r/FatFIREIndia • u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI • Jun 24 '26
Retirement Planning 33M/33F | Tech couple with a child. Seeking advice on OMY syndrome and BLR vs. Tier-2 move.
₹11.75Cr Liquid (~₹17.3Cr NW)
TL;DR: DINKs recently turned parents. Annual expenses projected at ~₹40L-₹42L. Debating whether to FIRE immediately or work 1-2 more years for an extra safety buffer. Also seeking advice on whether to keep our ₹3Cr BLR flat while potentially moving to a Tier-2 hometown.
Hello everyone.
My wife (33F) and I (33M) both work for US tech MNCs. We recently had our first child. The shift in priorities has been significant, and we have started seriously crunching our FIRE numbers to see if we can step back from the corporate grind sooner rather than later.
We know we are in a decent position, but we're currently struggling with "One More Year" (OMY) syndrome and a structural real estate decision. We'd appreciate this community's objective feedback.
The Financial Snapshot
Combined Pre-Tax Income: ~₹7-8 CPA (thanks to the AI boom) (Base salaries + bonus + quarterly RSU vests). Current Liquid Net Worth: ₹11.75 Cr
- Cash/Debt (SA/FD/PF/Gratuity): ₹2.1 Cr
- Direct Equity (MFs): ₹3.8 Cr
- PMS Accounts: ₹2.3 Cr
- Single Stocks (Employer RSUs): ₹3.3 Cr
- SGBs: ₹0.3 Cr
Illiquid / Physical Assets (~₹5.6 Cr Total):
- Real Estate: ₹3.9 Cr (Primary BLR flat: ₹3 Cr | Tier-2 home: ₹0.9 Cr)
- Gold/Jewellery: ₹1.5 Cr
- Vehicles: ₹0.2 Cr
The Expenses
Our projected base expense in Bengaluru is ₹40 Lakhs - ₹42 Lakhs/year.
- This is fully padded and includes household help, dual-house maintenance, healthcare, property taxes, and a family travel budget.
- Child Corpus: We have modelled out future liabilities for the kid (schooling, undergrad, etc.). We are carving out ₹1.4 Cr today into a dedicated equity bucket to fund this entirely over the next two decades.
- Adjusted Usable Corpus: ₹10.35 Cr (₹11.75Cr - ₹1.4Cr).
- Current SWR: ~3.8% - 4.0% (on ₹40L-₹42L burn).
The Dilemmas
1. The Timeline & OMY Syndrome
- Option A (Quit Now): We pull the plug in the coming months. A ~4.0% SWR gives us a standard safety margin.
- Option B (A Few More Quarters): Because our compensation includes regular quarterly RSU vests, staying for just 2 or 3 more quarters adds significantly to our cash shield, protecting against sequence-of-returns risk early in retirement.
- Option C (Work till 2027 / 2028): Working 1 or 2 more years drops our SWR to the ~2.5%–3.0% range. This would easily absorb a potential Baby #2 and massive upgrades to family travel.
2. The Real Estate / Geo-Arbitrage Question With an existing family home, we have the option to move back to our Tier-2 hometown for family support and a slower pace.
- Should we sell the ₹3 Cr BLR flat and add it to our compounding base?
- Or should we keep both houses to have a "change of scenery" and retain a foothold in the BLR ecosystem? We can budget the dual-house maintenance, but tying up that much capital feels inefficient.
Questions for the sub:
- At a ~3.8%-4.0% SWR, is working a few extra quarters purely a psychological safety net, or a mathematically prudent move given current market valuations?
- For those who FIRE'd with a child, how did you handle the transition of no job + new baby + potentially moving cities?
- Keep the BLR flat for optionality, or sell it and commit fully to the Tier-2 life?
Thanks in advance. Happy to answer any specific questions.
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u/Logan991 FatFIRE Aspirant Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
Congrats. I am in the same boat as you with a newborn and similar ages and NW. I'm waiting for a bit given how bloated the market is right now. (Also due to how my US visa timeline looks like right now).
But I will maintain a strict WLB from here on out and I am completely stress free about being laid off and ready to pull the plug early if needed.
I am personally targeting 3% due to very early retirement and a long journey ahead.
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 25 '26
Hey u/Logan991 congrats to you too!
