that only just keeps up with inflation. Gold has little practical use or ability to generate wealth for the economy, meaning its value is tied to the same thing as regular fiat money: social belief in that it’s valuable.

Other Things Truckers Should Consider 

Beyond the universal steps to early retirement, there are also some considerations specific to truckers. The most important of these are…

Health

It’s been said that truck drivers live to an average age of 61, 17 years less than the average American male life expectancy of 78. Although the legitimacy of this statistic has been brought into question, it does point to a worrying truth: trucking is a dangerous career. This is for a number of reasons.

• Truckers have higher odds for getting into car accidents and worse consequences. By being on the road so often and operating such a big vehicle, truckers have a much higher chance of getting caught up in an accident. Doing proper safety inspections will go a long way towards preventing the worst of these accidents, but the carelessness of other drivers can’t be managed the same way.
• Being on the road makes it difficult to maintain healthy lifestyle habits. It was briefly mentioned before, but a 14 hour work day with 11 hours on the road and truckstops filled with fast food can be a challenge to both maintain a healthy diet and decent exercise routine. It’s not impossible, however, in the mandated 10 hour break, truckers can prepare their own food and walk quick laps around the truckstop. Fast food restaurants also always offer healthier alternatives, in the form of salads and lettuce wraps.
• The mental health struggles of being a trucker can lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms. Truckers are prone to smoking and alcoholism. This is the result of many factors, from the stress of staying alert for long hours, to being apart from your friends and family, to dealing with the lack of respect society has towards truckers. 

In a practical sense, these factors likely lead to higher insurance premiums and general higher healthcare costs. Statistics may imply that truckers won’t have a retirement as long as the average American, but with care and planning, that doesn’t have to be the case.

Investing Timeline

Also a point mentioned earlier, truckers make more money sooner than most other professions. Following this early start, truckers are well positioned for career growth and wage increases as they gain experience. For example, you can go your own way and become an owner-operator, earning anywhere from $185k to $556k per year.

With such an early start and promising growth prospects, it only makes sense that truckers are at an advantage for early retirement. Contributing $1k every month to your stock investments from ages 21-25 means $3.3 million at age 65. Contributing $2k every month for 25 years means you’ll have $2.36 million at 46, if you start at 21. Enough for a fairly comfortable retirement at a 3% withdrawal rate for $70k annual expenses to last you the next 50 years at minimum.

Job Security

Because of how important trucking is to the function of the economy, there is always a demand for truckers. Thanks to this job security, truckers have the option to pick and choose between different positions for the best benefits and best compensation. On that same note, job hopping is also a good strategy to raise your income — even while employed, it’s worthwhile to keep your ear to the ground for better opportunities.

The final benefit of job security is for those who are uncertain of their retirement income stream. If there are concerns that the markets are down and not generating the promised return on investment, it’s fairly easy to find work as a trucker, especially when you’re experienced.

Conclusion

Trucking may not be a glamorous profession but it’s practical and it gets the job done. With their relatively high salary and a headstart on their career, truckers are at an advantage for early retirement. The only thing holding them back from this realization is an unfortunate lack of financial understanding. 

If you would like to learn more about achieving FIRE (financial independence, retire early), our article on FIRE essentials will serve as an excellent foundational guide. And of course, working hard to retire early is only half the problem. What do you plan to do in retirement and how will you lead a fulfilling post-retirement lifestyle? Check out this article and come explore this topic with us.

Retiring early is a marathon, not a sprint. Stay steady and keep saving! Good luck, we believe in you!

The post How to Retire Early as a Trucker appeared first on TheWeFIRE.

Retirement is one of the most complicated and important matters of personal finance that the average person must contend with. Not only does it demand long-term discipline in savings, those who want to retire also have to account for inflation, tax-shelters, social security, annuities, and a host of other things besides. 

As such, it’s no wonder then that the 4% rule is so popular. No need to think about these difficult details, one only needs to calculate their annual expenses, multiply that by 25 (the reciprocal of 0.04 or 4%), and they’ll have the total amount they need to fund 30 years of retirement. 

Example: Jim has $40k in annual expenses. To retire in his 60’s, he’ll need $1,000,000 ($40k X 25).

