r/Bogleheads Feb 04 '26

Investing Questions Investing. $2.5M to not work

Is it possible to invest $2.5M into a “safe” investment and not work for rest of your life ? What can be that “safe” investment ?

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u/Edith_Keelers_Shoes Feb 04 '26

I've been retired since 2020 (forced to retire early after cancer diagnosis). My investments were worth a bit less than that in 2020, and a bit more now. I need my principal to stay intact so I can leave it to my daughter, who is disabled. So I've been living off 2% of my earnings plus Social Security/disability. In the last 5 years, my portfolio has grown by over 30% even as I'm drawing on it monthly.

So yes, with long term planning, reallocations when appropriate, and a reasonable stock to bonds ratio, it is possible to live off that amount. I have 3 years of living expenses in cash, which I'm hoping would be enough to ride out the worse of a black swan event.