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$5,500,000 net worth (Age 52)
“Threshold Anxiety” - A dual-income IT couple (52M, 47F) with $5.5M NW (96th percentile based upon their age group): paid-off $1M primary home, $1M in investment property (cash flow $40K), $2.3M in 401k/brokerage, $550K in stocks, cash and college funds. After a layoff, the wife wonders if she can retire now, manage rentals, and not stress over finding a job but husband wants to keep working until their youngest finishes college. Their biggest fear? Living on a single income for the first time ever, health insurance, and whether $4.5M (excluding home) is “enough” for $15-20K/month living, including three big vacations per year.
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“I am worried as we both were always working and never lived on single income… will 4.5 mil (excluding primary) be enough to cover our expenses?”
TAKE-AWAY:
Even high earners in great shape still grapple with the leap from “saving mode” to “drawdown mode.” With $180K–$240K in annual spend, some commenters nudge: reduce expenses, be strategic about withdrawals, and remember a small lifestyle cut buys enormous safety, especially if the real threat isn’t money but scarcity mindset and the adjustment to post-career freedom.
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