.....
Can anyone planning to FIRE in 2019 share some of their numbers? Net worth, savings rate, annual spend, invested assets (stocks and bonds), rental property & income (if any), mortgage (rate and amount left), kids?, etc...
Can anyone planning to FIRE in 2019 share some of their numbers? Net worth, savings rate, annual spend, invested assets (stocks and bonds), rental property & income (if any), mortgage (rate and amount left), kids?, etc...
@madamwitty, From what I hear the Seattle area real estate market is getting frothy. Maybe by the time you're ready it will have blown off some steam. Tri-Cities is close, yet not too weird on prices. It might depend on what your sweetspot for "close to relatives" is.
Welcome all.
@madamwitty, From what I hear the Seattle area real estate market is getting frothy. Maybe by the time you're ready it will have blown off some steam. Tri-Cities is close, yet not too weird on prices. It might depend on what your sweetspot for "close to relatives" is.
@Livingthedream55 If I waited till 60 I'd have a similar pension, but I'm not sure I will want to (or will be able to) hang on that long.
November of 2019 for me. Will be age 60 and have a state govt (I'm in the U.S.) pension of $30,600 annually and an IRA worth at least $300,000 which I shouldn't need to draw on for a while. [...] I downsized my home last year and carry only a $25,000 mortgage which will be paid off before 2019. [...] Also plan to get involved in causes I believe in and try to make some small corner of the world a little better.
Already FI just need to hang in there for 3 more years so I can begin collecting my max pension. If I leave now I will have to wait until 2026 to collect the same amount. Dealing with politics, whining, laziness in the workplace is really wearing me down...would so like to leave now, but keep telling myself only 3 more years. Anyhows..I will be 52 in 2019. Im a late starting new dad (49) with twin babies (6 months), really looking forward to hanging out with them daily and teaching them to fly fish. Wifey will still have to work for 15 more years..I sympathize with her ;
Yo dude, that is waaaay gnarly! - sorry the '80's thing just hit to hard to ignore.
Welcome.
Like you I'm probably moving up the date ( still 2019), since I realized that I have access to my 401k as of 1/1/19, not just on my actual birthday(55 in 2019).
edit to fix spelling
...Sorry, no real help here.
I started a business a year ago and did well. .......
Pros and cons of each.
JOB...
bad
*could be laid off anytime.
??? this is bad with FU money AND side business already started?? says markbike528
BUSINESS
good
.......
bad....
*learning curve: figuring out what to say yes/no to based on my goals
--- putting down a yoke that you've picked up voluntarily might be difficult ---says markbike528
Any thoughts on how to decide?
First post. So cool to have this forum.Welcome!
.......
Good luck everyone.
- Zero
If only I could divide by zero.
I'm hoping to semiretire in may 2019, so does that put me in this group?Yup, you're welcome here!
First post. So cool to have this forum.
Age = 43 (I wish I had seen the light sooner)
Married with 3 children. Oldest is 15.
FIRE target - July 31, 2019 (hope to collect one last bonus before bidding a fond farewell to corporate life)
Current NW =$ 890k
SR = 75%
FI number = $1.5MUSD
Good luck everyone.
- Zero
If only I could divide by zero.
First post. So cool to have this forum.
Age = 43 (I wish I had seen the light sooner)
Married with 3 children. Oldest is 15.
FIRE target - July 31, 2019 (hope to collect one last bonus before bidding a fond farewell to corporate life)
Current NW =$ 890k
SR = 75%
FI number = $1.5MUSD
Good luck everyone.
- Zero
If only I could divide by zero.
Welcome!
Ah, I think we all wish we'd learned sooner. I was frugal but not to the level I am today. Live and learn!
With your current NW, it sounds like you didn't mess up too horribly. ;-)
My big mistake was not understanding in a definitive way how my savings rate would impact the years required to retire and totally underwhelming my 401K contributions for the first 10 years of my working life. If I had done the math in my mid-20's, I think I would have put more of a priority on saving.
Without the significant growth in my salary over the last 10 years, my networth would be much lower. I got lucky.
I expect to be debt free (or very close) and living a lavish lifestyle by independence day of 2019.
Do others find that having a specific date concentrates the mind to forge ahead, or is it a constant distraction?
I guess I'm back to my original date of Dec 29th 2019. Dang and other words :-) I had been tempted to 1/1/2019 (~2 years vs ~3 years).
While by law I can withdraw from a 401K without penalty, my employer won't let me take partial withdrawals if I retire before my 55th birthday. I need to be a "retired person" per the 70 points rule, which is:
age 55 AND (age+service) >= 70 retirement in order to have access to partial withdrawals.
If I take the whole thing, I'd have to pay lots of taxes, unless I roll it over to a IRA, in which case it is locked down till 59.5. I guess I could then take SEPP or something from the Rollover IRA, but that seems complicated and inflexible.
....If I take the whole thing, I'd have to pay lots of taxes, unless I roll it over to a IRA, in which case it is locked down till 59.5. I guess I could then take SEPP or something from the Rollover IRA, but that seems complicated and inflexible.Why not try a Roth IRA pipeline?
Yes 5 years, I'm planning on using taxable accounts while I do the pipeline when I pull the trigger for semi retirement....If I take the whole thing, I'd have to pay lots of taxes, unless I roll it over to a IRA, in which case it is locked down till 59.5. I guess I could then take SEPP or something from the Rollover IRA, but that seems complicated and inflexible.Why not try a Roth IRA pipeline?
Also seems complicated, and isn't there a 5 year wait for the funds availability, or is that just for new Roths?
I'm going to count myself in for a May/June 2019 finish too, as that's when youngest son will have finished school. Probably have enough to retire now, if we downsized our house. Many of our post-work plans involve slow travel and kids' study & exams over the next few years take priority over that. Three more years of work will also cover university costs nicely and give a bigger safety margin. It's possible that I might quit earlier; only a financial disaster would make it later than this.
Can anyone planning to FIRE in 2019 share some of their numbers? Net worth, savings rate, annual spend, invested assets (stocks and bonds), rental property & income (if any), mortgage (rate and amount left), kids?, etc...
Although I originally was aiming for November of 2019 I think now I could easily do it when I turn 59 1/2 so May of 2019. The difference in my monthly pension amount if I waited those six months is really negligible and I'm thinking when I am that close I won't want to wait. I'm already obsessed and there's still 2 1/2 years to go!
:0 )
Can anyone planning to FIRE in 2019 share some of their numbers? Net worth, savings rate, annual spend, invested assets (stocks and bonds), rental property & income (if any), mortgage (rate and amount left), kids?, etc...
I am sure I am an outlier...
Current Net Worth (Assets - Liabilities): $990k US
Current Retirement Accts (Stocks/Bonds): 130k (currently maxing IRA/401k)
Current Savings Rate: 60% (ish)
Avg Spend (3-4k/month)
Taxable Invested Assets (Stocks/Bonds): 1k growing slowly (Retirement growing rapidly)
Rental property: 1.1Mil (money not tied down goes)
Mortgage Left: 270k @ 5% (meaning 75% of rental properties paid off)
Rental Income: 15k/month, Insurance/Taxes/Repairs 6-7k/month, mortgage 3k/month
6-Fig IT Computer job in DC area (HCOL area)
*Master's degree + 15 IT certifications + 8 yrs of experience
No kids or sig other
Aggressively paying off my rental property mortgage with every penny not glued down. eFund is nothing more than leveraging a 0% APR credit card (excellent credit) or not paying extra principal towards my mortgage
What is your target $ goal? Also, does your NW include money paid for houses?
Hoping in! 56% of the way there, hope to be FI oct 2018 and RE Mar 2019!
Hoping in! 56% of the way there, hope to be FI oct 2018 and RE Mar 2019!
That's crazy, I'm at 55-56% too.
Anybody else hoping for a stock market dip next year to help get to those 2019 goals?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
55%-56% of desired stache already saved....
It's pretty impressive that you will save 44% of your retirement Stache in the last 2 years of working. I thought I was being optimistic aiming for to accumulate 20% in 2 years.
20% of 25x annual spending is 5x annual spending. I will be happy if I can save 5 years of spending in just 2 years. Maybe I am being too conservative on the growth I can expect on my exisiting stache.
Of the 44% remaining to be accumulated, what will come from new savings versus investment returns?
That's one of the two parts of the ACA that Trump wants to keep, so I wouldn't worry too much at this point. Next year we'll see what actually gets changed, and anything that survives is unlikely to find a more harsh opposition after Trump.
It was stupid of the Democrats to pass the ACA without a single republican vote. They should have expected when the Republicans took control they would get rid of it. The Dems should have had a more bi-partisan plan that both sides agreed on. Get rid of it... I want something that both sides of the table can agree on.
Welcome aboard Trifele. 2019 is gonna be one fine year!!! We will be traveling extensively too, but
Mostly in Central America.
Played with my spreadsheet today. Lol.
We will see what happens in the next 2 years. We will either finish up in Dec 18 or June 19. DW is a teacher so we'll finish at the end of a term.
We are targeting 25x, and if need be we will do some short term contract work Post Fire if the market doesn't deliver in the first few years.
55%-56% of desired stache already saved....
It's pretty impressive that you will save 44% of your retirement Stache in the last 2 years of working. I thought I was being optimistic aiming for to accumulate 20% in 2 years.
20% of 25x annual spending is 5x annual spending. I will be happy if I can save 5 years of spending in just 2 years. Maybe I am being too conservative on the growth I can expect on my exisiting stache.
Of the 44% remaining to be accumulated, what will come from new savings versus investment returns?
How are you projecting your growth? I'm trying to be conservativish, what I have been doing is project 7% interest a year for my current stash plus whatever I invest. So I'm only planning for market growth for my current sum. Projected just short of the total sum I'm wanting, trying to do it that way on purpose to keep me focused and motivated.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
What is your target $ goal? Also, does your NW include money paid for houses?
My target $ goal is more of a "Pay off all mortgages & be debt free" which should be right around $1.4Mil US. I have had $966k in loans to date with all but $270k paid off. My NW does include money paid for properties. I have a link to my financial journey below which I plan to update at the end of Dec. Also my NW does NOT include where I am currently living (primary residence an apartment in the DC area).
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/enigma's-personal-financial-journey-and-goals/
Well, this is strange. I had dinner with a friend who told me he plans to retire the same year and month as me. I am decades younger. I wonder how he'll react.
Nothing has passed yet, but I do expect them to dismantle the ACA, it's just a question of what will be kept and what will be thrown away. Trump said he liked and wanted to keep some parts of the ACA, so we need to wait and see what actually happens rather than become alarmed at drafts still being made. Whatever parts of the ACA not repealed in the next year or two are unlikely to be repealed later, since the Republicans could easily lose the Senate.That's one of the two parts of the ACA that Trump wants to keep, so I wouldn't worry too much at this point. Next year we'll see what actually gets changed, and anything that survives is unlikely to find a more harsh opposition after Trump.
I cannot even parse these words in any way to understand what you are saying. But the first actions of Congress are starting and they are dismantling ACA. And if they keep things like pre-existing conditions - insurance companies will go out of business without subsidies to account for taking people with pre-existing conditions. I think health insurance is going to be the single biggest issue I face in looking at ER. And - probably a few others here.
We just ticked off 80% of FIRE target...... or we are at 100% if we commit to spending 20% less lol....... or we are at 96% if we take a 5% WR..... or we could live in a cheaper home.... etc etc
Well, this is strange. I had dinner with a friend who told me he plans to retire the same year and month as me. I am decades younger. I wonder how he'll react.
I guess he will be happy to have a golf/ tennis/( any other fun activity of your choosing) partner.
Awesome! It's exciting to cross that FI threshold and realize you don't have to work anymore if you don't want to!
When I put my numbers together this year I realized that I could fire right then if I sold my home and moved someplace cheaper, and that security changed my attitude at work: I'm only working for something specific I want instead of just another day of paying the bills.
Sigh.....
This getting to FIRE is not easy.
I am having a bad week at work, so of course looked at my calculations to see whether I really need to continue to endure these bad weeks (thankfully not every week is so bad), but instead of reducing my number, I concluded it needed to be increased!!!!
I had not allowed for income taxes, which is a pretty big miss. My taxes will definitely be far less post FIRE, but not zero. I wish! I have decided I need to increase my number by 10% to create a pool of funds for taxes.
And with a firm FIRE date in mind I have adjusted my spending to be a bit more honest on inflation between today and FIRE. Costs will surely go up.
My FIRE number is getting massive! :(
I still hope to get there in 2019, but will need decent returns on my current stache to get there.
In my new calculations I have dropped from being at 20x to around 17x. Not what I wanted to read after getting a new hole torn in my rear by my boss.
I think I will need the full 3 years to get from 17x to 25x, so let's say my date is now 31 December 2019.
Three more years. Sh&t!!
Ugh. That stinks! Sorry.
On the bright side, better to know that now instead of later.
Any chance you can look for a new job?
Ok, Feb has arrived. How far did the first month of 2017 take us towards a 2019 FIRE?
Well, I don't want to brag too much, but I had a great Jan financially achieving a NW increase of around double what I need/ hoped for to get to my target in 2019.
Feb looks like it will also be a good month as well (as long as markets stay steady), as I will get paid a pretty decent bonus from my employer.
UN: Age at
FIRETarget
DateMissNancyPryor 50 Mar-19 Roboturner 30 Mar-19 Livingthedream55 59 May-19 cerat0n1a May-19 dude 54 May-19 SamIAm38 29 May-19 oldtoyota Jun-19 Itchyfeet 47 Jun-19 Enigma 39 Jul-19 Thedividebyzero 45 Jul-19 Trifele Aug-19 RetirementDreaming Sep-19 VoteCthulu Oct-19 trix76 43 Oct-19 markbike528CBX 55 Dec-19 HBFI 38 Dec-19 luckyme13 45 Dec-19 PhilB TBD Parizade TBD madamwitty 36 TBD Lowerbills TBD Chrissy TBD Gerard TBD getoutsoon 52 TBD ysette9 TBD elaine amj 40 TBD Iplawyer TBD Bateaux TBD
UN: Age at
FIRETarget
DateMissNancyPryor 50 Mar-19 Roboturner 30 Mar-19 Livingthedream55 59 May-19 cerat0n1a May-19 dude 54 May-19 SamIAm38 29 May-19 oldtoyota Jun-19 Itchyfeet 47 Jun-19 Enigma 39 Jul-19 Thedividebyzero 45 Jul-19 Trifele Aug-19 RetirementDreaming Sep-19 VoteCthulu Oct-19 trix76 43 Oct-19 markbike528CBX 55 Dec-19 HBFI 38 Dec-19 luckyme13 45 Dec-19 PhilB TBD Parizade TBD madamwitty 36 TBD Lowerbills TBD
Chrissy 42 Dec 2019
Gerard TBD getoutsoon 52 TBD ysette9 TBD elaine amj 40 TBD Iplawyer TBD Bateaux TBD
Most Righteous Alias | Age at FIRE | Target Date |
MissNancyPryor | 50 | Mar-19 |
Roboturner | 30 | Mar-19 |
Livingthedream55 | 59 | May-19 |
cerat0n1a | May-19 | |
dude | 54 | May-19 |
SamIAm38 | 29 | May-19 |
oldtoyota | Jun-19 | |
Itchyfeet | 47 | Jun-19 |
Enigma | 39 | Jul-19 |
Thedividebyzero | 45 | Jul-19 |
Trifele | Aug-19 | |
RetirementDreaming | Sep-19 | |
VoteCthulu | 39 | Oct-19 |
trix76 | 43 | Oct-19 |
markbike528CBX | 55 | Dec-19 |
HBFI | 38 | Dec-19 |
luckyme13 | 45 | Dec-19 |
PhilB | TBD | |
Parizade | TBD | |
madamwitty | 36 | TBD |
Lowerbills | TBD | |
Chrissy | 42 | TBD |
Gerard | TBD | |
getoutsoon | 52 | TBD |
ysette9 | TBD | |
elaine amj | 40 | TBD |
Iplawyer | TBD | |
Bateaux | TBD |
Most Righteous Alias Age at
FIRETarget
DateMissNancyPryor 50 Mar-19 Roboturner 30 Mar-19 Livingthedream55 59 May-19 cerat0n1a May-19 dude 54 May-19 SamIAm38 29 May-19 oldtoyota Jun-19 Itchyfeet 47 Jun-19 Enigma 39 Jul-19 Thedividebyzero 45 Jul-19 Trifele 52 Aug-19 RetirementDreaming Sep-19 VoteCthulu 39 Oct-19 trix76 43 Oct-19 markbike528CBX 55 Dec-19 HBFI 38 Dec-19 luckyme13 45 Dec-19 PhilB TBD Parizade TBD madamwitty 36 TBD Lowerbills TBD Chrissy 42 TBD Gerard TBD getoutsoon 52 TBD ysette9 TBD elaine amj 40 TBD Iplawyer TBD Bateaux TBD
Updated, corrected formatting.
Thanks Roboturner for starting this.
I had goals of doing this,but I was going to wait till 2018.
Most Righteous Alias | Age at FIRE | Target Date |
MissNancyPryor | 50 | Mar-19 |
Roboturner | 30 | Mar-19 |
Livingthedream55 | 59 | May-19 |
cerat0n1a | May-19 | |
dude | 54 | May-19 |
SamIAm38 | 29 | May-19 |
oldtoyota | Jun-19 | |
Itchyfeet | 47 | Jun-19 |
Enigma | 39 | Jul-19 |
Thedividebyzero | 45 | Jul-19 |
Trifele | 52 | Aug-19 |
RetirementDreaming | Sep-19 | |
VoteCthulu | 39 | Oct-19 |
trix76 | 43 | Oct-19 |
markbike528CBX | 55 | Dec-19 |
HBFI | 38 | Dec-19 |
luckyme13 | 45 | Dec-19 |
PhilB | 53 | Jun-19 |
Parizade | TBD | |
madamwitty | 36 | TBD |
Lowerbills | TBD | |
Chrissy | 42 | TBD |
Gerard | TBD | |
getoutsoon | 52 | TBD |
ysette9 | TBD | |
elaine amj | 40 | TBD |
Iplawyer | TBD | |
Bateaux | TBD |
Most Righteous Alias | Age at FIRE | Target Date |
MissNancyPryor | 50 | Mar-19 |
Roboturner | 30 | Mar-19 |
Livingthedream55 | 59 | May-19 |
cerat0n1a | May-19 | |
dude | 54 | May-19 |
SamIAm38 | 29 | May-19 |
oldtoyota | Jun-19 | |
Itchyfeet | 47 | Jun-19 |
powersuitrecall | 47 | Jul-19 |
Enigma | 39 | Jul-19 |
Thedividebyzero | 45 | Jul-19 |
Trifele | 52 | Aug-19 |
RetirementDreaming | Sep-19 | |
VoteCthulu | 39 | Oct-19 |
trix76 | 43 | Oct-19 |
markbike528CBX | 55 | Dec-19 |
HBFI | 38 | Dec-19 |
luckyme13 | 45 | Dec-19 |
PhilB | 53 | Jun-19 |
Parizade | TBD | |
madamwitty | 36 | TBD |
Lowerbills | TBD | |
Chrissy | 42 | TBD |
Gerard | TBD | |
getoutsoon | 52 | TBD |
ysette9 | TBD | |
elaine amj | 40 | TBD |
Iplawyer | TBD | |
Bateaux | TBD |
... but your wife doesn't share her financial situation with just you.
Most Righteous
AliasAge at
FIRETarget
DateMissNancyPryor 50 Mar-19 Roboturner 30 Mar-19 Luck12 41 Apr-19 Livingthedream55 59 May-19 cerat0n1a May-19 dude 54 May-19 SamIAm38 29 May-19 oldtoyota Jun-19 Itchyfeet 47 Jun-19 PhilB 53 Jun-19 powersuitrecall 47 Jul-19 Enigma 39 Jul-19 Thedividebyzero 45 Jul-19 Trifele 52 Aug-19 RetirementDreaming Sep-19 VoteCthulu 39 Oct-19 trix76 43 Oct-19 MoMan 55 Oct-19 markbike528CBX 55 Dec-19 HBFI 38 Dec-19 luckyme13 45 Dec-19 Parizade TBD madamwitty 36 TBD Lowerbills 40 TBD Chrissy 42 TBD Gerard TBD getoutsoon 52 TBD ysette9 TBD elaine amj 40 TBD Iplawyer TBD Bateaux TBD
Most Righteous Alias | Age at FIRE | Target Date |
zinnie | 35 | Feb-19 |
MissNancyPryor | 50 | Mar-19 |
Roboturner | 30 | Mar-19 |
Luck12 | 41 | Apr-19 |
Livingthedream55 | 59 | May-19 |
cerat0n1a | May-19 | |
dude | 54 | May-19 |
SamIAm38 | 29 | May-19 |
oldtoyota | Jun-19 | |
Itchyfeet | 47 | Jun-19 |
PhilB | 53 | Jun-19 |
powersuitrecall | 47 | Jul-19 |
Enigma | 39 | Jul-19 |
Thedividebyzero | 45 | Jul-19 |
Trifele | 52 | Aug-19 |
RetirementDreaming | Sep-19 | |
VoteCthulu | 39 | Oct-19 |
trix76 | 43 | Oct-19 |
MoMan | 55 | Oct-19 |
markbike528CBX | 55 | Dec-19 |
HBFI | 38 | Dec-19 |
luckyme13 | 45 | Dec-19 |
Parizade | TBD | |
madamwitty | 36 | TBD |
Lowerbills | 40 | TBD |
Chrissy | 42 | TBD |
Gerard | TBD | |
getoutsoon | 52 | TBD |
ysette9 | TBD | |
elaine amj | 40 | TBD |
Iplawyer | TBD | |
Bateaux | TBD |
I would love to play, but sadly the only way I could FIRE by 2019 would be winning the lotto ;)
I feel like I'm in 5 of these cohort threads, but it's honestly due to the unknowns between now and the goal.
Theoretically in a best case scenario, I could be very barebone FI by New Years Eve 2019. Which would cover rent, food, health, trans, and pretty much no discretionary spending.
Feel free to kick me out if I don't meet the criteria!
As of 2/1/2017 I am 11X current annual spend, 16.5X barebone FI spend.
Hi 2Birds1Stone,
Welcome! Of course we won't kick you out! Sometimes being in the cohort and setting a time-related goal can be an additional motivating factor. Who knows what is possible for you in the next two years? Have you ever done a case study? Any chance you can increase income/reduce expenses?
We are here to cheer you on!
: 0 )
Welcome Zinnie!! 2019 is going to be a lot of fun.
Though if the current market conditions hold a while longer, I suspect some of you early-2019 folks may be joining the 2018 group!
Bubble..... I am a helium balloon!!!!
I feel all of my investments are floating way above where they should be, and coninuying to accelerate into another planet.
I feel like a big wave surfer. I have been having in the green room for a while, just gathering info. Now I need to point my puny board down a massive wave and just hope it doesn't break on my back.
Welcome to the club, have a drink and then get back to work :)
Bubble..... I am a helium balloon!!!!
I feel all of my investments are floating way above where they should be, and coninuying to accelerate into another planet.
I feel like a big wave surfer. I have been having in the green room for a while, just gathering info. Now I need to point my puny board down a massive wave and just hope it doesn't break on my back.
Agreed! We're at the point where daily fluctuations in the market dwarf a full paycheck - nothing like putting a buy order in just to have the market drop a few points and *poof* that value is "gone" (not really, but still astounding!)
Helium balloon, yes! I don't think I was ready for 5-10k fluctuations on a daily basis. I guess I'll have to get used to it.^^-- A common Mustachian People Problem, but a good sign that you're well on the way to FIRE.
Helium balloon, yes! I don't think I was ready for 5-10k fluctuations on a daily basis. I guess I'll have to get used to it.^^-- A common Mustachian People Problem, but a good sign that you're well on the way to FIRE.
edit to change arrow direction for clarity
2019 group--how is your week going?
2019 group--how is your week going?
Same as usual, I alternate between thinking work isn't so bad and despairing at how unbearably long 950 days, 17 hours, 25 minutes and 3 seconds is before I can leave it.
Speaking of: what does everyone want to do when they retire? Mine: read, write, research, cook, learn languages, take classes, garden, sew/knit, travel, and spend time with [currently far away] family and old friends.
ysette9 TBD
Speaking of: what does everyone want to do when they retire? Mine: read, write, research, cook, learn languages, take classes, garden, sew/knit, travel, and spend time with [currently far away] family and old friends.
Woodworking!
... and using my woodworking projects. A few years ago I built a wooden, cedar strip canoe, and last summer I launched the 17 foot sailboat I built. I plan to go on more camping/boating trips when I FIRE in 2.58 years.
Otherwise, I want to up my industrial arts game: I bought a decent lathe last December and intend to create some really nice bowls, toys, and numerous gifts for friends (just listen for the tree trimmers' chainsaws in the neighborhood and the material is free!!). I also want to learn to weld, sew, upholster and whatever other skills I can absorb for cheap.
I also want to beef up my bike riding.
... and to add to that posting, I plan to do a lot of house cleaning/home improvement projects. One of my goals is to make DW pleased that I am RE. The last time I changed jobs, I used my 5 weeks of accumulated vacation to do just that: organized closets, built some cabinets and a new gate. I plan to go through the house and pick one room at a time and completely scrub it down and organize everything. My home office is an absolute pit right now. But I hate the thought of using ANY of my precious, limited time off (while still working) to tackle this shit. So when I retire, that will become part of my routine. I want DW to brag to her co-workers/friends/family that she comes home to pleasant surprises on a routine basis.
This is becoming a concern of mine.....most of my motivation for FIRE has been that I am exhausted from working stupid hours, and I just want the freedom to do whatever whenever....
The problem is I don't really have a whatever planned.
I do have a big trip planned which might take a year- 18 months.
I have actually added up all my travel related Ambitions and it is about 5 years worth non stop and given that I reckon we will only travel around 3 months a year, and I think my current list is only half of what I'll end up wanting to do, I suppose I have a good 40 years of travel related adventures ahead of me at 3 months a year.
I know I want to get fit again and I don't think motivation will be a problem once I am not so exhausted from work.
I know I don't want to spend my days watching tv and have told DW if I find myself watching a lot
Of TV I'll just go back to work.
My friends will be at work so I won't be able to count of them for entertainment.
I could definitely seeing DW and I doing some charity volunteering.
DW is quite keen on having a hobby farm... not sure I am on board with that.
I was quite involved with a sports club before work swallowed my life. I might commit some time to that as long as I can stay mostly clear of the politics.
I will read and could see myself studying.
I definitely want to hike and camp a lot.
Maybe I'll even seeknout a little consulting work in my current field.... but on my terms.
I would like to give my parents a hand maintaining their place as they are getting old.
I'd be happy to coach my nephew's or niece's basketball team... if they'd have me.
Maybe I'll just go fishing....
How did you learn woodworking? My husband and I have been dabbling in this recently--did a dining room table and a coffee table, but they were all very simple plans. Making a canoe and sailboat sounds like you have quite the skillset! I've been watching this woodworking show on PBS recently and I'm amazed at everything he makes. It seems like sort of a lost art, and the guy on this show doesn't even use any power tools, but it looks really satisfying.
How did you learn woodworking? My husband and I have been dabbling in this recently--did a dining room table and a coffee table, but they were all very simple plans. Making a canoe and sailboat sounds like you have quite the skillset! I've been watching this woodworking show on PBS recently and I'm amazed at everything he makes. It seems like sort of a lost art, and the guy on this show doesn't even use any power tools, but it looks really satisfying.
Sounds like Roy Underhill on The Woodwright Shop! He does some really cool stuff, all with hand/human powered tools; super impressive. I like that they don't do much editing, so you get to see his failures and mistakes too.
I took my first woodworking class in junior high, and continued on through high school. It's sad that so many schools have phased out industrial arts classes. I also worked for a home remodeling crew during college. From there I progressed to making some of my own furniture and such using plans from The New Yankee Workshop (a PBS show that ended about 10 years ago).
Building boats is actually fairly easy, but they are long term projects. You need patience and perseverance for the most part, and a good design/plans that match your skill set. I ended up using hand tools at least, if not more than, power tools.
BTW VoteCthulu, I am about 3/4 of the way thru LivingaFI's blog; just finished the Work Experience postings. Holy Hell. I have absolutely NOTHING worth complaining about at my cushy job (and yet, I still do, but only privately).
BTW VoteCthulu, I am about 3/4 of the way thru LivingaFI's blog; just finished the Work Experience postings. Holy Hell. I have absolutely NOTHING worth complaining about at my cushy job (and yet, I still do, but only privately).
That work series is one of the best blogs I've ever read. So good!
Hoping for an early retirement incentive at my job (I've seen them offered every couple of years or so - last one was this fall but the numbers were not yet right for me - and financially not really generous - - but I hope I can land a little bonus next round if it's offered anywhere near my projected FIRE date)I wish our company didn't require age 55+ for their early retirement packages, but I'm not going to stick around that long.
... but I have 933 days left.
Some days I feel like I'm just coasting and 2019 will be here before I know it. Others, I feel like I can't stand to spend one more day sitting in my office staring at my computer. Every morning I get immersed in something I really want to finish, only to have to drop it to get to work on time. I wish I could find a way to extract more hours from a day, somehow. My problem isn't so much that I have to go to work, it's just that there isn't enough time for both work AND life. Right now my life just feels like it is always in various stages of incomplete. All of my good ideas and projects are just waiting for some later date when I'll actually have the time to finish them. Because no matter how engaged I am in something, when the clock hits a certain time I have to stop and head to work.
I've been vacillating between quitting now to take a year off, and sticking it out. When I do the math and look at how much taking a year off would set me back, the obvious choice is to stay. But when I have a long, exhausting day at work like I did today, where even once I'm free I can't do much except relax and fall asleep early, it just feels like too much wasted life.
Some days I feel like I'm just coasting and 2019 will be here before I know it. Others, I feel like I can't stand to spend one more day sitting in my office staring at my computer. Every morning I get immersed in something I really want to finish, only to have to drop it to get to work on time. I wish I could find a way to extract more hours from a day, somehow. My problem isn't so much that I have to go to work, it's just that there isn't enough time for both work AND life. Right now my life just feels like it is always in various stages of incomplete. All of my good ideas and projects are just waiting for some later date when I'll actually have the time to finish them. Because no matter how engaged I am in something, when the clock hits a certain time I have to stop and head to work.
I've been vacillating between quitting now to take a year off, and sticking it out. When I do the math and look at how much taking a year off would set me back, the obvious choice is to stay. But when I have a long, exhausting day at work like I did today, where even once I'm free I can't do much except relax and fall asleep early, it just feels like too much wasted life.
Zinnie,
How about taking some time off now (soon)?
I feel much the same, zinnie, but I'm pretty sure that if I took a year off there's no way I'd ever go back to an office job, so I'm going to stick it out. Others might take a year off and be energized and refreshed by it, so you'll have to do what's right for you.
Time is racing by. Sorry I haven't provided dates and age. Make it June 2019 at age 50. Stash is growing quick. Pretty much up to what goes on with health-care now. I've saved plenty enough (1.5M) to cover voluntary spending. For the next two years I'm building an additional health care stash of (500k). We have about 300k to go and we are building at a rate of $500 daily now.
I feel much the same, zinnie, but I'm pretty sure that if I took a year off there's no way I'd ever go back to an office job, so I'm going to stick it out. Others might take a year off and be energized and refreshed by it, so you'll have to do what's right for you.
I feel much the same, zinnie, but I'm pretty sure that if I took a year off there's no way I'd ever go back to an office job, so I'm going to stick it out. Others might take a year off and be energized and refreshed by it, so you'll have to do what's right for you.
+2. I feel the same as Zinnie. I too have a fantastic job, great job, great co-workers. And yet I am really struggling. 2019 feels soooo far away when you feel like this. But I am with you VoteCthulu -- I feel like if I stopped now I would never go back. So like Dory in Finding Nemo, I repeat to myself "Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming,"
I feel much the same, zinnie, but I'm pretty sure that if I took a year off there's no way I'd ever go back to an office job, so I'm going to stick it out. Others might take a year off and be energized and refreshed by it, so you'll have to do what's right for you.
+2. I feel the same as Zinnie. I too have a fantastic job, great job, great co-workers. And yet I am really struggling. 2019 feels soooo far away when you feel like this. But I am with you VoteCthulu -- I feel like if I stopped now I would never go back. So like Dory in Finding Nemo, I repeat to myself "Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming,"
Glad I'm not the only one. And I love your motto--thanks! I'll use it today :)
Can you explain more about your plan with the mortgage and "safe investments"? I'm not sure I follow--is the idea just to have enough that you could pay off the mortgage if you wanted to, but you won't actually pay it off?Yes, that's exactly the idea. For peace of mind, have it earning modest returns but not 100% stock market where half of it could disappear from one month to the next.
I'd never heard of Seychelles before, but it looks like a tropical paradise! I wish my work brought me there instead of the poluted industrial cities I normally spend most of my trips in.
799 days to go!
It feels like 2 years is going to be the big milestone, then at 1 year I open negotiations with the boss to see if they are interested in me doing a couple of days a week working from home, school terms only. If they say no, I just give them 12 months notice then retire completely. If they say yes then I'll try it for a few years while the kids are still in high school. I hope this won't get me thrown out by the internet retirement police!
Yes, I feel your anxiety. My investable assets are on the brink of the $1M mark after the incredible run up this past year. And I know that the markets are due for a correction of some sorts. I have to remind (convince?) myself that when it inevitably happens, regardless, my portfolio will eventually recover. But for the time being, I'm feeling a little smug ... especially because I ignored a financial advisor who told me my portfolio is pretty aggressive for my retirement goal.
Most Righteous Alias | Age at FIRE | Target Date | Date Confirmed |
2Birds1Stone | Jan-19 | ||
zinnie | 35 | Feb-19 | |
MissNancyPryor | 50 | Mar-19 | |
Roboturner | 30 | Mar-19 | |
Luck12 | 41 | Apr-19 | |
albireo13 | 61 | May-1-19 | |
Livingthedream55 | 59 | May-19 | |
cerat0n1a | May-19 | ||
dude | 54 | May-19 | |
SamIAm38 | 29 | May-19 | |
oldtoyota | Jun-19 | ||
Itchyfeet | 47 | Jun-19 | |
PhilB | 53 | Jun-19 | |
Bateaux | 50 | Jun-19 | |
CryingInThePool | 44 | Jun-19 | |
powersuitrecall | 47 | Jul-19 | |
Enigma | 39 | Jul-19 | |
Thedividebyzero | 45 | Jul-19 | |
Trifele | 52 | Aug-19 | |
RetirementDreaming | Sep-19 | ||
VoteCthulu | 39 | Oct-19 | |
trix76 | 43 | Oct-19 | |
MoMan | 55 | Oct-19 | |
markbike528CBX | 55 | Dec-19 | |
HBFI | 38 | Dec-19 | |
luckyme13 | 45 | Dec-19 | |
Parizade | TBD | ||
madamwitty | 36 | TBD | |
Lowerbills | 40 | TBD | |
Chrissy | 42 | TBD | |
Gerard | TBD | ||
getoutsoon | 52 | TBD | |
ysette9 | 38 | late-19TBD | |
elaine amj | 40 | TBD | |
Iplawyer | TBD | ||
Chairman | TBD-SemiFire |
Hey, I just notice I'm the oldest guy on the list!
I'm working on FI but, won't make the RE part.
Updated table
Most Righteous
AliasAge at
FIRETarget
DateDate Confirmed
2Birds1Stone Jan-19 zinnie 35 Feb-19 MissNancyPryor 50 Mar-19 Roboturner 30 Mar-19 Luck12 41 Apr-19 albireo13 61 May-1-19 Livingthedream55 59 May-19 cerat0n1a May-19 dude 54 May-19 SamIAm38 29 May-19 oldtoyota Jun-19 Itchyfeet 47 Jun-19 PhilB 53 Jun-19 Bateaux 50 Jun-19 CryingInThePool 44 Jun-19 powersuitrecall 47 Jul-19 Enigma 39 Jul-19 Thedividebyzero 45 Jul-19 Trifele 52 Aug-19 RetirementDreaming Sep-19 VoteCthulu 39 Oct-19 trix76 43 Oct-19 MoMan 55 Oct-19 markbike528CBX 55 Dec-19 HBFI 38 Dec-19 luckyme13 45 Dec-19 Parizade TBD madamwitty 36 TBD Lowerbills 40 TBD Chrissy 42 TBD Gerard TBD getoutsoon 52 TBD ysette9 38 late-19TBD elaine amj 40 TBD Iplawyer TBD Chairman TBD-SemiFire
Edit to add confirm date in case someone graduates early.
Each work day is becoming more and more of a grind. It's not hard or unpleasant or stressful, it's just that I have to be HERE and not somewhere else of my choosing every damn week day. I feel a bit like a prisoner ...
Looks like my kind of crowd! I'm joining in! Here's my info: Cornbread OMalley/42/August 2019
Most Righteous
AliasAge at
FIRETarget
DateDate Confirmed
2Birds1Stone Jan-19 zinnie 35 Feb-19 MissNancyPryor 50 Mar-19 Roboturner 30 Mar-19 Luck12 41 Apr-19 albireo13 61 May-1-19 Livingthedream55 59 May-19 cerat0n1a May-19 dude 54 May-19 SamIAm38 29 May-19 oldtoyota Jun-19 Itchyfeet 47 Jun-19 PhilB 53 Jun-19 Bateaux 50 Jun-19 CryingInThePool 44 Jun-19 powersuitrecall 47 Jul-19 Enigma 39 Jul-19 Thedividebyzero 45 Jul-19 Trifele 52 Aug-19 RetirementDreaming Sep-19 VoteCthulu 39 Oct-19 trix76 43 Oct-19 MoMan 55 Oct-19 markbike528CBX 55 Dec-19 HBFI 38 Dec-19 luckyme13 45 Dec-19 Parizade TBD madamwitty 36 TBD Lowerbills 40 TBD Chrissy 42 TBD Gerard TBD getoutsoon 52 TBD ysette9 38 late-19TBD elaine amj 40 TBD Iplawyer TBD Chairman TBD-SemiFire
Edit to add confirm date in case someone graduates early.
Welcome, Cornbread!Thanks! I hear you on that full-time vacation! The last 24 months have seen me go through a transformation from learning about this FI stuff. The education combined with a declining office environment has got my mindset similar to yours in regards to working. The good news is the next two years will go by fast.
This morning I was finally allowed to sell some stock options after a long blackout period, and bumped myself up into January 2019. It was also the first day back after a three-week vacation, and I had 381 unread emails, which just reinforced how ready I am to be on vacation full-time.
Just over 20 months left.
Welcome, Cornbread!Thanks! I hear you on that full-time vacation! The last 24 months have seen me go through a transformation from learning about this FI stuff. The education combined with a declining office environment has got my mindset similar to yours in regards to working. The good news is the next two years will go by fast.
This morning I was finally allowed to sell some stock options after a long blackout period, and bumped myself up into January 2019. It was also the first day back after a three-week vacation, and I had 381 unread emails, which just reinforced how ready I am to be on vacation full-time.
Just over 20 months left.
Has anyone else noticed how quickly the stash grows towards the end? I can now grow it more in a year than I did in my first 10 years. That is very sobering and now I more completely understand OMY syndrome. I feel like I owe it my very hard working younger self. I look back at how much I sacrificed in the beginning. It kind of makes me sad. And endlessly grateful to my former self. Wish I could go back and give a hug.
Yes, my NW chart looks exponential as well.Same here. The rate at which the stash now grows is astounding. The amount that I invested while I was in my 20s was a pittance compared to how much I invest now. But money I invested during my 20s is now doing all the work. I definitely had the mindset of traditional retirement and had my fun up to age 36 when the idea of FIRE crept into my mind, became full blown at age 38, and changed how I thought about retirement. Changed my life.
Contrary to the thinking in the Early Retirement blogosphere I am glad I didn't spend my 20s worrying about money when I had so little. I was being paid chicken feed compared to my 30s. In my 30s I started to have real money to worry about.
Yes, the growth rate recently has been astounding. Combine a good-sized 'stache with some big market days and it can grow $10k overnight!!
I too feel grateful about how I spent my time and money in my 20s and 30s. I graduated college with a small student loan balance (felt enormous at the time) and found a low-paying job at a nonprofit. That forced me to live cheap, but I was still having fun going camping and backpacking with friends. Fortunately, I maintained much of that frugal lifestyle so I could ramp up my savings to buy a house. I also took a job in the financial industry to get an education in personal finance. The whole thing has really paid off and I'm now pretty set for FIRE.
My situation is a wee different. I guess I should be cohort 2017, but I'm in the military and have a service obligation until 2019, which means I cannot truly add the 'RE' part to the 'FI' part until 2019. Basically I just have to suck it up in the office environs for another two years before I'm done and free. But it's not all bad as I have the advantage of taking my steady paycheck and over the next two years aggressively padding my stash. And the big prize at 20 years of service is the annual pension of roughly $40K paid out for the rest of my life.
Always lived way below my means and always saved.
Always lived way below my means and always saved.
Discovering MMM was like discovering my own species! It has really helped me fine tune what I was already doing and adjust my perspective on spending and happiness.
Always lived way below my means and always saved.
Well, I wish I could say "always"! The truth is, about a dozen years ago I started telling myself, "I deserve this"; "I'm making $XX so I can afford it" etc. for my car, ski trips, tools, etc. Then I had an epiphany while sitting in traffic in my Infinity SUV:
"Wait a minute. I'm really hating my job, and instead of making me happier, this $38,000 SUV is making me more miserable because now I have to stay at the job I hate to pay for this SUV. And even worse, the SUV doesn't solve one of the worst aspects of my job: sitting in 2 mph bumper-to-bumper traffic." Within the year I sold the SUV and bought a new (facepunch) Subaru Outback for about $23k (still driving it). Paid it off in3 years. In the meantime, I took a 25% paycut for a job that made me much happier (thanks FU money!!). And that, ironically, is when the 'stache really started to grow. That was around 2005-2008. I work in the financial industry, so fortunately I knew enough not to panic in 2009 but instead, keep on keeping on.
Discovering MMM was like discovering my own species! It has really helped me fine tune what I was already doing and adjust my perspective on spending and happiness.
Always lived way below my means and always saved.
Discovering MMM was like discovering my own species! It has really helped me fine tune what I was already doing and adjust my perspective on spending and happiness.
+1. I only discovered MMM three years ago, but am now very close to FIRE. These folks are my tribe.
... health benefits too, right?I have to research more into the health benefits. It's not totally free, but I don't have the numbers on annual costs for us military retirees. I'll be doing another financial evaluation on myself in the coming months after I do my homework into the healthcare side of things. I was of the mindset of traditional retirement at age 65 until I read MMM two years ago. It was introduced to me by a friend and was probably one of the most pivotal moments in my life. My friend also hit the seven-digit milestone a few weeks ago!
There's something about REing at the half year mark that gives me a little thrill around the idea that 2018 is the last full calendar year of employment.
There's something about REing at the half year mark that gives me a little thrill around the idea that 2018 is the last full calendar year of employment.
That thought absolutely made my day, thanks CITP. Somehow the last half of this year, one final full year and then the first half of 2019 seems a lot shorter than '2 years to go'!
Despite having a date out here on the internet, it now seems more official, now that I've informed my boss.
The warnings about informing my boss of my plans on one of the Post-FIRE threads didn't worry me to much.
a) getting passed over for promotions ---meh
b) not getting raises - meh-- no one here is getting raises in the foreseeable future anyway
c) getting laid off early - Whoohoo! Bring it ON!
d) bad blood with boss - I got nothing but a wistful jealousy.
Trifele:
It's not really a "notice", just a heads up to a nice boss.
Mostly is meh--- I just wanted to have a situation where I DON'T need to "create drama" ie. not fire-escape epic as above in this thread.
We are pretty much at a FIRE number. See line c)
I didn't surprise my boss much, as I had previously had a talk that didn't have a exact date in it.
My boss it pretty reasonable, but the senior leadership is not. They recently screwed over a couple of great people who gave extended notice, so in my opinion they deserve no notice from me at all. I'll still probably give 2 weeks, though, but only for my own peace of mind.Trifele:
It's not really a "notice", just a heads up to a nice boss.
Mostly is meh--- I just wanted to have a situation where I DON'T need to "create drama" ie. not fire-escape epic as above in this thread.
We are pretty much at a FIRE number. See line c)
I didn't surprise my boss much, as I had previously had a talk that didn't have a exact date in it.
Ah! Got it. I have a great boss too, so I may go this route and give a super long heads up. Glad it went well!
They recently screwed over a couple of great people who gave extended notice, so in my opinion they deserve no notice from me at all.
Yeah, I like my immediate bosses pretty well and would like to give them a month's notice, but it is critical to my plan that I be employed on my 55th birthday to qualify for the healthcare benefit. I can just see HR escorting me out the door when I'm 54 years, 11 1/2 months old to save MegaCorp a nickel.
Yeah, I like my immediate bosses pretty well and would like to give them a month's notice, but it is critical to my plan that I be employed on my 55th birthday to qualify for the healthcare benefit. I can just see HR escorting me out the door when I'm 54 years, 11 1/2 months old to save MegaCorp a nickel.
I also have to be 55.01 yrs to be "retired". I'm not sure how that translates to the "retiree health insurance rates". There is seemingly contradictory info in the policies (how it stretches to Medicare). If 55 doesn't really mean I would get insurance rates, we might be looking at TLY (Two Less Years), as the retiree rates are the thin thread that has my date pinned at 12/01/19.
MoMan, give a months notice the day after your 55th B-day, that way you are covered.
Carefully taking a look into this thread. When running our own numbers, it seems to be possible to semi-FIRE in 2019. DH agreed with me on this.
And it would only require working 50% for a year or 2 before we could full time FIRE. Working 50% would also feel like a good step into the right direction.
For the record, I'm born in 73 and my DH in 70 so we would be under 50 at semi-FIRE.
Norway sounds like an expensive place to live...Very expensive place indeed. I plan to revisit in the future to hike more of the fjords.
Welcome to the thread Linda! I have seen many of your posts and admire your discipline. Norway sounds like an expensive place to live, and it probably takes that kind of discipline to grow the 'stache. It is great that you are both in a position to semi-FIRE first.
Didn't see a 2019 fire cohort here yet. Thread started.
Goal Nov 2019 (we finish turning 55).
Mortgage and late-life student loans will be paid off, a key gatekeeper.
We could be FIRED before, but 2019 seems a reasonable goal.
Didn't see a 2019 fire cohort here yet. Thread started.
Goal Nov 2019 (we finish turning 55).
Mortgage and late-life student loans will be paid off, a key gatekeeper.
We could be FIRED before, but 2019 seems a reasonable goal.
Question for those that, upon reading MMM, decided when to FIRE: did you change the way you spend? or did you simply decide that the 4% SWR was a "law" and based your FIRE date on that?
I am curious whether or not most folks on this site truly changed the way they lived (spending $2/person/meal, biking everywhere, etc.) or if they simply feel more comfortable knowing when they are "safe" to retire.
Question for those that, upon reading MMM, decided when to FIRE: did you change the way you spend? or did you simply decide that the 4% SWR was a "law" and based your FIRE date on that?
I am curious whether or not most folks on this site truly changed the way they lived (spending $2/person/meal, biking everywhere, etc.) or if they simply feel more comfortable knowing when they are "safe" to retire.
Question for those that, upon reading MMM, decided when to FIRE: did you change the way you spend? or did you simply decide that the 4% SWR was a "law" and based your FIRE date on that?
I am curious whether or not most folks on this site truly changed the way they lived (spending $2/person/meal, biking everywhere, etc.) or if they simply feel more comfortable knowing when they are "safe" to retire.
I'm going to join y'all's cohort group. Barring a major economic meltdown, I think it's a near certainty that I'm going to pull the plug in 2019. Hopefully earlier than later. :)
Question for those that, upon reading MMM, decided when to FIRE: did you change the way you spend? or did you simply decide that the 4% SWR was a "law" and based your FIRE date on that?Not much changed in what we spent as we were always reasonably frugal and very much 'second marshmallow' people. What changed was my understanding of the relationship between money, spending and happiness and MMM got me to really look at the question 'Will x% more money make me y% happier?'. Being comfortable with the answer to that is what's making early retirement feasible.
I am curious whether or not most folks on this site truly changed the way they lived (spending $2/person/meal, biking everywhere, etc.) or if they simply feel more comfortable knowing when they are "safe" to retire.
Question for those that, upon reading MMM, decided when to FIRE: did you change the way you spend? or did you simply decide that the 4% SWR was a "law" and based your FIRE date on that?Not much changed in what we spent as we were always reasonably frugal and very much 'second marshmallow' people. What changed was my understanding of the relationship between money, spending and happiness and MMM got me to really look at the question 'Will x% more money make me y% happier?'. Being comfortable with the answer to that is what's making early retirement feasible.
I am curious whether or not most folks on this site truly changed the way they lived (spending $2/person/meal, biking everywhere, etc.) or if they simply feel more comfortable knowing when they are "safe" to retire.
The first kid is coming soon so i am being overly cautious. i am also learning that my wife can accept reducing our costs but will probably cut my throat before letting me push mustachianism on our newborn.
The first kid is coming soon...
Today i spent time researching "cord cutting".Am I the only one who put these two together reading wannabe-stache's post and got entirely the wrong idea?
The first kid is coming soon...QuoteToday i spent time researching "cord cutting".Am I the only one who put these two together reading wannabe-stache's post and got entirely the wrong idea?
The first kid is coming soon...QuoteToday i spent time researching "cord cutting".Am I the only one who put these two together reading wannabe-stache's post and got entirely the wrong idea?
DIY is the MMM way!
Question for those that, upon reading MMM, decided when to FIRE: did you change the way you spend? or did you simply decide that the 4% SWR was a "law" and based your FIRE date on that?I totally changed my spending when I read MMM. I stopped buying little knick-knacks, started biking and walking more, reduced drinking, reduced eating out, etc. I trimmed off excess spending and got a baseline of what I needed to FIRE, compared that to my streams of income, and found I was in an excellent position. Totally changed my perspective on things because before MMM I was on the path to traditional retirement at age 65. I was introduced to MMM by a friend, and I later called to personally thank her. I use the 4% SWR as a guide and am building in flexibility in my finances before I pull the plug.
I am curious whether or not most folks on this site truly changed the way they lived (spending $2/person/meal, biking everywhere, etc.) or if they simply feel more comfortable knowing when they are "safe" to retire.
Didn't see a 2019 fire cohort here yet. Thread started.
Goal Nov 2019 (we finish turning 55).
Mortgage and late-life student loans will be paid off, a key gatekeeper.
We could be FIRED before, but 2019 seems a reasonable goal.
Question for those that, upon reading MMM, decided when to FIRE: did you change the way you spend? or did you simply decide that the 4% SWR was a "law" and based your FIRE date on that?
I am curious whether or not most folks on this site truly changed the way they lived (spending $2/person/meal, biking everywhere, etc.) or if they simply feel more comfortable knowing when they are "safe" to retire.
We have been saving A LOT each year by doing nothing special. So no, we won't be changing our lifestyle. Although I am motivated to save some extra now, knowing that the goal is near. Early retirement is something my DH suggested before, as we saved about 1 net spending amount a year. We discussed that each year working would lead to one year earlier retirement. But I had no idea of when to really be able to retire, until I read about the 4% rule and read about people like us doing this for real.
Question for those that, upon reading MMM, decided when to FIRE: did you change the way you spend? or did you simply decide that the 4% SWR was a "law" and based your FIRE date on that?
I am curious whether or not most folks on this site truly changed the way they lived (spending $2/person/meal, biking everywhere, etc.) or if they simply feel more comfortable knowing when they are "safe" to retire.
I check in now and again on the 2017 FIRE thread. It is super inspiring, watching them actually pull the trigger one by one and mark themselves as "confirmed FIREd" on the member list. Love it!
I check in now and again on the 2017 FIRE thread. It is super inspiring, watching them actually pull the trigger one by one and mark themselves as "confirmed FIREd" on the member list. Love it!
Agreed! Makes me what to leave this cohort and move to the 2017 crowd.
Most Righteous Alias | Age at FIRE | Target Date | Date Confirmed |
2Birds1Stone | Jan-19 | ||
zinnie | 35 | Feb-19 | |
MissNancyPryor | 50 | Mar-19 | |
Roboturner | 30 | Mar-19 | |
TartanTallulah | 55 | Mar-19 | |
Luck12 | 41 | Apr-19 | |
albireo13 | 61 | May-1-19 | |
Livingthedream55 | 59 | May-19 | |
cerat0n1a | May-19 | ||
dude | 54 | May-19 | |
SamIAm38 | 29 | May-19 | |
oldtoyota | Jun-19 | ||
Itchyfeet | 47 | Jun-19 | |
PhilB | 53 | Jun-19 | |
Bateaux | 50 | Jun-19 | |
CryingInThePool | 44 | Jun-19 | |
powersuitrecall | 47 | Jul-19 | |
Enigma | 39 | Jul-19 | |
Thedividebyzero | 45 | Jul-19 | |
Trifele | 52 | Aug-19 | |
Cornbread OMalley | 42 | Aug-19 | |
RetirementDreaming | Sep-19 | ||
VoteCthulu | 39 | Oct-19 | |
trix76 | 43 | Oct-19 | |
MoMan | 55 | Oct-19 | |
markbike528CBX | 55 | Dec-19 | |
HBFI | 38 | Dec-19 | |
luckyme13 | 45 | Dec-19 | |
Parizade | TBD | ||
madamwitty | 36 | TBD | |
Lowerbills | 40 | TBD | |
Chrissy | 42 | TBD | |
Gerard | TBD | ||
getoutsoon | 52 | TBD | |
ysette9 | 38 | late-19TBD | |
elaine amj | 40 | TBD | |
Iplawyer | TBD | ||
Chairman | TBD-SemiFire |
And made me think, "How little could we live on? How much more than that do we want enough to work and save for it now? How quickly can we have that much without me doing my current job? What strategies are available to us?"
And made me think, "How little could we live on? How much more than that do we want enough to work and save for it now? How quickly can we have that much without me doing my current job? What strategies are available to us?"
For our FIRE plans, we haven't really asked the question: how little could we live on. Although I asked it a little bit, we have counted on using in FIRE as much as we are using today. My DH says we need to calculate that we might want to travel more, so we shouldn't budget too tightly. But we will need to watch that we don't develop expensive habits after FIRE that make us use more money than we do today.
I was in the 2020 FIRE cohort but I'll lurk here as I might be FIREing early. As a couple, our net worth is now $1.5M and my husband has realized that he only needs to work 40 hours per month to cover our expenses. He doesn't want to retire but is starting to acknowledge that it's getting more difficult to keep up his customary 35 hours/week 'table time' (he's a massage therapist). I, on the other hand, am ready to 'run for the hills' right now.
I did a cFIREsim calculation last week, and the probability of success starts to dip slightly below 100% once our annual expenses reach $70K/yr. Since our actual expenses are around $55K right now, with an oversize expensive house, that was very encouraging. My biggest concern is the bridging financing to get us from where we are now (I'm 49, he's 56) to when our pensions kick in (federal and very small government pension for me).
It's still seems unreal that FIRE is on the horizon. I don't have any real life role models so finding the MMM community has been inspiring and reassuring.
I did a cFIREsim calculation last week, and the probability of success starts to dip slightly below 100% once our annual expenses reach $70K/yr. Since our actual expenses are around $55K right now, with an oversize expensive house, that was very encouraging. My biggest concern is the bridging financing to get us from where we are now (I'm 49, he's 56) to when our pensions kick in (federal and very small government pension for me).
It's still seems unreal that FIRE is on the horizon. I don't have any real life role models so finding the MMM community has been inspiring and reassuring.
...... My biggest concern is the bridging financing to get us from where we are now (I'm 49, he's 56) to when our pensions kick in (federal and very small government pension for me).
......... I don't have any real life role models so finding the MMM community has been inspiring and reassuring.
The bridging financing (in my case, from 55 until I take my occupational pension at 60, and then making up the difference until I can claim my state pension at 67) is the bit I'm finding most challenging too. Finding the best sequence to get the right amount of income each year while minimising the total amount lost to taxation is a satisfying mathematical puzzle, and one I can influence even this late on by the investment choices I make. I'm tempted to put up a case study because I think I'll come up with the definitive "right" answer but there are some fearsome financial brains on this website and I'm open to different solutions.
The bridging financing (in my case, from 55 until I take my occupational pension at 60, and then making up the difference until I can claim my state pension at 67) is the bit I'm finding most challenging too. Finding the best sequence to get the right amount of income each year while minimising the total amount lost to taxation is a satisfying mathematical puzzle, and one I can influence even this late on by the investment choices I make. I'm tempted to put up a case study because I think I'll come up with the definitive "right" answer but there are some fearsome financial brains on this website and I'm open to different solutions.
The bridging financing (in my case, from 55 until I take my occupational pension at 60, and then making up the difference until I can claim my state pension at 67) is the bit I'm finding most challenging too. Finding the best sequence to get the right amount of income each year while minimising the total amount lost to taxation is a satisfying mathematical puzzle, and one I can influence even this late on by the investment choices I make. I'm tempted to put up a case study because I think I'll come up with the definitive "right" answer but there are some fearsome financial brains on this website and I'm open to different solutions.
I'm assuming that this in the UK and so talk of IRAs and 401ks is not going to help?
If so, presumably a SIPP is your best bet? You can access it at 55 (plans to up that to 57, but it hasn't happened yet and even if the plan goes ahead, it won't affect you.) Whatever contribution you make gets grossed up by the government. So if you're a nil rate or 20% income tax payer and you contribute £1000, your pension is credited with £1250. If you're a higher rate tax payer, your pension still ends up with £1250, but you reclaim the rest on your tax return. You can take a 25% lump sum at 55, free of tax and then withdraw the rest between 55 & 60 - although that would potentially involve paying income tax.
I've also opened a SIPP for my spouse, who doesn't take much interest in financial matters and doesn't earn enough to pay income tax, because the tax treatment is advantageous for non-taxpayers
There is a big sticky thread on that on the TAXES subforum.
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/investor-alley/how-to-withdraw-funds-from-your-ira-and-401k-without-penalty-before-age-59-5/
Tl:Dr --- if you've "over filled" your IRA etc, you can take it out early at the same (retirement) tax rate that you would if you were over 59.5.
I'm in a kinda funny situation at work. A while ago I applied for a promotion pool and have been going through the process (Resume --> Exam --> Interview). It's all competency based and very procedural. i.e. long and painful. Given that I'm 2 years away from RE, being promoted at this point wouldn't hasten my departure by much. On paper I'll get there a couple of weeks ahead, a month at most.
I've had many inner conversations between career-man: "You need this! It's important!" and RE-man: "Why are you going through this terrible process! RE is in the bag! Work sucks! Let someone else have this! You don't need more money!".
At this point career-man seems to be winning. I want it. Maybe it's desire for external validation, or wanting to achieve something in my last 2 years. Regardless, I know it's not for the money, and that is a nice feeling.
I'm in a kinda funny situation at work. A while ago I applied for a promotion pool and have been going through the process (Resume --> Exam --> Interview). It's all competency based and very procedural. i.e. long and painful. Given that I'm 2 years away from RE, being promoted at this point wouldn't hasten my departure by much. On paper I'll get there a couple of weeks ahead, a month at most.
I've had many inner conversations between career-man: "You need this! It's important!" and RE-man: "Why are you going through this terrible process! RE is in the bag! Work sucks! Let someone else have this! You don't need more money!".
At this point career-man seems to be winning. I want it. Maybe it's desire for external validation, or wanting to achieve something in my last 2 years. Regardless, I know it's not for the money, and that is a nice feeling.
I'm in a kinda funny situation at work. A while ago I applied for a promotion pool and have been going through the process (Resume --> Exam --> Interview). It's all competency based and very procedural. i.e. long and painful. Given that I'm 2 years away from RE, being promoted at this point wouldn't hasten my departure by much. On paper I'll get there a couple of weeks ahead, a month at most.
I've had many inner conversations between career-man: "You need this! It's important!" and RE-man: "Why are you going through this terrible process! RE is in the bag! Work sucks! Let someone else have this! You don't need more money!".
At this point career-man seems to be winning. I want it. Maybe it's desire for external validation, or wanting to achieve something in my last 2 years. Regardless, I know it's not for the money, and that is a nice feeling.
How very liberating, to be able to choose to jump through hoops to win promotion at work instead of feeling as if you need to because of the money or the career progression. When all is said and done, you'll only get it if you are the best person.
Maybe this is what post-RE work will feel like, but a level up. As in, we will only do things resembling work if something substantial but non-monetary can be gained from it ... i.e. fun!
Maybe this is what post-RE work will feel like, but a level up. As in, we will only do things resembling work if something substantial but non-monetary can be gained from it ... i.e. fun!
Hanging out in this internet space has given me more understanding of what's going on with a former colleague of mine. A few years ago he was working so slowly he was almost going backwards, my other colleagues were very frustrated with him (I was less so, as I was quite new to the firm and didn't have the same history with him that they had), he had a close call with his health, and then the accountant told him that he had reached the lifetime limit on his pension fund. He decided to take his pension. "He's ready to retire," we said, and took the opportunity to insist that he cut his ties with the firm completely rather than dangling around in a part time capacity taking money for doing nothing.
If he'd put half as much enthusiasm into his job here as he's now putting into developing other business interests in another, more lucrative and high profile, branch of the same line of work, we'd have fought to get him to stay.
For a while, I couldn't get my head round it. He's got more than enough money for anyone to live well on, why work so hard? He does have a high-cost, keeping-up-appearances lifestyle. Is he living beyond his means? Maybe he is, but he doesn't have the stressed appearance of someone who's underwater financially, he seems to find genuine joy in working about 200 hours a week. And I think that's it. He doesn't need to earn a living and he's driven by other things - personal satisfaction, his new colleagues, the prospect of public recognition.
