Author Topic: Life post-FI but before-RE?  (Read 8190 times)

bob999

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Life post-FI but before-RE?
« on: December 25, 2017, 12:28:25 AM »
Hi guys,

I am interested in knowing about your experience after you achieved FI but before you RE'ed?

Specifically, did your stress reduce even though you were working? Happiness increase even though you were still working? or any other aspects of your life change (such as increased spending since you didn't need the extra cash from your job etc.)

Thanks.

:)

step_away

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #1 on: December 25, 2017, 06:03:34 AM »
Not much change in terms of spending though I'm trying to get myself to spend more.

I'm still stressed but it comes with the job as we have various repetitive deadlines.  What changed is my attitude toward work.  I still give 100% effort in regards to my portfolio, but I'm now pushing back when I get dumped on with someone else's responsibility. 

As my stache goes up my patience for work stupidity goes down.  So I figured it's time for me to retire.
« Last Edit: December 25, 2017, 01:42:53 PM by step_away »

Financial.Velociraptor

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #2 on: December 25, 2017, 07:33:50 AM »
I felt zero stress at work.  I did what I wanted and said what I thought.  What were they going to do about it?  Fire me?  Hahahahaha.  Take no shit from management...

aperture

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #3 on: December 25, 2017, 02:46:21 PM »
I am in the middle of a OMY working to hit my retirement eligibility (healthcare benefits).  I have found that the last 6 months, working after FI, has been pretty crappy.  The problem is that I feel like my life is on hold, and the additional $s earned are not terribly motivating.  I have 6 more months to work.  I am hoping that time passes a little less painfully than the the last 6 months have been.  Really, the last 6 months have been some of the hardest work I have put in in my career. 

Mr. Green

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #4 on: December 25, 2017, 02:57:22 PM »
I RE'd and then went back to my old job after 3 months. I really struggled, even went I dropped to half-time because I was FI and giving up my time for something unsatisfying that I no longer needed to do. I ended up quitting again after 9 months.

bacchi

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #5 on: December 25, 2017, 05:00:44 PM »
There is a certain freedom to it, as others mentioned above. You can skip stupid meetings and get away with it. You can say to your boss, "Your new hire is just not going to work. Nobody likes him and he's worthless. Get rid of him."

In the end, I also felt like Mr. Green, even when I went part-time. "What am I doing here? I'd rather be [....]" went through my head a number of times.

Being unemployed suits me far better.

step_away

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #6 on: December 25, 2017, 05:06:52 PM »
I am in the middle of a OMY working to hit my retirement eligibility (healthcare benefits).  I have found that the last 6 months, working after FI, has been pretty crappy.  The problem is that I feel like my life is on hold, and the additional $s earned are not terribly motivating.  I have 6 more months to work.  I am hoping that time passes a little less painfully than the the last 6 months have been.  Really, the last 6 months have been some of the hardest work I have put in in my career.

+1  2017 has been hellish for me in terms of job satisfaction as I have to deal with a lot of problem loans on top of stricter requirements.  The financial rewards are not enough anymore to take this kind of crap

chasesfish

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #7 on: December 25, 2017, 05:23:56 PM »
Its been interesting, that's for sure.

The positives:

I am more open with feedback at work, I developed the "superman" theory, which is I'm no longer worried there is someone waiting in the wings to rip their shirt off and reveal a superman logo and take my job.  I'm one of a hundred people in my position in the company and I know I'm in the top quartile of performance and ability. 

We went through a major medical issue with my wife that dragged on for much of 2017, so many other people going through this also had major financial stress and job worries.  I didn't.  I focused on whats important, did what I could for work, but also had a good team I had built and trust.

I am getting more disciplined with my schedule at work.  There are things I like to do and things I don't like to do that don't really have an immediate impact, its more long term business development and long term political capital in the company.  Since both are becoming less valuable each month, I do less of the things I don't enjoy (howdy doodie calls with existing clients with one of my employees, after work networking events, client lunches).   I will be better in 2018, I've just decided to use breakfast for business development meetings and stop by my house to have lunch with my spouse.

I'm getting looser on spending.  There is such a ridiculous amount of compensation in my last fifteen months that some of the small stuff really doesn't matter.  I'm even debating paying a housekeeper to clean our house 2x/month. 

