[Char]

As you prepare for early retirement, financial security and stability are key considerations. What strategies do you plan to use or are already using to generate income during this phase of life?

Are you relying on investments, savings, rental properties, part-time work, pensions, or other streams?

We would love to hear your plans and insights! Please share what has influenced your choices, and any tips you might have for others who are also planning their early retirement journey.

[Andy]

Military retirement. 100k a year isn’t too bad.

[Kelli]

Hope to rent out my place in the US and live/travel abroad funded mostly through this rental income.

[Abigail]

Taxable brokerage + my novels (20k – 80k per year, highly variable, but they always make money for a decade+)

[Tony]

Pension
Brokerage until age 59 1/2
Tsp (no early penalty)
Rental property income

Later;
401k for wife
Wife pension
Soc sec x 2

[Erica]

Rental income on 2 properties
Drawdown on investment accounts
Social security

Maybe some barista fire income if I start getting itchy bored!

[Edward]

Rental income and / or rental sales. Gotta get rid of the assets to eventually “die with zero”.

[Inna]

Taxable brokerage, rent and husbands income since he plans to “work forever”

[Fabio]

A brokerage account, the sale of a business, and a pension that we will likely cash out.

[Paul]

Military retirement, VA, federal civilian retirement, SS, traditional IRA, Roth IRA, TSP (might transfer to IRAs).

[Josh]

Taxable brokerage and rentals. Maybe PT work if I’m bored.

[David]

Next month marks 1.5 years of being retired for me. So far my military pension/VA passive income is almost 2x my expenses with me splurging.

But I also have a healthy investment portfolio that I still contribute to and keeps growing. I have yet to have to touch the investment portfolio.

Currently with investments I can spend about $110K-$115K a year. This goes up as my pension & VA both are inflation-adjusted.

Eventually, when I figure out where I want to plant roots I know Ill want to increase my spending.

[Paul]

Retired ten years ago:
Deferred comp
Brokerage
401K

Wish I had tapped 401K more rather than the brokerage as those RMDs are gonna kill me.

[Otis]

401k withdrawal
Roth IRA withdrawal
Real estate
Social security

[Gabe]

Returns from my construction company if I can get it to mostly run itself (4 years left of 5 year plan). Also, single-family rental income.

I enjoy my work so I won’t fully retire for a while, but plan to make work optional in about 4 years.

[Erick]

Funds from the sale of primary residence, pension, and 401(k) withdrawals for the dozen or so years before social security.

[Andrea]

My husband’s salary, as I will be the only one early retired. Plus taxable brokerage account.

Maybe even a part time job, but one that I choose and adore, with minimal hours.

[Andrea]

Military pension and Roth IRA contributions if needed. Then brokerage as a bridge if needed prior to 59.5.

[Jessie]

Taxable brokerage, syndication distributions, commercial property rent (or sale if we decide to travel more or move from the area).

[Paul]

Sell stocks in my taxable brokerage account, then Roth contributions. Once those are depleted my Roth conversions should have reached the 5 year mark, so I’d pull those out.

If I’m tapped out of all that before 59.5, id do SEPP / 72t

Most of the time people ask this
question it’s because they think the money is inaccessible in an IRA or 401k until retirement.

Just contribute to your damn retirement accounts, they are NOT locked up until 59.5

[Author]

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