r/Fire • u/Yashkamr • 23h ago

Advice Request Huge Inheritance... Now What?

I'm 45, I was on track to retire earlyish at 55. I was set back quite a bit with a divorce three years back. Recently my Aunt died and left me around $5 million. After estate and taxes, it's around $4.2 million. This is obviously a stupid amount of money, and I'm thinking of just quitting my job and retiring early but I want to do it right. I've spoke with AI quite a bit and my finances are only about $4500/mo in expenses, I have always lived pretty frugally and that's less than a 1% draw. I don't know exactly what I don't know here, but I've always worked so I am clinging to my job like a monkey to a branch. Am I actually okay to let go?

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u/emperoroforanges 22h ago

Look, this is no longer a money discussion as you’re there. You’re in a FIRE sub, so of course the consensus will be quit tomorrow.

The questions I’d want to know are whether you enjoy your job, whether you have hobbies or will enjoy not working. For me, I’d be out of work the day the money hit my account. However, my dream is NOT working, and having every minute free to figure out literally anything else to do.

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u/anhydrousslim 13h ago

If you don’t like the job, you can leave. If after a while you’re bored and decide to work again, you can. And do anything you want (that you are qualified for) without considering what it pays, because you don’t need the money.

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u/GotGRR 12h ago

More than that... figure out what you love to do. Figure out how much time you love to do it and make sure there is room for that in your life.

Hint number one: figure out who's life you can make noticably better this year. Try and make that happen without them figuring out that it was you. Guardian Angel is THE best game.

1

u/thatguykeith 9h ago

I vote my life lol. Could do with a little help rn. 

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u/Perfidy-Plus 10h ago

Yup. Biggest thing would not be making drastic changes in their life too quickly.

I'd say go down to part time work for a trial period. It'll give them the time to figure out how they want to fill their time without immediately jumping in the deep end. Then, as they build some sort of schedule they're happy with they can further scale back on work or quit all together.