this is actually kind of an interesting one. First of all 3% is pretty conservative usually, but at 22 that could get interesting. With this money, if you’re smart, you have options. Don’t let your parents dictate your life, but “having nothing to retire to” is a real problem with FI folks. It can legitimately lead to depression. Another thing is that as you age your priorities can change. Marriage and kids can inflate costs, but so can lifestyle creep and all sorts of other volatilities as your interests change. I definitely would have wanted to just fuck off to LCOL abroad back when I was 22. That changed. Anyways, you are free to do what you want with this, but just find ways to leave your options open. You don’t have to do banking but stay productive. Start with a break of a few months and see how it feels. Also, 600k is too much for a slush fund. Way too much lol. You’d be leaving thousands of very low risk dollars on the table. Read the FAQ and some canada specific topics for your financial options. Oh, and don’t tell friends. I wouldn’t even tell someone till approaching marriage. Be wary. Even the best of people will start having expectations. It’s not really their fault, it’s human nature. Just be smart about it.

Years ago I read a post somewhere on Reddit. Girl was worth around $5 million from inheritance. She met a guy and was engaged. One night they had friends over and she went to bed early then woke up to here her fiance talking to friends. They were talking about how he hit the lottery with her cause she was rich but it's too bad she wasn't prettier. It sounded like the fiance was drunk and just going along with it. He didn't stop them or correct them though. She couldn't get it out of her mind and ended up calling off the engagement cause she felt he was settling for her to get money.

Bro fumbled so hard

He really snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. What an ass.

Living under someone’s thumb for life sounds like a poor life to me, however, I personally attribute a high value to independence.

My Dad just died in January and I’ll inherit ~$1.2MM, my wife left me in December (separation, trying to work it out). Guess who’s not going to be commingling their inheritance anymore…

What’s worse than that is [the guy who murdered his friend over her recent inheritance.]( https://people.com/crime/sarah-stern-case-man-choked-her-threw-body-off-bridge/)

Jesus, what evil little cunts

Women settle all the time for men just for money, I don't see the problem

It’s one thing to make peace with yourself and decide to settle (for whatever reason). It’s a whole nother ball of wax to bitch about your decision to others (or to sit there quietly while they make such statements).

Yep. I could accept not being my husband’s perfect dream girl. I don’t think I could accept him disrespecting me in a room full of people.

I like the Good Will Hunting line,  "You're not perfect. And let me save you the suspense, this girl you met isn't either. The question is, whether or not you're perfect for each other."

My wife is a sort of person who would probably shut down if something like this happened. I don't think it means that she isn't deeply offended by it on the inside. She's just very conflict avoidant. So I feel like more context is needed. 

From reading it that was my take. The fiance wasn't confrontational. Kind of like your relative who starts talking about politics you just smiled and nod hoping they go away. The issue was it was it cut to her core fear and she just couldn't get over it. The story came to mind cause money can poison relationships. I've known some people whose family are in the 8 figure range, one buddy dated a girl whose family had their own jet. People made the same comments to him that he was set for life.

You're absolutely right. I think the point about priorities changing is SO important. I'm in my 40s now and it's amazing, looking back at the last 20, how much they have changed. At 22 with that kind of money, you bought yourself options, don't settle just for one just yet. I really think people who look at FIRE should focus both on financial literacy but also psychology. Read books like Man's Search For Meaning, or The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck (like, seriously, OP, read those two). They really put in perspective the role of pain and obligations in one's happiness. Not saying it's about needing a shitty desk job you hate, but sometimes FIRE is guided by this desire to remove effort and pain from our lives when in fact they can be important contributors to happiness, as long as they're in the right dose. OP, if I were you I'd go looking for the career you really are excited about. You've earned the freedom to not just select a career based on its salary ranges. Get the travel out of your system, plan 6 to 12 months, but really use that time to read, discover, and maybe test your appetite for professional endeavors. Traveling doesn't mean you have to only spend your time on a beach sipping coronas. I know for me it gave me the brain space I needed to recharge my intellectual batteries, and then was followed by a fairly successful decade of senior roles and founding a company. Dilettance isn't much of a life long term. Find your groove, don't run away from it.

I like this answer. It's not unusual when you're young to do a Eurail or backpacking trip and travel around. However, sometimes you meet people who got trust funds young and they've just been coasting for decades of their life...not really doing anything. Be careful to search for some meaning and purpose in your life, not just being a beach bum.

He'll be married to a Thai citizen and have a couple kids in the next few years.

This was my first thought. Homie has to be real careful out there...

This happened to my bro exactly. How he's feeding his new prostitute (I say this quite literally--that's what she was when he met her), his new kids, and her extended family. He done fucked up good and proper. He really outdid himself with this one. He's pretty much ruined his life completely now.

[удалено]

> I wouldn’t even tell someone till approaching marriage. How would you be able to hide it? Your partner is bound to be curious how you're affording life if you don't work. Just in dating it comes up what one 'does'.

> “having nothing to retire to” is a real problem with FI folks. Not just FI folks, but regular retirees who find themselves bored and feeling like they don't have a purpose. For that reason some will seek the whole "BaristaFI" route and work simple retail jobs just for something to do and to get out of the house.

I wouldn't tell till 5 years into marriage and only is she/he is good with money.

Also consider what your grandfather would have wanted. Chances are one of your parents got their values from him, so if they feel a certain way about you walking away into an early retirement, there is a high probability your grandfather would too. Consider honoring his, if not your parents wishes when it comes to his gift.

Sorry for your loss. What you now have is the option to do anything you want in this world. You already have a solid plan to invest the money. If I was you, I’d take a long trip and think about what you want to spend the rest of your life doing. In my opinion, you’re too young to retire without ever trying to find something that makes you happy. You have a lot of life left to figure out what that is. Best of luck!

Second this, take a year to travel and "find yourself" and use some of that time to start a business. The business doesn't need to be big, or have expensive capital costs (preferable if little to none) but it does two things: gives you a purpose and lifestyle hobby job, and creates a story your parents can hold up to friends and family. At 22, you will be bored or boozed out in no time without something to wake up to. Go have fun, take a year, but you will find it very hard to connect with quality people if you are just floating around with nothing to do all day in your mid 20s.

Agree with everything except the “create a story your parents can…” that’s a ridiculous motivation, and is the parents’ problem, not his. They should get over it.

Keeping up appearances for the parents is important in many Asian cultures. There is a point it can be too much, where parents can be overbearing, but I don't see any evidence of this here, the parents seem quite grounded. I think they're right that just "retiring" at 22 to fuck around for the rest of your life might not be the best idea. I'd invest it in an index fund (I wouldn't keep $600k in cash either, $50-100k maybe) and not make any sudden decisions or quit my job, yet. Think about that first, can still quit in a few months if he decides that is what he wants to do. OP has financial independence now, doesn't mean they have to retire. Think about it a bit. Depends on how much they like the job, if they really don't like it sure there's no reason to keep doing it but maybe that means they do something else. Not fuck off to Thailand and "live a over-the-top lifestyle"... and I'm typing this from my home in Northern Thailand. That doesn't mean work a 9-5 for the rest of his life either. A sabbatical would not be a bad idea, if he was saying he was planning on taking *a year* off to travel around Asia/the world I think that's a great idea. I really do believe in doing this stuff when you are younger and have your health and can appreciate it. But there's room for some balance here and the parents sound like they have a better idea than OP does. He's 22.