Many finance experts are suspicious of the simplicity of the 4% rule. Certainly it makes retirement planning much easier (just save until you hit your number!) but is it perhaps too simple? And lest we forget, the 4% rule was first established 30 years ago, does this rule still apply today in a post-pandemic economy?

Origins of the 4% Rule

The 4% rule was first proposed by one William Bengen in his seminal 1994 study Determining Withdrawal Using Historical Data. Financial advisors of the time applied average returns and average inflation rates when making their recommendations. Since the stock market returned an average of 10% annually with an average inflation of 3%, surely this meant retirees can safely withdraw 6% from their portfolios every year, given a 50/50 stock-bond split?

Bengen wasn’t so sure. Rather than using averages, he backtested different withdrawal rates according to various periods of the US stock market history. Bengen wanted to know – if you retired at the worst possible time in history with both the worst returns and worst inflation rates, how much can you safely withdraw every year?

As it turns out: 4%. 

Assuming somewhere between a 75/25 and 50/50 stock-bond split and 30 years spent in retirement, you’re safe to withdraw 4% on the first year of retirement and up your withdrawals by inflation in every subsequent year.

Criticism of Bengen’s Study

Since the paper’s release, many criticisms have been levied against the 4% rule and Bengen’s methodology. These complaints can largely be summed up as.

Too conservative

• Far too Pessimistic – The 4% rule is intended to account for the worst case scenario of the stock market’s history in combination with terrible inflation rates. The odds of retiring precisely at the worst time is, historically speaking, really really low. Going into your retirement expecting the absolute worst will lead to you leaving potentially over a million dollars of your hard-earned savings on the table.
• Lots of Leftover Money – In Bengen’s study, 96% of people pass away with the same amount of money in their portfolio as when they first retired. This means the vast majority of retirees could have spent far more money in their retirement than they actually did. With a more flexible spending plan and effective guardrails in place, retirees would be much better positioned to make the most of their golden years without putting their retirement in jeopardy.
• No Other Income Stream – Although social security alone is not enough to fund your retirement, it’s still a significant boost to your monthly income that you need to account for. That’s not even to mention pensions, annuity contracts, and potential rental income from real estate.

Want to learn more about building multiple streams of income? Check out our articles, Side Hustles to Accelerate Your FIRE Journey and How to Retire Early on a Low Income.

Too generous

• The US Stock Market Performance is Unsustainable – There’s an argument to be made that the US stock market performance is the result of luck and survivorship bias. Several historical events, from the Cuban Missile Crisis to WWII, would have capsized the US market but did not by dint of good fortune. In a 2022 paper, university finance professors write that a broad sample of developed economies like the UK, EU, Japan alongside the US make for a much better metric than just the US market. With their reassessment, the paper argues that the safe withdrawal rate should be revised to 3.02%-2.5%.
• Historical Sample Size is too Small – Bengen back tested every era of US stock market history, but as it’s not a very long history, this really only means 4 separate time periods of retirement with a lot of overlap. Under this new light, we can see how the 4% rule may not be as universal as we thought.
• Lower Bond Yields – Today the 10 year US Treasury bond yield sits at a modest 3.96%, as opposed to the 5.2% of Bengan’s day. According to the Financial Samurai, that lowers the safe withdrawal rate to about 3%.
• Longer Life Expectancy – The global life expectancy has been on an upward trend since the industrial revolution. For the purposes of retirement planning, this can mean an entire unforeseen decade you may need to account for. This is especially prescient to those of us who seek to retire early, whether that be 50’s or even younger. The 30 guaranteed years of the 4% rule no longer look to be enough.

Before closing out this section, it should be noted that Bengen himself recently came out against the 4% rule. The now-retired financial planner reassessed his calculations and came to the conclusion that the 4% rule is too conservative and in fact should be revised upward to 4.7%. 

Alternatives to the 4% Rule

There are elements from both schools of thought that are useful to those of us pursuing FIRE. 

The 3% Rule

Among Bengen’s various detractors, the 3% rule is a much favored alternative. Rather than withdraw 4% of your nest egg every year, you withdraw 3%. Given this adjustment, you’ll need to save 33X your annual expense rather than 25X.