And maybe a bit of, "I'll show them, I'll succeed and throw it in their faces," aimed at us.
I'd like to put my name into this group. I was going back and forth between April 1, 2020 and Sept 1, 2019. I think Sept 1, 2019 has won in my mind so I'll commit to that.Welcome to the club! Was the earlier choice because of hitting your number faster than expected? I know I'm ahead of expectations this year.
Maybe this is what post-RE work will feel like, but a level up. As in, we will only do things resembling work if something substantial but non-monetary can be gained from it ... i.e. fun!
Hanging out in this internet space has given me more understanding of what's going on with a former colleague of mine. A few years ago he was working so slowly he was almost going backwards, my other colleagues were very frustrated with him (I was less so, as I was quite new to the firm and didn't have the same history with him that they had), he had a close call with his health, and then the accountant told him that he had reached the lifetime limit on his pension fund. He decided to take his pension. "He's ready to retire," we said, and took the opportunity to insist that he cut his ties with the firm completely rather than dangling around in a part time capacity taking money for doing nothing.
If he'd put half as much enthusiasm into his job here as he's now putting into developing other business interests in another, more lucrative and high profile, branch of the same line of work, we'd have fought to get him to stay.
For a while, I couldn't get my head round it. He's got more than enough money for anyone to live well on, why work so hard? He does have a high-cost, keeping-up-appearances lifestyle. Is he living beyond his means? Maybe he is, but he doesn't have the stressed appearance of someone who's underwater financially, he seems to find genuine joy in working about 200 hours a week. And I think that's it. He doesn't need to earn a living and he's driven by other things - personal satisfaction, his new colleagues, the prospect of public recognition.
And maybe a bit of, "I'll show them, I'll succeed and throw it in their faces," aimed at us.
Or... this guy used his working hours at your employer on (preparing) his side-gig.
The earlier choice is when I will meet both my goals of money in deferred comp and 30 years of service. I was considering April 1, 2020 because it would allow me to put one more "years worth" of cash into deferred comp - just accelerated during the first three months of the year. But really I don't need to. I don't plan on touching it for 10-12 years anyway and work is really frustrating me.
Good choice! You can't retire on April 1, 2020. No one would believe you.
I'd like to put my name into this group. I was going back and forth between April 1, 2020 and Sept 1, 2019. I think Sept 1, 2019 has won in my mind so I'll commit to that.
I realize in this group age 50 is not necessarily early retirement...I learned that early retirement is any retirement before the traditional retirement at age of 65. I think you're doing just fine.
Yes, I believe a SIPP is a very good choice in my situation. I do have a SIPP (started back in prehistoric times as a Stakeholder Pension and left to grow in the dark for around a decade before I could afford to start contributing again), and it forms a major part of my bridging plan and would be where I'd put any income I wasn't contributing to the occupational scheme if I pulled out so that I'd have the flexibility to draw on it from 55. I expect to pay some tax in retirement, and the interesting part will be getting the balance of pension drawdown, cash, and income from ISA investments and other sources about right each year as well as over the full period.Depending on where you stand with the Lifetime Allowance I'd be sticking everything possible into the SIPP / PP at this stage. My OH works part time and we put 100% of her salary into a PP, getting more tax relief than she actually pays. What I wouldn't be doing in your shoes though is shifting that cash ISA into a S&S ISA. I'm presuming that your SIPP is in some mix of bond and equity funds and so that 'cash' you are getting in 2 years' time will really be from selling S&S and therefore vulnerable to a market correction. With both bonds and equities at historically high valuations I would see much more downside than upside in investing now the money that you will effectively be using to live on in only 2 years. Better to keep it in cash (inside a SIPP if you have the AA/ LTA /Earnings) and plan to reinvest the TFLS from the pension to S&S ISAs.
I've also opened a SIPP for my spouse, who doesn't take much interest in financial matters and doesn't earn enough to pay income tax, because the tax treatment is advantageous for non-taxpayers and because it will also be advantageous for us after retirement for him to hold some of our assets since we have separate annual and lifetime allowances and tax liabilities. And because I think giving him a sense of ownership of our financial planning is worthwhile in its own right.
I have a cash ISA that's been mouldering away at a low interest rate for years. This is in addition to having the oft-recommended three months' salary to hand in case the sky falls in. I intend to transfer this to a low-risk fund within a stocks and shares ISA now, because I don't need to be sitting on a wodge of dormant cash. Unless my SIPP suffers a huge drop in value I'll be able to take a tax free lump sum of almost the same amount two years hence. It's something I should have had the courage to do ages ago, but I don't think it's too late.
(I should add that these are all small numbers in comparison to many of the net worth figures I see being thrown around on the forum.)
I am 45 and while I hope to FIRE in the next 2 years I fully expect a significant portion of my peers to be retiring at 70.
Yes, I believe a SIPP is a very good choice in my situation. I do have a SIPP (started back in prehistoric times as a Stakeholder Pension and left to grow in the dark for around a decade before I could afford to start contributing again), and it forms a major part of my bridging plan and would be where I'd put any income I wasn't contributing to the occupational scheme if I pulled out so that I'd have the flexibility to draw on it from 55. I expect to pay some tax in retirement, and the interesting part will be getting the balance of pension drawdown, cash, and income from ISA investments and other sources about right each year as well as over the full period.Depending on where you stand with the Lifetime Allowance I'd be sticking everything possible into the SIPP / PP at this stage. My OH works part time and we put 100% of her salary into a PP, getting more tax relief than she actually pays. What I wouldn't be doing in your shoes though is shifting that cash ISA into a S&S ISA. I'm presuming that your SIPP is in some mix of bond and equity funds and so that 'cash' you are getting in 2 years' time will really be from selling S&S and therefore vulnerable to a market correction. With both bonds and equities at historically high valuations I would see much more downside than upside in investing now the money that you will effectively be using to live on in only 2 years. Better to keep it in cash (inside a SIPP if you have the AA/ LTA /Earnings) and plan to reinvest the TFLS from the pension to S&S ISAs.
I've also opened a SIPP for my spouse, who doesn't take much interest in financial matters and doesn't earn enough to pay income tax, because the tax treatment is advantageous for non-taxpayers and because it will also be advantageous for us after retirement for him to hold some of our assets since we have separate annual and lifetime allowances and tax liabilities. And because I think giving him a sense of ownership of our financial planning is worthwhile in its own right.
I have a cash ISA that's been mouldering away at a low interest rate for years. This is in addition to having the oft-recommended three months' salary to hand in case the sky falls in. I intend to transfer this to a low-risk fund within a stocks and shares ISA now, because I don't need to be sitting on a wodge of dormant cash. Unless my SIPP suffers a huge drop in value I'll be able to take a tax free lump sum of almost the same amount two years hence. It's something I should have had the courage to do ages ago, but I don't think it's too late.
(I should add that these are all small numbers in comparison to many of the net worth figures I see being thrown around on the forum.)
And I couldn't agree more about the bridging period being the difficult bit!
Just to gather enough cash to be able to start using the 4% rule.
Great doubt has entered my brain... I think I might have to find myself another FIRE cohort.
When running the numbers in my spreadsheet, I still think we would in theory make it (part time FIRE) and start working 50% in 2019, but it does require downsizing immediately and selling our mountain cabin. Just to gather enough cash to be able to start using the 4% rule. As long as the money is invested in property, that is not a particular price rising area, it won't generate any money. When talking to my DH about this, I don't think he is willing to do this yet. He would like to keep the cabin for years, even though it has a substantial cost per year. And as long as he would work part time at his current company we need to keep living in a HCOL area on commuting distance from the main city, in the vicinity of a train station. On the other hand, when working 50%, would we not need to start using the 4% and a part of the stash.
One other thing, is that I am not sure I would want to work 50% for another couple of years. I would rather just quite completely. And I don't think my DH would really appreciate being the only one earning money in our household. I cannot be a SAHM, as we don't have kids. That would have been a more legitimate situation.
Ideally we should have 1 million NOK (100K USD) more before FIRE. That is more than a years savings.
I am also from time to time freaking out on pension money. Our stately pension fund has not yet defined how the rules are for people of my age. So I cannot get an answer from them of how much I will receive from the age of 67. I only know what I will get from the general government (not special pension fund).
All in all, I doubt whether we are going to do something in 2019 at all. But I'll make sure to run the numbers again in December 2019.
Most Righteous Alias Age at
FIRETarget
DateDate Confirmed
zinnie 35 Feb-19 MissNancyPryor 50 Mar-19 Roboturner 30 Mar-19 TartanTallulah 55 Mar-19 Luck12 41 Apr-19 albireo13 61 May-1-19 Livingthedream55 59 May-19 cerat0n1a May-19 dude 54 May-19 SamIAm38 29 May-19 oldtoyota Jun-19 Itchyfeet 47 Jun-19 PhilB 53 Jun-19 Bateaux 50 Jun-19 CryingInThePool 44 Jun-19 powersuitrecall 47 Jul-19 Enigma 39 Jul-19 Thedividebyzero 45 Jul-19 Trifele 52 Aug-19 Cornbread OMalley 42 Aug-19 RetirementDreaming Sep-19 VoteCthulu 39 Oct-19 trix76 43 Oct-19 MoMan 55 Oct-19 markbike528CBX 55 Dec-19 HBFI 38 Dec-19 luckyme13 45 Dec-19 Parizade TBD madamwitty 36 TBD Lowerbills 40 TBD Chrissy 42 TBD Gerard TBD getoutsoon 52 TBD ysette9 38 late-19TBD elaine amj 40 TBD Iplawyer TBD Chairman TBD-SemiFire 2Birds1Stone TBD
I figured we should update the list at least once per page. If I missed anyone, add yourself in
Great doubt has entered my brain... I think I might have to find myself another FIRE cohort.Sorry to hear that things are looking tricky. It's quite difficult to work out the numbers in your position as the 18 to 21 years between your 2019 date and when your state pensions come on line mean that whilst you don't need the full 25x outgoings of someone retiring purely on their stash, you might need something close to it depending on what percentage of those outgoings you expect the pensions to cover. I have a slightly similar situation (various pensions coming on line between 10 and 14 years post RE date) and pretty well the only way to model it is to spreadsheet out year-by-year and then shuffle your stash between long term income and 'bridging' pots.
When running the numbers in my spreadsheet, I still think we would in theory make it (part time FIRE) and start working 50% in 2019, but it does require downsizing immediately and selling our mountain cabin. Just to gather enough cash to be able to start using the 4% rule
Great doubt has entered my brain... I think I might have to find myself another FIRE cohort.Sorry to hear that things are looking tricky. It's quite difficult to work out the numbers in your position as the 18 to 21 years between your 2019 date and when your state pensions come on line mean that whilst you don't need the full 25x outgoings of someone retiring purely on their stash, you might need something close to it depending on what percentage of those outgoings you expect the pensions to cover. I have a slightly similar situation (various pensions coming on line between 10 and 14 years post RE date) and pretty well the only way to model it is to spreadsheet out year-by-year and then shuffle your stash between long term income and 'bridging' pots.
When running the numbers in my spreadsheet, I still think we would in theory make it (part time FIRE) and start working 50% in 2019, but it does require downsizing immediately and selling our mountain cabin. Just to gather enough cash to be able to start using the 4% rule
Have you talked to your OH about how he would feel about being the only one working PT? You may be pleasantly surprised. My OH is definitely retiring completely in 2019, but I may stay on PT for a few years if offered a good enough deal and I'm perfectly happy with that (although I may expect her to do more than 50% of the housework in that situation!).
Is there any way to get income from the cabin such as renting it out? Alternatively, would an option during the PT years be to keep the cabin, but sell your main house and buy a small flat (with rental potential?) near work, then spend half your time at the cabin having fun and the other half in the flat whilst working. When DH has had enough of the PT work you could then either self both cabin and flat to buy your retirement property, or maybe keep the flat on for rental income.
Anybody starting to feel a little cash crunched now that we are 2 years out?
I'll just stop investing 6 months prior to FIRE and that will give me 6 months spending in cash (we save 50% of income) which is all I plan to hold in cash. We could make that cash last a year if there was a crash.... well that assumes 0 dividends which in unrealistic. The cash would probably give us 2 years without drawing down on our stash I suppose.That's a tactic I've thought about and may implement when I get closer to my FIRE date. Right now I put $400 cash a month into the cash reserves and $4200 a month into my other stuff like taxable accounts, TSP, and Roth.
Only 2 more years to go to RE and I am now most definitely FI. The last 2 years are just adding to my (already more than adequate) contingency fund to help me sleep better. So it occurs to me, If my existing retirement funds can already support my lifestyle then all my post tax earnings are effectively just being added to savings - a 100% savings rate ! :-)
Only 2 more years to go to RE and I am now most definitely FI. The last 2 years are just adding to my (already more than adequate) contingency fund to help me sleep better. So it occurs to me, If my existing retirement funds can already support my lifestyle then all my post tax earnings are effectively just being added to savings - a 100% savings rate ! :-)
Totally awesome that you are set financially.... but I can't agree with the maths 😜My '100% savings rate' comment was very tongue-in-cheek and isn't a methodology I'd recommend generally - and certainly not before FI - but I think it does have some validity in my case. As I am FI, when analysing my decision to keep working probably the most relevant question is 'what percentage of those earnings will be translated to an increase in my contingency fund?' and the rather delightful answer is 100%.
I do get the sentiment, but if you are not spending your salary you are drawing on the returns from your stash. So yes a 100% savings rate of salary, but a negative saving rate elsewhere.
I have seen others here include investment returns + salary in calculating their savings rate e.g.: salary 100k + investment returns 100k = 200k. Expenditure = 50k. Therefore savings rate =75%.
Others just look at their salary and spending, not including investment gains. I think this is more common.
I guess both are valid, but your method hmmmm 😬.
I suspect 2017 won't be the first year that investment returns were greater than spending. It will be our 3 year. This certainly adds confidence to FIREing.Congratulations, that definitely helps. I'm not very trusting of recent investment returns so that isn't a number I've particularly looked at against spending - in fact my retirement model has been using a 4% real return for the last 3 years rather than marking to market. Actuals are currently about 8% above the number in my model and I wouldn't feel comfortable 'banking' that to the model as valuations are looking rather high.
Only 2 more years to go to RE and I am now most definitely FI. The last 2 years are just adding to my (already more than adequate) contingency fund to help me sleep better. So it occurs to me, If my existing retirement funds can already support my lifestyle then all my post tax earnings are effectively just being added to savings - a 100% savings rate ! :-)
I'm effectively in the same situation. On the one hand, it's nice to see the total fund size growing so rapidly compared to when starting out. The first 10k (or 100k) truly is the hardest. On the other hand, when the size of your 'stache can easily vary by a month or two's salary during any given day, it's good to keep the discipline of not checking too often.Yep. It's a tricky thing to get your head around when the numbers get to be both big and bouncy. What's worked for me is checking on the same day every week and plotting actuals against budget on a graph (geeky or what?). After watching that for a few years I can now maintain my equanimity whilst watching the numbers go up and down and concentrate on the trends rather than the noise.
I tracked my stock investments day. It. Is all invested in foreign indexfunds for speading risk, as I live in a country with a small valuta. Earlier all my stock was at 7% or more profit. Currently my European index fund and the fastgrowing markets funds are in the negative! I guess it has something to do with the value of the Norwegian crown.bmy Asian index fund is still doing very well, as is my world index fund. On all funds I am currently 10% in the positive after 1,5 year with investing. Still on schedule for the future 4% rule. And I presume those negative funds will climb again at some time in the future.
Yes, I will certainly never t be starting FIRE with 100% equities. Some cash and some bonds for at least the first few years will help me sleep better. I also have rental property that I'll prob keep post FIRE to provide a steady income.
Just looking at my pay stub this morning and seeing that I got an award of 40 hours annual leave. Makes my day since I decided back at the beginning of the year I had no problem using most, if not all of my AL prior to leaving in 2019 !! What fun !! I think I'll just be off for the remainder of the Fridays this year !!!
Just looking at my pay stub this morning and seeing that I got an award of 40 hours annual leave. Makes my day since I decided back at the beginning of the year I had no problem using most, if not all of my AL prior to leaving in 2019 !! What fun !! I think I'll just be off for the remainder of the Fridays this year !!!
Just looking at my pay stub this morning and seeing that I got an award of 40 hours annual leave. Makes my day since I decided back at the beginning of the year I had no problem using most, if not all of my AL prior to leaving in 2019 !! What fun !! I think I'll just be off for the remainder of the Fridays this year !!!That is awesome!
Yes, I will certainly never t be starting FIRE with 100% equities. Some cash and some bonds for at least the first few years will help me sleep better. I also have rental property that I'll prob keep post FIRE to provide a steady income.I will hit FIRE with 100% equities and stay that way indefinitely. At least that's my thinking for now. Upon FIRE I get a pension worth $40K annually that fits the role as bond income. This gives me the flexibility to keep the allocation in equities very high. So my thinking is if there is a downturn in the markets I rely on the monies from that pension and my cash reserves to ride out the downturn and give my equities the time needed to recover.
A $40k pension would certainly be enough to allow me to sleep soundly every night.Can you explain to me the math you used to equate a $40K pension to $800K stash?
I would value that at $800K in my stash. That's pretty nice to have.
A $40k pension would certainly be enough to allow me to sleep soundly every night.Can you explain to me the math you used to equate a $40K pension to $800K stash?
I would value that at $800K in my stash. That's pretty nice to have.
I am just saying that in the absence of the pension you would need at least 20x the pension saved in your stash to fund life post retirement ie: 20 x 40K = $800K...I also will receive a small pension and I like to put a value on it as I consider it part of my net worth.Ah, yes. Some of the other forum members and I have posed the question of how much a pension translates to a number for net worth considerations. At the end of the discussion we decided the technique you mention is oversimplifying things too much. There are certain pension plans that don't translate to a set amount to be counted in the net worth stash. It was better and more accurate to keep the pension amount separate from the net worth stash.
Arguably, you could also say that having $40K of certain income is better than having an $800K stash that is subject to sequence of returns risk. In this case you might argue that the pension is worth say 30x its annual value ie: $1.2M. Whatever!!I think of my pension as an annuity.
...I would presume for post FIRE calculations you would take your annual expenditure requirement and then deduct the $40K pension to arrive at the expenses than need to be funded from your stash and then multiply that number by 20-30 to arrive at how big a stash you need outside the pension.That is correct.
I'm in a kinda funny situation at work. A while ago I applied for a promotion pool and have been going through the process (Resume --> Exam --> Interview). It's all competency based and very procedural. i.e. long and painful. Given that I'm 2 years away from RE, being promoted at this point wouldn't hasten my departure by much. On paper I'll get there a couple of weeks ahead, a month at most.
I've had many inner conversations between career-man: "You need this! It's important!" and RE-man: "Why are you going through this terrible process! RE is in the bag! Work sucks! Let someone else have this! You don't need more money!".
At this point career-man seems to be winning. I want it. Maybe it's desire for external validation, or wanting to achieve something in my last 2 years. Regardless, I know it's not for the money, and that is a nice feeling.
11 months retirement notice seems excessive, is there some exit benefit you get from it, or is that required in the military (I assume).Processing a retirement request and the associated paperwork takes one year.
You forgot to gloat that you are 24 months from total freedom!Haha! Nah, considering this is a 2019 cohort and most here will be done around the same time I will!
I've resolved to stop counting days. Counting days doesn't help, because at the moment it still looks like a lot of days, and because it distracts me from the present need to do my job as well as I can.
July Report Card
The Good...
- After 7 months of the year (58% of the year) our net worth has grown by 81% of the target I set for the year at the beginning of 2017. We are having a good year.
- Investment returns so far this year are more than our salaries and double our expenditure
- Our stash is now at 22.5x our forecast post FIRE annual spending. So close now!!!. If we stopped working today we would be looking at a 4.4% withdrawal rate, which is most likely going to be successful with a little flexibility
The Bad
- Spending in the first 7 months was a little higher than it should have been. We have a rough objective of not spending more than 50% of what we earn (we don't keep a detailed budget), and after 7 months we have spent 54% of income. We will try to recover this minor overspend in the remaining 5 months of the year. The overspend is purely due to hedonistic vacations.
Discussions are ongoing about whether to bring FIRE forward to 2018, as we will hit our number probably mid 2018. However, in light of the heady investment returns we have enjoyed of late we might stick with the original date (June 2019) and take a little extra cash buffer into FIRE with us. Decision will be made at Christmas this year.
So, I quit my job...I also need to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life, and now I’m forced into it...I don’t know very many people who live close to me and I need to. I want to spend more time in my own neighborhood...That's really awesome in a MMM kind of way. This is a fresh start, and now you can really explore what is immediately around you and what interests you. I'm jealous since I don't have the option to call it quits.
So, I quit my job...I also need to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life, and now I’m forced into it...I don’t know very many people who live close to me and I need to. I want to spend more time in my own neighborhood...That's really awesome in a MMM kind of way. This is a fresh start, and now you can really explore what is immediately around you and what interests you. I'm jealous since I don't have the option to call it quits.
I made a command decision this summer. No more working summers. So I'll bail out of the job before Memorial Day 2018.
"I would say it is your first command decision".
http://www.voyager.cz/tng/epizody/034matterofhonortrans.html
Oddly, one of the things that made me reluctant to bail early was the fact that I'm the OP of this thread.
I made a command decision this summer. No more working summers. So I'll bail out of the job before Memorial Day 2018.
"I would say it is your first command decision".
http://www.voyager.cz/tng/epizody/034matterofhonortrans.html
Oddly, one of the things that made me reluctant to bail early was the fact that I'm the OP of this thread.
Congrats! So one less year then? :0 )
I made a command decision this summer. No more working summers. So I'll bail out of the job before Memorial Day 2018.
"I would say it is your first command decision".
http://www.voyager.cz/tng/epizody/034matterofhonortrans.html
Oddly, one of the things that made me reluctant to bail early was the fact that I'm the OP of this thread.
Well, isn't that fabulous :-) Congratulations on a wise decision; I'm assuming the math allows it.
This is the third consecutive summer that I've "lost" due to exceptional circumstances at work, and it sucks.
I made a command decision this summer. No more working summers. So I'll bail out of the job before Memorial Day 2018.
"I would say it is your first command decision".
http://www.voyager.cz/tng/epizody/034matterofhonortrans.html
Oddly, one of the things that made me reluctant to bail early was the fact that I'm the OP of this thread.
I made a command decision this summer. No more working summers. So I'll bail out of the job before Memorial Day 2018.
"I would say it is your first command decision".
http://www.voyager.cz/tng/epizody/034matterofhonortrans.html
Oddly, one of the things that made me reluctant to bail early was the fact that I'm the OP of this thread.
Well, isn't that fabulous :-) Congratulations on a wise decision; I'm assuming the math allows it.
This is the third consecutive summer that I've "lost" due to exceptional circumstances at work, and it sucks. I'm not all that young and I don't have many summers left. I haven't written off the possibility of handing in my notice in time to be able to call the shots regarding how much work I do next summer. I could earn enough, on a flexible freelance basis, to keep me ticking over to my planned retirement date.
I didnt want to become TartanTallulah. :-) three years!
Yes, we lose too much through work. Last year I lost my autumn vacation because of an extremely stressful situation at work. And my approved conference visit was cancelled because of a delayed software release.
I have also at times wanted to stay at my vacation address a few days longer, for example when the snow and the weather are great. But there is always work to go back to.
My DH recently talked to an old colleague of his, who is an old age pensioner, but still works part time. This man told my DH that he never worked during summer anymore. I think this could be our first step into part time FIRE. Just taking the summers off. I hope my work will also allow for it, although I think they might be sceptical. I hope I can do some contracting work for them, as they are so conveniently close to where I live.
I made a command decision this summer. No more working summers. So I'll bail out of the job before Memorial Day 2018.
"I would say it is your first command decision".
http://www.voyager.cz/tng/epizody/034matterofhonortrans.html
Oddly, one of the things that made me reluctant to bail early was the fact that I'm the OP of this thread.
Wait, the OP of the 2019 thread is bailing for the 2018 thread? This is a major coup for the 2018 group and must leave a bitter taste in the mouths of the 19ers! It's sort of like that time Brett Favre left Green Bay and played for the Vikings.
What the heck is going on here? :) Will there be any of us left in 2019?
TartanTallulah -- Love your quote about giving your career a hug and sending it to the landfill. Those are my plans as well.
Yes, we lose too much through work. ... I have also at times wanted to stay at my vacation address a few days longer, for example when the snow and the weather are great. But there is always work to go back to.
The whole challenge in these scenarios is that we own so much stuff, including a lot of hobby stuff and tools that living in a small apartment will be a challenge. We would seriously need to minimize our household and make some really hard priorities. On the other hand, we could very well ditch the guest beds, large dining table and many of the nice-to-keep books. But most of the hobby stuff is regularly used and we are planning on doing just those hobbies.We have similar issues with hobby stuff. I've gradually come to the conclusion that what we really need is quite a small house, but with lots of large outbuildings! I don't know if that would be a possibility for you somewhere rural in Norway? Or alternatively would it be possible to take advantage of the dirt-cheap house prices in rural France to sell or rent out your current house then spend your summers at the Norwegian cabin and winters in France?
The whole challenge in these scenarios is that we own so much stuff, including a lot of hobby stuff and tools that living in a small apartment will be a challenge. We would seriously need to minimize our household and make some really hard priorities. On the other hand, we could very well ditch the guest beds, large dining table and many of the nice-to-keep books. But most of the hobby stuff is regularly used and we are planning on doing just those hobbies.We have similar issues with hobby stuff. I've gradually come to the conclusion that what we really need is quite a small house, but with lots of large outbuildings! I don't know if that would be a possibility for you somewhere rural in Norway? Or alternatively would it be possible to take advantage of the dirt-cheap house prices in rural France to sell or rent out your current house then spend your summers at the Norwegian cabin and winters in France?
All this talk of 2018 is getting me twitchy too. We'll try to stick to the original plan, but I'm going to stop making any more than minimum pension contributions for the rest of this tax year as this should get us to a position where we'd have the cashflow to go mid 2018. If we are still holding on for 2019, I'll then use carry-forward rules to catch up the contributions, but at the moment my uncomfortable feelings from not having enough cash to see me through outweigh my fears that they might change the tax rules to limit tax relief to 20% instead of 40%.
2019 has an endowment policy maturing and DW reaching 55 (UK minimum for accessing pension savings) so we'll have plenty of liquidity then, but we've been pushing everything into pensions for the last few years and so have comparatively little in accessible funds now (about 7 months spending).
I read and caught up on this thread, and some of you have interesting circumstances! This FIRE goal is fraught with complex decisions and lifestyle changes.
It really is! I'm having my own challenges with DH saying he doesn't think the numbers will work based on our spending.The only real answer to that is to provide him with the hard data to prove that the numbers work and they have enough of a buffer to let you (him) sleep soundly. I wouldn't consider FIRE myself without several current years of spending data, robustly analysed and adjusted for any fixed changes in spending - mortgage and school fees go away in your case, I believe, but is there anything that needs to be added on eg medical insurance if already covered by work? Write a proper business case document for him setting it all out. If a reasonable projection of passive income comfortably covers adjusted current spending then he should find that hard to argue with. If your numbers include other lifestyle changes you haven't yet put in place of the 'I'm sure we could spend less than we do now' variety then I'd say your DH is right to be worried. You have to make the changes and live with the changes to know for sure that you'll be happy with the changes.
It really is! I'm having my own challenges with DH saying he doesn't think the numbers will work based on our spending.The only real answer to that is to provide him with the hard data to prove that the numbers work and they have enough of a buffer to let you (him) sleep soundly. I wouldn't consider FIRE myself without several current years of spending data, robustly analysed and adjusted for any fixed changes in spending - mortgage and school fees go away in your case, I believe, but is there anything that needs to be added on eg medical insurance if already covered by work? Write a proper business case document for him setting it all out. If a reasonable projection of passive income comfortably covers adjusted current spending then he should find that hard to argue with. If your numbers include other lifestyle changes you haven't yet put in place of the 'I'm sure we could spend less than we do now' variety then I'd say your DH is right to be worried. You have to make the changes and live with the changes to know for sure that you'll be happy with the changes.
Make an overview with the real numbers.Track your expenses. I don't think there is any other technique that's effective. I've tracked my spending for a little over two years now, and I manually track it using an Excel spreadsheet that I built, very simple tool. But my FIRE calculations are based on the solid calculations using math (simple math at that) and the numbers in the expense tracker. I'm single right now, but even when I make assumptions for costs to support a wife and kid and pay for a house, the numbers still work out for FIRE. Knowing that is extremely comforting and allows me to worry about other things. I would not have the level of understanding of what it takes to FIRE had I not started tracking my expenses.
Everywhere I look I see danger. I know there will always be uncertainty, but it just seems to be building. I'm getting 2019 cold feet and thinking I need another million.So what dangers, apart from those surrounding the possible ending of affordable healthcare in your country, do you think 'another million' will shield you from?
I'm waiting for someone to say "Do this (crap BS stuff), it is a condition of employment", as I'd be OK with that and be unemployed.
Just looking at my pay stub this morning and seeing that I got an award of 40 hours annual leave. Makes my day since I decided back at the beginning of the year I had no problem using most, if not all of my AL prior to leaving in 2019 !! What fun !! I think I'll just be off for the remainder of the Fridays this year !!!
A $40k pension would certainly be enough to allow me to sleep soundly every night.
I would value that at $800K in my stash. That's pretty nice to have.
What the heck is going on here? :) Will there be any of us left in 2019?
TartanTallulah -- Love your quote about giving your career a hug and sending it to the landfill. Those are my plans as well.
...I will be retiring with a mortgage, so there's that.I will most likely be in a situation similar to yours!
Most Righteous Alias | Age at FIRE | Target Date | Date Confirmed |
zinnie | 35 | Feb-19 | |
MissNancyPryor | 50 | Mar-19 | |
Roboturner | 30 | Mar-19 | |
TartanTallulah | 55 | Mar-19 | |
Luck12 | 41 | Apr-19 | |
albireo13 | 61 | May-1-19 | |
Livingthedream55 | 59 | May-19 | |
cerat0n1a | May-19 | summer 2018 planned | |
dude | 54 | May-19 | |
SamIAm38 | 29 | May-19 | |
oldtoyota | Jun-19 | ||
Itchyfeet | 47 | Jun-19 | |
PhilB | 53 | Jun-19 | |
Bateaux | 50 | Jun-19 | |
CryingInThePool | 44 | Jun-19 | |
powersuitrecall | 47 | Jul-19 | |
Enigma | 39 | Jul-19 | |
Thedividebyzero | 45 | Jul-19 | |
Trifele | 52 | Aug-19 | |
Cornbread OMalley | 42 | Aug-19 | |
RetirementDreaming | Sep-19 | ||
VoteCthulu | 39 | Oct-19 | |
trix76 | 43 | Oct-19 | |
MoMan | 55 | Oct-19 | |
markbike528CBX | 55 | Dec-19 | OLY 5-2018 but checking in as OP |
HBFI | 38 | Dec-19 | |
luckyme13 | 45 | Dec-19 | |
moxie | Dec-27-19 | ||
Parizade | TBD | ||
madamwitty | 36 | TBD | |
Lowerbills | 40 | TBD | |
Chrissy | 42 | TBD | |
Gerard | TBD | ||
getoutsoon | 52 | TBD | |
ysette9 | 38 | late-19TBD | |
elaine amj | 40 | TBD | |
Iplawyer | TBD | ||
Chairman | TBD-SemiFire 2018 | ||
2Birds1Stone | TBD | ||
FIRE 20/20 | TBD |
I made a command decision this summer. No more working summers. So I'll bail out of the job before Memorial Day 2018.
"I would say it is your first command decision".
http://www.voyager.cz/tng/epizody/034matterofhonortrans.html
Oddly, one of the things that made me reluctant to bail early was the fact that I'm the OP of this thread.
Wait, the OP of the 2019 thread is bailing for the 2018 thread? This is a major coup for the 2018 group and must leave a bitter taste in the mouths of the 19ers! It's sort of like that time Brett Favre left Green Bay and played for the Vikings.
Most Righteous Alias Age at
FIRETarget
DateDate Confirmed
zinnie 35 Feb-19 MissNancyPryor 50 Mar-19 Roboturner 30 Mar-19 TartanTallulah 55 Mar-19 Luck12 41 Apr-19 albireo13 61 May-1-19 Livingthedream55 59 May-19 cerat0n1a May-19 summer 2018 planned dude 54 May-19 SamIAm38 29 May-19 oldtoyota Jun-19 Itchyfeet 47 Jun-19 PhilB 53 Jun-19 Bateaux 50 Jun-19 CryingInThePool 44 Jun-19 powersuitrecall 47 Jul-19 Enigma 39 Jul-19 Thedividebyzero 45 Jul-19 Trifele 52 Aug-19 Cornbread OMalley 42 Aug-19 RetirementDreaming Sep-19 VoteCthulu 39 Oct-19 trix76 43 Oct-19 MoMan 55 Oct-19 markbike528CBX 55 Dec-19 OLY 5-2018 but checking in as OP HBFI 38 Dec-19 luckyme13 45 Dec-19 moxie Dec-27-19 Parizade TBD madamwitty 36 TBD Lowerbills 40 TBD Chrissy 42 TBD Gerard TBD getoutsoon 52 TBD ysette9 38 late-19TBD elaine amj 40 TBD Iplawyer TBD Chairman TBD-SemiFire 2018 2Birds1Stone TBD FIRE 20/20 TBD
Eighteen paychecks to go ... eighteen paychecks to go ... tra-la-la-la-la :-)
I'm settling into a new job and FIRE timeline is still on track while my net worth recently passed $1.3 million. $760K of that is accounts that I can use now. The rest is locked in tax-advantaged accounts that I can't touch until age 59.5. That market is cooking and has added the incredible surge on my bottom line in the past year. However, I'm steeling myself for the inevitable market peak and downtrend. The strategy I'm following to deal with this inevitable event is building up my cash reserves to around 24 months of living expenses to withstand the downturn. Current cash reserves is $34K, and I think around $80K is enough to provide cushion and financial flexibility. The second part of the strategy is to just keep contributing to my accounts for the next 12 months and reassessing.
If the downtrend occurs within the next two years I will be okay because the paycheck is still coming in. And I hope I can ride the uptrend into FIRE. If the downtrend occurs after I FIRE then I pull out the cash cushion.
When the news stops calling the rising market a bubble, then you know we're in a bubble.
Well, as soon as I post my comment the market surges more and overall fear of a market correction is at an all time low. Nonetheless, I will stick with my aforementioned strategy.I'm finding sticking to my strategy of hanging on to mid 2019 is getting harder and harder. These stock valuations are not helping. The variance between actual and budget when I did the numbers today is up to about 19 months worth of spending. Add in the fact that my 2019 spending plan is based on a 3.6% withdrawal rate and also has about a 30% safety margin over what we are currently spending as a family of 4 and large parts of my brain are screaming JFDI!
You _have_ a shoeshine boy? The Antimustachian shame :-) But yes, when you start getting smart stocktips from unlikely sources (mom, dad, taxi drivers, etc) then we'll worry more.When the news stops calling the rising market a bubble, then you know we're in a bubble.
I haven't gotten any stock tips from my shoeshine boy yet, so at the moment I think we're okay.
I'm finding sticking to my strategy of hanging on to mid 2019 is getting harder and harder. These stock valuations are not helping. The variance between actual and budget when I did the numbers today is up to about 19 months worth of spending. Add in the fact that my 2019 spending plan is based on a 3.6% withdrawal rate and also has about a 30% safety margin over what we are currently spending as a family of 4 and large parts of my brain are screaming JFDI!Do it! :-D
Yesterday I realized that I was so focused on building cash reserves that I totally forgot about accounting for my pension. In 2019 I'm eligible for a pension worth $40K annually after taxes. That $40K will be divided into 12 equal monthly payments, and payments start immediately after separation from the military. This takes a little pressure off of building the cash reserves to $80K and also gives me flexibility to use my cash reserves for other things. I will need a new vehicle in the coming years as my current one is now at 228K miles. It's still running, but I need to have a plan and cash in place when it sputters and dies. The cash reserves can also be used for a home down payment.
Yesterday I realized that I was so focused on building cash reserves that I totally forgot about accounting for my pension. In 2019 I'm eligible for a pension worth $40K annually after taxes. That $40K will be divided into 12 equal monthly payments, and payments start immediately after separation from the military. This takes a little pressure off of building the cash reserves to $80K and also gives me flexibility to use my cash reserves for other things. I will need a new vehicle in the coming years as my current one is now at 228K miles. It's still running, but I need to have a plan and cash in place when it sputters and dies. The cash reserves can also be used for a home down payment.
I'll admit that during the first few months of reading MMM I regularly found both hidden sources of funds and expenses. I never found anything as large as 40k/yr but I did find things in excess of 10k!
How can anybody who is seriously following their finances just forget that they have a $40K pension, which is most likely one’s main retirement asset!!
You FORGOT the small matter of $40,000 a year?Yup. Tunnel vision. :-)
After 10 months of 2017, I have now achieved the targeted NW growth I had set as an objective at the beginning of the year, and there are still 2 months to go.Yep, market returns have been crazily good. My stash now stands at where it was forecast to be at the start of Dec 2018. I think it's even more impatient to reach the finish line than I am!
After 10 months of 2017, I have now achieved the targeted NW growth I had set as an objective at the beginning of the year, and there are still 2 months to go.Yep, market returns have been crazily good. My stash now stands at where it was forecast to be at the start of Dec 2018. I think it's even more impatient to reach the finish line than I am!
June 2019 still feels along way away to me.
There's not much I can do with it as I want it to provide inflation proofed income in perpetuity - we need to plan for a 40+ year retirement and hope to pass it on to the kids after that. Equities (and maybe property) are the only thing that have a hope of achieving that, so the great bulk will just stay in global equity trackers. We will eventually have DB and State pensions that will more than cover our core spending so can afford a lot of short term volatility. To take the place of those pensions in the years before they come on line I have a big chunk in a diversified assets fund that I accumulated as it was the default setting for my work pension scheme and, at the time, I didn't know better!Yep, market returns have been crazily good. My stash now stands at where it was forecast to be at the start of Dec 2018. I think it's even more impatient to reach the finish line than I am!
Will you do anything with your stash when itvreaches the finish line? Move it into bonds? Or just leave where it is and start making the yearly withdrawels.
Same here. My target is July 2019. 21 months to go.+1 The only way I cope is by breaking it up into smaller chunks. Only 7 weeks to Xmas!
(http://)June 2019 still feels along way away to me.
Same here. My target is July 2019. 21 months to go.+1 The only way I cope is by breaking it up into smaller chunks. Only 7 weeks to Xmas!
(http://)June 2019 still feels along way away to me.
Hi 2Birds1Stone,
Welcome! Of course we won't kick you out! Sometimes being in the cohort and setting a time-related goal can be an additional motivating factor. Who knows what is possible for you in the next two years? Have you ever done a case study? Any chance you can increase income/reduce expenses?
We are here to cheer you on!
: 0 )
Hello there.
I don't think I've ever done a formal case study, BUT I lay out my income, expenses, and assets around the 1st of the month in my journal, super consistently over the past 26 months.
For 2015 my savings rate was 76.25%
For 2016 my savings rate was 80.65%
For 2017 my savings rate will be anywhere between 60-80%
My income is very unpredictable. I am in B2B sales and my base salary makes up a small portion of that income. I should *knock on wood* be in the 70-80% range for 2017. My expenses are fairly low, projected to be $24k all in for 2017.
Having had external confirmation that my numbers work for June 2018, I'm moving to 2018. I may return if something happens to make my job tolerable enough for me to hold on till the end of that financial year, but 2019 is nowOMYOLY for me.
Having had external confirmation that my numbers work for June 2018, I'm moving to 2018. I may return if something happens to make my job tolerable enough for me to hold on till the end of that financial year, but 2019 is nowOMYOLY for me.
Corrected that for you -- Congratulations!!!!!
Hello peeps,
I posted this on the 2018 cohort thread also. Rumors abound of an early retirement incentive package may be in the works at my agency. I mean, 18 months to go is nothing really but I want to FIRE so much right now!
Oh well, one day at a time!! : 0 )
Having had external confirmation that my numbers work for June 2018, I'm moving to 2018. I may return if something happens to make my job tolerable enough for me to hold on till the end of that financial year, but 2019 is nowOMYOLY for me.
Corrected that for you -- Congratulations!!!!!
No, 2019 would definitely be OMY now that I know I can go in 2018. Or nine more months because I wouldn't go beyond my original aspirational date of 31/3/19.
Hello peeps,
I posted this on the 2018 cohort thread also. Rumors abound of an early retirement incentive package may be in the works at my agency. I mean, 18 months to go is nothing really but I want to FIRE so much right now!
Oh well, one day at a time!! : 0 )
I hope this package is true for you. And that your boss allows you to take such a package. I also hope it fits with your 18 month plan. Otherwise you could perhaps accept is earlier and do some other work until you reach your date/sum.
June 2019 still feels along way away to me.Most of my career has been broken up into two or three year chunks at varying assignments in different geographical locations. To me two or three years passes by very quickly.
Having had external confirmation that my numbers work for June 2018, I'm moving to 2018. I may return if something happens to make my job tolerable enough for me to hold on till the end of that financial year, but 2019 is now OMY for me.That's great! Congrats!
19 months till FIRE.....my working career has lasted 334 months. This means I am 95% of the way to the finish line.Now that's freaky. I'm 334 and two thirds months into my career with 19 and a third to go. You're just going to beat me!
19 months till FIRE.....my working career has lasted 334 months. This means I am 95% of the way to the finish line.Now that's freaky. I'm 334 and two thirds months into my career with 19 and a third to go. You're just going to beat me!
Should you recount your stash as well just in case?19 months till FIRE.....my working career has lasted 334 months. This means I am 95% of the way to the finish line.Now that's freaky. I'm 334 and two thirds months into my career with 19 and a third to go. You're just going to beat me!
Haha, I've done a recount. Sorry 😳
I actually have worked a year less (started Feb 1991), so 322 months completed at the end of this month. 321 and 2/3 so far.
So actually only 94.5% done. Still sounds nearly done.
Still on track for June 2019. Yippee!Me too. 19 paycheques to go until retirement in 2019. Now how do I get that Paul Hardcastle song out of my head?
Absolutely no idea what I will fill my days with post FIRE.Now that is worrying. In my experience retired people tend to divide into those who get bored and those who can't imagine how they ever found time to go to work. I fully expect to be in the latter camp as work really gets in the way of all the other things I want to be doing.
When the news stops calling the rising market a bubble, then you know we're in a bubble.
I haven't gotten any stock tips from my shoeshine boy yet, so at the moment I think we're okay.
Absolutely no idea what I will fill my days with post FIRE.Now that is worrying. In my experience retired people tend to divide into those who get bored and those who can't imagine how they ever found time to go to work. I fully expect to be in the latter camp as work really gets in the way of all the other things I want to be doing.
Absolutely no idea what I will fill my days with post FIRE.Now that is worrying. In my experience retired people tend to divide into those who get bored and those who can't imagine how they ever found time to go to work. I fully expect to be in the latter camp as work really gets in the way of all the other things I want to be doing.
Oh my god am I in Camp #2 . . . I dream all the time of having the time to do the things I love. With that said, I do worry about two things with FIRE. I worry that I will struggle psychologically with not having money coming in -- with becoming a spender rather than a saver. <...>
I just found an error in one of my spreadsheets :0(
With the way markets have been going lately, I have cut back on my pension contributions and I've been accumulating cash - the logic being that if the recent gains are 'real' then I've already stuffed enough in my pension, if they are illusory and a big crash is coming then I'll buy stocks when they crash. I know this reeks of 'market timing', but I feel it's more of a permissible insurance policy in my case.
As my cash reserves have been building, I've had fun tracking my 'cashflow gap' - I have endowment policies maturing in 2019 which will see us through until we can access the pensions, so I've been tracking how many months worth of cash we have vs the gap to when those mature and getting excited as I slowly approached the point when we could, if we wished, hand in our 3 months notice and have enough cashflow to see us through. This morning I realised that one of the policies actually matures 66 days earlier than I thought it did. That means that our 'we could hand in our notice day' was actually two weeks ago and we missed it. Bummer.
I just found an error in one of my spreadsheets :0(
With the way markets have been going lately, I have cut back on my pension contributions and I've been accumulating cash - the logic being that if the recent gains are 'real' then I've already stuffed enough in my pension, if they are illusory and a big crash is coming then I'll buy stocks when they crash. I know this reeks of 'market timing', but I feel it's more of a permissible insurance policy in my case.
As my cash reserves have been building, I've had fun tracking my 'cashflow gap' - I have endowment policies maturing in 2019 which will see us through until we can access the pensions, so I've been tracking how many months worth of cash we have vs the gap to when those mature and getting excited as I slowly approached the point when we could, if we wished, hand in our 3 months notice and have enough cashflow to see us through. This morning I realised that one of the policies actually matures 66 days earlier than I thought it did. That means that our 'we could hand in our notice day' was actually two weeks ago and we missed it. Bummer.
Do you have any idea how hard I find spending money on something frivolous nowadays? I'm still good at having fun, but spending money on fun I now find a real challenge. I'm still trying to stick to the June 2019 plan and all that extra cash will be a hedge against market disaster and probably end up paying off the kids mortgages in about 15 years time. I'm just miffed at missing a meaningless milestone I'd been looking forward to.
Are you going to spend the pay for the extra days you didn't know you didn't need to work on something frivolous and fun?
Absolutely no idea what I will fill my days with post FIRE.I spent 30 days of vacation this past summer and found myself content with surfing the net and lounging around. However, I knew that I needed something with more substance when I FIRE and found an article that talked about using vacation days to do a retirement rehearsal. After reading the article I started experimenting with new activities around the community where I live. A lot of the experiments are volunteering in different things. I'm hoping that poking around for a new emergent strategy will land me something I really will enjoy doing in my retirement.
Most Righteous Alias | Age at FIRE | Target Date | Date Confirmed |
zinnie | 35 | Feb-19 | |
MissNancyPryor | 50 | Mar-19 | |
Roboturner | 30 | Mar-19 | |
TartanTallulah | 55 | Mar-19 | moved to 2018 |
HalfStached | 41 | Apr-1-19 | |
Luck12 | 41 | Apr-19 | |
albireo13 | 61 | May-1-19 | |
Livingthedream55 | 59 | May-19 | |
cerat0n1a | May-19 | summer 2018 planned | |
dude | 54 | May-19 | |
SamIAm38 | 29 | May-19 | |
oldtoyota | Jun-19 | ||
Itchyfeet | 47 | Jun-19 | |
PhilB | 53 | Jun-19 | |
Bateaux | 50 | Jun-19 | |
CryingInThePool | 44 | Jun-19 | |
powersuitrecall | 47 | Jul-19 | |
Enigma | 39 | Jul-19 | |
Thedividebyzero | 45 | Jul-19 | |
Trifele | 52 | Aug-19 | |
Cornbread OMalley | 42 | Aug-19 | |
RetirementDreaming | Sep-19 | ||
Spreadsheet Man | Sep-27-19 | ||
VoteCthulu | 39 | Oct-19 | |
trix76 | 43 | Oct-19 | |
MoMan | 55 | Oct-19 | |
markbike528CBX | 55 | Dec-19 | OLY 5-2018 but checking in as OP |
HBFI | 38 | Dec-19 | |
luckyme13 | 45 | Dec-19 | |
moxie | Dec-27-19 | ||
Parizade | TBD | ||
madamwitty | 36 | TBD | |
Lowerbills | 40 | TBD | |
Chrissy | 42 | TBD | |
Gerard | TBD | ||
getoutsoon | 52 | TBD | |
ysette9 | 38 | late-19TBD | |
elaine amj | 40 | TBD | |
Iplawyer | TBD | ||
Chairman | TBD-SemiFire 2018 | ||
2Birds1Stone | TBD | ||
FIRE 20/20 | TBD |
Hello. After personal reflection and family deliberation over our holiday, can I please plant my flag to FIRE in March 2019. Stupidly I have agonised over being in the 2018 cohort as on many metrics we are comfortably past FIRE and fear OMY syndrome extending year after year.
However, I am a conservative person with two young kids and work in a career which is high paying but likely a one way door when I leave (particularly if I tried to return after a few years of optically being 'unemployed'). All this points to a bigger buffer both arithmetically and emotionally.
Also, I have luckily built up restricted stock in the company I work for so have very clear visibility on what it means to stick around another 15 months and because this should increase the stash by 20-25%, it feels like the cost-benefit points to keeping my head down as I am 'only' 41.
Don't say it too loudly but I also have some potentially un-Mustachian and expensive post FIRE dreams, like taking the family sailing for 18 months......
I've decided to bring my 'official' date forward 5 months to end of Jan 19 as June 19 was feeling too far away. I'm still struggling with the desire to go even earlier and may yet defect to the 2018 thread, but there aren't may of us left!
YEAH!! This is our last full year of work!
YEAH!! This is our last full year of work!
This is such a great way to look at this!
Most Righteous Alias Age at FIRE Target Date Date Confirmed
zinnie 35 Feb-19 MissNancyPryor 50 Mar-19 Roboturner 30 Mar-19 TartanTallulah 55 Mar-19 moved to 2018 HalfStached 41 Apr-1-19 Luck12 41 Apr-19 albireo13 61 May-1-19 Livingthedream55 59 May-19 cerat0n1a May-19 summer 2018 planned dude 54 May-19 SamIAm38 29 May-19 oldtoyota Jun-19 Itchyfeet 47 Jun-19 PhilB 53 Jun-19 Bateaux 50 Jun-19 CryingInThePool 44 Jun-19 powersuitrecall 47 Jul-19 Enigma 39 Jul-19 Thedividebyzero 45 Jul-19 Trifele 52 Aug-19 Cornbread OMalley 42 Aug-19 RetirementDreaming Sep-19 Spreadsheet Man Sep-27-19 VoteCthulu 39 Oct-19 trix76 43 Oct-19 MoMan 55 Oct-19 markbike528CBX 55 Dec-19 OLY 5-2018 but checking in as OP HBFI 38 Dec-19 luckyme13 45 Dec-19 moxie Dec-27-19 Parizade TBD madamwitty 36 TBD Lowerbills 40 TBD Chrissy 42 TBD Gerard TBD getoutsoon 52 TBD ysette9 38 late-19TBD elaine amj 40 TBD Iplawyer TBD Chairman TBD-SemiFire 2018 2Birds1Stone TBD FIRE 20/20 TBD
Most Righteous Alias | Age@fire | Target Date | OLY/OMY notes and eventually Date Confirmed |
MoneyStacher | 51 | Jan-19 | |
PhilB | 53 | Jan-19 | |
zinnie | 35 | Feb-19 | |
MissNancyPryor | 50 | Mar-19 | |
Roboturner | 30 | Mar-19 | |
TartanTallulah | 55 | Mar-19 | moved to 2018 |
Edgema | Mar-19 | ||
HalfStached | 41 | Apr-1-19 | |
Luck12 | 41 | Apr-19 | |
albireo13 | 61 | May-1-19 | |
Livingthedream55 | 59 | May-19 | |
cerat0n1a | May-19 | summer 2018 planned | |
dude | 54 | May-19 | |
SamIAm38 | 29 | May-19 | |
FIRE 20/20 | May-19 | ||
oldtoyota | Jun-19 | ||
Itchyfeet | 47 | Jun-19 | |
Bateaux | 50 | Jun-19 | |
CryingInThePool | 44 | Jun-19 | |
powersuitrecall | 47 | Jul-19 | |
Enigma | 39 | Jul-19 | |
Thedividebyzero | 45 | Jul-19 | |
Trifele | 52 | Aug-19 | |
Cornbread OMalley | 42 | Aug-19 | |
RetirementDreaming | Sep-19 | ||
Spreadsheet Man | Sep-27-19 | ||
VoteCthulu | 39 | Oct-19 | |
trix76 | 43 | Oct-19 | |
MoMan | 55 | Oct-19 | |
markbike528CBX | 55 | Dec-19 | OLY 5-2018 at 53.5 but checking in as OP |
HBFI | 38 | Dec-19 | |
luckyme13 | 45 | Dec-19 | |
moxie | Dec-27-19 | ||
Parizade | TBD | ||
madamwitty | 36 | TBD | |
Lowerbills | 40 | TBD | |
Chrissy | 42 | TBD | |
Gerard | TBD | ||
getoutsoon | 52 | TBD | |
ysette9 | 38 | late-19TBD | |
elaine amj | 40 | TBD | |
Iplawyer | TBD | ||
Chairman | TBD-SemiFire 2018 | ||
2Birds1Stone | TBD |
...snip..... I'd always pictured retiring in spring / summer to enjoy the good weather though. ...snip...
Hi PhilB,Love it!
I understand the temptation and in me it has caused me to question whether I will be an always OMY person as I am not going to let the temptation bring me into 2018. Without necessarily thinking a crash is coming it is completely rational to believe that the out-sized returns equity markets have seen means that future returns, all else equal, will not be as good for the next 5 years. Just like the MMM 'theory' would be to look through downside in markets and trust the 4% rule (oversimplification I know) once you are FIREd, the same could be said of looking through 'super' returns which are well above historical averages before you are FIREd. It just isn't the same to have your FIRE number hit with a high P/E stock market than a low one.
It is not overly pessimistic in my view, but rational, to say that with markets going up like a rocket and 'bringing forward' future year returns, means that you want a bigger buffer.
Stay on target.... Stay on target..... STAY ON TARGET.... ARGGGH. (Star Wars reference - No being aggressive
Stay on target.... Stay on target..... STAY ON TARGET.... ARGGGH. (Star Wars reference - No being aggressive
Hi PhilB,Love it!
I understand the temptation and in me it has caused me to question whether I will be an always OMY person as I am not going to let the temptation bring me into 2018. Without necessarily thinking a crash is coming it is completely rational to believe that the out-sized returns equity markets have seen means that future returns, all else equal, will not be as good for the next 5 years. Just like the MMM 'theory' would be to look through downside in markets and trust the 4% rule (oversimplification I know) once you are FIREd, the same could be said of looking through 'super' returns which are well above historical averages before you are FIREd. It just isn't the same to have your FIRE number hit with a high P/E stock market than a low one.
It is not overly pessimistic in my view, but rational, to say that with markets going up like a rocket and 'bringing forward' future year returns, means that you want a bigger buffer.
Stay on target.... Stay on target..... STAY ON TARGET.... ARGGGH. (Star Wars reference - No being aggressive
I'm very confident I won't get stuck in OMY - my problem is that I built 3 lots of OMY into my plan to begin with and now I'm halfway through those I'm really thinking 'These are not the extra months you are looking for...'
added my stats
Most Righteous Alias Age at FIRE Target Date Date Confirmed
zinnie 35 Feb-19 MissNancyPryor 50 Mar-19 Roboturner 30 Mar-19 TartanTallulah 55 Mar-19 moved to 2018 HalfStached 41 Apr-1-19 Luck12 41 Apr-19 albireo13 61 May-1-19 Livingthedream55 59 May-19 cerat0n1a May-19 summer 2018 planned dude 54 May-19 SamIAm38 29 May-19 oldtoyota Jun-19 Itchyfeet 47 Jun-19 PhilB 53 Jun-19 Bateaux 50 Jun-19 CryingInThePool 44 Jun-19 powersuitrecall 47 Jul-19 Enigma 39 Jul-19 Thedividebyzero 45 Jul-19 Trifele 52 Aug-19 Cornbread OMalley 42 Aug-19 RetirementDreaming Sep-19 Spreadsheet Man Sep-27-19 VoteCthulu 39 Oct-19 trix76 43 Oct-19 MoMan 55 Oct-19 markbike528CBX 55 Dec-19 OLY 5-2018 but checking in as OP HBFI 38 Dec-19 luckyme13 45 Dec-19 moxie Dec-27-19 Parizade 62 Jun-21-19 madamwitty 36 TBD Lowerbills 40 TBD Chrissy 42 TBD Gerard TBD getoutsoon 52 TBD ysette9 38 late-19TBD elaine amj 40 TBD Iplawyer TBD Chairman TBD-SemiFire 2018 2Birds1Stone TBD FIRE 20/20 TBD
Next year, baby!!
It’s official: I (we) retire next year. Yeah, I still have 1.75 years to go but it’s still super exciting to say that.
At a work function last night I quietly told one of my trusted colleagues that there was a good chance I would not be around this time next year. The cat is out of the bag.... Maybe he will keep it to himself, but offices need gossip to run.
My taxables are a little shy as well. I want to have a few years expenses in taxable before FIRE. I'm overweight into retirement accounts.
My taxables are a little shy as well. I want to have a few years expenses in taxable before FIRE. I'm overweight into retirement accounts.
It just hit me a few moments ago: 2019 is NEXT year. When I first joined this board, 2019 seemed so very far away.
My taxables are a little shy as well. I want to have a few years expenses in taxable before FIRE. I'm overweight into retirement accounts.
It just hit me a few moments ago: 2019 is NEXT year. When I first joined this board, 2019 seemed so very far away.
Yep, after the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, I said it out loud to my spouse, "I'm retiring NEXT YEAR." Crazy. I know in the blink of an eye it will be May 7th, and I'll be able to say, "I've got less than a year until retirement." It sounds so bizarre when I say it that way. Like, the imminence is kind of scary! I know I'll have a thousand things to do, it's just that I'm realizing the time I have to get some ducks in a row prior to that date is dwindling fast!
My taxables are a little shy as well. I want to have a few years expenses in taxable before FIRE. I'm overweight into retirement accounts.
It just hit me a few moments ago: 2019 is NEXT year. When I first joined this board, 2019 seemed so very far away.
Yep, after the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, I said it out loud to my spouse, "I'm retiring NEXT YEAR." Crazy. I know in the blink of an eye it will be May 7th, and I'll be able to say, "I've got less than a year until retirement." It sounds so bizarre when I say it that way. Like, the imminence is kind of scary! I know I'll have a thousand things to do, it's just that I'm realizing the time I have to get some ducks in a row prior to that date is dwindling fast!
I'm in the same place mentally. One day I figured out the number of paychecks I have left before I FIRE, and it's not all that many!
My taxables are a little shy as well. I want to have a few years expenses in taxable before FIRE. I'm overweight into retirement accounts.
It just hit me a few moments ago: 2019 is NEXT year. When I first joined this board, 2019 seemed so very far away.
Yep, after the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, I said it out loud to my spouse, "I'm retiring NEXT YEAR." Crazy. I know in the blink of an eye it will be May 7th, and I'll be able to say, "I've got less than a year until retirement." It sounds so bizarre when I say it that way. Like, the imminence is kind of scary! I know I'll have a thousand things to do, it's just that I'm realizing the time I have to get some ducks in a row prior to that date is dwindling fast!
I'm in the same place mentally. One day I figured out the number of paychecks I have left before I FIRE, and it's not all that many!
It’s going to be an uphill battle to the finish line on many fronts.
I believe I should feel unburdened because I should no longer give a rats about my job, but instead I am feeling the weight of making the biggest financial decision of my life. Turning off the raging torrent of cashflow from a career that is at its zenith is daunting.
Cheers Phil B. Fair chance I might end up 2018 too. Still throwing around ideas for 2019.If there was any way I could swing it this year I would, I'll probably go back and take a look just to be sure but I don't think I can move my date up at all.
So you are going for a 3% SWR Eric?
(wanting to be able to take 20% haircut = 3%SWR)
So you are going for a 3% SWR Eric?
(wanting to be able to take 20% haircut = 3%SWR)
Kind of? I'm actually planning a variable withdrawal rate, not a static one. My baseline looks like it'll be around 3.5%, but my spending "floor" is around 2% of my starting balance. My spending "ceiling" is around 4.5%. My spending amount will fluctuate based on market returns. This is partially because I will have the ability to decrease my expenses without really taking a lifestyle hit just by moving locations, as I plan to do the perpetual travel thing. It's also partially because I'll need my portfolio to grow if I want to settle back in the US at some point if the travel thing ever gets old, and cutting spending when the markets are down is one of the best ways to ensure growth over time. But of course I want to spend time in Western Europe too, so the variable spending thing seems to strike the best balance.
So you are going for a 3% SWR Eric?
(wanting to be able to take 20% haircut = 3%SWR)
Kind of? I'm actually planning a variable withdrawal rate, not a static one. My baseline looks like it'll be around 3.5%, but my spending "floor" is around 2% of my starting balance. My spending "ceiling" is around 4.5%. My spending amount will fluctuate based on market returns. This is partially because I will have the ability to decrease my expenses without really taking a lifestyle hit just by moving locations, as I plan to do the perpetual travel thing. It's also partially because I'll need my portfolio to grow if I want to settle back in the US at some point if the travel thing ever gets old, and cutting spending when the markets are down is one of the best ways to ensure growth over time. But of course I want to spend time in Western Europe too, so the variable spending thing seems to strike the best balance.
It was just to point out that if you want to be able to take a haircut, it means you are planning for an extremely safe/never ever run out of money, even if you never make another $.
I was *just* wondering if any of you were considering moving up your timeline due to the recent outsized market returns.That's a very fair question. As it happens, I don't feed actual investment valuations into my retirement spending model. That model is based on the 2014 values when I started modelling, plus contributions and a budgeted 4% real return on equities. I do track those budget numbers against actuals in a separate spreadsheet (actuals are currently ahead of budget by about 2 years worth of spending), but I try to base my decisions on the budgeted numbers. Although I am supposedly ignoring those 'excess' gains in all my assessments of how much I'll have in retirement, I'm not naïve enough to think that it doesn't have some influence on my thinking and I'm sure I wouldn't have the confidence to go if I was 2 years' money behind budget instead of 2 years ahead.
I've personally already hit my "number" (in 2017, no less), but the only reason is due to all of the heavy lifting by Mr. Market. Looking at current valuations, I'm pretty sure I'll end up happier when I can take a ~20% portfolio haircut without worrying a bit. And I won't even have to work any longer. So I'm staying the course with the original plan. I have really started slacking off at work though...