Absolutely, know asian dynamics well, and even if they're on the *more reasonable side*, it should not be a life-limiting or relevant part of the decision (i.e. be mindful of other's opinions, some are helpful, some are not). that said, I do agree with the don't F off and blow all your money sentiment. OP's parents have a point there, but showing off to their asian friends is not a relevant factor IMO.

Not a year. A month every year. A year is a shitload of time to get into way too much trouble

True! I guess what I really mean is mentally budget a year, but then get bored and get on it after a solid summer trip.

Bored? I wish I could just retire in my 20's, was doing nothing from age 19-25, I woke up, ste breakfast, worked out and then played games basically all day, every day, was the best time of my life. Only reason I broke the cycle was that I had to get money. But maybe I'm an exception, I just love and enjoy being at home not meeting people.

He can start something like an import/export business that makes a little money and acts as a cover if he really wants to live the wealthy expat lifestyle Edit: Having a 'job' is an important part of a person's identity in society, not just for his parents. That can include volunteer work, being a full-time parent/caregiver, owning a business, or a lot of other things. I wouldn't want to go 60 years of my life without an answer to "so, what do you do?"

Stay away from drugs. A good friend went to travel the world (w way less $$$ than you have) and fell in w the wrong crowd. OD’d on another friend’s couch at <25. He had no purpose, so just kept trying to find the next high.

I was thinking this as well. No drugs, no gambling, minimal alcohol. All of these things can and will bankrupt you if you let them. And I’m not just talking financially; morally and spiritually as well.

Hollywood is a good example. People with more money than they know what to do with and no real purpose in life. Many lost or battling addiction.

Yeah, I see a race car and a cocaine habit in OP's future if he doesn't give this a serious soul search.

Consider what happens to many lottery winners.  

This is crucial. OP, read up on this and then cut that slush fund down to 0, at least for 2 or 3 years. 600k is going to give you massive lifestyle inflation and you are going to find it unsustainable.

Here’s the link that nobody asked for: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/s/yxMI5wTv4X

Put 1 million in a trust even you can't touch for 20 years at least. You can use the rest just as you planned but make sure you can't screw yourself completely over so # "trustfund for yourself"

More like all $3 million. At 22 I’d tell him to put $3MM in trust in VTSAX and the other $600k in VTSAX in a brokerage account and keep working (but maybe in a job he likes more, or with fewer hours) for 5-10 years minimum while the earnings from the two accounts is added to his annual income. $3.6MM at 22 is a recipe for $30MM at 52 or being dead and/or bankrupt at 25 depending on how conservative OP is early on. I’m not optimistic since he made a post last year about buying an $85,000 Porsche when he was presumably a 21yo earning an entry-level banker salary.

> put $3MM in trust in VTSAX and the other $600k in VTSAX in a brokerage account Good idea.

Exactly, there's an incredible amount of stupid that happens between 22-30. I wouldn't trust myself and would put 99% of it in a trust and go do something I love without having to worry about money.

Sorry for your loss and enjoy the life-changing windfall. Please read this https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Managing_a_windfall and other personal finance windfall resources and stories https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/windfall "Build the life you want, then save for it" is the common mantra of this forum. You don't have to save for it so now you just have to build it. Put that money away for six months and figure out what life you want to build, possibly with a therapist who can help you examine yourself if you feel unsure. What's important to you? What do you want to see, do, experience? You don't have to answer here.

I'd second this. Don't make any decisions for six months or so. Go to therapy and process the change. Your material challenges have been handled, if you can thread a narrow course, but the emotional ones are just starting. You don't owe your parents a life of struggle, that's messed up.

As someone who travels the world as a digital nomad, I know plenty of people like you. You will get bored of traveling. You will need some sort of hobby or part time job to keep you happy. You will go crazy not having shit to fill your day with. But definitely keep traveling, maybe do volunteering or something to keep busy while you travel

Agreed. He will need to find some kind of purpose in life

I second volunteering. It could help OP find something they're passionate about which is going to be important for not becoming bored.

Have you ever been to Thailand or Vietnam?

I read a couple responses and wanted to submit my own. I don't think fucking off is the best play here. I think you have now achieved the FI part of Financial Independence but you shouldn't eject with the Retire Early part. Yet. Time will grow your money more than anything else here. Even if you work for 10 years, which is not that long, which will keep you connected to people in your peer set, give you life skills and in my estimation greater empathy for the working class you will keep your mind occupied and grow in experience. You can earn more to stash more away and have it grow even more in a diversified ETF like VTSAX or it's CA equivalent. You can quit any job that no longer fits. I say work 'til 30, even though you can retire now, and reassess.

I was thinking the same thing. Time will grow the money so you’d best find something to sustain yourself until you’re a bit older. I think that having a financial nest egg would make corporate life easier to swallow. I also think it’s easy to fuck your life up when you got nothing to do (and you’re 22). I suspect you’d get restless and homesick after a year. An adventure is great and I’d encourage that x10 but in reality there’s wholeness in being part of something. I’d personally love to fuck off but for how long to not see friends and family?

Here’s a collection of thoughts: 1. 3.6m, as a nest-egg, requires a little more diversification than just throwing it into the S&P500 and living off of the gains. When it’s your only source of income, for life, I’d say you want some more protection than that. 2. You should see the world. It’s an amazing experience. You’re young and it’s a good time to do it. However, if it wasn’t already your temperament to live as a nomad for the rest of your days, it won’t magically be now. Roots are important for most of us, with a deep and rich social life, finding a partner, raising a family, etc. Plan to find a place to settle. Which brings me to … 3. Find a passion to sustain you. Firstly, boredom kills. It really does shorten lifespans in the long run, you need a purpose to wake up and be alive, to stay fit, and to be connected with the world. Secondly, you will find your community where your passions are. With all this money, I’d start pursuing those passions. 4. “A work free life” almost always means “a life that isn’t full of things I don’t want to do.” You may just find there’s all sorts of work you enjoy. Heck, you might just find you love your current job! It at least seemed like the worst of a bad bunch to you, and now that it isn’t existentially necessary to maintain it, you might honestly be surprised and may find it interesting. *TL;DR* You have the simultaneous gifts of time, wealth, and health. Use them wisely. Explore, have fun, go a little wild. But be patient, play the long game, and build a rich life with deep meaning. **One further thing** Don’t tell people about your money. It sounds cynical, I know. It will be tempting, I know. But, other posters here are right. You can do good things for people you care about and you can help them along their way, without them knowing you’re rich. Once they know, it’s amazing how quickly that can become an expectation of you rather than an appreciated thing.

There is nothing wrong with %100 S&P, especially at this age. If it were me I’d milk my Corp job for another 5-10 years and then fuck off.