Our company has an incredible deferred comp plan and now that I've hit my FI number and have good taxable savings, I've ramped that amount way up and defer 40% of my comp pre-tax.  It then gets paid out over 15 years monthly when I separate service and grows in a Total Stock Market Index in the meantime.

The negatives:

I know I'm potentially giving the best year of my health for money I don't really need.  That's very challenging to stomach.  I still have two potential dates in my head, July 4th 2018 or March 2019.  I can't get that out of my head every week.  I'm having OMY syndrome and will chronicle this in detail on a post I'm working on.

Scheduling out my vacation is frustrating because I only have so many days, even though I always do some minimal work on vacation (there are just yes/no decisions that are easy for me to make quick).  I enjoy having flexible schedules.

I'm still frustrated about my particular job level, even though I shouldn't be.  I'm outperforming peers and I know they're compensated higher with less responsibility.  My spouse reminds me constantly that I'm insane to even worry given what I make, but alas comparison is the thief of joy.

I really wish I could tell my boss and a few corporate sponsors, they've been great advocates but there's a fine line to walk between showing interest in the next level job and just telling them I want to complete the RE of FI.  If I'm let go, which is possible by letting them know, I walk away from just under half a million dollars due to me over the next fifteen months (we get a huge chunk of our comp in Q1 each year).  It would be nice for my management chain to know, they could send the restricted stock pool to other coworkers who would actually see that money.  I'm going to forfeit $300,000+ of restricted stock back to the company when I resign.

I always know there's more I can do and make a bigger impact, I just don't want my job/position to define who I am. 

The person I was grooming to replace me just accepted a promotion to another team, so there's that.  I care about my employees and who they will work for when I'm gone.

As you can see, these are all first world problems. 


EscapeVelocity2020

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #8 on: December 25, 2017, 05:53:32 PM »
Sorry but I got banned when I expressed my personal thoughts on this forum.  I won't be able to tell you much lest I be banned again.  My account says that all of my posts are being watched.  Best of luck :)

soccerluvof4

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #9 on: December 26, 2017, 03:33:33 AM »
For me being self employed it was a relief knowing I had the money to do it but was replaced by a stress of all the things I needed to do in getting out of the business . Biggest concerns were taking care of employees that were with me seemingly forever and making sure my strategy , exit plan was right.

Enigma

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #10 on: December 26, 2017, 04:07:55 AM »
I haven't noticed any extra stress.  But I have done more FU things that I might not have done before.  Easier to transition to a job that I like over a job that I dreaded.

But in all reality.  I have done my best to keep everything the same.  As if I hadn't met my goals of FI.  The RE part is just the icing on the cake.  Then again I am a workaholic and may have more issues with the RE part when I get to it.

dude

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #11 on: December 26, 2017, 09:46:33 AM »
My FIRE plans depend significantly on reaching my retirement eligibility date for my pension (about 16 months hence), and I've more or less decided that I'm going to go right on or about that date. BUT, part of me would really love to stick around for another month or two past that date so I can tell people exactly what I'm thinking with impunity. But that's just a waste of time when it really comes down to it, so I'll just stick to the plan and hit the door. I do, however, plan to join some past retiring employees in penning a "manifesto" of sorts via e-mail to everyone as I leave. Not to call anyone out specifically, but to just speak my mind (gently) about some of the stupid shit that goes on here.

jim555

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #12 on: December 26, 2017, 10:24:49 AM »
Every day at work got very hard to tolerate.  Knowing I didn't have to put up with work BS (being FI) made it much more difficult.

markbike528CBX

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #13 on: December 26, 2017, 11:47:57 AM »
I can now avoid meetings.  This works out better than expected, as I therefore am not tempted to say  or mutter what I think.   I've discovered that speakerphones work better than I thought.

JoJo

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #14 on: December 26, 2017, 12:15:54 PM »
Last year I was able to reduce my pay by 30% and work out a deal where I get 100 days off work per year, allowable to take in chunks of up to 8 weeks.  I was able to take 4 trips of 3, 7, 7 and 3 weeks. 

The longer trips did make me realize that my plan to become a 100% nomad is not what I want.  Fine in my early 30s but not what I want in my mid 40s.  My goal for the next year is maybe reduce further to total 37% reduction and get in shape while taking trips.

