[disparate_dan]

I know it’s way more than most people have, but $1.2M is not really FU money, at least in the US. It’s probably enough to take a gamble on, but it’s still not enough that you cannot be wiped out by bad luck or a significant health event while unemployed. And unless you are very young (and very lucky to have that much capital already) that $1.2M probably represents the gain from quite some years of work, and is critical as the basis for eventually gaining enough to actually be economically safe in retirement.

[medvezhenok]

There's virtually no amount of net worth that would save you from a plane crash or an auto accident either - I would say 1.2M is enough as FU money in 99% of cases. Whether it's enough for you depends on your risk tolerance.

[twelve40]

That's a huge blanket statement. Some people live under the bridge and to them even $1000 might be FU money. For the Bay Area, $1.2mil is enough for a family to scrape by if you have a house (on the way to getting paid off), otherwise that's not enough for a basic retirement and you are definitely on the hook to continue working, especially if you have (or plan to have) a family. If you say screw Bay Area and move to rural Montana, well, that's not 99% of cases.

[d3ckard]

You seem to misunderstand FU money. FU money it's not about "basic retirement" - it's about "I do not have to worry where my next meal is coming from for next X months/years". 1.2M$ can do a lot in that department.

[medvezhenok]

Yeah, FU money and FIRE are different concepts (although there are some overlap). The former is just about being able to quit a job whenever (with the expectation that you will find another one eventually)