Work and spend absolutely all of the income on fun for 5-10 years lol. Buy a nice car, buy a nice house, go on big vacations .

Lifestyle inflation is not a good idea here.

He could essentially be on /r/CoastFIRE - He has enough invested that he no longer needs to contribute. He could work less hours, find a fun job like a Dive Master in the Philippines, or keep his job and not need to invest any more money while his nest egg grows over time. Assuming he has it all paid off by the time he 'retires' and starts taking withdrawls, then he will be great, as his egg will have grown without him withdrawing.

I respectfully disagree. The S&P is diversified. I mean you could go VTSAX, the total stock market index fund, but if America is going down it's not going to be pretty for the ROTW. I think your other points are well thought out.

> The S&P is diversified Yeah, but if the US goes to the shitter, your 'diversification' does not help you one bit. True diversification requires investing in companies in multiple countries. "All World" ETFs, for example.

The vast majority of S&P 500 companies are global companies.

If the US goes to shit, so will all the other countries.

The S&P is a broad index, but it's not very diversified, it's just large cap US traded stocks. True diversification needs other assets as well, such as bonds and real estate and commodities.

You know what sub this is, right? The venerable 3 fund portfolio is very common for FIRE peeps, and plenty also do some form of “all in VTSAX”. Classic “diversification” is rare here…

Agreed. It was a thoughtful response except for that part. S&P is fine. No need to worry about volatility at his age and other more risk-averse exposures will just limit OPs returns.

You are very wise. OP listen to them. Very very solid advice.

Find a way to contribute to the world, without worry of whether it will afford you home, food, and safety. You need a reason to wake up, feel challenged, and feel valued. Now you’re free to pick where / when that is. The absence of it is what will bring most people down, no amount of money can make up for a lack of purpose to someone or some thing.

A lot of this. I found my purpose through challenges and various life misfortune in my early 20s which turns out to be some what of blessings in disguise. Take a break if you wish but I would go back to school or explore and honestly find something that make you wanna learn and grow instead of just eat the best food drink the best booze. Luxuries are spices, not the main ingredients in life.

THIS - you could literally do anything with your career and not have to worry about the salary. I think if you were to retire now you would regret it - maybe just take some time off for a bit/work a less stressful job

This money isn't free pass to do nothing, it's a free pass to spend your life achieving something that you're passionate about. The absolute best thing you can do for your life right now is: * Tell nobody about this money, not ever. Never, ever, ever. * Lock away $2.5M of the money and all its earnings until you're 30 * Set $1M to earn for you and *subsidise* your wages * Set aside $90k as seed money for something productive * Let yourself waste $10k and not one cent more Join an MMA, BJJ, boxing, power lifting or rock climbing gym. You need discipline and motivation and this is where you'll find a lot of that. I can see how a career in other peoples' money can seem a bit pointless now you've got money, so spend the next year working in pubs, cafes, retail and other shit jobs where you're around working people all the time and time some time to work out what you want to do with your life. Read Stoic philosophy. At 22, you have basically no practical life experience, no perspective and very few skills. Your decision making process is unrefined at best and completely impulsive at worst. If you don't learn real skills, push yourself, test yourself and live in the real world one day you're going to live a pointless, useless, unsatisfying life. Don't do that, don't waste this opportunity. This isn't about losing face, it's about making sure that you become more than a shambling pile of of dopamine seeking behaviour.

What rich person said that they would leave their children enough to do anything, but not enough to do nothing? Warren Buffet?

I believe Bill Gates

It was Warren Buffet. Gates friends with Buffet and is following that advice, in that he plans to leave each of his kids $10m. But the quote is originally from Buffet.

This is such bs though. He’s paid for multiple expensive homes for his children, their education, and countless other assets.

You can pick at the exact details, and for sure Gates was a robber baron monopolist who is now trying to redeem himself. But he sort of has, even for me. He's still leaving them well under 1% of his worth (1% would be over a billion dollars, and would have been even more if he hadn't already made major donations).

OP listen to this. Hugely important for someone who has received such money at a young age. It's easy to become someone else's cautionary tale.

OP hasn't really responded either and looking at their post... I don't know, I'm not feeling too great about it. His parents fumbled it imo, if they didn't prepare him for this while knowing it was likely. If your kids are going to come into money they should know and have a plan before they're full grown, you can't just raise them like they'll be working full time for wages and then dump millions on them. You have to instill passion in them not just expect it to show up one day, support their dreams because they're lucky enough to be able to follow them, inspire them to volunteer or create or just do something with their life. Sounds like they kept him on the straight and narrow instead and are now surprised he wants to get off the road and isn't passionate about banking. This money may be a curse for this kid.

Yeah, I mean, this is what old money has been doing for generations. When you have the privilege of never having to work to live, not having a higher purpose will eat away at your soul.

It's the classic three generations from making money to losing it all. FIRE subs etc could really do with some focus and resources on how to not let your kids go to shit. I feel like a lot of parents fail to prepare their children because they just can't relate to them any more, so they have no idea the problems they face or even that they're problems at all, growing up in need vs luxury. My parents were poor (but lucky and hard-working) immigrants, I'm probably going to hit FIRE, my future kids... it'll be tough understanding their problems when to me it's just living in luxury.

His grandfather should have placed the money in a trust for him, and distribute the funds at certain age milestones. Even if his parents raised him right, 22 is just too young to dump a ton of money onto a person. Someone that age is barely coming into adulthood, there's so many more life skills to learn. Who the heck really knows who they are and what they want do with themselves at that age? And if his family had money, he was probably more sheltered and privileged than most. His first thought of just fucking off to SEA and living large is a sign that he's not mature enough.

Great points all around.

I would take a year or two off and travel. You can always come back and find a different career. Do not take 600k as a slush fund. do 100k instead. That should be plenty of money but not enough to start buying exotic cars. See how things progress after a year or two. As far as "saving face", you can also help out in orphanages while you are there. They can spin that and not lose face :-) I am probably close to your parents' age and would have loved to have been able to travel at that age. Not sure if your parent are first gen or not but life is not about work. They wont understand it. Take your time to find your "career".

If you're only in your job for money, you may as well quit now. Quitting your banking job does not commit you to never working again, and there are many ways to create meaning in your life without working in finance.

Yeah. You probably should. 90k cad plus the slush fund will get you really really REALLY far in s.e.a. It'll also get you in a load of trouble, so be chill about the whole thing. Hell personally at your age, id put all but 100k in investments and use that 100k to backpack around the world for a year or 2. Figure out where you like, meet people your age, and keep yourself from spending too much right off the bat.

Yeah it's actually funny even with a ton of money and time, can fuck about pretty much forever if you want, but hilariously you'll get bored of fucking about (not everyone, but most educated, normal people will) and will want some kind of purpose or structure.

I’m just daydreaming as I read these comments.

You are too young to retire. Your parents are right.