Clean Shaven

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #15 on: December 26, 2017, 12:22:54 PM »
Every day at work got very hard to tolerate.  Knowing I didn't have to put up with work BS (being FI) made it much more difficult.
This, for me too. 2017 was kind of my "OMY" so sticking it out was tough, when so many days I just wanted to say "you know what? I don't need this job anymore. Here's my notice."

Right now I'm just sticking it out for another month or so, waiting for year end bonus and 401K profit sharing contributions to post.

I'm basically just showing up and collecting a paycheck at this point - not doing much at all. Going to take another vacation next month while still on salary, figuring I'm being paid for vacationing.

chasesfish

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #16 on: December 26, 2017, 05:13:00 PM »
Every day at work got very hard to tolerate.  Knowing I didn't have to put up with work BS (being FI) made it much more difficult.
This, for me too. 2017 was kind of my "OMY" so sticking it out was tough, when so many days I just wanted to say "you know what? I don't need this job anymore. Here's my notice."

Right now I'm just sticking it out for another month or so, waiting for year end bonus and 401K profit sharing contributions to post.

I'm basically just showing up and collecting a paycheck at this point - not doing much at all. Going to take another vacation next month while still on salary, figuring I'm being paid for vacationing.

I'm curious, when did you tell your boss and coworkers?


Clean Shaven

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #17 on: December 26, 2017, 05:23:02 PM »
Every day at work got very hard to tolerate.  Knowing I didn't have to put up with work BS (being FI) made it much more difficult.
This, for me too. 2017 was kind of my "OMY" so sticking it out was tough, when so many days I just wanted to say "you know what? I don't need this job anymore. Here's my notice."

Right now I'm just sticking it out for another month or so, waiting for year end bonus and 401K profit sharing contributions to post.

I'm basically just showing up and collecting a paycheck at this point - not doing much at all. Going to take another vacation next month while still on salary, figuring I'm being paid for vacationing.

I'm curious, when did you tell your boss and coworkers?
Haven't yet. Not giving notice until bonus + 401k money is in my accounts.

spokey doke

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #18 on: December 27, 2017, 09:26:28 AM »
It has been good but also rather weird for me...

DW still works full time and plans to as long as she remains engaged, which should be a number of years.  I started a small business, which is rewarding, but still lots of work.  In the time since leaving my previous career and working on the business, we passed what I had as our FI number...but...everything regarding FI and RE has gotten a bit hazy, and I am no longer quite clear about what our FI number is or should be, or how I can transition to RE. 

The business revolves around a true passion of mine, and pursuing that remains great, and I think that will remain the case for some time...but how long, I have no idea.  If/when I hit a wall and it becomes just more work, I also face the same sorts of barriers to RE that I faced when leaving my former career: second guessing FI, family expectations, etc.  So when I'm fully engaged in my business, it is good, when I step back, it seems I am treading water to some extent.  My best option right now seems to be to double down on the business and achieve as many of my goals on that front as possible, which feels good both as a plan and as achievements (as they come)...

The main clear upside is not being in an utterly frustrating job, and that is pretty huge.
« Last Edit: December 27, 2017, 04:21:25 PM by spokey doke »

SD70

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #19 on: December 27, 2017, 10:42:40 AM »
FU money, combined with becoming debt free, has provided me with the option and courage to leave full time employment that was crushing my soul. I landed a part time job that I actually enjoy most of the time and I'm making a much higher hourly rate.

Now, previous employers continue to contact me to fill in as needed, again, at a higher rate than they were paying me before. I take those hours as I see fit.

Ironically, I currently work less hours while making a similar income. But more importantly, I gained a perspective that makes me feel like I'm in control now. That was a game changer for me in regards to quality of life and viewing work in a different light.

Reaching financial independence is not necessarily about early retirement, although that is a fine choice. It's about providing yourself with options. It's about gaining the freedom to explore other avenues if you no longer enjoy the path you are going down. Not so long ago, I was completely consumed with thoughts of retiring as early as possible. Now I'm thinking this "part time" gig isn't so bad. Who knows when I will actually "retire". Financial independence has been the best thing that has ever happened to my "career". Perspective is everything my friends.