Nest egg you need for $40k retirement income at 4% rule –> $1,000,000

Nest egg you need for $40k retirement income at 3% rule –> $1,320,000

As Bengen’s own study found, the 3% rule lasts at least 20 years longer than what the 4% rule promised. It will likely last even longer, if his musings are anything to go by.

We can also compare Bengen’s conclusions with those of Early Retirement Now, in a blog article published in 2016. This study compares different stock/bond splits in portfolio allocation:

Source: Early Retirement Now

So that’s it? Instead of withdrawing 4% of your investment every year, you withdraw 3% and all your problems are solved? Well, not quite.

Adopting the 3% rule alone doesn’t address the matter of market fluctuation and the unexpected expenses of life. 50 years may be a lot longer than 30, but is it really enough for someone who aspires to retire in their 40’s or even 30’s? Not to mention, retiring when you’re still young and active means a lot more potential fluctuation in spending, for example downpayment on a new house, or a big ski trip to the Swiss Alps. If you want to make the most of your retirement savings, you’ll want to combine the 3% rule with… 

Flexible Spending – The Guardrail Method

Flexible spending is exactly what it sounds like. When the stock market is performing well, you can up your withdrawals to 5% or even 6% and take that big trip. When the stock market is struggling, you can cut back on your spending and withdraw only 2% for the year to make up the difference with your cash fund.

In addition to being flexible with your expenses, you can incorporate guardrails to guide your long-term spending. The idea is if your total nest egg has dramatically grown or decreased as a result of market movements, you would recalculate your annual withdrawal amount.

For example, if you had a total nest egg of $1 million invested in the S&P 500 and you retired at 50 in 1990, using real world numbers your retirement would look something like…

4% Rule (without guardrails)

Pros: The 4% rule is safe for most market conditions and allows for a mostly hands-off approach to retirement. It also offers consistent withdrawal amounts for more effective long-term planning.

Cons: The 4% rule is very rigid, it’s likely to leave traditional retirees with a lot of money they never get to spend, and early retirees more vulnerable to long term bear markets.

Read more on: Best Withdrawal Strategies for Early Retirement

4% Rule (with guardrails)

Rather than beginning with 4% and adjusting for inflation every year, we will set different withdrawal rates according to our total nest egg.

<$950k: 3% withdrawals 

$950k-1.5M: 4% withdrawals

$1.5M-2M: 5% withdrawals

$2M-3M: 6% withdrawals

$3M-4M: 7% withdrawals

$5M-6M: 8% withdrawals

This is an approximation for what someone might do to make their spending more flexible. In a real retirement, this model would better serve as a guideline than it would as a strict rule.

Pros: Guardrail Method makes better use of your investments and hedges your portfolio in case of poor stock market performance. 

Cons: This method comes with a significant degree of volatility in your post-retirement income. You also need to be more hands-on in your money management to make it work.

Some Thoughts on the 4% Rule and the Guardrail Method

In a well-performing stock market (as was the case from 1990 to 2023), the 4% rule leaves the aged retiree a jaw-dropping amount of money they have no time left to spend. However, in a less than ideal market, the 4% rule may leave the same 50-year-old retiree without funds by their 80th birthday.

Will you be fulfilled after an early retirement? Read our article: How can I be happy in early retirement?

In this, we can clearly see how the Guardrail Method is superior. The example above demonstrates how a retiree can withdraw more money from their nest egg while still growing the principal, and manage a period of poor stock market return at the same time. 

The main downside of the Guardrail Method is the abrupt drop in retirement income when the stock market slows. Going by the chart above, you would have been withdrawing six figures from your portfolio for half a decade before suddenly having to cut your income in half when the 2008 recession hit. 

While a dramatic difference, this volatility can still be managed. Save enough to fund a full year’s expenses when times are good and be wary of lifestyle inflation. With proper planning and foresight, bear markets are nothing to fear. And remember, the stock market is not the only factor at play when you’re in retirement…

Other Factors In Retirement

One of the common criticisms levied against the 4% rule is the fact that it oversimplifies the various fees and additional incomes that arise. For the sake of simplicity, we’ve also left these considerations aside for the earlier calculations. Let’s address them now.

