Years ago, I created a FIRE spreadsheet for myself and this community. Since then, I've tracked my income, investments, spending, and net worth regularly across various jobs, moves, and milestones. I'm now three months out from my wedding, at which point I imagine the way I track will change in method and complexity, so I'd like to take a moment to reflect on how far I've come:
and for fun, here's my YTD 2025 spreadsheet dashboard update.
| End of Year | Gross Income | Net Income | Expenses (OOP) | Contributions | Savings Rate | Net Worth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $42,925 | $29,253 | N/A | $20,940 | 71.58% | $34,187 |
| 2020 | $84,891 | $75,056 | $31,023 | $48,778 | 64.99% | $92,598 |
| 2021 | $117,331 | $108,908 | $23,780 | $80,130 | 73.58% | $194,591 |
| 2022 | $168,024 | $125,756 | $29,281 | $93,448 | 74.31% | $256,019 |
| 2023 | $159,832 | $120,698 | $35,532 | $84,356 | 69.89% | $410,771 |
| 2024 | $239,479 | $173,627 | $38,959 | $134,015 | 77.19% | $629,650 |
| 2025 YTD | $95,000 | $71,888 | $30,915 | $45,539 | 60.94% | $733,061 |
How'd I get here?
- I wouldn't be here without the luck and privilege of the country I was born into, my parents, my health, and this community. I come from a frugal, stable, middle-class home that valued education. I received significant merit scholarships and parental support and worked 3 part-time jobs to graduate college debt-free (+$10k NW at the time of graduation). I graduated before the pandemic occurred and stayed employed throughout.
- I found FIRE early and invested heavily. Since my first job, I've been maxing out every tax-advantaged account available to me, throwing any extra into my brokerage. I avoided significant lifestyle creep for 5 years, maintaining an average 70% savings rate my entire career, and today I find myself maxing my HSA, IRA, 401(k), ESPP, and MBDR, enabling me to set aside $79,800/yr before I even think about spending. I don't invest in crypto, options, or individual stocks; I just keep it simple with low-cost total stock market index funds.
- I left jobs when I felt comfortable (stagnant) and realized my value was higher elsewhere. My first job in 2019 paid $75K in supply chain consulting, and after 2 years of little to no raises/bonuses, I switched companies in 2022 for a senior consultant job making $135K with a $12K signing. After another few years of limited raises/bonuses, I jumped last year for a manager consulting role at my current company, where I was offered $190K base and $38K signing. I also made $24K off of referral bonuses last year, but that gravy train ended so I expect to make less this year.
- I have a partner who is on board. I rent an apartment with him in a MCOL city, and though we keep our finances separate, he lets me use his car (so I don't own one), we split rent, and I cover the rest of our joint expenses. His income will represent ~25% of our combined base salaries, we have a prenup, and he has some student loans that we'll be knocking out together. He's frugal, hardworking, trustworthy, reminds me to relax and take care of my mental and physical health, is an amazing cook, sees kids/travel/FIRE as priorities, and adds value to my life in ways that remind me true wealth isn't measured in dollars.
The biggest mental shift in this time has been my attitude towards spending. I used to feel a lot of guilt spending money on myself. I even differentiated necessary vs discretionary spending. I used to justify this by saying it was so that I'd know what I could cut if I lost my job, but really, I was trying to shame myself. I was overly frugal when I started, making my life smaller in the pursuit of a high savings rate. This year I have a personal trainer, house cleaner, and three international trips. I'm buying better groceries, higher quality clothing, saying yes to restaurants and adventures with friends... The marginal utility of increasing spending by a few thousand is way more than the marginal value of increasing saving. It took me a while to accept that.
So, what's next? For the first time in a long time, I don't know, which is strange and beautiful. In the short term, we want to have a fun wedding, enjoy our honeymoon in Japan, buy a new car, and pay off his student loans. In the medium term, we want to travel the world, have kids, and buy a house. In the long term, we want to retire early and perhaps start a financial literacy non-profit together.
Throughout that journey, I imagine my career and priorities will change. I might not save or track as much as I do now, and I'm grateful to my younger self for her discipline and ambition to give me that kind of flexibility. At this point, my SWR is $25k/yr. I could coast and hit my original FIRE number -- $2mm -- at 43. Or if I continue current savings rates, I'm projected to hit $2mm in 2031. Maybe that accelerates with his income, maybe that decelerates with our future kids.
To you guys, thanks for being a home for me to share successes and failures, spreadsheets and sankeys. I've been grateful to learn from and contribute to this community, and you'll probably see more of me in the daily as I learn to navigate joint finances, update our W-4s, change health insurance, etc. Until next time!
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