Miss Piggybank

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #20 on: December 29, 2017, 01:56:23 PM »
I hit my 4% SWR number 5 years ago and I'm still working, so now I'm at 3%? 2%? I stopped calculating a while ago. I work for a nonprofit doing work I think is meaningful and I get a lot of appreciation and satisfaction from it. And I get a lot of vacation. I am more relaxed and able to be 100% myself at work, because I don't "need" my job, which has made me better at my job. For me, being FI has changed my life oddly little. I don't sweat surprise expenses and we eat out more. I'm somewhat more charitable (working on increasing that). The biggest change is just acknowledging to myself that working is totally optional. That said, would I do it for free? I would work part-time for free : )  There are a fair number of people who would be very upset if I retired, and I would be hard to replace (not bragging, just the circumstances), so those things definitely weigh on me. And I worry that I would be bored if I retired. But I also really do like my job. I don't like every bit of it every second, but that's true of everything in the world.

A weird thing lately is that my board really wants to give me a raise but I really don't want one. I don't need the money, and the more money they spend on me the more we have to raise and the more we can't use for other things. But I know of other nonprofits run by happily underpaid people, and that creates a situation in which, when those underpaid people finally do leave, the org is screwed because they can't find someone else to take the job for such low pay and they aren't used to raising or spending more. So I'm thinking of taking the raise and then donating it back, even though it's not tax-efficient.

chasesfish

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #21 on: December 29, 2017, 06:29:27 PM »
Miss Piggybank - Does your not for profit have an endowment or a fund at a local community foundation?

I'd request they take a portion of your comp and directly fund an agency fund in your name, then let the not for profit draw 5% off of it in perpetuity. 

FIRE 20/20

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #22 on: December 30, 2017, 12:03:41 PM »
I'm not sure if I'm fully FI yet, but I think I'm close enough.  We hit 25x planned expenses this month, but while reviewing our planned retirement budget decided to increase the amount we have planned for travel and made some other smaller modifications so we're now sitting at about 23x.  We still plan to work 2018 as a OMY with the realization that either one of us could quit without any real worries. 

The big change for me is that I'm not at all worried about making career decisions that benefit future me; I only need to worry about current me.  I was in a horrible job from May through November so I looked for, found, and moved into a low stress, low prestige job with my current company.  A few people have commented on my skills being wasted in this role, but the people I work for are very happy I'm there and I've gotten rid of almost all of the politics, stress, meetings, and long hours of my prior position.  Over the past few weeks I've been approached for some cool projects and I can now make the decision whether or not to take them based solely on what I want.  I can turn them down without fear that it will impact my future career prospects or raises, or I can accept them with stipulations that they not interfere with my new work/life balance.  I am far less stressed at work.  On the other hand, I am a lot more bored at work.  I can do my new job in my sleep.  After 2 decades of rising in the company and working long hours on challenging problems, this is a bigger struggle than I expected. 
I also plan to take a lot of vacation (maybe 6-8 weeks) during my OMY, and I plan to take advantage of the option to work at home occasionally.  I know I'm not efficient when I work from home so I'll mostly go to the office, but having the option is nice.  I didn't have that in my higher stress roles in the past.  If all the time out of the office looks bad - who cares?
Finally, I think I've convinced my partner to transition to part-time work.  As a full-time salaried employee, she often works 50 hours a week.  If she goes to part-time, the rules strictly forbid her from going over her agreed to number of hours.  She could drop to 32 hours and only see a ~25% drop in pay while reducing her hours by close to 40%.  This really isn't an option for most people but again - if they say no she can just quit.  Because she's been a consistent superstar performer for 2 decades they would never let that happen.  And if they do - who cares?  If the choice is keeping her salary and all the work stress or dropping her salary and getting rid of the stress, having FI money makes that an easy call.  We don't need the money. 

In short I plan to take full advantage of being FI to make my OMY as low stress as possible.  I've dealt with 20+ years of the corporate grind and diligently saved to make this happen, and now that it's here I'm not going to waste it. 
« Last Edit: December 31, 2017, 10:14:22 AM by FIRE 20/20 »

SD70

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #23 on: December 30, 2017, 05:32:06 PM »
I'm not sure if I'm fully FI yet, but I think I'm close enough.  We hit 25x planned expenses this month, but while reviewing our planned retirement budget decided to increase the amount we have planned for travel and made some other smaller modifications so we're now sitting at about 23x.  We still plan to work 2018 as a OMY with the realization that either one of us could quit without any real worries. 