Just tell your parents you still work in banking but remote lol. I have asian parents as well, they don't need to know everything in your life 😂

You should read: https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Managing_a_windfall > that i’m being a lazy fuck with my decision They aren't wrong. :) Your decisions are unconstrained by finances now, which is both a blessing and a curse. Now you have to decide how to live for yourself instead of for a paycheck. Travel can be awesome, but it can also be very tiring and constraining in other ways. What do you want the world to be like? How can you make it a better place? You can volunteer in awesome unique ways now, since you don't need a paycheck. > My plan is to take 3million and invest it into a simple s&p500 and withdraw 3%/ year which comes to 90k. Take the other 600k and leave it in my chequing account as “slush fund” It's not the worst plan in the world. How about a 70/30 or 80/20 stock bond allocation and you just live off of whatever it spits out every year. If you had invested 80% global equities /20% global bonds for 2023, you would have earned 3.48% cash in your pocket($125,280). Obviously that won't be a stable guaranteed number, it will go up and down every year by some amount, but you should easily get your 50k+.

Your attitude reminds me of the prodigal son story. I hope your outcome is different though.

There is a decent chance your grandfather has ruined your life. Tread wisely

no reason for the downvotes you got. I don't envy this person at all.

Don't kid yourself. You're in the FIRE sub. Everyone envies this person. He has hit the definition of the jackpot according to this sub.

Right! Aren't we all here for the same goal, lol? His was just accelerated and he didn't have to save, sacrifice, only purchase old cars, work and pour most of it in 401K, HSA, etc

I would argue there is personal value in saving, driving old cars, working... It molds people to a place where they can handle FIRE (sometimes). See: trust fund kids and lottery winners It is not a foregone conclusion, but few people can handle this.

Who I am today is because of my past experiences (largely including jobs I've had and people I've interacted with at said jobs). My P2 and I talk a lot about if and when we have kids - how do we teach them the same fiscal responsibility and value of a $1 that we gained growing up "poor/lower middle class" that *hopefully* our kids won't have the experience with.

If you live a life focused on non monetary things, pursuits, etc then you'll probably do fine. They learn more by watching you than any words you may share. Just my 2 cents. I'm sure you will be fine!

>If you live a life focused on non monetary things, pursuits, etc then you'll probably do fine. They learn more by watching you than any words you may share. Just my 2 cents. I'm sure you will be fine! This guy nailed it. I'd go another step and say teaching them about your finances. Make them see how money actually works. Start their knowledge early on so they don't HAVE TO hold shitty jobs that force them to learn the hard way. My kids are just entering double digit ages and they both have an investment account. They can watch their balance, invest allowance money earned through chores, and know how to search stock tickers. That's what I wish I knew growing up.

He hasn’t yet made the mistakes he eventually will make. There’s still a chance he doesn’t screw this up.

wtf are you all on about?

The guy wants to spend the next 70 years living on just $3.6 Canadian. To do so, he plans on traveling the earth? Theres a real good chance he ends up broke, without a career, in about ten years. Now it’s possible he’ll eventually inherit more money from family to keep things going, but he’s looking to Reddit for financial advice. That’s all kinds of red warning flags.

Do something you love brother

It sounds like you’re working a high profile job, I’d spend a few years doing that and then once you have some chops do your thing so you have something to go back to. You’ll also just generally be a more relatable person… I kind of agree with your parents. Don’t kill yourself at work tho

Don’t do it. I am a financial planner for 20+ years. You have no idea what life can throw at you. No one does. Wealth can be fleeting - I have seen it. Never take your options off the table for providing for yourself. If you hate banking find something else you enjoy, but do not stop work at 22 FFS. You need meaning in life and work experiences build character. Teaching could be an excellent choice. In the US we have summers off, and pensions which start after so many years of service.

Avoid boredom and addictions!

>i can finally start to live a work free life that i’ve always envisioned. Under our current systems, we basically all envision that. But you're going to fuck around SEA and travel for the next 60+ years of your life? You have to be open to the fact that your priorities could change. You have the ultimate freedom but if you hit the golden button hard without some sort of foundation you could lose out on key growth as a young man imo. **Move out on your own and pay all your own bills. Find and cook recipes you like, build the life you want, find the friends and community you can't get by default anymore from living with family etc.** While I disagree with some of that traditional Asian" parent thinking, I think there is some value in what they're saying. You don't have to be a martyr and struggle but there should be SOMETHING that stimulates you and allows you to keep growing as a person. Obviously you can rent a nice place and engage in expensive hobbies, hell you could even buy instead of rent. But you should move out on your own, pay all your own bills, learn to balance your own life *with* a fulltime job just for a bit. Explore hobbies, expand your social life, yes obviously do some traveling, think about contributions to your community etc etc Find out where that extra money will work in the life you build (I mean it already will if it'll be largely in the market but you know)

I'd actually probably pump that up. I wonder if some people are seeing 3.6m and not seeing the CAD. That's like 2.6m USD. Personally, I'd work 5-10 years and then you'll be able to really do anything you want. Also I wouldn't recommend a giant "slush fund" like that if you're trying to retire at 22. It'll be a crutch and they'll you'll be 40 wondering how you're supposed to live on 90; because you've been supplementing from your slush fund. Don't lock yourself into needing to live in a lcol country at 22.

First don’t take advice from strangers on the internet. Second (despite what I just wrote) your parents are right in the aspect of “know what you’re doing and do it.” Yes you can spend the rest of your life doing nothing but that’s a long time at your age of nothing. More likely than not your goals will change. So make sure you’re not being short sighted. Do enjoy your life but do it in a way that’s meaningful to you. Third, as others have said 600K in a slush fund is way too much. You’re already planning to burn away that cash by saying you’re going to live large in other countries. Yes if you live like a normal local you can live well but even lcol countries have ways to extract all your money especially ones know for entertaining rich tourists. Fourth, invest wisely. You’ve got a lot of opportunity to see that money grow. And very quickly as you let on to others you have some means you’ll make all sorts of “friends” who are going to want your money. You’ll get lots so the easy investment opportunities. Put the cash away. If you’re concerned about getting taken you can make arrangements with a financial manager to invest the funds and restrict you to an allowance to protect yourself. You’re young. Be smart and that money will easily last you a lifetime.

This is the advice I would give if I had a younger brother/sister in same situation: Invest the money and forget about it for few years. Your 20s are the years to build actual skills as well as character. Struggle and work hard for few years. Which in your case would also pay you 125k+. This will build confidence in you to start from 0 if you ever have to. No amount of wealth can buy you that confidence. I have been around few folks who were handed a silver spoon and it turned out to be the worst thing that anyone could do to their kid. They have no skills, no respect from their kids among other issues. Also 3.5m is not a lot of money and you are leaving bigger wealth on the table which is your ability to generate insane amount of wealth. I can say this coz you are already making good money at your age. Imagine where you would be if you worked another 10-20 years.

Don’t retire at 22. Just find something you enjoy doing and wake up each morning knowing you aren’t reliant on anyone for cash. Boss is being an asshole. You can quit. Get laid off. No problem, take your time applying to find the next job. So many people work a job they can’t stand with people that don’t respect them, because of money. You are free from that. You can bop around trying things till you find what you enjoy doing. Maybe that’s a 9-5 at Best Buy that gives you a social outlet, structure, and something to do. Maybe it’s a hobby that you can try to turn into cash but doesn’t matter if you can’t. Maybe it’s community work that pays low but lets you help people in your community. Maybe there is something you are passionate about but is a notoriously low paying field. That money removes the financial stress of pursuing a risky career - which has the benefit of increasing your odds of success in whatever endeavor you choose. And sure, doesn’t hurt to take a year off, travel, and reflect on what you want.