I was *just* wondering if any of you were considering moving up your timeline due to the recent outsized market returns.That's a very fair question. As it happens, I don't feed actual investment valuations into my retirement spending model. That model is based on the 2014 values when I started modelling, plus contributions and a budgeted 4% real return on equities. I do track those budget numbers against actuals in a separate spreadsheet (actuals are currently ahead of budget by about 2 years worth of spending), but I try to base my decisions on the budgeted numbers. Although I am supposedly ignoring those 'excess' gains in all my assessments of how much I'll have in retirement, I'm not naïve enough to think that it doesn't have some influence on my thinking and I'm sure I wouldn't have the confidence to go if I was 2 years' money behind budget instead of 2 years ahead.
I've personally already hit my "number" (in 2017, no less), but the only reason is due to all of the heavy lifting by Mr. Market. Looking at current valuations, I'm pretty sure I'll end up happier when I can take a ~20% portfolio haircut without worrying a bit. And I won't even have to work any longer. So I'm staying the course with the original plan. I have really started slacking off at work though...
I may be able to FIRE earlier than I had planned. Doubt I would go this year, but maybe earlier in 2019. Maybe spring? It'd be nice to enjoy the summer as a new FIREee.
I am feeling so much better about work - excited, even
Parizade - I really love the second link, it properly made me chuckle.
I may be signing back on here. The thing I knew was most likely to put a spoke in my wheel for retiring in 2018 has happened. There was nothing I could have done to prevent it.
I'm at the drawing board, though, scratching away as hard as I can.
This is how I thought I would feel about my last 16 months of work
https://youtu.be/4q0-k8_90UM (https://youtu.be/4q0-k8_90UM)
this is how I actually feel
https://youtu.be/BKIgv8AhffA (https://youtu.be/BKIgv8AhffA)
Originally I was thinking 2020 would be the year, but hoping to get there a year earlier.Sure, here's where I'm at:
Can anyone planning to FIRE in 2019 share some of their numbers? Net worth, savings rate, annual spend, invested assets (stocks and bonds), rental property & income (if any), mortgage (rate and amount left), kids?
I am going to run with the theme. This is how the last year feels to me.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTn1v5TGK_w
p.s. Whilst I am making a joke, I post this respectfully having first seen it about 8 years ago when I was doing a lot of triathlons myself. Says something of grit and determination (with a dose of complete lunacy!)
There is light at the end! I get my finger bit off in 2 days (2018 cohort offering encouragement)....stay strong....loved the dog sledding. My last 30 days went fast.
This is how I thought I would feel about my last 16 months of work
https://youtu.be/4q0-k8_90UM (https://youtu.be/4q0-k8_90UM)
this is how I actually feel
https://youtu.be/BKIgv8AhffA (https://youtu.be/BKIgv8AhffA)
Loong work day today. Having a cocktail to unwind. Your videos made me laugh -- thanks!
I am going to run with the theme. This is how the last year feels to me.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTn1v5TGK_w
p.s. Whilst I am making a joke, I post this respectfully having first seen it about 8 years ago when I was doing a lot of triathlons myself. Says something of grit and determination (with a dose of complete lunacy!)
The inner gollem is today whispering “sneaky little MMM forum, wicked, trixie, false MMM forum. They will fool you, cheat you. False!!! Lies!!! Work is your friend....the top is in”
Deary me, obviously completely burnt out. Haha 🤣
The inner gollem is today whispering “sneaky little MMM forum, wicked, trixie, false MMM forum. They will fool you, cheat you. False!!! Lies!!! Work is your friend....the top is in”
Deary me, obviously completely burnt out. Haha 🤣
Literally laughed out loud at the wicked trixie false MMM comment. I have what most would consider a cushy job, WFH earning 6 figures at tasks I would do for fun if I wasn't getting paid with people I actually like. On a good day that gollum voice nags away inside my head too. My annual review is scheduled for tomorrow, if they give me another raise and bonus (which is likely) gollum will get even louder for a while.
Don't forget about The Shire and second breakfast.
I may be signing back on here. The thing I knew was most likely to put a spoke in my wheel for retiring in 2018 has happened. There was nothing I could have done to prevent it.
I'm at the drawing board, though, scratching away as hard as I can.
What a bummer Tallulah! Welcome anyway :-(
I'm sure I'll be able to find a use for an extra nine paychecks.
Is anyone planning a leanfire? Basically retiring on an amount that requires a WR% greater than 4% with the assumption that you will return to some sort of work, whether it's part time for a longer period, or full time for another year or two?
Can anyone planning to FIRE in 2019 share some of their numbers? Net worth, savings rate, annual spend, invested assets (stocks and bonds), rental property & income (if any), mortgage (rate and amount left), kids?
Reaching minimum investment FIRE stash soon of 2 million. Shooting for 2.5 milion stash and potential 100k withdrawal if desired. Living on less than that now.
Originally I was thinking 2020 would be the year, but hoping to get there a year earlier.I'm at $1,475K in net worth; savings rate about 47% of income; annual spend about $40K; invested assets: $812K in non-retirement accounts, $551K in retirement accounts, some cash, no bonds; no rental property income; no mortgage; no kids. I will be in very good shape if I can get my non-retirement accounts to $1 million by 2019.
Can anyone planning to FIRE in 2019 share some of their numbers? Net worth, savings rate, annual spend, invested assets (stocks and bonds), rental property & income (if any), mortgage (rate and amount left), kids?
I was *just* wondering if any of you were considering moving up your timeline due to the recent outsized market returns.
I was *just* wondering if any of you were considering moving up your timeline due to the recent outsized market returns.
I'm actually worried about the opposite! With market valuations so high, I'm worried about it continuing through this year and tanking in 2019 when I retire! That's the one thing that might cause me to inflict myself with OMY Syndrome. Biggest fear is negative returns early in retirement.
Well, I kind of just decided to not wait any longer. I'm planning to give my notice as soon as I get my bonus (for last year) in early March. Then I'll give about a month's notice. So I'm moving over to the 2018 group.
I'll be 58 this month, so this isn't super early, but I'm still excited!
I was *just* wondering if any of you were considering moving up your timeline due to the recent outsized market returns.
I'm actually worried about the opposite! With market valuations so high, I'm worried about it continuing through this year and tanking in 2019 when I retire! That's the one thing that might cause me to inflict myself with OMY Syndrome. Biggest fear is negative returns early in retirement.
I was *just* wondering if any of you were considering moving up your timeline due to the recent outsized market returns.
I'm actually worried about the opposite! With market valuations so high, I'm worried about it continuing through this year and tanking in 2019 when I retire! That's the one thing that might cause me to inflict myself with OMY Syndrome. Biggest fear is negative returns early in retirement.
If the bull continues through 2018, then I'm sure it will give you enough cushion financially to absorb a crash. I think the bigger challenge would be psychologically, could you quit if the market starts dropping at the end of 2018? I'm not sure if I would be able to or not. I guess it depends on how big the cushion is. Now the waiting game begins!
I was *just* wondering if any of you were considering moving up your timeline due to the recent outsized market returns.
I'm actually worried about the opposite! With market valuations so high, I'm worried about it continuing through this year and tanking in 2019 when I retire! That's the one thing that might cause me to inflict myself with OMY Syndrome. Biggest fear is negative returns early in retirement.
Looks like you're getting your wish of the markets not tanking in 2019, but in 2018 instead. Congrats! lol
Exactly right, Eric. I mean, most here would probably call me a pussy, ...
I assume they were using the word in its "timid/passive" definition instead of referring to a vagina.Exactly right, Eric. I mean, most here would probably call me a pussy, ...
I want to say something here about the relative durability of vaginas versus the fragility of male organs, some kind of Betty White paraphrasing, but maybe we'll just all acknowledge that vaginas are actually pretty tough and we shouldn't equate with weakness in our metaphors just because we think women are the weaker sex.
Toque.
Exactly right, Eric. I mean, most here would probably call me a pussy, ...
I want to say something here about the relative durability of vaginas versus the fragility of male organs, some kind of Betty White paraphrasing, but maybe we'll just all acknowledge that vaginas are actually pretty tough and we shouldn't equate with weakness in our metaphors just because we think women are the weaker sex.
Toque.
I’m joining up with this group, reclassifying from 2018 after my spouses career plans changed. I will be targeting late May of 2019, when I will be 42! https://www.google.com/amp/www.independent.co.uk/life-style/history/42-the-answer-to-life-the-universe-and-everything-2205734.html%3famp
So, I had my annual performance interview today.
I hate annual performance interviews, even though over the course of my career I have never had a manager who was not mostly happy, or extremely happy, with my work. This year was much the same. “Good year itchy feet! Well done. What objectives are you setting yourself for the coming year?”
But, I have to say that knowing that was the final API of my career, is frigging awesome. They suck.
So, in terms of FIRE date it’s now decided that we won’t be hanging around till Feb next year, but will wrap things up in December, or possibly Jan if MegaCorp begs me to stay to close out the 2019 results. I’ll stay in this cohort regardless.
I found out today that I will be earning my 40th SS credit on March 31st 2019, so technically if I win the lottery between now and then, I can retire =P
A more likely scenario is getting fired/laid off from my current job.
Is anyone planning a leanfire? Basically retiring on an amount that requires a WR% greater than 4% with the assumption that you will return to some sort of work, whether it's part time for a longer period, or full time for another year or two?
SO and I are currently sitting ~$460k with an annual spend of ~$48k, FU$, but not FI$. We may be able to get to $550-600k by 2019 if the market cooperates, and with slow travel/geographical arbitrage should get our spending down to $36-40k/yr which would mean a 6-7.25% WR
I recommend the rarely seen "gap decade" for 2020.
I will attempt the gap bi-centennial. I'll promise the military I'll come back in 50 years.
So glad to see February end! It's been a rough month at work, with office politics and other nonsense that will make it oh-so-easy to say goodbye.
Speaking of goodbye, I was originally down for August 1 of next year, but have decided to pull the plug earlier. I'm now planning to hand in my notice beginning of January for an April 1 departure. Very excited that this will be the last spring I have to spend indoors chained to a desk.
So glad to see February end! It's been a rough month at work, with office politics and other nonsense that will make it oh-so-easy to say goodbye.
Speaking of goodbye, I was originally down for August 1 of next year, but have decided to pull the plug earlier. I'm now planning to hand in my notice beginning of January for an April 1 departure. Very excited that this will be the last spring I have to spend indoors chained to a desk.
Sweet! It's always great to hear when folks can get out sooner than planned!
My motivation at work is really dropping! I am planning mini short getaways (inexpensive, mostly within driving distance) every few months just to keep myself going to the finish line.
Don't take me off the 2019 list yet. Looking more like 2020 though. Time will tell. Watching over 100k of value disappear in a few days spooked me. Still a long way from where we were at the top. Rising interest rates are killing my bond fund as well.
Exactly right, Eric. I mean, most here would probably call me a pussy, ...
I want to say something here about the relative durability of vaginas versus the fragility of male organs, some kind of Betty White paraphrasing, but maybe we'll just all acknowledge that vaginas are actually pretty tough and we shouldn't equate with weakness in our metaphors just because we think women are the weaker sex.
Toque.
Yeah, I have to say I read that comment the same way as Mr. Frugal Toque. . . I know you were talking about yourself, @dude, and not someone else, but 'pussy' sounds like equating women with weakness.
Don't take me off the 2019 list yet. Looking more like 2020 though. Time will tell. Watching over 100k of value disappear in a few days spooked me. Still a long way from where we were at the top. Rising interest rates are killing my bond fund as well.
Yes, the S&P500 is not back at the top, but it is back to where it was at 1 January this year. With dividends included, returns are in the black this year. Already!
After a 21%+ total return last year from the S&P500 I am stoked to be in the black.
Don't take me off the 2019 list yet. Looking more like 2020 though. Time will tell. Watching over 100k of value disappear in a few days spooked me. Still a long way from where we were at the top. Rising interest rates are killing my bond fund as well.
Yes, the S&P500 is not back at the top, but it is back to where it was at 1 January this year. With dividends included, returns are in the black this year. Already!
After a 21%+ total return last year from the S&P500 I am stoked to be in the black.
Maybe not after today . . .
Another work improvement has been compliments of Hurricane Harvey. The storm completely flooded the corporate campus. The basements of multiple buildings flooded with water, so we were all forced to work remotely from home for a few months. We And our group was held up as a model for business continuity. As a result, we proved that we can effectively work from home so management is allowing us to work from home up to 2 days a week.You might just work for the Houston branch of the same MegaCorp I work for. I still have the memo from our group executive vice president extolling hard work of our 2,100 Houston colleagues who pulled together after the storm.
I still have the memo from our group executive vice president extolling hard work of our 2,100 Houston colleagues who pulled together after the storm.
I'm joining the 2019 cohort. Even though, to be honest, I am terrified by the current market and housing valuations. World feels a lot like 1/1/2000 right now..
Whatever you do, don't join the 2020 group instead. They're a bunch of losers. :)It was okay when Eric told me off for posting in this thread after I defected to 2018, but now I'm getting worried. Next thing we know he'll be slapping a 25% duty on bacon memes imported from the 'Top is in' thread ;o)
Whatever you do, don't join the 2020 group instead. They're a bunch of losers. :)It was okay when Eric told me off for posting in this thread after I defected to 2018, but now I'm getting worried. Next thing we know he'll be slapping a 25% duty on bacon memes imported from the 'Top is in' thread ;o)
Don't take me off the 2019 list yet. Looking more like 2020 though. Time will tell. Watching over 100k of value disappear in a few days spooked me. Still a long way from where we were at the top. Rising interest rates are killing my bond fund as well.
Don't take me off the 2019 list yet. Looking more like 2020 though. Time will tell. Watching over 100k of value disappear in a few days spooked me. Still a long way from where we were at the top. Rising interest rates are killing my bond fund as well.
I guess it's time to leave the 2019 list. I have no confidence that my savings will cover my future expenses at this point. Moving to class of 2020 as of now. Maybe as far out as 2023. Good luck to you all.
Don't take me off the 2019 list yet. Looking more like 2020 though. Time will tell. Watching over 100k of value disappear in a few days spooked me. Still a long way from where we were at the top. Rising interest rates are killing my bond fund as well.
I guess it's time to leave the 2019 list. I have no confidence that my savings will cover my future expenses at this point. Moving to class of 2020 as of now. Maybe as far out as 2023. Good luck to you all.
I guess you will also leave the $2-3m race between now and FIRE. Leaving all your friends munching on your dust......
Thanks. I'm somewhere in between. My stash is over $1.2M, so $90K is about 7% of my stash. As long as decent ACA plans are available with the current law, I would say that the $90K would not provide a significant improvement in my quality of life or security, plus I'm 20 years older, so it's not as easy to give up an extra year of retirement now as it it would be if I was 30, even though it would still be earlier than about anyone else I work with. If ACA doesn't stick around, then that will tighten things up quite a bit, although it may still work out by significantly cutting the fun/travel budget. Even the $90K wouldn't bridge that gap.
This strikes a chord - the hours I've spent agonising over these decisions! I planned to do 3 more years beyond the 10% threshold and thought, at the time, that was a reasonable compromise. I've now cut that by 8 months (which is why I shouldn't be posting here any more!) and even so it's probably going to be longer than was really sensible. At 51 I can see that the number of 'good years' I've got left is shrinking rapidly and the ability to inflate my lifestyle if I wanted to no longer seems like a reasonable trade for them.Thanks. I'm somewhere in between. My stash is over $1.2M, so $90K is about 7% of my stash. As long as decent ACA plans are available with the current law, I would say that the $90K would not provide a significant improvement in my quality of life or security, plus I'm 20 years older, so it's not as easy to give up an extra year of retirement now as it it would be if I was 30, even though it would still be earlier than about anyone else I work with. If ACA doesn't stick around, then that will tighten things up quite a bit, although it may still work out by significantly cutting the fun/travel budget. Even the $90K wouldn't bridge that gap.
No doubt about it! My current threshold is 10%, meaning if I can't increase my portfolio by at least 10% by working an entire 12 months at full time, then the job isn't worth it.
Right now that's only ~$37k, and I can add ~$48k so I keep working, but once I cross that 10% threshold...... the choice becomes one of more substance.
P.S. Somehow in my lurking I haven't yet found a list of acronyms - is there one somewhere?Welcome aboard! To quickly answer your question, the FAQ thread links to this page for acronyms:
P.S. Somehow in my lurking I haven't yet found a list of acronyms - is there one somewhere?Welcome aboard! To quickly answer your question, the FAQ thread links to this page for acronyms:
http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f47/acronyms-and-slang-frequently-used-on-the-forum-34884.html
Just got paid my 2017 bonus.
Another bunch on nails in the coffin that is my career. Looking forward to putting it 6 feet under in January.
Found out that my company is being bought by MegaCorp! We don't have many details yet, but they are aiming to close the deal in early fall.
In all these years I've worked, I've never been through an acquisition/merger . . . Odd that it would happen in my final 12 months of working. So I'm trying to imagine how this might go with my planned FIRE time frame, which was to give notice January 1, work til April 1, 2019. Hopefully it won't hurt me too much financially, and depending on the exact timing of a layoff I guess it could work to my advantage, with possible severance/healthcare?
One negative thing I thought of is that up to 20% of our annual pay is a bonus paid at the end of the year, and I predict we can kiss that goodbye, even if MegaCorp keeps us on.
Anyone been through this? Words of wisdom appreciated.
Found out that my company is being bought by MegaCorp! We don't have many details yet, but they are aiming to close the deal in early fall.
In all these years I've worked, I've never been through an acquisition/merger . . . Odd that it would happen in my final 12 months of working. So I'm trying to imagine how this might go with my planned FIRE time frame, which was to give notice January 1, work til April 1, 2019. Hopefully it won't hurt me too much financially, and depending on the exact timing of a layoff I guess it could work to my advantage, with possible severance/healthcare?
One negative thing I thought of is that up to 20% of our annual pay is a bonus paid at the end of the year, and I predict we can kiss that goodbye, even if MegaCorp keeps us on.
Anyone been through this? Words of wisdom appreciated.
We just bought a competitor last year and the employees being acquired received a retention bonus for staying on 12 months post acquisition, it might be a very good thing for you!
Eric- I assume you are planning to take the position then? Are there any negatives (hours wise or otherwise) with the promotion? Honestly I think I'd pass on a promotion offered to me at this point, but circumstances differ.
Congrats! How nice to have more a better title in the meantime and, of course, the money! What an awesome gift.Eric- I assume you are planning to take the position then? Are there any negatives (hours wise or otherwise) with the promotion? Honestly I think I'd pass on a promotion offered to me at this point, but circumstances differ.
Oh whoops. I guess I should've included that info. The "promotion" is basically just a title change. My new duties are exactly the same as my old duties, but with more pay. So yes, as you can imagine, I accepted. :)
Most Righteous Alias | Age@fire | Target Date | OLY/OMY notes and eventually Date Confirmed |
MoneyStacher | 51 | Jan-19 | |
PhilB | 53 | Jan-19 | |
sui generis | 41 | Feb-15-19 | |
zinnie | 35 | Feb-19 | |
MissNancyPryor | 50 | Mar-19 | |
Roboturner | 30 | Mar-19 | |
TartanTallulah | 55 | March-31-19 | moved to 2018 and is back again |
Edgema | Mar-19 | ||
Trifele | 52 | April-1-19 - WIGLO | |
HalfStached | 41 | Apr-1-19 | |
Luck12 | 41 | Apr-19 | |
albireo13 | 61 | May-1-19 | |
Livingthedream55 | 59 | May-19 | |
cerat0n1a | May-19 | summer 2018 planned | |
dude | 53 | May-19 | |
SamIAm38 | 29 | May-19 | |
FIRE 20/20 | May-19 | ||
Pylortes | 42 | May-31-19 | |
Odiedog8590 | 62 | 5/31/19 | |
oldtoyota | Jun-19 | ||
Itchyfeet | 47 | Jun-19 | |
Bateaux | 50 | Jun-19 | |
Parizade | 62 | Jun-21-19 | |
CryingInThePool | 44 | Jun-19 | |
powersuitrecall | 47 | Jul-19 | |
Enigma | 39 | Jul-19 | |
Thedividebyzero | 45 | Jul-19 | |
Cornbread OMalley | 42 | Aug-19 | |
RetirementDreaming | Sep-19 | ||
Spreadsheet Man | Sep-27-19 | ||
VoteCthulu | 39 | Oct-19 | |
trix76 | 43 | Oct-19 | |
MoMan | 55 | Oct-19 | |
2Birds1Stone | 32 | Nov-1-19 | |
markbike528CBX | 55 | Dec-19 | OLY 5-2018 at 53.5 but checking in as OP |
HBFI | 38 | Dec-19 | |
luckyme13 | 45 | Dec-19 | |
moxie | Dec-27-19 | ||
madamwitty | 36 | TBD | |
Lowerbills | 40 | TBD | |
Chrissy | 42 | TBD | |
Gerard | TBD | ||
getoutsoon | 52 | TBD | |
ysette9 | 38 | late-19TBD | |
elaine amj | 40 | TBD | |
Iplawyer | TBD | ||
Chairman | TBD | -SemiFire 2018 | |
exit2019 | TBD-2019 |
Sweet! Yes, that's a no-brainer then. What's your anticipated FIRE date? Should be able to pad that stache a little more, nicely done.
Congrats! How nice to have more a better title in the meantime and, of course, the money! What an awesome gift.Eric- I assume you are planning to take the position then? Are there any negatives (hours wise or otherwise) with the promotion? Honestly I think I'd pass on a promotion offered to me at this point, but circumstances differ.
Oh whoops. I guess I should've included that info. The "promotion" is basically just a title change. My new duties are exactly the same as my old duties, but with more pay. So yes, as you can imagine, I accepted. :)
It's another 18 months for me, which still seems like a long ways off. Maybe when it gets to 12 or 9 months it will feel a lot more imminent.
I have recently been considering reducing my 401k contributions in order to build up my taxable accounts faster, but mathematically it's the same as paying the early withdrawal penalty, so I haven't made any changes yet.
New table update. It has been 3 pages so I thought I'd update. If you have any updates/corrections just PM me. I'll just edit this post instead of posting a new one.
table]
Most Righteous Alias Age@fire Target Date OLY/OMY notes and eventually Date Confirmed MoneyStacher 51 Jan-19 PhilB 53 Jan-19 sui generis 41? 2/15/19 zinnie 35 Feb-19 MissNancyPryor 50 Mar-19 Roboturner 30 Mar-19 TartanTallulah 55 3/31/19 moved to 2018 and is back again Edgema Mar-19 HalfStached 41 Apr-1-19 Luck12 41 Apr-19 albireo13 61 May-1-19 Livingthedream55 59 May-19 cerat0n1a May-19 summer 2018 planned dude 54 May-19 SamIAm38 29 May-19 FIRE 20/20 May-19 Pylortes 42 5/31/19 Odiedog8590 62 5/31/19 oldtoyota Jun-19 Itchyfeet 47 Jun-19 Bateaux 50 Jun-19 Parizade 62 Jun-21-19 CryingInThePool 44 Jun-19 powersuitrecall 47 Jul-19 Enigma 39 Jul-19 Thedividebyzero 45 Jul-19 Trifele 52 Aug-19 Cornbread OMalley 42 Aug-19 RetirementDreaming Sep-19 Spreadsheet Man Sep-27-19 VoteCthulu 39 Oct-19 trix76 43 Oct-19 MoMan 55 Oct-19 markbike528CBX 55 Dec-19 OLY 5-2018 at 53.5 but checking in as OP HBFI 38 Dec-19 luckyme13 45 Dec-19 moxie Dec-27-19 madamwitty 36 TBD Lowerbills 40 TBD Chrissy 42 TBD Gerard TBD getoutsoon 52 TBD ysette9 38 late-19TBD elaine amj 40 TBD Iplawyer TBD Chairman TBD-SemiFire 2018 2Birds1Stone TBD-2019 exit2019 TBD-2019
Updated list in my previous list post.
Updated 2Birdsonstone and modified the date format.
If you update the table use my previous one, not the copy later in the thread.
Although my previous date method had a purpose.
ie May-19 is "sometime in May" where 5/31/19 is a specific date that stands out (at least to me) vs May-31-19.
Anyone else who is more OCD than me?
Updated 2Birdsonstone and modified the date format.
If you update the table use my previous one, not the copy later in the thread.
Although my previous date method had a purpose.
ie May-19 is "sometime in May" where 5/31/19 is a specific date that stands out (at least to me) vs May-31-19.
Anyone else who is more OCD than me?
Most Righteous Alias | Age@fire | Target Date | OLY/OMY notes and eventually Date Confirmed |
MoneyStacher | 51 | Jan-19 | |
PhilB | 53 | Jan-19 | |
sui generis | 41 | Feb-15-19 | |
zinnie | 35 | Feb-19 | |
MissNancyPryor | 50 | Mar-19 | |
Roboturner | 30 | Mar-19 | |
exit2019 | 40 | Mar-15-19 | |
TartanTallulah | 55 | March-31-19 | moved to 2018 and is back again |
Edgema | Mar-19 | ||
Trifele | 52 | April-1-19 | WIGLO |
HalfStached | 41 | Apr-1-19 | |
Luck12 | 41 | Apr-19 | |
albireo13 | 61 | May-1-19 | |
Livingthedream55 | 59 | May-19 | |
cerat0n1a | May-19 | summer 2018 planned | |
dude | 53 | May-19 | |
SamIAm38 | 29 | May-19 | |
FIRE 20/20 | May-19 | ||
Pylortes | 42 | May-31-19 | |
Odiedog8590 | 62 | May-31-19 | |
DreamFIRE | Jun-1-19 | ||
oldtoyota | Jun-19 | ||
Itchyfeet | 47 | Jun-19 | |
Bateaux | 50 | Jun-19 | |
Parizade | 62 | Jun-21-19 | |
CryingInThePool | 44 | Jun-19 | |
powersuitrecall | 47 | Jul-19 | |
Enigma | 39 | Jul-19 | |
Thedividebyzero | 45 | Jul-19 | |
Cornbread OMalley | 42 | Aug-19 | |
RetirementDreaming | Sep-19 | ||
Spreadsheet Man | Sep-27-19 | ||
VoteCthulu | 39 | Oct-19 | |
trix76 | 43 | Oct-19 | |
MoMan | 55 | Oct-19 | |
2Birds1Stone | 32 | Nov-1-19 | |
markbike528CBX | 55 | Dec-19 | OLY 5-2018 at 53.5 but checking in as OP |
HBFI | 38 | Dec-19 | |
luckyme13 | 45 | Dec-19 | |
moxie | Dec-27-19 | ||
madamwitty | 36 | TBD | |
Lowerbills | 40 | TBD | |
Chrissy | 42 | TBD | |
Gerard | TBD | ||
getoutsoon | 52 | TBD | |
ysette9 | 38 | late-19TBD | |
elaine amj | 40 | TBD | |
Iplawyer | TBD | ||
Chairman | TBD | SemiFire 2018 | |
exit2019 | TBD-2019 |
Latest and greatest list rev above.I don't see Eric, Mintleaf, or DreamFIRE on that list.
Latest and greatest list rev above.I don't see Eric, Mintleaf, or DreamFIRE on that list.
I don't know if I can make it, y'all. I'm staring down 325 more days and it feels like each is more excruciating than the last.
Anyone else going through this? Everyone here (not just on this thread) seems so patient and plugging away until they are at like 80x expenses or something!
Anyone else going through this? Everyone here (not just on this thread) seems so patient and plugging away until they are at like 80x expenses or something! Maybe I'm conflating the people that are patient and heavily stache-d with those who hate their jobs.
Maybe you could do a serious thought experiment, like imagine how you would feel if they laid you off next month. Would you be disappointed because you could not make it to the finish line on your own terms, or would you be happy? If you would be happy, then maybe you really are ready to FIRE right now.
sui generis, my husband wants to retire NOW. I'm fine plugging along, but, for him, every day is agony. We are only at 11x expenses, though gaining quickly. I hope he can retire at the end of next year, but we just found out we're both taking pay cuts (unless he changes jobs (my job doesn't exist anywhere else)), and we added a kid at the same time, so we'll probably have to migrate to 2020 or 2021.
We're not patient and definitely not waiting to 80x expenses!
I don't know if I can make it, y'all. I'm staring down 325 more days and it feels like each is more excruciating than the last. I switched firms about 8 months ago to a place that was supposed to be much more satisfying...and it turns out it is not. It's more challenging (in a not-intellectually satisfying way) and unlike my last job, where the work was predictable and steady, it's chaos around here and I'm constantly worried about whether I will make my billable hours by the end of the year. I am *almost* at 28.57x expenses (3.5% WR) and if I stick around only to NOT get a bonus in January, I'll be really upset.
Anyone else going through this? Everyone here (not just on this thread) seems so patient and plugging away until they are at like 80x expenses or something! Maybe I'm conflating the people that are patient and heavily stache-d with those who hate their jobs. I mean, I'm new enough here to not know usernames and who hates their jobs vs. who loves them and what people's goals are...but I'm surprised at the relative paucity of posts by people as impatient as me.
I've been desperately giving myself assignments to complete before RE so that I don't chuck it all out the window, but I'm very tempted!
I don't know if I can make it, y'all. I'm staring down 325 more days and it feels like each is more excruciating than the last.
For me, it's mostly a matter of what I can make myself focus on. Some days I calculate the time I have left in calendar days, weeks, work days, work hours, work minutes, etc. and those days seem to grind sloooowly by.I don't know if I can make it, y'all. I'm staring down 325 more days and it feels like each is more excruciating than the last.
this. I am struggling.
Maybe you could do a serious thought experiment, like imagine how you would feel if they laid you off next month. Would you be disappointed because you could not make it to the finish line on your own terms, or would you be happy? If you would be happy, then maybe you really are ready to FIRE right now.
Yeah, I would be soooooo happy if they laid me off. However, I still think I am going to wait to FIRE. .....
Yeah, that's definitely one of my problems right now - I have so little to focus on to make the time pass. Work is slow! While I used to fill this kind of down time at other jobs with spending a lot more time on boards like this, or other interests, this job is really strict on the billable hours requirements so it's actually doubly awful and even harder to distract myself because I constantly need to be chasing work. And that just reminds me how much I hate it here!
For me, it's mostly a matter of what I can make myself focus on. Some days I calculate the time I have left in calendar days, weeks, work days, work hours, work minutes, etc. and those days seem to grind sloooowly by.
When I can focus on something I want or need to do in the next few days or weeks, my day seems to go much faster.
Honestly, I don't know how I ended up as this person, but every job I just hate more than the last. Apparently I didn't know how good I had it at my first job out of college (where I spent most of my time surfing the internet and reading about how to stop being a "wage-slave" and "quarter-life crises" and I just keep getting myself into worse and worse (though, thankfully, higher paid) positions. I honestly feel like something must be wrong with me that I keep thinking the next job sounds and will be better! And then it's shittier, instead. That's really why I decided I needed to stop doing JOBS.
I've officially passed the one year mark! One year from now (or less if laid off) I will be officially FIREd. Man that feels good. I'm already planning the celebratory travel and activities.
I've officially passed the one year mark! One year from now (or less if laid off) I will be officially FIREd. Man that feels good. I'm already planning the celebratory travel and activities.
I am down to 9 months, but I distinctly remember the day that I realised that I was within 12months and airline booking systems would let me book my first post FIRE flight. I looked at some prices that day but didn’t book. Still haven’t. 9 months is still a fair way off and I need to decide where I will take a vacation this summer before I start worrying about 2019.
I've officially passed the one year mark! One year from now (or less if laid off) I will be officially FIREd. Man that feels good. I'm already planning the celebratory travel and activities.
I am down to 9 months, but I distinctly remember the day that I realised that I was within 12months and airline booking systems would let me book my first post FIRE flight. I looked at some prices that day but didn’t book. Still haven’t. 9 months is still a fair way off and I need to decide where I will take a vacation this summer before I start worrying about 2019.
Huh. That's something that never even crossed my mind. There goes the rest of my day! lol
It doesn’t get any more real than booking a flight anywhere you could dream of without having to clear it with the boss first.
You can even just buy a 1 way ticket if you choose, and Worry about when you will return later. Because you will return when it suits you, not when your approved leave ends.
We were always going to be a little short of where I wanted to be come this December. And now DW and I have been looking at houses in potential post FIRE locations and we are tempted by slightly more expensive properties than I had factored into my FIRE number.
We still intend to FIRE come December, but I am a little apprehensive.
I am weighing up the options
- OMY (meh 😕), or half OMY even.
- Mini FIRE with a short encore workplace appearance in a year or 2 (DW is pushing for this)
- committing to casual work post FIRE
- trimming the Post FIRE budget...
All are possible, or a combination.
Class of 2019, what is your post-FIRE plan?
I am 10 months out. I am nervous. The math works assuming we get out of the insanely expensive bay area and liquidate the house; that will give us a solid base with which to build a post-ER life.
My job is very demanding - specifically has been extremely demanding for almost two decades. Over the last 20 years the reality is my wife and I have done very little other than work. Looking back that was quite a mistake and I have some serious regrets even though in the end it means we will free, really free, after two decades.
But .. I don't actually know quite what to do once we pull the trigger. We are going to try to do a thru hike (the timing works nicely and we'll have no ties to anything) and then .. what? We won't have a home when we finish (or drop out). We aren't even sure about where we'd like to try living other than some thoughts (somewhere we can have a larger piece of property but which is not overly exurb/rural) and constraints (not Bay Area ever again and honestly probably not CA or anywhere crowded).
Right now I am so busy with work that about all I have time to do is start gearing up to sell the house and put what we really want to keep in storage. Right now the plan is we are going to do the sale this summer and rent for the remaining 8-or-so months.
Beyond that I am just spinning. A lot of people have started to say "have a plan before you get there" but honestly I don't have one or even the idea on how to get one together. We are both burned out. We have both been burned out for 5 to 10 years.
Are any of the rest of you more than a bit nervous about the economy? I'm a little worried, but it doesn't keep me up at night (yet). I RRRREEEEAAAAALLLLLLYYYYYY want to FIRE next summer (2019), but we'll see what happens between now and then with the stock market. As a backup, I do have a good job right now, and I can stay there longer than planned.
Class of 2019, what is your post-FIRE plan?
I am 10 months out. I am nervous. The math works assuming we get out of the insanely expensive bay area and liquidate the house; that will give us a solid base with which to build a post-ER life.
My job is very demanding - specifically has been extremely demanding for almost two decades. Over the last 20 years the reality is my wife and I have done very little other than work. Looking back that was quite a mistake and I have some serious regrets even though in the end it means we will free, really free, after two decades.
But .. I don't actually know quite what to do once we pull the trigger. We are going to try to do a thru hike (the timing works nicely and we'll have no ties to anything) and then .. what? We won't have a home when we finish (or drop out). We aren't even sure about where we'd like to try living other than some thoughts (somewhere we can have a larger piece of property but which is not overly exurb/rural) and constraints (not Bay Area ever again and honestly probably not CA or anywhere crowded).
Right now I am so busy with work that about all I have time to do is start gearing up to sell the house and put what we really want to keep in storage. Right now the plan is we are going to do the sale this summer and rent for the remaining 8-or-so months.
Beyond that I am just spinning. A lot of people have started to say "have a plan before you get there" but honestly I don't have one or even the idea on how to get one together. We are both burned out. We have both been burned out for 5 to 10 years.
Apologies if this has been brought up earlier in the thread.
Are any of the rest of you more than a bit nervous about the economy? I'm a little worried, but it doesn't keep me up at night (yet). I RRRREEEEAAAAALLLLLLYYYYYY want to FIRE next summer (2019), but we'll see what happens between now and then with the stock market. As a backup, I do have a good job right now, and I can stay there longer than planned.
(Part of me wants to also say: Oh, who am I kidding? I'm VERY worried about what could happen with the market.)
On nervousness, I am genuinely concerned mostly about imminent recession and healthcare costs. Healthcare looks like it will be around $1000 to $1300 a month before subsidy in many of the places on our maybe list; healthcare has been growing above inflation for some time and that's quite a serious cost even though it will be lower with subsidy. The other thing is, selling a house in the bay area will amount to a non-trivial part of our net worth. Research shows that most of the time, on average, you are better off investing the lump sum right away, but no one lives averages and it's very very hard to consider investing all at once when a recession looks imminent.
I’m so glad you were on this deal. It would not have closed without you. :)
Anyhow, excited about either option but, as might be obvious, also 'struggling' to commit to either. 11 months to work it out. Anyone else have cruising in their post FIRE plans?
I've read this advice also in the various RE blogs and articles I find on RockStarFinance. The mind is much different when it is relaxed and the body fully recharged.Class of 2019, what is your post-FIRE plan?
I am 10 months out. I am nervous. The math works assuming we get out of the insanely expensive bay area and liquidate the house; that will give us a solid base with which to build a post-ER life.
My job is very demanding - specifically has been extremely demanding for almost two decades. Over the last 20 years the reality is my wife and I have done very little other than work. Looking back that was quite a mistake and I have some serious regrets even though in the end it means we will free, really free, after two decades.
But .. I don't actually know quite what to do once we pull the trigger. We are going to try to do a thru hike (the timing works nicely and we'll have no ties to anything) and then .. what? We won't have a home when we finish (or drop out). We aren't even sure about where we'd like to try living other than some thoughts (somewhere we can have a larger piece of property but which is not overly exurb/rural) and constraints (not Bay Area ever again and honestly probably not CA or anywhere crowded).
Right now I am so busy with work that about all I have time to do is start gearing up to sell the house and put what we really want to keep in storage. Right now the plan is we are going to do the sale this summer and rent for the remaining 8-or-so months.
Beyond that I am just spinning. A lot of people have started to say "have a plan before you get there" but honestly I don't have one or even the idea on how to get one together. We are both burned out. We have both been burned out for 5 to 10 years.
I would say in your situation, don't think about it too much. Your mind is obviously taxed with work, work, work. Retire and just do NOTHING for 6 months to let your mind and body recover, and once it has, I'm sure all kinds of ideas about what to do in Act 2 will appear.
Outstanding, Cornbread! Enjoy that pension (and health care) -- anyone who can stick it out 20+ in the military deserves every penny of it! I wish you all the best in your transition to civilian life/retirement!Thanks, dude! I'm part of the last generation of the legacy pension program. The Blended Retirement System (BRS) is in effect as of 2018. I've read a little on the BRS but haven't committed the facts to memory. I'm grandfathered in the old High-36 program.
I'm going to take a carpentry course, possibly electrician too. And then some type of accountancy university class if I am still motivated. (On-line would be perfect)
On-line would be for information purposes (accounting / university degree)
I'd personally perfer to learn carpentry and solid skills like that hands-on.
Apologies if this has been brought up earlier in the thread.
Are any of the rest of you more than a bit nervous about the economy? I'm a little worried, but it doesn't keep me up at night (yet). I RRRREEEEAAAAALLLLLLYYYYYY want to FIRE next summer (2019), but we'll see what happens between now and then with the stock market. As a backup, I do have a good job right now, and I can stay there longer than planned.
(Part of me wants to also say: Oh, who am I kidding? I'm VERY worried about what could happen with the market.)
Apologies if this has been brought up earlier in the thread.
Are any of the rest of you more than a bit nervous about the economy? I'm a little worried, but it doesn't keep me up at night (yet). I RRRREEEEAAAAALLLLLLYYYYYY want to FIRE next summer (2019), but we'll see what happens between now and then with the stock market. As a backup, I do have a good job right now, and I can stay there longer than planned.
(Part of me wants to also say: Oh, who am I kidding? I'm VERY worried about what could happen with the market.)
Keep the hype alive!
I just landed what will hopefully be my last office job ever. It seems like a nice place, and the salary is quite good, but really it just needs to tide me over for one year until the big move.
Class of 2019, what is your post-FIRE plan?
I am 10 months out. I am nervous. The math works assuming we get out of the insanely expensive bay area and liquidate the house; that will give us a solid base with which to build a post-ER life.
Beyond that I am just spinning. A lot of people have started to say "have a plan before you get there" but honestly I don't have one or even the idea on how to get one together. We are both burned out. We have both been burned out for 5 to 10 years.
Another month down. 11 to go.
I am struggling. Weird combination of severe senioritis, and stress from the current environment at work (we are being acquired by Megacorp). My current work stress is less than the people who don't have a stash and for whom a layoff would be catastrophic, but it's still stressful. I've already had to pick up a bunch of work from someone who quit last week, and who won't be replaced. [sigh] It's probably only the beginning; people are starting to quit rather than stick around and wait for a layoff.
Thanks LivingtheDream -- good advice. I got to start setting limits today. A coworker in another division called me this morning and told me I was being named to head up a big new project group. I just said "No, I can't do that. I'm glad to help, but I do not have the bandwidth to lead it." Man that felt good.
And May 7 is here. Today starts the one-year countdown to my retirement eligibility/FIRE date. Damn, one year! Can't hardly believe it!
And May 7 is here. Today starts the one-year countdown to my retirement eligibility/FIRE date. Damn, one year! Can't hardly believe it!
I predict that it will be here before you know it while simultaneously taking forever. The human mind is weird like that.
And I think my goal will be to quit on May 1, just so I can get the jump on you. :)
I have been having evil thoughts.
Currently DW and I can almost save 2 years of post FIRE spending every year we work.... this got me thinking....
I we worked just 3 more years the funds earned in those 3 years would fund us 9 years (3 years working, then 6 spending the savings), well actually let’s say 10 years given the savings from the 3 working years work would earn some returns.
This means not touching our current stash for the next 10years.
If We didn’t touch the stash We have already saved for 10 more years it would most likely be worth double what it is today at the end of 10years. DOUBLE 🤑
3 years more work to double our already decent wealth and retirement income, and I’d still retire before I turn 50.... hmmm...
Doubling the stash by working 3 years would mean never even thinking about money again, and most likely dying very rich.
This compares to FIREing in December with a high probability that we should be able to afford to do the things most important to us in retirement, with some chance of having to wind back the spending later if stocks perform particularly badly over the next 20years.
Sigh, I don’t know how much more of this mental abuse I can dish out on myself.
327 days left for me. Not that I'm counting. Not that I have thoughts of giving notice now and leaving before the end of the summer.
I've booked a vacation for next April. I wondered if it was too early to book the time off from work, then realised that I wouldn't need to, though I will, as a token gesture and because I live in perpetual hope that something will happen to make my job satisfying and enjoyable again and I'll want to go on working.
Stumbling from one weekend to the next, or sometimes from one bedtime to the next. It could be worse. Twenty years ago I worked nights and weekends too. I don't know how I did it. I do know that if I had my time over again I'd spend those nights and weekends with my family, not at work.
We are somehow financially on schedule to go part-time from 2019 and FIRE completely in 2020. The thought behind is that we would have gathered the sum to FIRE in 2020 already at the end of 2018. That would mean that we only have to work enough in 2019 to cover for the cost of 2019.
I am really looking forward to taking a mini sabbatical in 2019, like from May to half October. I hope my job will accept that. Another alternative would be to work 1 or 2 days a week less during that period. I think that they would have to allow that, by law.
I have been having evil thoughts.That sounds very familiar. I planned to do 3 years @ 2/3rds savings rate past my FI point to give a huge cushion and the possibility to significantly increase spending. I'm just coming up to the 2 year point, but will be bailing 8 months early as the utility of extra money is diminishing at such a rate. That's why I defected to the 2018 cohort (but still cheering you guys on).
Currently DW and I can almost save 2 years of post FIRE spending every year we work.... this got me thinking....
I we worked just 3 more years the funds earned in those 3 years would fund us 9 years (3 years working, then 6 spending the savings), well actually let’s say 10 years given the savings from the 3 working years work would earn some returns.
This means not touching our current stash for the next 10years.
If We didn’t touch the stash We have already saved for 10 more years it would most likely be worth double what it is today at the end of 10years. DOUBLE 🤑
3 years more work to double our already decent wealth and retirement income, and I’d still retire before I turn 50.... hmmm...
Doubling the stash by working 3 years would mean never even thinking about money again, and most likely dying very rich.
This compares to FIREing in December with a high probability that we should be able to afford to do the things most important to us in retirement, with some chance of having to wind back the spending later if stocks perform particularly badly over the next 20years.
Sigh, I don’t know how much more of this mental abuse I can dish out on myself.
I have been having evil thoughts.That sounds very familiar. I planned to do 3 years @ 2/3rds savings rate past my FI point to give a huge cushion and the possibility to significantly increase spending. I'm just coming up to the 2 year point, but will be bailing 8 months early as the utility of extra money is diminishing at such a rate. That's why I defected to the 2018 cohort (but still cheering you guys on).
Currently DW and I can almost save 2 years of post FIRE spending every year we work.... this got me thinking....
I we worked just 3 more years the funds earned in those 3 years would fund us 9 years (3 years working, then 6 spending the savings), well actually let’s say 10 years given the savings from the 3 working years work would earn some returns.
This means not touching our current stash for the next 10years....
The really eye-opening thing from having worked on so that I can increase my spending is the discovery that I really don't want to.
As of last week my net worth cracked 25X bare bones expenses ($15,300)......so my plan to pull the plug next year does not have any margin of safety built in, other than the fact that I know I will have to return to work for a few more years at some point in the future.
Still a cool milestone to hit =)
My ability to be at 25X actual expenses will from this point on be largely up to market returns/declines.
PhilB - I wouldn't be so hard on yourself as I suspect many on this forum are constantly doing similar calculations and certainly I am. This is only natural given the magnitude of the decision to stop working and a non scientific 'review' of this forum would indicate that few are stopping at 25x bare-bones, so any discussion is really over what life you want to live and what cushion you want to have.There's a significant additional factor in my case to make the calculations even more complicated. DW and I have pensions coming into payment in 2029 and then state pensions in 2031 and 2033 that, between them, would more than cover our basic needs. The stash therefore doesn't have to be 25x, it just needs to fill the gap and then any left over can be used to provide an income stream for 'extras'. This is a great position to be in, but it means that whilst someone on a standard 25x plan would go into retirement expecting that their investment growth is most likely going to keep pace with withdrawals, I'm going in knowing I am going to actually SPEND a big chunk of the capital I've worked so hard to amass.
Obviously the decision depends on your own personality (conservative), risk tolerance (low) and what lifestyle you want (pretty high).
As evidenced by all the threads on OMY (and yours is essentially a 3xOMY argument), most people lean toward conservatism (such at DreamFires's 63x number). Greed is a powerful emotion though so I try very hard not to dress up greed as conservatism though!
Personally, you could argue that I am now 14 months into 2xOMY. Probably wouldn't have wanted to admit it at the time but as I approached the obvious dates for me to hit the button, I clearly knew my stash wasn't big enough for me for me to be comfortable doing it. I am now comfortable in knowing that I want my cushion to be large as I am in a high paying job that I certainly cannot return to in five years and have two young children. I haven't really calculated it but I will be probably 50x bare bones and comfortably 30x a very easy 'budget'.
Good luck.
PhilB - I wouldn't be so hard on yourself as I suspect many on this forum are constantly doing similar calculations and certainly I am. This is only natural given the magnitude of the decision to stop working and a non scientific 'review' of this forum would indicate that few are stopping at 25x bare-bones, so any discussion is really over what life you want to live and what cushion you want to have.
Obviously the decision depends on your own personality (conservative), risk tolerance (low) and what lifestyle you want (pretty high).
As evidenced by all the threads on OMY (and yours is essentially a 3xOMY argument), most people lean toward conservatism (such at DreamFires's 63x number). Greed is a powerful emotion though so I try very hard not to dress up greed as conservatism though!
Personally, you could argue that I am now 14 months into 2xOMY. Probably wouldn't have wanted to admit it at the time but as I approached the obvious dates for me to hit the button, I clearly knew my stash wasn't big enough for me for me to be comfortable doing it. I am now comfortable in knowing that I want my cushion to be large as I am in a high paying job that I certainly cannot return to in five years and have two young children. I haven't really calculated it but I will be probably 50x bare bones and comfortably 30x a very easy 'budget'.
Good luck.
Bare bones.
- is barebones the minimum you would be happy to live on; or
- is barebones the minimum you could live on... presumably whilst maintaining some semblance of your current life.
Like everyone, we could live on very little. But that is pretty irrelevant to me. I want a bit more than the absolute bare minimum no matter what.
Sure, we could just scrape by on government handouts, others do, but at this point I’d deem that outcome as a massive failure in my management of my finances. We are just not going there.
So, for me, bare bones is an amount I’d be ok with if things dont play out as I’d wish. My definition of bare bones would include a modest house I like, a modest used car I like, a little spending money for meals out and domestic travel, enough money to buy family gifts on their birthdays, and enough to eat what I want at home. I’d say we are about 50x that kind of bare bones today.
This is a good place to be, but unfortunately I have a good imagination and can dream of what I’d do with more money. Substantially more money. If my stash was 50% bigger, so 75x comfy barebones we could still spend it.... or at least have a big chunk tied up in non income producing real estate.
I too don't find the term 'bare bones' very useful in the context of choosing when to FIRE, primarily because it just doesn't sound like a lot of fun!
I have a 'default' lifestyle in mind that costs very little, but sholud be very enjoyable indeed. Pottering around the garden, curling up with a book, cooking delicious food, cycling, walking, etc, etc.
I have two potential ways to save up money for the more expensive things - I could work for longer, or I could spend a higher proportion of my days in 'default' mode. When you're only just above 'default' level, it takes a lot of days in default to save as much as one extra day working. It probably then makes sense to think 'I'd rather work an extra day for x than have to save up for it for a month'.
The more you stash away though, the more you can 'save' per default day and the equation changes.
I think that depends a lot on how you define 'barebones' - which doesn't seem to be consistent. Some people would deem it as the minimum they would be happy with, others the minimum they could survive on. That latter interpretation is what gives it the negative connotations for me and why I avoid it.I too don't find the term 'bare bones' very useful in the context of choosing when to FIRE, primarily because it just doesn't sound like a lot of fun!
Fun was actually part of my formula in my previous post that used barebones to help determine the fun amount.
Stash * 4% - (BB+taxes) = FUN :)
Keeping track of your BB multiple doesn't mean limiting yourself to BB spending, but it's an important variable (that is somewhat constant) in the equation. I don't know how much I'm really going to end up spending in FIRE, so I don't have a specific dollar amount goal for spending, but at least I know what my BB is, so it's an important piece of the formula. That makes 63X BB very useful as a single metric. The extra is for discretionary/fun/vacations. BB itself is my minimum for FI to get by comfortably with no thrills. I have a spreadsheet that breaks everything down in various time ranges for more specifics by year and month for all the key amounts, which is where it calculates the $30K/yr discretionary spending for vacations and such. That's where the truly important figures are when it comes to my FIRE planning and considerations. But it's a lot easier to just say I'm at 63X BB on here for consistency, and BB is what my 25X original yardstick was based on for FI. As the stash grows, the multiple grows.QuoteI have a 'default' lifestyle in mind that costs very little, but sholud be very enjoyable indeed. Pottering around the garden, curling up with a book, cooking delicious food, cycling, walking, etc, etc.
That "default" sounds a lot like barebones to me, assuming the food isn't too outrageously expensive. I would just call it barebones to keep things simple.
I think I understand your confusion. I'm not talking about spending more or less whilst working to alter my savings rate, I'm talking about the choice between accruing an extra £x to spend on something specific by a) retiring 1 day later, or b) spending a few post-retirement days very cheaply.QuoteI have two potential ways to save up money for the more expensive things - I could work for longer, or I could spend a higher proportion of my days in 'default' mode. When you're only just above 'default' level, it takes a lot of days in default to save as much as one extra day working. It probably then makes sense to think 'I'd rather work an extra day for x than have to save up for it for a month'.
I've reread that a few times, but I must be misunderstanding. For me, I'm living just a little above barebones (aka default), but I still save 80% by working today with that budget, and I save 80% at the most if I work one day more. If I don't keep my spending close to barebones, the one more day of work would allow me to save less, not more, than when I'm sticking to barebones. I don't save any faster by working tomorrow vs. working today. So it doesn't take me a lot of days with a BB budget to equal one extra day of work. Each day is the same. That's where I'm having trouble comparing my situation to your "lot of days in default saving" or "3 or 4 days of saving" vs "one extra day of saving." I don't see how these days differ for saving if you're still earning the same income and spending about the same. And "default"/BB spending with the same income should allow you to save more, not less, than ramping up spending and working another day, if that's the alternative to "default" spending. I'm assuming by one extra day, that you wouldn't reduce spending to LESS than default. HmmmQuoteThe more you stash away though, the more you can 'save' per default day and the equation changes.
Regardless of the size of my stash, I still save in the 70% to 80% range of my take home pay. The equation does change, I might have dropped to 62X BB today with the drop in stocks, plus my homeowners insurance and property tax just went up. I guess I could always change my living situation to cut on housing costs.
I think I understand your confusion. I'm not talking about spending more or less whilst working to alter my savings rate, I'm talking about the choice between accruing an extra £x to spend on something specific by a) retiring 1 day later, or b) spending a few post-retirement days very cheaply.
If your full FIRE budget was only $5 a day more than your default / bare bones, then you would have to spend 40 cheap days post retirement to save up $200. If retiring 1 day later would earn you that $200, then I would lean strongly towards working the extra day. OTOH, if your full budget was $50 a day more than your default, then it would only take 4 days to save that $200. To me, four minimal spend days sounds like a holiday and much preferable to an extra day working. 40 sounds like a bit of a penance.
@SpareChange , what do you do?
Most Righteous Alias | Age@fire | Target Date | OLY/OMY notes and eventually Date Confirmed |
MoneyStacher | 51 | Jan-19 | |
PhilB | 53 | Jan-19 | moved to Oct 2018, with possible PT through 2019 |
sui generis | 41 | Feb-15-19 | |
zinnie | 35 | Feb-19 | |
MissNancyPryor | 50 | Mar-19 | |
Roboturner | 30 | Mar-19 | |
exit2019 | 40 | Mar-15-19 | |
TartanTallulah | 55 | Mar-31-19 | moved to 2018 and is back again |
Edgema | Mar-19 | ||
Trifele | 52 | April-1-19 | WIGLO |
HalfStached | 41 | Apr-1-19 | |
Luck12 | 41 | Apr-19 | |
albireo13 | 61 | May-1-19 | |
Livingthedream55 | 59 | May-19 | |
cerat0n1a | May-19 | summer 2018 planned | |
dude | 53 | May-19 | |
SamIAm38 | 29 | May-19 | |
FIRE 20/20 | 42 | May-19 | |
Pylortes | 42 | May-31-19 | |
Odiedog8590 | 62 | May-31-19 | |
DreamFIRE | Jun-7-19 | ||
oldtoyota | Jun-19 | ||
Itchyfeet | 47 | Jun-19 | |
Bateaux | 50 | Jun-19 | |
Parizade | 62 | Jun-21-19 | |
CryingInThePool | 44 | Jun-19 | |
powersuitrecall | 47 | Jul-19 | |
Enigma | 39 | Jul-19 | |
Thedividebyzero | 45 | Jul-19 | |
Canadian Ben | 29 | Aug-12-19 | |
Cornbread OMalley | 42 | Aug-19 | |
RetirementDreaming | Sep-19 | ||
Spreadsheet Man | Sep-27-19 | ||
VoteCthulu | 39 | Oct-19 | |
trix76 | 43 | Oct-19 | |
MoMan | 55 | Oct-19 | |
2Birds1Stone | 32 | Jun-1-19 | |
markbike528CBX | 55 | Dec-19 | OLY 6-1-2018 at 53.5 but checking in as OP |
HBFI | 38 | Dec-19 | |
luckyme13 | 45 | Dec-19 | |
moxie | Dec-27-19 | ||
madamwitty | 36 | TBD | |
Lowerbills | 40 | TBD | |
Chrissy | 42 | TBD | |
Gerard | TBD | ||
getoutsoon | 52 | TBD | |
ysette9 | 38 | late-19TBD | |
elaine amj | 40 | TBD | |
Iplawyer | TBD | ||
Chairman | TBD | SemiFire 2018 |
@markbike528CBX, when you repost an updated list I am moving up to June 1, 2019.
If I'm going to pull the plug in 2019, may as well enjoy the damn summer :)
By June 1, I will have maxed out 401k, Roth IRA, and gotten my remaining 4 SS credits (40 total).
March 8th, 2019
March 8th, 2019
No take backs ;)
So using that table, I calculated that the average age of the 2019 cohort FIREee (for those whose ages are listed) is 45.57.
17 years earlier than the average retiree age (63) in the U.S. - bravo 2019 cohort!
June 1 is a Saturday and won't work for me - I'll need to work part of the month so that my employer will subsidize the full month of healthcare. So, I'll probably work through June 7 unless I can cut out a full month earlier.
New record today - 65X barebones!
Not in 2019 =D
For the purpose of the age averages, I am on the list as Edgema and will be 42 at my FIRE date next march.If I still got included in the average age calc, despite my OLY, I should really be 52 not 53 - 53 was from my original July 19 date. More to the point, you guys are making me feel ancient!
So using that table, I calculated that the average age of the 2019 cohort FIREee (for those whose ages are listed) is 45.57.
17 years earlier than the average retiree age (63) in the U.S. - bravo 2019 cohort!
For the purpose of the age averages, I am on the list as Edgema and will be 42 at my FIRE date next march.If I still got included in the average age calc, despite my OLY, I should really be 52 not 53 - 53 was from my original July 19 date. More to the point, you guys are making me feel ancient!
So that is May done and dusted. Not a good month financially. It’s the first month in more than 2 years that DW and I have spent every cent we earned. Whoops. The money slipped through our hands in a myriad of ways but mostly was spent booking flights etc for our summer vacation extravaganza. Topping off the May madness spending was barely positive investment returns for the month.Hate to be the one to break it to you, but May has 31 days!
May was a big fat financial doughnut! Zero progress.
I am now 5 months into what was meant to be my last year of working and my resolve is cracking. DW and I have been looking online at houses to FIRE to and the ones we like are a more than our current financial position would allow. We are also thinking a slightly larger travel budget would be nice, and DW is pushing for more contingency (classic OMY syndrome).
So what are we going to do???? F@ck knows.
D-Day is fast approaching. If I will resign in December I will need to tell my employer early September. 3 months to decide my fate. Eek.
We have many options
- The lowest risk and least fun: keep working for a couple more years. 2 would do it.
- We could just FIRE and live within our means. Hardly radical, but maybe we will regret not having made the effort to earn that little extra cream
- We could quit, travel for as long as we wanted to, repatriate to Australia and find new jobs. I would be paid far less in Oz compared to my nice expat package, assuming I could find a decent job. My CV is atypical (not in a good way) which concerns me. But being back in Oz near family is one of our motivations to FIRE.
- We could FIRE on a tight budget for 5-10 years and let our stash grow, and then buy the place we want. DW would do some casual work in the mean time to top up the savings, or give us a little extra fun money. I think that this is rather risky. Will we really spend day 30% than what we’d like to. Certainly feasible but....
3 months to make up my mind. D-day (decision day) is rapidly approaching.
So that is May done and dusted.Hate to be the one to break it to you, but May has 31 days!
Actually, I am living in the Middle East, and i was taking a punt nothing dramatic would happen to my finances today. It was already mid afternoon in Australia, where most of my asset exposure is, and I wast going to spend any money sitting at my desk today.
Finally, we all probably look at our stashes too often, but my observation would also be that if you even care/know what your stash did on any given month then it is probably not big enough as if there was sufficient buffer then you wouldn't.
I think all of you are posting in the wrong thread now ;)
Ok -- I'll give a "skinny FIRE" update to balance out the upthread comments: :)
I'm currently at 21X bare bones, and hell yes I am going to pull the plug anyway. I have a small side gig I am keeping, and a spouse who can work if need be, so FIRE here I come. We live pretty simply, and I think we will figure it out.
It all comes down to Bateaux's comment about work stealing your life. Yes, exactly. Out of the blue I was diagnosed with a serious cancer two years ago, and let me tell you -- that shit will change your outlook instantly. All's well for now health-wise, and I want this time. Not ten-years-in-the-future time.
It's going to be interesting to see what proportion of the 'actual' 2019 cohort turn out to be OMYers from 2018 and OLYers from 2020!I think all of you are posting in the wrong thread now ;)
Could still be 2019 for us. We'll see what life sends.
It's going to be interesting to see what proportion of the 'actual' 2019 cohort turn out to be OMYers from 2018 and OLYers from 2020!I think all of you are posting in the wrong thread now ;)
Could still be 2019 for us. We'll see what life sends.
Ok -- I'll give a "skinny FIRE" update to balance out the upthread comments: :)
I'm currently at 21X bare bones, and hell yes I am going to pull the plug anyway. I have a small side gig I am keeping, and a spouse who can work if need be, so FIRE here I come. We live pretty simply, and I think we will figure it out.
It all comes down to Bateaux's comment about work stealing your life. Yes, exactly. Out of the blue I was diagnosed with a serious cancer two years ago, and let me tell you -- that shit will change your outlook instantly. All's well for now health-wise, and I want this time. Not ten-years-in-the-future time.
Good luck with the cancer. We've faced that monster as well with our son. Keeping him with health insurance is part of why we have to OMY.
We hit a milestone today, crossing over 25x anticipated expenses in retirement in the stache. That doesn't include the back-up plans we have in place including 2 small pensions, 2 social security checks, an ability to cut expenses if necessary, tentative arrangements for consulting with the company I work for, and doesn't count a likely modest inheritance. We'd like to fund a donor advised fund this year and that will reduce the funds we have accessible while we wait for the first rung of the Roth ladder to show up in 5+ years, and I'm worried about the current market valuations and the ACA. Nevertheless, for the first time it is starting to really feel like we will never *need* to work again. I think I'm feeling about 5% of what I'm going to feel on my last day at work. OMY has a firm grip on me so I am still planning to FIRE in about a year at age 42, but this feels like a significant milestone.