Tax

Just as regular income is taxed, investment income is also taxed. Getting your income taxed twice in this manner is not ideal as it eats into your compounding and makes saving for retirement and managing retirement withdrawals much more difficult than what’s shown above.

To mitigate this, many people turn to retirement tax shelters. There are many different types of tax shelters but for now we will look at the four most common ones.

Beware: as these tax shelters are geared towards traditional retirement, you will be penalized for making early withdrawals (before age 59 1/2). There are some exceptions to these rules, if you’re withdrawing money for medical expenses, first time home purchases, educational expenses, etc. Additionally, there are penalties for not withdrawing the Required Minimum Distribution by age 72. The RMD penalty applies to traditional 401(k) and IRA, but not Roth IRA. After 2024, it will also no longer apply to Roth 401(k).

To learn more about this topic, check out our articles on How to Withdraw Money from Roth IRA Without Penalty, How to Take Money Out of 401(k) Early Without Penalty, How to Retire Early with No Penalty and Tax Strategies on FIRE.

Investment Fees

There’s a wealth of different stock investment options, from mutual funds where many investors pool together their resources for a single professional to manage, to ETFs that more specifically targets a sector for investing. You can even get adventurous and pick your own stocks.

In terms of keeping investment costs down, monthly contributions to a broad-based index fund is the way to go. Mutual funds charge significant management fees while stock picking means paying transaction fees for every purchase and sale. Something like the S&P 500 is comparatively cost-effective, with rock-bottom management fees and little to no transaction fees due to minimal turnover.

Bonds

Today’s bonds aren’t attractive investment options. US Treasury Bonds over 10 years is 3.91%, or barely covering inflation. It’s not competitive with high yield savings accounts, some of which offer as much as 5%. At more lucrative (and more risky) rates, the current economy offers a 13.69% yield for CCC bonds at 21% rate of default. Compared to that, the stock market would be preferable with its higher returns and lower risk of default.

The main use of bonds would not be to build wealth. In fact it’s barely able to retain wealth. What it can offer is stability, specifically for if you’ve hit your 80’s or even 90’s and now seek to keep your nest egg somewhere safe and stable. 

Social Security

Social security is calculated according to how much money you made in your working career, when you decide to begin taking out your social security, and what the general economy looks like at the time of your retirement.

Social security alone is not enough to fund a retirement, but it’s not an insignificant contribution to your own savings. Social security additions can help smooth out the Guardrail Method and factoring it in can let you retire with a smaller retirement fund than previously thought. As a rule of thumb, the sooner you start taking out social security, the higher your safe withdraw ceiling, the later you start taking out social security, the higher your safe withdraw floor.

It’s a good idea to get an estimate of the amount you’ll get in social security so you can better plan your retirement.

Annuities

This is a type of financial product where you pay a company a large sum of money in exchange for future fixed monthly payments. Exactly how much you get for the amount you pay is dependent on an entire web of factors. How old are you currently? Do you want fixed payments for life or just a certain number of years? Do you want to leave guaranteed inheritance? What’s your gender? What’s your medical history? 

Ideally you’ll want to shop around and see what your options are. Annuities can be monstrously complicated so we recommend not buying one unless you know the ins and outs of your contract.

For a ballpark of how much you’ll get as a man – for a $500k annuity, we’re looking at $3,049/month at 60, $3,303/month at 65, $3,652/month at 70, and capping out at $4,080/month at 75.

Depending on your unique situation, an annuity might be a more preferable retirement tool than bonds.

Real Estate

Practically speaking, the best thing about owning a home is the safety and security of having a comfortable low-cost place to live in your golden years. Real estate can also make for great income streams, if you happen to have multiple properties that you can rent out.

Life Expectancy

Along with rising life expectancy comes rising health care costs. Going by our earlier charts, it may be tempting to reduce your retirement savings goal to $700k or even $500k. It’s important to remember that not only are extended bear markets still very possible, your health care costs can go up dramatically at the tail end of your life.