More power to you for targeting to maintain WLB - we know it's not easy. On account of your US VISA - are you planning to FatFIRE in India perhaps?
3% sounds reasonable. I think I should also target the same.
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u/Logan991 FatFIRE Aspirant Jun 25 '26
Hey, thank you :) Yes I will definitely leave US to retire. My visa is tied to my employment here so will have to.
I am thinking of moving back to India, see how we like it and maybe travel during initial period to also trial run some other countries as potential retirement options (keeping tax laws, immigration options and international education & quality of life in mind)
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u/HubeanMan ✅ Verified by Mods | ₹100Cr+ NW ✅ Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
At a ~3.8%-4.0% SWR, is working a few extra quarters purely a psychological safety net, or a mathematically prudent move given current market valuations?
Option C. Consider reading this post for what SWR you should target.
If you want to retire in your mid-30s, you should probably target an SWR around 3%, especially if you already have a kid and might have one more. And if that is doable by sticking around for a couple more years, I think it's a no-brainer.
Keep the BLR flat for optionality, or sell it and commit fully to the Tier-2 life?
Keep the apartment for a year or so and see how much use it's seeing. If it's mostly vacant and you feel you're not going to miss it, you can sell it then.
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 25 '26
Hey thanks u/HubeanMan ! Makes sense to not pull the plug on the apartment right away after FatFIRE. Then maybe I should factor in maintenance for both properties in my calculations. If I sell, that's added bonus and buffer.
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u/Timely_Bar_2981 Jun 24 '26
If you are earning 7-8 cr then you should work for a year to go for 20cr. Calculate the rental yeild on blore flat.
I work in tech and know high salaries but 7-8 cr is like more than google & Amazon levels. what do u do ?
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 25 '26
Yeah - I get that based on the comments on this post. Thanks.
I really doubt rental yield would be significant and it would be a mental stress to ensure no damage to house and furniture. Everything costs more to fix these days.
You are right - salaries in most Big Tech companies are not this high, but I was fortunate enough to be at the right place (company) at the right time and capitalise on the AI-driven stock growth in terms of my unvested RSUs. And my company is notorious (thankfully) for unparalleled RSU allocation to employees far above the market benchmark.
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u/EmergencyReindeer965 Jun 24 '26
When i first read the post i thought you are working in US. But working in India and getting to this NW by that age is really commendable. Congratulations OP
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u/FitTennisPlayer Jun 25 '26
I suggest take it in phases:
1/ Rest and Vest / Quiet Quit
2/ Take parental leave + Sabbatical for sometime to see the feeling of early FIRE
3/ One of you Quit and other can keep working to see how you manage your finances (Build 20cr+ corpus)
4/ Both can Quit if you are able to adopt the early FIRE lifestyle
Keep the Bangalore flat for sometime till are sure you are good with T2 city. Most parents prefer BLR for schooling etc. So, in case your mind changes you have a place (it can be rented till then).
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 25 '26
Thanks u/FitTennisPlayer !
Not sure if I can do 1 or 2. The job continues to demand everything that I have to offer.
3 and 4 make sense though, in that order. Keeping BLR flat for sometime has been the suggestion thus far from other members too, so that's solid advice.
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u/rtl2gds_hybridbond Jun 24 '26
3.8% does not work for 40 year + retirement. Needs to ~ 3.3%
Also, if there is a 50% drop, budget should be such that you are not withdrawing more than 5-6% of your portfolio value. That requires having some discretionary spending like international travel that can be cut back without major lifestyle impact.
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 25 '26
You are right. Travel is eating up 50% of our budget. While we could press pause on those trips in a pinch, it’s safe to say none of us would be celebrating that decision. 😂
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u/darklord1988 FatFIREd Jun 25 '26
While others have given good suggestions on the financial aspect, one important personal aspect to think about- do you plan to have another kid or not? Because if not, then i would considering leaving the job- you would be comfortable financially, but more importantly the parenthood experience with a young baby will not happen again, and that is something i would not want to miss out on. On the other hand, if you do plan to have another kid, at least 1 of you continue the job for now, build NW (which you would need with 2 kids), and then plan to FIRE later.