The big change for me is that I'm not at all worried about making career decisions that benefit future me; I only need to worry about current me.  I was in a horrible job from May through November so I looked for, found, and moved into a low stress, low prestige job with my current company.  A few people have commented on my skills being wasted in this role, but the people I work for are very happy I'm there and I've gotten rid of almost all of the politics, stress, meetings, and long hours of my prior position.  Over the past few weeks I've been approached for some cool projects and I can now make the decision whether or not to take them based solely based on what I want.  I can turn them down without fear that it will impact my future career prospects or raises, or I can accept them with stipulations that they not interfere with my new work/life balance.  I am far less stressed at work.  On the other hand, I am a lot more bored at work.  I can do my new job in my sleep.  After 2 decades of rising in the company and working long hours on challenging problems, this is a bigger struggle than I expected. 
I also plan to take a lot of vacation (maybe 6-8 weeks) during my OMY, and I plan to take advantage of the option to work at home occasionally.  I know I'm not efficient when I work from home so I'll mostly go to the office, but having the option is nice.  I didn't have that in my higher stress roles in the past.  If all the time out of the office looks bad - who cares?
Finally, I think I've convinced my partner to transition to part-time work.  As a full-time salaried employee, she often works 50 hours a week.  If she goes to part-time, the rules strictly forbid her from going over her agreed to number of hours.  She could drop to 32 hours and only see a ~25% drop in pay while reducing her hours by close to 40%.  This really isn't an option for most people but again - if they say no she can just quit.  Because she's been a consistent superstar performer for 2 decades they would never let that happen.  And if they do - who cares?  If the choice is keeping her salary and all the work stress or dropping her salary and getting rid of the stress, having FI money makes that an easy call.  We don't need the money. 

In short I plan to take full advantage of being FI to make my OMY as low stress as possible.  I've dealt with 20+ years of the corporate grind and diligently saved to make this happen, and now that it's here I'm not going to waste it.

Love it. That feeling of being in control is awesome isn't it? Regarding  your comment about being bored... It seems that you now have the time and skills to make the job as interesting and challenging as you want. 

bob999

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #24 on: December 30, 2017, 07:54:09 PM »
Thanks everyone for all your replies. It is great to see so many insightful responses on what it is like after FI. I also feel that once you are FI or close to it then it will become harder to be motivated or ambitious about money. Priorities will be more towards flexibility, time, and stress free work/life. Cant wait to get there.:)

Miss Piggybank

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #25 on: December 31, 2017, 12:55:29 PM »
Chasesfish, thanks for the idea! I'll look into it. I think I read once that you can't just redirect salary in an organization without still paying taxes on it, but I'll check on the rules.

chasesfish

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #26 on: December 31, 2017, 01:52:39 PM »
Chasesfish, thanks for the idea! I'll look into it. I think I read once that you can't just redirect salary in an organization without still paying taxes on it, but I'll check on the rules.

That's correct.  You get around this by having them fund the donation to another not for profit, in this case an independent community foundation that operates under its own 501c3.  Just ask to have an employment agreement that says they will make an annual donation to XXX Community Foundation to be directed to the Miss Piggybank endowed fund.   You then setup that fund to give 5%/year in perpetuity to your not for profit.

Maybe someone in the tax world will chime in on this, but I think you're okay.

Slee_stack

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #27 on: January 04, 2018, 10:52:02 AM »
I'm a little surprised at how many people here continue to toil onward.  Admittedly, I am one of them.

Also, like some others here, the motivation to stick around is pension/healthcare motivated.

I've not yet found a way to go PT yet.  I need to do so.

I have become a little more careless about spending.  I'm still careful, but just not as frugal as I used to be.  The numbers suggest we will have far more than needed for RE, so since I still press on FT work, I have allowed myself to worry less about money outflow.  Its a weird feeling to me as there's a mini fight inside me of spend vs don't spend.  I try to keep spending focused on 'value and happiness return' but am more lax on hunting for the best choices or choosing a lesser alternative instead.

TheWifeHalf

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #28 on: January 04, 2018, 09:15:50 PM »
I do not work, my husband does for our health insurance.  One week that he works is 44 hours, so any extra hours are paid  time and a half (or more) and the other week is 36 hours, so any extra hours up to four are paid straight time.

He is at the top of the overtime call list, so can turn down, or accept, any call.  For the last couple of years I've noticed he works overtime in the 44 hour weeks, if he works any at all, and turns down  hours in the 36 hour weeks.

