Personal Finance

My family has a history of early death - should I resign from my job and enjoy the money I've saved?

Marc Guberti

Published: March 1, 2025 8:53 am

A 40-year-old Redditor has amassed an $18 million net worth and plans to retire in the next 12 months. He’s married with one kid and has a W2 household income of $500k. Most of his net worth is accessible in a taxable brokerage account, and this figure does not include his primary residence.

He shared the details in a Fat FIRE Reddit post and cited his family’s history of early deaths as a main reason for his upcoming retirement. Is now the time to resign and enjoy the money? I’ll share my thoughts, but it is always good to speak with a financial advisor if you can.

The Redditor Will Have No Issue Retiring

An $18 million net worth and $110k-$130k in annual expenses in an MCOL area gives the Redditor plenty of room to retire. The 40-year-old man also has a little more than $1 million sitting in a high-yield savings account. While you can earn a higher return from other investments, it makes sense for someone with $18 million who’s considering retirement to de-risk some of their money.

While the Redditor may be able to work for a few more years, he lost a close family member to cancer who was in their late 40s. Another family member in their 60s was recently diagnosed with dementia.

Improving Your Health Will Go a Long Way

The Redditor mentioned that he will commit more time and effort toward his health when he retires. He specifically mentioned having a better diet, exercising more often, and sleeping on a better schedule.

However, he hasn’t waited for retirement to improve his health. He’s been exercising, eating well, and getting about 8 hours of sleep each night. While retirement will give you more time to embrace a healthy lifestyle, you have to get started now. Prioritizing your health can help you live a longer life and make medical bills less expensive and frequent as you get older.

Building a New Social Circle

The Redditor provided a detailed analysis of what his retirement lifestyle will look like. While he is flexible, he highlighted many strengths while presenting one weakness. He isn’t sure what to do about building his social circle, as he still wants to interact with people during normal working hours.

One person in the comments suggested that his company may consider having him work a part-time role instead of leaving completely. This setup would allow the Redditor to interact with people while working a less intense schedule.

The Redditor can also find social groups based on his hobbies. He mentioned that he wants to learn musical instruments during retirement, and he may want to search for local groups in his area. He may be able to meet with a group once per week, and if he finds groups for other hobbies, he can end up interacting with people regularly.

The Redditor also has a young kid who can help with socializing. Kids make friends, and those friendships introduce each kid’s parents to each other. This dynamic can result in new friendships for the Redditor as his child makes friends.

Overall, the Redditor is in a great position and can retire at any time. Finding social groups can help him make new friends, and he will be able to spend more time with his family when he is ready to leave the workforce.