Feb 20 • Finance Review - CoastFIRE
Budget Analysis #1: Is this person ready to Coast?
Every week I'm going to break down a real budget scenario and we'll talk through whether this person is in a position to make a move — or what's standing in their way.
Here's this week's situation:
The person: 33 years old. Left a high-earning corporate career ($115k/year) to pursue more meaningful work, now earning $65-80k depending on overtime and side income. Planning to retire around 60-62. Will have a pension and likely Social Security, though they're hesitant to count on either.
The numbers:
- Saved: $316k in brokerage and retirement accounts (mostly S&P500 and broad ETFs)
- Contributing: ~$1,100/month to retirement accounts
- Retirement income target: $75k/year
- Potential complication: wants kids in the next few years, which may reduce contributions considerably
The wrinkle: They ran their numbers through multiple Coast FIRE calculators and got completely opposite answers — some said they'd already made it, others said they had a long way to go. (This is actually a calculator assumption issue around how inflation is factored in, not a sign their math is wrong.)
My take: At 33 with $316k already saved and nearly 30 years of growth ahead, they're likely closer to Coast than the pessimistic calculators suggest. The pension and Social Security — even discounted heavily — reduce the pressure on their portfolio further. The bigger open question is what $75k/year actually looks like in retirement after inflation, and whether that number has been stress-tested.
Now over to you:
Do you think this person has hit Coast FIRE? And what would you want to know before making a call either way?
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Budget Analysis #1: Is this person ready to Coast?
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