It’s better to assume that you’ll live longer than you do rather than the other way around.

Conclusion

As we hope this article has made abundantly clear, the 4% rule is a hilariously simple guideline for an incredibly complex matter. However, this doesn’t mean the 4% rule isn’t helpful. Having an easy clear guideline for what is generally safe can be invaluable for retirement planning.

Is the 4% rule obsolete? 

For our money, no. But on its own the 4% rule is not enough to capture the full picture of retirement. We have gone over many details and facets of retirement in this fairly long article and still have not covered them all. What of pensions? What of sharing retirement with a spouse? 

Even so, we hope that just like the 4% rule, our simplified overview of what retirement might look like is helpful to you. What matters is not following the rules and guidelines to the letter, but leveraging them to best suit your own circumstance and your own life. When you start working toward a meaningful goal, the result is always far better than setting off with no goal at all.

Best of luck to you and your retirement!

Did you find this article helpful? Check out our other articles for more tips to accelerate your journey to Financial Independence! 

Early Retirement: How to Mitigate Sequence of Returns Risk

Best Withdrawal Strategies for Early Retirement

Reviewing Atomic Habits – How Can We Build A FIRE Lifestyle?

How to Plan for Early Retirement: A Step-by-Step Guide

The post Is the 4% Rule Obsolete? appeared first on TheWeFIRE.

Photo by Xavier Mouton Photographie/Unsplash

“Becoming a single mother means your life is over,” so the narrative goes. “You’re stuck alone and miserable, forced to shoulder the burden of making money and raising your child all alone.“

Here at WeFIRE, we strongly disagree with this narrative.

Yes, supporting your child on a single income is difficult. And yes, being a single mother (or single father) requires hard work and sacrifice, but with careful planning it can also be full of joy and opportunity. Single motherhood does not mean you need to surrender your dreams.

In this article, we will discuss the ins and outs of financial independence for single mothers. The core path to financial independence is the same for single mothers as it is for anyone else – spend less than you earn and invest the difference. Achieving this may seem daunting when you’re responsible for children but with sufficient determination and planning, you’ll find that financial independence is in fact very possible!

Adopting a New Mindset

The stigma of single motherhood holds countless single parents back from going after their dreams. The reality is, financial independence can still be achieved by single parents if they…

• Seek help – As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child. You don’t need to spend all your time with your child to be a good parent. There’s nothing wrong with asking friends and family to watch your child for a couple hours each week so you have time for yourself. If those options aren’t convenient, you can also hire a babysitter. There are always options.
• Take time for yourself – You may be a single parent, but your life doesn’t have to be constant work and child rearing. Make sure to take the time you need for yourself and make space in your life for your hobbies. Seeing you overworked and tired all the time is not good for your child either. It’s always better to be happy.
• Take financial control – As a single parent, there’s no need to compromise your plans for the future and your vision for financial independence. You have full control over your money and your spending and all your assets belong to you and your child upon inheritance. If you do pursue FIRE in earnest, you won’t need to save as much to achieve because you only have your own retirement to worry about.
• Teach your child good money habits – Children don’t need to be kept ignorant of money, in fact, as long as all their needs are provided for, it’s good to teach them how best to save, spend, and invest money. Once your child is made aware, they will understand, and keeping your expenses within budget becomes a much easier task.
• You’re a single parent for a reason – No matter the circumstance that led to your single parenthood, being a single parent is a decision you made and a challenge you chose to take on. To be a single parent is a blessing, not a curse. You owe it both to yourself and your child to live a fulfilling life so you can provide them with the best possible future.

What matters is changing your mindset, so you’re thinking of ways you can grow and develop instead of ways you’re restricted. After all, only you can say where your limits lie.

The Actual Steps

To achieve financial independence, there are steps virtually everyone would benefit from following. Although they are laid out in an order of priority, you should ideally be doing all of them at the same time, at least until the first few steps have been completed.

Step 1) Pay off Non-Mortgage Debt

Put simply, there are 5 main categories of debt that face the American public, they range from bad, to neutral, to good.

