Dr. Ravi Sundaram
Surgeon. $420k income. $4M target. The projection said age 52. Reality said 55.
Shortfall: $1.2M at age 52
See what Ravi did next ↓
The story
Ravi spent his twenties and half his thirties in medical training — unpaid overtime, HECS debt that felt bottomless, watching friends in tech and finance buy houses while he studied. He finally hit his earning stride at 38, and now bills over $400k gross. His divorce at 43 was a financial reset — he kept the investment portfolio, she kept the family home.
He's rebuilding, but from a position of strength. Ravi doesn't want a frugal retirement. He wants business class flights, a harbour-view apartment, and the freedom to say yes to every experience. He earned it. His $980k non-super portfolio and $620k super put him on track — or so he thought. When he finally ran the projection, the number at 52 wasn't $4M. It was $2.8M.
What FIRE means to Ravi
Never operating on another person's schedule — literally. He loves surgery but hates the 5am starts, the hospital politics, and the on-call weekends that eat into time with his kids. FIRE means he can do consulting, teach at the university, or fly to Chennai to visit his parents — all on his terms. He's not retiring from life; he's retiring from obligation.
Retirement plans
Keep his investment apartment for rental income. Travel extensively — he has a list of 30 countries. Spend more time with his kids during their university years. Potentially do short surgical missions with Remote Area Health. Learn to sail.
Key challenge
His expenses are high — $180k/yr including child support — and school fees don't end until he's 50 when the youngest turns 18. His original plan contributed $110k/yr in NCC on top of concessional contributions. The projection showed a $1.2M gap: his portfolio would reach $2.8M at age 52, not the $4M target. The school fees drop-off at 50 was a variable he'd been ignoring — two full-capacity saving years changes the trajectory significantly.
The numbers
What is Fat FIRE?
Fat FIRE targets financial independence on a large income — typically $150k+ in retirement spending — allowing a high-end lifestyle without compromise. It requires a substantially larger nest egg (often $3-5M in Australian conditions) but the higher income during the accumulation phase can make it achievable in a similar timeframe to Regular FIRE. The key variable is still the savings rate, not the income level.
The projection
What the tool showed
Ravi's original plan — target age 52, Non-Concessional Contributions $110k/yr, expenses $180k/yr. The projection shows a shortfall at 52.
Annual income sources in retirement
Stacked bars show where income comes from each year. Line shows target expenses.
Bars above the red line indicate surplus spending capacity (SWR floor > expenses)
↑ Dashed vertical lines show ATO minimum pension drawdown rate step-ups (ages 65, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95). The ATO requires increasing minimum annual withdrawals from super pension accounts as you age — causing the visible income jumps at each bracket.
Key insights
That's 8 years after FIRE — the non-super portfolio must bridge this gap entirely.
Adds ~$6k/year in government support, reducing portfolio drawdown.
Eliminates ~$52k/year in housing costs, freeing cash for investments.
A savings rate above 30% is the engine that powers early retirement. Every dollar saved today compounds for decades.
Key takeaway
Fat FIRE shows that a high income isn't a guaranteed path to early retirement — lifestyle costs scale with income, and the timeline depends on savings rate, not gross income alone. Ravi's honest planning revealed a $900k gap at age 52. Adjusting the plan — maxing NCC contributions, trimming expenses, and adding three years — closed it.