"I'm 3 Months Into Early Retirement. How Do I Make the Money Last?"

You've heard of FIRE, Financial Independence, Retire Early. And maybe your first reaction is: those people are a little extreme. But what if you stripped away the extreme version? What if early retirement just meant leaving the workforce in your late 50s, or stepping back a few years before 65… on your own terms? That's exactly what we're digging into in this special mailbag episode with the cohosts of the Catching Up To FI podcast. Together, Bill and Jackie answer your real questions, including: How do you plan for health insurance before Medicare kicks in? How much cash do you really need on hand when you retire early? I've been financially independent for three months. How do I reallocate my portfolio now that I'm in drawdown mode? How do you plan for FIRE when you're also caring for an aging parent? Chapters: 0:00 Cold open: budgeting health insurance before 65 1:36 Welcome to Her Money & what FIRE really means 2:35 Meet Bill: burned-out doctor turned early retiree 3:03 Meet Jackie: FI for Dummies author 3:31 Bill's "financially illiterate at 50" wake-up call 5:33 The best time to start FIRE (advice for late starters) 5:55 Jackie's story: breaking a cycle of poverty 8:26 Charlotte's Q1: health insurance before Medicare 11:23 Charlotte's Q2: building a buffer for the unexpected 15:14 Charlotte's Q3: FIRE while caring for aging parents 19:29 Jennifer's Q: reallocating your portfolio in drawdown 22:11 Do you actually need a financial advisor? 24:23 Coast FIRE for a couple in their 30s 26:48 The simple math behind Coast FIRE 29:03 Wrap-up & where to find Catching Up to FI Resources & Links: 📖 Ready to turn your savings into a paycheck that lasts a lifetime? Pre-order Jean's new book, The Forever Paycheck, out September 9th: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/805286/the-forever-paycheck-by-jean-chatzky/ 🧠 Join the HerMoney InvestingFixx Club: https://join.investingfixx.com/ 💬 Got a question for our next mailbag? Email us at mailbag@hermoney.com 🎧 L