If you're new here, this blog will give you the tools to become financially independent in 5 years on a median salary. The wiki page gives a good summary of the principles of the strategy. The key to success is to run your personal finances much like a business, thinking about assets and inventory and focusing on efficiency and value for money. Not just any business but a business that's flexible, agile, and adaptable. Conversely most consumers run their personal finances like an inflexible money-losing anti-business always in danger of losing their jobs.
Here's almost a thousand online journals from people, who are following the ERE strategy tailored to their particular situation (age, children, location, education, goals, ...). Increasing their savings from the usual 5-15% of their income to tens of thousands of dollars each year or typically 40-80% of their income, many accumulate six-figure net-worths within a few years.
Since everybody's situation is different (age, education, location, children, goals, ...) I suggest only spending a brief moment on this blog, which can be thought of as my personal journal, before looking for the crowd's wisdom for your particular situation in the forum journals.
If you enjoy the blog, also consider the book which is much better organized and more complete. You can read the first chapter for free, listen to the preamble, or see the reviews (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S,T,U,V,W,Z). Subscribe to the blog via email or RSS. Get updates on the facebook page, join the forums, and look for tactics on the ERE wiki. Here's a list of all the ERE blog posts.
This, and various perturbations, is one of the most frequent Google search terms that hit this site. I think my very general answer would be that if you have to ask that question, then the answer is, “PROBABLY NOT!”
If you ask whether you can retire with $10 million, the answer is still no.
The problem is essentially scale-less. Asking the question implies that one has accumulated X dollars without any thought towards expenses and jobless income. I posit that if those things are considered, the answer would be obvious and the question would not have to be asked.
However, until one figures out one’s expenses and jobless income, the question can’t be answered.
So I can only give a very general answer (provided you don’t ask the question ).
Yes, it is possible to retire with $2 million. It is possible to retire with $1 million. It is also possible to retire with half a million or a quarter million. $50,000 is also solution. And so on. The more you know, the less you need.
Originally posted 2008-06-27 07:24:48.