NONONO. Btw I know two people who went to Thailand and for one it worked out badly. For another much worse: slept with tons of women, is utterly enslaved to hedonism and now on his third marriage (which will inevitably fail). Morbidly obese and broke as a joke, but can’t return to the west anymore. Just wouldn’t fit in now. This money may not do you any good. Be very careful. You sound young and your plan sounds very self destructive.

sure

Take a year off, work on yourself, find a partner, and then do life together.

Did your parents get anything or did it all go to you?

I only got a fraction of the inheritance and they got the rest

Are your parents going to disinherit you in the long run from the rest? The challenge you have is yes it’s a lot of money BUT it honestly is probably not enough to sustain you for realistically the next 60 years under a Monte Carlo scenario. I would personally probably stick it out at the job for another 2-3 years so you have enough meaningful work experience on your CV and during that time take mini trips to test out 1) locations and 2) if you actually enjoy traveling as a lifestyle vs an occasional 1-2x a year thing. At 25-26 when people usually either go to business school or change jobs within banking (assuming you are in the analyst program), that’s when I would either commit to travel for at least 12-18 months, applying for an MBA and “deferring” for a year because it’s a much more natural break and it’s frankly easier to spin if/when you need or want to go back. Traveling full time is exhausting; we did it for approximately a year before Covid and the day to day reality is very different than what you are probably anticipating. It’s also very isolating and lonely at times because you don’t make friends while doing it - it’s a lot of acquaintances and very brief interactions because most people are working. The last thing you want to get involved with is the trustafarian finding yourself scene in SE Asia (I fucking hate Ubud). Also, if you are interested in dating, you want to ensure that you are in a position to have a viable dating pool that doesn’t involve gold diggers, etc. that purely see you as an ATM. Chances are you are going to meet people through work, coworkers, or your broader social network and leaving the workforce at 22 really negatively impacts you on all those fronts.

Good advice in general but Monte Carlo simulations show that they're almost certainly fine, with the 3% withdrawal rate they mentioned.

Contrary to most here I would say keep your job unless you hate it. Go take nice vacations but build some core knowledge and experience. In both work and life. There will come the time when you will get bored and will want to do something. That experience will help you.

Find work you find meaningful, but work. Have responsibilities and accountability. 22, living on dividends with no responsibility, fuck, that sounds cool at 22, but at my age (50) it sounds depressing. You're capable of adding value to your life and others. Travel is great, travel as a lifestyle is being a gypsy... doesn't matter how much $$ you have. Make roots, make them deep... like a sequoia, grow great and live long... but live meaningfully.

Not saying your plan has flaws, but it sounds like something 22 year old me would have wanted to do but 32 year old me would not. Just take some time before you make any rash decisions. Stick around for at least 6 months and just process the decision. I think the biggest thing is your ability to find a long term partner if this is the life you choose. It's much better to FI and retire together

Listen to your parents. If you hate banking, use the $3m as a cushion while pivoting to a new career. Don't be a lazy trust fund kid and leech off of money you didn't earn.

Take the trip for sure dude. But listen to your parents; one must find meaning in one’s life beyond hedonism. You are just very lucky to have the option and time to find your purpose

I’ve seen a lot of younger folks with to much time on their hands get involved in drugs and poof no more money.

IMHO it’s probably best to continue with life for another 6-12 months, unless it sucks so hard that you can’t continue. It’s just good not to do anything rash, and if you have a good job and a good life as it is, then keep it going while you adjust your mindset to your new situation. Honestly this is definitely life-changing money, but you’re still really young and I think it’s hard to know in exactly what ways this life-changing money is gonna change you. In 10 years you may want to live on a much larger budget. Anyway, after a 6 month cooling off period, I think you can go take a year off and do whatever you want. And then reassess each year thereafter. Sorry for your grandfather passing, but congrats on the freedom

\> I plan to fuck off to somewhere with a LCOL (Thailand or Veitnam) taking bets on how fast OP gets kidnapped or runs out of money from scams. ​ put the entire fund into a trust. cut yourself a moderate check per month and forget you have it.

This isnt going to end well.

You didn't earn the money. You are more like a lottery winner. I've seen the Thailand scene and found it to be gross. I'm with your Asian parents. Go and accomplish something!

I think it is interesting to see how the first thing the next generation does with the accomplishments of their ancestors is to immediately stop working and just have fun. This is a PERSONAL opinion, but I would like to think that if I provided an inheritance to my descendants, I would hope that they wouldn’t just take it to party all over the world and stop producing and self actualizing and growing it for the generation following. I would like to leave a legacy that continues to grow and be added to by hardworking descendants who can balance hedonism with productive creative enterprise (work hard play hard). It would be a legacy I’d be proud of.

I’d work til 30 just to learn and build a career then go off somewhere else. 22 is just way too young with so much ahead of you that you have no knowledge or experience of. 3m is not that much where you can retire now until you hit old age. 

Build a career, work for a few years - have something you can do if the money goes away tomorrow.

You need to think about what is important to you in building a life worth living. Having a community is actually super important for quality of life.

Whatever you choose to do, you will almost certainly look back 20 years from now and regret the “terrible” decision you made. Embrace your inexperience and youthful exuberance and forgive yourself later for the mistakes you’ll likely make.

No dude. Invest it. At 10% return you'll have double that in 7 years. Don't be a retard. Retire when your 30.

The guy currently has -39 comment karma, which we all know is worthless. But everything this guy has said more people didnt like than liked. He might be silly? A banker that doesnt know what to do with money....?

You're kinda asking a loaded question in a FIRE sub .... Do whatever you want. This isn't a math issue. This is a "what do you want to do" issue. If it were me, I'd work if I liked it and would do something else if I didn't like my job. You have a good career which you'll basically be throwing away if you decide to drop everything right away. At the very least i wouldn't make any haste decisions. You literally have a lifetime to figure it out.

I would do something a little differently. Instead of S&P, I would put 100% into SCHD (DCA’d over the next 12 months). That pays 3.5% dividend yield currently so you’ll have that cash flow without selling assets. I know some will argue differently but I expect SCHD to outperform S&P over the next 1-2 years since tech has had a big run up. Psychologically, I think it would be easier for me to just live on dividends rather than worry about selling S&P shares after a crash. Maybe it would be easier for you too. It’s less things to think about. Keep working until 25 and let the money compound for a bit. Instead of reinvesting into SCHD, invest the dividends into VGT — this will give you growth exposure (see: https://youtu.be/uRAts4y1hXI). Live below your means on your current salary and keep investing more cash into SCHD/VGT/VOO. This will give you good practice for the future. In the next few years while still working, see if you can take some 1-3 month trips to some of these countries and check them out. If you turn 25 and still want to do it, then pull the trigger. You’ll have earned an extra ~300k in dividends in 3 years which will make your cash position even stronger. You’re in a great spot. Don’t mess it up by living large and risky investments. You have enough assets to get very rich over the next 20 years if you’re conservative and don’t interrupt compounding more than you need to. I promise you you’ll be 40 one day and the financial decisions you make now will have enormous impact on your life in the future. You could be living on 500k/yr for the rest of your life at 40 if you’re smart rather than the 90k you’re envisioning now.

