Curious to hear this group’s thoughts on FIRE (financial independence / retire early) goals and Big 4 partner expectations. Let’s say 1-2 years out from partner but only ~5 years out from being in a pretty robust FIRE position (regardless of promo). Is it the pressure/stress worth it in the short-term? Genuinely not sure what I will do when/if I get there but presumably firms have expectations on length of tenure.

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I am Deloitte partner and can FIRE whenever. I’m early 40s.

I do this because I love the challenge and I dealing with the most complex things we can see in the market.

Do I love every day? No. But do I have more than not, yes.

It also is FU money. If I don’t like what’s going on, I’m out of here.

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Was about to call bullshit on FU money as a DT partner, but see you got inheritance.

It’s good money. A very long shot from real FU money.

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Honestly, partner is great but you don't make great money until after 5 years, at least at my B4 firm. I would go the MD route if your goal is a handful of years then out. Hopefully the FIRE thing works for you - and that you don't have kids. The expenses of them growing up would kill most people's FIRE lifestyle. Best of luck to you!

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OP, also, there’s a question about whether your spouse will keep working when you’re PP. If so, your cash flow impact is significantly less if you can be covered under your spouses healthcare plan.

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Getting to partner is a significant career accomplishment and will open a lot of doors down the road (even those you don’t know about today).

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46 , $3M net worth. I'll likely be financially independent and scale back or up when I get to $4M. I have no desire to make Partner.

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SM. How does 4 million cash in bank get you to FIRE? Does that assume you still work for Daily Cash but don’t stress about saving?

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EY1 can I ask how much each of your homes are? I’m curious as to at what point it makes sense to buy a second home instead of upgrading primary to a better neighborhood

Big fan of the FI, not a huge fan of the RE. If you don’t like what you do, and you don’t think a partner role is a good fit, then spend the 5 years and retire. Most people will say that if you got this far then it’s worth going for. If you exit quickly, that’s fine too. We have young partners leave for industry roles and other reasons. They can and will replace you.

Most partners have enough to retire but don’t because they enjoy what they do. Maybe not everything that they do, but enough to keep doing the role. You can also think about FatFire with partner comp.

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This. So many partners just quit after 2-3 years

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Hmmm define your fire money needs as a pre partner consultant.

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It’s certainly a choice. I just don’t know what I’d spent more money on. We already think we live fairly luxuriously. If I kept working it would honestly be to help my extended family financially (nieces, close cousins, etc.). At a certain point I’d rather just have the time.

Why wouldn’t you get partner if you can?

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🥱

I don’t think there is a defined expectation, but you’d probably feel bad, especially if partners have been investing in your growth to replace them so they can sail off into retirement.

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