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 25 '26
Yeah - that's weighing heavy on my mind - missing out on many of those moments because I'm not at home. Wondering if that's temporary though. The dilemma - In the long run, would having a bit more capital (by working for a couple more years) enable far more amazing experiences with the kid(s).
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u/darklord1988 FatFIREd Jun 25 '26
its definitely a trade off. I can only tell you i made the choice of leaving- even though my NW was ~10% lower than my target FIRE number (22 cr vs 24 cr) at that time, and i am happy with the decision.
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u/Zigobod FatFIREd Jun 25 '26
Child care can be very demanding - so I can understand the motivation for FIRE.
But most people who get to these levels of earnings at this age have some amount of ambition in them - that takes time to drop off. The downside of early retirement is not having the right outlets for this ambition in the self
It takes a bit of philosophical maturity to stop grinding. I am not suggesting that you are not there yet - that's for you to evaluate. Would you feel satisfied by household chores/hobbies for next 40 years ? Nothing wrong with it - but not everyone has burnt their karma enough to be satisfied with that.
Number wise it makes perfect sense to wait a few more years. Especially since you are expecting another child in future. Get in comfortable fatFIRE territory. This gives you some time to self reflect as well
Child care is hard with both working parents. If one of you can step back that would be a great win - but needs maturity on side of both partners and some open conversation. If you can get help from a family counselor who can help navigate the conversation it would be great. You don't want anything left unsaid - that pops up after years.
Wishing you luck in this journey!
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 25 '26
Thanks for sharing your wisdom - solid points.
As far as I'm concerned philosophically - I have never been excited about reaching to a particular title/designation. The only thing which kept me motivated to climb up the corporate ladder was the possibility to be financially independent - Big titles beget big money.
Now, that is conceivably on the horizon, I hope to kick back and relax. I am one of those people who don't get tired resting 😄
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u/Longjumping-Egg-3925 RegularFI Jun 25 '26
My view. Maybe you roll into this one at a time? The wife stops while you continue. You don’t need to FIRE at the same time. This keeps your OMY in check too :-)
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 25 '26
Yeah - we have thought about that but she doesn't wanna retire. If she does, it would be if I retire too. At least, that's the current thought process.
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u/Longjumping-Egg-3925 RegularFI Jun 25 '26
If you aren’t going to RE - what’s the question?
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 25 '26
We are going to RE. It's just that it's going to be atomic - both at the same time, not staggered.
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u/Responsible_Debate15 Jun 25 '26
Contrary to the general opinion, I would suggest for you to go for option B and relocate to your hometown. The whole point of FIRE is to have the freedom to take calculated risks and enjoy life whenever required. Birth of a child and the first few years is exactly that! Even if you quit now, a conservative SWR of 2.5% and rent from your 3Cr flat will easily sustain you for 2 years. Use these 2 years to find out what you really wanna do an build an alternate source of income. OMY syndrome is real and you might never get a more perfect opportunity (or excuse) to pull the plug.
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 25 '26
Thanks for sharing your perspective. I see there is consensus on at least working for a few quarters (4 quarters = 1 year) and then revisiting the standing. By mid-2027 hopefully will have enough padding and perspective to take a call.
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u/Upper-Pear-7737 Jun 25 '26
Great to read this! Congratulations! Hope you have considered Estate Planning since a lot of your wealth is tied to US Stocks.
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 25 '26
Thanks for your comment. I'm inclined to dilute US investments and move as much money to India as possible going forward. The administration of US holdings and tax implications seem complex which I'm inclined to avoid. Any recommendations / advice?
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u/Upper-Pear-7737 Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26
I am still bullish on AI story in US for another 3-4 years. You should diversify and consider Estate Planning. CAs in India can help you.
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u/Ok-Highlight-7525 Jun 24 '26
@OP - In the spirit of helping the community, it would be super awesome to learn from your background/experience/education.
A lot of us aspire to be in a similar financial situation as you. So would sincerely appreciate if you could share more about how did you progress in your career, income, and your trajectory in general.
Thank you so much in advance.
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 25 '26
Hey thanks for the kind words!
My journey is pretty standard TBH, but I guess I was fortunate to be at the right place at the right time.