Bad:

• Consumer Debt – Technically “consumer debt” refers to any debt you take on in order to purchase a good, but for our purposes, when we say “consumer debt” we really mean “credit card debt” and “payday loans.” These are your high-interest debt that should be avoided as much as possible and paid off as soon as possible. 
• Car Debt – Car loans don’t have nearly as high of an interest rate as consumer debt, but overly expensive car loans are generally a waste. New cars drop dramatically in value the moment they’re driven off the lot so there’s no much benefit to going into debt for your car. With some diligent saving, you’ll be able to purchase a perfectly good second hand vehicle entirely with cash.

Neutral:

• Student Debt – Depending on the amount you owe, the interest rate and if you’re currently investing in stocks, you might want to hold off paying back your student loans. We go into more detail about student loans, and debt repayment more generally, in this article but suffice it to say, if your student loan interest rate is 5.5% and the stock market has an average return on investment of 10%, it makes sense to prioritize investing in the stock market.

Good:

• Housing Debt – Mortgages are the largest debt the average person will take on but in many ways it’s also the most necessary. A house is a place you can live, and very affordable too, after you’ve paid off your mortgage. You can also sell your house in the future for a big profit, or rent it out for a monthly income. Although there are many benefits to taking on a mortgage, mortgage is still debt which means there are risks to keep in mind. Housing debt will cost you in interest, drain your income as you pay if off, and it’s not a guarantee that you’ll sell it for a higher price than you purchased it.
• Business Debt – Not every person will go into debt for starting a business but while the risk is high, so is the reward. Many entrepreneurs also opt to save their money to start a business rather than go into debt. As this category is less common, we will for now leave it aside.

Step 2) Emergency fund

Having an emergency fund in place can go a long way to easing your financial burdens and mental burdens. An emergency fund will cover unexpected expenses like car breakdowns or your child’s sudden peanut allergy forcing you to take time off work.

How much do you need in your emergency fund?

Ideally, you want to track your expenses for one month, and then multiply that number by 6. This will give you roughly the amount you need to sustain yourself and your child for half a year. This amount can be revised upward or downward, depending on how secure your job is and how risky your investments are. If your job is very secure with steady pay and you can afford to keep a smaller emergency fund (say 3 months), if your job is less secure with less expected pay then perhaps more (say 1 year).

It takes a bit of work, but you can track your expenses on a notebook, or through excel. If you’d prefer a faster, more efficient method, WeFIRE is currently running a limited time offer. Download the WeFIRE app and come try out our secure account tracking features and the AI Copilot for 1 month for free by clicking on this link. 

The best place to keep your cash.

While your emergency fund can be kept in a checking or savings account, we strongly recommend opening a new high yield savings account with a new bank and keeping your emergency funds there. The reason for this is because having money in a different bank makes it more difficult to spend and therefore easier to save.
Today HYSAs offer competitive rates as high as 4.5% in annual interest. As long as the institution you bank with is FDIC-insured, you can rest assured that your money will be safe.

Step 3) Increase Income

Making a living for yourself and your child while being a full-time caretaker is difficult even with a good job. Whether the compromise is to work more hours and spend less time with your child or to work part time and earn less, single parenthood is rife with difficult decisions.

The path we advocate for is finding more flexible free-lance work and speaking to management about getting a pay raise. As the head of household, it is within your rights to advocate for yourself so you have the money to take care of yourself and raise your child.

