I’m incredibly proud of how far I’ve come. As a 36-year-old single woman , I’ve built a career in Big Tech without an advanced degree. It’s been a decade of hard work in the PNW, coupled with a rigorous investment discipline.
Financial Snapshot:
- Cash (HYSA/Emergency Fund): ~$80k
- Personal Brokerage: ~$480k
- MSFT: ~$190k (40%) — My long-term growth engine and the cornerstone of my AI exposure.
- JNJ: ~$140k (30%) — My market stabilizer; a "Dividend King" providing rock-solid defensive value.
- Active Trading Capital: ~$150k (30%) — Short-term tactical plays used to "fund" my long-term positions.
- Retirement (401k/HSA): ~$310k
- Unvested/Vested RSU: ~$250k
- Primary Residence Equity: ~$80k
Total Net Worth: ~$1.2M
The Strategy: I’ve adopted what I call a "Profit Transfusion" model. I use 30% of my brokerage for short-term swing trades. Whenever I hit a profit target, I immediately funnel those gains into my two "forever" holdings: MSFT and JNJ. This acceleration has helped my portfolio grow by $500k in just the last 18 months.
The Dilemma: I’m eyeing early retirement, but the "market dependency" still keeps me up at night. My net worth is heavily tied to the S&P 500 and the tech sector. Should I stay the course with what’s clearly working, or pivot toward something tangible like an investment property to hedge against potential volatility?
A Female Engineer’s "Core-Satellite" Strategy to Early Retirement.
byu/Chance-Geologistr infinancialindependence
Posted by Chance-Geologistr
5 Comments
> Should I stay the course with what’s clearly working, or pivot toward something tangible like an investment property to hedge against potential volatility?
Neither. You’re right that being heavily dependent on single stocks is asking for a disaster. At the same time, adding more real estate isn’t usually a very good solution.
Consider an indexing strategy that mixes total market indices, world market indices, and bonds.
This will be far better diversified than any two stocks you could pick, without being subject to becoming a landlord and the local renting market. Going from having all your net worth in MSFT and JNJ to having all your net worth in MSFT, JNJ, and a single rental building isn’t really reducing your risk meaningfully. Your job and your existing house already make you dependent on the local market, and adding more there isn’t an improvement.
That… Seems too risky, but glad you’re doing well.
Dear lord take your winnings and get out of the casino.
Edit: this post is AI and the poster some kind of bot/engagement/scam account. Just look at post history.
Read this: https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Three-fund_portfolio
Holding two random stocks as a core part of your portfolio and actively trading are both risky strategies that are extremely unlikely to beat the market over the long term.
Past performance is not indicative of future performance. You already know the answer. Do what you please