TartanTallulah

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #29 on: January 05, 2018, 12:39:27 AM »
I'm working with a colleague whom I know to be in this position. They plan to retire in two years at a normal retirement age but are already  FI with a spouse who has retired recently, and they have already all but checked out mentally and become slapdash and careless. And another colleague of similar age who isn't explicitly FI but could be and who turns up late, takes and makes personal telephone calls for hours in work time, and delegates everything they think they can get away with delegating.

Very frustrating for everyone else, because there is no scope for that sort of slacking off in our line of work.

With less than a year to go (I'll be FI in March 2019 but my bridging funds won't be quite sufficient until June 2018), I'm still working my butt off at the coal face but am not wasting much time on box ticking activities that are supposedly mandatory. The likelihood of having the plug pulled on my professional registration for technical reasons before I'm ready to hand it over voluntarily is negligible.

chasesfish

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #30 on: January 05, 2018, 07:42:42 AM »
I'm working with a colleague whom I know to be in this position. They plan to retire in two years at a normal retirement age but are already  FI with a spouse who has retired recently, and they have already all but checked out mentally and become slapdash and careless. And another colleague of similar age who isn't explicitly FI but could be and who turns up late, takes and makes personal telephone calls for hours in work time, and delegates everything they think they can get away with delegating.

Very frustrating for everyone else, because there is no scope for that sort of slacking off in our line of work.

With less than a year to go (I'll be FI in March 2019 but my bridging funds won't be quite sufficient until June 2018), I'm still working my butt off at the coal face but am not wasting much time on box ticking activities that are supposedly mandatory. The likelihood of having the plug pulled on my professional registration for technical reasons before I'm ready to hand it over voluntarily is negligible.

There are plenty of days I wish I could be the person described above, but I just can't.  Its more difficult when I have employees relying on me.  I've got 13 months, 3 weeks before a large payday that sends me riding out into retirement.  Could leave this June and be in pretty good shape, but too much left on the table. 

BlueSky45

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #31 on: January 05, 2018, 09:45:07 AM »
+1 to this..

FU money, combined with becoming debt free, has provided me with the option and courage to leave full time employment that was crushing my soul. I landed a part time job that I actually enjoy most of the time and I'm making a much higher hourly rate.

Now, previous employers continue to contact me to fill in as needed, again, at a higher rate than they were paying me before. I take those hours as I see fit.

Ironically, I currently work less hours while making a similar income. But more importantly, I gained a perspective that makes me feel like I'm in control now. That was a game changer for me in regards to quality of life and viewing work in a different light.

Reaching financial independence is not necessarily about early retirement, although that is a fine choice. It's about providing yourself with options. It's about gaining the freedom to explore other avenues if you no longer enjoy the path you are going down. Not so long ago, I was completely consumed with thoughts of retiring as early as possible. Now I'm thinking this "part time" gig isn't so bad. Who knows when I will actually "retire". Financial independence has been the best thing that has ever happened to my "career". Perspective is everything my friends.

My DH and I are over our FI number and have been so for about a year.  Since realizing we're FI, my stress level at work has gone way down and I recently accepted a job that I'd never have allowed myself to accept before becoming FI because of the potential short term project duration (2.5 years) and the perceived lack of security.  I love my new job which gives me a ton of free time.  I'm spending my "working" free time trying to decide what I want to do in RE (ie. my next volunteering gig/how I can make a difference in RE/etc.) and exploring new interests such as learning Spanish, getting in better shape by walking a lot more at work, etc.  I also look at this as my time to slow down and ease into what I perceive my pace to be in RE.  I've always been a type A achiever and purposefully slowing down at work was a tough challenge at first but it's making me more of the type of person that I want to be. 

TheWifeHalf

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #32 on: January 09, 2018, 11:22:01 AM »
I do not work, my husband does for our health insurance.  One week that he works is 44 hours, so any extra hours are paid  time and a half (or more) and the other week is 36 hours, so any extra hours up to four are paid straight time.

He is at the top of the overtime call list, so can turn down, or accept, any call.  For the last couple of years I've noticed he works overtime in the 44 hour weeks, if he works any at all, and turns down  hours in the 36 hour weeks.

This is a 36 hour week.
He is scheduled to work nights, Tu - Th (12 hour shifts)
There are not a lot of people who are qualified to do his job, which I guess he does very well.  (He had a guy training for his job, so he kind of just sits there, and said he wanted my husband to train him. Period.)