Most Righteous Alias Age@fire Target Date OLY/OMY notes and eventually Date Confirmed MoneyStacher 51 Jan-19 PhilB 53 Jan-19 moved to Oct 2018, with possible PT through 2019 sui generis 41 Feb-15-19 zinnie 35 Feb-19 MissNancyPryor 50 Mar-19 Roboturner 30 Mar-19 exit2019 40 Mar-15-19 TartanTallulah 55 Mar-31-19 moved to 2018 and is back again Edgema Mar-19 Trifele 52 April-1-19 WIGLO HalfStached 41 Apr-1-19 Luck12 41 Apr-19 albireo13 61 May-1-19 Livingthedream55 59 May-19 cerat0n1a May-19 summer 2018 planned dude 53 May-19 SamIAm38 29 May-19 FIRE 20/20 42 May-19 Pylortes 42 May-31-19 Odiedog8590 62 May-31-19 DreamFIRE Jun-7-19 oldtoyota Jun-19 Itchyfeet 47 Jun-19 Bateaux 50 Jun-19 Parizade 62 Jun-21-19 CryingInThePool 44 Jun-19 powersuitrecall 47 Jul-19 Enigma 39 Jul-19 Thedividebyzero 45 Jul-19 Canadian Ben 29 Aug-12-19 Cornbread OMalley 42 Aug-19 RetirementDreaming Sep-19 Spreadsheet Man Sep-27-19 VoteCthulu 39 Oct-19 trix76 43 Oct-19 MoMan 55 Oct-19 2Birds1Stone 32 Jun-1-19 markbike528CBX 55 Dec-19 OLY 6-1-2018 at 53.5 but checking in as OP HBFI 38 Dec-19 luckyme13 45 Dec-19 moxie Dec-27-19 madamwitty 36 TBD Lowerbills 40 TBD Chrissy 42 TBD Gerard TBD getoutsoon 52 TBD ysette9 38 late-19TBD elaine amj 40 TBD Iplawyer TBD Chairman TBD SemiFire 2018
I just discovered an error in my Excel sheet. I had a formula calculating how much I would have left in 2019. Somehow I had taken our salaries before taxes, minus all the taxes = savings. I just totally forgot to register the yearly expenses. I corrected the formula and it added 50.000 USD more to our FIRE amount. Therefore I think we cannot quit early 2019 and probably need to work through most of 2019.
Fuck, this is the most melodramatic cohort I've witnessed. Makes me want to pull the plug in 2018 with all the cool cats ;)
@itchyfeet good for you!
I am already at "my number" but am saving right now to further add cushion and safety and piece of mind! A year will be here before we know it!
Fuck, this is the most melodramatic cohort I've witnessed. Makes me want to pull the plug in 2018 with all the cool cats ;)
It's looking increasingly like they are going to offer me a one-day-a-week from home deal for a few months. On the downside, that means less of a clean break. On the upside, I get to retire in the autumn with the 2018 cohort and then do it again in the spring with you lot!
I never posted my FI or $1M milestones, so I'll post this one. I hit $1.3M today. One year to FIRE target date.
I announced on June 1st to the head shed my intent to retire from the military. The big boss and second-in-charge seemed very supportive. Today I scheduled two 3-hour briefings on June 21st. Those briefings will lay out the tasks and requirements I will need to do over the next year to retire from the military. It's going to be a busy year ahead!
I'm currently looking at April 1, 2019. I should be around $1.1M then, market cooperating. Not sure what I'll do exactly. I'm looking into remote, PT consulting. Or maybe just a 2-3 year break then I might work again in my 40s or something.
The timing is kind of awkward, because I'll probably want to work again in the future, but I do want to have some time for myself sooner rather than later. I would probably have done this break sooner if it weren't for the high comp that I'm getting now (software), that I kind of had to "take it while it's there".
I'm looking forward to traveling, getting into great shape, having fun, etc. We'll see how long that lasts.
I have serious short timers disease. But I have to admit that having a sizable FU stache makes dealing with difficult moments at work much easier.
I have serious short timers disease. But I have to admit that having a sizable FU stache makes dealing with difficult moments at work much easier.
Mine is at all time highs, there is no cure. I thought I would feel more like you but having the FU stash makes it that more difficult for me.
I'm going to lurk here for a bit. My original date is June 7, 2021, but I've recently been thinking about pulling the plug early and moving to Mexico. So this would pull me by 2 years, I'll stick a pin in it for now.
I'm going to lurk here for a bit. My original date is June 7, 2021, but I've recently been thinking about pulling the plug early and moving to Mexico. So this would pull me by 2 years, I'll stick a pin in it for now.
Welcome Sisto -- lurk all you like. Many of us lurk on the 2018 thread. :)
Thanks much! Tomorrow the retirement process starts!I announced on June 1st to the head shed my intent to retire from the military. The big boss and second-in-charge seemed very supportive. Today I scheduled two 3-hour briefings on June 21st. Those briefings will lay out the tasks and requirements I will need to do over the next year to retire from the military. It's going to be a busy year ahead!
Congrats!
Hello 2019 Cohort.
After doing much math and deciding 2020 was just too far away, DH and I have moved our FIRE date from May 2020 to May 2019. We are apparently having inverse OMY syndrome.
This is so exciting.
Loren
Date | Event |
1 August 2018 | Begin my transition classes |
15 August 2018 | Submit my retirement paperwork |
3 November 2018 | Begin my medical evaluation |
1 May 2019 | LAST DAY OF WORK |
2 May 2019 | Begin clearing |
16 May 2019 | Begin permissive temporary duty |
6 June 2019 | Begin terminal leave |
2 September 2019 | RETIREMENT DAY |
That's awesome Cornbread.lol. I have to make a batch of cornbread for a coworker on Monday. Thanks for the reminder!
eta:your username makes me hungry
OLY syndrome. One less year.
I was back at work today after a vacation. I had hundreds of emails to wade through. By the time I'd finished, I was ready to run away and never go back. Colleagues squabbling, officialdom dreaming up new ways of wasting our time, and a serious HR situation that's ticking over waiting for my return.
Nine months and some days to go. Six weeks of that will be vacation time. The math works out; I've checked it time and again.
And yet I caught myself working out the logistics of going on a bunch of training courses in October.
I was back at work today after a vacation. I had hundreds of emails to wade through. By the time I'd finished, I was ready to run away and never go back. Colleagues squabbling, officialdom dreaming up new ways of wasting our time, and a serious HR situation that's ticking over waiting for my return.
Nine months and some days to go. Six weeks of that will be vacation time. The math works out; I've checked it time and again.
And yet I caught myself working out the logistics of going on a bunch of training courses in October.
Going back after vacation can be so hard. Training courses would break up the monotony :).
@TartanTallulah Do you have the option of paid sick leave? Maybe you could claim a period of sick leave because of stress or something else during the last period?
Anyway, 9 months really isn't that long. You have several vacations planned and training courses. You'll survive it. Just don't get too engaged.
I told myself if I worked this last year, I would treat the money as fun money. First up... a $12,000 Antarctica cruise I just booked for November 2019.A trip to Antarctica will be quite the bomb. Be sure to book a company that will give you the opportunity to actually walk on the continent. I claimed my 7th continent back in 2010 and would love to return to visit Ernest Shackleton's grave at Grytviken on South Georgia Island.
I told myself if I worked this last year, I would treat the money as fun money. First up... a $12,000 Antarctica cruise I just booked for November 2019.A trip to Antarctica will be quite the bomb. Be sure to book a company that will give you the opportunity to actually walk on the continent. I claimed my 7th continent back in 2010 and would love to return to visit Ernest Shackleton's grave at Grytviken on South Georgia Island.
Yep, this is a 19 day with quark - 2 days falklands, 4 days South Georgia, and 4 days in Antarctica with landings all around.I suggest bringing ginger chewing gum to battle queasiness while crossing the Drake Passage!
I've been to Antarctica before but on a big ship that we couldn't get off :( This time I'm doing it right.
I have serious short timers disease. But I have to admit that having a sizable FU stache makes dealing with difficult moments at work much easier.
Mine is at all time highs, there is no cure. I thought I would feel more like you but having the FU stash makes it that more difficult for me.
Having FU stash and now being FI hasn't really changed my feelings much about my job. If anything, I'm more likely to daydream of FIRE than I used to. I have it pretty good at work with my own office now, so that helps keep me going.
Oh, daydreaming is what makes unwinding from those those tough days easier. What’s hit me recently is that the days of daydreaming will soon be replaced with actually doing this FIRE thing!I've been doing the same especially right now because my heart is not in the current big project. I struggle through the work and tell myself I just need to get through another nine months. May 1st 2019 is my final day of work!!
Oh, daydreaming is what makes unwinding from those those tough days easier. What’s hit me recently is that the days of daydreaming will soon be replaced with actually doing this FIRE thing!I've been doing the same especially right now because my heart is not in the current big project. I struggle through the work and tell myself I just need to get through another nine months. May 1st 2019 is my final day of work!!
One more quarter down, just 3 more to go!
7/15: 41.6% FI
10/15: 40.1%
1/16: 45.6%
4/16: 50.4%
7/16: 53.7%
10/16: 60.7%* (due to reducing expenses and better modeling, we reduced our FI target from 1.8million to 1.7)
1/17: 63.5%
4/17: 75.3%
7/17: 44.4* (Condo purchase. FI target reduced from 1.7million to 1.3, not including condo.)
10/17: 50.6%
1/18: 56.3%
4/18: 62.3%
7/18: 64.6%
Our net worth didn't increase as much as I had hoped this quarter. This was mostly due to having to pay a bunch of taxes in April: I didn't calculate correctly the tax hit of selling some investments to pay for the condo we bought last year. At least there wasn't a big penalty!
Found out Friday at work that I will (sadly) most likely not be laid off as part of the current Megacorp takeover. The last couple of months have been a weird rollercoaster. First we thought our whole department might bite the dust, and now Megacorp is saying they will keep us around and not consider layoffs until at least the end of next year. Too long for me. I'll be gone. (hee hee hee)
A layoff with some severance close to my FIRE date would have been sweet. But all's good -- I'll just grind it out to the end like I was going to anyway. I've got about 140 working days to go.
Whispers.
I've written my letter of resignation from my current job, with a planned finishing date of 31st October 2018.
I'm not leaving this cohort yet because I don't know what the implications for my future working life will be. I'm only 54, I don't feel as if I'm done with work forever, but I need to cut loose from THIS job at the earliest opportunity. Every time I think it can't get worse, it does. The tipping point was dragging myself away from my desk, leaving about four hours of paperwork to be done on one of my days off, at half past midnight one night last week. I promised myself I would never become that person, and I owe it to myself to keep that promise.
In a way it's a FU Money scenario because I'm being treated as if I don't have options when in fact I do.
Whispers.
I've written my letter of resignation from my current job, with a planned finishing date of 31st October 2018.
I'm not leaving this cohort yet because I don't know what the implications for my future working life will be. I'm only 54, I don't feel as if I'm done with work forever, but I need to cut loose from THIS job at the earliest opportunity. Every time I think it can't get worse, it does. The tipping point was dragging myself away from my desk, leaving about four hours of paperwork to be done on one of my days off, at half past midnight one night last week. I promised myself I would never become that person, and I owe it to myself to keep that promise.
In a way it's a FU Money scenario because I'm being treated as if I don't have options when in fact I do.
Congrats on making the step to leave.
I have a colleague like you, answering work emails at Sunday midnight after leaving on holiday. This cannot be good for a person.
You can always consider taking a less stressful or part time job, even though that might delay your FIRE a bit.
I've had OLY syndrome ever since I discovered FIRE in 2012 and put together a 15 year plan to retire by 40 =P
I've had OLY syndrome ever since I discovered FIRE in 2012 and put together a 15 year plan to retire by 40 =P
Ha. Me, too. I forget my original date, but I know I shaved years off of the original plan.
I am unfortunately definitively out of this cohort. I did some recalculations in my excel sheet and deleted 2019 from it, as it was only confusing. We still have some stash to save up.
In addition I have just been granted to work 80%, because I hope to get some more enjoyable life out of our weekends. That should influence our savings rate in a negative way, but I hope it is worth it. Otherwise I can always go back to 100%. But anyway, I think that 2019 is out of the question.
I will get an estate broker to look at our house next week. I hope he will say the house is worth a lot more than my conservative estimate that I am counting with.
On the other hand, my stash isn't growing as I hoped for this year. It is growing the amount of money I put into it every month, but I get very little help from the market this year. I have a mixture of 5 index funds, and not only the world wide one.
Sorry to hear the numbers aren't lining up yet, but 3 day weekends sounds like a great opportunity to have fun and get fit.I am unfortunately definitively out of this cohort. I did some recalculations in my excel sheet and deleted 2019 from it, as it was only confusing. We still have some stash to save up.
In addition I have just been granted to work 80%, because I hope to get some more enjoyable life out of our weekends. That should influence our savings rate in a negative way, but I hope it is worth it. Otherwise I can always go back to 100%. But anyway, I think that 2019 is out of the question.
I will get an estate broker to look at our house next week. I hope he will say the house is worth a lot more than my conservative estimate that I am counting with.
On the other hand, my stash isn't growing as I hoped for this year. It is growing the amount of money I put into it every month, but I get very little help from the market this year. I have a mixture of 5 index funds, and not only the world wide one.
Although I'm sorry to hear you're out Linda, it sounds like you are making some great steps to maximize happiness! And that's what this is really all about. Congrats!
Au Revoir Linda. 2020 will be lucky to have you on board.
Enjoy working part time. A nice compromise to keep the stash growth ticking over.
Au Revoir Linda. 2020 will be lucky to have you on board.
Enjoy working part time. A nice compromise to keep the stash growth ticking over.
Thanks, all. I was already in the 2020 cohort as well, as I wasn't sure about the exact year.
I am unfortunately definitively out of this cohort. I did some recalculations in my excel sheet and deleted 2019 from it, as it was only confusing. We still have some stash to save up.
In addition I have just been granted to work 80%, because I hope to get some more enjoyable life out of our weekends. That should influence our savings rate in a negative way, but I hope it is worth it. Otherwise I can always go back to 100%. But anyway, I think that 2019 is out of the question.
I will get an estate broker to look at our house next week. I hope he will say the house is worth a lot more than my conservative estimate that I am counting with.
On the other hand, my stash isn't growing as I hoped for this year. It is growing the amount of money I put into it every month, but I get very little help from the market this year. I have a mixture of 5 index funds, and not only the world wide one.
Counting toward my earliest possible FIRE date, I now have 127 working days to go. 16 paychecks left. Woooo!!
Counting toward my earliest possible FIRE date, I now have 127 working days to go. 16 paychecks left. Woooo!!
Congrats on making the step to leave.
I have a colleague like you, answering work emails at Sunday midnight after leaving on holiday. This cannot be good for a person.
You can always consider taking a less stressful or part time job, even though that might delay your FIRE a bit.
I think that the expectation that you’re available 24x7 to your employer is pretty common.
In my current job I can not take a vacation without working an hour or 2 most days.
On one vacation I was getting up at 5am and working for 3hours before having breakfast with DW and then again squeezing a few more hours in during the evening. This was exceptional because we were trying to close a deal and the vacation was just at the worst possible time. DW was understandably not happy.
Also, I work in the Middle East and our weekends are Friday-Sat, But HQs weekends are Sat-Sun so it seems to mean that Fridays are fair game. It’s a constant battle to keep Friday’s free of calendar appointments.
None of this is particularly healthy and so I try and keep a few personal rules
1, I never check my emails before bed, but instead wait until I wake up. Basically after 9pm is a work free zone,
2. On weekends I am ok to work on one day if really necessary, but on the other day I don’t look at emails
3. I try to avoid sending emails to my employees on weekends, as they need a break.
4. On vacations, I am quite ruthless in appraising what is critical and must be dealt with and what can wait. I will also sometimes turn my emails off for a couple of days so I can relax.
I can’t wait to FIRE!
A lot of press lately about how returns for the next decade are likely to be poor. Somewhat concerning
I did most of my modeling first using my own spreadsheets and then the ERN toolboxes (the original and the side hustle one) and it comes out OK, but everything rests on what happens in the decade post.
Interesting times for those of us who are close.
This morning I had a startling thought. I'm getting my hair cut next week (which I do every six weeks). After that I only have three more haircuts until I hand in my notice. [smile]
I am taking great pleasure in discovering new countdown methods.
325 days!
We just ticked back over $500k NW this morning.
2019 Cohort Roster updated with age at FIRE if known and notes. Let me know if you have any corrections.
...snip...
2019 Cohort Roster updated with age at FIRE if known and notes. Let me know if you have any corrections.
...snip...
Thank you for updating!
So Right now the plan is for MR Ver to be out May 14th 2019, on his 40th Bday. That is a Tuesday. I'll probably go out that Friday, May 17th. I'll be 37.
As of right now, I really don't think either of us are going to be able to wait that long. We are itching really bad. But we did decide we don't want to retire to our messy house so we are spending the next 44ish weeks decluttering, cleaning, repairing, etc. That way we will have a nice home to retire to.
The 2018 thread is amazing to read. I've been popping in and it is so good to see people catching FIRE almost daily. :D.
LV
There are just too many things I want to do and not enough time. I need two of me.
One who doesnt work and can do all things I wished I could do if I had time and one of me who can keep surprising myself with skills I didn’t know I had.
2019 Cohort Roster updated with age at FIRE if known and notes. Let me know if you have any corrections.
...snip...
Thank you for updating!
So Right now the plan is for MR Ver to be out May 14th 2019, on his 40th Bday. That is a Tuesday. I'll probably go out that Friday, May 17th. I'll be 37.
As of right now, I really don't think either of us are going to be able to wait that long. We are itching really bad. But we did decide we don't want to retire to our messy house so we are spending the next 44ish weeks decluttering, cleaning, repairing, etc. That way we will have a nice home to retire to.
The 2018 thread is amazing to read. I've been popping in and it is so good to see people catching FIRE almost daily. :D.
LV
Additional info added! How exciting -- a FIRE couple. And I hear you Loren Ver -- I don't know if I'll make it to April 1. I am on fire with itching as well.
That didn't work out too well in Multiplicity....
My stash is at a level I could cut back to 2% SWR if I felt the need and could still pay my barebones expenses, but I'm also starting to shift more out of stocks to reduce volatility of shaky markets and minimize the loss in a bear market. When I get my AA right, I'll be more comfortable to FIRE.
Barring any negative changes in the ACA or a plummeting stock market, I expect to FIRE in May/June 2019. Those things are out of my control, although I'm moving to a more conservative AA as I near FIRE to reduce volatility of my investments and help protect against SORR.
In the meantime, I'm still saving as much as ever, possibly 80% this year.
I just had the most intense week of work ever.Glad you had a great week! Mine was intense too but for opposite reasons!! hahaha!
I have been involved in some intense negotiations on a very big project that will be a big deal to my company if we can secure it.
I have been working 14 hour days all week, and I have actually been enjoying it.
I have done some of my best work, cleverest manoeuvring and clearest thinking. Basically kicking ass.
I have 3 weeks vacation in August.
Basically, I get through the next 2 weeks and then I’m down to 10 months till FIRE.
I am then taking a week off in October, a week in December and a week next April.
I have 3 weeks vacation in August.
Basically, I get through the next 2 weeks and then I’m down to 10 months till FIRE.
I am then taking a week off in October, a week in December and a week next April.
Very similar to mine, spending part of the weekend trying to plan out vacation for the rest of the year. I was doing some research and they moved around our restricted stock, pushing my notice period back for three weeks. Looks like a February 19th resignation date with 30 days notice. Stock comes due as long as I'm "employed" on March 15th. Recent people who've left told me to wait until March 18th to resign just to make sure, but its killing me pushing the date further and further back, especially since this week marks two weeks worked past my original date
I have 3 weeks vacation in August.
Basically, I get through the next 2 weeks and then I’m down to 10 months till FIRE.
I am then taking a week off in October, a week in December and a week next April.
Very similar to mine, spending part of the weekend trying to plan out vacation for the rest of the year. I was doing some research and they moved around our restricted stock, pushing my notice period back for three weeks. Looks like a February 19th resignation date with 30 days notice. Stock comes due as long as I'm "employed" on March 15th. Recent people who've left told me to wait until March 18th to resign just to make sure, but its killing me pushing the date further and further back, especially since this week marks two weeks worked past my original date
Similar issue with vesting here. It depends on your company. I trust my (large) company to do the right thing as they've always done. I'd be extremely surprised if they fired me right after giving my notice.
I have 3 weeks vacation in August.
Basically, I get through the next 2 weeks and then I’m down to 10 months till FIRE.
I am then taking a week off in October, a week in December and a week next April.
Very similar to mine, spending part of the weekend trying to plan out vacation for the rest of the year. I was doing some research and they moved around our restricted stock, pushing my notice period back for three weeks. Looks like a February 19th resignation date with 30 days notice. Stock comes due as long as I'm "employed" on March 15th. Recent people who've left told me to wait until March 18th to resign just to make sure, but its killing me pushing the date further and further back, especially since this week marks two weeks worked past my original date
Similar issue with vesting here. It depends on your company. I trust my (large) company to do the right thing as they've always done. I'd be extremely surprised if they fired me right after giving my notice.
Yes, similar vesting issue here. One reason I decided not to FIRE in 2018 is that I vest in my employer's 401k contributions at the end of the year. I decided to wait until after that to give notice -- to ensure no monkey business. I would trust my employer not to do that, but we're in the middle of being purchased by MegaCorp, and who knows what they might do if they are calling the shots by then.
So as we are coming down the home stretch I was wondering what items you all have on your "to do" lists before you pull the rip cord (or if you are going out early 2019, what did you want to make sure you do before hand)?Lots of people seem to have this attitude and I have to admit I find it hard to understand. I plan to do all those kind of jobs AFTER I retire - when I will have so much more time and attention to devote to them rather than scramble to try and fit them in around my job.
Since DH and I moved the date up recently, we are figuring these out at a bit for a scramble.
A few of the items were are working through:
Figure out house repairs and changes we want to do before retirement. We want to retire into a nicer clean home so much of this is decluttering. We are also looking at some big projects, replacing porch, replacing basement stairs, replacing carpet.
...
So as we are coming down the home stretch I was wondering what items you all have on your "to do" lists before you pull the rip cord (or if you are going out early 2019, what did you want to make sure you do before hand)?
Since DH and I moved the date up recently, we are figuring these out at a bit for a scramble.
A few of the items were are working through:
Figure out house repairs and changes we want to do before retirement. We want to retire into a nicer clean home so much of this is decluttering. We are also looking at some big projects, replacing porch, replacing basement stairs, replacing carpet.
Making a draw down and conversion plan. DH 401k, that doesn't have much in it, has big fees and other costs. We need to get that money out as soon as we can, but not get our "income" up to high doing so. We also want to get as much money into 401ks before we leave as possible. This could be up to 100% for DH if his company will let him do it.
We want to pay off the house to reduce our spending to reduce our SoR risks.
We need to make sure our vacation time is used as neither company pays it out. My company gives me all my days on Jan 1st, but if you use too many, you have to pay them back.
I want to get some work projects nicely tied up or packaged for the next person.
How about you?
Loren
So as we are coming down the home stretch I was wondering what items you all have on your "to do" lists before you pull the rip cord (or if you are going out early 2019, what did you want to make sure you do before hand)?Lots of people seem to have this attitude and I have to admit I find it hard to understand. I plan to do all those kind of jobs AFTER I retire - when I will have so much more time and attention to devote to them rather than scramble to try and fit them in around my job.
Since DH and I moved the date up recently, we are figuring these out at a bit for a scramble.
A few of the items were are working through:
Figure out house repairs and changes we want to do before retirement. We want to retire into a nicer clean home so much of this is decluttering. We are also looking at some big projects, replacing porch, replacing basement stairs, replacing carpet.
...
So as we are coming down the home stretch I was wondering what items you all have on your "to do" lists before you pull the rip cord (or if you are going out early 2019, what did you want to make sure you do before hand)?
So as we are coming down the home stretch I was wondering what items you all have on your "to do" lists before you pull the rip cord (or if you are going out early 2019, what did you want to make sure you do before hand)?Lots of people seem to have this attitude and I have to admit I find it hard to understand. I plan to do all those kind of jobs AFTER I retire - when I will have so much more time and attention to devote to them rather than scramble to try and fit them in around my job.
Since DH and I moved the date up recently, we are figuring these out at a bit for a scramble.
A few of the items were are working through:
Figure out house repairs and changes we want to do before retirement. We want to retire into a nicer clean home so much of this is decluttering. We are also looking at some big projects, replacing porch, replacing basement stairs, replacing carpet.
...
Count me among those that consider it a win to just put a project/idea on my to-do list for after FIRE, much less the thought of actually digging into any of them. My to-do list is so disorganized (and is actually in about 3-4 random parts depending on where I am when I think of something to add) that I hope I can figure out what I meant when I RE! I unfortunately assigned myself a project that cannot be delayed until after RE when I popped the question to my BF on our recent vacation. I mean, we could delay it, but it seems silly, especially at our ages, to not get married for up to 2 years after our engagement because we waited almost a year to even start planning! It'll be small - 10-30 people probably. But it's already stressful!
On the RE front, I updated my NW calculations yesterday and found I had hit 3.5% WR on a fairly fat FI budget. So that feels *great*. I should quit now, given how much I hate my job. But, I made a plan to quit 2/19, so it feels irrational or unsafe or something to change my plans. "Good girls" stick to the plan and don't pull the rip cord abruptly before the agreed moment! Also, although our wedding will be pretty inexpensive, might as well save up some extra money for that right? I don't know, though, if I will last 7 more months. I can pretty much guarantee I'm not going to give notice today, but beyond that, who knows? :)
OTOH, I worry about *not* pulling the rip cord sooner. I never had a firm number that I had to hit, just a range, and I am within it. And waiting is just more time of my life I'm missing out on. As anyone does, I want the safety of more money "just in case". Part of it is that a significant amount of the money I am counting on continuing in perpetuity is not just traditional investments. What if it disappeared? But this is perhaps as likely as taking a 75% loss in the market. Yes it can happen, and it would be a disaster, but it's tail risk, and you can't live your life based on tail risk. Well, I guess some people can, but I'm not willing to, though it does nag at me. Which I think is normal. Saving up more money to hit a good benchmark like 3.5% and seeing a Life Coach to prepare psychologically for RE were two things that were going to keep me busy until I could actually RE and not get too itchy in the meantime. Well, I made great progress with the Coach, we've already hit all the topics I wanted to address, so now I have very little to help me bide my time. So I'm getting itchy. Which brings me in a nice circle back to the previous paragraph, where good girls don't FIRE just because they are itchy.
Count me among those that consider it a win to just put a project/idea on my to-do list for after FIRE, much less the thought of actually digging into any of them. My to-do list is so disorganized (and is actually in about 3-4 random parts depending on where I am when I think of something to add) that I hope I can figure out what I meant when I RE! I unfortunately assigned myself a project that cannot be delayed until after RE when I popped the question to my BF on our recent vacation. I mean, we could delay it, but it seems silly, especially at our ages, to not get married for up to 2 years after our engagement because we waited almost a year to even start planning! It'll be small - 10-30 people probably. But it's already stressful!
On the RE front, I updated my NW calculations yesterday and found I had hit 3.5% WR on a fairly fat FI budget. So that feels *great*. I should quit now, given how much I hate my job. But, I made a plan to quit 2/19, so it feels irrational or unsafe or something to change my plans. "Good girls" stick to the plan and don't pull the rip cord abruptly before the agreed moment! Also, although our wedding will be pretty inexpensive, might as well save up some extra money for that right? I don't know, though, if I will last 7 more months. I can pretty much guarantee I'm not going to give notice today, but beyond that, who knows? :)
OTOH, I worry about *not* pulling the rip cord sooner. I never had a firm number that I had to hit, just a range, and I am within it. And waiting is just more time of my life I'm missing out on. As anyone does, I want the safety of more money "just in case". Part of it is that a significant amount of the money I am counting on continuing in perpetuity is not just traditional investments. What if it disappeared? But this is perhaps as likely as taking a 75% loss in the market. Yes it can happen, and it would be a disaster, but it's tail risk, and you can't live your life based on tail risk. Well, I guess some people can, but I'm not willing to, though it does nag at me. Which I think is normal. Saving up more money to hit a good benchmark like 3.5% and seeing a Life Coach to prepare psychologically for RE were two things that were going to keep me busy until I could actually RE and not get too itchy in the meantime. Well, I made great progress with the Coach, we've already hit all the topics I wanted to address, so now I have very little to help me bide my time. So I'm getting itchy. Which brings me in a nice circle back to the previous paragraph, where good girls don't FIRE just because they are itchy.
3.5% has never failed
F will continue to work
You will get SS at some point (even reduced or changed system)
You can always get a job in the future if you need money or get bored and can't figure out how to occupy your time.
As much as it sucks losing a member of this cohort, I firmly nudge you to the 2018 one ;)
Count me among those that consider it a win to just put a project/idea on my to-do list for after FIRE, much less the thought of actually digging into any of them. My to-do list is so disorganized (and is actually in about 3-4 random parts depending on where I am when I think of something to add) that I hope I can figure out what I meant when I RE! I unfortunately assigned myself a project that cannot be delayed until after RE when I popped the question to my BF on our recent vacation. I mean, we could delay it, but it seems silly, especially at our ages, to not get married for up to 2 years after our engagement because we waited almost a year to even start planning! It'll be small - 10-30 people probably. But it's already stressful!
On the RE front, I updated my NW calculations yesterday and found I had hit 3.5% WR on a fairly fat FI budget. So that feels *great*. I should quit now, given how much I hate my job. But, I made a plan to quit 2/19, so it feels irrational or unsafe or something to change my plans. "Good girls" stick to the plan and don't pull the rip cord abruptly before the agreed moment! Also, although our wedding will be pretty inexpensive, might as well save up some extra money for that right? I don't know, though, if I will last 7 more months. I can pretty much guarantee I'm not going to give notice today, but beyond that, who knows? :)
OTOH, I worry about *not* pulling the rip cord sooner. I never had a firm number that I had to hit, just a range, and I am within it. And waiting is just more time of my life I'm missing out on. As anyone does, I want the safety of more money "just in case". Part of it is that a significant amount of the money I am counting on continuing in perpetuity is not just traditional investments. What if it disappeared? But this is perhaps as likely as taking a 75% loss in the market. Yes it can happen, and it would be a disaster, but it's tail risk, and you can't live your life based on tail risk. Well, I guess some people can, but I'm not willing to, though it does nag at me. Which I think is normal. Saving up more money to hit a good benchmark like 3.5% and seeing a Life Coach to prepare psychologically for RE were two things that were going to keep me busy until I could actually RE and not get too itchy in the meantime. Well, I made great progress with the Coach, we've already hit all the topics I wanted to address, so now I have very little to help me bide my time. So I'm getting itchy. Which brings me in a nice circle back to the previous paragraph, where good girls don't FIRE just because they are itchy.
3.5% has never failed
F will continue to work
You will get SS at some point (even reduced or changed system)
You can always get a job in the future if you need money or get bored and can't figure out how to occupy your time.
As much as it sucks losing a member of this cohort, I firmly nudge you to the 2018 one ;)
As OP of this thread, AND a defector to the 2018 thread, I concur with 2Birds1Stone, and invite you to FIRE in 2018. There is no shame or problem moving forward a year ( in your case, a few months).
It's been so intense lately, that suddenly I only need to bill about 42.5 hours per week till November (the end of my bonus year) to get the bonus.
<snip>
Also? Ugh. I said "only need to bill about 42.5 hours per week."
I think there's something to be said for sticking to the plan. It provides structure and an exact finish line. Or maybe I'm just trying to talk myself into it because I'm facing nearly the exact same dilemma. I also just hit 3.5%^ and my plan was always to work into 2019 enough to get a bonus (although much smaller than yours) and earn enough to contribute one last year to my IRA. But I'm mentally checked out. I have zero desire or motivation to work anymore. That said, I really don't want to have to join a different cohort thread since I'm already invested in this one, so I guess I'll just stick it out.
^ Assuming that my proposed budget is realistic and/or desirable, which I really don't know for sure since I'm planning to do the full time traveler thing and it's really hard to budget blind only using others' experiences/spending.
I think there's something to be said for sticking to the plan. It provides structure and an exact finish line. Or maybe I'm just trying to talk myself into it because I'm facing nearly the exact same dilemma. I also just hit 3.5%^ and my plan was always to work into 2019 enough to get a bonus (although much smaller than yours) and earn enough to contribute one last year to my IRA. But I'm mentally checked out. I have zero desire or motivation to work anymore. That said, I really don't want to have to join a different cohort thread since I'm already invested in this one, so I guess I'll just stick it out.
...
On the RE front, I updated my NW calculations yesterday and found I had hit 3.5% WR on a fairly fat FI budget. So that feels *great*. I should quit now, given how much I hate my job. But, I made a plan to quit 2/19, so it feels irrational or unsafe or something to change my plans. "Good girls" stick to the plan and don't pull the rip cord abruptly before the agreed moment! Also, although our wedding will be pretty inexpensive, might as well save up some extra money for that right? I don't know, though, if I will last 7 more months. I can pretty much guarantee I'm not going to give notice today, but beyond that, who knows? :)
---
I think there's something to be said for sticking to the plan. It provides structure and an exact finish line. Or maybe I'm just trying to talk myself into it because I'm facing nearly the exact same dilemma. I also just hit 3.5%^ and my plan was always to work into 2019 enough to get a bonus (although much smaller than yours) and earn enough to contribute one last year to my IRA. But I'm mentally checked out. I have zero desire or motivation to work anymore. That said, I really don't want to have to join a different cohort thread since I'm already invested in this one, so I guess I'll just stick it out.
...
Oh, I forgot an item on my to-do list: Investigate starting a Roth conversion pipeline next year. If our income is as low as I think it might be next year, could be a very good move to get that going.
I really have to dig in and learn more about taxes this year too, as I come down the home stretch.
This is, of course, the principal reason I am staying on as a consultant 1 day a week for a few months after I 'retire' this October. Otherwise I'd have to leave this thread entirely and only associate with the 2018 boys and girls.I think there's something to be said for sticking to the plan. It provides structure and an exact finish line. Or maybe I'm just trying to talk myself into it because I'm facing nearly the exact same dilemma. I also just hit 3.5%^ and my plan was always to work into 2019 enough to get a bonus (although much smaller than yours) and earn enough to contribute one last year to my IRA. But I'm mentally checked out. I have zero desire or motivation to work anymore. That said, I really don't want to have to join a different cohort thread since I'm already invested in this one, so I guess I'll just stick it out.
Basing retirement decisions on not wanting to change cohort thread! That's new :)
I have to stay in 2019... it's 20% of my FIRE stash to remain in for a extra year.Wow, that is some savings rate! Can you elaborate? Having trouble working out the numbers as moving 5% to 4% would be 20 years spending to 25 years so a 25% increase rather than 20%?
or the difference between 5% SWR and 4%.
If my employer would allow me move to that 24hr/wk schedule permanently in 10 to 11 months instead of FIREing, I would consider it. I wouldn't have to touch the stash, could still save more, and would keep my excellent healthcare benefits. I would be off more days than I would work even before factoring in vacation days.
If my employer would allow me move to that 24hr/wk schedule permanently in 10 to 11 months instead of FIREing, I would consider it. I wouldn't have to touch the stash, could still save more, and would keep my excellent healthcare benefits. I would be off more days than I would work even before factoring in vacation days.
Are you considering asking? It sounds like there's a real possibility this could happen, given you are going to have a record of doing it successfully for several months at a time before you would request it permanently.
@DreamFIRE, I hope your choice to stay on PT has 0 to do with money. With 68X expenses you are already working for fun ;)
Yeah, but 68X only covers barebones expenses, though, no discretionary, and assumes ACA PCT, and no re-location related spending increases. I certainly wouldn't want to FIRE just to scrape by, but I like to use the bare minimum FI metric.
When adding discretionary spending including anticipated travel and entertainment, I expect to be closer to 25X spend. I'm in a somewhat LCOL area, so re-locating is more likely to increase my expenses even when trying to keep those costs down, but it could work in my favor also.
As far as the money, even the 24 hour part time work over a single year would be pretty insignificant at about 2% stash, the 8 and 16 hr possibilities even less so. There's really not much of a financial incentive. I do like my job, and I like it a lot better working reduced hours, although I wouldn't do it without pay. It would be more like a temporary side gig in that respect but working with the same co-workers as I ease into retirement.
Yeah, but 68X only covers barebones expenses, though, no discretionary, and assumes ACA PCT, and no re-location related spending increases. I certainly wouldn't want to FIRE just to scrape by, but I like to use the bare minimum FI metric.
When adding discretionary spending including anticipated travel and entertainment, I expect to be closer to 25X spend.
Yeah, but 68X only covers barebones expenses, though, no discretionary, and assumes ACA PCT, and no re-location related spending increases. I certainly wouldn't want to FIRE just to scrape by, but I like to use the bare minimum FI metric.
When adding discretionary spending including anticipated travel and entertainment, I expect to be closer to 25X spend. I'm in a somewhat LCOL area, so re-locating is more likely to increase my expenses even when trying to keep those costs down, but it could work in my favor also.
As far as the money, even the 24 hour part time work over a single year would be pretty insignificant at about 2% stash, the 8 and 16 hr possibilities even less so. There's really not much of a financial incentive. I do like my job, and I like it a lot better working reduced hours, although I wouldn't do it without pay. It would be more like a temporary side gig in that respect but working with the same co-workers as I ease into retirement.
If PT allows you not to draw down from your stash, shouldn't you add 4-5% return to that figure?
If PT allows you not to draw down from your stash, shouldn't you add 4-5% return to that figure?
Yeah, but 68X only covers barebones expenses, though, no discretionary, and assumes ACA PCT, and no re-location related spending increases. I certainly wouldn't want to FIRE just to scrape by, but I like to use the bare minimum FI metric.
When adding discretionary spending including anticipated travel and entertainment, I expect to be closer to 25X spend.
I just started to type you a question @DreamFIRE, but I think I just figured it out (slow morning brain) -- when you say 68X and 25X above, your talking about your post-FIRE spend, right? Not the total stash amount.
So 68X above stands for spending 1/68 of your stash annually on barebones level?
The stash increase would be much less with the 8 and 16 hour PT possibilities, partly due to a much higher healtcare premium via COBRA for working <24 hours.
Thanks, Trifele! Having dithered back and forward between 2018 and 2019, I'm not entirely overjoyed at the circumstances that have made me pull the plug now, but I'm sure I'll get over it.
Thanks, Trifele! Having dithered back and forward between 2018 and 2019, I'm not entirely overjoyed at the circumstances that have made me pull the plug now, but I'm sure I'll get over it.
Your ticker hasn't caught up with you yet.
Hi all,
Moving my Fire date forward from 2020 to 2019.
....
Agreed! There's no way I'm waiting for my other half. I can hardly wait as it is!Hi all,
Moving my Fire date forward from 2020 to 2019.
....
Welcome to the Cohort!!
I think a family can split a FIRE, why not. Just because you are a team doesn't mean you have to play the same positions.
LV
I think a family can split a FIRE, why not. Just because you are a team doesn't mean you have to play the same positions.Would you say a couple can split a FIRE even for a long time, like 20 years? or only as a 1-2 year temporary measure
I'm not even sure I want to FIRE anymore...The beauty of FI is it really gives you those options. No-one says you have to retire if you don't want to (although expect some facepunches if you use your PT earnings to fund lifestyle inflation). It's a more difficult decision to go PT before FI as then you are locked in to needing the work which is a completely different dynamic.
Anytime I get a break of a few days without work, I see more clearly. I don't dislike work, I just dislike too much of it / not on my terms. I would prefer a very part-time arrangement. Or remote, because then I can make the arrangement myself.
At the risk of sounding like the IRP, if the couple still needs the wages of the one still working, then pretty much by definition they are not FI so neither of them can FIRE. They can definitely opt for one of them to be a SAHP - indeed this was the standard family model until fairly recently.I think a family can split a FIRE, why not. Just because you are a team doesn't mean you have to play the same positions.Would you say a couple can split a FIRE even for a long time, like 20 years? or only as a 1-2 year temporary measure
At the risk of sounding like the IRP, if the couple still needs the wages of the one still working, then pretty much by definition they are not FI so neither of them can FIRE. They can definitely opt for one of them to be a SAHP - indeed this was the standard family model until fairly recently.
I think it's all about the freedom and the options.
Hi all,
Moving my Fire date forward from 2020 to 2019.
Not sure if I will meet the criteria for being classified as Fired as the other half will still be working for another 5 or so years. I will however no longer be a slave chained to my cubicle.
Between the wife and I we currently have $925k in Super which we can start accessing in 17 years time. Outside super we have $185k invested, a house worth $1.1m with $102k owing it. And a half share in 2 small investment property that are currently paying for themselves and earning a small return.
Currently on a combined income of $270k and saving approximately 55%.
The goal for us is to pay off the house in the next 12 months and invest heavily in stocks outside Superannuation to fund the gap between fire and being able acces some of our superannuation.
The DW is 5 years younger so the plan is for me to fire and look after the home front (kids will be 4 and 6) while she works another 5 years approx (she actually likes work).
I’m looking forward to spending time with the kids as well as buying investment properties, fixing them up and renting them out. Can’t wait!
Hi all,
Moving my Fire date forward from 2020 to 2019.
Not sure if I will meet the criteria for being classified as Fired as the other half will still be working for another 5 or so years. I will however no longer be a slave chained to my cubicle.
Between the wife and I we currently have $925k in Super which we can start accessing in 17 years time. Outside super we have $185k invested, a house worth $1.1m with $102k owing it. And a half share in 2 small investment property that are currently paying for themselves and earning a small return.
Currently on a combined income of $270k and saving approximately 55%.
The goal for us is to pay off the house in the next 12 months and invest heavily in stocks outside Superannuation to fund the gap between fire and being able acces some of our superannuation.
The DW is 5 years younger so the plan is for me to fire and look after the home front (kids will be 4 and 6) while she works another 5 years approx (she actually likes work).
I’m looking forward to spending time with the kids as well as buying investment properties, fixing them up and renting them out. Can’t wait!
I'm not even sure I want to FIRE anymore...
Anytime I get a break of a few days without work, I see more clearly. I don't dislike work, I just dislike too much of it / not on my terms. I would prefer a very part-time arrangement. Or remote, because then I can make the arrangement myself.I think a family can split a FIRE, why not. Just because you are a team doesn't mean you have to play the same positions.Would you say a couple can split a FIRE even for a long time, like 20 years? or only as a 1-2 year temporary measure
As an update to my prior posts, I'm really almost to the point where I say goodbye here and join the 2018 cohort. I am thinking about giving notice in a couple of weeks, but will almost certainly in any case not make it to Jan 1 2019. I'll confirm when/if I should be taken off the list - I don't want to jinx it somehow by saying so yet.
As an update to my prior posts, I'm really almost to the point where I say goodbye here and join the 2018 cohort. I am thinking about giving notice in a couple of weeks, but will almost certainly in any case not make it to Jan 1 2019. I'll confirm when/if I should be taken off the list - I don't want to jinx it somehow by saying so yet.
Wow @sui generis! Go you! :)
Leaving in a couple days for a trip to Vancouver/remote work in Seattle for 9 days, and I'll decide then whether to give notice the very day I am back in my office or not. But that's where my mind is right now.
@Richmond 2020 -- I also meant to add that your plan is similar to what we've been doing. For the past three years DH has been a SAHD, and is simultaneously doing a major re-build on our house. It has worked out great for all of us. I'm so glad he has had this time with the kids, and he has saved us tons of money on construction costs by using his amazing skills.
I forgot to mention, this is most impressive!
LV
edited to fix my quote messing up
Congratulations on your decision Sui and thanks everyone for the continued warm welcomes and support.One of the great benefits I have had from having been completely open with my employers about my departure is their agreement that I can simply opt out of all this corporate bullshit. Bliss!
About to head into work to finalise my next 12 month work plan/performance and development plan with my boss. Little does he know I will only be completing 6 months of the period before pulling the plug. Hate doing these time wasting, government, bureaucratic exercises that in my case aren’t even linked to my remuneration.
Happy that this will be my last. Sad that I have partake in this rubber stamping bullshit process.
Oh just remembered, I also have to put these in place for the 3 guys that report to me, and no doubt like last year, my boss will copy and paste my plan into his so he can get away with not actually doing one for himself.
Congratulations on your decision Sui and thanks everyone for the continued warm welcomes and support.One of the great benefits I have had from having been completely open with my employers about my departure is their agreement that I can simply opt out of all this corporate bullshit. Bliss!
About to head into work to finalise my next 12 month work plan/performance and development plan with my boss. Little does he know I will only be completing 6 months of the period before pulling the plug. Hate doing these time wasting, government, bureaucratic exercises that in my case aren’t even linked to my remuneration.
Happy that this will be my last. Sad that I have partake in this rubber stamping bullshit process.
Oh just remembered, I also have to put these in place for the 3 guys that report to me, and no doubt like last year, my boss will copy and paste my plan into his so he can get away with not actually doing one for himself.
Congratulations on your decision Sui and thanks everyone for the continued warm welcomes and support.
About to head into work to finalise my next 12 month work plan/performance and development plan with my boss. Little does he know I will only be completing 6 months of the period before pulling the plug. Hate doing these time wasting, government, bureaucratic exercises that in my case aren’t even linked to my remuneration.
Happy that this will be my last. Sad that I have partake in this rubber stamping bullshit process.
Oh just remembered, I also have to put these in place for the 3 guys that report to me, and no doubt like last year, my boss will copy and paste my plan into his so he can get away with not actually doing one for himself.
Congratulations on your decision Sui and thanks everyone for the continued warm welcomes and support.
About to head into work to finalise my next 12 month work plan/performance and development plan with my boss. Little does he know I will only be completing 6 months of the period before pulling the plug. Hate doing these time wasting, government, bureaucratic exercises that in my case aren’t even linked to my remuneration.
Happy that this will be my last. Sad that I have partake in this rubber stamping bullshit process.
Oh just remembered, I also have to put these in place for the 3 guys that report to me, and no doubt like last year, my boss will copy and paste my plan into his so he can get away with not actually doing one for himself.
With 10 months to go I am now enjoying the knowledge that "I won't be doing this next year!" with every mind numbingly boring task I do. Seven months till I file my pension paperwork!! Even after I file I get to decide when I tell my boss. I'm thinking two months notice is plenty. Woohooo!!!
Hello 2019. I'm currently in the 2021 cohort, but your siren song is calling me. I am seriously considering TLY. 2021 was because of a particular carrot offered for sticking things out that long. I can probably walk away in 2019 with minimal regret because time > money, but 2020 it would be harder to justify walking away without the carrot. So for now I am a lurker, but am doing what I can to make it happen.
I never thought I would say this, but I'm potentially switching out of this cohort due to an impending career change.
If I accept the offer, it would be a 1-3 year commitment.
I never thought I would say this, but I'm potentially switching out of this cohort due to an impending career change.
If I accept the offer, it would be a 1-3 year commitment.
I never thought I would say this, but I'm potentially switching out of this cohort due to an impending career change.Happy for your opportunity! It is not a race or a competition to FIRE first. Live your life for the best challenges and opportunties. If you are hitting FI and choose to work for your own reasons, I totally respect that. Have fun!
If I accept the offer, it would be a 1-3 year commitment.
Hi! Original plan in my 20s was to retire my 40. But I'm now 31 and have been taking a closer look at my savings, improve frugality, increase passive income, and side gig opportunities (especially in the stock market) and found I can actually retire sooner. Much, much sooner. Plan is to give a 6month notice to my employer this week if I can build up the courage to pull the trigger.
I am enjoying the realisation that certain tasks I have been doing over the past 4 months will simply not be part of my life next year.
Pinch punch.... Another month closer. April 1st is just 8 months away and I cannot wait!
As some have noted, I am enjoying the realisation that certain tasks I have been doing over the past 4 months will simply not be part of my life next year.
Sui Generis. Congratulations!
Perhaps I am not a good person but I struggle to relate when people feel guilty about leaving. I don't work in a particularly 'worthy' field (investment management - don't shoot me) so maybe this is part of it, but with only partial information I suggest that your highly paid 'lawyering' likely falls in the same category. The 'company' certainly does not care, and my belief is that immediately after your leaving drinks are over (maybe sooner) everyone will mostly just be eyeing up your billable hours regardless of any personal cost to themselves. We might not like to hear it, but some will be happy you are leaving as it provides them opportunity.
People have choice and are (like you until now) choosing to be in the highly paid, highly stressful situation you have been in, even if you now believe it is a bad life trade-off. They would be enraged if they were given a pay cut in exchange for better conditions. That you have planned and executed your departure is not something you should feel guilty about and, call me cynical, but I unfortunately put zero percent on the chance that your 'Jerry Maguire' moment to some junior honchos will change a thing. It is not what people think they want so don't worry about it. Certainly don't worry about the company being hit hard as while this is a momentous time for you, it is just another departure for them (presumably turnover exists in your firm) and they will be just fine.
Admittedly a few presumptions in the above so apologies if I am way off mark.
The important thing is that you are free!
Pinch punch.... Another month closer. April 1st is just 8 months away and I cannot wait!
As some have noted, I am enjoying the realisation that certain tasks I have been doing over the past 4 months will simply not be part of my life next year.
Sui Generis. Congratulations!
Perhaps I am not a good person but I struggle to relate when people feel guilty about leaving. I don't work in a particularly 'worthy' field (investment management - don't shoot me) so maybe this is part of it, but with only partial information I suggest that your highly paid 'lawyering' likely falls in the same category. The 'company' certainly does not care, and my belief is that immediately after your leaving drinks are over (maybe sooner) everyone will mostly just be eyeing up your billable hours regardless of any personal cost to themselves. We might not like to hear it, but some will be happy you are leaving as it provides them opportunity.
People have choice and are (like you until now) choosing to be in the highly paid, highly stressful situation you have been in, even if you now believe it is a bad life trade-off. They would be enraged if they were given a pay cut in exchange for better conditions. That you have planned and executed your departure is not something you should feel guilty about and, call me cynical, but I unfortunately put zero percent on the chance that your 'Jerry Maguire' moment to some junior honchos will change a thing. It is not what people think they want so don't worry about it. Certainly don't worry about the company being hit hard as while this is a momentous time for you, it is just another departure for them (presumably turnover exists in your firm) and they will be just fine.
Admittedly a few presumptions in the above so apologies if I am way off mark.
The important thing is that you are free!
Hello August! Another month is in the books -- One step closer.I am enjoying the realisation that certain tasks I have been doing over the past 4 months will simply not be part of my life next year.
This.^ I have an odious annual meeting this morning, one that I normally dread. But this time all I can think about is -- this is the last time I ever have to do this. The knowledge is like a secret glowing medallion of power and happiness.
May your quitting process go smoothly, may your FIRE adjustment period be quick, and may you live happily ever after. :)
snip..... The knowledge is like a secret glowing medallion of power and happiness.
snip..... The knowledge is like a secret glowing medallion of power and happiness.
Quite the turn of phrase Trifele!
Minor objection... It is not a SECRET to us, and I bet not secret to others in real life either.
Some people in real life can tell when you are happy and relaxed, but they might not understand why.
May your quitting process go smoothly, may your FIRE adjustment period be quick, and may you live happily ever after. :)
I love this FIRE version of the Irish blessing! Excellent work!
I bet they don't have stuff like this in the 2018 cohort thread. ;)
Goodbye, 2019 Cohort! I am all-in for 2018, and will be giving notice next week. It's a little scary, trying to figure out all the things I thought I had 6 months to do and now may need to do in the next 2-3 weeks. But I'm excited to be gone from this job and to have more time to commit to working on the mid-term elections, which it was turning out I would have almost no time for with how crazy work has been.Congrats! Go get 'em, sui generis!
About to head into work to finalise my next 12 month work plan/performance and development plan with my boss. ... Hate doing these time wasting, government, bureaucratic exercises that in my case aren’t even linked to my remuneration.
Happy that this will be my last. Sad that I have partake in this rubber stamping bullshit process. ... and no doubt like last year, my boss will copy and paste my plan into his so he can get away with not actually doing one for himself.
... After submitting to the volunteer coordinator, I received the following email June 26, 2012 from (Corporate Communications Intern):
“Thanks MoMan! This looks great! It is great when people go above and beyond. I’ll let you know if we need anything else! “
… which effectively netted a gratitude ratio of 3-to-1 exclamation points to periods. (emphasis mine)
I am still on track for February. What kinds of things are people doing to plan?
I want to freeload on the plans of others since I am working insane hours right up to the end and have really not done much more than get my finances right.
The pre-fire checklist is interesting but I'd like to know what's fresh.
I am still on track for February. What kinds of things are people doing to plan?
I want to freeload on the plans of others since I am working insane hours right up to the end and have really not done much more than get my finances right.
The pre-fire checklist is interesting but I'd like to know what's fresh.
Those are some good plans. I don't have a formal one yet, but I should look into it.
I just scheduled a long vacation with MIL that eats up all my 2019 vacation days. They cannot be cashed out, so now they are spoken for. That way if the company decides to lay me off before I tell them I am leaving I don't lose the days.
I do have a question: the ACA uses previous early income to determine benefits. So if DH and I stop working in May, are they going to use 2018 income, or a different estimator since it isn't open enrollment? I was going to start that info digging at the end of this year (in case it changes) but thought I'd ask you smart folks.
LV
edited to add - so I just did some poking, looks like you just need to estimate your income.... interesting. So is there a settling up at some point if you are wrong...?
Those are some good plans. I don't have a formal one yet, but I should look into it.
I just scheduled a long vacation with MIL that eats up all my 2019 vacation days. They cannot be cashed out, so now they are spoken for. That way if the company decides to lay me off before I tell them I am leaving I don't lose the days.
I do have a question: the ACA uses previous early income to determine benefits. So if DH and I stop working in May, are they going to use 2018 income, or a different estimator since it isn't open enrollment? I was going to start that info digging at the end of this year (in case it changes) but thought I'd ask you smart folks.
LV
edited to add - so I just did some poking, looks like you just need to estimate your income.... interesting. So is there a settling up at some point if you are wrong...?
I don't know from first hand experience, but...
I've read that if you underestimate your income, you will later have to pay back the PCT (premium tax credit).
I've read that underestimating your income does not require you to pay back any CSR (cost sharing reduction) subsidies.
I've read that overestimating your income, when you end up not reaching the minimum income level to qualify for an ACA plan, does not require you to pay back the PCT or CSR.
How is it going @sui generis? Is this the week you take the plunge?
We're all rooting for you, whatever you decide!
How is it going @sui generis? Is this the week you take the plunge?
We're all rooting for you, whatever you decide!
Oh, thank you! Yes, I gave notice yesterday! It's a little anti-climactic in that I don't have a "last day" confirmed yet - one of the partners I'm working with is on vacation and I don't want to ruin her last days of relaxation by telling her what she's facing when she comes back. So I may stick around an extra day or two as a courtesy to her, although it will be two weeks and change at max. Still, not having that target day makes it feel slightly less concrete. So I think I'll have that date on Thursday and will feel more excited!
How is it going @sui generis? Is this the week you take the plunge?
We're all rooting for you, whatever you decide!
Oh, thank you! Yes, I gave notice yesterday! It's a little anti-climactic in that I don't have a "last day" confirmed yet - one of the partners I'm working with is on vacation and I don't want to ruin her last days of relaxation by telling her what she's facing when she comes back. So I may stick around an extra day or two as a courtesy to her, although it will be two weeks and change at max. Still, not having that target day makes it feel slightly less concrete. So I think I'll have that date on Thursday and will feel more excited!
Absolutely fantastic. Congratulations!
How is it going @sui generis? Is this the week you take the plunge?
We're all rooting for you, whatever you decide!
Oh, thank you! Yes, I gave notice yesterday! It's a little anti-climactic in that I don't have a "last day" confirmed yet - one of the partners I'm working with is on vacation and I don't want to ruin her last days of relaxation by telling her what she's facing when she comes back. So I may stick around an extra day or two as a courtesy to her, although it will be two weeks and change at max. Still, not having that target day makes it feel slightly less concrete. So I think I'll have that date on Thursday and will feel more excited!
Absolutely fantastic. Congratulations!
^^^^^
Indeed!!
I never thought I would say this, but I'm potentially switching out of this cohort due to an impending career change.
If I accept the offer, it would be a 1-3 year commitment.
If things worked out well, there is the opportunity to double our net worth over 36 months. From $500k to $1M, so I would say that it would be very significant. I would still be able to retire well before my 35th birthday.Kind of similar to my situation, three-year commitment. In my case I was mandated to stick around until February 2019. If it wasn't for that requirement I would've been gone when I hit FI back in December 2016. For the past 2.5 years as I was working through the commitment I added about $400K in financial padding to the FI numbers.
Edited to add - and if it sucks, I can always pull the plug at any time, there are some golden handcuffs though =)
I am still on track for February. What kinds of things are people doing to plan?My biggest effort right now is saving up enough cash to last two years of living expenses. Based on my expenses tracker that amount is $80K. I also want to take my mom on an all-expenses-paid road trip to celebrate her retirement. I figure $10K for that trip should be enough. So a total of $90K in cash when I retire is what I'm aiming for. My thinking is having the financial flexibility to weather a market downturn and/or having the funds to do something else like start a business or buy a house. I have saved $60K in cash so far, and with about a year to go I have to save another $30K.
I want to freeload on the plans of others since I am working insane hours right up to the end and have really not done much more than get my finances right.
The pre-fire checklist is interesting but I'd like to know what's fresh.
big snip...........
Turns out Megacorp has a dress code which is way stricter than anything we currently have. It includes no bare legs (pantyhose required with skirts and dresses) for women, and no bare shoulders.
snip........I don't have any pantyhose and no way I'm going to buy them (and fail the challenge) because of some stupid work rule.
big snip...........
Turns out Megacorp has a dress code which is way stricter than anything we currently have. It includes no bare legs (pantyhose required with skirts and dresses) for women, and no bare shoulders.
snip........I don't have any pantyhose and no way I'm going to buy them (and fail the challenge) because of some stupid work rule.
For the first time in my internet use I'm going OMG!
Strict dress code in 2018?
I know, right? It feels like a throwback to the 60s or something. Like we're going to wake up in a Mad Men episode. And yes -- full suit-and-tie requirement for men.
"FIRE hazard" -- haha Mark!
I may have some fun with this dress code thing on my way out ...
What do you guys think...
The stats
46 YO
$500 k paid for house (HCOL)
698k Vanguard after tax
675 401k
side business in US that makes me about 25k a year right now... (55k but split with partner and paid help)
So i have about 1.35m liquid and a two pensions.. .one of 250k if i take at end of year and put into own future account, and one for 199k i get at 65.
Hmmmmmmm it looks like i may need to bow out and get into the 2018 FIRE group lol.
So let me tell yall a story.... So the company has a new blueprint that just got announce, and as i know i was on a contract basis for my work overseas. I expect that they will tell me i wont be extended blah blah blah and then the day comes for my discussion with my boss... Turns out, that i will not make end of 2019, i will actually be lucky to make the end of 2018.. So am to be repatriated back to the US by EOY 2018. This throws some kinks into my plan, or non plan,
So come january 1, i will be back in the US on garden leave (paid leave, while i search for a job in the company). So no more huge fire hose of cash infusion to my accounts.. When abroad, i made tripple of what my US salary was and the company paid my taxes... Gonna be crazy to see my checks reduced 2/3rds lol
So maybe its time to fire early... Thing is, that garden leave could last a long while (up to a year) If the company offers me a job, and i decline i get nothing... If the company doesnt offer me something etc, they will have to severance me out to the tune of 16 months salary---- So im hopeful for either something abroad working month on month off and starting back to getting my things in order in the states, or garden leave and ride out for hopes on a severance package
What do you guys think...
The stats
46 YO
$500 k paid for house (HCOL)
698k Vanguard after tax
675 401k
side business in US that makes me about 25k a year right now... (55k but split with partner and paid help)
So i have about 1.35m liquid and a two pensions.. .one of 250k if i take at end of year and put into own future account, and one for 199k i get at 65.
Just talking outload
I think, its time to go FISHING lol
Are your legs well enough tanned to just draw on a seam with eyebrow pencil? If not then I believe gravy browning was the traditional solution!big snip...........
Turns out Megacorp has a dress code which is way stricter than anything we currently have. It includes no bare legs (pantyhose required with skirts and dresses) for women, and no bare shoulders.
snip........I don't have any pantyhose and no way I'm going to buy them (and fail the challenge) because of some stupid work rule.
For the first time in my internet use I'm going OMG!
Strict dress code in 2018?
I know, right? It feels like a throwback to the 60s or something. Like we're going to wake up in a Mad Men episode. And yes -- full suit-and-tie requirement for men.
"FIRE hazard" -- haha Mark!
I may have some fun with this dress code thing on my way out ...
Are your legs well enough tanned to just draw on a seam with eyebrow pencil? If not then I believe gravy browning was the traditional solution!big snip...........
Turns out Megacorp has a dress code which is way stricter than anything we currently have. It includes no bare legs (pantyhose required with skirts and dresses) for women, and no bare shoulders.
snip........I don't have any pantyhose and no way I'm going to buy them (and fail the challenge) because of some stupid work rule.
For the first time in my internet use I'm going OMG!
Strict dress code in 2018?
I know, right? It feels like a throwback to the 60s or something. Like we're going to wake up in a Mad Men episode. And yes -- full suit-and-tie requirement for men.
"FIRE hazard" -- haha Mark!
I may have some fun with this dress code thing on my way out ...
I have been doing some thinking. I've only posted once in this thread since I joined after moving back from 2018 when my spouse decided to take a different career opportunity that altered our plans somewhat. I'm now targeting end of May 2019. But there may be some movement in that date depending on:
...snip...
I just put put my kids on the bus to start the new school year, and I'm planning this school year to be the last for me at my job! Future work, if I choose to pursue it, will not involve sitting on my butt in an air conditioned office.