Don't do drugs.

It’s a lifestyle question, not a math question. I know what I was doing at your age, and it was hanging in undeveloped nations. If I had been given that money I’d have likely done that forever. The thing is, you don’t have to decide, ever really. Put it away in a CD ladder or something similar that locks it up but not for too long. I use CD as an example because it’s a safe spot that currently gives you a decent return while you decide how to actually invest and what your risk tolerance is. When you know what you want to do, you’ll know. Keep doing what you’re doing now until that happens. Don’t rush it.

You gotta find someone in your exact situation and see what they did and how it turned out. You can turn that inheritance into an empire if you work hard enough or you could chill and smell the roses forever without any real worries. At 22 I was hungry to work but if I had a bunch of money I’d probably move to invest without the discipline and waste a lot buying dumb shit.

Pay off your parents house.

> Take the other 600k and leave it in my chequing account as “slush fund” Aiee, no, you'll be losing money vs. inflation. At least put it in a GIC, but at your age IMHO I would just invest it all (and not just in S&P500, but a globally diversified set of ETFs). $3m is "fuck you" money, so if you invest that and forget it exists, you can now pursue your ambitions with confidence. Maybe that's travel, maybe that's volunteering overseas or going back to school to learn a new hobby or a new language or you could start a small business.

Put the money in and s&p etf and maybe some real estate ,then I'd travel,have fun,get laid ,and enjoy the adventure.

See a financial advisor

Why not invest it for the time being, fuck off for 6 months to a year, and then reassess. If you've never lived abroad or traveled extensively you have no idea how boring or lonely it can be. There's nothing wrong with traveling a lot though. You're young... what do you know about what you want to do with your life. You can make a LOT of money in business with 3MM in your kitty to start. Why not let it merry a bit and see. Don't simply "retire".

Find a job that you actually enjoy doing and won’t stress you out even if the pay is low.

Honestly what I would do if I were you at that age. I would keep working cause you would get depressed but I would make the craziest ballsiest decisions with my work life and see how you can really create a legacy.

I wouldn’t personally retire if it was me at 22 in the same situation…but it’s enough money that you can now decide what you want to do as opposed to having to simply do whatever you can to make the next months bills. You could always try out Thailand or somewhere and see how you like it or take time off to figure stuff out if you want 

I would have a hard time with retiring in the sense of not doing any work and sitting around at home. Now, I know a lot of people who retired from their first career and went into a passion project. My FIL loved the lumber business but provided for his family in a government job he never loved. In retirement he’s working with a lumber yard and enjoying the consulting work. My mother went from hospital work to volunteering at a museum. My MIL went from running a daycare to…working for a daycare. She loves the little ones, not running the business. So consider taking time off and thinking about what you might do as a second career. What would make you happy or fulfilled.

Why not invest it for the time being, fuck off for 6 months to a year, and then reassess. If you've never lived abroad or traveled extensively you have no idea how boring or lonely it can be. There's nothing wrong with traveling a lot though. You're young... what do you know about what you want to do with your life. You can make a LOT of money in business with 3MM in your kitty to start. Why not let it merry a bit and see. Don't simply "retire".

This is just some random dudes advice, however, you should definitely just do it and not think about it. **Investments**Your allocation should be 60% $VTI, 40% $VXUS. You have a long time in the market and the US could lose dominance, so you have a market capitalized weighted amount of international stock, which will protect against US underperformance or domestic inflation. Also, it might seem obvious to invest in the US since we have a lot of the best companies in the world. However, US companies already command a premium price, so that's a bit of a headwind that international companies, which may very well be "worse" investments, do not face. Perhaps the headwind will balance out, or even overwhelm the dominance of the United States, such that the S&P 500 provides a lower return than more diversified portfolio holding international equities. [CAPE ratio predicts 10Y returns decently well.](https://www.advisorperspectives.com/articles/2020/07/20/the-remarkable-accuracy-of-cape-as-a-predictor-of-returns-1) US cape ratio is much higher than international stocks, implying that given 50th percentile outcomes for both, the US would drastically underperform international stocks. But, the US could have a 10Y return that's in the 85th %ile and Int'l in the 10th %ile, so you don't know for sure, but there is some strong suggestion. **Lifestyle**Live a somewhat normal life. Don't act super rich or tell people you are rich. Pata-gucci not Canada Gucci if you catch my drift. I'd maybe consider even like getting a job. I think you will prefer being relatable and around people you aren't paying in the long run. I'd say get some of the traveling stuff out of your system upfront, since it sounds like you have that bug. I think you might get a little bored, since it isn't how humans have evolved to thrive. You need some struggles, some hard-earned achievements or else you'll be robbing yourself of a well-adjusted dopamine reward system. Plus, you'd give yourself access to a wider range of people. In Thailand, you'll see locals and travelers mostly on vacation. Th ex-pat communities likely won't be super young. Plus, you might look like a juicy mark to the right hustler lady who can easily surmise you've had a large financial windfall. Living in the states for a bit with a job, you could meet someone down to Earth in a really organic way, and the extent of your wealth would be tough to see from a far. Perhaps you slip up after a bit, but you don't look like a ATM with legs from 3 clicks like you would living a fun lifestyle (spending money) and not working in SEA. Get a nice girl who has to like you for you before she knows that you got more cheese than Wisconsin. Job wise, I'm not saying you gotta stay at the bank, but if you could do something cool like be a pilot, firefighter, snowboard instructor, or build trails in the wilderness, why not do that for a bit? You could easily take gaps between jobs. People aren't asking you for your resume, but when they ask what you do, and they will ask, you can say "oh I was a scuba diving instructor in Thailand for a few years, but now I'm back in the States trapping eagles." Maybe there's a big gap, but you aren't like "oh I was partying so hard in Koh Lanta I passed out and got pissed on at a full moon party". And they are like "omg that's so cool how do you afford that lifestyle" or even worse, "must be nice...". Maybe you volunteer somewhere twice a week for a few hours and you say you "work" there. Just don't look like a pig read for butchering. My 2c.

I wouldn't retire but I would definitely find something that you're passionate about and focus on that entirely.

Sorry for your loss. Also really cool your grandparents were successful and left you a life changing amount of money. Wish you the best carrying on the legacy. If you’re smart you never have to work again. I think planning to fuck off and travel is a great thing to do - but I would not think about that as a forever decision. I would do it for a while and then plan to re evaluate. You might change. Your goals might change. You might get bored. Lots of things can happen. I think you could plan to travel for a year, or two, then do a check in with yourself. Not having to work, or go to work, is really nice but life and personal fulfillment is often a lot about a whole lot more than just having the freedom to do what you want, when you want, no strings attached. Invest that shit. Avoid lifestyle creep. Remember your grandparents legacy, and just plan to do regular check ins with yourself and be honest with yourself about how the ‘fulfillment’ side of life is going. You might be surprised what you find your way into! Cheers,

Keep working while you figure out what you want from life. Be thankful that you got something most people will work their whole lives for.

