What did your co-workers say when you FIRE'd?

[Gone Fishing]

Just imagining what my co-workers might say when I break the news and was curious about what you heard when you FIRE'd...

[Mr. Green]

Are you telling your co-workers you're retiring or are you "just quitting?"

[Gone Fishing]

Are you telling your co-workers you're retiring or are you "just quitting?"

I think I will just say I am taking some time off, at least a year, to work on my farm, travel, spend more time with the kids and after a year, I'll go from there.

[rayt168]

Are you telling your co-workers you're retiring or are you "just quitting?"

I think I will just say I am taking some time off, at least a year, to work on my farm, travel, spend more time with the kids and after a year, I'll go from there.

+1. 

[dude]

My co-workers (all of whom I supervise) know full well my FIRE plans, so I'm sure they won't have much to say beyond "congrats and keep in touch." 

[steveo]

I intend to take a year off and not come back. I suspect no one will have a clue.

[G-dog]

"What are you going to do?"
"Are you going to work somewhere else?"
" this was your choice?"
As well as lots of "congratulations" and "good for you"

I was 55yo, and technically did retire from the company. For younger folks, your retirement is more unconventional.

[Fishindude]

Most can't fathom that anyone would have the financial ability to do it.

[Jon_Snow]

Oh, I remember the day well. Confusion and befuddlement ruled the day. People knew I had acerage on an island...and they knew I spent a lot of time there, kayaking...and doing whatever other "things" I liked doing there (most didn't seem too interested in knowing). They just didn't know that these "things" were EVERYTHING to me, and my job, well paying as it was, was probably the LEAST MEANINGFUL force in my life. Months after I had left I learned there was a rumour going around that I left because I was ill...as documented elsewhere on this site, I lost a ton of weight after I left my job and this only fuelled the rumours. Of course, this weight came off because I was doing a ton of cardio and I stopped my beer/fast food habit...but I really made no effort to quell these rumours about me.

I just didn't care about that chapter of my life anymore.

I will admit that I sense more CURIOUSITY from former co-workers now when I run into them on occasion.

[Financial.Velociraptor]

My cow-orkers didn't know until the day of and most didn't see me face to face as I was in an offsite lockup project.  Management was freaked out and trying to figure out 'what was wrong?'  I had two weeks of meetings where they laid out a conservative base case of staying on till 55 being worth a cool couple million that I'd be leaving on the table.  I told them I had estimated 3MM and yeah, I'm good with walking away from that so I can sleep in and play video games.  Blank stares.

Cow-orkers I'm still in touch with are still a little unconvinced 3 years later but they are happy for me.  Two have actually started asking about investing advice and exploring the FIRE concept and how it might fit into their own life.

[Venturing]

I wasn't quite fire when I left but had enough tucked away to last a fair while at least. I was bored with my job so decided to quit with no plan of what I would do next.

When coworkers asked what I was going to do next I told them I didn't really know, nothing for a while. Some were clearly confused. Some said they would love to do the same but couldn't Afford to (generally guys with young families who were the sole bread winner). Some thought there must be some hidden story like a major argument with my boss (nope, I quite liked my boss). I think most people found it a foreign concept that you could quit a job just because you felt like it.

[Exflyboy]

It was like I was speaking a foreign language.. I was very good at what I did and I'm sure some of them saw me as "throwing away" my career. That and I'm sure not everybody thought I was serious.

Then the day came and it was like.. well.. here we are, then there was lots of little huddles in small places where you can guess what the topic of conversation was.

Then I left, I left under a bit of a cloud so I didn't get to say goodbye to everybody, that was a bit sad.

[Miss Prim]

I told my manager a few months before I retired that I was leaving on April 3, 2015.  I was 61 at the time and she told me that I couldn't "retire" because I was too young and that I was just quitting work.  I told her, I have worked here for 39 plus years and I am retiring and I want my retirement party with cake and beverages paid for by the hospital!  She couldn't believe that anyone could not work until at least 62 and collect SS. 

Her head would explode if she knew that I am still not taking SS at 62 and will delay until 65 or 66! 

My coworkers knew that I was a saver and that I would be fine.

                                                             Miss Prim

[jim555]

They didn't have a chance to say anything, escorted out by security guard.

[dude]

They didn't have a chance to say anything, escorted out by security guard.

Um, so were you fired or FIRE'd???

[soccerluvof4]

Since I was the owner of the company I basically told the employess I was burnt out and just wanted to get out and see where I was in a year. I had/have no intentions on going back but they will never know that however it is a industry with alot of gossip so sure they have heard something . I dont associate with any of them since they created alot of my burn out so I really dont care.

[Financial.Velociraptor]

They didn't have a chance to say anything, escorted out by security guard.

This was supposed to be the policy at my company for people on the insider roster and expected exactly that treatment.  They usually escort IR people out immediately but go ahead and pay them for two weeks just to close out the security risk.  I slipped through the cracks and came to the office for the next weeks.

[jim555]

They didn't have a chance to say anything, escorted out by security guard.

Um, so were you fired or FIRE'd???

Both.  Asked to be packaged out, was surprised when it happened.

[AlwaysBeenASaver]

I didn't tell anyone at work, I just told them I was quitting. I didn't want to deal with "can you just stay a few more weeks" if they found out I didn't have a new job I had to start right away, and I'm also still, after 6 months, not comfortable telling most people anything other than I'm not working right now and I don't know if/when I'll go back. Although various friends have asked me how I  like retirement, so I guess some have figured it out on their own.

[vern]

I retired at age 47 with a pension.  In my last few weeks at work I had the following conversation (almost verbatim) over and over.

Co-worker "So, where are you going to work next?"

Me "Nowhere.  I'm really retiring."

CW "But how are you going to be able to live on just your pension?"

Me "I'm living on that amount now."

Cue the blank stares.

[Ozstache]

"What are you going to do?"
"Are you going to work somewhere else?"
" this was your choice?"
As well as lots of "congratulations" and "good for you"

Pretty much this, plus "lucky bastard!".

[G-dog]

"What are you going to do?"
"Are you going to work somewhere else?"
" this was your choice?"
As well as lots of "congratulations" and "good for you"

Pretty much this, plus "lucky bastard!".

I go some of the "lucky bastRd" and "I'm jealous" comments too. Some good natured joking, some not so much.... I offered to tell them had to speed up their trip to the exit, a couple of folks accepted.... But mostly I got " I could never do that because" or some other dismissal that this couldn't be possible for them (because they have kids, because they have a mortgage, because...)

[Squirrel away]

Very interesting stories.:)

[save_save_save]

Are you telling your co-workers you're retiring or are you "just quitting?"

I think I will just say I am taking some time off, at least a year, to work on my farm, travel, spend more time with the kids and after a year, I'll go from there.

I think I'll be doing something similar... taking time off to travel.  Just yesterday I was in a conversation with my manager and the program manager about different strategies when rolling your 401k out when you retire.  During that conversation it was very clear that they won't be able to comprehend retirement in your 40's.