Lean FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) is being able to retire before the conventional age of 60+, but significant sacrifices must be made in order to do so.
Unlike Fat FIRE, where you can truly live it up in retirement because you have so much more money producing a higher amount of passive income, Lean FIRE often requires one or more of the following:
* Living in a cramped studio, van, or trailer
* Deciding never to have kids
* Living in a very low cost area of the country which doesn’t have the same level of entertainment, culture, food, activities, and research centers as superstar cities
* Not being able to save up for the option of sending your kids to private grade school or college
* Pretending that you are retired to friends, family, and social media, while one partner is working a full-time job and/or you’re hustling your tail off to make supplemental income
There’s NOTHING wrong with Lean FIRE. Having a minimalist lifestyle while doing what you want is great. Fat FIRE and Lean FIRE are simply two ends of the early retirement spectrum.
How Much You Need To Lean FIRE
Based on my after-tax investment amounts by age, if you want to live the Lean FIRE lifestyle, you don’t need to accumulate as much as those looking to live the Fat FIRE lifestyle.
You’re probably looking to live in the heartland of America, the MidWest, or the South instead of in the expensive coastal cities like San Francisco, LA, Boston, NYC, or DC.
Below is a after-tax investment amounts by age chart to allow you to live the Lean FIRE lifestyle.
My recommendation is to work until about 45 in order to have at least $1,000,000 in after tax investments producing $40,000 a year in gross passive income.
Without any debt, $40,000 is enough to provide a simple, carefree life for a family of up to four in a low cost area of the country. Of course, the kids must go to public school and there aren’t going to be as many fancy international trips. But that’s OK because you have all the freedom in the world.
A good idea in Lean FIRE is to take up some part-time work to supplement your income. Anybody who isn’t disabled should be able to generate an extra $10,000 or more a year in side income working 10 hours a week. If you’re living a lean lifestyle, a 25% boost to your passive income is huge.
A Potential Lean FIRE Budget
If I were to Lean FIRE with my wife and son, I would base it on 200% of the Federal Poverty Limit for a household of three. That annual gross income number is $41,560.
Using a 3% safe withdrawal rate or 3% rate of return, I would therefore need a portfolio of $1,385,333 to Lean FIRE with my household.
I’ve thought long and hard about Lean FIRE, and it’s simply not for me. The budget above makes me a little angry and sad because I want more for my wife and son. That’s what happens when you become a parent. You want to give your children the world.
I’ve concluded that my family of three would need to earn at least 300% of FPL ($62,340) in early retirement to feel reasonably comfortable. At a 3% safe withdrawal rate, we’d, therefore, need a portfolio of at least $2,078,000.
Lean FIRE Is Great For Those Who Don’t Want Kids
Consider living in the gray areas if you want to Lean FIRE
It costs the average person roughly $250,000 to raise a child from 0 – 18. Add on $30,000 – $70,000 a year in college for four years, and kids really put a dent to the Lean FIRE person’s plans.
For those who plan to have kids, it’s best to accumulate at least 2X the amounts I’ve recommended in my chart above. Yes, it’s possible your kids will be brilliant and all get scholarships. But I wouldn’t count on it.
Worst case, you can always go back to work. But hopefully you won’t have to because you’ve got your budget down and you’re too busy living your best life.
Related post: Invest In Trends: Why I’m Investing In The Heartland Of America
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About the Author: Sam worked in investing banking at Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse for 13 years. He received his undergraduate degree in Economics from The College of William & Mary and got his MBA from UC Berkeley. In 2012, Sam was able to retire at the age of 34 largely due to his investments that now generate roughly $250,000 a year in passive income. He’s currently most interest in real estate crowdfunding to take advantage of lower valuations in the heartland of America. He spends time playing tennis, taking care of his family, and writing online to help others achieve financial freedom too.
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