I Retired at 39 With Less Than $1M – 10 Years Later, Here’s the Truth

Retired at 39, ten years ago now. No $2M, no pension, none of that. Just wanted to share what actually happened because a lot of what people assume about "the number" is just wrong, honestly.

I had about $700k when I retired. Not $1M, not $2M. And when I told people that number I could literally watch them doing math in their head, and it usually ended with them feeling bad for me. Took me a long time to figure out, that reaction was never really about my number. It was about theirs, some figure they picked up from an ad, some guru like Suzie Orman, or a calculator and never actually questioned.

Never made six figures in my life either. Best year was $75k. Wasn't married through that time, either...so single income, no kids. Married now, though. What actually worked was saving 70% of my income for 11 years, house included. But it wasn't willpower, not really. I made one decision (that freedom mattered more than spending right now) and just never had to re-decide it every day after that.

Ten years later, portfolio's sitting around $1.2-1.5M, we live on under $30k a year. We travel Southeast Asia 5 months out of the year, home in Indiana the rest. Low spending means low income, which means I actually qualify for expanded Medicaid. Not a loophole, just how the system is designed.

Withdrawal rate stayed the same through Covid, through inflation, through every scare. Around 2.5% or so. Honestly the market wasn't what got tested, I was.

Started a retirement/personal finance YouTube channel two years ago too, mostly for structure honestly, not the money (it's paid basically nothing lol). See post history, if you're curious. Didn't expect people telling me it helped them rethink their own plan, but that's been the best part.

Anyway, none of it came down to a magic number. Just what "enough" actually meant to me.

Happy to answer any questions.