Today my younger son and I grabbed our baseball gloves and played catch for 10 mins while waiting. Some days we shoot baskets or pull a soccer ball out and play.
Today my younger son and I grabbed our baseball gloves and played catch for 10 mins while waiting. Some days we shoot baskets or pull a soccer ball out and play.
^^^^
Priceless!
Thank you! It's definitely exciting, although quite unreal, to be here on my last day. They are throwing a happy hour for me this afternoon - which I don't love because I hate being the center of attention - but should be a good way to end on a nice note.
I'm coming out and saying June 1. Like many, I'll have a couple months variance on it.
In fairness, I may be a false retirement. I'm mulling over setting up a consulting shop for fun. I think I could handle 300 hours/year, I struggle with letting go at the moment. Of course, if I do no work, thats fine.
IMO its FIRE if you don't need to work, also you need to be able to skip wearing pants.
I'm coming out and saying June 1. Like many, I'll have a couple months variance on it.Reading that last sentence from the UK conjures up a very strange image of someone using a skipping rope in just their underwear. Is that part of your 'coming out' ?
In fairness, I may be a false retirement. I'm mulling over setting up a consulting shop for fun. I think I could handle 300 hours/year, I struggle with letting go at the moment. Of course, if I do no work, thats fine.
IMO its FIRE if you don't need to work, also you need to be able to skip wearing pants.
How's everyone doing? I've just had my head down at work, putting one foot in front of the other. August tends to be pretty quiet with lots of people on vacation, meetings getting canceled, etc. I'm hoping to slide on in to the end of the month without too much stress and then -- it's September!
I did hear something super funny this week. If you remember, we're being bought by Megacorp and "integration" is underway. Turns out Megacorp has a dress code which is way stricter than anything we currently have. It includes no bare legs (pantyhose required with skirts and dresses) for women, and no bare shoulders.
Don't get me wrong, I 'clean up' and dress nicely for work. But pantyhose and sleeves are hot, and the building I work in is stuffy. I'm not sweating against my will at work -- they can bite me. Plus I'm in the 'Absolutely No Clothes Shopping All Year" challenge in the MMM Throw Down the Gauntlet thread. I don't have any pantyhose and no way I'm going to buy them (and fail the challenge) because of some stupid work rule.
Hope everyone has a great weekend! :)
Welcome folks that just got added to the list!!
This week has really started to chaff at work. Nothing particular, just all my good productive time is being used at work, so that when I get home I am tired and really have to push to do the things i want to get done, even if they are fun.
There is something I am considering:
There is a "rumor" at work that my sub-function has been asked to look for redundancy in head count. The company is going through some big changes so it needs to straighten out before Q2 next year. Anyway, i have been debating telling my boss in my next 1:1 that I would like to be considered to downsizing if that is an option and they are doing packages.
Past me was far more safe and timid and would never even consider this. But I talked to DH about it last night (while sitting in our project van). The risks are pretty low (things like, if they say no, I could still be rated poorly and get a small bonus next year). The normal buy out is 2 weeks pay per year of service. I hit 10 years in October. I would NOT bring up the FIRE plans in this discussion, just that I would like to be considered for a buy out if that is possible. I am one of the newest to this function (10 months); if they needs to lay someone off, I'd rather it be me for lots of reasons.
My boss also lives in another country, so I don't have to see him daily if this makes things odd. I haven't had him as a boss for long, but he is by far the best leader I have ever had (the distance may or may not be a factor in this) but he is also the most experienced leader I have had as well.
Meeting is Sept 5th, so some time to think on it....
Snip
Meeting is Sept 5th, so some time to think on it....
If they are laying off with severance packages and you have told them you would be interested, could your severance package become lower? On the other hand, you don't want them to ask someone else first, who gets the package instead. If your company must let people go, then they might appreciate that someone goes voluntarily. But let them know you want the package.
My DH is also thinking about letting his new boss know that maybe within a year the boss should be looking for a replacement of DH's function. DH wants to spend his last year working by doing more normal engineer work, instead of leader.
Snip
Meeting is Sept 5th, so some time to think on it....
If they are laying off with severance packages and you have told them you would be interested, could your severance package become lower? On the other hand, you don't want them to ask someone else first, who gets the package instead. If your company must let people go, then they might appreciate that someone goes voluntarily. But let them know you want the package.
My DH is also thinking about letting his new boss know that maybe within a year the boss should be looking for a replacement of DH's function. DH wants to spend his last year working by doing more normal engineer work, instead of leader.
As far as I know my company as never done voluntary layoffs, so I would be going outside the box. Not sure what could or would happen :s.
Do you think you DH boss will let him shift to engineer work for his last year? I can see why that would be more appealing.
LV
Happy Friday everyone!
I shared this over on the 'Cheap Things That Make You Happy Thread.' To count down my last 100 work days to FIRE, I printed off a free coloring page showing a lovely beach scene. I numbered the sections from 1 to 100, and each day when I get home from work I color in a section. I'm taking a picture each day too, so at the end I can combine them into a video.
:)
Happy Friday everyone!
I shared this over on the 'Cheap Things That Make You Happy Thread.' To count down my last 100 work days to FIRE, I printed off a free coloring page showing a lovely beach scene. I numbered the sections from 1 to 100, and each day when I get home from work I color in a section. I'm taking a picture each day too, so at the end I can combine them into a video.
:)
Happy Friday everyone!
I shared this over on the 'Cheap Things That Make You Happy Thread.' To count down my last 100 work days to FIRE, I printed off a free coloring page showing a lovely beach scene. I numbered the sections from 1 to 100, and each day when I get home from work I color in a section. I'm taking a picture each day too, so at the end I can combine them into a video.
:)
That's so fun! What are you coloring first?
Hello to those joining the cohort, as recently discussed we are the most awesome of the cohorts!
I really love hearing about people that really look at things and then cut years off the work plan. That is soo heartening!
Thank you for sharing!
LV
Just checking out this cohort to see if it's cool enough for me to switch from the 2018 cohort. (Short version, told my boss I was leaving last week. Boss' boss took me to a back room and gave me an offer I can't refuse that may lead to OMY. Lots of internal debating going on in my head so current status is day to day. Then again, we're all day to day.)
Just checking out this cohort to see if it's cool enough for me to switch from the 2018 cohort. (Short version, told my boss I was leaving last week. Boss' boss took me to a back room and gave me an offer I can't refuse that may lead to OMY. Lots of internal debating going on in my head so current status is day to day. Then again, we're all day to day.)
Hi @SugarMountain -- Sure, join the party if you like. We welcome all OMY and OLY'ers. The back room talk with the boss's boss and the "offer you can't refuse" sound vaguely sinister, but it sounds like it worked out well for you. ;)
Let us know when you know for sure, and we'll get you added to the spreadsheet.
Back to work after a great vacation, and I had my mid year performance review today (it was bad enough once a year, but now we have two!!!!).
My boss from HQ (overseas) asked if I was planning on leaving any time soon as he has a successor picked out. I said “no. I am happy here”.
Sorry but Mr/ Ms successor you will have to wait. Not for long, but nobody needs to know that yet.
I asked my boss if he wanted me to leave. Boss said “No. I am happy you are staying”.
That was pretty much the extent of my review.
My next review is in Feb. it will be my last, and Once I know my annual bonus is secure I’ll be able to tell my boss to get kick his succession plan into gear.
Back to work after a great vacation, and I had my mid year performance review today (it was bad enough once a year, but now we have two!!!!).
My boss from HQ (overseas) asked if I was planning on leaving any time soon as he has a successor picked out. I said “no. I am happy here”.
Sorry but Mr/ Ms successor you will have to wait. Not for long, but nobody needs to know that yet.
I asked my boss if he wanted me to leave. Boss said “No. I am happy you are staying”.
That was pretty much the extent of my review.
My next review is in Feb. it will be my last, and Once I know my annual bonus is secure I’ll be able to tell my boss to get kick his succession plan into gear.
Back to work after a great vacation, and I had my mid year performance review today (it was bad enough once a year, but now we have two!!!!).
My boss from HQ (overseas) asked if I was planning on leaving any time soon as he has a successor picked out. I said “no. I am happy here”.
Sorry but Mr/ Ms successor you will have to wait. Not for long, but nobody needs to know that yet.
I asked my boss if he wanted me to leave. Boss said “No. I am happy you are staying”.
That was pretty much the extent of my review.
My next review is in Feb. it will be my last, and Once I know my annual bonus is secure I’ll be able to tell my boss to get kick his succession plan into gear.
"If you want me to leave, what kind of severance are you providing?"
Whew, the last few days plus a nice 2.5% or so move on the market in August had me debating hanging out through March.
I've been doing 4 day weeks through the school holidays too (when not actually going away) and it does indeed feel great. I'm really not looking forward to my last slug of 5 day weeks but, as the saying goes, this too shall pass.
Stash is now at 27X (3.6% SWR) planned FIRE spending, 76X barebones (1.3% SWR).
Just over 9 months to FIRE.
I've used benefit time to take off about every Thurs. and Fri. through July and August. I've felt like a part time worker these last two months, and I've liked it. I'll be off 5 over this holiday weekend, then I'll be using only a couple benefit days on Fridays in Sept., then it's back to a long string of full work weeks in October and November until Thanksgiving.
Even though I expect to FIRE in 2020, I'm still lurking here from time to time...
We still have that plan of putting our house for sale in the spring. If we manage to sell it for a high enough price, we might well be able to FIRE in 2019.
DH has mentioned that, before pulling the plug finally (selling the house/quitting jobs), we should do a proper check of my excel sheet with FIRE calculations. I couldn't agree more.
But I wonder, would it pay off to get help from an expert? It is all very Norwegian specific information, which I have gathered from the website of the tax office. How many hours would a tax expert use to check calculations in an excel sheet, in addition to understanding the whole concept of FIRE? I guess it would cost maybe 500 USD at least for such an analysis.
My alternative is hoping that DH is intelligent enough to judge the correctness of the spreadsheet. He is very intelligent, just not an economist or tax expert.
As for me, I talked to my boss a few days ago. I told him if there were going to be layoffs with severance packages I wanted to be considered. I didn't tell him the big plans. I just assured him it wasn't the work or the group, just if someone needed to go, then I'd rather it be me than someone else. If was via phone call since he is a country away. That was a awkward talk, as I am in a small group that is rather specialized and generally considered safe from layoffs.
Later that day, the company announced there would be layoffs. My sub-functions said a few people would be laid off, but they will cut other places to reduce the pressure.
The usual package is 2 weeks for every year of service.
So, uh, good timing maybe? Not sure if I will get an offer or not. But I should know by the end of November....
I really liked giving myself some of the power. If they keep me, I am good. If they lay me off, I am good. The position i am it, it is good.
Whew.
LV
As for me, I talked to my boss a few days ago. ...snip...
Whew.
LV
Loren -- are we Doppelgaenger/s??? I am in _exactly_ this position -- I could have written your post word for word. We're in the midst of a takeover by Megacorp and we know that some people will be let go, but so far it looks like my department is relatively safe. I have been considering having this very conversation with my boss but have not yet done it.
I think the only thing holding me back from having the conversation is the thought that my boss might say "No, we need you." And then I pull the plug anyway early next year. I have mild moral qualms about that. I think it would be obvious that I was going to leave all along and was just trying to milk out what I could . . . ? And even though I will never go back to work there, I want to leave on good terms.
Was just running numbers again (again!), and of course, start re-thinking shit, as I am wont to do. Anyway, Planned retirement date is @May 7, 2019 (though likely actually May 31, with me not being around much at all those last three weeks). However, I looked at my pension numbers, and the short of it is, if I stuck around until Dec 31, it would mean an extra $2,568/year for the first 8 years of retirement, and $65,160 over the course of a 30-year retirement (not including of course the extra 7 months salary and 401k match). My gut tells me in ain't worth it because I'll never get that summer back and psychologically I've been so dead-set on May 2019 that it would be monumentally disappointing to not be saying "sayonara!" then, that I won't likely go through with it. And I could make that up with a 0.3% increase in my portfolio withdrawal. But I must confess that if the markets took a big dump sometime just before May 2019, then I might do it out of fear.
Loren -- are we Doppelgaenger/s??? I am in _exactly_ this position -- I could have written your post word for word. We're in the midst of a takeover by Megacorp and we know that some people will be let go, but so far it looks like my department is relatively safe. I have been considering having this very conversation with my boss but have not yet done it.
Was just running numbers again (again!), and of course, start re-thinking shit, as I am wont to do. Anyway, Planned retirement date is @May 7, 2019 (though likely actually May 31, with me not being around much at all those last three weeks). However, I looked at my pension numbers, and the short of it is, if I stuck around until Dec 31, it would mean an extra $2,568/year for the first 8 years of retirement, and $65,160 over the course of a 30-year retirement (not including of course the extra 7 months salary and 401k match). My gut tells me in ain't worth it because I'll never get that summer back and psychologically I've been so dead-set on May 2019 that it would be monumentally disappointing to not be saying "sayonara!" then, that I won't likely go through with it. And I could make that up with a 0.3% increase in my portfolio withdrawal. But I must confess that if the markets took a big dump sometime just before May 2019, then I might do it out of fear.
That's exactly the range where I found it sticky to work out too. 10% for a year was an easy decision to stay. 5% would be an easy decision to quit. In between?Was just running numbers again (again!), and of course, start re-thinking shit, as I am wont to do. Anyway, Planned retirement date is @May 7, 2019 (though likely actually May 31, with me not being around much at all those last three weeks). However, I looked at my pension numbers, and the short of it is, if I stuck around until Dec 31, it would mean an extra $2,568/year for the first 8 years of retirement, and $65,160 over the course of a 30-year retirement (not including of course the extra 7 months salary and 401k match). My gut tells me in ain't worth it because I'll never get that summer back and psychologically I've been so dead-set on May 2019 that it would be monumentally disappointing to not be saying "sayonara!" then, that I won't likely go through with it. And I could make that up with a 0.3% increase in my portfolio withdrawal. But I must confess that if the markets took a big dump sometime just before May 2019, then I might do it out of fear.
It's hard. I'm in the 2018 cohort for the moment and was originally planning to be done by the end of July, but am considering OMY. It took me until last week when I finally got the gumption up to tell my boss I was leaving. They are trying to get me to stay and I'm definitely going to be here until the end of October with an extended vacation in the middle there. OMY is worth about 5-10% of my stache. That means 5-10% more money available every year for the rest of my life. Really debating whether it's worth it. At some point you have enough.
That's exactly the range where I found it sticky to work out too. 10% for a year was an easy decision to stay. 5% would be an easy decision to quit. In between?Was just running numbers again (again!), and of course, start re-thinking shit, as I am wont to do. Anyway, Planned retirement date is @May 7, 2019 (though likely actually May 31, with me not being around much at all those last three weeks). However, I looked at my pension numbers, and the short of it is, if I stuck around until Dec 31, it would mean an extra $2,568/year for the first 8 years of retirement, and $65,160 over the course of a 30-year retirement (not including of course the extra 7 months salary and 401k match). My gut tells me in ain't worth it because I'll never get that summer back and psychologically I've been so dead-set on May 2019 that it would be monumentally disappointing to not be saying "sayonara!" then, that I won't likely go through with it. And I could make that up with a 0.3% increase in my portfolio withdrawal. But I must confess that if the markets took a big dump sometime just before May 2019, then I might do it out of fear.
It's hard. I'm in the 2018 cohort for the moment and was originally planning to be done by the end of July, but am considering OMY. It took me until last week when I finally got the gumption up to tell my boss I was leaving. They are trying to get me to stay and I'm definitely going to be here until the end of October with an extended vacation in the middle there. OMY is worth about 5-10% of my stache. That means 5-10% more money available every year for the rest of my life. Really debating whether it's worth it. At some point you have enough.
One of the thought processes that helped me decide was like this:
- Another day of work would net me $x
- My current fire budget gives me $y per day disposable income
- A chill-out day at home, including cooking a nice dinner would cost me only $z meaning I would save (y-z) compared with my fire budgetI
- If I need an extra $x would I rather earn it by working a day or having x/(y-z) days chilling out and relaxing?
Regarding the OMY comments, I sometimes calculate this based on what it does for my discretionary spending after taxes. As long as I manage my MAGI for ACA for 15 years, my barebones expenses shouldn't change except taxes longer term, so the extra stash would just be for the extra spending, having fun, traveling, eating out, etc. So, as a single person, OMY would basically allow me to spend about $3000/yr more on discretionary spending. That's only $250/mo, or about 10% more than the $30,000/yr that I already have planned for discretionary spending. In my view, 10% increased entertainment/travel spending does not equal 10% more enjoyment or happiness. In fact, I think the extra 10% would be so little as to be insignificant in how much I enjoy FIRE. I can't justify one more full year of my life chained to my desk full time just for a 10% increase in my entertainment and travel budget going forward.
If you're in your 30's, OMY should be easier to deal with, but at 50, it gets more difficult to give up each year to a full time job. Also, if you're cutting is closer to your basic expenses with a low discretionary budget, $3000 might do a lot more for you. In my case, I feel $30K/yr for discretionary spending as a single person is plenty.
Of course, OMY can also provide more of a cushion in your stash if the market drops, but with my $30K discretionary and 60/40 AA, I shouldn't feel a need to OMY it unless things get really bad, or something happens with ACA to screw up my healthcare budget in a big way. I still might stay on part time OMY, but that's a lot different to me than working full time.
Regarding the OMY comments, I sometimes calculate this based on what it does for my discretionary spending after taxes. As long as I manage my MAGI for ACA for 15 years, my barebones expenses shouldn't change except taxes longer term, so the extra stash would just be for the extra spending, having fun, traveling, eating out, etc. So, as a single person, OMY would basically allow me to spend about $3000/yr more on discretionary spending. That's only $250/mo, or about 10% more than the $30,000/yr that I already have planned for discretionary spending. In my view, 10% increased entertainment/travel spending does not equal 10% more enjoyment or happiness. In fact, I think the extra 10% would be so little as to be insignificant in how much I enjoy FIRE. I can't justify one more full year of my life chained to my desk full time just for a 10% increase in my entertainment and travel budget going forward.
If you're in your 30's, OMY should be easier to deal with, but at 50, it gets more difficult to give up each year to a full time job. Also, if you're cutting is closer to your basic expenses with a low discretionary budget, $3000 might do a lot more for you. In my case, I feel $30K/yr for discretionary spending as a single person is plenty.
Of course, OMY can also provide more of a cushion in your stash if the market drops, but with my $30K discretionary and 60/40 AA, I shouldn't feel a need to OMY it unless things get really bad, or something happens with ACA to screw up my healthcare budget in a big way. I still might stay on part time OMY, but that's a lot different to me than working full time.
That makes a lot of sense. And as a 51 yo, OMY is a lot. The counter is my #1 hesitation in the whole FIRE thing is the unknown situation with healthcare in this country. Looking at what a Bronze plan costs a 60 year old right now makes me a bit nervous, especially given that a) healthcare costs have been going up more than the rate of inflation basically forever and that trend will likely get worse rather than better and b) the whole concept of ACA is potentially going away, so it's tough to count on subsidies being there 5-10 years from now.
So, while another 10% might not matter from a discretionary spending perspective, it could lessen the impact of large healthcare costs in the middle of my early retirement. (I do tend to think of 2 retirements: pre-65 (early) and post-65 (normal)).
Hi all!
I temp-FIREd in Aug 2017, went back to work Aug 2018. Not really sure what the plan is going forward, but here's to hoping for a permanent FIRE in 2019! Or even another year off would be nice. Just waiting out the real estate market slump for the next little while.
Hi all!
I temp-FIREd in Aug 2017, went back to work Aug 2018. Not really sure what the plan is going forward, but here's to hoping for a permanent FIRE in 2019! Or even another year off would be nice. Just waiting out the real estate market slump for the next little while.
Hey there Cookie78! Let us know how things progress, and if it's looking likely for next year -- we'll get you added.
Regarding the OMY comments, I sometimes calculate this based on what it does for my discretionary spending after taxes. As long as I manage my MAGI for ACA for 15 years, my barebones expenses shouldn't change except taxes longer term, so the extra stash would just be for the extra spending, having fun, traveling, eating out, etc. So, as a single person, OMY would basically allow me to spend about $3000/yr more on discretionary spending. That's only $250/mo, or about 10% more than the $30,000/yr that I already have planned for discretionary spending. In my view, 10% increased entertainment/travel spending does not equal 10% more enjoyment or happiness. In fact, I think the extra 10% would be so little as to be insignificant in how much I enjoy FIRE. I can't justify one more full year of my life chained to my desk full time just for a 10% increase in my entertainment and travel budget going forward.
If you're in your 30's, OMY should be easier to deal with, but at 50, it gets more difficult to give up each year to a full time job. Also, if you're cutting is closer to your basic expenses with a low discretionary budget, $3000 might do a lot more for you. In my case, I feel $30K/yr for discretionary spending as a single person is plenty.
Of course, OMY can also provide more of a cushion in your stash if the market drops, but with my $30K discretionary and 60/40 AA, I shouldn't feel a need to OMY it unless things get really bad, or something happens with ACA to screw up my healthcare budget in a big way. I still might stay on part time OMY, but that's a lot different to me than working full time.
That makes a lot of sense. And as a 51 yo, OMY is a lot. The counter is my #1 hesitation in the whole FIRE thing is the unknown situation with healthcare in this country. Looking at what a Bronze plan costs a 60 year old right now makes me a bit nervous, especially given that a) healthcare costs have been going up more than the rate of inflation basically forever and that trend will likely get worse rather than better and b) the whole concept of ACA is potentially going away, so it's tough to count on subsidies being there 5-10 years from now.
So, while another 10% might not matter from a discretionary spending perspective, it could lessen the impact of large healthcare costs in the middle of my early retirement. (I do tend to think of 2 retirements: pre-65 (early) and post-65 (normal)).
These ACA thoughts have definitely been on my radar as well, and I've thought about how much longer I would work if ACA was to go away before I FIREd. Maybe OMY if that actually happened in the next 8 months. My primary reason for not FIREing in 2018 was because of the uncertainty with the ACA with the repeal/replace efforts, and some uncertainty still lingers at this point with the "20 state lawsuit that Obamacare is now unconstitutional without the penalty" and whatever the current administration does in an attempt to dismantle it. After the new Congress starts session, and by the time I plan to FIRE in the spring, I'm hoping I'll feel more confident in it surviving this latest attack and its survival during early FIRE, so that I can FIRE on schedule with planned expenses without much short-term concern.
If I FIRE, and the ACA/subsidies end a few years or so down the road, I think I'll be glad for every year of FIRE that I didn't give up and was able to take advantage of the ACA rather than having worked OMY to help fund insurance for when I might lose subsidies. It helps that my large discretionary budget of $30K/yr would allow me shift a large chunk of those funds to my healthcare budget if subsidies went away, and I wouldn't have to worry about controlling my MAGI at that point and could drawdown a little more prior to age 65. That would still give me a reasonable remaining discretionary budget. Maybe I would even try to go back to work for a while if I could get a job with healthcare benefits, but I wouldn't "need" to, so that would depend on how I felt at the time.''
So, my view is, when June gets here, if I'm feeling pretty confident in the ACA sticking around during early FIRE, I'm not willing to OMY on the concern it may go away in a future year, in large part because I have a large discretionary budget to fund the higher cost. If the ACA went away "before" I FIRE or/and a big enough drop in the market, I might OMY due to the pre-FIRE certainty of what's already happened.
This is the way DH and i are looking at it too. We have a big swing of discretionary money that we use for fun things (about a third of our budget) that could go to insurance if needed. But at the same time that idea drives both DH and I nuts. It is insurance, not health or even medical coverage, but insurance that should get your negotiated rate nothing more (BLARGH!). If the ACA sticks around for a little while, or nest egg can grow while we are retired. Then if it goes away we should still be okay. Even if we really dislike paying so much for INSURANCE. It is hard to believe that is just for premiums and not for actual care. Insurance. Ugh.
LV
This is the way DH and i are looking at it too. We have a big swing of discretionary money that we use for fun things (about a third of our budget) that could go to insurance if needed. But at the same time that idea drives both DH and I nuts. It is insurance, not health or even medical coverage, but insurance that should get your negotiated rate nothing more (BLARGH!). If the ACA sticks around for a little while, or nest egg can grow while we are retired. Then if it goes away we should still be okay. Even if we really dislike paying so much for INSURANCE. It is hard to believe that is just for premiums and not for actual care. Insurance. Ugh.
LV
Hi, I’m popping in here from the 2020 cohort. In the past year, our income (and therefore savings) has increased, and the markets and our RE investments have been doing well, so it looks like we will be hitting our FIRE target early (barring any catastrophic crash).
We are aiming for July 1, 2019 as our new FIRE date (age 38).
If that happens, I’ll have to change my username to Freedomin4 (2015 was when we first got serious about FIRE-ing, and when we first started making decent enough income to accelerate the process).
Hi, I’m popping in here from the 2020 cohort. In the past year, our income (and therefore savings) has increased, and the markets and our RE investments have been doing well, so it looks like we will be hitting our FIRE target early (barring any catastrophic crash).
We are aiming for July 1, 2019 as our new FIRE date (age 38).
If that happens, I’ll have to change my username to Freedomin4 (2015 was when we first got serious about FIRE-ing, and when we first started making decent enough income to accelerate the process).
And also by far the most modest!Hi, I’m popping in here from the 2020 cohort. In the past year, our income (and therefore savings) has increased, and the markets and our RE investments have been doing well, so it looks like we will be hitting our FIRE target early (barring any catastrophic crash).
We are aiming for July 1, 2019 as our new FIRE date (age 38).
If that happens, I’ll have to change my username to Freedomin4 (2015 was when we first got serious about FIRE-ing, and when we first started making decent enough income to accelerate the process).
Welcome!! As discussed previously, we are the best cohort and the coolest!
:)
I found out today that I will be earning my 40th SS credit on March 31st 2019, so technically if I win the lottery between now and then, I can retire =P
A more likely scenario is getting fired/laid off from my current job.
Is anyone planning a leanfire? Basically retiring on an amount that requires a WR% greater than 4% with the assumption that you will return to some sort of work, whether it's part time for a longer period, or full time for another year or two?
SO and I are currently sitting ~$460k with an annual spend of ~$48k, FU$, but not FI$. We may be able to get to $550-600k by 2019 if the market cooperates, and with slow travel/geographical arbitrage should get our spending down to $36-40k/yr which would mean a 6-7.25% WR
Spent a good amount of time over the past month considering this scenario more seriously. Have been drawing more inspiration from the "Semi Retirement VS. Serial Mini Retirements" thread. Right now a gap year is planned for April 1 2020, but could possibly do it sooner if the courage is there.
I found out today that I will be earning my 40th SS credit on March 31st 2019, so technically if I win the lottery between now and then, I can retire =P
A more likely scenario is getting fired/laid off from my current job.
Is anyone planning a leanfire? Basically retiring on an amount that requires a WR% greater than 4% with the assumption that you will return to some sort of work, whether it's part time for a longer period, or full time for another year or two?
SO and I are currently sitting ~$460k with an annual spend of ~$48k, FU$, but not FI$. We may be able to get to $550-600k by 2019 if the market cooperates, and with slow travel/geographical arbitrage should get our spending down to $36-40k/yr which would mean a 6-7.25% WR
Spent a good amount of time over the past month considering this scenario more seriously. Have been drawing more inspiration from the "Semi Retirement VS. Serial Mini Retirements" thread. Right now a gap year is planned for April 1 2020, but could possibly do it sooner if the courage is there.
i've been thinking about it. maybe too much for my own good. one morning out of the blue maybe we'll read it in the tea leaves
I found out today that I will be earning my 40th SS credit on March 31st 2019, so technically if I win the lottery between now and then, I can retire =P
A more likely scenario is getting fired/laid off from my current job.
Is anyone planning a leanfire? Basically retiring on an amount that requires a WR% greater than 4% with the assumption that you will return to some sort of work, whether it's part time for a longer period, or full time for another year or two?
SO and I are currently sitting ~$460k with an annual spend of ~$48k, FU$, but not FI$. We may be able to get to $550-600k by 2019 if the market cooperates, and with slow travel/geographical arbitrage should get our spending down to $36-40k/yr which would mean a 6-7.25% WR
Spent a good amount of time over the past month considering this scenario more seriously. Have been drawing more inspiration from the "Semi Retirement VS. Serial Mini Retirements" thread. Right now a gap year is planned for April 1 2020, but could possibly do it sooner if the courage is there.
i've been thinking about it. maybe too much for my own good. one morning out of the blue maybe we'll read it in the tea leaves
I just finished my 'Gap Year' 3 weeks ago and I'd highly recommend it... but it's a bitch coming back to work. The first week was exciting and shiny, and the job itself is great. But the time commitment required to maintain a full time job is bullshit! It has me in a emotional tailspin like I've never experienced before!
Today I submitted all my papers and my formal request to retire from the military. Human resources will look through my paperwork and ensure everything is in order. Now begins the waiting game for the human resources folks to approve my retirement date.
And also by far the most modest!Hi, I’m popping in here from the 2020 cohort. In the past year, our income (and therefore savings) has increased, and the markets and our RE investments have been doing well, so it looks like we will be hitting our FIRE target early (barring any catastrophic crash).
We are aiming for July 1, 2019 as our new FIRE date (age 38).
If that happens, I’ll have to change my username to Freedomin4 (2015 was when we first got serious about FIRE-ing, and when we first started making decent enough income to accelerate the process).
Welcome!! As discussed previously, we are the best cohort and the coolest!
:)
Today I submitted all my papers and my formal request to retire from the military. Human resources will look through my paperwork and ensure everything is in order. Now begins the waiting game for the human resources folks to approve my retirement date.
And also by far the most modest!Hi, I’m popping in here from the 2020 cohort. In the past year, our income (and therefore savings) has increased, and the markets and our RE investments have been doing well, so it looks like we will be hitting our FIRE target early (barring any catastrophic crash).
We are aiming for July 1, 2019 as our new FIRE date (age 38).
If that happens, I’ll have to change my username to Freedomin4 (2015 was when we first got serious about FIRE-ing, and when we first started making decent enough income to accelerate the process).
Welcome!! As discussed previously, we are the best cohort and the coolest!
:)
Thanks for the warm welcome! Yes, you guys are by far the humblest people I’ve ever met. Seriously though, I’m glad to be here. :)
We are only 117 days away from 2019, my peeps!
We are only 117 days away from 2019, my peeps!
Aren`t you out of the cohort? Thought you changed plans.
We are only 117 days away from 2019, my peeps!
Sounds great. Thank you for your long term commitment of service. Have fun with the next chapter.Thank you for the well wishes! I'm very much looking forward to the next chapter!
You had to give 12 months notice? Here in the North it's just 6.9-12 months is the window before the desired retirement date to formally request separation from the military. This gives the human resources folks time to work their processes and find a replacement for me. I submitted my request at 12 months out to give me more time to go through my medical evaluations and document all the ailments I've picked up over 20 years of military duty. I checked with HR, and they already sent my paperwork up. If there are no major issues I will know in about 45 days whether my retirement date is approved or not. Here's to mid-October!! Woohoo!! :-)
We are only 117 days away from 2019, my peeps!
Aaarrrgghh! 292 days here. At least I have cracked through 300 to go.
I'm "officially" joining this group. I just confirmed today with my manager that I will kick off a 12 week sabbatical either 1/25/19 or 2/25/19. After the sabbatical, if we are both willing and find something interesting & well scoped, I will consider part time. Otherwise, that will be the end! Woohoo!!! 136 working days, but only 81 days if I count vacation days & paid holidays. . . . SO.CLOSE.
I'm "officially" joining this group. I just confirmed today with my manager that I will kick off a 12 week sabbatical either 1/25/19 or 2/25/19. After the sabbatical, if we are both willing and find something interesting & well scoped, I will consider part time. Otherwise, that will be the end! Woohoo!!! 136 working days, but only 81 days if I count vacation days & paid holidays. . . . SO.CLOSE.
Hit one of my goals on the last paycheck! I maxed out my pto bank. It now sits at 60 days off. Surprised at how fast this year is going, but there are still plenty of times in the moment when it doesn't seem fast enough lol.
I'm "officially" joining this group. I just confirmed today with my manager that I will kick off a 12 week sabbatical either 1/25/19 or 2/25/19. After the sabbatical, if we are both willing and find something interesting & well scoped, I will consider part time. Otherwise, that will be the end! Woohoo!!! 136 working days, but only 81 days if I count vacation days & paid holidays. . . . SO.CLOSE.
Welcome. 12 weeks off sounds fab. Coming back would be HARD!Hit one of my goals on the last paycheck! I maxed out my pto bank. It now sits at 60 days off. Surprised at how fast this year is going, but there are still plenty of times in the moment when it doesn't seem fast enough lol.
60 days off is crazy! I've never seen one that high!
LV
Hit one of my goals on the last paycheck! I maxed out my pto bank. It now sits at 60 days off. Surprised at how fast this year is going, but there are still plenty of times in the moment when it doesn't seem fast enough lol.
60 days off is crazy! I've never seen one that high!
LV
Trifele, thanks for keeping the list updated!
I'm "officially" joining this group. I just confirmed today with my manager that I will kick off a 12 week sabbatical either 1/25/19 or 2/25/19. After the sabbatical, if we are both willing and find something interesting & well scoped, I will consider part time. Otherwise, that will be the end! Woohoo!!! 136 working days, but only 81 days if I count vacation days & paid holidays. . . . SO.CLOSE.
Welcome. 12 weeks off sounds fab. Coming back would be HARD!Hit one of my goals on the last paycheck! I maxed out my pto bank. It now sits at 60 days off. Surprised at how fast this year is going, but there are still plenty of times in the moment when it doesn't seem fast enough lol.
60 days off is crazy! I've never seen one that high!
LV
@Loren Ver - there is pretty much no chance I come back full time. But, would consider a part time option if it made sense. And, the great news I don't need to come back at all if a part time option isn't appealing. Totally agree, it's going to be interesting to see how hard it might be to come back. I'm guessing. . . super hard! :-)
And also by far the most modest!Hi, I’m popping in here from the 2020 cohort. In the past year, our income (and therefore savings) has increased, and the markets and our RE investments have been doing well, so it looks like we will be hitting our FIRE target early (barring any catastrophic crash).
We are aiming for July 1, 2019 as our new FIRE date (age 38).
If that happens, I’ll have to change my username to Freedomin4 (2015 was when we first got serious about FIRE-ing, and when we first started making decent enough income to accelerate the process).
Welcome!! As discussed previously, we are the best cohort and the coolest!
:)
Thanks for the warm welcome! Yes, you guys are by far the humblest people I’ve ever met. Seriously though, I’m glad to be here. :)
Coolest, most modest and best looking.
Happy you are here!
And also by far the most modest!Hi, I’m popping in here from the 2020 cohort. In the past year, our income (and therefore savings) has increased, and the markets and our RE investments have been doing well, so it looks like we will be hitting our FIRE target early (barring any catastrophic crash).
We are aiming for July 1, 2019 as our new FIRE date (age 38).
If that happens, I’ll have to change my username to Freedomin4 (2015 was when we first got serious about FIRE-ing, and when we first started making decent enough income to accelerate the process).
Welcome!! As discussed previously, we are the best cohort and the coolest!
:)
Thanks for the warm welcome! Yes, you guys are by far the humblest people I’ve ever met. Seriously though, I’m glad to be here. :)
Coolest, most modest and best looking.
Happy you are here!
And smartest...you forgot smartest.
...... That way I get to say goodbye and such (very few people know my plans) and don't just get escorted out one day.
I am so glad we are sitting on this end and not the other end, where we worry about our jobs because there is no near end.
Good planning y'all.
LV
Updated roster:
01/01/19 MoneyStacher (51)
01/31/19 PhilB (53) OLY -- Planning 10/25/18
02/15/19 sui generis (41) OLY -- CONFIRMED 8/17/18.
02/25/19 MaybeBabyMustache
02/??/19 zinnie (35)
03/15/19 exit2019 (40)
03/19/19 ChasesFish
03/??/19 MissNancyPryor (50)
03/??/19 Roboturner (30)
03/??/19 Edgema
03/25/19 MaybeBabyMustache
03/29/19 JumboShrimp
03/31/19 TartanTallulah (55) OLY -- Planning 10/31/2018.
04/01/19 Trifele (52)
04/01/19 HalfStached (41)
04/01/19 Gerardc (35)
04/01/19 JoJo (45)
04/??/19 Luck12 (41)
05/01/19 Albireo13 (61)
05/??/19 cerat0n1a OLY -- CONFIRMED 2018
05/??/19 dude
05/??/19 SamIAm38 (29)
05/??/19 FIRE 20/20 (42)
05/14/19 Mr. Ver (40)
05/17/19 Loren Ver (37)
05/31/19 Pylortes (42)
05/31/19 Odiedog8590 (62)
05/31/19 Livingthedream55 (59)
06/01/19 2Birds1Stone (32)
06/01/19 Prairie Stash
06/06/19 Bognish (44)
06/07/19 DreamFire
06/21/19 Parizade (62)
06/22/19 Waffles (52)
06/??/19 Oldtoyota
06/??/19 Itchyfeet (47)
06/??/19 Bateaux (50)
06/??/19 CryingInThePool (44)
07/??/19 powersuitrecall (47)
07/??/19 Enigma (39)
07/??/19 Thedividebyzero (45)
07/01/19 Freedomin5 (38)
07/03/19 Gerard
07/03/19 Miss Piggy
08/12/19 Canadian Ben (29)
08/19/18 Chairman OLY -- CONFIRMED 2018
09/02/19 Cornbread OMalley (42)
09/??/19 RetirementDreaming
09/27/19 Spreadsheet Man
10/??/19 VoteCthulu (39)
10/??/19 Trix76 (43)
10/??/19 MoMan (55)
10/??/19 Dreamer
12/??/19 markbike528cbx (55) OLY -- CONFIRMED 6/1/18; checking in as OP
12/??/19 HBFI (38)
12/??/19 luckyme13 (45)
12/27/19 moxie
12/31/19 texxan1 (47)
12/31/19 Chrissy's DH
2019 Cohort with date TBD:
Lowerbills (40)
getoutsoon (52)
Elaine amj (40)
IPlawyer
I shall be joining you fine folks in the 2019 class most likely with a firm date of 3/31/2019 as last day of working for megacorp. Really should just call it now but reasons and all that. There is also a non-zero chance that I just quit on any given day via flipping my badge in the pond, mooning the security cam, and firing up a bong in the parking lot. (Just kidding but there is also a non-zero chance of that).
I shall be joining you fine folks in the 2019 class most likely with a firm date of 3/31/2019 as last day of working for megacorp. Really should just call it now but reasons and all that. There is also a non-zero chance that I just quit on any given day via flipping my badge in the pond, mooning the security cam, and firing up a bong in the parking lot. (Just kidding but there is also a non-zero chance of that).
Most definitely this! I'd probably crack open a bottle of nice champagne, but I'd be right there with you, and have had many days of considering just ripping the badge off & running.
I shall be joining you fine folks in the 2019 class most likely with a firm date of 3/31/2019 as last day of working for megacorp. Really should just call it now but reasons and all that. There is also a non-zero chance that I just quit on any given day via flipping my badge in the pond, mooning the security cam, and firing up a bong in the parking lot. (Just kidding but there is also a non-zero chance of that).
Most definitely this! I'd probably crack open a bottle of nice champagne, but I'd be right there with you, and have had many days of considering just ripping the badge off & running.
I shall be joining you fine folks in the 2019 class most likely with a firm date of 3/31/2019 as last day of working for megacorp. Really should just call it now but reasons and all that. There is also a non-zero chance that I just quit on any given day via flipping my badge in the pond, mooning the security cam, and firing up a bong in the parking lot. (Just kidding but there is also a non-zero chance of that).
Most definitely this! I'd probably crack open a bottle of nice champagne, but I'd be right there with you, and have had many days of considering just ripping the badge off & running.
I'll be right there with both of you -- sprinting to the nearest pub for a celebratory round, and then away to freedom.
EDITED to add: Decided I'm not gonna make it to 4/1/19, and have moved myself on the spreadsheet to 2/1/19. Added bonus -- it's before my birthday, so I get to be a whole year younger on paper when I retire!
We are only 117 days away from 2019, my peeps!
Today was an ANYTHING else day. I did not want to go to work. I didn't feel great and just wanted to stay home.
Soon! 34 weeks as of today.
LV
I'm moving to 10/1/2019
I get a chunk of equity that day =DI'm moving to 10/1/2019
OK -- got you moved in the roster above. Glad you are still with us!
Today was an ANYTHING else day. I did not want to go to work. I didn't feel great and just wanted to stay home.
Soon! 34 weeks as of today.
LV
I hear you!! ANYTHING ELSE PLEASE! 😂
I am resenting having this FIRE ambition burning inside me. It is really negatively impacting my mood in the office.
...snip...
Sometimes I think it would be easier, and cause no additional loss of happiness (whatever that means) to reset my sights on chasing career ambitions for another 20 years like “normal” people. It’s not like my life is bad. It’s pretty awesome actually. If only I could adjust my mindset at work at little to make the most of the next 9 months.
274 days to go....
Today was an ANYTHING else day. I did not want to go to work. I didn't feel great and just wanted to stay home.
Soon! 34 weeks as of today.
LV
I hear you!! ANYTHING ELSE PLEASE! 😂
I am resenting having this FIRE ambition burning inside me. It is really negatively impacting my mood in the office.
...snip...
Sometimes I think it would be easier, and cause no additional loss of happiness (whatever that means) to reset my sights on chasing career ambitions for another 20 years like “normal” people. It’s not like my life is bad. It’s pretty awesome actually. If only I could adjust my mindset at work at little to make the most of the next 9 months.
274 days to go....
Feeling you itchy. I don't know how I would make it if I had 20+ years to go. Maybe i'd just go into resignation. The good news is, at work I have a job I am good at and I am being given opportunities to really shine in front of high level management. Something I would have loved over the past 10 years where I had bad leadership and no visibility. But at the same time, it doesn't really matter anymore. Those buds will never bloom as I will be done and gone.
Oh well, at least it keeps me busy, even if a little bored....
LV
Today was an ANYTHING else day. I did not want to go to work. I didn't feel great and just wanted to stay home.
Soon! 34 weeks as of today.
LV
I hear you!! ANYTHING ELSE PLEASE! 😂
I am resenting having this FIRE ambition burning inside me. It is really negatively impacting my mood in the office.
I wish I could just snap out of my funk.
I want to leave work on a good note, just in case I change my mind after some extended time off.
But, sadly, I am like an angry and frustrated ant at work these days. All of the pressure, politics and BS is driving me nuts, amd rather than push through it like a hot knife through butter, as I once did, I now find the BS all swirling around me and pushing down on top of me. It’s exhausting to be drowning in a swamp of shit when you have given up swimming.
I remember when I was young and ambitious and the future was mine.
Today, the future in the office is certainly not mine, my mind is elsewhere.... and whilst FIRE sounds like a dreamy future I am not there yet. Even when I get there, I still have many hurdles to clear before I can transition into my new life (repatriation, selling property, finding a new town to live, buying a new home, making friends and a life somewhere new).
The waiting and the uncertainty about the future is getting to me. Sometimes I think it would be easier, and cause no additional loss of happiness (whatever that means) to reset my sights on chasing career ambitions for another 20 years like “normal” people. It’s not like my life is bad. It’s pretty awesome actually. If only I could adjust my mindset at work at little to make the most of the next 9 months.
274 days to go....
I can sympathise with all of the feelings above. The last few months were a real killer for me, but then one day you wake up and you are nearly there. You tell your boss you are going and you start that final glide to freedom. My last day of full time work will be 5 weeks today and I'm already feeling as free as a bird!Today was an ANYTHING else day. I did not want to go to work. I didn't feel great and just wanted to stay home.
Soon! 34 weeks as of today.
LV
I hear you!! ANYTHING ELSE PLEASE! 😂
I am resenting having this FIRE ambition burning inside me. It is really negatively impacting my mood in the office.
I wish I could just snap out of my funk.
I want to leave work on a good note, just in case I change my mind after some extended time off.
But, sadly, I am like an angry and frustrated ant at work these days. All of the pressure, politics and BS is driving me nuts, amd rather than push through it like a hot knife through butter, as I once did, I now find the BS all swirling around me and pushing down on top of me. It’s exhausting to be drowning in a swamp of shit when you have given up swimming.
I remember when I was young and ambitious and the future was mine.
Today, the future in the office is certainly not mine, my mind is elsewhere.... and whilst FIRE sounds like a dreamy future I am not there yet. Even when I get there, I still have many hurdles to clear before I can transition into my new life (repatriation, selling property, finding a new town to live, buying a new home, making friends and a life somewhere new).
The waiting and the uncertainty about the future is getting to me. Sometimes I think it would be easier, and cause no additional loss of happiness (whatever that means) to reset my sights on chasing career ambitions for another 20 years like “normal” people. It’s not like my life is bad. It’s pretty awesome actually. If only I could adjust my mindset at work at little to make the most of the next 9 months.
274 days to go....
I remember earlier on when I thought and was convinced that it would be so much easier to handle/ignore/put up with the BS once I was close to FI or FIRE bc I would know that I could always just leave (which is true).....but the unfortunate reality is that I have significantly less tolerance and patience for it all so it is more like being a cage animal waiting to be released.
I guess you can take me off the list or add an asterisk or something. My company made the decision for me when they cut all contractors at the end of July. I've got no debt, a condo rental making $11k gross/year, single no kids/dependents and can live fine with 3% SWR of invested assets. Still afraid of stopping all work at the age of 51 so I'm leaving the door open for more contracting work (work from home only).
I guess you can take me off the list or add an asterisk or something. My company made the decision for me when they cut all contractors at the end of July. I've got no debt, a condo rental making $11k gross/year, single no kids/dependents and can live fine with 3% SWR of invested assets. Still afraid of stopping all work at the age of 51 so I'm leaving the door open for more contracting work (work from home only).
Congrats on your OLY MoneyStacher! I see you were aiming for 1/1/19 - sounds like financially you are there and then some! Keep us posted on how you are doing! : 0 )
Congratulations Linda. Fingers crossed that it sells for the high end of the range. Are house prices on the up generally and did you need to increase the amount set aside for purchase of your non-clown house?
@Trifele could you do me a favour please and correct my age to 52 in the list? 53 was from my original date of July 2019. I pulled that forward to 31 Jan on the list when I will still only be 52. This shouldn't bother me, particularly as I've pulled since my date forward to 2018, but somehow it bugs me more each time I read the list!
I think I want to be back in this cohort. Plan is to fire somewehere September/Octoberish 2019..
DH and I went through my FIRE spreadsheet again today, which was a long time since last time. DH discovered a flaw in my calculation of taxation of income. We corrected it and luckily it didn't change the FIRE amount, as our income will be almost zero all the time.
We have had 2 real estate brokers visiting our house who gave us an estimate for a sales price of our clown house. One gave an estimate of 8,7 mil Norwegian crowns. The other one guessed a price between 8,7 and 9,2 mil crowns. In my old calculations I used a conservative estimate of 7 mil crowns nett leftover after sale. Now we changed this amount to 8 mil nett leftover after sale. We think about selling it in spring 2019 for 8,5 mil list price. And we hope to sell for more eventually. We need to sell during the summer halfyear because of the steep roads with snow in the winter.
After selling this house, we reserve half of it, 4 mil crowns, in cash for a future house purchase. The rest will be invested. Most in stock, but some in cash on a high interest bank account in case market downtime during FIRE. Or in bonds, I'll have to figure that out.
We still need to earn half our normal salary in 2019 and a very low amount in 2020. This last thing can be done be starting some side gig. DH is thinking on doing his current job as a private consultant occasionaly. I currently do a sidegig that generates a certain amount of taxfree money.
We are aiming for 7 mil Norwegian crowns as FIRE amount. If the house sells for the brutto price of 8,5 mil crowns, then we will reach this amount in just a few months. If the market takes a dive, we will have to continue working.
From 2040 we will both receive our pensions.
Our backup plan is that we intend to keep our cabin, but we can also sell it for approx 1,5 year spending level.
We can also in the future sell our future house, cash in those 4 mil crowns and live 8 years of that while we rent a place, depending on the height of the rent.
And we expect to receive 2,5 to 3 mil crowns in inheritage some day, that are not included in our calculations.
And we can choose to work part time some way or another.
Congratulations Linda. Fingers crossed that it sells for the high end of the range. Are house prices on the up generally and did you need to increase the amount set aside for purchase of your non-clown house?
Linda, will you be looking to buy your new place in the same area? Or moving further away from the city?
Certainly sounds like you have a great plan! Congrats. :)
But we luve on the top of the hill and have an amazing view about 35 kms in the direction of the capital and the Oslo fjord. We hope this will sell.I was going to send you a link to the song 'The folks who live on the hill', but can't decide between the dozens of different versions!
But we live on the top of the hill and have an amazing view about 35 kms in the direction of the capital and the Oslo fjord. We hope this will sell.I was going to send you a link to the song 'The folks who live on the hill', but can't decide between the dozens of different versions!
What does OLY mean?One Less Year. To contrast with the famous OMY syndrome (I'll just do one more year...)
I'm on target for July 2019. I'm getting simultaneously more comfortable/excited/certain and more nervous as the day creeps closer. How is that even possible?
What does OLY mean?
I'm on target for July 2019. I'm getting simultaneously more comfortable/excited/certain and more nervous as the day creeps closer. How is that even possible?
One Less Year. To contrast with the famous OMY syndrome (I'll just do one more year...)
The really contentious argument is whether we should actually be using OFY instead!
Friday is the last market day for Q3. I only do our investment calculations quarterly so I am really excited about this weekend. DH wants to know by Sunday if he has to go to work Monday. I told him yes, but we should be really close on our numbers.
The excitement builds.
Other than one project at work, I am ready to go. I still have 33 weeks left to hit our date, but the pull to do *anything else* is so strong.
I'll actually be kinda amazed if we make it to May....
2019 was always a long shot, but it's looking less likely for us by the minute. A few weeks ago, Husband lost his temper, quit his job with nothing lined up, and his last day is today. Wish us luck!
2019 was always a long shot, but it's looking less likely for us by the minute. A few weeks ago, Husband lost his temper, quit his job with nothing lined up, and his last day is today. Wish us luck!
If you were planning on FIREing in the next few years then you have extra-heavy FU money, so you can relax.
AND maybe post on the FU money thread :-)
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/epic-fu-money-stories/
In any case, it is probably better for his health.
https://www.theonion.com/health-experts-recommend-standing-up-at-desk-leaving-o-1819577456
You won't need luck, you have this covered, but good karma to you anyway.
2019 was always a long shot, but it's looking less likely for us by the minute. A few weeks ago, Husband lost his temper, quit his job with nothing lined up, and his last day is today. Wish us luck!
Uhh, so I did the Q3 numbers since the markets closed today... we are about $6k away from out goal amount. Oh man. We will need to have some serious discussions in the next month or two to figure out the plan. This is a lot sooner than anticipated.
Uhh, so I did the Q3 numbers since the markets closed today... we are about $6k away from out goal amount. Oh man. We will need to have some serious discussions in the next month or two to figure out the plan. This is a lot sooner than anticipated.
My partner and I are in a similar place. We've exceeded our goal amounts but given how high CAPE is at the moment and uncertainty surrounding the ACA we plan to keep working until our planned end date sometime around May of 2019. That should allow us to max our 401(k)s, Roth IRA, and pay for the second half of the year's expenses. We're also in the same position as Cycling Stache. As far as jobs go, we are in the best possible situation - good management, low stress, relatively high pay, significant autonomy, etc. The good position we're in is largely due to a combination of good reputations at work and FI money. We've been able to maneuver into roles that are good fits, and that makes it even harder to pull the plug. At the same time it is also hard to keep going in to work knowing that we don't need the money, but after we quit we're never going to have this combination of great work (as far as work goes...) and high pay. Rather than take a small risk of needing to go back if the SHTF we're padding the numbers if they're willing to spray money at us for easy work.
I cannot figure out how to (1) buy healthcare that isn't somehow tied to a specific geography or (2) figure out how/if I should rebalance my very very out of whack portfolio (all in a taxable account, lots of taxable gains); essentially we discovered FIRE late and while I wasn't a horrible investor, the bulk of our investments are not in what I would like them to be in, but everything has gains since we've been hardcore savers for 20 years..
Goodbye for now @Chrissy. Good luck with everything, and come back anytime if you change your mind! Welcome @Cycling Stache! Got you added.
01/01/19 MoneyStacher (50) OLY -- CONFIRMED 2018
01/31/19 PhilB (52) OLY -- Planning 10/25/18
02/01/19 Trifele (51)
02/01/19 Cycling Stache (44)
02/15/19 sui generis (41) OLY -- CONFIRMED 8/17/18.
02/25/19 MaybeBabyMustache
02/??/19 zinnie (35)
03/15/19 exit2019 (40)
03/19/19 ChasesFish
03/??/19 MissNancyPryor (50)
03/??/19 Roboturner (30)
03/??/19 Edgema
03/29/19 JumboShrimp
03/31/19 TartanTallulah (55) OLY -- Planning 10/31/2018.
03/31/19 BlindSquirrel
04/01/19 HalfStached (41)
04/01/19 Gerardc (35)
04/01/19 JoJo (45)
04/??/19 Luck12 (41)
05/01/19 Albireo13 (61)
05/??/19 cerat0n1a OLY -- CONFIRMED 2018
05/??/19 dude
05/??/19 SamIAm38 (29)
05/??/19 FIRE 20/20 (42)
05/14/19 Mr. Ver (40)
05/17/19 Loren Ver (37)
05/31/19 Pylortes (42)
05/31/19 Odiedog8590 (62)
05/31/19 Livingthedream55 (59)
06/01/19 Prairie Stash
06/06/19 Bognish (44)
06/07/19 DreamFire
06/21/19 Parizade (62)
06/22/19 Waffles (52)
06/??/19 Oldtoyota
06/??/19 Itchyfeet (47)
06/??/19 Bateaux (50)
06/??/19 CryingInThePool (44)
07/??/19 powersuitrecall (47)
07/??/19 Enigma (39)
07/??/19 Thedividebyzero (45)
07/01/19 Freedomin5 (38)
07/03/19 Gerard
07/03/19 Miss Piggy
08/12/19 Canadian Ben (29)
08/19/18 Chairman OLY -- CONFIRMED 2018
09/02/19 Cornbread OMalley (42)
09/??/19 RetirementDreaming
09/27/19 Spreadsheet Man
10/01/19 2Birds1Stone (32)
10/??/19 Linda_Norway
10/??/19 VoteCthulu (39)
10/??/19 Trix76 (43)
10/??/19 MoMan (55)
10/??/19 Dreamer
12/??/19 markbike528cbx (55) OLY -- CONFIRMED 6/1/18; checking in as OP
12/??/19 HBFI (38)
12/??/19 luckyme13 (45)
12/27/19 moxie
12/31/19 texxan1 (47)
2019 Cohort with date TBD:
Lowerbills (40)
getoutsoon (52)
Elaine amj (40)
IPlawyer
Are any of you going to move to a different area after FIRE, to cash in the value of your house, or for other reasons?
Are any of you going to move to a different area after FIRE, to cash in the value of your house, or for other reasons?
Not initially, no. But plan to keep that option in the back pocket for when it might make sense for us. Our home value has shot up pretty considerably, and I don't see that trend stopping any time in the foreseeable future in the city we live in.
Are any of you going to move to a different area after FIRE, to cash in the value of your house, or for other reasons?
Are any of you going to move to a different area after FIRE, to cash in the value of your house, or
Yeah, we are moving twice. We have to move back to Australia, then sell our expensive inner city home and then buy somewhere more affordable.
Hello friends. Happy October!
Seriously considering OLY . . . I'll decide within the next couple of weeks and you will be the first to know!
Are any of you going to move to a different area after FIRE, to cash in the value of your house, or for other reasons?
We will do that, both to cash in the house and to move to a more outdoorsy area. We intend to rent a place first.
It's been quiet for the last few days on the thread -- how's everyone doing?
I've got my head down here, just trying to gut it out. Had a brutal couple of days at work, but I'm still resolved to work for a bit yet to achieve a bonus carrot. Hopefully this recent stress is not adding a significant amount to the psychological crap that I'll need to decompress from after FIRE . . .
Hang in there everyone!!
Snip....backstory ....snip...
When I subtract those unusual expenses I see I can easily live on 3% of my stache, no home equity included. I should be golden, right? I am a little concerned on the amount of accessible, non-retirement cash available because I would still like to update the kitchen in this home and that could cause a bit of a SOR risk in the early RE days if I do follow through with the 2019 plan.
...snip.....
March 2019 is a badass dream and a big FU to the events in my life that threatened to cut me down. I would win against self-styled forces of evil but I would be a bit scared. OTOH if I can just survive OMY I get the fabulous prize of cushion and comfort and a pile of dough and the satisfaction of getting off the machine after burning it up. Forever.
I know you all understand, these are the things that weigh on me.
It's been quiet for the last few days on the thread -- how's everyone doing?
I've got my head down here, just trying to gut it out. Had a brutal couple of days at work, but I'm still resolved to work for a bit yet to achieve a bonus carrot. Hopefully this recent stress is not adding a significant amount to the psychological crap that I'll need to decompress from after FIRE . . .
Hang in there everyone!!
It's been quiet for the last few days on the thread -- how's everyone doing?
I've got my head down here, just trying to gut it out. Had a brutal couple of days at work, but I'm still resolved to work for a bit yet to achieve a bonus carrot. Hopefully this recent stress is not adding a significant amount to the psychological crap that I'll need to decompress from after FIRE . . .
Hang in there everyone!!
Good here. Spouse wants more in the stash. Spouse will keep working for enjoyment and health insurance. My plan is to continue the consulting business, because I enjoy it. We have some unknowns in early 2019, and those will affect our plans. I feel pretty good about it now and am proud of what we accomplished together!
I want more in the stash too, but we’ll worry about that post fire.
Snip....backstory ....snip...
When I subtract those unusual expenses I see I can easily live on 3% of my stache, no home equity included. I should be golden, right? I am a little concerned on the amount of accessible, non-retirement cash available because I would still like to update the kitchen in this home and that could cause a bit of a SOR risk in the early RE days if I do follow through with the 2019 plan.
...snip.....
March 2019 is a badass dream and a big FU to the events in my life that threatened to cut me down. I would win against self-styled forces of evil but I would be a bit scared. OTOH if I can just survive OMY I get the fabulous prize of cushion and comfort and a pile of dough and the satisfaction of getting off the machine after burning it up. Forever.
I know you all understand, these are the things that weigh on me.
MissNancyPryor,
Thanks for including the backstory, it's helpful for those of us who tune out the Journals.
3% "easily" yep, you are golden.
Unless the 100k is > 10% of the stache then I think OMY is a waste of time and effort.
Living well is the best revenge ( or FU). 2019 cohort rocks!
Edit :: I'm with itchy feet, retiring at the start of summer is so cool!
I want more in the stash too, but we’ll worry about that post fire.
Will you do a little work in retirement or wait and see if it is necessary?
I want more in the stash too, but we’ll worry about that post fire.
Will you do a little work in retirement or wait and see if it is necessary?
DW is currently of the mind that she wants to continue working casual, as a relief teacher, as she likes teaching and likes her fellow teachers. I am imagining she will earn at least 20K a year for at least 10 years I suppose (could be 5 years or could be 25 years I suppose). I doubt she will work full time ever again.
For me, I really don’t know, maybe I’ll do some contract work, maybe not. I will decide after our travel, which will most likely be for 9 months, but TBD. I have no ambition to work in my current line of work, but doing something completely different has some appeal..... maybe. I’ll get through the next 18 months or so and see how I feel.
If we buy a house at the right price, and sell our existing house for the right price, then work will be strictly optional. We have a decent sized stash by MMM metrics.
The $100K is only about 7% of the non-house stache. Represents a couple years' expenses and a kitchen. Bazinga, presto, problem solved. Just work OMY.
When I subtract those unusual expenses I see I can easily live on 3% of my stache, no home equity included. I should be golden, right?
I can definitely recommend the part time glide path if you can swing it. My immediate boss retired in the summer and was manic trying to clear his desk. In contrast, I'm going to be consulting 1 day a week for a while and that has taken so much pressure off for all concerned. It also let me negotiate to still keep my bonus which I would otherwise have been walking away from :)Go Nancy!
I see no point you working an extra year if you are down to 3% plus a house that you could always cash in onions need be.
If you are worried about the cost of the kitchen remodel, maybe work 2 extra months to cover the cost of that project so you have no guilt spending the money, and then bail just before summer and enjoy the freedom.
Great points. As I was writing that post it did strike me that there was no magic about spring 2019, I could do exactly as you suggest and drift a bit to cover the big expense. I have chosen March because that is bonus season. Leaving before the figure is determined guarantees there will be a smaller bonus. Leaving after that when I rebuild cash post-kitchen, or maybe even negotiating a part time "glide path" out the door with minimal travel while they fuss about what to do with my role could be the ticket. There is power in quitting and maybe I can negotiate something sweet like that for a few months for a soft landing.
I may yet be a 2019 cohort graduate then, maybe with a summer school session to rebuild and zero hassles permitted.
Thanks for the recharge @markbike528CBX and @itchyfeet, just what I needed. I travelled cross-country the week of Sept 24th and came back with a blistering cold that kept me down all last week and I still feel like total crap physically. And back to the grind tomorrow before another trip the following week. Just need to get off this wheel.
These are good Sunday thoughts to carry me onward though, many thanks.
what is OMY ?
It's been quiet for the last few days on the thread -- how's everyone doing?Lately I've been developing ideas for pursuits and opportunities. Some of these ideas have been in my head for some time while others I've developed in recent weeks.
It's been quiet for the last few days on the thread -- how's everyone doing?
(snip)
@itchyfeet - that's a very challenging dilemma! Looking forward to hearing where you net out.