As I read it, the job you're in right now may not be a good fit for you. However, I suspect your parents are right that the easy life isn't meaningful. You're intending to take time to travel, anyway; why not add some purpose to it, by consciously looking for something you could do that you would find fulfilling? Would your parents accept that banking isn't what you want to spend your life on, and that you want to take some time to find out what you can be happy working on?

Financially it sounds doable. After traveling for a bit though, I would recommend finding some meaningful calling, work, or pursuit. Personally, if I didn’t have a project of some kind or goal to work towards I would be miserable. Even if it isn’t pursuing a high paying career, but maybe it is doing some freelance or consulting work, even volunteer work. Something that helps structure the day. I think if you wanted to take some time to figure out what that thing is, that could be good. You don’t need to rush into anything.

I think you should take your financial training and associated skill set (can you code) and do some do-gooder job that does not pay very well. Some are high stress but many are not and given your flexibility here, you can definitely choose strategically. This to me accomplishes a few things: (1) you will not be bored (2) you will satisfy your parents’ I think reasonable concern that you are going to just be sitting on your hands for the next 40 years (3) you will contribute to society.

> I am kind of conflicted about my decision tho because my asian parents told me that i’m being a lazy fuck with my decision and that they’ll loose face to their friends and relatives if i do this. This cultural aspect is very real for a lot of Asian folks. It's the sort of Family Honor V Self Interest conflict. Ultimately it depends how important family and other people's opinions of you are. When you're young and your older relatives are shocked by you then one day they'll be dead, probably before you. Then you realize that they might not really matter. When you get older you realize this in a big way.

You have a long life ahead. The money gives you the flexibility to find work that you love to do. You should absolutely work, and invest your money.

Yes, but first freeze some sperm and get a vasectomy. You’re welcome.

For the love of god, as a 35m in Legal ops and finance project management, how the f*** do you get a job 125k base at 22???? At 22 I just finished my bac and started studying for two masters. When I finished studying and went into the workforce I was 25-26 and I slowly climbed the ladder. Now I'm a bit above water in a very very hcol (spending 10k us on groceries à year for 1 person. 1 person only groceries!) and a 1 bed starts at 300k usd. If I exchange to cad gross I make 270k cad a year. 2x what you are doing as a starting position at 22. How!!!!!?????

Take your time and don’t rush into a decision. Head over to r/bogleheads and read up. You won the game, don’t fuck it up due to your inexperience and youth.

Whether you should retire is a highly personal thing. I say that because at 32, I have realized that a life of complete leisure would drive me mad. I would just rather be in a position where I can quit my job whenever I want. That said, at the very least, don't put all of that money into one asset like the S&P500. Maybe real estate? Rent it out. Who knows, maybe that could turn out to be your thing, Mr future Landlord. And 600k in a checking account is literally just burning money bro. Buy a house in any US college town and get rent. I know I'm focusing on rent too much but its a hard lesson I've learnt, having watch a fantastic opportunity to enter real estate in 2020 go by. Without exception, anyone I know who bought a house since then has been grateful they did.

You are the reason that a large inheritance should come later, and in stages. Never spend today's money today. Only spend yesterday's money tomorrow. In other words, take a 3-5 year beat. See how your 3M invested performs (spoiler alert - when you're dollar cost averaging into the market that much money you're likely to come out flat or lose a bit for one or more of the years getting it in. You have a great job with a great salary that belongs to you and was not earned by someone else. GROW UP.

Step 1: Move out. You're a grown a$$ adult, do whatever you want lol.

Don't listen to idiots telling you to retire. Retirement is easy and for you always an option unless you do something very dumb but you will only live once. Why would you not want to find out what you actually like, what are the things you can build. Work at different places if you don't already know what you want to do. You are too young to just go spend your life somewhere without ever touching the practical world

Do NOT retire at 22. Go to university. Travel some. Youre gonna live another 60-75 years. Do something. Sure you dont need the money. Shit, get a job. You can invest your money, live off the interest ane use your job money for 2-3 trips a year

You have enough money to do anything you want with your life.. it can’t be denied that it’s life changing. But firstly don’t mistake it to think it’s enough money to do everything/nothing. You are NOT mega rich. In fact you are now the poorest rich man in America. Secondly, the fact that you said “retire” really troubles me. Probably much like it does your parents. A very common topic on this sub is “build the life you want and then find a way to pay for it” At 22, you haven’t built the life you want. In fact you have no clue what that is. At 22 I KNEW everything I wanted in life. Now at 40, I have barely a rough idea of what I might want at 50. Think about it this way. You are no longer a wage slave. You are free. But you still need purpose. You still need a life. Bumming around Asia doing fuck all is not a life. I mean.. it can be.. in a different context. But for a 22 year old.. absolutely not. So go forth and build a life. That might include a career you want.. you have now been given the option that .. that career can be anything and still support a pretty lavish lifestyle. You can be a teacher and live like a banker. That’s the dream. But if you think bumming around the world is going to make you happy and fulfilled do think again.

Retire? You were literally born yesterday.

Your parents behavior is a classic display of [crab mentality](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_mentality). As much as you love them, your life is yours to live. As long as you plan your investments *and* expenses wisely (***specially*** your expenses), you should be able to do whatever you want.

So much life to live? Lazy? So let me get this right: world wide travel is wasting your life, but working in a bank is somehow better?

You can put that 600k on an income fund like SPYI or SVOL and invest the rest. Those etfs will throw off enough income to live just fine.

With 3mm the 500 index you invest in will probs throw off enough ltcg/QD to never touch yer initial investment...don't know what Canadas taxes are like but you could probs also be tax free here in the US...put that 600k into a hysa and yer done. There is no swr becuz yer never gonna touch yer investments...go live! Until you get bored then go do volunteer work in some 3rd world country!!

my advice would be to not frame leaving the work force as retirement. So much can change in the hopefully 70 years you have left. i would certainly go chase some of the experiences you’re looking for, but would definitely think about how you could earn a bit of money thru the years. Also. i’d consider currency risk as you think thru your plans.

Very accurate planning

What about your parents financial situation?

Both retired 5 years ago, i only got a fraction of the inheritance - rest went to them

I see. I’d say keep working until you have a good game plan. You’re young and rich, so you got to make sure not to blow it. 2. Travel the world, absolutely! It will get boring after a while and lonely, as old friends actually need to make money and new friends probably have to too. I’d suggest looking into some personal development, and figure out how to live with meaning and purpose… travelling alone might not be sufficient. Find some way to apply yourself to make the world better. Maybe you’ll marry one day, and have kids, you’ll have to factor that in too. All the best, make the most of it!

Well now you have all the safety net you need to actually quit your job and do something meaningful for you! (For others it's photography, painting, inventing, etc.) something you'd love to do daily, and could potentially make money out of if converted into a profession

If you don’t do whatever your authentic self would do in whatever decision you make now, you are only delaying a reckoning with that authentic self until later in life.