On the subject of suitable side-hustles, you can consider…

• Uber/Lyft – If you have a car, signing up as a driver for a ride-sharing app is always a viable side-hustle. On average, uber drivers earn $18.75/hr and lyft drivers earn $22.12/hr. Although these numbers don’t take the cost of gas or car maintenance into account, these are still respectable wages, and you stand to make even more during busier hours like the afternoon rush.
• Instacart – A grocery delivery service where you are paid per delivery. Generally, higher income and metropolitan areas pay better, so your mileage with this app may vary. Instacart is great for if you don’t like other people getting into your car and aren’t able to drive long distances.
• Doordash – An excellent option if you live in an area with a lot of restaurants. Unlike the two other options, delivery side-hustles, doordash doesn’t require you to drive a vehicle. If you live in an area that allows for it, you can get around on a cost-efficient moped and make a lot more per delivery. On average, Doordash pays anywhere from $15-25/hr depending on when you work.
• Babysit for other parents – Just as you need time to unwind, so too do other parents. As a parent yourself makes you a trustworthy candidate and you’ll likely know many fellow parents personally from picking up your child. Granted, this side-hustle is time sensitive, either when your child is very young and doesn’t mind unknown playmates in their home or when your child has grown older and left home. Otherwise it can be difficult to find the opportunity to babysit.
• Tutor – Online tutoring is easy to manage from home and allows for flexible scheduling, especially if you’re tutoring for children from other countries. For a list of viable online tutoring platforms, we suggest having a look at this article. Speaking with your fellow parents and offering your service is also an option.
• Dog-walker/pet-sitter – Being a dog walker or pet sitter can be a job you do alongside taking care of your child. As long as you teach your child to be careful around animals, walking dogs together is not just a way to make money, but also a bonding activity and opportunity to exercise with your child.

Although a long list, it is far from exhaustive. Read more about side-hustles.

Step 4) Tax Shelters

In order to help the average American reach retirement, there are many government-run tax shelters that offer a discount on the taxes you pay. The 4 most popular of such tax shelters are listed out below in a comparative table so you know how they match up.

Aside from 401(k), Roth 401(k), Traditional IRA, and Roth IRAs there are other ways to reduce taxes as well. The more common of these are…

• Health Savings Account (HSA) – HSAs exist to help you pay for healthcare but can also serve as an effective retirement savings tool. Contributions to the HSA are tax deductible and withdrawals from the HSA for healthcare are also tax free. The contributions rollover year on year, meaning you’re able to make up for past years. After 65, you can withdraw as much as you like and only be subject to income tax. Until then, all withdrawals from the HSA must go towards medical expenses (check out this article for more information), or else income tax and an additional 20% tax penalty will be incurred.
• 529 Plan – The purpose of 529s is to help parents pay for their child’s education. Contributions to the 529 Plan are tax deductible and withdrawals to pay for schooling are also tax-free ($10,000 can go towards elementary and high school expenses). Contribution limits are very high and differ by state, the lowest being $269,000 in North Dakota. 529 Plans have little impact on your child’s eligibility for FAFSA because they are considered the parents’ asset. Unspent money in the 529 can be rolled over to a different beneficiary or a Roth IRA.

Step 5) Invest

People who aim for financial independence use the 4% rule to determine whether they’ve reached their target. In theory if you stick to withdrawing only 4% of your stock portfolio every year, you’ll be guaranteed at least 30 years of withdrawals without running out of money. You can find the amount you need, aka your FIRE number, by multiplying your annual expenses by 25.

By maxing out your Roth IRA and 401(k) and taking advantage of other tools like the Health Savings Account and 529 Plan, you’ll be able to make the best use of your investment earnings without being subject to undue tax.

An unexpected boon

Although single parents earn less in income than dual income households, a single parent also spends less. As a single mother, your FIRE number is lower than that of a couple. With more control over your finances, you have more say in how much money you save and how much you spend.

Note: These aren’t all of the ways you can invest but the other options like cryptocurrency and foreign emerging markets have high risk and aren’t as suited to single parents so we decided not to cover them here.

Stocks

Since the creation of a tracking system for the US stock market, it’s been recorded that the US stocks has grown by an average of 10% every year. If we assume an inflation rate of 3%, that makes for a real annual return of 7%. As long as you invest in a broad-based index fund like S&P 500, you’ll be able to capture the stock market return at very low management fees.

Of course, the market is volatile and unpredictable in the short term. It can be up 15% one month, only to drop by a third in the next. Trying to time the market doesn’t work, which is why it’s better to ignore short term price increases or dips and focus instead on the very long term. Only then will the 10% average returns prove out.

Bonds

A bond is a contract between you and a company or the government, where you agree to lend them a certain amount of money and they agree to pay you back by a certain date plus an additional amount in interest. 