I had to make a decision about the next promotion as well, and was clear that I didn't want to move forward. This promotion would be a huge jump, and while I'm confident that I can do it, I don't want what it would require, in terms of work life balance, etc.
@itchyfeet - I can well imagine the lure, but as to whether it's worth it? My general experience is that people at that level of seniority end up having to eat sleep and breathe the job. You're mid 40s now so best guess you have say 25 dependably healthy years left in you? 2 years to get to the promotion and say another 3 after that to make it worthwhile would be 20% of that healthy time - not to mention the probable deleterious effect on your health of a long hours, high pressure job. Is that worth it for money you don't need and a bit of ego massaging?
...I think you already know the answer...
Today I got thrown a curve ball out of the blue that I didn’t see coming, and certainly didn’t pursue.
My boss called me from Megacorp HQ to share that the decision had been made in the inner circles of power to line me up for a major promotion to a key position, somewhere in the world over the coming year or 2.
...
Anyways food for thought over the coming months.
I am sure there will be more curve balls before I get to my planned resignation date in Feb.
...
Hey guys! I have been completely ignoring you all for the last couple of months (sorry!) and working too much, but I thought I should pop in to let you know that my wife and I have discussed it and we have set the date. April 19, 2019. It's Good Friday, which seems fairly appropriate as it will definitely be a good friday. Pretty exciting stuff!
And let’s not even talk about what bad Condition my current job has already left my health in. It’s hard to exercise and eat healthy at airports and on planes. FIRE will mean a far healthier life for me.
The Plan to FIRE in June next year remains plan A......
Hey guys! I have been completely ignoring you all for the last couple of months (sorry!) and working too much, but I thought I should pop in to let you know that my wife and I have discussed it and we have set the date. April 19, 2019. It's Good Friday, which seems fairly appropriate as it will definitely be a good friday. Pretty exciting stuff!
I hope everyone has the guts to stick to their date after the next correction.......I have yet to experience a significant decline in the markets whilst having my NW tied up in the market.
Well.. Here I was about to break the news about giving my notice, which was the 15th of April, but since my job gives both Good Friday, AND Easter monday... Now I'm ending it on the 23rd of April. Hope you're proud of making me work 3 extra days, (for 7-8 days salary since I'm not hourly :D)
Canadian Ben, (29), 23 April.
Papers have been given. (6 months notice for us)
Well.. Here I was about to break the news about giving my notice, which was the 15th of April, but since my job gives both Good Friday, AND Easter monday... Now I'm ending it on the 23rd of April. Hope you're proud of making me work 3 extra days, (for 7-8 days salary since I'm not hourly :D)
Canadian Ben, (29), 23 April.
I hope everyone has the guts to stick to their date after the next correction.......I have yet to experience a significant decline in the markets whilst having my NW tied up in the market.
I hope everyone has the guts to stick to their date after the next correction.......I have yet to experience a significant decline in the markets whilst having my NW tied up in the market.
I'm positive that you have already experienced a correction, since there was one in February.
Personally, I'm not overly concerned about this current blip, because Q3 was the best quarter on record since 2013 and the economy still seems pretty strong in general. I have shifted more of my portfolio to bonds though, in preparation of calling it quits. (but that's independent of current market movements)
I don’t have any bonds but have a big % tied up in property.
By the time I FIRE next June I expect to be
- Property 60%
- Stocks 29%
- Pension 6%
- Term deposits/ cash 5%
But we will still be carrying a bit of leverage, which isn’t ideal but it is what it is.
We will sell down our property at some point in the next couple of years, TBD.
After this we will be more like
- Property 40% (incl home)
- Stocks 48%
- Pension 7%
- Term Deposits/ Cash 5%
So we are not quite as exposed to this weeks events as other I suspect. However, We are very exposed, to the crappy Sydney property market. 🤣 and I think that has worse medium term prospects than stocks. :-/
4-7 September 2019. It's at the Washington Hilton (1919 Connecticut Ave) and FinCon has a room block reserved at $169/night. (Hey, compared to Hawaii this is cheap.) The Military Influencer Conference is 8-10 September at the same location.It's been quiet for the last few days on the thread -- how's everyone doing?4. FINCON 2019. The word is FINCON ’19 is in Washington, DC and during dates after I separate from the military. I’m thinking of attending just to see the festivities and maybe chat with people who will spark some good ideas.
4-7 September 2019. It's at the Washington Hilton (1919 Connecticut Ave) and FinCon has a room block reserved at $169/night. (Hey, compared to Hawaii this is cheap.) The Military Influencer Conference is 8-10 September at the same location.Thanks for the info! That's an entire week of fun at one location!
The FinCon18 earlybird sale ended a few days ago, and FinCon19 tickets go back on sale around January 2019.
https://finconexpo.com/fincon19/
...the Washington Hilton (1919 Connecticut Ave) and FinCon has a room block reserved at $169/night. (Hey, compared to Hawaii this is cheap.)...Very true!
...I'm the middle-aged balding ponytailed surfer in an aloha shirt...The aloha shirt will definitely make it easy to spot you!
Hope everyone had a nice weekend!
I've been noodling over whether to jump ship over to the 2018 cohort, but I think I will stay put here. I may pull my FIRE date forward into January 2019, but that will probably be as early as I will go.
Weird situation at work. Megacorp is taking over and the deal is expected to close sometime in the next two months. Just found out Friday afternoon that Employer is offering me a bonus if I stay until the deal closes (on top of my annual bonus), and at the same time Megacorp is preparing a list of people they are going to cut as soon as they are the owner. And no one knows for sure yet if they are on the cut list because Megacorp won't announce it until the deal closes. In my situation it would be an absolute grand slam home run to collect the retention bonus and then get laid off by Megacorp. But the only one of those two items under my control is the bonus, so I'm going to stick around long enough to collect it. If Megacorp doesn't give me the axe, I will turn my 4 week notice in as soon as the bonus check hits my account.
Whew. Glad that's decided. And glad I get to stay here with such a nice group of people.
Hope everyone had a nice weekend!
I've been noodling over whether to jump ship over to the 2018 cohort, but I think I will stay put here. I may pull my FIRE date forward into January 2019, but that will probably be as early as I will go.
Weird situation at work. Megacorp is taking over and the deal is expected to close sometime in the next two months. Just found out Friday afternoon that Employer is offering me a bonus if I stay until the deal closes (on top of my annual bonus), and at the same time Megacorp is preparing a list of people they are going to cut as soon as they are the owner. And no one knows for sure yet if they are on the cut list because Megacorp won't announce it until the deal closes. In my situation it would be an absolute grand slam home run to collect the retention bonus and then get laid off by Megacorp. But the only one of those two items under my control is the bonus, so I'm going to stick around long enough to collect it. If Megacorp doesn't give me the axe, I will turn my 4 week notice in as soon as the bonus check hits my account.
Whew. Glad that's decided. And glad I get to stay here with such a nice group of people.
Wow, accepting the bonus until the deal is round (your company and megacorp signing papers for sale) and then disappearing directly after you are transferred as a new employee to megacorp? That rocks and that will teach them! They are already putting people on their list to FIRE. You are probably on their list to keep, as your correct employer find you valuable enough to give you a stay-bonus. Megacorp will lose you immediately and should perhaps have kept one if the people they just fired.
It's been quiet for the last few days on the thread -- how's everyone doing?
(snip)
Here's what's happening on my side:
-I finally hit the $100K milestone for the year (save an additional $100K, to give us more flexibility & pad out the stash a bit). But, just got our property tax bill, so my estimate of hitting $100K by the end of the year still seems reasonable.
-I'm embarrassed to say that I've put off maxing out our HSA forever due to a really weird work HR issue when both spouses work for our company. It was fixable, just took time to unpick with HR. Finally got off my buns & got this maxed out for the remainder of the year. There are some smaller paychecks than normal, but feeling really happy I sorted it before the end of the year.
-I met with my executive coach today (free with a training I'm taking at work) & we continue to discuss who I am/want to be when I leave work. It's been really helpful so far, and she's honed in a lot on things that have kept me at this job/in this industry for far longer than I should have stayed.
-Getting ready for a half marathon this weekend (one of my 2018 goals & a trip to spend time with my sister & friend). I'm not nearly as prepared as I'd like to be due to health issues, but know I can finish. Just not in my preferred time.
-Finally, planning our Hawaii trip that's coming up in 5 weeks. This trip was something we added to the calendar when I agreed to stay on at my employer through the end of 2018. Q4 is our busiest/worst time at work, & I needed the motivation to keep it together. We'll stay in a condo & make the majority of the meals, but it's still a big splurge.
Finished my half marathon, and did better than expected. I am having some knee/ankle pain from not being as well trained as I should have been. Already convinced my running group to run another half with me in May - plenty of time to train during my sabbatical. Woohoo!! Getting/staying in good shape is a big part of my post FIRE plan.
It's been quiet for the last few days on the thread -- how's everyone doing?
(snip)
Here's what's happening on my side:
-I finally hit the $100K milestone for the year (save an additional $100K, to give us more flexibility & pad out the stash a bit). But, just got our property tax bill, so my estimate of hitting $100K by the end of the year still seems reasonable.
-I'm embarrassed to say that I've put off maxing out our HSA forever due to a really weird work HR issue when both spouses work for our company. It was fixable, just took time to unpick with HR. Finally got off my buns & got this maxed out for the remainder of the year. There are some smaller paychecks than normal, but feeling really happy I sorted it before the end of the year.
-I met with my executive coach today (free with a training I'm taking at work) & we continue to discuss who I am/want to be when I leave work. It's been really helpful so far, and she's honed in a lot on things that have kept me at this job/in this industry for far longer than I should have stayed.
-Getting ready for a half marathon this weekend (one of my 2018 goals & a trip to spend time with my sister & friend). I'm not nearly as prepared as I'd like to be due to health issues, but know I can finish. Just not in my preferred time.
-Finally, planning our Hawaii trip that's coming up in 5 weeks. This trip was something we added to the calendar when I agreed to stay on at my employer through the end of 2018. Q4 is our busiest/worst time at work, & I needed the motivation to keep it together. We'll stay in a condo & make the majority of the meals, but it's still a big splurge.
Finished my half marathon, and did better than expected. I am having some knee/ankle pain from not being as well trained as I should have been. Already convinced my running group to run another half with me in May - plenty of time to train during my sabbatical. Woohoo!! Getting/staying in good shape is a big part of my post FIRE plan.
I just got the email from boss that we are to write up our end of the year performance reviews. I really don't like doing these. I get why we do them and I think my company does a pretty good job with consensus and rating people, but I don't like this process. I am far better at talking about what I did then writing it to be so many words etc.This website should help you complete your performance assessment:
This is the first time in my career that I will be rated in a non-scientific role against other non-scientists, so I don't really know what to expect. As a scientist I was good at what I did, but as a non- PhD I wasn't given the high impact studies, so I always hid in the middle of the bell curve (met expectations). The sub-function I am in now never existed before so I'm not sure where I stand or how what I am doing compares to others. I guess my goal is still to hid in the middle :).
With an extra notation that this might be my last consensus EVER!
LV
Most Righteous Alias | Age at FIRE | Target Date |
MissNancyPryor | 50 | Mar-19 |
Roboturner | 30 | Mar-19 |
Livingthedream55 | 59 | May-19 |
cerat0n1a | May-19 | |
dude | 54 | May-19 |
SamIAm38 | 29 | May-19 |
oldtoyota | Jun-19 | |
Itchyfeet | 47 | Jun-19 |
Enigma | 39 | Jul-19 |
Thedividebyzero | 45 | Jul-19 |
Trifele | Aug-19 | |
RetirementDreaming | Sep-19 | |
VoteCthulu | 39 | Oct-19 |
trix76 | 43 | Oct-19 |
markbike528CBX | 55 | Dec-19 |
HBFI | 38 | Dec-19 |
luckyme13 | 45 | Dec-19 |
PhilB | TBD | |
Parizade | TBD | |
madamwitty | 36 | TBD |
Lowerbills | TBD | |
Chrissy | 42 | TBD |
Gerard | TBD | |
getoutsoon | 52 | TBD |
ysette9 | TBD | |
elaine amj | 40 | TBD |
Iplawyer | TBD | |
Linda_Norway | 46 | TBD, autumn 2019 |
Bateaux | TBD |
I am getting serious cold feet. I am both concerned about our expected rate of profit on stocks. And concerned about moving to another area. There is still so much to do where we live now, although we can't do everything.You should move into the 2022 cohort. They seem lonely over there.
I asked DH if he wasn't nervous. He said his only concern was the unpredictable returns on stocks. But he also mentioned that we could just go live 20% cheaper than budgetted, which is realistic. And we could do more consultant work or something else parttime.
I am also a bit concerned bout how much more expensive light might be living out in the country. Most things will be further away than they are today while luving clise to the capital. But I think that as long as our daily activities are close to our house, we will be fine.
At work, we are bidding our schedules and vacation for next year. It is odd to only plan vacation through June...this is getting real!
This will also help curb any temptation to stay longer...if I don't bid any vacation after June now, I have minimal chances of getting any time off later. That is quite some incentive to keep my retirement date as planned.
I just got the email from boss that we are to write up our end of the year performance reviews. I really don't like doing these. I get why we do them and I think my company does a pretty good job with consensus and rating people, but I don't like this process. I am far better at talking about what I did then writing it to be so many words etc.This website should help you complete your performance assessment:
This is the first time in my career that I will be rated in a non-scientific role against other non-scientists, so I don't really know what to expect. As a scientist I was good at what I did, but as a non- PhD I wasn't given the high impact studies, so I always hid in the middle of the bell curve (met expectations). The sub-function I am in now never existed before so I'm not sure where I stand or how what I am doing compares to others. I guess my goal is still to hid in the middle :).
With an extra notation that this might be my last consensus EVER!
LV
https://www.atrixnet.com/bs-generator.html
I am getting serious cold feet. I am both concerned about our expected rate of profit on stocks. And concerned about moving to another area. There is still so much to do where we live now, although we can't do everything....snip...
Less than 100 days to go! I do still have vacation planned (Hawaii in November, the Oregon coast in December, & potentially a ski trip to Tahoe depending on exact end date). I'll accrue additional bonus/comp days to being on call over company holidays. I currently have 109 hours left, one day off from travel on a weekend, and 2 days off for covering company holidays. Let's do this! I cannot carry over any days before my sabbatical, so will have to burn all of my vacation. It's a position I've never been in before!
I don't post so much, but I am retiring on February 8th, 2019 at age 37. So you can add me to the list.
I'll have enough to cover my expenses and plan on ramping up my reselling side-hustle as I enjoy it a lot. Also, an occasional seasonal job seems like something I would like to do. Coolworks.com (http://Coolworks.com) has a few opportunities in remote and interesting places. Things I could see myself doing for a few months as an adventure of sorts.
Welcome to the cohort!!
What types of things do you like to resell?
LV
Welcome to the cohort!!
What types of things do you like to resell?
LV
Thank you for the welcome!
Oh, I resell anything I can make a few bucks off of. I'll hit up garage sales, estate sales, and thrift stores as well as keep an eye on Craigslist and similar for deals. I'll also throw in a bit of retail arbitrage. eBay is my main selling area but I also sell on Amazon, and larger/heavier items locally.
It's a treasure hunt and quite fun to me. Also, I can do it when I want, turn it off when I want, and answer to no bosses. I've semi-tracked my time spent to earned profit for a month and it comes out to a wage of around $20 per hour.
A side benefit is since I am looking for deals all the time I often find things I can use myself for cheap.
Do I get stuck with items often? No, not too often. I did recently do a clear out of my eBay listings, removing items that have been listed for a long time without selling. That was about 50 items.
Sometimes I also make mistakes. I might not have inspected the item closely enough or didn't realize that it was missing an accessory, which reduces the price I can get for it.
Don't be scared about that stuff as the profit from the items that did sell vastly outweigh the price I paid for the items that didn't. Any items I take off eBay then go into a box for my own garage sale and anything left from that then goes back as a thrift store donation.
I hope everyone has the guts to stick to their date after the next correction.......I have yet to experience a significant decline in the markets whilst having my NW tied up in the market.
I hope everyone has the guts to stick to their date after the next correction.......I have yet to experience a significant decline in the markets whilst having my NW tied up in the market.
It will take more than a 10-15% correction for me to declare OMY of full time work, and I have about 6 months to decide, so we'll see what things are like then. Any changes or continued uncertainty with the ACA would be more concerning to me.
The current 'crash' is all my fault as I'm FIREing today. Expect all asset classes to head to zero.I hope everyone has the guts to stick to their date after the next correction.......I have yet to experience a significant decline in the markets whilst having my NW tied up in the market.
It will take more than a 10-15% correction for me to declare OMY of full time work, and I have about 6 months to decide, so we'll see what things are like then. Any changes or continued uncertainty with the ACA would be more concerning to me.
Our major FIRE stash is in our current house. We will have to OMY it if we don't get the sales price for our house almost as high as the broker suggested. There is a real chance for that, so I still have a toe of two dipped into the 2020 cohort. Sale will be in spring 2019.
I hope everyone has the guts to stick to their date after the next correction.......I have yet to experience a significant decline in the markets whilst having my NW tied up in the market.
It will take more than a 10-15% correction for me to declare OMY of full time work, and I have about 6 months to decide, so we'll see what things are like then. Any changes or continued uncertainty with the ACA would be more concerning to me.
Geeze!!!! Not thinking about others much are you?
I guess it is fine, so that you can get out early.
Congratulations!
DH and I are thinking May is too far away....
The current 'crash' is all my fault as I'm FIREing today. Expect all asset classes to head to zero.I hope everyone has the guts to stick to their date after the next correction.......I have yet to experience a significant decline in the markets whilst having my NW tied up in the market.
It will take more than a 10-15% correction for me to declare OMY of full time work, and I have about 6 months to decide, so we'll see what things are like then. Any changes or continued uncertainty with the ACA would be more concerning to me.
Our major FIRE stash is in our current house. We will have to OMY it if we don't get the sales price for our house almost as high as the broker suggested. There is a real chance for that, so I still have a toe of two dipped into the 2020 cohort. Sale will be in spring 2019.
Woo hoo! Congrats Phil!Thanks, yo!
Woo hoo to you too Cornbread!
Please mark me as confirmed for September 2, 2019!!I forgot I can update the chart myself! lol Here it is:
Please mark me as confirmed for September 2, 2019!!
Please mark me as confirmed for September 2, 2019!!
I was wondering how you could CONFIRM a date 11 months in the future then I remembered that your military runway is of a very specific length.
at first I was thinking you misprinted 2018 vs 2019.
Congratulations after my self-imposed confusion!
Congratulations Cornbread! I wonder if that's a record for earliest confirmation?
No OMY for you!! Congrats!!
Well then, if we're playing that game.... I'm confirmed 23 April. my paperworks in and everything.Congrats, Lews Therin! And thanks, everyone!
Course with the military you can remove the paperwork up to the actual retirement date (For Canada)
Well then, if we're playing that game.... I'm confirmed 23 April. my paperworks in and everything.
Course with the military you can remove the paperwork up to the actual retirement date (For Canada)
So far they've "forgotten" my paperwork on a person's desk (never would have advanced) and given the paper back to me without doing anything then signing it, instead of passing it to the people to whom it should go...This was the kind of thing that I worried me about my paperwork.
I might be on the run from the Internet Retirement Police for the next few years. Long story short (or as short as I can make it):
In my field having an active certification is absolutely critical. No one - no matter how good or experienced - can legally work without an active certification and the only way to keep it up is by working. Because this is the only industry I've ever worked in and the skills aren't transferable, I feel like it's the only one I can make a decent living at. My hourly pay is about 10x what I could make at the next highest paying job I think I could get. The result is that I'm really scared about quitting in May 2019 because my certifications will expire in December of 2019. Logically I know my withdrawal rate (about 3.6-3.9% at current stock valuations) should be safe, but the knowledge that I'll be totally locked out of my relatively high paying career gives me minor panic attacks.
So - I just met with the president of a company that does consulting work in my field. He contacted me because he'd heard about my plans from a director in my company, and the consulting company wants to bring me on. I could keep my certifications up with just one to two 6 week blocks of work each year, and the pay would be high enough that each 6-week block should cover roughly 40% my annual expenses. I could even work 3 or more and make more than I need for a year, although I don't think I'm interested in that.
While I want to cut the cord and just never work again, the idea of making a silly amount of money for working for 6 weeks and then taking 4.5 months off sounds too good to pass up. And if I do it for a year or two and realize that my spending is below what I planned then I can quit for real.
There are a few details to work out, but if this works out I will feel a LOT better about quitting in May as planned. I may even quit earlier, pick up a 6-week assignment for the fall, and then take it from there. The IRP will probably say I'm not really retired, but if I'm able to spend 4 months in New Zealand hiking around the south island I think I'm ok with that.
I might be on the run from the Internet Retirement Police for the next few years. Long story short (or as short as I can make it):
In my field having an active certification is absolutely critical. No one - no matter how good or experienced - can legally work without an active certification and the only way to keep it up is by working. Because this is the only industry I've ever worked in and the skills aren't transferable, I feel like it's the only one I can make a decent living at. My hourly pay is about 10x what I could make at the next highest paying job I think I could get. The result is that I'm really scared about quitting in May 2019 because my certifications will expire in December of 2019. Logically I know my withdrawal rate (about 3.6-3.9% at current stock valuations) should be safe, but the knowledge that I'll be totally locked out of my relatively high paying career gives me minor panic attacks.
So - I just met with the president of a company that does consulting work in my field. He contacted me because he'd heard about my plans from a director in my company, and the consulting company wants to bring me on. I could keep my certifications up with just one to two 6 week blocks of work each year, and the pay would be high enough that each 6-week block should cover roughly 40% my annual expenses. I could even work 3 or more and make more than I need for a year, although I don't think I'm interested in that.
While I want to cut the cord and just never work again, the idea of making a silly amount of money for working for 6 weeks and then taking 4.5 months off sounds too good to pass up. And if I do it for a year or two and realize that my spending is below what I planned then I can quit for real.
There are a few details to work out, but if this works out I will feel a LOT better about quitting in May as planned. I may even quit earlier, pick up a 6-week assignment for the fall, and then take it from there. The IRP will probably say I'm not really retired, but if I'm able to spend 4 months in New Zealand hiking around the south island I think I'm ok with that.
I think it sounds like a great plan! I'd be very tempted to pursue the plan, but I'm conservative, so . .. :-)
If the market keeps crashing we should invest in tons of canned dog food.
If the market keeps crashing we should invest in tons of canned dog food.
Look at the rich guy buying things. You should be making your own from strays.
I might be on the run from the Internet Retirement Police for the next few years. Long story short (or as short as I can make it):
In my field having an active certification is absolutely critical. No one - no matter how good or experienced - can legally work without an active certification and the only way to keep it up is by working. Because this is the only industry I've ever worked in and the skills aren't transferable, I feel like it's the only one I can make a decent living at. My hourly pay is about 10x what I could make at the next highest paying job I think I could get. The result is that I'm really scared about quitting in May 2019 because my certifications will expire in December of 2019. Logically I know my withdrawal rate (about 3.6-3.9% at current stock valuations) should be safe, but the knowledge that I'll be totally locked out of my relatively high paying career gives me minor panic attacks.
So - I just met with the president of a company that does consulting work in my field. He contacted me because he'd heard about my plans from a director in my company, and the consulting company wants to bring me on. I could keep my certifications up with just one to two 6 week blocks of work each year, and the pay would be high enough that each 6-week block should cover roughly 40% my annual expenses. I could even work 3 or more and make more than I need for a year, although I don't think I'm interested in that.
While I want to cut the cord and just never work again, the idea of making a silly amount of money for working for 6 weeks and then taking 4.5 months off sounds too good to pass up. And if I do it for a year or two and realize that my spending is below what I planned then I can quit for real.
There are a few details to work out, but if this works out I will feel a LOT better about quitting in May as planned. I may even quit earlier, pick up a 6-week assignment for the fall, and then take it from there. The IRP will probably say I'm not really retired, but if I'm able to spend 4 months in New Zealand hiking around the south island I think I'm ok with that.
My dad once screeched to a halt when he saw the car in front hit a pheasant. It was a busy road so he leapt out, grabbed it, threw it in the passenger footwell and took off again. My mother, in the passenger seat, was not impressed. She was even less impressed when it recovered consciousness...If the market keeps crashing we should invest in tons of canned dog food.
Look at the rich guy buying things. You should be making your own from strays.
Leave the poor strays out of this.....
.....but if 2birds1stonecomes up with a good recipe for roadkill that could be of benefit to us all in these uncertain times.
It seems that DH is now in the mood the FIRE from his job no matter what, while I still want the security of selling the house for the expected price. I guess we will know after spring 2019 when/if we sell the house. And we won't quit both our jobs completely before we at least have a good plan that we both agree on. But I see it as an option that DH starts consulting before I FIRE. And that my FIRE perhaps moved to 2020.
It seems that DH is now in the mood the FIRE from his job no matter what, while I still want the security of selling the house for the expected price. I guess we will know after spring 2019 when/if we sell the house. And we won't quit both our jobs completely before we at least have a good plan that we both agree on. But I see it as an option that DH starts consulting before I FIRE. And that my FIRE perhaps moved to 2020.
We are in much the same boat.
We don’t plan to sell for a few years, but house prices are dropping it does create a lot of uncertainty about what we will actually get when we finally sell. It a bit of a headache. Things would be far simpler if we sold before FIRE but DW is not ready to close the door on Sydney just now.
We are still of the mind to cross our fingers and toes and to leap into the unknown. I hope our leap doesn’t end in a splat.
It seems that DH is now in the mood the FIRE from his job no matter what, while I still want the security of selling the house for the expected price. I guess we will know after spring 2019 when/if we sell the house. And we won't quit both our jobs completely before we at least have a good plan that we both agree on. But I see it as an option that DH starts consulting before I FIRE. And that my FIRE perhaps moved to 2020.
We are in much the same boat.
We don’t plan to sell for a few years, but house prices are dropping it does create a lot of uncertainty about what we will actually get when we finally sell. It a bit of a headache. Things would be far simpler if we sold before FIRE but DW is not ready to close the door on Sydney just now.
We are still of the mind to cross our fingers and toes and to leap into the unknown. I hope our leap doesn’t end in a splat.
This is why employees give the minimum required notice when they're leaving.
The severance is for three months' pay, not as high as what some people get when laid off, but since I had not expected anything this is a very unexpected gift they are offering. I need the boss's support to get severance (because I'm turning down an offered role at the same pay level), but he is freely offering said support. I'm having some mild moral qualms about this. It feels undeserved . . . and yet it's apparently being offered up to me on a plate, so a large part of me thinks I'd be a fool to turn it down.
Anyway, that's the Mustachian People Problem (MPP) I'm having right now. It's a very good problem to have.
The next step is that I meet directly with Megacorp management next week. Hopefully they do not like me so much that they offer me a better job than the first one, haha. That would put the kibosh on any severance. But whatever. Soon I'm gone baby, gone . . . . :)
It seems that DH is now in the mood the FIRE from his job no matter what, while I still want the security of selling the house for the expected price. I guess we will know after spring 2019 when/if we sell the house. And we won't quit both our jobs completely before we at least have a good plan that we both agree on. But I see it as an option that DH starts consulting before I FIRE. And that my FIRE perhaps moved to 2020.
We are in much the same boat.
We don’t plan to sell for a few years, but house prices are dropping it does create a lot of uncertainty about what we will actually get when we finally sell. It a bit of a headache. Things would be far simpler if we sold before FIRE but DW is not ready to close the door on Sydney just now.
We are still of the mind to cross our fingers and toes and to leap into the unknown. I hope our leap doesn’t end in a splat.
That is a hard one with the house being such a large investment. :(. Uncertainty really makes the short term part of long term planning difficult.
If you know you want to sell, would it be worth it to sell now, then rent where you need to be. That way you know how big the stache is before going into retirement? It will involve moving more than once, but it could be a lower price to pay to know where you stand. Assuming this isn't timing the market with real estate....
LV
I haven't posted much lately, as there have been new developments at work and I am mentally chewing through them and trying to process/plan.
My company is currently being bought by Megacorp, and the next steps in the acquisition are slowly becoming clear. Last week my boss formally spoke with me about what my role may be after the takeover. (Now, I haven't let on a hint of my FIRE plans to anyone at work, so as far as they know I'm in the same boat as everyone else -- needing a job and desperate for news of what's going to happen.) So the role being offered to me is a substantial step down in responsibilities, but my current pay level is guaranteed for one year "while everything shakes out." So I truthfully reply to my boss that the new role is a substantial step down, and I would not be happy with those reduced responsibilities. And my boss says "I understand that, and if I can't persuade you to take it, then I will support you in getting a severance package."
The severance is for three months' pay, not as high as what some people get when laid off, but since I had not expected anything this is a very unexpected gift they are offering. I need the boss's support to get severance (because I'm turning down an offered role at the same pay level), but he is freely offering said support. I'm having some mild moral qualms about this. It feels undeserved . . . and yet it's apparently being offered up to me on a plate, so a large part of me thinks I'd be a fool to turn it down.
Anyway, that's the Mustachian People Problem (MPP) I'm having right now. It's a very good problem to have.
The next step is that I meet directly with Megacorp management next week. Hopefully they do not like me so much that they offer me a better job than the first one, haha. That would put the kibosh on any severance. But whatever. Soon I'm gone baby, gone . . . . :)
I haven't posted much lately, as there have been new developments at work and I am mentally chewing through them and trying to process/plan.
. . . .
But whatever. Soon I'm gone baby, gone . . . . :)
That sounds like what you were waiting for, sorta. Do you have a timeline on when this will happen. I know you have been moonlighting on the 2018 thread so this may all play out really well for you.
LV
Hmm, so I'm down to 189 calendar days. So I did a calculation, subtracting weekends, holidays, and all my available vacation and sick time between now and May 7, and I found out I have a whopping 71 more work days until I gain my freedom. Only 71 more times that I'll have to show my face in this place. Oh man, did that give me new perspective!
Hmm, so I'm down to 189 calendar days. So I did a calculation, subtracting weekends, holidays, and all my available vacation and sick time between now and May 7, and I found out I have a whopping 71 more work days until I gain my freedom. Only 71 more times that I'll have to show my face in this place. Oh man, did that give me new perspective!
Cool thing to do is to look at what you were doing 189 days ago. Does that seem very long ago? April sometime? Well, that is all the amount of time you have to wait! I have been doing that backward look thing for a long time and it definitely helps me get perspective.
Anybody know what SIRE is? As in SIRE vs FIRE. I know what FIRE is but stumbled on the term "SIRE" today and can find no info on it.Probably this:
SIRE income sources - Soc Security (or other country equiv), pensions, annuities, inheritance
FIRE income sources - personal nest egg/portfolio, RMDs, business/rental income, sale of property (e.g. real estate investment property), part time work.
Anybody know what SIRE is? As in SIRE vs FIRE. I know what FIRE is but stumbled on the term "SIRE" today and can find no info on it.Probably this:QuoteSIRE income sources - Soc Security (or other country equiv), pensions, annuities, inheritance
FIRE income sources - personal nest egg/portfolio, RMDs, business/rental income, sale of property (e.g. real estate investment property), part time work.
But what's the acronym stand for? I assumed the "IRE" part is the same, but what's the "S"?SIRE - Secure Income, Retired Early
Am I the only one who thinks it is a bit silly to invent a new acronym? Those who have a steady income via SS, pension, annuity or inheritance are just as FI as anybody else.
You guys inspired me to count my remaining working days. After today, I'm at 102 remaining. It seems like so many and so few at the same time. lol
But but but... without a specific acronym how will I feel extra special??
Hello, class of 2019. Long time forum lurker, new to posting!
I am 43 and announcing April 2019 as my RE date.
Been working at the same "organization" for 25 years. Organization is in quotes because the company has been bought, sold and merged many times. I like my co-workers and my boss so there is not a toxic atmosphere. I just see that our industry's profit margin gets squeezed and as a manager, it exhausts me to constantly say, "No, we can't afford that." "Maybe next year" or the worst..."here's your pink slip".
I have a DH, two wonderful sons, and aging parents/inlaws that I want to be focused on. I want my mental and physical health back.
The plan is for DH to continue with his job where he enjoys health benefits and working from home two days a week. Most calculators say we could both FIRE now, but I am hanging on for a significant bonus expected by April next year.
I have a countdown app on my phone...about 180 days!
I really need to stop working soon. Recently I had a health check at work where it was discovered that I have very high blood pressure. This is after I downshifting to working 80% from September. I feel so much less stress than last year (from autumn 2017 to summer 2018). And still my blood pressure is so high. I am going to check it out with my GP next week. Maybe I'll get a machine that measures blood pressure for 24 hours. I am convinced that FIRE would be much better for my health.
But but but... without a specific acronym how will I feel extra special??
@Loren Ver How about LVIAESSFIRE - Loren Ver Is An Extra Special Snowflake FIRE? :)
Hello, class of 2019. Long time forum lurker, new to posting!
I am 43 and announcing April 2019 as my RE date.
...snip...
I really need to stop working soon. Recently I had a health check at work where it was discovered that I have very high blood pressure. This is after I downshifting to working 80% from September. I feel so much less stress than last year (from autumn 2017 to summer 2018). And still my blood pressure is so high. I am going to check it out with my GP next week. Maybe I'll get a machine that measures blood pressure for 24 hours. I am convinced that FIRE would be much better for my health.
I really need to stop working soon. Recently I had a health check at work where it was discovered that I have very high blood pressure. This is after I downshifting to working 80% from September. I feel so much less stress than last year (from autumn 2017 to summer 2018). And still my blood pressure is so high. I am going to check it out with my GP next week. Maybe I'll get a machine that measures blood pressure for 24 hours. I am convinced that FIRE would be much better for my health.
The evidence linking chronic high blood pressure to stress is pretty weak/non-existent. It feels like there should be a link, but several studies seem to sure there isn't one. Home blood pressure monitor is quite useful/interesting though. I would never have guessed that licorice raises my blood pressure by so much, for example.
I had been eating licorice the day before... Let's hope it was only that.
But I do feel stressed and anxious about a lot of things most of the time. For example today at work, where I have responsibility for so many problems that I cannot solve myself. Technical limitations, depending on colleagues who are difficult to reach, depending on a supplier that had several weeks delay. I was pretty relaxed at the start of the day, but my anxiety and feelings of being inadequate are really high now.
Welcome aboard @PowerStache! Got you added. And a little birdie told me that @Fresh Bread may be joining us soon here too, OMYing from the 2018 cohort . . . ?
In honor of us coming down the home stretch to 2019, I reorganized the roster a bit to clean it up. OLYers are in their own category now, many congrats.
So proud of everyone! 2019 will be here before we know it!
02/01/19 Cycling Stache (44)
02/01/19 Trifele (51)
02/08/19 Socmonkey (37)
02/25/19 MaybeBabyMustache
02/??/19 zinnie (35)
03/15/19 exit2019 (40)
03/19/19 ChasesFish
03/??/19 MissNancyPryor (50)
03/??/19 Roboturner (30)
03/??/19 Edgema
03/29/19 JumboShrimp
03/31/19 BlindSquirrel
04/01/19 HalfStached (41)
04/01/19 Gerardc (35)
04/01/19 JoJo (45)
04/19/19 Eric
04/23/19 Canadian Ben (29)
04/??/19 Luck12 (41)
04/??/19 PowerStache (43)
05/01/19 Albireo13 (61)
05/??/19 SamIAm38 (29)
05/??/19 FIRE 20/20 (42)
05/14/19 Mr. Ver (40)
05/17/19 Loren Ver (37)
05/31/19 Pylortes (42)
05/31/19 Odiedog8590 (62)
05/31/19 Livingthedream55 (59)
05/31/19 dude
06/01/19 Prairie Stash
06/06/19 Bognish (44)
06/07/19 DreamFire
06/21/19 Parizade (62)
06/22/19 Waffles (52)
06/??/19 Oldtoyota
06/??/19 Itchyfeet (47)
06/??/19 Bateaux (50)
06/??/19 CryingInThePool (44)
07/??/19 powersuitrecall (47)
07/??/19 Enigma (39)
07/??/19 Thedividebyzero (45)
07/01/19 Freedomin5 (38)
07/03/19 Gerard
07/03/19 Miss Piggy
09/02/19 Cornbread OMalley (42) Date CONFIRMED
09/??/19 RetirementDreaming
10/01/19 2Birds1Stone (32)
10/??/19 Linda_Norway
10/??/19 VoteCthulu (39)
10/??/19 Trix76 (43)
10/??/19 MoMan (55)
10/??/19 Dreamer
12/??/19 HBFI (38)
12/??/19 luckyme13 (45)
12/27/19 moxie
12/31/19 texxan1 (47)
2019 Cohort with date TBD:
Lowerbills (40)
getoutsoon (52)
Elaine amj (40)
IPlawyer
OLY FIRE-ees:
markbike528cbx (55) OLY -- CONFIRMED 6/1/18; checking in as OP
MoneyStacher (50) OLY -- CONFIRMED 2018
PhilB (52) OLY -- CONFIRMED 10/24/18
sui generis (41) OLY -- CONFIRMED 8/17/18
TartanTallulah (55) OLY -- CONFIRMED 10/2018
cerat0n1a OLY -- CONFIRMED 2018
Chairman OLY -- CONFIRMED 2018
OMY/2MY/Etc:
SpreadsheetMan
Lovely list, but I think I might need to drop off it.
I got laid off last week. I am currently suffering through a 2 week transition period. I am not sure if I will look for another job, look for consulting work, or call it FIRE for now. With my last day of work 6 days before the scheduled opening of the ski area I have a paid season pass to I don't think I will be at risk of being bored this winter.
Without getting too political, I would like to thank Pres Trump for the upcoming free time. I work in a factory that uses a lot of steel and components from China. The parts go into new commercial construction in the US and internationally. With new tariffs increasing our costs 30% and interest rates for our customers construction loans going up new orders have ground to a halt. I am not sure how these policies will bring manufacturing back to America, but there is a good chance I will have plenty of time to contemplate this on the chair lift this winter.
Lovely list, but I think I might need to drop off it.
I got laid off last week.
Lovely list, but I think I might need to drop off it.
I got laid off last week. I am currently suffering through a 2 week transition period. I am not sure if I will look for another job, look for consulting work, or call it FIRE for now. With my last day of work 6 days before the scheduled opening of the ski area I have a paid season pass to I don't think I will be at risk of being bored this winter.
...snip...
Lovely list, but I think I might need to drop off it.
I got laid off last week. I am currently suffering through a 2 week transition period. I am not sure if I will look for another job, look for consulting work, or call it FIRE for now. With my last day of work 6 days before the scheduled opening of the ski area I have a paid season pass to I don't think I will be at risk of being bored this winter.
Without getting too political, I would like to thank Pres Trump for the upcoming free time. I work in a factory that uses a lot of steel and components from China. The parts go into new commercial construction in the US and internationally. With new tariffs increasing our costs 30% and interest rates for our customers construction loans going up new orders have ground to a halt. I am not sure how these policies will bring manufacturing back to America, but there is a good chance I will have plenty of time to contemplate this on the chair lift this winter.
I'm a little nervous seeing my name first on the list!
Since this is where I posted about my termination last week, this is where I'll share this story. The corporate announcement of my departure came out yesterday. Nice and vague that I will be leaving to "pursue other opportunities". So in the lunch room today I got asked where I am going next.
My response was "Skiing".
Awkward pause and lack of comprehension
"No where is your next position?"
"Chairlift."
"No where are you going to work next."
"Well I have a season pass at Alta, so that is where I will be working on my turns. Enjoy your lunch." mic drop and exit. 7 more days.
I love awkward conversations and relish the long pause.
I'm a little nervous seeing my name first on the list!
I have to admit that I started to hesitate when I look at my finances and wonder if I really have enough money.
Since this is where I posted about my termination last week, this is where I'll share this story. The corporate announcement of my departure came out yesterday. Nice and vague that I will be leaving to "pursue other opportunities". So in the lunch room today I got asked where I am going next.hahaha! I love it!
My response was "Skiing".
Awkward pause and lack of comprehension
"No where is your next position?"
"Chairlift."
"No where are you going to work next."
"Well I have a season pass at Alta, so that is where I will be working on my turns. Enjoy your lunch." mic drop and exit. 7 more days.
I love awkward conversations and relish the long pause.
Since this is where I posted about my termination last week, this is where I'll share this story. The corporate announcement of my departure came out yesterday. Nice and vague that I will be leaving to "pursue other opportunities". So in the lunch room today I got asked where I am going next.
My response was "Skiing".
Awkward pause and lack of comprehension
"No where is your next position?"
"Chairlift."
"No where are you going to work next."
"Well I have a season pass at Alta, so that is where I will be working on my turns. Enjoy your lunch." mic drop and exit. 7 more days.
I love awkward conversations and relish the long pause.
...
"No where is your next position?"
"Chairlift."
...
I'm a little nervous seeing my name first on the list!
I have to admit that I started to hesitate when I look at my finances and wonder if I really have enough money. It's not so much the amount as the sense that, from working, way more money comes in than goes out, so it feels like if anything were to happen, I'd be immediately covered. I kind of got over this by thinking about how much more money would make me feel better. $100k? Probably no impact (we dropped $150k last month from investments before some of the recent recovery). $500k? Not in any kind of definite sense, and that's 5 more years working. A million sounds good, but that's another 10 years, and I'm not working 10 more years just to feel a little more secure.
...
I'm glad you are thinking through the issue instead of just throwing more work on the pile. Changing from saver to spender is a massive transition (started by changed your account auto-invests!!) and it really should feel hard, uh different, uh something. Right? Fundamental change to what you have been doing. But you know this and you know you, so you can work through it.
I know me, so I know our first few years are going to be extra lean. Not because they need to be, but because I will need to see the stash grow. I know it will grow over time, but the first few years can be game changers, so i want the numbers up. I'm not willing to work for the up though!
LV
I'm a little nervous seeing my name first on the list!
I have to admit that I started to hesitate when I look at my finances and wonder if I really have enough money. It's not so much the amount as the sense that, from working, way more money comes in than goes out, so it feels like if anything were to happen, I'd be immediately covered. I kind of got over this by thinking about how much more money would make me feel better. $100k? Probably no impact (we dropped $150k last month from investments before some of the recent recovery). $500k? Not in any kind of definite sense, and that's 5 more years working. A million sounds good, but that's another 10 years, and I'm not working 10 more years just to feel a little more secure.
Also, I wonder whether I've worked up a fantasy of early retirement that really isn't any different than the housewife (husband) of yore. My wife is going to keep working, the kids are in school, and I'm going to be helping around the house. That's not that original or revolutionary, quite frankly. But I think I've moved past this one as well on the basis that I simply don't have any interest in the work I'm doing any more, and if being a house husband while potentially discovering other interests (that could, at least potentially, involve work) is not that exciting, it's also more in line with what I want to be doing now. And I've "earned" the right to do it now.
In any event, on Monday I turned off the auto investing in Vanguard and the auto reinvestment of dividends. It was the first concrete step to making this happen.
I'm still giving myself the out of seeing if I want to recommit to work after the holiday break, but I know deep down that I don't want to do that. I've been living my arbitrary OMY, and even that has proven difficult because I know the money I'm making right now doesn't really matter.
Unrelated note: my parents recently gave me a $2,000 gift because they felt they had been too controlling with money when we were younger. I decided to set it up as a "treating" budget to treat people to lunch, drinks, etc., both because it will increase my number of social outings, which is important to me, and because it is one of the things I don't tend to do--I'm a here's my fair share kind of guy. What I did find funny about the experience so far is the fallacy of mental accounting that really does affect my thinking. That $2k has no meaningful impact on my net worth, but it feels amazingly luxurious to just pick up the check and enjoy the feeling of doing so! Probably I can extend this after the $2k runs out without affecting my costs, given that we're talking a couple drinks or a lunch once or twice a month. Something I'll consider!
I'm a little nervous seeing my name first on the list!
I have to admit that I started to hesitate when I look at my finances and wonder if I really have enough money. It's not so much the amount as the sense that, from working, way more money comes in than goes out, so it feels like if anything were to happen, I'd be immediately covered. I kind of got over this by thinking about how much more money would make me feel better. $100k? Probably no impact (we dropped $150k last month from investments before some of the recent recovery). $500k? Not in any kind of definite sense, and that's 5 more years working. A million sounds good, but that's another 10 years, and I'm not working 10 more years just to feel a little more secure.
I'm a little nervous seeing my name first on the list!
I have to admit that I started to hesitate when I look at my finances and wonder if I really have enough money. It's not so much the amount as the sense that, from working, way more money comes in than goes out, so it feels like if anything were to happen, I'd be immediately covered. I kind of got over this by thinking about how much more money would make me feel better. $100k? Probably no impact (we dropped $150k last month from investments before some of the recent recovery). $500k? Not in any kind of definite sense, and that's 5 more years working. A million sounds good, but that's another 10 years, and I'm not working 10 more years just to feel a little more secure.
I completely feel this way too. I have a number that would make me feel better, but I also know that is not worth the pain. The big drop last month (not so much now as some has been recovered) didn't really bother me...I guess that is due in part to I am still working and in part to a targeted 3.25-3.5% WR (allows some cushion for portfolio to drop before I get to the 4% rule). But still it stresses me - the firehose of cash is a powerful thing.
I'm a little nervous seeing my name first on the list!
I have to admit that I started to hesitate when I look at my finances and wonder if I really have enough money. It's not so much the amount as the sense that, from working, way more money comes in than goes out, so it feels like if anything were to happen, I'd be immediately covered. I kind of got over this by thinking about how much more money would make me feel better. $100k? Probably no impact (we dropped $150k last month from investments before some of the recent recovery). $500k? Not in any kind of definite sense, and that's 5 more years working. A million sounds good, but that's another 10 years, and I'm not working 10 more years just to feel a little more secure.
I completely feel this way too. I have a number that would make me feel better, but I also know that is not worth the pain. The big drop last month (not so much now as some has been recovered) didn't really bother me...I guess that is due in part to I am still working and in part to a targeted 3.25-3.5% WR (allows some cushion for portfolio to drop before I get to the 4% rule). But still it stresses me - the firehose of cash is a powerful thing.
I'm in the same boat too. I figure the nerves are there mostly because this is a major life event. If I'm not nervous about it, there's probably something wrong with me. I'm willing to bet that all of us would still be nervous even with twice as much money, simply because of the fact that this is a HUGE DEAL!! It's like the first day of school or getting married. You've never done it before and while you can read about it all you want, it's hard to actually know what to expect until afterwards. It's completely normal to be nervous.
Plus, it doesn't have to be permanent. In the early retirement community we talk a lot about failure, whether that's portfolio failure or retirement failure. And within that context, it's basically assumed that if you don't execute a plan that includes never working again that you failed. But you only get one life. Did I really fail if I took a decade off work to travel around the world before I went back to work part time? Technically, sure, the IRP knows that my retirement "failed", but removing the word retirement, nearly everyone else would consider taking a decade off work during your prime living years as a win. So I try to view it through that lens where even the failure scenario seems like a pretty good option.
I also definitely empathise with the above posts.
I have a fair sized stash to FIRE on. It is extremely unlikely that We will ever have to spend less than the median Australian household spends.
However, I still question whether maybe I should shoot higher. I enjoy the freedom of jetting all over the place today, and will have to travel very differently post FIRE to reduce spending.
But like cyclestash says, one or 2 years of extra work won’t really make a fundamental difference. 5 years would make a difference, but 5 years is a massive chunk of time.
Sure, OMY or 2MY would give a little more certainty to my current spending plans as we will be drawing abut 4.5% most likely,, but DW still plans on working casually in the future so this will get us well below 4%, and there is always the chance I might do a short contract or 2 as well. That extra cashflow will also plug any small gaps that need/want plugging.
My body is getting old. I want to get off my ass, and out of the office before it is totally rotted.
Same situation here. My damn pension alone will net me more than the median income for a family of 4 in this country (which causes me to have a slight degree of guilt, but then again that money is deferred compensation, i.e., money that's been paid by my agency out of current operating budgets year after year and placed in our pension account). And shit, I just calculated that we have @$350k of equity in our house, so we could easily sell and move to a LCOL area and buy something outright and eliminate our $1,800/mo. mortgage). So why am I still nervous?? Probably that whole thing about waiting for the other shoe to drop when life is going so swimmingly, you know? Lyle Lovett sings, in his song "Lucky":
Hehe- you have more home equity than my family had in net worth at the end of 2016.... That made me giggle.
Same situation here. My damn pension alone will net me more than the median income for a family of 4 in this country (which causes me to have a slight degree of guilt, but then again that money is deferred compensation, i.e., money that's been paid by my agency out of current operating budgets year after year and placed in our pension account). And shit, I just calculated that we have @$350k of equity in our house, so we could easily sell and move to a LCOL area and buy something outright and eliminate our $1,800/mo. mortgage). So why am I still nervous?? Probably that whole thing about waiting for the other shoe to drop when life is going so swimmingly, you know? Lyle Lovett sings, in his song "Lucky":
Hehe- you have more home equity than my family had in net worth at the end of 2016.... That made me giggle.
Courtesy of significant property value appreciation in our HCOL east coast city! We've only contributed about $83k of that. :-)
Same situation here. My damn pension alone will net me more than the median income for a family of 4 in this country (which causes me to have a slight degree of guilt, but then again that money is deferred compensation, i.e., money that's been paid by my agency out of current operating budgets year after year and placed in our pension account). And shit, I just calculated that we have @$350k of equity in our house, so we could easily sell and move to a LCOL area and buy something outright and eliminate our $1,800/mo. mortgage). So why am I still nervous?? Probably that whole thing about waiting for the other shoe to drop when life is going so swimmingly, you know? Lyle Lovett sings, in his song "Lucky":
Hehe- you have more home equity than my family had in net worth at the end of 2016.... That made me giggle.
Courtesy of significant property value appreciation in our HCOL east coast city! We've only contributed about $83k of that. :-)
That is even more awesome and giggly!
18 weeks to go until my notice
Ditto here. I need to give 3 months notice, but thinking I might give 5 so that I can just move forward with plans with 100% confidence that I am actually not,going to be working post June.
Ditto here. I need to give 3 months notice, but thinking I might give 5 so that I can just move forward with plans with 100% confidence that I am actually not,going to be working post June.
I think 3 months notice is long enough for your employer to prepare for your leave. You might find 5 months very long if they start treating you differently.
I need to give 3 full calendar months notice. But as I plan to leave the first of October, my leave can include my whole summer vacation, which could be 5 weeks, depending on how many days I use up earlier next year.
I really need to stop working soon. Recently I had a health check at work where it was discovered that I have very high blood pressure. This is after I downshifting to working 80% from September. I feel so much less stress than last year (from autumn 2017 to summer 2018). And still my blood pressure is so high. I am going to check it out with my GP next week. Maybe I'll get a machine that measures blood pressure for 24 hours. I am convinced that FIRE would be much better for my health.
The evidence linking chronic high blood pressure to stress is pretty weak/non-existent. It feels like there should be a link, but several studies seem to sure there isn't one. Home blood pressure monitor is quite useful/interesting though. I would never have guessed that licorice raises my blood pressure by so much, for example.
I had been eating licorice the day before... Let's hope it was only that.
But I do feel stressed and anxious about a lot of things most of the time. For example today at work, where I have responsibility for so many problems that I cannot solve myself. Technical limitations, depending on colleagues who are difficult to reach, depending on a supplier that had several weeks delay. I was pretty relaxed at the start of the day, but my anxiety and feelings of being inadequate are really high now.
Just back at work from a visit to my GP. He also measured very high blood pressure. He thought I might have been affected by the circumstances (being stressed by the test itself). But at the end of the month I will get a 24 hour measuring machine installed on me, on a thursday, which is a working day for me. The machine has a busy agenda and that is why we can't do it earlier. But we'll take it from there. Then I will be measured several times an hour during the whole day. I am very curious about what that will show.
Wow to these 2-3 months notices.
I am supposed to give 30 days. Its excruciating to wait. If I give notice any earlier the predators would descend on the bonus pool immediately
Wow to these 2-3 months notices.
I am supposed to give 30 days. Its excruciating to wait. If I give notice any earlier the predators would descend on the bonus pool immediately
In my case, it's fed government job, so there is a shitload of paperwork processing that happens with retirements. And backfilling my position will take at least a couple months again because of the red tape (and whoever is selected usually is allowed several pay periods to report, especially if a geographic move involved), so I don't want to leave my colleagues hanging for too long. A friend of mine just filed his paperwork -- SIX MONTHS in advance! (that's the soonest you can file)
Love the roster. Do I get to count 36 for the retirement age since I'll be 36 on my notice date? Company "requests" a 1 month notice period, which they tend to pay for but not really ask me to work. I'll flip over to 37 before the paycheck drops.
17 weeks to go
Love the roster. Do I get to count 36 for the retirement age since I'll be 36 on my notice date? Company "requests" a 1 month notice period, which they tend to pay for but not really ask me to work. I'll flip over to 37 before the paycheck drops.
17 weeks to go
Funny you should ask that. I don't have an answer, but DH and I decided to move our date to the end of March since i turn 37 in mid- April. This way two things happen :1) I get to retire at 36, which is much less prime, but otherwise a very neat number. DH still gets out at 39, as was the original agreement from many many years ago. 2) Our first retired day will by April 1st. We both find that amusing.
Exciting times!
Loren
@Loren Ver and @chasesfish -- got you both updated. That year really does make a difference, doesn't it? I remember it felt wonderful when I rolled back my FIRE date over my birthday . . . almost like I got a whole 'nother year of life.
Exciting times indeed!!
I can't tell you how excited I am at the thought that the class of 2019 will soon start to graduate. Despite having defected to the 2018 cohort, who are also a great bunch of people, I still feel more emotionally invested in you lot and will be cheering from the sidelines over the next year. Come on in, the water's lovely!
I can't tell you how excited I am at the thought that the class of 2019 will soon start to graduate. Despite having defected to the 2018 cohort, who are also a great bunch of people, I still feel more emotionally invested in you lot and will be cheering from the sidelines over the next year. Come on in, the water's lovely!
I am also really excited about it. Less than a year to work for me (if everything works out). And a very short time left to work for most other people in this thread.
After much consideration over the holiday, I'm going to submit my resignation today! Target last day of work is January 2. (I'm required to give four weeks' notice, but I'm planning to take a week off at Christmas, so it ends up being a five week notice.) I'm thrilled-- so happy I can't sit still. I honestly thought about pulling the plug 12/31/18, but I figure why not work an extra day and get the month's insurance, and also -- I wanted to stick around with you fine folks in this cohort.
Hope everyone else is doing well!
After much consideration over the holiday, I'm going to submit my resignation today! Target last day of work is January 2. (I'm required to give four weeks' notice, but I'm planning to take a week off at Christmas, so it ends up being a five week notice.) I'm thrilled-- so happy I can't sit still. I honestly thought about pulling the plug 12/31/18, but I figure why not work an extra day and get the month's insurance, and also -- I wanted to stick around with you fine folks in this cohort.
Hope everyone else is doing well!
After much consideration over the holiday, I'm going to submit my resignation today! Target last day of work is January 2. (I'm required to give four weeks' notice, but I'm planning to take a week off at Christmas, so it ends up being a five week notice.) I'm thrilled-- so happy I can't sit still. I honestly thought about pulling the plug 12/31/18, but I figure why not work an extra day and get the month's insurance, and also -- I wanted to stick around with you fine folks in this cohort.
Hope everyone else is doing well!
After much consideration over the holiday, I'm going to submit my resignation today! Target last day of work is January 2. (I'm required to give four weeks' notice, but I'm planning to take a week off at Christmas, so it ends up being a five week notice.) I'm thrilled-- so happy I can't sit still. I honestly thought about pulling the plug 12/31/18, but I figure why not work an extra day and get the month's insurance, and also -- I wanted to stick around with you fine folks in this cohort.
Hope everyone else is doing well!
May as well make it official, I've OMY'ed out of the 2018 cohort. Put me down with a target of 8/1/2019.
Welp, it's done. Resignation letter submitted and last day is January 2! Boss was not that surprised because loads of people are jumping ship (Megacorp takeover in progress), but did try to persuade me to stay. That was nice, but I just said my mind was made up. It was a nice conversation, and I thanked Boss for having hired me.
I'll share with you all that I had an amazing dream last night. In the dream I bought a new house, and I was walking through it exploring everything. I opened a door and found a sunny room with a gorgeous garden growing in it, full of flowers. It was one of the best dreams I've ever had. I woke up so happy this morning. I took that dream as a sign that was SO READY to turn in my notice. And I was -- It went great and I'm content and full of peace. I feel like that house in my dream is maybe a symbol for my life? That my subconscious is telling me there are wonderful things ahead. :)
Congrats @Trifele - That might be the first resignation letter of the 2019 cohorts!
I wish I worked for a place where I could actually tell them I'm leaving. Instead of pushed to take a lateral role so I could transition employees and clients I care about. My "job change" announcement happened on Monday and news is filtering out. Formally I'm taking a lateral non-management role. This relieves me of my fancy president title and I have five weeks to ween out of a job under the "taking a new role" message.
I'll have 10.5 weeks before any vacation time and holidays in the "new" role to pretend I'm interested in that job
Happy December everyone!! Just a quick slide now into 2019 -- OUR YEAR!
Happy December everyone!! Just a quick slide now into 2019 -- OUR YEAR!
Damn. I like the sound of that!
This stuff's about to get real, folks!
Happy December everyone!! Just a quick slide now into 2019 -- OUR YEAR!
Things got very interesting at work the last several days since I turned in my resignation. Boss has made me an offer to stay on another three months. I probably won't do it, but it is slightly tempting -- to pad the accounts just a bit more. Nice to have the option -- I'll have to chew on it for a bit.
On Friday we just got notice that our third level manager is going to change as we are being reorganized. The middle managers will be announced Monday or Tuesday. My group is safe. Great news for my group! I was hoping for a severance, but having everyone be safe is just too good a news.
On Friday we just got notice that our third level manager is going to change as we are being reorganized. The middle managers will be announced Monday or Tuesday. My group is safe. Great news for my group! I was hoping for a severance, but having everyone be safe is just too good a news.
Interesting. My group is going through a reorg, too. We're waiting to find out whether we have to re-apply for our jobs (which we will if the roles change by a certain percentage). If that happens, I'll just quietly forget to apply for one of the new roles...then I'll miss the deadline...then I'll get to see if there's any severance. The sheer entertainment value of it all!
On Friday we just got notice that our third level manager is going to change as we are being reorganized. The middle managers will be announced Monday or Tuesday. My group is safe. Great news for my group! I was hoping for a severance, but having everyone be safe is just too good a news.
Interesting. My group is going through a reorg, too. We're waiting to find out whether we have to re-apply for our jobs (which we will if the roles change by a certain percentage). If that happens, I'll just quietly forget to apply for one of the new roles...then I'll miss the deadline...then I'll get to see if there's any severance. The sheer entertainment value of it all!
On Friday we just got notice that our third level manager is going to change as we are being reorganized. The middle managers will be announced Monday or Tuesday. My group is safe. Great news for my group! I was hoping for a severance, but having everyone be safe is just too good a news.
Interesting. My group is going through a reorg, too. We're waiting to find out whether we have to re-apply for our jobs (which we will if the roles change by a certain percentage). If that happens, I'll just quietly forget to apply for one of the new roles...then I'll miss the deadline...then I'll get to see if there's any severance. The sheer entertainment value of it all!
On Friday we just got notice that our third level manager is going to change as we are being reorganized. The middle managers will be announced Monday or Tuesday. My group is safe. Great news for my group! I was hoping for a severance, but having everyone be safe is just too good a news.
Interesting. My group is going through a reorg, too. We're waiting to find out whether we have to re-apply for our jobs (which we will if the roles change by a certain percentage). If that happens, I'll just quietly forget to apply for one of the new roles...then I'll miss the deadline...then I'll get to see if there's any severance. The sheer entertainment value of it all!
That would be incredible
Luckily being in the FIRE list here is without too much obligation and we are allowed to change plans.
A little update. We have now reached our FIRE stash, apart from selling the clown house for a good price...
So what is left between now and FIRE is indeed selling that house, and working long enough next year to cover the 2019 expenses. DH thinks we should also save up a bit for a car replacement for the day our current main car stops working. That is why we plan to work to October next year. We will see where we end up.
Luckily being in the FIRE list here is without too much obligation and we are allowed to change plans.
A little update. We have now reached our FIRE stash, apart from selling the clown house for a good price...That's fantastic news, Linda_Norway!!!...
So what is left between now and FIRE is indeed selling that house, and working long enough next year to cover the 2019 expenses. DH thinks we should also save up a bit for a car replacement for the day our current main car stops working. That is why we plan to work to October next year. We will see where we end up.
Luckily being in the FIRE list here is without too much obligation and we are allowed to change plans.
This is simply not true. Your commitment is in blood.
Your name on the list above is legally binding. If you don`t, the closest mustachian will go to your house and make fun of you till you retire....but these guys mean business!!! :-P
Be Warned Linda.
A little update. We have now reached our FIRE stash, apart from selling the clown house for a good price...That's fantastic news, Linda_Norway!!!...
So what is left between now and FIRE is indeed selling that house, and working long enough next year to cover the 2019 expenses. DH thinks we should also save up a bit for a car replacement for the day our current main car stops working. That is why we plan to work to October next year. We will see where we end up.
Luckily being in the FIRE list here is without too much obligation and we are allowed to change plans.
This is simply not true. Your commitment is in blood.Your name on the list above is legally binding. If you don`t, the closest mustachian will go to your house and make fun of you till you retire....but these guys mean business!!! :-P
Be Warned Linda.
Your name on the list above is legally binding. If you don`t, the closest mustachian will go to your house and make fun of you till you retire.
Be Warned Linda.
A little update. We have now reached our FIRE stash, apart from selling the clown house for a good price...That's fantastic news, Linda_Norway!!!...