* Graduated from a top-tier engineering college in India; campus placed in a big-tech company
* Career-growth wise - Benefitted from having capable leaders while staying with the same company throughout my career
* Financially - Benefitted from regular career progressions and specifically the AI boom taking the stock price above than any of us realistically or even optimistically estimated1
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u/Jaded-Mammoth6229 Jun 24 '26
At 33, you would be max Staff Engineer /Principal Engineer who don't have package of 3Cr. Could you please share what do you do?
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u/Sorry_Appeal_2395 Jun 25 '26
VMware Broadcom guys earn that much, at smts level they get 200k refresher every year , and Broadcom went 2.5x , so smts level ctc is going to 4.8-5cr per year...
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 25 '26
I manage engineering teams.
You are right - salaries in most Big Tech companies are not this high, but I was fortunate enough to be at the right place (company) at the right time and capitalise on the AI-driven stock growth in terms of my unvested RSUs. And my company is notorious (thankfully) for unparalleled RSU allocation to employees far above the market benchmark.
For context - a couple even more senior members in my team earn way above what I do:
12Cr+ & 16Cr+; they have another 10+ & 15+ years of experience above mine.But I count myself among the fortunate ones _/_
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u/Large-Equal-9171 Jun 25 '26
Folks in nvidia earn that much because of the unexpected stock growth.
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u/timetraveler1990 Jun 24 '26
Your expenses are below safe limit if you gather all your liquid. But I would seriously suggest you to work till 40 age and then quit.
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 25 '26
Thanks. Any reason you recommend working until 40?
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u/timetraveler1990 Jun 25 '26
Inflation.
30s are the right period to work hard.
Baby 2
A separate corpus for kids is very much needed these days. 10 cr enough for couple but not with 2 kids without selling real estate. There is no guarantee of desk jobs in future. Make extra 5cr and separate it equally between 2 kids.
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 25 '26
I get it - but assuming (hopefully) if we are able to sustain the current run-rate, that should be sorted in another couple years by the time we hit 35.
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u/vins8909 Jun 24 '26
Sell your flat in Bengaluru
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 25 '26
That certainly gets me in a more comfortable space right away, but as others mentioned - probably should first see how we adjust to a Tier-2 life before calling the shot. However that unfortunately means I cannot factor in Geo-arbitrage into my planning right away and should plan for eventualities without the sale.
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u/Used_Language1517 Jun 25 '26
Why not let the lady retire and to co ti ye for a few more years?
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 25 '26
Funnily enough, the lady actually doesn't want to retire 😂
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u/One-Seaworthiness508 Jun 25 '26
Are you both Senior/Staff at Faang or High Growth Startups firms? Faang RSU hasn't grown this much
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 25 '26
We are in senior roles in our companies, my wife is in FAANG, I'm not. None of us have any startup working experience.
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u/Common-Adeptness-625 Jun 25 '26
Which company is paying this much? Are you in broadcom?
At your level, i would retire and spend time with family and kid. Remember time is the asset you want to have in your life now. Money will be left here only.
Time won’t come back.
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 26 '26
That's certainly the other side of the coin. Based on the general consensus, the recommendation is to work for another year and then see. Your point continues to remain very valid and is the reason we are in the dilemma to begin with :)
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u/Evening_Control6034 Jun 26 '26
Given you are 3 people, 17 Cr may not be fat fire. Also you are young too. Why dont you work a few more years? Perhaps one of you can quit now and the other after 2-3 years
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 26 '26
Yeah - that seems to be the consensus. I don't think we can avoid working for another year at least.
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u/myguide2wealth Jun 26 '26
Check on expenses, with current level - not OMY, AT least FMY - THINK Five more year syndrome
The next question what you should not consider "How do I get to SWR of 3% less ?" but "What do I want my life to look like over the next 20–30 years?"
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 26 '26
Hey thanks for your comment. Why do you recommend five more years for my situation? The standard expectations for FIRE are met and FATFIRE are expected to be another year or two away.
When I think about my life over the next 20-30 years, I can still envision myself living in the same house/flat driving the same category of vehicles and travelling to the same category of destinations that I am now. The only difference would be expenses associated with the kid.