Bonds are graded according to how trustworthy the burrower is. If you’re lending money to the US Government (Treasury Bonds), you’re guaranteed to get your money back but the interest will be lower. If you’re lending money to a company that has a history of defaulting on bonds (junk bonds), the risk is much higher and so the interest will also be much higher. Exactly like how someone with a lower credit score have to pay high interest rates to borrow money

In today’s economy, bonds don’t offer very high interest rates. The 10-year US Treasury bond offers a yield of 3.78% which only barely covers inflation. Meanwhile CCC junk bonds have a yield of 13.38%, but come at the fairly high risk of losing your principal (initial amount you lent out).

At these rates, bonds do not make for an effective method to store wealth. A high yield savings account offers rates from 4.5-5% and because they are FDIC-insured, they’re almost as safe as US Treasury bonds. 

You may want to keep a certain amount of money in bonds for the purpose of diversification as you near retirement but at their current rates, they are not good for building wealth. Interest rates often change, if bond yields increase in the future, then we’ll reconsider.

Real Estate

Unlike stocks or bonds, real estate serves a purpose beyond growing wealth; shelter. People need places to live and well-situated locations are especially in demand. If chosen correctly, a real estate property can be a very good investment, both as a property you rent out, and as an asset you sell after its value increases.Before diving into the choppy waters of real estate investing, there are somethings to consider:

• Real estate is not a passive investment. Unlike monthly contributions to a broad-based index fund, real estate ownership requires finding a good property, bidding, maintaining the property and vetting renters if you intend to rent it out. Finding a good place to rent out requires a good eye for consumer demand. Although rent income is a great income stream, the process can be time consuming.
• The US housing market is currently in a bubble. Does this mean that buying a house now will definitely lead to a drop in value and cause you to lose money? Not necessarily, we wouldn’t dare try to predict when the bubble will burst (or if it even will, for that matter). The fact is, mortgage application is at its lowest since May 2023 and home prices are still far above what the average salary can afford.
• Houses take time to buy and sell, which means a big opportunity cost. As an illiquid asset, your money can be tied up in real estate for years and decades. During this period of time, you won’t be able to put it anywhere else, whether you spend it, in stocks, or in bonds.

Further Concerns

Aside from the topics covered above, there are some further concerns unique to single parents.

Child Support

In the case that your child’s other parent is still alive, they are obligated by law to make child support payments as the non-custodial parent. In most cases, this is 15%-25% of their gross income for one child, with the percentage increasing per additional child. With child support going towards raising your child, more of your own income can be put towards investing.

Insurance

As sole caretaker for your child(ren), having insurance in place can do a lot for their future and your peace of mind. Life insurance is a heavy consideration for anyone but it’s particularly weighty for single parents. To learn more about the ins and outs of life insurance, specifically for single parents, check out this article.

Claim Your Tax Benefits

As a single parent, you are eligible for an array of different tax benefits. Take advantage of these by making sure you…

• File as head of household – If you earn at least 50% of household income, you qualify as head of household. Compared to filing as “Single” or “Married Filing Separately”, you can claim a lower tax rate.
• Claim child tax credit – According to Turbo Tax, “A single mom making less than $200,000, can claim a $2,000 child tax credit for each child when using the Single or Head of Household filing status.”
• Deduct childcare expenses – Under certain circumstances, the cost of daycare is tax-deductible if you rely on it in order to work or look for work.

Conclusion

As much as the prospect of single parenthood is daunting, it’s also full of joy and opportunity. Just because you’ve become a single parent doesn’t mean your life is over. You can still take the time to do the things you want to do, plan for your own financially independent future and, who knows, maybe meet someone who will become the love of your life and help you raise your family together.

At the end of the day, the steps to financial independence are the same for single parents as they are for everyone else and the challenges are much the same. 

How can we make more money than we spend? 

How can we put that money to good use so it grows in the future? 

These are the questions that every person must face in their journey to financial independence, whether they’re married and child-free, or single with a high income. So what if your road is a little longer? It’s a good solid path all the same.

Did you find this article helpful? Check out our other articles for more tips to accelerate your journey to Financial Independence! 

How to Retire Early with No Money

Master FIRE Money Management: Your Blueprint for Early Retirement

How to Plan for Early Retirement: A Step-by-Step Guide

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