So what is left between now and FIRE is indeed selling that house, and working long enough next year to cover the 2019 expenses. DH thinks we should also save up a bit for a car replacement for the day our current main car stops working. That is why we plan to work to October next year. We will see where we end up.
Luckily being in the FIRE list here is without too much obligation and we are allowed to change plans.
This is simply not true. Your commitment is in blood.Your name on the list above is legally binding. If you don`t, the closest mustachian will go to your house and make fun of you till you retire....but these guys mean business!!! :-P
Be Warned Linda.
How hard could finding the house be? Huge house with beautiful view in Norway. I'm sure there is only one that fits the description, no problem :-)
Hi! I'm posting to add my name to the 2019 roster.Welcome, Keeks!!
I’ll be FIRE’ing in early July...
I have lots of airlines points, and will be retired next year. Nobody will be safe.
(Also your country is awesome and on my list of places to go.)
It's like that expression you can murder 2 flying animals at the same time if you throw a rock at the right time. (Or something like that)
14 weeks remaining until notice day!
I have lots of airlines points, and will be retired next year. Nobody will be safe.
(Also your country is awesome and on my list of places to go.)
I have lots of airlines points, and will be retired next year. Nobody will be safe.
(Also your country is awesome and on my list of places to go.)
+1. We'll be headed to Norway sooner or later too. Party at Linda's house next year!
14 weeks remaining until notice day!
I will give notice late Feb, so maybe only 10 weeks left for me.
Yikes. That’s coming quickly.
Given that my Net Worth at 31 December 2018 will be pretty much the same as 31 December 2017 despite diligent saving and a big salary its a little nerve racking.
14 weeks remaining until notice day!
I will give notice late Feb, so maybe only 10 weeks left for me.
Yikes. That’s coming quickly.
Given that my Net Worth at 31 December 2018 will be pretty much the same as 31 December 2017 despite diligent saving and a big salary its a little nerve racking.
Yes, the stock market hasn't been generating a lot of faith in the 4% rule this year. I just hope it will average out in the years to come.
Norway is indeed an incredibly beautiful country. I look forward to getting back there one day.I spent some time in Oslo and then took the train along the coast to Stavanger. Hiked up to Preikestolen, which afforded an absolutely beautiful view of the fjord below (really wish I had more time to make it to Kjerag). I would love to go back for more hikes and to explore north to Bergen, Trondheim, and beyond.
Oh man, given the ribbing Linda_Norway is getting for even thinking of extending her FIRE date out by a few months, I hesitate to tell you guys that I was just offered a very interesting and lucrative opportunity which would extend my FIRE date out by at least two years, if not longer.
I haven’t moved on the opportunity yet (so I am currently still officially 2019), but FREE housing, FREE private school tuition, FREE round trip flights home, FREE healthcare, LOWER STRESS job, THREE MONTHS paid vacation per year, and a great work environment with a great group of people, is a bit hard to pass. Oh, and the salary is pretty decent too.
Once Lews Therin is done making fun of Linda in Norway, I’m mentally preparing myself to find him standing at my door in China. I’ll even plan to invite him into my super expensive but FREE luxury apartment. He can make fun of me from inside its air conditioned comfort. No need to stand outside in the sweltering heat.
Oh man, given the ribbing Linda_Norway is getting for even thinking of extending her FIRE date out by a few months, I hesitate to tell you guys that I was just offered a very interesting and lucrative opportunity which would extend my FIRE date out by at least two years, if not longer.I would milk that for all that it's worth!
I haven’t moved on the opportunity yet (so I am currently still officially 2019), but FREE housing, FREE private school tuition, FREE round trip flights home, FREE healthcare, LOWER STRESS job, THREE MONTHS paid vacation per year, and a great work environment with a great group of people, is a bit hard to pass. Oh, and the salary is pretty decent too.
I haven’t moved on the opportunity yet (so I am currently still officially 2019), but FREE housing, FREE private school tuition, FREE round trip flights home, FREE healthcare, LOWER STRESS job, THREE MONTHS paid vacation per year, and a great work environment with a great group of people, is a bit hard to pass. Oh, and the salary is pretty decent too.
Received my 2019 compensation package today. They went big. I'll receive the bonus in January, so that's guaranteed. I am getting an 11% salary raise, which is much higher than standard for my corporation. And. . .$250k in stock. Total package for the year at $700k. I know my manager wants to retain me. . . if I can get part-time at this pay rate (porportionally by hours), that would be some crazy amazing part time money.
Received my 2019 compensation package today. They went big. I'll receive the bonus in January, so that's guaranteed. I am getting an 11% salary raise, which is much higher than standard for my corporation. And. . .$250k in stock. Total package for the year at $700k. I know my manager wants to retain me. . . if I can get part-time at this pay rate (porportionally by hours), that would be some crazy amazing part time money.
Received my 2019 compensation package today. They went big. I'll receive the bonus in January, so that's guaranteed. I am getting an 11% salary raise, which is much higher than standard for my corporation. And. . .$250k in stock. Total package for the year at $700k. I know my manager wants to retain me. . . if I can get part-time at this pay rate (porportionally by hours), that would be some crazy amazing part time money.
Wow, that's solid. How long does it take before the stock vests at your place? We have a four year cliff vesting and that RSU login just looks like pretend money because of how long it takes to earn it
Received my 2019 compensation package today. They went big. I'll receive the bonus in January, so that's guaranteed. I am getting an 11% salary raise, which is much higher than standard for my corporation. And. . .$250k in stock. Total package for the year at $700k. I know my manager wants to retain me. . . if I can get part-time at this pay rate (porportionally by hours), that would be some crazy amazing part time money.Shizzam!! Even I have dollar signs in my eyes!!
Received my 2019 compensation package today. They went big. I'll receive the bonus in January, so that's guaranteed. I am getting an 11% salary raise, which is much higher than standard for my corporation. And. . .$250k in stock. Total package for the year at $700k. I know my manager wants to retain me. . . if I can get part-time at this pay rate (porportionally by hours), that would be some crazy amazing part time money.
So the last question is what if the market tanks? If we drop another 30 or 40% what are the plans for the rest of the cohort?
So the last question is what if the market tanks? If we drop another 30 or 40% what are the plans for the rest of the cohort?
Hopefully everyone has a plan for this. Personally, the die has been cast, so I'm retiring no matter what. However, a 30% market drop should not equal a 30% portfolio drop, assuming you hold some bonds. For reference, a 70/30 stock/bond portfolio would only lose 20% of its value during a 30% stock market draw down. (This assumes bonds are flat, which is a pretty conservative assumption). If that happened, I wouldn't change much as I feel like my portfolio can absorb a 20% hit and still be okay. At full planned spending, that'd put me at about a 4.5% WR, which again is probably fine if you're starting from a depressed point. I'd likely spend less due to nerves, but I doubt it'd be necessary.
Larger market draw downs would result in definite cutting of planned spending - much less travel, find a place with really cheap rent and hole up, more visits to familybecause it's rent freebecause we miss them, etc. My spending is fairly flexible though, since I won't have a permanent home, so I feel pretty okay about being able to weather the next recession by simply moving to a cheap location and reducing spending, possibly drastically, without too much of a quality of life hit. Of course, having never done it, I don't know if it's actually sustainable. Only one way to find out I guess. lol All I know is that I really don't want to have to earn any money again.
Unofficially signing up for 2019 cohort as 1 of 2 votes is most definitely not on board yet. It is a bit early but after totaling our annual 2018 spending we are coming in with spending just under 2% of our invested assets. Adding 17K extra for health care (which we may or may not need depending on the ACA) and 6K for travel/hobbies that have not had time for we are right around 3%. There are tentative plans to move to a modest (300-330K) dream house in the sticks post retirement. So that is what 2019 will be all about, getting that last 130K for the house swap (even with the higher priced house taxes will be the same). With no help from the stock market we should be there sometime in October.
So the last question is what if the market tanks? If we drop another 30 or 40% what are the plans for the rest of the cohort?
Statistically, we should still be fine calling it quits, right? If we can retire now at a 3% SWR and we save cash for a new house, it is the same (or slightly better) than retiring now.
@MustacheAnxiety - my first response was guilt. I'm thrilled, and appreciate the recognition for my efforts, but . . . a lot of guilt. I've had many moments of, if I work for another year, I can do X for my family (sister, etc). If I work for another two years, I can do Y for a charitable contribution I care about, etc. It's very, very difficult to walk away from the money. Which, is of course, the goal.
So the last question is what if the market tanks? If we drop another 30 or 40% what are the plans for the rest of the cohort?
Statistically, we should still be fine calling it quits, right? If we can retire now at a 3% SWR and we save cash for a new house, it is the same (or slightly better) than retiring now.
So the last question is what if the market tanks? If we drop another 30 or 40% what are the plans for the rest of the cohort?
Welcome new people! Glad you are looking at pulling the triggers in 2019 too!
For the big crash question, that is an interesting question as DH and I are going to be right around 4% (maybe more, maybe less) depending on the market when we leave. Since we haven't been high earners most of our careers, we have taken high risk with our portfolios to cut down on time. So if stocks go down, we go very down with them.
So, what is the plan if bad times hit early in retirement since we don't plan on keeping out jobs:
1. We have two years of mortgage payments in cash. Having a cheap house really helps with this.
2. We will also have an additional cash buffer to fill in gaps.
3. Knowing the mortgage is covered, we can cut spending by over a third and still be happy, if less traveled.
4. We plan on pulling money out the year before for tax reasons (2019 money will mostly come from 2018 investments), so we know at what value we will be selling. If things are bad, we can put off pulling out more money and use the cash above.
5. Even though we are mostly in stocks, we have some diversity there. We can draw down from industries that are still in the green, or that are most likely to bounce back fast.
6. If things are really really bad, and we can pull out no money, and all our cash is dwindling, we will have to find a way, between the 2 of us, to bring in ~$24,000 per year to keep us afloat. I have skills, even if not high paying, are highly desirable.
I'm in a similar situation like dude in that I also get a pension. In addition, my regular taxable accounts are around $800K (retirement accounts around $525K). My pension will give me $53K annually, and during good market conditions my taxable accounts generate about $26K for income. After taxes total passive income will be around $64K a year. In worst case, my taxable accounts deliver zero for income. So my passive income range when I start FIRE is high-end of $64K and low-end of $40K. I also have enough cash available (currently at $73K) to last me two years worth of living expenses.Welcome new people! Glad you are looking at pulling the triggers in 2019 too!
For the big crash question, that is an interesting question as DH and I are going to be right around 4% (maybe more, maybe less) depending on the market when we leave. Since we haven't been high earners most of our careers, we have taken high risk with our portfolios to cut down on time. So if stocks go down, we go very down with them.
So, what is the plan if bad times hit early in retirement since we don't plan on keeping out jobs:
1. We have two years of mortgage payments in cash. Having a cheap house really helps with this.
2. We will also have an additional cash buffer to fill in gaps.
3. Knowing the mortgage is covered, we can cut spending by over a third and still be happy, if less traveled.
4. We plan on pulling money out the year before for tax reasons (2019 money will mostly come from 2018 investments), so we know at what value we will be selling. If things are bad, we can put off pulling out more money and use the cash above.
5. Even though we are mostly in stocks, we have some diversity there. We can draw down from industries that are still in the green, or that are most likely to bounce back fast.
6. If things are really really bad, and we can pull out no money, and all our cash is dwindling, we will have to find a way, between the 2 of us, to bring in ~$24,000 per year to keep us afloat. I have skills, even if not high paying, are highly desirable.
I'm very fortunate to have a pension that will cover my non-discretionary spending. And I figured I'd already won the game, so to speak, when my retirement accounts were @$800k, so I dropped to a 50/50 allocation (for at least as long as this market reverts back or close to the mean) where I've earned a risk-free 2.87% on the bond half over the past year. With recent market drops, I'm down to @$760k now, but that's still plenty enough money that I can take $15k for discretionary spending and still only be at a <2% withdrawal. I will also earn some income, perhaps a couple grand annually, working a hobby gig very part-time. So really the only detrimental thing I envision if markets stayed down or flat would be traveling domestically rather than internationally for a little while. Not a big deal.
I'm in a similar situation like dude in that I also get a pension. In addition, my regular taxable accounts are around $800K (retirement accounts around $525K). My pension will give me $53K annually, and during good market conditions my taxable accounts generate about $26K for income. After taxes total passive income will be around $64K a year. In worst case, my taxable accounts deliver zero for income. So my passive income range when I start FIRE is high-end of $64K and low-end of $40K. I also have enough cash available (currently at $73K) to last me two years worth of living expenses.Welcome new people! Glad you are looking at pulling the triggers in 2019 too!
For the big crash question, that is an interesting question as DH and I are going to be right around 4% (maybe more, maybe less) depending on the market when we leave. Since we haven't been high earners most of our careers, we have taken high risk with our portfolios to cut down on time. So if stocks go down, we go very down with them.
So, what is the plan if bad times hit early in retirement since we don't plan on keeping out jobs:
1. We have two years of mortgage payments in cash. Having a cheap house really helps with this.
2. We will also have an additional cash buffer to fill in gaps.
3. Knowing the mortgage is covered, we can cut spending by over a third and still be happy, if less traveled.
4. We plan on pulling money out the year before for tax reasons (2019 money will mostly come from 2018 investments), so we know at what value we will be selling. If things are bad, we can put off pulling out more money and use the cash above.
5. Even though we are mostly in stocks, we have some diversity there. We can draw down from industries that are still in the green, or that are most likely to bounce back fast.
6. If things are really really bad, and we can pull out no money, and all our cash is dwindling, we will have to find a way, between the 2 of us, to bring in ~$24,000 per year to keep us afloat. I have skills, even if not high paying, are highly desirable.
I'm very fortunate to have a pension that will cover my non-discretionary spending. And I figured I'd already won the game, so to speak, when my retirement accounts were @$800k, so I dropped to a 50/50 allocation (for at least as long as this market reverts back or close to the mean) where I've earned a risk-free 2.87% on the bond half over the past year. With recent market drops, I'm down to @$760k now, but that's still plenty enough money that I can take $15k for discretionary spending and still only be at a <2% withdrawal. I will also earn some income, perhaps a couple grand annually, working a hobby gig very part-time. So really the only detrimental thing I envision if markets stayed down or flat would be traveling domestically rather than internationally for a little while. Not a big deal.
Right on, Cornbread. Foregoing the private sector money for the pension and benefits was a conscious choice I made @22 years ago, and I don't regret it for one minute.I would like to get my taxable accounts to generate after-tax $40K per year. Considering the outlook for the US economy is only about 2% growth for 2019 (and possibly beyond) and a lot of market volatility, getting to that $40K amount is probably going to take several more years of accumulation phase. When I hit my FIRE date in about nine months my accumulation phase essentially ends. However, I think I will have periods where I work and earn income doing something. I've been reading Tim Ferriss' book The 4-Hour Workweek and really like the idea of working two months and then taking one month off or I can just do seasonal work. Scuba diving instructor is an option for me, and I can have short periods of mini-accumulation where I can invest more money into the taxable accounts. Eventually, I will get to the point where my taxable accounts generate $40K in after-tax passive income.
So here I am, a 51 year old logical-as-hell lawyer, and I feel like I am two people. The Narrator likes my decision to stay for another month, and the 'Rest of Me' (or right brain or whatever) really hates it. I find this whole thing fascinating and oddly touching. My Narrator is apparently barely keeping a lid on a serious rebellion that is going on. The Rest of Me can't speak as such, but apparently communicates the only way it can -- in dreams, and also physical manifestations of distress. My TMJ pain is off the chart this morning.
So here I am, a 51 year old logical-as-hell lawyer, and I feel like I am two people. The Narrator likes my decision to stay for another month, and the 'Rest of Me' (or right brain or whatever) really hates it. I find this whole thing fascinating and oddly touching. My Narrator is apparently barely keeping a lid on a serious rebellion that is going on. The Rest of Me can't speak as such, but apparently communicates the only way it can -- in dreams, and also physical manifestations of distress. My TMJ pain is off the chart this morning.How I see it is the struggle between 'Narrator' and 'Rest of Me' will continue well into FIRE and going forward. We all will go through some form of this as we hit the FIRE gate and continue beyond. The reason the struggle will continue is because we are opening up a phase in life where the possibilities are endless, and we will have many many Narrator/Rest of Me mental discussions to navigate the possibilities. For me, I've been having these mental discussions ever since making the decision to FIRE. They are exciting and stressful at the same time. I'm learning to embrace everything as part of the FIRE process.
I honestly did not expect the final exit to be this challenging mentally. I wonder if I'm also waaaay underestimating how rough the FIRE decompression period is going to be . . .
...big snip..... I'm posting this here to help make myself accountable.Welcome August.
August
Are you in the USA? Might be worth working far enough into 2019 to max out tax advantaged space and 0/10/12% fed tax brackets.
...big snip..... I'm posting this here to help make myself accountable.Welcome August.
August
As to the quote above," It is on the Internet, so it must be true"
Don't disappoint the Internet ! :-)
Hello, I haven't joined a cohort thread yet.
My resignation date keeps moving. My final day was originally going to be mid-May 2018 because it was the anniversary of a significant event in my life, then that day came and went. I thought, how about the end of July, that way I can leave and enjoy the summer weather. The frenetic pace of work started to slow down, making it more tolerable and I just let it ride through the summer. I moved my last day to September, then mid-October.
I definitely want to leave the job, but it turns out that making a big change after working in one place for 15+ years isn't easy. It's comforting to have a routine and work-friends I see every day. I have my "bare bones" passive income and budget set, and am ready to dive into projects that I don't have time for now due to the work schedule. A line had to be drawn so I decided I'd go through the end of the year and leave on Dec 28. Now that it's two weeks away it doesn't feel like the right time due to some details to sort out with paid time off, my supervisor being out on leave and delays in getting healthcare for next year. Also January is the job's busiest time of year and I'd feel like a jerk to leave right before the workload increases.
So now I'm thinking the end of January 2019. That way I'll help my team get through the month, plus since I was originally hired in January it will make my career exactly 16 years. And that will be shortly before my birthday. This is how I chose my last day of full time work (maybe it doesn't make sense). I'm posting this here to help make myself accountable.
August
Welcome @August! Same situation here -- originally wanted to leave at the very beginning of January, now looking at the end of the month. It really does get strangely difficult at the very end . . .
Thanks @Linda_Norway -- you are right that the working conditions at the end are critical. For me they will be fine in terms of number of hours. I don't work weekends, and I can come and go as I please. No complaints there.
Hope everyone has a good week!
Reading everyone’s progress is a settling exercise for me. I wish I had a work environment where me bringing up leaving would bring about a request to stay a few more weeks or a nice transition etc. When I put in my required (by contract) notice of 3 months, I fully expect to be escorted out the door within the day. They will make it a very negative experience. I feel like that should make it easier to do but I think I have some kind of Stockholm syndrome.
Thanks for the well wishes on the week Trifele, I echo them to everyone. I think this week may be one of the worst ones for me yet, I must keep reminding myself that I have a plan.
I'm teetering on officially removing myself from this cohort.
With the markets dropping this quickly, even at current valuations I am getting pushed into late 2019 before I will be at a 4% WR (individually). As a couple we are only at ~13x annual expenses right now.
Much of my decision will depend on what happens with the equities markets in the coming months/year.
I'm teetering on officially removing myself from this cohort.
With the markets dropping this quickly, even at current valuations I am getting pushed into late 2019 before I will be at a 4% WR (individually). As a couple we are only at ~13x annual expenses right now.
Much of my decision will depend on what happens with the equities markets in the coming months/year.
With the markets dropping this quickly
@SugarMountain, oy!!! I struggle with the same conundrum.......but if you want to read up on it, ERN did a great piece on this and many other topics related to SWR's in a series here.
https://earlyretirementnow.com/2016/12/07/the-ultimate-guide-to-safe-withdrawal-rates-part-1-intro/
The jist of it being such that if you retired 3 months ago valuations were X so an adjusted SWR would be Y, whereas if you retired after a 12% decline, your at lower valuations and thus your SWR would be theoretically higher.
It's really an excellent series, and takes weeks or even months to consume.
The jist of it being such that if you retired 3 months ago valuations were X so an adjusted SWR would be Y, whereas if you retired after a 12% decline, your at lower valuations and thus your SWR would be theoretically higher.
Is their an acronym for pre FIRE jitters....
How about this Syndrome Of FIRE Trepidatiion.... also referred to as SOFT.
Reading everyone’s progress is a settling exercise for me. I wish I had a work environment where me bringing up leaving would bring about a request to stay a few more weeks or a nice transition etc. When I put in my required (by contract) notice of 3 months, I fully expect to be escorted out the door within the day. They will make it a very negative experience. I feel like that should make it easier to do but I think I have some kind of Stockholm syndrome.
Thanks for the well wishes on the week Trifele, I echo them to everyone. I think this week may be one of the worst ones for me yet, I must keep reminding myself that I have a plan.
I have the time available but being allowed to take it is another question. There is good reason to want to leave.
Oh @forward, that really sucks. In theory that should make it easier, but I can see how that would mess with your head. And it sounds like things are rough in general. Do you have any time off coming up?
I was just going to ask that question on this forum -- have the recent market moves made anyone reconsider 2019? I'm down close to $50k so far (could have been much worse, but I shifted to a 50/50 mix well over a year ago), but I've still got plenty of money to comfortably finance FIRE withdrawals IF it doesn't get too much worse. And then again, I've got a cash buffer (to supplement my pension) to get me through the remainder of 2019, if I have to. And at this point, I've locked in the notion that I'm retiring in May and really cannot fathom having to stick around, so I guess in the worst case I'd just have to tighten the belt and skip some travel next year. And at any rate, anything can happen between now and May. I don't see the kind of problems out there that existed in 2008 to make me think we're going to see that kind of drop again, but certainly 20% isn't out of the question as values revert to the mean.
I was just going to ask that question on this forum -- have the recent market moves made anyone reconsider 2019? I'm down close to $50k so far (could have been much worse, but I shifted to a 50/50 mix well over a year ago), but I've still got plenty of money to comfortably finance FIRE withdrawals IF it doesn't get too much worse. And then again, I've got a cash buffer (to supplement my pension) to get me through the remainder of 2019, if I have to. And at this point, I've locked in the notion that I'm retiring in May and really cannot fathom having to stick around, so I guess in the worst case I'd just have to tighten the belt and skip some travel next year. And at any rate, anything can happen between now and May. I don't see the kind of problems out there that existed in 2008 to make me think we're going to see that kind of drop again, but certainly 20% isn't out of the question as values revert to the mean.
A similar question was asked recently about a potential 30 to 40% drop. For me, whether it goes back up within a few months or drops 30%+, I might put in 10 more months of full time instead of FIREing and attempting to go part time for those 10 months (which was never guaranteed), partly because I like my job well enough that I would like to keep working a while longer. The full time choice is the only guarantee I can stay on. The ACA uncertainty concerns me some as well, although I'm optimistic. I would say the recent downturn doesn't play as much of a factor, although it gets my attention. Back in July, I moved from 80% to 60% equities, and I'm still down six figures since late September! I calculated that drop in value out to be almost 8 years of my barebones expenses, and 2 to 3 years of my planned retirement spending.
I have lost 19% of my stache since the end of September. Painful. I have too much exposure to the financials and tech (and this week, Johnson&Johnson) in my Vanguard funds, and too much single stock AAPL that I have had for more than a decade. I am still up very big on AAPL over that long time but it has been a steep drop from the high. My plan for a while now has been to pile up a bunch of cash so that I wouldn't have to sell any stock for the first couple of years after RE in case I got hit with a bad sequence of returns right out of the gate.
I am tied to the mast (as JL Collins says) and I try to concentrate on not where the V-funds and AAPL are today, but where they will be several years down the road. With a growing cash pile I could wait at least 2 years before having to sell and I would not remodel the kitchen as planned and just hang tight until the tide rises. In theory I should be putting money into the fallen market to enjoy the inevitable rise but in these last months the cash pile is needed to round out my allocations. I will have to pick up a few cheaper crumbs with dividend reinvestment for now.
So I do have a plan, but it is pretty scary to think about quitting a high paying job when the market it sliding. It was a lot easier to contemplate when I was riding high. If things continue I am afraid I will be a 2019 flunky and chicken out, but I also know this is an excellent exercise in understanding why the 4% rule works through horrible economic times.
I'm teetering on officially removing myself from this cohort.
With the markets dropping this quickly, even at current valuations I am getting pushed into late 2019 before I will be at a 4% WR (individually). As a couple we are only at ~13x annual expenses right now.
Much of my decision will depend on what happens with the equities markets in the coming months/year.
I was just going to ask that question on this forum -- have the recent market moves made anyone reconsider 2019? I'm down close to $50k so far (could have been much worse, but I shifted to a 50/50 mix well over a year ago), but I've still got plenty of money to comfortably finance FIRE withdrawals IF it doesn't get too much worse. And then again, I've got a cash buffer (to supplement my pension) to get me through the remainder of 2019, if I have to. And at this point, I've locked in the notion that I'm retiring in May and really cannot fathom having to stick around, so I guess in the worst case I'd just have to tighten the belt and skip some travel next year. And at any rate, anything can happen between now and May. I don't see the kind of problems out there that existed in 2008 to make me think we're going to see that kind of drop again, but certainly 20% isn't out of the question as values revert to the mean.
I'm teetering on officially removing myself from this cohort.
With the markets dropping this quickly, even at current valuations I am getting pushed into late 2019 before I will be at a 4% WR (individually). As a couple we are only at ~13x annual expenses right now.
Much of my decision will depend on what happens with the equities markets in the coming months/year.
I was just going to ask that question on this forum -- have the recent market moves made anyone reconsider 2019? I'm down close to $50k so far (could have been much worse, but I shifted to a 50/50 mix well over a year ago), but I've still got plenty of money to comfortably finance FIRE withdrawals IF it doesn't get too much worse. And then again, I've got a cash buffer (to supplement my pension) to get me through the remainder of 2019, if I have to. And at this point, I've locked in the notion that I'm retiring in May and really cannot fathom having to stick around, so I guess in the worst case I'd just have to tighten the belt and skip some travel next year. And at any rate, anything can happen between now and May. I don't see the kind of problems out there that existed in 2008 to make me think we're going to see that kind of drop again, but certainly 20% isn't out of the question as values revert to the mean.
I think there are two pieces to this. One is the emotional, and one is the logical. Emotionally it sucks to see our numbers drop from their peak values, and the fear that's being sold in the news makes it worse. No matter how things are going, I think most of us are going to be nervous and seeing the markets drop will certainly make that worse.
However, logically it seems to me that most or all of us in the 2019 cohort should be well past the point where we care at all about recent returns. Negative or near zero returns for a *decade* have occurred in the past and our plans need to be robust enough for that kind of market performance again. Each of us will have different ways of dealing with it, but we should all have some kind of backup plan. If we're ready for a decade of zero or negative returns then just one year of ~0% returns shouldn't cause us to sweat at all. Whether your back-up plan is geographic arbitrage, cutting expenses, low SWR, a side hustle, real estate, or whatever, it should hopefully be robust enough that the recent turmoil should just be noise. With the recent drop we're still at a 10 year CAPE value over 28, and the only time it's been higher is around the crashes of 1929 and 1999. Even the roll-off of the 2008/2009 horrible earnings will only contribute another 2-3 point reduction so it will take further market drops to get us below 25.
I'm not trying to discourage anyone from FIRE, but I do think this is a great opportunity to make sure our plans are robust enough to get us through a potential extended period of low returns. It's also a good time to figure out how to deal with the emotions surrounding this kind of volatility, because even if things start to look rosy tomorrow we should expect that during our first decade of FIRE we'll have many, many months like the couple we've just had. It would suck to FIRE and then spend significant amounts of time panicking about market performance.
I was just going to ask that question on this forum -- have the recent market moves made anyone reconsider 2019? I'm down close to $50k so far (could have been much worse, but I shifted to a 50/50 mix well over a year ago), but I've still got plenty of money to comfortably finance FIRE withdrawals IF it doesn't get too much worse. And then again, I've got a cash buffer (to supplement my pension) to get me through the remainder of 2019, if I have to. And at this point, I've locked in the notion that I'm retiring in May and really cannot fathom having to stick around, so I guess in the worst case I'd just have to tighten the belt and skip some travel next year. And at any rate, anything can happen between now and May. I don't see the kind of problems out there that existed in 2008 to make me think we're going to see that kind of drop again, but certainly 20% isn't out of the question as values revert to the mean.
A similar question was asked recently about a potential 30 to 40% drop. For me, whether it goes back up within a few months or drops 30%+, I might put in 10 more months of full time instead of FIREing and attempting to go part time for those 10 months (which was never guaranteed), partly because I like my job well enough that I would like to keep working a while longer. The full time choice is the only guarantee I can stay on. The ACA uncertainty concerns me some as well, although I'm optimistic. I would say the recent downturn doesn't play as much of a factor, although it gets my attention. Back in July, I moved from 80% to 60% equities, and I'm still down six figures since late September! I calculated that drop in value out to be almost 8 years of my barebones expenses, and 2 to 3 years of my planned retirement spending.
DreamFIRE, I feel for folks who have to contend with ACA uncertainty (and health care insurance in general). I'm super fortunate to have a reasonably priced employer-provided retiree health care plan, and that certainly mitigates a lot of the stress of retirement planning.
A six-figure drop since September even with only 60% allocated! You've obviously got a nice nut stashed away!
Baring a miracle, I'm out.Are you going to OMY?
Early retirement now is my current favorite fire blog for it's mostly pure math goodness. We are learning toward the 3 year cash buffer...Where are you stashing that cash buffer? I have a cash buffer that's a good amount and am looking for something to stash it in that is both liquid and less susceptible to erosion from inflation.
You can only do this for five years. After that you are not enough up to date and people won't take you seriously anymore.
You can only do this for five years. After that you are not enough up to date and people won't take you seriously anymore.
That's BS. I'm getting more outdated coasting at my big company tech job with their proprietary tech in the same project than I ever would as a consultant switching projects all the time.
Baring a miracle, I'm out.Are you going to OMY?
I'm at work today, working for the federal government that will, eventually, pay me when they get done with THEIR holiday and get back to doing their job. In theory.
After 27 years of working the vast majority of holidays, this should be my last Christmas spent at work! I am so looking forward to having actual holiday time at the holidays :-).
The markets really are taking a beating. I'm really glad DH and I were going to put at much into our 401ks in Q1, hopefully the sale will still be going.
On the sad front, we both hit our max in November, so we have missed out on most of the sale :(.
LV
The markets really are taking a beating. I'm really glad DH and I were going to put at much into our 401ks in Q1, hopefully the sale will still be going.
On the sad front, we both hit our max in November, so we have missed out on most of the sale :(.
LV
I think you'll see that sale get deeper through year-end. Its been a long time since there's been this much tax loss harvesting activity at year-end
Crystal Ball - five years from now you are blissfully retired and continuously forgetting to look at the daily market performance.
Question for the cohort, where do you keep your cash or highly liquid investments? I am mostly stocks, but DH and I are looking for a place to put earmarked money that we don't want sitting in cash. We need to find homes for:
Emergency fund (safe and highly liquid)
Two years emergency mortgage payments (safe but low liquidity)
2019s out of pocket max for medical (medium liquid, safe)
2019 spending money (highly liquid monthly, very safe)
I've been looking at vanguards total bond market, not so great if the fed is raising rates, but is performing around inflation (I know so little about bonds it is kinda sad). There are some CDs (1 year 18 month) that might work out, (I know slightly more about those). And some high interest checking accounts, but we need something that doesn't require a direct deposit as our 2019 money is in a pile right now not coming out over time.
I have some of the funds in a money market right now, but the returns are so sad. Inflation is just chipping away.
Thoughts?
Loren
Crystal Ball - five years from now you are blissfully retired and continuously forgetting to look at the daily market performance.
Question for the cohort, where do you keep your cash or highly liquid investments? I am mostly stocks, but DH and I are looking for a place to put earmarked money that we don't want sitting in cash.
Sounds like there are several people on the fence now, watching the markets and weighing their options. I don't think anyone has officially decided to OMY yet . . . ?
Pulling the list forward. Hope you all have a good weekend. 2019 is almost here!!!
I am posting a pre-emptive “Congratulations!” to all of you in the upcoming year’s cohort. I shall live vicariously through your triumphs in these next 12 months, so kick some butt.
Sounds like there are several people on the fence now, watching the markets and weighing their options. I don't think anyone has officially decided to OMY yet . . . ?
Pulling the list forward. Hope you all have a good weekend. 2019 is almost here!!!
Add me ... January 1, 2019. I will work a 12 hour shift on New Year's Eve, and then will stop working for money. I will actually still work two days a month to keep my skills current as a precaution, since my < 3% withdrawal rate still makes my husband nervous (plus, as pathologically cautious person myself, it might be too scary otherwise to quit completely), but Jan. 1 is my freedom date. I can't wait!
Sounds like there are several people on the fence now, watching the markets and weighing their options. I don't think anyone has officially decided to OMY yet . . . ?
Sounds like there are several people on the fence now, watching the markets and weighing their options. I don't think anyone has officially decided to OMY yet . . . ?
@Bingeworker Congratulations on your last day of full-time work! Woohoo!Sounds like there are several people on the fence now, watching the markets and weighing their options. I don't think anyone has officially decided to OMY yet . . . ?
Pulling the list forward. Hope you all have a good weekend. 2019 is almost here!!!
Add me ... January 1, 2019. I will work a 12 hour shift on New Year's Eve, and then will stop working for money. I will actually still work two days a month to keep my skills current as a precaution, since my < 3% withdrawal rate still makes my husband nervous (plus, as pathologically cautious person myself, it might be too scary otherwise to quit completely), but Jan. 1 is my freedom date. I can't wait!
..snip.....Glad I'm not the only nerd. It is amazing how many people show up at TRINITY, yet are freaked out by a Geiger counter.
Our "good-bye work" travel starts April first (HA!). We are planning on driving the route 66 (what is left of it) with plans to hit the Trinity site on one of the two days per year that it is open, among other things. We like tacky things, as well as lovely views, but mostly tacky things :). ..snip...
Loren
I am posting a pre-emptive “Congratulations!” to all of you in the upcoming year’s cohort. I shall live vicariously through your triumphs in these next 12 months, so kick some butt.
..snip.....Glad I'm not the only nerd. It is amazing how many people show up at TRINITY, yet are freaked out by a Geiger counter.
Our "good-bye work" travel starts April first (HA!). We are planning on driving the route 66 (what is left of it) with plans to hit the Trinity site on one of the two days per year that it is open, among other things. We like tacky things, as well as lovely views, but mostly tacky things :). ..snip...
Loren
Other sights "nearby", include Robert H. Goddard ( rocket pioneer) museum in Roswell, the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History in Albuquerque, the VLA (Very Large Array, background to the movie Contact).
Fortunate NON-conversation:
TSA Agent, what's this in your carry on?
Me, a GM, a nuclear radiation detector.
TSA Agent, What are you doing with it?
Me, going on vacation.
I realized later that my entry and exit airports were probably the only ones where an Eberline (based in Albuquerque) GM wouldn't have caused much interest.
Edit new museum name, GM story.
And just like that, quite lacking fanfare, mortgage is paid off! It didn’t seem too real sending the check, but getting a $1.87 refund is helping to make it real.
Murphy paid a timely visit in December, with hospital bills to calm the exuberant cash-stacking that would otherwise have commenced today
Year end numbers are in, and I have just three months until freedom!
7/15: 41.6% FI
10/15: 40.1%
1/16: 45.6%
4/16: 50.4%
7/16: 53.7%
10/16: 60.7%* (due to reducing expenses and better modeling, we reduced our FI target from 1.8million to 1.7)
1/17: 63.5%
4/17: 75.3%
7/17: 44.4%* (Condo purchase. FI target reduced from 1.7million to 1.3, not including condo.)
10/17: 50.6%
1/18: 56.3%
4/18: 62.3%
7/18: 64.6%
10/18: 71.6%
1/19: 63.8%
Well, that was a rough quarter - we lost about 100K with the market drop. However, everything has been set in motion and there is no looking back! Even with this, between my severance package, my wife's work and my salable collectables, we'll be fine. March 5 here we come!
Welcome 2019!!! We have been waiting so (or not so) patiently for you!!!
I have to go back to work tomorrow but I'm not done being on vacation :(...snip.....Glad I'm not the only nerd. It is amazing how many people show up at TRINITY, yet are freaked out by a Geiger counter.
Our "good-bye work" travel starts April first (HA!). We are planning on driving the route 66 (what is left of it) with plans to hit the Trinity site on one of the two days per year that it is open, among other things. We like tacky things, as well as lovely views, but mostly tacky things :). ..snip...
Loren
Other sights "nearby", include Robert H. Goddard ( rocket pioneer) museum in Roswell, the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History in Albuquerque, the VLA (Very Large Array, background to the movie Contact).
Fortunate NON-conversation:
TSA Agent, what's this in your carry on?
Me, a GM, a nuclear radiation detector.
TSA Agent, What are you doing with it?
Me, going on vacation.
I realized later that my entry and exit airports were probably the only ones where an Eberline (based in Albuquerque) GM wouldn't have caused much interest.
Edit new museum name, GM story.
HAHA! No, not the only nerd. I've worked in radioactive labs for about 10 years, so actually appreciate well functioning Geiger meters. If they are totally quiet, something has gone wrong :).
Thank you for the other suggestions, we are still looking to fill in the rest of the trip (adding in the limiting or dated options first). It is nice to have a trip where we have a start date, but the end date is when we are ready to be home again.
Loren
Happy New Year everyone! After all our planning, hoping, dreaming, and talking -- 2019 is here.
Waiting to hear from @Bingeworker. We may have our first FIRE-ee of the year already?
Welcome 2019!!! We have been waiting so (or not so) patiently for you!!!
I have to go back to work tomorrow but I'm not done being on vacation :(...snip.....Glad I'm not the only nerd. It is amazing how many people show up at TRINITY, yet are freaked out by a Geiger counter.
Our "good-bye work" travel starts April first (HA!). We are planning on driving the route 66 (what is left of it) with plans to hit the Trinity site on one of the two days per year that it is open, among other things. We like tacky things, as well as lovely views, but mostly tacky things :). ..snip...
Loren
Other sights "nearby", include Robert H. Goddard ( rocket pioneer) museum in Roswell, the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History in Albuquerque, the VLA (Very Large Array, background to the movie Contact).
Fortunate NON-conversation:
TSA Agent, what's this in your carry on?
Me, a GM, a nuclear radiation detector.
TSA Agent, What are you doing with it?
Me, going on vacation.
I realized later that my entry and exit airports were probably the only ones where an Eberline (based in Albuquerque) GM wouldn't have caused much interest.
...snip
Loren
If you are on a plane, no sound is best.
If people who intentionally go to Trinity and are freaked out by a clicking GM, imagine the reaction on a plane at 30,000 ft , (10K cpm x 10% efficiency, ~1666 Bq).
Trinity at waist level at the tower footings was ?<5k cpm? Socorro background 4600 was ~500cpm.
I felt like Moses parting the Red Sea of people.
I made damn sure the sound was off (triple self check).
HAHAHA! Yes, no sound, or off would have been good for a plane ride!
Congratulations to @Bingeworker!! One down many to go!! @Trifele you are next, are you ready??
LV
@Bingeworker : welcome. How is your husband's situation? Is he also FIREd? Do you have shared finances?
Our cohort is looking rather small and select when compared to the 2018 horde. Only 2 peeps for the month of January.
@Bingeworker : welcome. How is your husband's situation? Is he also FIREd? Do you have shared finances?
He is self-employed, he works a bit every day but certainly it's not full-time hours. We don't share finances, but we are both frugal. We only married a few years ago.
He keeps the books (money bores me, which is interesting since I have managed to accumulate a useful amount of it, but accumulated that pile without any sort of maximization strategy as I never figured FI was in my future anyway). He also has started managing some of my investments in the past few months, which I let him do as he has a good track record of being good at it, and even if he lost it all I have divided up my stash so that I would never be living under a bridge, I keep way more in cash than the average mustachian. I come from very cautious financial roots, and my parents were aghast at me even putting a little of my money in mutual funds (back in the stone ages before ETFs) back when I was in my 20's.
Our cohort is looking rather small and select when compared to the 2018 horde. Only 2 peeps for the month of January.
I'll choose quality over quantity every day of the week. :)
Welcome to the forum and the cohort @dayzero! I've got you down for a September date. What's your story?
@Bingeworker : welcome. How is your husband's situation? Is he also FIREd? Do you have shared finances?
He is self-employed, he works a bit every day but certainly it's not full-time hours. We don't share finances, but we are both frugal. We only married a few years ago.
He keeps the books (money bores me, which is interesting since I have managed to accumulate a useful amount of it, but accumulated that pile without any sort of maximization strategy as I never figured FI was in my future anyway). He also has started managing some of my investments in the past few months, which I let him do as he has a good track record of being good at it, and even if he lost it all I have divided up my stash so that I would never be living under a bridge, I keep way more in cash than the average mustachian. I come from very cautious financial roots, and my parents were aghast at me even putting a little of my money in mutual funds (back in the stone ages before ETFs) back when I was in my 20's.
Very well.
But as we have read in some of the scary threads, please let him inform you about what he does from time to time and look at the yearly tax papers together. Make sure he is working in your best interest.
In the scary threads, we sometimes read that one spouse is supposed to pay the bills, but doesn't pay the mortgage and leaves the other spouse with debt. Just make sure you don't get in that boat, despite finding financial matters boring.
Our cohort is looking rather small and select when compared to the 2018 horde. Only 2 peeps for the month of January.
I'll choose quality over quantity every day of the week. :)
AHA!!! I came over to see how the 2019 cohorts were doing and I see smack talk about those of us who are 2018 cohorts!! 2018 had both quality AND quantity!
Our cohort is looking rather small and select when compared to the 2018 horde. Only 2 peeps for the month of January.
I'll choose quality over quantity every day of the week. :)
AHA!!! I came over to see how the 2019 cohorts were doing and I see smack talk about those of us who are 2018 cohorts!! 2018 had both quality AND quantity!
Shoo! Your time has passed, old man. Time to fade away into obscurity. lol
Our cohort is looking rather small and select when compared to the 2018 horde. Only 2 peeps for the month of January.
I'll choose quality over quantity every day of the week. :)
AHA!!! I came over to see how the 2019 cohorts were doing and I see smack talk about those of us who are 2018 cohorts!! 2018 had both quality AND quantity!
Shoo! Your time has passed, old man. Time to fade away into obscurity. lol
Somebody got old and crochety fast. Guess that's retirement for you.
Our cohort is looking rather small and select when compared to the 2018 horde. Only 2 peeps for the month of January.
I'll choose quality over quantity every day of the week. :)
AHA!!! I came over to see how the 2019 cohorts were doing and I see smack talk about those of us who are 2018 cohorts!! 2018 had both quality AND quantity!
Shoo! Your time has passed, old man. Time to fade away into obscurity. lol
My story in a nutshell: I never really planned on FI, as I was someone who realized within 3 years of finishing university that full-time work was not for me. I took two stabs at being a normal person with a full-time job within that span. One lasted 4.5 months, the other lasted 3 months. I'd had part-time jobs in there too, and realized that I was not a big spender, and my middle-class income level (I am a nurse) was enough to support my modest lifestyle.
Back then (1989), working minimalist like I did was not really a thing, and many warned me against it, saying that those were my most important earning years, and that I would get behind and never catch up. While I am not a math person, I am pretty good with big-picture financial estimations, and I knew I was on the right track, despite swimming completely against the flow. I also just LOATHED working full-time and not having my freedom, and I was very frugal naturally, and was unwilling to trade my life for money. My brother actually was planning to retire early though, and I read a book that he had read, Charles Long's "How to Survive Without a Salary", 1992, which gave me the reassurance that part-time work by design might be unconventional, but would work just fine.
So that ended yesterday, and now I am free! I will work one day every two weeks, which keeps my husband from getting nervous, and me too actually, as we are pathologically cautious and responsible with money. It's not for the actual money, I don't need it and I know it, it's rather a way to preserve my ability to earn an income, as a hedge against any future rampant inflation events. I know it's unlikely to occur, but in these early years of retirement at least, it puts the last duck in a row for total security, or as close as anyone can ever get.
Even though I have been part-time all my working life, it still feels AMAZING to be free. Even 40% was just eating up so much of my time! Work consumes mental energy and seeps into free time. My tiny remaining gig should not do so too much, it's a "show up once every 14 days, work 8-12 hours, and go away again" type of job, the one I had before that was a little more involved.
I reasonate with a lot of what you said. I also work in healthcare, and oddly enough, plan on dropping to about 40% PT this year. I'm hoping that will take most of the grind out of my job. Congrats on your newfound independence!
Congratulations to @Bingeworker!! One down many to go!! @Trifele you are next, are you ready??
LV
What itchyfeet said, @MissNancyPryor ! Take Option 3(months off).
Option 2: take the analyst job at FormerCo just after my bonus arrives in March. Enjoy the major downshift of responsibility. Get some social buoyancy for a while. Glide into retirement in a couple more years or if I really like it I can position myself to be a big cheese at that company at some point. Understanding that getting up and going to work every day even with the short commute will still be a grind but the stress will evaporate. So does the fat money.
Yes, being a big cheese is not an appeal on its own and not worth staying in any job for. Maybe that is why it is not a big consideration ans I contemplate leaving the current gig.
Part of going back will be the acknowledgement that I am giving up this executive role that people at FormerCo knew about (I left there to take this big girl job). There will be some explaining from me required as in, “Hey, look who got busted down to Private!” which I expect to waive away with a relaxed smile because I don’t work for money anymore. The other part is my personal history of my X’s spectacular abandonment of me a couple years ago- filling in folks on that won’t be so fun when it comes up (I have my elevator speech ready though).
But those are just ego considerations as well.
I should ask myself if the analysts job is something I would do for SBUX wages and go from there.
Part of going back will be the acknowledgement that I am giving up this executive role that people at FormerCo knew about (I left there to take this big girl job). There will be some explaining from me required as in, “Hey, look who got busted down to Private!”Simple you can just tell them you banked so much from that job you can now afford to spend your time doing something you actually enjoy.
@MissNancyPryor I would move for Option #2, just figure out how to pull it off and keep your year-end bonus for the work you put in for 2018.
I just left my near executive level role for a lateral move. Three days in and it feels like an anchor has been lifted from my chest.
Hey Nineteen- What do you think of this?
Yesterday a former boss and I went to lunch. I loved working for her and we have remained friends.
I let her know that I was hoping to pull the plug mid year but was a little wobbly with the market troubles of late. She said she will have an opening for an analyst in her group at FormerCo within the month and wondered if I would be interested.
My current job is high paid with a fat bonus. It comes with high stress and ridiculous travel across the country on the regular (I counted 83 flights in 2017, somewhat less in 2018.) It is the usual big company bullshit though and I feel nauseous every single day I go to the office of MegaCorpSucks, Inc. The job allows me to save almost 80% of my income but I believe it is killing me and I will have a heart attack or get cancer eventually if I stay. Yes, that bad.
The role at FormerCo is pretty mid-level non-management, probably 40% of my current pay, tiny bonus, and maybe only 2 trips a year that are just regional hops for a day or two. Low stress. Back working with people in a culture that is really great. If I take the role I would be in line to assume this woman's role when she gets kicked upstairs within 2-5 years if I choose it. Even at the far reduced pay I would be saving substantially but more importantly I would be shortening my overall retirement funds demand. I could half-step my way to retirement but still FIRE at any time if it is not a good fit.
Option 1: stay at MegaCorpSucks as planned until July 5th and hang it up. I might not have as much cash on hand as I like but I won't need to sell stocks for a couple years. Decompress for at least 6 months and add a couple years back to my life expectancy. FIRE on! Seven more months at a job that's making you sick? No, no, no!!
Option 2: take the analyst job at FormerCo just after my bonus arrives in March. Enjoy the major downshift of responsibility. Get some social buoyancy for a while. Glide into retirement in a couple more years or if I really like it I can position myself to be a big cheese at that company at some point. Understanding that getting up and going to work every day even with the short commute will still be a grind but the stress will evaporate. So does the fat money.
Another appealing thought is that the former company is populated by hundreds of local people and there is a possibility that I might find a partner there. At my current company our regional office is small and I have been everyone's boss at one time or another so dating anyone is out of the question. I am very isolated socially at work. I know this is a little goofy but it matters-- at FormerCo, Inc there have been many long term marriages among co-workers. Lots of good stuff with Option # 2!
See, I am rocking like 97% success on my favorite retirement calculator and 100% on cfiresim even with today's totals. Even with the drop in the market I am fine, and yet I wobble emotionally. That's understandable but you need out of MegaCorps! That tells me I need more psychological understanding on my decision to retire completely. Maybe the major downshift is a way to glide out?
Thoughts? Feel free to whack me with a 2x4 if you think it is required or if I am being ridiculous. And thanks-
You are the best! I appreciate everyone chiming in and looking over the situation with me and offering your perspectives.
We had a compensation planning call with HR this morning and I asked if someone leaves before March do they get the bonus payout and the answer is yes, if they are in good standing and they worked all of last year they do get it. The other leaders assumed I am asking for my own staff so it was a perfect stealth move.
I am leaning hard toward the “give it a shot with FormerCo” route, and most importantly I realize I gotta get out of here. That means even if the old place pulls back the offer of a role I will still step out by July 5th for my health.
That nails it. If I can just hold on a while longer I can out-earn the analyst’s paycheck in the blink of an eye. I keep going back to that, too.
Then I think it isn’t a blink of an eye, it is the nagging twitch of the eye I have developed. It is just 35 more plane rides. Just 104 more sick mornings. 7 more all-leaders multi day hotel conference room shit shows where nothing gets done.
Today I switched my taxable account dividends to stop being re-invested and instead get dumped into my bank account. If I'm paying taxes on these things no matter what, they may as well be part of my spending.
Feels really strange though. I guess this is the first step in going from saver to spender. It's a big difference.
Today I switched my taxable account dividends to stop being re-invested and instead get dumped into my bank account. If I'm paying taxes on these things no matter what, they may as well be part of my spending.
Feels really strange though. I guess this is the first step in going from saver to spender. It's a big difference.
I did that in December to help build my cash buffer, oh my, I've never had that much seemly random money start showing up in my account. I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels strange. With the market being down, i want to put it back in!
LV
Hey Nineteen- What do you think of this?
...
Thoughts? Feel free to whack me with a 2x4 if you think it is required or if I am being ridiculous. And thanks-
...
@MissNancyPryor , it looks like you already have some good advice and may already know what you're going to do, but I just saw this and felt a need to reply. You have already won the game. You're done.
....snip.....
... or dump a pile of manure in your boss's office as long as you get out as quickly as possible. The whole reason you've been pursuing this path is so you don't have to deal with this any more and you're now at a point that you don't. So don't.
10 weeks until retirement notice.
You are the best! I appreciate everyone chiming in and looking over the situation with me and offering your perspectives.
We had a compensation planning call with HR this morning and I asked if someone leaves before March do they get the bonus payout and the answer is yes, if they are in good standing and they worked all of last year they do get it. The other leaders assumed I am asking for my own staff so it was a perfect stealth move.
I am leaning hard toward the “give it a shot with FormerCo” route, and most importantly I realize I gotta get out of here. That means even if the old place pulls back the offer of a role I will still step out by July 5th for my health.
snip
I am determined that I will step out of MegaCorpSucks no matter what. Going through this and writing it down has helped me see that there can be no other option and the price is simply too high to stay. Thanks again to all who chimed in.
My current job is high paid with a fat bonus. It comes with high stress and ridiculous travel across the country on the regular (I counted 83 flights in 2017, somewhat less in 2018.) It is the usual big company bullshit though and I feel nauseous every single day I go to the office of MegaCorpSucks, Inc. The job allows me to save almost 80% of my income but I believe it is killing me and I will have a heart attack or get cancer eventually if I stay. Yes, that bad.
Today I switched my taxable account dividends to stop being re-invested and instead get dumped into my bank account. If I'm paying taxes on these things no matter what, they may as well be part of my spending.
Feels really strange though. I guess this is the first step in going from saver to spender. It's a big difference.
I did that in December to help build my cash buffer, oh my, I've never had that much seemly random money start showing up in my account. I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels strange. With the market being down, i want to put it back in!
LV
Right? That's where it's supposed to go!! Back in the market! lol
That is really good that you like your work. Like Dr. Doom I have often wondered if I would enjoy any job.So why have you not quit already?
I have a door and a 6th floor view of the river. The building is right on a water's edge with only a walking path between the back door and water. Huge windows that go wall-to-wall and all the way to the ceiling.
I remember when I was working at my first job, fast food. I came home every day smelling like fries and with a visor ring in my 1980's hairdo. I longed for a job where I didn't have to wear a hat. 9 months there.
Next job was in a supermarket deli. More hat, and now with greasy floors to slip on. I got athlete's foot from the hot water they used in the back to hose down he floors constantly to clean up the breaded raw chicken and other slop. I longed for a job where I didn't have to clean grease. I was also checker for a couple of that grocery outlet's locations. I longed for a job where I didn't have to stand on my feet all day. 3 years there.
Next job was as a bill collector for a cable company. I sat in a low-wall cubicle environment where we could see each other and hear each other's calls. I got screamed at by losers who told me I was taking food from the mouths of their children because I made them pay for HBO. I longed to go back to school and do something that was not in a swamp of human stupidity. 7 years there.
I went back to school. It was very difficult. I paid a college large sums of money to hurt me but it was with a hope to get out and be a grownup finally. I longed for a real job.
I got one and climbed the ladder and things were so much better. After a long time I finally did get the privacy and cushy office. I have the comfortable wardrobe with no hat and no overlord micromanaging my day.
But now after achieving FI it is as if I sit in a golden cage where they slide large checks under the door. If the travel could stop I would give up half my salary. I do wish I liked my job.
@MissNancyPryor I would move for Option #2, just figure out how to pull it off and keep your year-end bonus for the work you put in for 2018.
I just left my near executive level role for a lateral move. Three days in and it feels like an anchor has been lifted from my chest.
This morning brought a Godfather-esque round of surprise reorganization and firing. I am not directly impacted …yet. So unsettling to work in this environment. Trying to hang on for a few more months.
Today I switched my taxable account dividends to stop being re-invested and instead get dumped into my bank account. If I'm paying taxes on these things no matter what, they may as well be part of my spending.
Feels really strange though. I guess this is the first step in going from saver to spender. It's a big difference.
I did that in December to help build my cash buffer, oh my, I've never had that much seemly random money start showing up in my account. I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels strange. With the market being down, i want to put it back in!
LV
Right? That's where it's supposed to go!! Back in the market! lol
This morning brought a Godfather-esque round of surprise reorganization and firing. I am not directly impacted …yet. So unsettling to work in this environment. Trying to hang on for a few more months.
Today I switched my taxable account dividends to stop being re-invested and instead get dumped into my bank account. If I'm paying taxes on these things no matter what, they may as well be part of my spending.
Feels really strange though. I guess this is the first step in going from saver to spender. It's a big difference.
Just make sure you've got an account with Ally or American Express where they are actually paying a bit of interest (~2% I believe).
I did buy a chunk of VOO last week that as of earlier today is up half a percent since then.
One of the reasons I ended up OMY'ing it (I was originally targeting last summer) was I have not really set up my portfolio to be in sustaining/withdrawal mode instead of saving mode. I still haven't but it's on my list of to-dos!
I did that in December to help build my cash buffer, oh my, I've never had that much seemly random money start showing up in my account. I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels strange. With the market being down, i want to put it back in!
LV
Right? That's where it's supposed to go!! Back in the market! lol
+1. I’ve got a small pile of cash in my bank account and itching to put it to work...... which it will later this year when it puts meals on the table.
Got you updated @Lews Therin.
Pressure's on at work for me. Yesterday the boss asked me to stay until 3/1. I said no -- holding firm on a departure 1/31 . . . I have a feeling this isn't the last of the pressure to stay though.
Got you updated @Lews Therin.
Pressure's on at work for me. Yesterday the boss asked me to stay until 3/1. I said no -- holding firm on a departure 1/31 . . . I have a feeling this isn't the last of the pressure to stay though.
Is there a # you can give him for a retention bonus? Asking for an extra five figures to stay for the additional month probably makes that conversation go away. A friend worked for the FDIC towards the end of the financial crisis, they kept paying retention bonuses when someone would try to leave to buy extra time.
I don't know if you already have travel scheduled in February or not
Got you updated @Lews Therin.
Pressure's on at work for me. Yesterday the boss asked me to stay until 3/1. I said no -- holding firm on a departure 1/31 . . . I have a feeling this isn't the last of the pressure to stay though.
Or turn it round the other way and offer to stay 3 days a week for 100% of the salary and only in an advisory capacity.Got you updated @Lews Therin.
Pressure's on at work for me. Yesterday the boss asked me to stay until 3/1. I said no -- holding firm on a departure 1/31 . . . I have a feeling this isn't the last of the pressure to stay though.
Is there a # you can give him for a retention bonus? Asking for an extra five figures to stay for the additional month probably makes that conversation go away. A friend worked for the FDIC towards the end of the financial crisis, they kept paying retention bonuses when someone would try to leave to buy extra time.
I don't know if you already have travel scheduled in February or not
No travel scheduled, and that is a good thought. Though it would have to be a very healthy $ number for me to consider that . . . I'm fairly desperate to be done.
Or turn it round the other way and offer to stay 3 days a week for 100% of the salary and only in an advisory capacity.Got you updated @Lews Therin.
Pressure's on at work for me. Yesterday the boss asked me to stay until 3/1. I said no -- holding firm on a departure 1/31 . . . I have a feeling this isn't the last of the pressure to stay though.
Is there a # you can give him for a retention bonus? Asking for an extra five figures to stay for the additional month probably makes that conversation go away. A friend worked for the FDIC towards the end of the financial crisis, they kept paying retention bonuses when someone would try to leave to buy extra time.
I don't know if you already have travel scheduled in February or not
No travel scheduled, and that is a good thought. Though it would have to be a very healthy $ number for me to consider that . . . I'm fairly desperate to be done.
I may be under some pressure myself to rejoin this cohort as I'm hearing rumours that my replacement just got another job...
Your thoughts are completely normal for someone going through this situation. It will be okay. Breathe, trust your numbers, and know you are making the right decision. The great thing about financial independence is options. Those options can be overwhelming and its okay to slow down. Those of us who make it to FI are often go-getters that work hard. That overactive mind can sometimes be a curse (it is to me!).
Good luck
I'm hugely enjoying FIRE thanks. My 1 day a week job has been bleeding over a tiny bit, but not to the extent of being too annoying, and I feel 10 years younger without the stress or the sedentary lifestyle. It was an interesting day yesterday, having the news land from nowhere that my replacement was off and thinking about my reaction to it - particularly in the context of how the markets have moved since I pulled the plug. I stopped and thought about how much more they would have to pay me for me to go back and the answer turned out to be that there was really no conceivable level of pay that would make me go back. If markets are down I'd much rather keep my freedom and just spend less if I have to.I may be under some pressure myself to rejoin this cohort as I'm hearing rumours that my replacement just got another job...
Do you think you would go back to work @PhilB? How do you like FIRE so far?
The decision on when to tell your employer is entirely based on company culture. Fritz over at the Retirement Manifesto writes about his great relationship with his employer and giving six months notice and how well it worked out.It really does all come down to your particular situation vis a vis your employer. I gave mine huge amounts of notice which was great for several reasons - it stopped them passing responsibilities to me when other people left, it gave everyone loads of time to make plans, and best of all it meant I got to largely opt out of all the corporate bullshit for my last year. I was lucky though that bonuses weren't a big thing at my employer, so I didn't have to worry about there being much financial impact from my openness. YMMV.
My company is the opposite. We have sales goals and bonus pools. As soon as someone shows they aren't "committed", the company knows their not likely going to try to hit sales goals and the manager wants those goals out of his target/bonus pool. I have to be "employed at the company" through March 15th to get my restricted stock, in an ideal world I'd let them know earlier. Instead, my notice date will be March 18th. I might drop my letter requesting a leave of absence two weeks earlier because I've asked and was told no before without any real negative ramifications.
Your thoughts are completely normal for someone going through this situation. It will be okay. Breathe, trust your numbers, and know you are making the right decision. The great thing about financial independence is options. Those options can be overwealming and its okay to slow down. Those of us who make it to FI are often go-getters that work hard. That overactive mind can sometimes be a curse (it is to me!).
Good luck
Move me up. Sept 1
One of DH's employees has expressed the wish to become a group leader of the other city, as soon as they have hired some more people there. This is a person DH thinks has the ability to replace him. So it is good to hear that this person now has ambitions to become a manager. So DH's replcement might come very naturally now and maybe he won't need to tell his boss earlier than necessary.
Move me up. Sept 1
Change made, but what's the deal? I thought you were nearly ready to OMY to 2020, and now you're thinking even earlier?
Move me up. Sept 1
Change made, but what's the deal? I thought you were nearly ready to OMY to 2020, and now you're thinking even earlier?
Honestly? I've been agonizing over this for a while now. It's been OLY for me since finding this place. I'm considering more creative ways of lowering my expenses, and questioning whether pulling the plug on FT work with $450k in assets vs. $525k is going to make that much of a difference in the grand scheme of things. No matter what I plan on eventually doing some sort of compensated work.
The Sept 1 plan involves a leave of absence, to provide care for an elderly family member. I am very close with my grandfather, who lives in Europe. 2019 is largely because he's 93 and I'm not sure he will be around in 2020........
Today we had a visit of a new broker for selling the house. His plan is to sell much earlier than May, rather in the end of March. And for a much higher price than we counted on. That would lead to a fatter FIRE.
I started a journal for this process. Be welcome to visit it.
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/the-final-stages-of-my-normal-working-life-101241/
Today we had a visit of a new broker for selling the house. His plan is to sell much earlier than May, rather in the end of March. And for a much higher price than we counted on. That would lead to a fatter FIRE.