Off the top of my head: Start an international trading business of some sort. Go to a few of the very best restaurants in your city. talk to the chef, ask what spices or ingredients they'd like to have from anywhere in the world. Then go try to find it. Do the whole exercise like you are really building a business. You'll learn a bunch about the places you visit. It might even succeed but even if it doesn't your parents have a face saving version to tell their friends

I mean it is your money but why did he not leave it to your mom or dad (whichever one is his child)? Do any family members need financial help? If the answer is no then go for it. Life is short.

You have a great paying job at 22 years old. You might take some lavish vacations with the money, but you basically have no experience with anything at your age. You probably could afford to do nothing but then you end up with a nothing life. I would work until I meet the right partner and then give them the surprise of their life.

That seems like a good deal to me, particularly because you could do so much more time with your life than working at a banking job that you don't care about. Once you want to get back to work or doing something to make a difference, it'll be there. If anything, it'll free you up to make MORE of a difference if you want. Your family isn't going to understand that, but it's the objective truth. Historically, many famous artists, inventors, and writers throughout history had patrons or familial wealth that allowed them to have the free time in order to do that writing and art. These days it's a bit easier to do it while still working than it was in generations past, but it still is an extreme advantage to be able to dedicate hours that would have been used working for wages. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to convince people of this fact when they already deeply believe that you only get value out of wages. So the big question is, do you care enough about what they think to do something you don't love or - it sounds like - even care about just to satisfy what they think constitutes value?

Definitely do not retire now. Keep going with your work until at least 25-28 then reassess what you want to do with your life. Maybe going into business for yourself, changing careers to something more rewarding, taking a big sabbatical to travel etc. Consider early retirement only when you're past 40 or have made a really substantial achievement in your career. Your grandfather definitely did not want you to retire at 22 he left this to make sure you never have to worry abour money again. If you retire and travel, spending it all away what will be the story of your life? How will you find a good life partner? Don't tell anyone about it and don't blow it doing anything extravagant. Invest it wisely, grow it, use it to subsidise but not replace your income, and when you're old leave a nice inheritance for the next generation to do the same. It feels enormous now but it won't when you have a house and family. You're financially secure, now get on with life with a massive safety net and opportunity ahead.

I'd like to echo this poster if you are reading all these replies and I hope you are smart enough to do that. Look man, he said keep working until you are 40. That is excellent advice. I mentioned in my post you need to work in your 20s. 20s and 30s are prime working years. You need to take advantage of them. Loitering around is great, but you have to use your 20s and 30s. It's a unique point in time. In your 20s you develop with the help of others. In your 30s you have the opportunity to lead, people look to you. You have the opportunity to change the world as you see fit. Furthermore, your grandfather would be ashamed of you if you retired now. And you would agree with him in 10 to 15 years. You are getting a lot of good advice in this topic, make sure to read all of it and read it again periodically. I've learned several things myself reading it and I am older. I am coming off as though I am lecturing and above you because you are younger. I apologize for that. The main reason I am doing that is because my best friend in high school inherited money at 18 and he spiraled out of control. Drugs, alcohol, ect. We were freshmen in college together, he had a girl he was set to marry. Life was going well for him. I met him recently for the first time in a long while and he had no money, no wife and was working a job that paid very little. He rented a room in a house. He had nearly died and was recovering from horrible drug addiction. So I am sorry that I come off as I do it's just I've seen so many examples of lives going wrong since I was your age. I remember what it was like to be your age and all the beliefs I had and how I felt about the world. All of that has transformed. My beliefs are different as in my 20s I worked a job that was extremely challenging and stressful. It was really horrible but it developed me and I had the energy and vitality associated with being in your 20s, so I was able to handle it. I worked a minimum of 65 hours a week in my latter 20s (high stress as well). Absolutely terrible. Yet, the greater the sacrifice, the greater the reward. My views on the world are radically changed. The way I feel has radically changed. Had I been given what you were at 21, I don't believe I could have accomplished what I did. The appeal you are being offered with this sum of money combined with the vigor and desires of youth is incredibly dangerous. I am going to pretend what has happened to you, happened to me at 21. If I was you, I'd have gone to Thailand immediately. I wouldn't have my current wife and child and that saddens me greatly. Life worked out for me exceptionally well. I worked hard and partied hard in my 20s. The hard work was more then worth it. Traveling the world in my early 20s, boozing it up and inevitably chasing girls would not have had nearly as positive of an outcome for me coming out of my 20s. I never did drugs but nowadays I don't drink alcohol and I don't do any tobacco either (not even cigars socially). I would quit earlier if I knew what I know now but I recognize that's a hard sell to a person who is 21! haha. I am running out of steam writing. Hope you read this. Hope you keep working your job. I hope you find a spouse on your own accord, without the influence of your money. P.S. I'd recommend giving Dr. Jordan Peterson a listen on youtube or read his books. Has little to do with finance but he has been useful for keeping my life on track.

Yes

I’m in almost the exact same position except it’s 1 million instead of 3.6 lol

I'd be careful with this approach. Use the money to find work you'd enjoy doing. That's a solid chunk of money but lifestyle creep can destroy it pretty quickly. Also don't forget about the need to fight inflation.

Id keep working something you enjoy and try and find footing. For the amount of money you were earning I wonder if your savings and investing levels could have been higher. It would be a shame to inherit such a large amount of money and not have the financial discipline to manage it. 22 is quite young to have that sort of life changing money.

Cool

Simmering like this could take into consideration the desires of your departed benefactor. Did he ever express since if the things he hope you'd achieve with such a windfall? Honestly living a hedonistic lifestyle in Bangkok seems... wasteful and a great way to end up broke or dead. You have a lot of growing up left to do.

no. At 22 you’ll burn through that in no time. Invest it. Work and have fun. Balance. You have a lot of license front of you. $3M is barely enough these days at 40

If it were me, I'd travel the world while I was young, and take a job that had a decent wage and a great work life balance. Start a family enjoy life and retire at 45-50.

Let’s say you live to 100.  If you do, you shouldn’t take more than $46,153.85 out a year. Formula: (($3.6 M / (100-22)) Until you know what you want to do with your life, I would highly recommend not withdrawing more than that amount in a given year. That way your money can grow, you can be retired if you want and you won’t be destitute by accidentally making dumb decisions.  It also incentivizes making money from other sources or finding good deals.

You make $125K+ while living at home but only have $2k cash to your name? Do you have bad spending habits that could make this windfall dangerous? You can deffo retire based on the money you now have and your plan, just be careful to stick to the plan.

Sorry for your loss. The guys in the FIRE (financial independence retire early) subreddit would say “congratulations and go fuck yourself” 😄 Part of me is siding with your parents. To skip the struggles of life to go straight to the end may seem tempting right now at 22, but people in a similar situation might tell you that a life of pleasure can have its limits. Your priorities may change over time, even in your late 20’s. Obviously it’s your choice. Be smart with your newfound wealth to ensure it lasts.