So what I did was a TON OF RESEARCH including talking it over with advisors from both fidelity and etrade. And Edwards Jones. My plan involves investing a minimum of 200 a paycheck starting in Jan into dividend paying stocks monthly, reinvesting those every month. By choosing companies with a good dividend payment history and dividend price/share cost ratio, I can in 3 years time, my wife could quit her job and our monthly income wouldn’t change. If she doesn’t and I keep my strategy, I can retire at 45, 12 years from now, making monthly off the dividends, what I’m currently earning.
this assumes an average cost increase per stock I buy of 15% a year. High end of course, less shaves off time.
my goal is to be able to retire by age 50. But not touch my 401k until I’m 65.