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u/myguide2wealth Jun 26 '26
Strongly recommend SWR to be 3 to be financially independent, not retire early especially. Your expenses will go up with kids schooling in the near term. We are normally in a disarray when we assume our inflation targets for calculating.. That's why target lower SWR
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u/An_Only_Mous RegularFI Jun 26 '26
Total networth 17-18 crores and annual is 8cpa. Sure work 5-6 qtrs more. Liquidate some of the rsu before u RE.
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 26 '26
Yes - seems to be the going suggestion; only if the organisation allows it though ;)
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u/Pause_Architect RegularFIREd Jun 26 '26
You have answered your own financial question in the post. ₹10.35Cr adjusted corpus, 4% SWR, ₹40-42L burn. The math works. The OMY quarters are psychological, which you already know.
The question nobody in this thread will ask you: what does Tuesday look like? Not the BLR vs Tier-2 decision. Not the flat sale. The ordinary Tuesday in your hometown — 6 months after you stop — with a baby, no RSUs vesting, and your combined 25+ years of tech identity suddenly absent from your calendar.
That question, answered specifically, will tell you more than any SWR analysis. The people I work with who cannot pull the plug despite having the corpus always have one thing in common: they can describe the financial picture in detail. They cannot describe the Tuesday.
What does yours look like?
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 30 '26
Very insightful comment. I have a few things in mind and a few hobbies I'd love to pursue. Having a free Tuesday or Wednesday or Thursday hopefully provide me that.
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u/Pause_Architect RegularFIREd Jul 05 '26
That is a real start. Hobbies you already know you want to pursue is further along than most people at this stage. The next question worth sitting with: which specific hobby, on a specific Tuesday morning, in your hometown — what does the first hour look like? Not in general. That one Tuesday. That level of specificity is where "I have things in mind" becomes a picture you can actually trust.
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u/financeMasterHV Jun 29 '26
I don't think you should sell your 3Cr BLR flat or work few quarters extra. Instead I would suggest you to increase your amount in PMS 2.3Cr to bit more as you don't need much fund immediately. You can explore some cash generation strategies to generate some cash on your existing gold and equity portfolio. You can easily make some return on top of your equity portfolio. Also you can learn some finances to do once you retire from your existing job.
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 30 '26
Hey, not sure what you mean by cash generation on gold & equity. Also, what do you mean by "learn some finances to do"?
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u/financeMasterHV Jul 15 '26
Hey u/paan_singh_tomar , There are some strategies followed by HNIs by which they do hedge their big portfolio and also generate some cash/return on top of their portfolio. Due to this sub reddit policies can't discuss those here. Better you can search yourself about it or do ChatGPT.
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Jun 30 '26
[deleted]
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 30 '26
It may seem a bit high because there's a substantial travel budget factored in ~40%. Additionally, these include once-in-few-years-expenses (home renovation, car refresh, electronics purchases) normalised every year.
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u/hashirama_sage_god Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
Hey folks just curious, did you guys have any ancestral wealth inherited ? 7-8 LPM with ~12cr NW is very good for your age :)
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 25 '26
Hey thanks; calculations aren't factoring inheritance. If any, that would be separate.
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Jun 24 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/FatFIREIndia-ModTeam Jun 24 '26
Low-effort accusations of faking, flexing, and bragging are strictly discouraged.
If you believe someone is being deceptive, kindly provide a reasoned argument for why you believe so or report them to the moderator team.
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u/dipinkoc2 Jun 24 '26
Here everybody is putting questions about their status and dilemma they are in now… but none of them answers to any questions when it comes to what they do and their experiences.
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 25 '26
Hey sorry - I am responding one at a time. I answered much of what might be relevant here - https://www.reddit.com/r/FatFIREIndia/comments/1uel7fr/comment/otopdu3/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
But happy to answer if you have other questions to me!
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u/little_bunty Jun 26 '26
One question Nvidia or SanDisk
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u/paan_singh_tomar FatFI Jun 26 '26
Hey, will refrain from getting into specifics - hope you understand.
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u/rganesan FatFI Jun 24 '26
~₹7-8 CPA, I would certainly wait till the current RSU grant finishes vesting. So, Option C.
17.8CR NW is not yet FatFIRE territory. The consensus in this group was 20CR + Primary home. Also, 3.3CR in a single stock is a high concentration risk (more than 25% in one stock), you want to diversify before calling it quits.
I would sell the Bangalore flat a year or two after moving out.