Do I have enough money to quit working?

Question

I am 56 and 1/2 years old and have 300,000 dollars in a 401k. Is there a way I can quit working and live off of it , and the interest or dividends from an investment until I can get Social Security at age 62?

Answer 1

You really haven't provided enough information to tell. What other assets do you have (if any)? What liabilities do you have? The critical info: What are your spending needs? Will Social Security alone be enough to meet your needs during retirement?

Even without all the data, I would generally say no you do not have enough money. Using $300K dollars and a 5% after-tax return, you would only be generating $15K of after tax income. You probably won't have any health insurance coverage which isn't cheap at your age. Can you live on less than $1K per month. Possible but you are living a Spartan lifestyle. Now you could dip into the principal but that assumes you can live solely off of Social Security. Not a good idea in my mind.

Answer 2

Sorry, I know you don't want to hear this but I don't think you have enough. One big issue is health insurance. You are not old enough for Medicare. So I assume you will need to buy private health insurance for yourself. This is generally a pretty expensive option. If you have a spouse who would be working and you could get coverage through them, it might be more doable. Also, what will your Social Security payments t 62 be? (You should get a statement every year before your birthday telling you approximately what they would be.) I believe the estimate they give you assumes you keep working and earning at about the same level you have been until 62. I think if you would stop making contributions now, at 62 you would get even less than the estimate you have been given. An when you take benefits at 62, they are less than if you wait until full retirement age and they are generally not that much to begin with. However, my main concern is your health insurance. It is just too risky to go without it, it is expensive to get it privately and not through an employer. Check that out before you make any decisions.

If you have some other investments it might be different. But you only mentioned the $300,000.

Answer 3

I'm at a similar place in my life, but I have much more saved.

The biggest problem in figuring this out is how long do you think you will live.

You have a problem drawing out of your 401k prior to age 59 1/2. You will get hit with an additional 10 percent tax above the taxes they will all ready be taking. Your taxes could reach 40 percent. There may be some special tax loopholes that you might qualify for.

Calculate your monthly expenses. Don't forget things like medical insurance, car insurance, and property tax. Remember every year you will need to adjust for inflation.

I think if you look at the numbers, the 300,000 will only last about 6 or 7 years. You really need to start looking at numbers between 700,000 and 1.2 million.

Sorry about that.

Answer 4

It depends how much money do you need each month from your $300,000 to cover your payment. One more thing, if you withdraw money from your 401k before 59 1/2 years old. You have to pay penalty, on top of income tax you need to pay. I believe the penalty is 10%. of what you withdraw. Most important is how much money do you need each month. Let say if you get 4% from your dividends, that is only about 12,000 a year. Some investment can fetch you more. Like some of the Cananda trust. Can get you as high as 15% or even more. They pay you monthly. If you put all your money into the trust, then you can get $30,000 to $40,000 a year(minus 15% withholding from Cananda goverment. But you can file IRS form 1116 to get those back as tax credit to offset your tax liability.)

Answer 5

Based only on the limited information you gave I would say no. I (that is me) could not live like I want to with only the money from social security and most of the 300,000 would be gone by 62.

Answer 6

Yes of course it's possible. Nothing is impossible - especially if you have 300K, which is no small sum. But all the other posters assume a "traditional" higher-maintenance American lifestyle.

You and everybody else here needs some perspective and stop being so... American. Because as an American with 300K, you are richer than 95% of all people in the whole entire world! So of course there's a way to retire on this planet. If 2.5 billion people can live on $2/day, I'm sure there's a way an American guy can do it on $10,20/day.

You just have to live in a lower cost area/country. At $300-600/month, cheap countries include: in Asia: Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, Vietnam, India, & Nepal; in Africa & the Middle East: Morocco, Egypt, & Jordan; in Europe: Turkey, Bulgaria, Hungary, & the Czech Republic; in the Americas: Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, & Venezuela. (From World's Cheapest Destinations). So many choices to choose from - because you're lucky to be rich with 300K.

If you do some internet research, you'll find that many Americans are living/retiring on beautiful islands in Thailand, India, etc. on the cheap. Heck, one of my friends even bought several acres of land for only 10K. You could live in a different country every year. Who knows, you might even find a place that feels like home.

If you go this route, not only can you experience living abroad & travelling, but you also don't have to touch your 300K. At 5%, 300K provides 15K/yr in interest, that comes to $1,200/mo. (This also depends on what kind of penalty you incur from withdrawing funds from your 401K, which I wouldn't know.) $1200 is double or triple what you need to live on in a cheap country. (But if you only live on $3-400/month, the penalty isn't going to affect you that much.)

So I'd seriously consider exploring the world beyond America. A beautiful island in Thailand, or chained to a 9 to 5 desk job for the next 6 years? A freer, healthier, more relaxed, peaceful lifestyle, or daily drudgery and grind? 24 hours of free time every day, or 8 hours of wage slavery plus an extra 1 or 2 to traffic? Happy doing things you like, or unhappy doing things you don't like? Bored on the beach, or bored at a desk? Your choice.

You'll need a bit of courage, though, because a lot of people will tell you you're crazy. But it's been done before with a lot less money than 300K. If other people can do it, I'm sure you can too.

If you really don't want to leave the US, the same principle would apply: you have to move to a cheaper area. Cut all expenses & costs as much as possible, to below 1K. Reduce rent, insurance, car/property taxes to zero if possible. Sell your house/car and buy a trailer if you have to. If it's too expensive, don't get health insurance until social security - just live a healthier, stress-free life.

Answer 7

At most, you will get $21,000/year, and that's dealing with less than high quality bonds. And taking money out of your 401k before 59 and a half will incur a penalty.

I'm skeptical that you can pull it off.

Answer 8

if you live alone...and like a hermit. say you need 20K to get by, you'd have over 15 years of living. but if ANYTHING happened to you medically or whatever, that money could evaporate pretty quickly.

Answer 9

only if u plan to live to be 61 and a half

Answer 10

that is not enough money. you should keep working.