The company called yesterday and offered a 'deal.'  So, he's working the day shift today 1500 (normally would make 630) plus whatever the night time differential is.

The company knew if my husband didn't take it, a salary person would have to work it, and TheHusbandHalf says its not a job that you want to take without some brush up.
They can't make someone work if it's their scheduled shift off, but since my husband was scheduled to work they could ask if he wanted to trade. He could say no.
Plus they are allowed to trade shifts so all his scheduled night shifts have been traded to days this month.

(I suspect this is the MO until Jan 4 2019)
« Last Edit: January 09, 2018, 11:23:35 AM by TheWifeHalf »

Bird In Hand

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #33 on: January 09, 2018, 01:34:28 PM »
We've recently achieved something like barebones FI; if we cut back on discretionary spending, we could (barely) RE based on last year's (non-lavish) spending.

While it was satisfying to realize we are sort-of-kind-of-FI, it didn't really change anything for us.  I think if we disliked our jobs and/or had any real intentions of imminent RE, it probably would have forced further contemplation and possibly spurred us to make some changes.

At this point it seems likely that only an unexpected illness, a new hobby/passion that demands a lot of our time, or WWIII, will pull us off the inexorable path toward OMY-land.

albireo13

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #34 on: January 12, 2018, 04:38:09 AM »
I'm in that OMY land right now and my motivation for work is ebbing quickly.  I'll get to work 7AM one day or 9:30AM another ... and don't give it a second thought.

This week I got an email at work asking if I would be willing to travel to Singapore to work on a problem with a supplier.   
My response ... " Nooope.  That is not an option for me.  Sorry".    No response yet.  : )
Do I care?   Nooope.

I have less tolerance for BS and meaningless work assignments.     I tend to skip meetings if I feel I have no need to be there.

I'm hoping MegaCorp decides to give me a package and let me go.


EscapeVelocity2020

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #35 on: January 12, 2018, 10:47:01 PM »
This week I got an email at work asking if I would be willing to travel to Singapore to work on a problem with a supplier.   
My response ... " Nooope.  That is not an option for me.  Sorry".    No response yet.  : )
Do I care?   Nooope.

Just wondering why this request is so intolerable.  Singapore is actually much nicer than London this time of year (IMHO), but I guess you'd prefer to travel there on your own dime?  Or there is something else you'd prefer more than Singapore?

Just for reference, I'm going to Norway for work soon-ish.  Houston is much nicer this time of year, but the work interests me and is really good for the companies involved.  I'm also missing Norway a bit, although my Norsk sucks more than ever.  Sure, I could pull the plug and still go to Norway in the summer, but a 'free' work-related trip is just as good for the time being...

CptCool

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #36 on: January 13, 2018, 09:58:43 AM »
This week I got an email at work asking if I would be willing to travel to Singapore to work on a problem with a supplier.   
My response ... " Nooope.  That is not an option for me.  Sorry".    No response yet.  : )
Do I care?   Nooope.

Just wondering why this request is so intolerable.  Singapore is actually much nicer than London this time of year (IMHO), but I guess you'd prefer to travel there on your own dime?  Or there is something else you'd prefer more than Singapore?

Just for reference, I'm going to Norway for work soon-ish.  Houston is much nicer this time of year, but the work interests me and is really good for the companies involved.  I'm also missing Norway a bit, although my Norsk sucks more than ever.  Sure, I could pull the plug and still go to Norway in the summer, but a 'free' work-related trip is just as good for the time being...

Work Travel != personal travel

I personally hate work travel, regardless of the location I'm traveling. I spent the first few years of my working life in a 50%+ travel (domestic & international) consulting job & vastly prefer my job now that I have zero travel involved. I still go on personal vacations often because I enjoy traveling, but will never again choose a job that involves travel, especially overseas

EscapeVelocity2020

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Re: Life post-FI but before-RE?
« Reply #37 on: January 13, 2018, 04:29:27 PM »
But what part specifically was the suck?  Being away from family?  Being on an airplane?  Having crazy long work hours?  I don't know why it doesn't bother me so much, but I get to take lots of time off between moves (when we went expat) and the company treats us well overseas, so I typically enjoy travel.  I wouldn't pay to be up in business class on my own!

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!