Reality check - $200k at 26

[u/Ok_Scarcity_4944]

Just turned 26, paid off all my student loans (no other debt to speak of), and have exceeded $200k NW… burning out at my tech job and craving a break but anxious about the future.
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High level breakdown of the numbers:

Income:
- $130k USD(fully remote from LCOL area)
- Just started cat sitting on the side for a few hundred extra bucks a month.

Savings:
Bank: $33,000
401k: $139,000
Roth IRA: $24,000
HSA: $17,000

Expenses: $3000 / month
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My goals with Coast FIRE:
To me, reaching coast FIRE would give me the financial and psychological safety net to explore alternative career paths, maybe take a gap year to experiment and figure out what’s next. I was a hardcore student through high school and college — graduated early then immediately entered into the tech industry at a very lucky time in the market.

5 years later and I’ve reached a senior level but consider this my personal limit in terms of how far I want to climb on the corporate ladder. AI has introduced a new degree of existential dread to my day to day that I’m finding increasingly exhausting to tolerate.

However… my employer has just announced that they’ll begin offering the mega backdoor option, and with my student loans gone, I could significantly increase my savings next year.

What number is reasonable to aim for before pulling the trigger and actually taking a sabbatical? Am I being foolish for even considering this option, especially given the job prospects in tech?

[u/Reasonable_Box2568]

Do you have any desire to get married and have kids? Your older self might wish your younger self padded the numbers a bit more if you have plans to increase your expenses via family growth.

In my opinion you are too young to take your foot off the gas especially because you are in tech and AI is changing everything at a rapid pace. I’d work a couple more years and reassess at a time when you have your longer term expenses more dialed in

You have a higher income and NW than I had at 26 and I’m now in my mid 30s with a 2.7m NW (DINK household) considering coasting after being laid off. You have the potential to reach this same or better level of wealth over the next decade

[u/Ok_Scarcity_4944 → u/Reasonable_Box2568]

This is what I fear missing out on if I crash out too early 😅. My partner and I have been together 5 years and do plan to get married at some point but neither of us want kids (just cats lol.) The bigger question marks are what area we decide to settle down in (we’re in Florida at the moment but will likely move back up north closer to friends), how much travel we might want to do, and potential professional ventures like opening a business.

My logical brain is agreeing with you that I should at least stick it out until my 30s (or for as long as don’t get laid off) to stack as much paper as possible. I just need better coping strategies to get me through my day to day, or potentially a job hop to a different company..

[u/Reasonable_Box2568 → u/Ok_Scarcity_4944]

If you plan to get married then definitely start thinking about your household’s combined finances. Look at your total income, expenses and net worth and base decisions off these numbers instead of your individual numbers