I started a journal for this process. Be welcome to visit it.
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/the-final-stages-of-my-normal-working-life-101241/
That is fantastic Linda! As long as you are ok selling sooner, that could work out great. Fingers crossed!
I met with my manager Friday to let her know I'm planning to resign.
(I see I'm not on Trifele's list yet - maybe add me to TBD?)
Just wanted to pop in from the 2018 cohort and say, Happy FIRE YEAR to each and every one of you.
It's awesome. You'll love it.
I’m watching you folks as you get ready and to learn from your final preparations. I’m targeting RE sometime between Jul2020 and end 2022. The only realistic thing that would move up to 2019 is if I get a severance package in late 2019. I’d receive the max, about 6-months’ salary & healthcare. I think the chance of some layoffs in 4th Q 2019 is high, but the chance of me landing one is quite low. A guy can dream, can’t he?
Just wanted to pop in from the 2018 cohort and say, Happy FIRE YEAR to each and every one of you.
It's awesome. You'll love it.
I’m watching you folks
I'm unfortunately bowing out of the race. Going for fat-FIRE/until I'm bored/can't take it anymore, after hitting FI last year. Best of luck to the new graduates!
This morning we were discussing to do OMY. So I might be out of here. :-(
DH has finally been playing around with the numbers in my FIRE spreadsheet and thinks the plan is a little too lean and too little robust for an occasional, necessary, big expense. We are not even talking about a fatter FIRE, but just one where we won't go broke in our sixties. We do have a few buffers (selling our cabin and receiving a possible inheritance), but they are not providing DH enough security. I want us both to be comfortable with the plan, so it is important to land this before we are actually putting the house for sale and quitting jobs.
@Trifele - it looks like you're next. What's your status?
This morning we were discussing to do OMY. So I might be out of here. :-(
DH has finally been playing around with the numbers in my FIRE spreadsheet and thinks the plan is a little too lean and too little robust for an occasional, necessary, big expense. We are not even talking about a fatter FIRE, but just one where we won't go broke in our sixties. We do have a few buffers (selling our cabin and receiving a possible inheritance), but they are not providing DH enough security. I want us both to be comfortable with the plan, so it is important to land this before we are actually putting the house for sale and quitting jobs.
It's definitely critical to have your spouse on board for FIRE. Does he think the numbers are too lean even if you sell your house for that larger amount your new agent predicted? Maybe you two can put off a final decision until after the house sells?
Sounds like a great year, Trifele.
I just realized that I'll be the second youngest (of those who shared age) to pull it off in 2019, if all goes to plan :)
@Lews Therin.....how does it feel young blood?
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Please add me!
I just gave notice, and my last day of slavery is Feb 13th.
I'm unfortunately bowing out of the race. Going for fat-FIRE/until I'm bored/can't take it anymore, after hitting FI last year. Best of luck to the new graduates!
Good for you.
This morning we were discussing to do OMY. So I might be out of here. :-(
DH has finally been playing around with the numbers in my FIRE spreadsheet and thinks the plan is a little too lean and too little robust for an occasional, necessary, big expense. We are not even talking about a fatter FIRE, but just one where we won't go broke in our sixties. We do have a few buffers (selling our cabin and receiving a possible inheritance), but they are not providing DH enough security. I want us both to be comfortable with the plan, so it is important to land this before we are actually putting the house for sale and quitting jobs.
Found out I need to submit a copy of my marriage certificate with my retirement paperwork (for survivor benefits) so contacted the town where we got married and sent them the completed request they directed me to. Soon as I get that certificate in the mail, I'll be filing my paperwork to retire effective 5/31.
Found out I need to submit a copy of my marriage certificate with my retirement paperwork (for survivor benefits) so contacted the town where we got married and sent them the completed request they directed me to. Soon as I get that certificate in the mail, I'll be filing my paperwork to retire effective 5/31.
Woohoo @dude My retirement is also effective 5/31! I plan to file on 2/1. Already have the paperwork ready in a folder - can't wait!!
Still on track here for finishing on 1/31. I was thinking I would slide smoothly and uneventfully over the finish line, but Noooo . . . . I got the word yesterday that I have to lay off a bunch of people on my team (part of MegaCorp takeover adjustments). The one-on-one meetings are scheduled for today.
I've done this before but it doesn't make it much easier. These are very good people who do good work. We had thought our department would be spared from layoffs, but then MegaCorp did a 180. Shit sandwich, all the way around. At least they will get severance, and some job-searching assistance from HR apparently. I don't know the personal financial situation of these folks, but I hope they have their act together and this job loss is not a serious crisis for them.
There are going to be a lot of tears and hugs today at work I predict. I also predict a large martini in my hand after work tonight.
Still on track here for finishing on 1/31. I was thinking I would slide smoothly and uneventfully over the finish line, but Noooo . . . . I got the word yesterday that I have to lay off a bunch of people on my team (part of MegaCorp takeover adjustments). The one-on-one meetings are scheduled for today.
I've done this before but it doesn't make it much easier. These are very good people who do good work. We had thought our department would be spared from layoffs, but then MegaCorp did a 180. Shit sandwich, all the way around. At least they will get severance, and some job-searching assistance from HR apparently. I don't know the personal financial situation of these folks, but I hope they have their act together and this job loss is not a serious crisis for them.
There are going to be a lot of tears and hugs today at work I predict. I also predict a large martini in my hand after work tonight.
Still on track here for finishing on 1/31. I was thinking I would slide smoothly and uneventfully over the finish line, but Noooo . . . . I got the word yesterday that I have to lay off a bunch of people on my team (part of MegaCorp takeover adjustments). The one-on-one meetings are scheduled for today.
I've done this before but it doesn't make it much easier. These are very good people who do good work. We had thought our department would be spared from layoffs, but then MegaCorp did a 180. Shit sandwich, all the way around. At least they will get severance, and some job-searching assistance from HR apparently. I don't know the personal financial situation of these folks, but I hope they have their act together and this job loss is not a serious crisis for them.
There are going to be a lot of tears and hugs today at work I predict. I also predict a large martini in my hand after work tonight.
Still on track here for finishing on 1/31. I was thinking I would slide smoothly and uneventfully over the finish line, but Noooo . . . . I got the word yesterday that I have to lay off a bunch of people on my team (part of MegaCorp takeover adjustments). The one-on-one meetings are scheduled for today.
I've done this before but it doesn't make it much easier. These are very good people who do good work. We had thought our department would be spared from layoffs, but then MegaCorp did a 180. Shit sandwich, all the way around. At least they will get severance, and some job-searching assistance from HR apparently. I don't know the personal financial situation of these folks, but I hope they have their act together and this job loss is not a serious crisis for them.
There are going to be a lot of tears and hugs today at work I predict. I also predict a large martini in my hand after work tonight.
Still on track here for finishing on 1/31. I was thinking I would slide smoothly and uneventfully over the finish line, but Noooo . . . . I got the word yesterday that I have to lay off a bunch of people on my team (part of MegaCorp takeover adjustments). The one-on-one meetings are scheduled for today.
I've done this before but it doesn't make it much easier. These are very good people who do good work. We had thought our department would be spared from layoffs, but then MegaCorp did a 180. Shit sandwich, all the way around. At least they will get severance, and some job-searching assistance from HR apparently. I don't know the personal financial situation of these folks, but I hope they have their act together and this job loss is not a serious crisis for them.
There are going to be a lot of tears and hugs today at work I predict. I also predict a large martini in my hand after work tonight.
My personal silver linings to all of this are first -- FIRE means that I never have to do that again. Second, my boss worked some kind of magic with MegaCorp and HR and got me onto the layoff list, so I found out I'm getting some severance after all -- 3 months' salary. I'll take it -- that's more than a year's living expenses for us, so that's great.
9 work days to go!!
Congratulations on the lay-off pay and commiserations on having to do the lay-offs.
The one thing I really want to know though, is that given you were the one having to lay people off, and you were one of those being laid off, how did you break the news to yourself? I hope you were gentle?
Congratulations on the lay-off pay and commiserations on having to do the lay-offs.
The one thing I really want to know though, is that given you were the one having to lay people off, and you were one of those being laid off, how did you break the news to yourself? I hope you were gentle?
Ha ha Phil . . . The way I found out about the severance was a phone call from my boss first thing in the morning. He knows I was moving on anyway of course, and the severance was very welcome. (I get the sense it is kind of a 'thank you' for me tidying up and turning the lights out). The logistics were odd, but they didn't let me actually lay myself off. I have a meeting scheduled with my boss and HR on Monday where I get my paperwork.
I'm sure I'll be even happier about the severance in the days and weeks to come, but right now I'm still dealing with the emotional fallout from yesterday.
The first time I had to make anyone redundant it turned out that their partner, who worked for a different company, had been laid off earlier that same day. Ouch.
Yesterday really, really sucked. The five people I had to lay off had not seen it coming, so those were some hard meetings. Thank you for your support messages yesterday @forward, @Loren Ver, @chasesfish, @Eric , @Linda_Norway, and @fire 20/20. They really helped. On the positive side, all five people who were cut have a spouse who works and has access to health insurance, so there's that -- no sole breadwinners. Also my department is quite compassionate, so the whole event was as kind as it could be under the circumstances.
My personal silver linings to all of this are first -- FIRE means that I never have to do that again. Second, my boss worked some kind of magic with MegaCorp and HR and got me onto the layoff list, so I found out I'm getting some severance after all -- 3 months' salary. I'll take it -- that's more than a year's living expenses for us, so that's great.
9 work days to go!!
I was "outed" at work this week. I told some of the key technical people about my plans to retire sometime in 2019/2020 (didn't give a date) when they joined my team over a year ago. I wanted them to be aware of the possibility that I would be leaving when they made the decision to move onto the project I'm leading. I knew I was taking the risk of it getting out to my management and I'm actually surprised that no one in leadership heard anything for a year. Fortunately, after one found out I had great conversations about it with 3 of the 4 managers I report to. The fourth still doesn't know, but he's at a different site and the least connected to what I do so I don't think he'll hear for a while. All three expressed appreciation for the significant (4 months) notice, and they each promised that they wouldn't allow the information to change anything. We'll see if they stick to that, but they're all ethical people who I trust.
Fortunately with market gains, contributions, and a modest downward revision to the FIRE budget we're now at a ~3.4% withdrawal rate. That low a WDR plus my plans to do a little consulting, Social Security in 20-30 years, two small pensions, and a likely inheritance make the plan pretty safe at this point. If I feel like I'm getting pushed out or things turn ugly I can just move my date forward. They need me a lot more than I need the paycheck, so my tolerance for BS can be extremely low at this point.
Less than 100 days to FIRE! I have verbally told management I am leaving in April. I am trying to figure out when to make the news public. I am second in command at our location and most are anticipating me taking over when my 60ish boss retires. We are doing some reorganization so I am expecting when they determine whether I will be replaced, I can talk publicly.
Most won't understand the FIRE mentality. But they will understand my focus on spending more with my family.
When you have worked at the same place for almost 26 years, your co-workers are a big piece of your life. I am trying to prepare myself for shifting my social circle once gone.
Less than 100 days to FIRE! I have verbally told management I am leaving in April. I am trying to figure out when to make the news public. I am second in command at our location and most are anticipating me taking over when my 60ish boss retires. We are doing some reorganization so I am expecting when they determine whether I will be replaced, I can talk publicly.
Most won't understand the FIRE mentality. But they will understand my focus on spending more with my family.
When you have worked at the same place for almost 26 years, your co-workers are a big piece of your life. I am trying to prepare myself for shifting my social circle once gone.
@itchyfeet I remember both of my "corporate HQ" meeting trips during my OMY phase. I looked around and couldn't believe how much BS I tolerated. I kept wondering "do all of these people really enjoy this?"
The answer will come to you, trust your thoughts
I'm going to be at 90% the number I expected, but i'm not OMY'ing either. Lots of time to cover the shortfall if necessary
I'm going to be at 90% the number I expected, but i'm not OMY'ing either. Lots of time to cover the shortfall if necessary
My only issue right now is dragging my ass through yet another day at the office. Ugh. I work in a cubicle, but my cube is in a very remote corner of the floor where no one visits. Being an introvert, this is ideal. (Rumor is that the company will be renovating our floor and replacing our shoulder-height cube walls with the very low “open office” structures. I can’t get out of here soon enough!).
My only issue right now is dragging my ass through yet another day at the office. Ugh. I work in a cubicle, but my cube is in a very remote corner of the floor where no one visits. Being an introvert, this is ideal. (Rumor is that the company will be renovating our floor and replacing our shoulder-height cube walls with the very low “open office” structures. I can’t get out of here soon enough!). Even better, we are allowed to work from home 2 days a week. And I’ll be honest, I am being given very little work to do these days (but the work I do get is completed quickly and accurately; I just haven’t raised my hand to ask for more). So I can do whatever I want for the 8 hours a day I’m home as long as I am close enough to hear the dreaded “ding” of a new email message being delivered. So it kind of feels like I’m already transitioned to part time. Only 106 more “cubicle” days! Tick-tock. Carry on.
The only reason I’m gutting it out is for company-sponsored retiree health care. If you are 55+ and have 10+ years of service, you can stay on the company plan for the rest of your life (you have to pay the premiums yourself). For some of the more fortunate long-term employees, the company subsidizes the premiums based on years of service. PLUS, I can add my wife to the policy later on.
. . .
My only issue right now is dragging my ass through yet another day at the office. Ugh.
Anybody use the Pralana retirement calculator? I use the free bronze edition and really like how it separates the buckets of savings depending on taxable status. It uses a Monte Carlo simulation.
I would love for everyone to pick it apart and tell me any flaws you see or why it might not be valid. It has been my go-to calculator for the good detail and scenarios you can play with on one time expenses like a new car in 10 years or the possibility of an inheritance way down the road, etc, all inflation-adjusted. The table output of the drawdown is great detail.
http://pralanaretirementcalculator.com
-- Finding ways to stay busy at work (so the time passes quickly). Careful here -- As you point out, you don't want to take on any more long term or stressful work. So the trick is to get short term interesting things to do. I found that offering to help other people with their work was a good strategy. They have the overall responsibility which I wanted to avoid, but I stayed busy playing some interesting secondary role to fill my time. And it made them happy. Win-win-win.
-- Finding ways to stay busy at work (so the time passes quickly). Careful here -- As you point out, you don't want to take on any more long term or stressful work. So the trick is to get short term interesting things to do. I found that offering to help other people with their work was a good strategy. They have the overall responsibility which I wanted to avoid, but I stayed busy playing some interesting secondary role to fill my time. And it made them happy. Win-win-win.
I'd recommend completely ignoring your coworkers and just posting on the forum more. Doing extra work is for people not retiring. lol
-- Finding ways to stay busy at work (so the time passes quickly). Careful here -- As you point out, you don't want to take on any more long term or stressful work. So the trick is to get short term interesting things to do. I found that offering to help other people with their work was a good strategy. They have the overall responsibility which I wanted to avoid, but I stayed busy playing some interesting secondary role to fill my time. And it made them happy. Win-win-win.
I'd recommend completely ignoring your coworkers and just posting on the forum more. Doing extra work is for people not retiring. lol
Speaking of charades, the theme this week at work has been co-workers trying to help me find a job. No one at work knows my real situation. Because I ended up getting rolled into a Megacorp layoff, and most people don't know I was leaving anyway, people assume I'm in desperate straits. They mean very kindly. I say "Thanks, I'm going to take a little time to look at my options." And the responses are along the lines of "You can afford to do that? Good for you."
Speaking of charades, the theme this week at work has been co-workers trying to help me find a job. No one at work knows my real situation. Because I ended up getting rolled into a Megacorp layoff, and most people don't know I was leaving anyway, people assume I'm in desperate straits. They mean very kindly. I say "Thanks, I'm going to take a little time to look at my options." And the responses are along the lines of "You can afford to do that? Good for you."
I was "outed" at work this week. I told some of the key technical people about my plans to retire sometime in 2019/2020 (didn't give a date) when they joined my team over a year ago. I wanted them to be aware of the possibility that I would be leaving when they made the decision to move onto the project I'm leading. I knew I was taking the risk of it getting out to my management and I'm actually surprised that no one in leadership heard anything for a year. Fortunately, after one found out I had great conversations about it with 3 of the 4 managers I report to. The fourth still doesn't know, but he's at a different site and the least connected to what I do so I don't think he'll hear for a while. All three expressed appreciation for the significant (4 months) notice, and they each promised that they wouldn't allow the information to change anything. We'll see if they stick to that, but they're all ethical people who I trust.
Fortunately with market gains, contributions, and a modest downward revision to the FIRE budget we're now at a ~3.4% withdrawal rate. That low a WDR plus my plans to do a little consulting, Social Security in 20-30 years, two small pensions, and a likely inheritance make the plan pretty safe at this point. If I feel like I'm getting pushed out or things turn ugly I can just move my date forward. They need me a lot more than I need the paycheck, so my tolerance for BS can be extremely low at this point.
So lucky. Leadership found out I was thinking of leaving in six months and went desperate on me. Tried pressuring, guilt-tripping, begging, enticing. At the time, I had not even made a decision yet or given formal notice. That discomfort just kind of solidified things for me. I'm out of the 2019 cohort because I took another contract, but I just wanted to chime in to say I'm glad The Talk went well for you.
Oh yeah, and by the way, I officially filed for retirement yesterday, effective May 31 . . .@dude Sweet - congrats!!!!
Snip....
So lucky. Leadership found out I was thinking of leaving in six months and went desperate on me. Tried pressuring, guilt-tripping, begging, enticing. At the time, I had not even made a decision yet or given formal notice. That discomfort just kind of solidified things for me. I'm out of the 2019 cohort because I took another contract, but I just wanted to chime in to say I'm glad The Talk went well for you.
Not quite the same thing, but way back when I was approaching the end of my military service obligation. It was right during the lead up to Operation Desert Shield. I was the lead Petty Officer in my division. I told my superiors that I planned to separate from the Navy in August (about 4 months from then) when my time was up. They tried to persuade and cajole me into extending for six months saying they needed my experience on the upcoming tour (a Westpac to the Persian Gulf, which would have been my second). I told them it was out of the question, because I'd matriculated at my home state university for the Fall Semester. When their pleadings fell on my deaf ears, they got nasty. I got called out over the 1MC (loudspeaker system) to report to the fantail immediately, where I met my division officer (an idiot asshole of man) and the Department Head, and they proceeded to undress me about the state of the fantail (my division's area of responsibility). I was utterly waylaid and at a loss for words. A few minutes in, my Chief showed up and asked what the fuck was going on and why wasn't he contacted? He in turn laid into them and told me to hit the road. Classy, ballsy move by that guy. Shortly thereafter, I was presented with my performance evaluation, which rated me very poorly, a marked departure from years of Outstanding ratings. I was livid and threatened an outside investigation (forget the term used for it, but in essence, if you file such a claim, they bring in officers from other branches to investigate). They promptly backed down and let me serve out my remaining time, which was actually less time than I had left, because they granted me an early out of about two months. Why anybody in a leadership position would think that going negative on someone in this position is a good strategy I'll never understand.
Congrats @dude!
Interesting date, which begs the question to the group.
If you were going to kick off FI(RE) with a leave of absence. Would you consider your exit day as your last day before the leave begins, or when the leave ends and you are no longer on the payroll/benefits of the employer?
Speaking of charades, the theme this week at work has been co-workers trying to help me find a job. No one at work knows my real situation. Because I ended up getting rolled into a Megacorp layoff, and most people don't know I was leaving anyway, people assume I'm in desperate straits. They mean very kindly. I say "Thanks, I'm going to take a little time to look at my options." And the responses are along the lines of "You can afford to do that? Good for you."
That is really awkward. I have a former boss then co-worker that retired at 52, I've struggled twice now when his name has come up and his bipolar boss has turned the story into "I removed a non-performer", trying to deflect the fact said boss is a jerk to work for. Fingers crossed on the charades, its so tough when you know others are being laid off and don't have the same ability
Oh yeah, and by the way, I officially filed for retirement yesterday, effective May 31 . . .
Speaking of charades, the theme this week at work has been co-workers trying to help me find a job. No one at work knows my real situation. Because I ended up getting rolled into a Megacorp layoff, and most people don't know I was leaving anyway, people assume I'm in desperate straits. They mean very kindly. I say "Thanks, I'm going to take a little time to look at my options." And the responses are along the lines of "You can afford to do that? Good for you."
That is really awkward. I have a former boss then co-worker that retired at 52, I've struggled twice now when his name has come up and his bipolar boss has turned the story into "I removed a non-performer", trying to deflect the fact said boss is a jerk to work for. Fingers crossed on the charades, its so tough when you know others are being laid off and don't have the same ability
That will be me after I leave. Boss is paranoid and can't imagine that everyone in the world doesn't want to work for them. So for their story you are either fired for real or everyone is told that you weren't good enough to be part of the team. Happened to the last person that left the team who retired at 66 after a cancer scare and decided lifes too short. Now the boss routinely blames them for everything they don't like and says they weren't really part of the team. So I'm playing the great game of charades.
So whenever @Trifele updates the list again, ya'll can put me down for 7/1.
My company has put out our bonus distribution date so I now have a Fire date of April 4th 2019! I turned in my retirement letter to my boss on Friday. I like my job and co-workers for the most part so I am sad that I won’t be seeing some everyday. I have been lucky to work with one of my closest friends for the last 20 years.
Thank you to everyone sharing their experiences on leaving their employers. I think it help those that come next to be prepared for the various reactions.
I have not been able to sleep well. I think I am very emotionally charged from this transition...excited, nervous and a little sad. DH has been so supportive through this. I think he is excited for a change too.
154 Days to go!
If the market doesn't tank by Thursday, and no large unexpected expenses pop up, my trailing 12 month expenses will be covered at 4% withdrawal rate. I'm cheating a bit because I'm counting my cars used value, but it's still an exciting moment =)
While that seems like a long time, there is a lot to plan and downsize before embarking on this adventure. First of all, I'll need to sell the car.
@Trifele So you are going into your last few days next week! Is all the work turnover complete or is there a lot to do?
@Trifele So you are going into your last few days next week! Is all the work turnover complete or is there a lot to do?
The work turnover is still in process -- most of the people being laid off are still around, working until 1/31. :( So it's incredibly awkward in the office these last few days . . . I feel really bad for my coworkers, but over-the-moon-happy for myself. Lots of mixed feelings, among them feeling so grateful that I'm in this position.
I am so excited for Thursday!!!!! I can hardly believe it's almost here.
@Trifele So you are going into your last few days next week! Is all the work turnover complete or is there a lot to do?
The work turnover is still in process -- most of the people being laid off are still around, working until 1/31. :( So it's incredibly awkward in the office these last few days . . . I feel really bad for my coworkers, but over-the-moon-happy for myself. Lots of mixed feelings, among them feeling so grateful that I'm in this position.
I am so excited for Thursday!!!!! I can hardly believe it's almost here.
Congratulations! It has to be difficult dealing with the layoffs and mixed emotions that brings into the mix. I suspect you're not able to celebrate with people at work who are in a completely different position regarding the layoff, but we'll celebrate with you! You've earned it.
@Trifele So you are going into your last few days next week! Is all the work turnover complete or is there a lot to do?
The work turnover is still in process -- most of the people being laid off are still around, working until 1/31. :( So it's incredibly awkward in the office these last few days . . . I feel really bad for my coworkers, but over-the-moon-happy for myself. Lots of mixed feelings, among them feeling so grateful that I'm in this position.
I am so excited for Thursday!!!!! I can hardly believe it's almost here.
Congratulations! It has to be difficult dealing with the layoffs and mixed emotions that brings into the mix. I suspect you're not able to celebrate with people at work who are in a completely different position regarding the layoff, but we'll celebrate with you! You've earned it.
Thank you @FIRE2020! No one at work knows my situation. The friends and family who do know live far away, so I am left wanting to celebrate something huge with almost no one IRL to celebrate with!
@Trifele So you are going into your last few days next week! Is all the work turnover complete or is there a lot to do?
The work turnover is still in process -- most of the people being laid off are still around, working until 1/31. :( So it's incredibly awkward in the office these last few days . . . I feel really bad for my coworkers, but over-the-moon-happy for myself. Lots of mixed feelings, among them feeling so grateful that I'm in this position.
I am so excited for Thursday!!!!! I can hardly believe it's almost here.
Congratulations! It has to be difficult dealing with the layoffs and mixed emotions that brings into the mix. I suspect you're not able to celebrate with people at work who are in a completely different position regarding the layoff, but we'll celebrate with you! You've earned it.
Thank you @FIRE2020! No one at work knows my situation. The friends and family who do know live far away, so I am left wanting to celebrate something huge with almost no one IRL to celebrate with!
I feel for you. Celebrate with us all you want. We are proud of you and happy for you!
We clearly need a virtual retirement party for Trifele!@Trifele So you are going into your last few days next week! Is all the work turnover complete or is there a lot to do?
The work turnover is still in process -- most of the people being laid off are still around, working until 1/31. :( So it's incredibly awkward in the office these last few days . . . I feel really bad for my coworkers, but over-the-moon-happy for myself. Lots of mixed feelings, among them feeling so grateful that I'm in this position.
I am so excited for Thursday!!!!! I can hardly believe it's almost here.
Congratulations! It has to be difficult dealing with the layoffs and mixed emotions that brings into the mix. I suspect you're not able to celebrate with people at work who are in a completely different position regarding the layoff, but we'll celebrate with you! You've earned it.
Thank you @FIRE2020! No one at work knows my situation. The friends and family who do know live far away, so I am left wanting to celebrate something huge with almost no one IRL to celebrate with!
I feel for you. Celebrate with us all you want. We are proud of you and happy for you!
Thank you Linda! :)
Congrats @dude!
Interesting date, which begs the question to the group.
If you were going to kick off FI(RE) with a leave of absence. Would you consider your exit day as your last day before the leave begins, or when the leave ends and you are no longer on the payroll/benefits of the employer?
We clearly need a virtual retirement party for Trifele!@Trifele So you are going into your last few days next week! Is all the work turnover complete or is there a lot to do?
I feel for you. Celebrate with us all you want. We are proud of you and happy for you!
Thank you Linda! :)
Definitely! I am in as long as we have it by Saturday. I get to go on vacation Sunday (yay) Not sure how I managed it and I will be somewhat concerned about the ramifications of being gone for a week, but any day away from my office is a good one :)
Only a few more days Trifele. So excited for you!!!
Now how the heck did I get back to Sept? ;)
....Note that I have also spent my career around financial models so also deeply skeptical about any analysis over 40 year time periods.
The emotional side of me is deeply scared of f**king this up, not for me frankly but for my wife and kids, and regretting not pushing on for a few more years and still being a very young 'retiree' at 45.
The emotional side of me is deeply scared of f**king this up, not for me frankly but for my wife and kids, and regretting not pushing on for a few more years and still being a very young 'retiree' at 45.
I have and still do struggle with this, but sometimes enough is enough and if you got where you are you can surely make adjustments early enough so it is not completely f'ed
I spent most of today researching the Iceland leg of my post FIRE RTW trip. I decided we’d hike the Laugavegur trail
Well today's the day! After years of planning and more than two years in this thread, the Last Day is here. I went out last night with some co-workers (last hurrah before Megacorp takeover) and it was fun. Drank a little too much. None of them know I'm FIREing, but because of the timing it felt like a celebration all the same.
I'm so excited about today I couldn't sleep. Should be a smooth day at work, other than some sad goodbyes. Boss is taking me to lunch, and then I have my exit interview/HR meeting mid afternoon. After that --- !!!!!!!!
I haven't heard anything yet from @Cycling Stache, so not sure yet if he is still planning on tomorrow? Also waiting to hear from the rest of the February crew.
Well today's the day! After years of planning and more than two years in this thread, the Last Day is here. I went out last night with some co-workers (last hurrah before Megacorp takeover) and it was fun. Drank a little too much. None of them know I'm FIREing, but because of the timing it felt like a celebration all the same.
I'm so excited about today I couldn't sleep. Should be a smooth day at work, other than some sad goodbyes. Boss is taking me to lunch, and then I have my exit interview/HR meeting mid afternoon. After that --- !!!!!!!!
I haven't heard anything yet from @Cycling Stache, so not sure yet if he is still planning on tomorrow? Also waiting to hear from the rest of the February crew.
Well today's the day!
@MissNancyPryor , can I kindly suggest that you consider paying for the colonoscopy out of pocket if necessary to get it done earlier. Hanging on until July 5th is a huge price to pay....
I think it is covered under COBRA and even the exchange, it is the idea that if they find bad stuff I can be on company paid short term leave and recuperate at 100% salary. That is the driver on waiting and knowing I won’t have to pay for cancer right out of the gate. Getting the booby-squeeze before I go for the same reason.
Well today's the day!
Well today's the day! After years of planning and more than two years in this thread, the Last Day is here.
Congrats!!!
I wanted to share a small step toward FI with my cohort friends!
LeanFI!
@MissNancyPryor , can I kindly suggest that you consider paying for the colonoscopy out of pocket if necessary to get it done earlier. Hanging on until July 5th is a huge price to pay....
I think it is covered under COBRA and even the exchange, it is the idea that if they find bad stuff I can be on company paid short term leave and recuperate at 100% salary. That is the driver on waiting and knowing I won’t have to pay for cancer right out of the gate. Getting the booby-squeeze before I go for the same reason.
I get that, but doesn't that make the potential payoff for paying for the colonoscopy OOP even greater? If the results are scary you get to stop working immediately AND get paid for it! Like winning the lottery, but with the downside of cancer. But then the cancer gets caught/treated earlier, so that's good.
Your call, but if you ask me waiting just to save a few hundred bucks on the procedure when you are so miserable is penny wise pound foolish. Get it done and reward yourself by getting the F out of that miserable company ASAP. Bonus points if you can use the procedure to get out of some of the upcoming travel....
@Lews Therin, my investments haven't recovered to pre-correction valuations, but new contributions brought me to all time balance highs.
Then again, I had a lot less skin in the equity game than some here.
Got a PM from Socmonkey that he finished up a bit early and is FIREd. Congratulations @Socmonkey !
@Trifele ,
Don't forget to delegate thread building, you won't have time now that you're retired! Congratulations!
Look what happened to me!.
Transcontinental trip in a small car, with at least one "culturally enlightening experience" per day.
Lots of pool and river floating time.
Trip to see sister's wedding.
Bucket list item- saw Mudhoney at a random place in Europe.
No job, no problem! -Able to drop everything and go hang out with my Dad during his surgery and recovery.
Looks like last week was a big FIRE week. You can add my name to the list! Feb 1, age 42.
In December, I shared with you guys the plan for me to FIRE in July 2019. Literally hours after I posted that, I heard we were doing a huge layoff and that I was likely at risk. I got “the call” on Friday letting me know that I would be laid off.
I’m feeling how @Trifele described over the last few weeks—coworkers calling to commiserate, wish each other luck, etc…and while I wish I could have controlled my exit, I’m so close to my planned date that it’s really not a big deal for me. I just don’t quite know how to tell people that I’ll never have to work for significant money again. Instead, I’m using the easy story of taking a few months off before I start looking again.
For those looking at how the first few days feel…I would say its 80% elation, 20% minor panic. Minor panic about how precisely to structure my days (even though I already have most of that nailed down), minor panic because my number isn’t quite where I want it to be (although larger than many, and my husband still working for another approx. 18 months). Mostly the minor panic is unfounded, but it’s part of my over-thinking personality. Par for the course.
Underneath everything these last few days is a sense of pride. Knowing that many years of good savings habits, and immersing myself in FIRE reading for the last 3 years is making this all possible. Having the money, knowing how the numbers play out—it’s really such an amazing feeling.
Gotta run—I have a busy day of cooking and learning Spanish ahead! : )
For those looking at how the first few days feel…I would say its 80% elation, 20% minor panic. Minor panic about how precisely to structure my days (even though I already have most of that nailed down), minor panic because my number isn’t quite where I want it to be (although larger than many, and my husband still working for another approx. 18 months). Mostly the minor panic is unfounded, but it’s part of my over-thinking personality. Par for the course.
2019 FIRE Cohort:
01/01/19 Bingeworker (52) CONFIRMED
01/31/19 Trifele (51) CONFIRMED
02/01/19 Socmonkey (37) CONFIRMED
02/01/19 August (54) CONFIRMED
02/01/19 Keeks (42) CONFIRMED
02/01/19 Cycling Stache (44)
02/13/19 SeanTash
03/15/19 exit2019 (40)
03/19/19 ChasesFish (36)
03/??/19 MissNancyPryor (50)
03/??/19 Edgema
03/29/19 JumboShrimp
03/31/19 BlindSquirrel
03/31/19 Loren Ver (36)
03/31/19 Mr. Ver (39)
04/01/19 HalfStached (41)
04/01/19 Gerardc (35)
04/01/19 JoJo (45)
04/01/19 Ryder (39)
04/04/19 PowerStache (43)
04/19/19 Eric
04/??/19 Luck12 (41)
05/01/19 Albireo13 (61)
05/15/19 MaybeBabyMustache
05/??/19 SamIAm38 (29)
05/??/19 FIRE 20/20 (42)
05/31/19 Odiedog8590 (62)
05/31/19 Livingthedream55 (59)
05/31/19 dude
06/01/19 Prairie Stash
06/07/19 DreamFire
06/21/19 Parizade (62)
06/22/19 Waffles (52)
06/30/19 Pylortes (42)
06/??/19 Oldtoyota
06/??/19 Itchyfeet (47)
06/??/19 CryingInThePool (44)
07/??/19 powersuitrecall (47)
07/??/19 Enigma (39)
07/??/19 Thedividebyzero (45)
07/01/19 2Birds1Stone (32)
07/03/19 Gerard
07/03/19 Miss Piggy
07/29/19 Lews Therin (29)
08/01/19 SugarMountain
09/02/19 Cornbread OMalley (42) Date Confirmed
09/??/19 RetirementDreaming
09/??/19 dayzero
10/??/19 VoteCthulu (39)
10/??/19 Trix76 (43)
10/??/19 MoMan (55)
10/??/19 Dreamer
12/??/19 HBFI (38)
12/??/19 luckyme13 (45)
12/27/19 moxie
12/31/19 texxan1 (47)
2019 Cohort with date TBD:
Lowerbills (40)
getoutsoon (52)
IPlawyer
MustacheAnxiety
forward
OMY/2MY/Etc:
Freedomin5 (38)
Roboturner (30)
Bateaux (51)
Linda_Norway (45)
OLY -or more
6/1/18 markbike528CBX (53.5) Thread OP
11/02/18 TartanTallulah (at 54) CONFIRMED
10/05/18 cerat0n1a CONFIRMED
11/30/18 elaine amj CONFIRMED
Deleted the @ by my name- got mention hits every time the list was updated. Everything is in Trifele's post to keep copy/paste simpler.
Added OLY people by comparing the Dec 17th 2017 list to the 2018 Cohort Final list.
As I get to it I might find TLY or more people by searching earlier in the 2019 postings.
Seems like a lot of work, and I'm retired :-)
.....Snip......
Also, fun new fact...people are REALLY nice at the grocery story at 9am on a Monday. Who knew?!?
Thanks all for the congrats! Because I didn't plan it to happen last week, its pretty surreal.
.....Snip......
Also, fun new fact...people are REALLY nice at the grocery story at 9am on a Monday. Who knew?!?
Thanks all for the congrats! Because I didn't plan it to happen last week, its pretty surreal.
Even for those who have planned FIRE to the exact date etc. it is still surreal that first "day off".
.....Snip......
Also, fun new fact...people are REALLY nice at the grocery story at 9am on a Monday. Who knew?!?
Thanks all for the congrats! Because I didn't plan it to happen last week, its pretty surreal.
Even for those who have planned FIRE to the exact date etc. it is still surreal that first "day off".
Yes it sure is. Monday at 10 a.m. I went to the Y to check it out (thinking of joining). It was wonderful -- a bunch of relaxed, nice people working out. Surreal . . . and fantastic.
The OLY list as it stood in late Nov (before it got dropped) was:
Deleted the @ by my name- got mention hits every time the list was updated. Everything is in Trifele's post to keep copy/paste simpler.
Added OLY people by comparing the Dec 17th 2017 list to the 2018 Cohort Final list.
As I get to it I might find TLY or more people by searching earlier in the 2019 postings.
Seems like a lot of work, and I'm retired :-)
Got it fixed in my list as well, thanks Mark!
That's it! Throwing my name on this list for October.
I've been waffling back and forth for awhile, but tonight I just need the F out. I was aiming for 2017, but took a 1 year leave instead. Went back to work mid-late 2018 and have been hating it passionately since then, despite enjoying my coworkers, supervisors, and the actual work for the most part. I just hate being 'stuck' there and it's getting harder and harder to look like I give a fuck.
Financially I'm fine to leave now, the catch is that I need to sell two houses first and the market has been shit for a few years. My realtor/friend said (two years ago) I should wait until things pick up, but I'm done waiting. I'd rather FIRE with not quite enough and pick up occasional work here and there than stay where I'm at for an extra who-knows-how-long until real estate market turns around. I have way too many adventures to go do that I can't fit into 4 week vacations, and I'm not getting any younger.
So, step 1: Sell rental house. Just got the roof replaced last week. Painted exterior last summer. Need to chat with my realtor and figure out what to do next. February isn't the best time to list. Maybe March or April. Maybe there will be a warm enough day before then to touch up some trim paint.
Welcome @Cookie78 ! Got you down for October.
2019 FIRE Cohort:
01/01/19 Bingeworker (52) CONFIRMED
01/31/19 Trifele (51) CONFIRMED
02/01/19 Socmonkey (37) CONFIRMED
02/01/19 August (54) CONFIRMED
02/01/19 Keeks (42) CONFIRMED
02/01/19 Cycling Stache (44)
02/13/19 SeanTash
03/15/19 exit2019 (40)
03/19/19 ChasesFish (36)
03/??/19 MissNancyPryor (50)
03/??/19 Edgema
03/29/19 JumboShrimp
03/31/19 BlindSquirrel
03/31/19 Loren Ver (36)
03/31/19 Mr. Ver (39)
04/01/19 HalfStached (41)
04/01/19 Gerardc (35)
04/01/19 JoJo (45)
04/01/19 Ryder (39)
04/04/19 PowerStache (43)
04/19/19 Eric
04/??/19 Luck12 (41)
05/01/19 Albireo13 (61)
05/15/19 MaybeBabyMustache
05/??/19 SamIAm38 (29)
05/??/19 FIRE 20/20 (42)
05/31/19 Odiedog8590 (62)
05/31/19 Livingthedream55 (59)
05/31/19 dude
06/01/19 Prairie Stash
06/07/19 DreamFire
06/21/19 Parizade (62)
06/22/19 Waffles (52)
06/30/19 Pylortes (42)
06/??/19 Oldtoyota
06/??/19 CryingInThePool (44)
07/??/19 powersuitrecall (47)
07/??/19 Enigma (39)
07/??/19 Thedividebyzero (45)
07/01/19 2Birds1Stone (32)
07/03/19 Gerard
07/03/19 Miss Piggy
07/29/19 Lews Therin (29)
08/01/19 SugarMountain
09/02/19 Cornbread OMalley (42) Date Confirmed
09/??/19 RetirementDreaming
09/??/19 dayzero
10/??/19 VoteCthulu (39)
10/??/19 Trix76 (43)
10/??/19 MoMan (55)
10/??/19 Dreamer
10/??/19 Cookie78
12/??/19 HBFI (38)
12/??/19 luckyme13 (45)
12/19/19 Itchyfeet (47)
12/27/19 moxie
12/31/19 texxan1 (47)
2019 Cohort with date TBD:
Lowerbills (40)
getoutsoon (52)
IPlawyer
MustacheAnxiety
forward
OMY/2MY/Etc:
Freedomin5 (38)
Roboturner (30)
Bateaux (51)
Linda_Norway (45)
OLY
markbike528cbx (55) OLY -- CONFIRMED 6/1/18; checking in as OP
MoneyStacher (50) OLY -- CONFIRMED 2018
PhilB (52) OLY -- CONFIRMED 10/24/18
sui generis (41) OLY -- CONFIRMED 8/17/18
TartanTallulah (55) OLY -- CONFIRMED 10/2018
cerat0n1a OLY -- CONFIRMED 2018
Chairman OLY -- CONFIRMED 2018
Bognish (43) OLY -- CONFIRMED 11/16/18
Modify message
That's it! Throwing my name on this list for October.
I've been waffling back and forth for awhile, but tonight I just need the F out. I was aiming for 2017, but took a 1 year leave instead. Went back to work mid-late 2018 and have been hating it passionately since then, despite enjoying my coworkers, supervisors, and the actual work for the most part. I just hate being 'stuck' there and it's getting harder and harder to look like I give a fuck.
Financially I'm fine to leave now, the catch is that I need to sell two houses first and the market has been shit for a few years. My realtor/friend said (two years ago) I should wait until things pick up, but I'm done waiting. I'd rather FIRE with not quite enough and pick up occasional work here and there than stay where I'm at for an extra who-knows-how-long until real estate market turns around. I have way too many adventures to go do that I can't fit into 4 week vacations, and I'm not getting any younger.
So, step 1: Sell rental house. Just got the roof replaced last week. Painted exterior last summer. Need to chat with my realtor and figure out what to do next. February isn't the best time to list. Maybe March or April. Maybe there will be a warm enough day before then to touch up some trim paint.
A tough decision. Do you really need to sell the rental? Or do you want to move to another part of the country where you can't take care of it yourself?
I understand really well that you don't want to wait for a market repair. That might take years or not come at all, back to the old level. If you sell for a shitty price, then maybe the next house you purchase also has a lower price.
Just a friendly suggestion, but maybe we keep an updated list on the first page of this thread, lest this entire thread becomes a constant re-post of the same list, and the conversation gets lost.
Just a friendly suggestion, but maybe we keep an updated list on the first page of this thread, lest this entire thread becomes a constant re-post of the same list, and the conversation gets lost.
I like seeing the list get filled in too. How about -- we just update the list when someone actually FIREs? That would be less often, and wouldn't interfere as much with the conversation. If someone is adding themselves to the list or changing their date, we can do those changes on the most recent list without re-posting a new one.
I'm headed off for a 2 week vacation on Sunday. This could be my last vacation for a decade or more! (considering I'm traveling in retirement, so then it's just "life") And then when I get back, I will submit my (~7 week) notice shortly after. It's all moving at breakneck speed.
I'm headed off for a 2 week vacation on Sunday. This could be my last vacation for a decade or more! (considering I'm traveling in retirement, so then it's just "life") And then when I get back, I will submit my (~7 week) notice shortly after. It's all moving at breakneck speed.
I'm headed off for a 2 week vacation on Sunday. This could be my last vacation for a decade or more! (considering I'm traveling in retirement, so then it's just "life") And then when I get back, I will submit my (~7 week) notice shortly after. It's all moving at breakneck speed.
@Eric and I must have similar plans. Head off for a near two week vacation shortly. Five weeks left at work becomes three.
This is the BEST advice I've gotten. To anyone else on this thread, strongly consider taking a long vacation before you turn in your notice. At times its overwhelming thinking about what I'm about to do.
I'm headed off for a 2 week vacation on Sunday. This could be my last vacation for a decade or more! (considering I'm traveling in retirement, so then it's just "life") And then when I get back, I will submit my (~7 week) notice shortly after. It's all moving at breakneck speed.
@Eric and I must have similar plans. Head off for a near two week vacation shortly. Five weeks left at work becomes three.
This is the BEST advice I've gotten. To anyone else on this thread, strongly consider taking a long vacation before you turn in your notice. At times its overwhelming thinking about what I'm about to do.
I'm headed off for a 2 week vacation on Sunday. This could be my last vacation for a decade or more! (considering I'm traveling in retirement, so then it's just "life") And then when I get back, I will submit my (~7 week) notice shortly after. It's all moving at breakneck speed.
@Eric and I must have similar plans. Head off for a near two week vacation shortly. Five weeks left at work becomes three.
This is the BEST advice I've gotten. To anyone else on this thread, strongly consider taking a long vacation before you turn in your notice. At times its overwhelming thinking about what I'm about to do.
Here in Norway we have a 3 month notice period. I plan to take a long vacation during that notice period, just like a co-worker recently did. Just to make the period feel shorter. Maybe just at the end of the 3 months.
@chasesfish , it is interesting the way different companies deal with notice of leaving. I gave a little over 2 months notice to give them time to chose a replacement and complete the transfer of duties. After two weeks of notice, it looks like they are not going to hire but give my duties to another manager. So now I am getting anxious to go earlier. In the meantime I am dealing with some of the worst parts of being a manager. This week, we have had to cut work because the business isn’t making money,fire someone who was t showing up, write a performance plan for someone who isn’t pulling their weight and getting info to HR about a complaint against me. Did I mention 53 days and
35 working days!!
@chasesfish , it is interesting the way different companies deal with notice of leaving. I gave a little over 2 months notice to give them time to chose a replacement and complete the transfer of duties. After two weeks of notice, it looks like they are not going to hire but give my duties to another manager. So now I am getting anxious to go earlier. In the meantime I am dealing with some of the worst parts of being a manager. This week, we have had to cut work because the business isn’t making money,fire someone who was t showing up, write a performance plan for someone who isn’t pulling their weight and getting info to HR about a complaint against me. Did I mention 53 days and
35 working days!!
Goal of 3/15/19 for me (husband, M, 33), Wife has a good job that is flexible so she will keep it for now
That's it! Throwing my name on this list for October.
I've been waffling back and forth for awhile, but tonight I just need the F out. I was aiming for 2017, but took a 1 year leave instead. Went back to work mid-late 2018 and have been hating it passionately since then, despite enjoying my coworkers, supervisors, and the actual work for the most part. I just hate being 'stuck' there and it's getting harder and harder to look like I give a fuck.
Financially I'm fine to leave now, the catch is that I need to sell two houses first and the market has been shit for a few years. My realtor/friend said (two years ago) I should wait until things pick up, but I'm done waiting. I'd rather FIRE with not quite enough and pick up occasional work here and there than stay where I'm at for an extra who-knows-how-long until real estate market turns around. I have way too many adventures to go do that I can't fit into 4 week vacations, and I'm not getting any younger.
So, step 1: Sell rental house. Just got the roof replaced last week. Painted exterior last summer. Need to chat with my realtor and figure out what to do next. February isn't the best time to list. Maybe March or April. Maybe there will be a warm enough day before then to touch up some trim paint.
I am really struggling with conceptualizing going from high savings rate/fire hose of cash to draw down phase. It is so much easier when say the house/car needs a major repair or something comes up with the kids and the answer is "Oh well, I just won't save as much this month".
My spending plan has all (or most) of this factored in, but psychologically its really weighing on me.
I guess there is no way around this other than to suck it up, have confidence in the plan, and understand there is always a risk of something.
I just had my annual review this afternoon and told my manager that I plan to retire at the end of June. I've been looking forward to this day for some time, but as soon as I told him I felt a little sick to my stomach. Not relieved or excited, nauseated!
Is this normal?
Is today still the big day @SeanTash ? May it go smoothly for you.Indeed it is - mark me CONFIRMED!
Is today still the big day @SeanTash ? May it go smoothly for you.Indeed it is - mark me CONFIRMED!
Last day was all a big surreal. It did go pretty smoothly, apart from a nagging voice in my head saying "you could do this a bit longer, it's not THAT bad, you should top up your stash" !
I am really struggling with conceptualizing going from high savings rate/fire hose of cash to draw down phase. It is so much easier when say the house/car needs a major repair or something comes up with the kids and the answer is "Oh well, I just won't save as much this month".
My spending plan has all (or most) of this factored in, but psychologically its really weighing on me.
I guess there is no way around this other than to suck it up, have confidence in the plan, and understand there is always a risk of something.
Is today still the big day @SeanTash ? May it go smoothly for you.Indeed it is - mark me CONFIRMED!
Last day was all a big surreal. It did go pretty smoothly, apart from a nagging voice in my head saying "you could do this a bit longer, it's not THAT bad, you should top up your stash" !
Like many, I struggle with telling co-workers I'm probably not working in this career ever again (though even in 'retirement' I do plan to do some kind of paid employment along the way, just on my terms)
This morning was my first weekday with no alarm set in a loooong time - yay :)
Caution: this is a bit of an unstructured brain dumpI'm 5 years older than my S/O; and about that much further along the FIRE Path (FIRE this year), but I promised her that if she ever ended up truly hating her job as much as I did (or starting to hate the job she currently doesn`t mind so much) I'd upshift to part-time, in order to allow her to downshift to part time. We'd both be making close to the same amount as her full time job (2x part-time + investments), and the pain of working would be reduced as a unit, since part-time isn`t all that hard.
Lest you think I've pressured him/encouraged this, he's been very firm on his lack of desire to retire any earlier. Well, he's since had a bit of a change of heart & now wants to consider retiring earlier. This has thrown quite a wrench into my own plans.
The seven year timeline is when our youngest graduates. When that happens, we will sell our incredibly expensive bay area house, and move somewhere more affordable.
If we stay the course, and I quit this fall after my sabbatical, we can continue to cover all of our expenses. That's not a risk. However, we won't have our house paid off in seven years. We'd both like that, but if feels arbitrary to worry about that if we're going to sell anyway. We have A TON of equity already in our house, so we're talking about the difference in equity of 85% of the house value coming our way after we sell, vs 100% of the equity.
I'm struggling with the tradeoff of giving up a career with a huge paycheck. It's really pulling at me. I *know* I'm ready to leave, but giving up the giant fire hose of money feels terrifying. Particularly since so much of my compensation is tied into vested equity that I will give up when I leave, never to get back. . . I want to be supportive of my husband, and do the right thing for my family. He's fine with whatever decision I make, & just wants me to be happy. But, I guess I like security & knowing I'm helping my family. .. more than I like my own freedom? I have guilt, despite the fact that my husband is very clear that we will make it work no matter what. We are in a great financial position, so this feels like a really ridiculous thing to get hung up on.
Did anyone else have these fears, hang ups, last minute doubts?
I'm struggling with the tradeoff of giving up a career with a huge paycheck. It's really pulling at me. I *know* I'm ready to leave, but giving up the giant fire hose of money feels terrifying.
Caution: this is a bit of an unstructured brain dumpI'm 5 years older than my S/O; and about that much further along the FIRE Path (FIRE this year), but I promised her that if she ever ended up truly hating her job as much as I did (or starting to hate the job she currently doesn`t mind so much) I'd upshift to part-time, in order to allow her to downshift to part time. We'd both be making close to the same amount as her full time job (2x part-time + investments), and the pain of working would be reduced as a unit, since part-time isn`t all that hard.
Lest you think I've pressured him/encouraged this, he's been very firm on his lack of desire to retire any earlier. Well, he's since had a bit of a change of heart & now wants to consider retiring earlier. This has thrown quite a wrench into my own plans.
The seven year timeline is when our youngest graduates. When that happens, we will sell our incredibly expensive bay area house, and move somewhere more affordable.
If we stay the course, and I quit this fall after my sabbatical, we can continue to cover all of our expenses. That's not a risk. However, we won't have our house paid off in seven years. We'd both like that, but if feels arbitrary to worry about that if we're going to sell anyway. We have A TON of equity already in our house, so we're talking about the difference in equity of 85% of the house value coming our way after we sell, vs 100% of the equity.
I'm struggling with the tradeoff of giving up a career with a huge paycheck. It's really pulling at me. I *know* I'm ready to leave, but giving up the giant fire hose of money feels terrifying. Particularly since so much of my compensation is tied into vested equity that I will give up when I leave, never to get back. . . I want to be supportive of my husband, and do the right thing for my family. He's fine with whatever decision I make, & just wants me to be happy. But, I guess I like security & knowing I'm helping my family. .. more than I like my own freedom? I have guilt, despite the fact that my husband is very clear that we will make it work no matter what. We are in a great financial position, so this feels like a really ridiculous thing to get hung up on.
Did anyone else have these fears, hang ups, last minute doubts?
Can you look at trying to negotiate with your work to downshift while still remaining with them? A well trained and useful worker is hard to replace and retrain, and with your FIRE stash, you have all the negotiating power so they might make an exception for you. (You'd keep a reasonably high salary, and help get your S/O to FIRE quicker, and still increase your happiness.)
I see it as a team effort, but you have to take the time to sit down, and figure out together what the plan is. (Nothing wrong with him deciding to do less, better than him resenting you and bottling it up!)
I'm struggling with the tradeoff of giving up a career with a huge paycheck. It's really pulling at me. I *know* I'm ready to leave, but giving up the giant fire hose of money feels terrifying.
Is today still the big day @SeanTash ? May it go smoothly for you.Indeed it is - mark me CONFIRMED!
Last day was all a big surreal. It did go pretty smoothly, apart from a nagging voice in my head saying "you could do this a bit longer, it's not THAT bad, you should top up your stash" !
Congratulations @SeanTash!! Ignore that nagging voice, and enjoy sleeping in tomorrow!
2019 FIRE Cohort:
01/01/19 Bingeworker (52) CONFIRMED
01/31/19 Trifele (51) CONFIRMED
02/01/19 Socmonkey (37) CONFIRMED
02/01/19 August (54) CONFIRMED
02/01/19 Keeks (42) CONFIRMED
02/01/19 Cycling Stache (44) ?
02/13/19 SeanTash CONFIRMED
03/15/19 exit2019 (40)
03/19/19 ChasesFish (36)
03/??/19 MissNancyPryor (50)
03/??/19 Edgema
03/29/19 JumboShrimp
03/31/19 BlindSquirrel
03/31/19 Loren Ver (36)
03/31/19 Mr. Ver (39)
04/01/19 HalfStached (41)
04/01/19 Gerardc (35)
04/01/19 JoJo (45)
04/01/19 Ryder (39)
04/04/19 PowerStache (43)
04/19/19 Eric
04/??/19 Luck12 (41)
05/01/19 Albireo13 (61)
05/15/19 MaybeBabyMustache
05/??/19 SamIAm38 (29)
05/??/19 FIRE 20/20 (42)
05/31/19 Odiedog8590 (62)
05/31/19 Livingthedream55 (59)
05/31/19 dude Date Confirmed
06/01/19 Prairie Stash
06/07/19 DreamFire
06/21/19 Parizade (62)
06/22/19 Waffles (52)
06/30/19 Pylortes (42)
06/??/19 Oldtoyota
06/??/19 CryingInThePool (44)
07/??/19 powersuitrecall (47)
07/??/19 Enigma (39)
07/??/19 Thedividebyzero (45)
07/01/19 2Birds1Stone (32)
07/03/19 Gerard
07/03/19 Miss Piggy
07/29/19 Lews Therin (29)
08/01/19 SugarMountain
09/02/19 Cornbread OMalley (42) Date Confirmed
09/??/19 RetirementDreaming
09/??/19 dayzero
10/??/19 VoteCthulu (39)
10/??/19 Trix76 (43)
10/??/19 MoMan (55)
10/??/19 Dreamer
10/??/19 Cookie78
12/??/19 HBFI (38)
12/??/19 luckyme13 (45)
12/19/19 Itchyfeet (47)
12/27/19 moxie
12/31/19 texxan1 (47)
2019 Cohort with date TBD:
Lowerbills (40)
getoutsoon (52)
IPlawyer
MustacheAnxiety
forward
OMY/2MY/Etc:
Freedomin5 (38)
Roboturner (30)
Bateaux (51)
Linda_Norway (45)
OLY
markbike528cbx (55) OLY -- CONFIRMED 6/1/18; checking in as OP
MoneyStacher (50) OLY -- CONFIRMED 2018
PhilB (52) OLY -- CONFIRMED 10/24/18
sui generis (41) OLY -- CONFIRMED 8/17/18
TartanTallulah (55) OLY -- CONFIRMED 10/2018
cerat0n1a OLY -- CONFIRMED 2018
Chairman OLY -- CONFIRMED 2018
Bognish (43) OLY -- CONFIRMED 11/16/18
I think the age gap is the hard part. I'm 9 years younger, so I do feel guilty that he's planning to work longer. In order to get past that guilt, I've created all of these artificial goals for myself that would "make me feel better" & ready to leave. I've BLOWN past all of those goals. He's supportive of me making this change, so the majority of this is on me & my own feelings on the age gap.
All of these are good things to do, good goals to have--but deep down, I think they are just smoke screens for the real reason I'm still working: guilt, which itself is just another smoke screen for the REAL real reason.
It's fear. Abject fear. Fear of being penniless, homeless, resource-less. Irrational? Probably. But convince the scared child inside me that it's irrational. Go ahead. I'll wait. ;-)
@MaybeBabyMustache, take this with a grain of salt because I don't remember everything I read on these boards....
......Snip......
What I can't mitigate with more $$, is longevity risk, and making the most of my time on this planet. Tomorrow is never guaranteed.
Good streak in the last few posts...
I'm having a bit of trouble when considering my sister, GF, and other family members seemingly struggling @ $30k/year, and how fast I could earn money to pay their downpayment, or spare them a few decades of boring work... or how I could provide my kids with the "good life", instead of living on a poverty $40k/year 4% WR for the rest of our lives, and forcing them to "make it" like I had to, maybe with less luck than I had... it does feel a bit selfish of me to declare that my ass sitting around on a beach enjoying life is more important than 1 short year of additional work...
If it makes you feel any better, there are several forum members on the "2M to 3M and beyond" thread that express the same issues that you have.
At some point, you just have to pull the ripcord and bail out. "Enough" by John Bogle is a helpful read.
As to FIRE, come on in, the water is warm, welcoming and generally great!
Zoot, well said, most peoples root cause of not FIREing
"It's fear. Abject fear. Fear of being penniless, homeless, resource-less. Irrational? Probably. But convince the scared child inside me that it's irrational. Go ahead. I'll wait. ;-) "
Sorry I don't have time to psychoanalyze the scared child/ bag-lady etc. I'm having too much fun in FIRE.
@gerardc and @Parizade
I have some of these family issues/pressures too. My situation might be a little unique because I'm earning money 1,000 miles away from them. I ultimately decided at some point my time I can spend with them becomes more valuable than giving them money.
It was part of the decision not to just stop at $1.25mil or $1.5mil in total money saved so I can have means if I really do need to help them with money
Can someone point to the "2M to 3M and beyond" thread mentioned above? I looked but cannot find it. I am curious to read it.Google is your friend:
Can someone point to the "2M to 3M and beyond" thread mentioned above? I looked but cannot find it. I am curious to read it.
Can someone point to the "2M to 3M and beyond" thread mentioned above? I looked but cannot find it. I am curious to read it.Google is your friend:
https://www.google.com/search?q="2M+to+3M+and+beyond"+site%3Aforum.mrmoneymustache.com (https://www.google.com/search?q="2M+to+3M+and+beyond"+site%3Aforum.mrmoneymustache.com)
Resignation letter in on Friday. Three month notice period - but we will probably mutually agree a mid June date.
I have around 6 weeks left to go...
No fair. 10 posts in, and you're already ready to go! ;)
I have around 6 weeks left to go...
I re-read the forum's pre-fire checklist located over in the "Post-FIRE" section. Feeling pretty good that I haven't missed anything. Met with our financial advisor last week to talk about "flipping the switch" from making investments each month to getting a paycheck from them. Seems so strange to go from putting everything we can away to taking some out. We still have kids at home and the DH still wants to work so we will still invest in his 401k and the kids college funds. So glad I found this forum (and the use of Personal Capital) to track our expenses. We are FATfire as far as expenses go, but tracking closely for the last few years let us know the level of supplemental funding we would need. Financial advisor recommended paying off our mortgage depending on how the taxes come out this year. We are pondering whether we should. Interest rate is 3 3/8% and you can make 2.5% in a money market account, more on the open market. Will talk more with the tax accountant too. With such little left to pay off, don't think it matters either way.
Still working through my decompression stage plan...any of those recently retired in the cohort want to share how they are planning(or purposely not planning) their days? I am hoping by April it will be warmer in my neck of the woods to spend a lot of time on my yard/outside of the house.
Still working through my decompression stage plan...any of those recently retired in the cohort want to share how they are planning(or purposely not planning) their days?
Still working through my decompression stage plan...any of those recently retired in the cohort want to share how they are planning(or purposely not planning) their days?
I'm less than a month in, and have been mostly taking it easy. I didn't know what to expect as far as decompression, so I didn't plan anything special for the first couple months. I set a few simple goals to accomplish each day -- lots of sleep, lots of exercise, lots of time outside, eat well. So far so good. Feeling good physically and no psychological issues have come up yet. I'm really enjoying the slower pace and just having the time to think.
WOW!!! Just got a call from the senior vice president over my work area to talk about my retirement. He wants me to transition all my project work to others over the next few weeks so I can work exclusively on a corporate culture project with him in my final 3 months! This has been my unofficial area of expertise over that past 5 years as senior leaders have come to rely on my "emotional intelligence" as much as my professional skills, but I never imagined this would be what they want me to focus on at the end of my career. It's absolutely brilliant, I couldn't be happier.
I'm trying to decide what to do this year. I think I have enough to retire. But I have a pretty good gig, I get 21 weeks off of work per year, mostly when I want them, I try not to take more than 7 consecutive weeks. Pay is in the 6 figures even at part time. Job also comes with health insurance, I'm paying around $100 a month.
Congrats @Parizade! Way to go, ending things on a happy high note.Thanks Trifele, I feel very fortunate
That's so freaking awesome @Parizade!
A company that cares about culture and people will do great things.....
I'm trying to decide what to do this year. I think I have enough to retire. But I have a pretty good gig, I get 21 weeks off of work per year, mostly when I want them, I try not to take more than 7 consecutive weeks. Pay is in the 6 figures even at part time. Job also comes with health insurance, I'm paying around $100 a month.
But sometimes I get depressed about work or super annoyed by something. Work also contributes to seditary lifestyle (but I really need to start working to improve this).
A big bonus is coming at the end of March so it would be stupid to leave before then.
I've worked at the company for 13 years so I sort of want to give them ample notice. Also, one guy that is the closest in experience (over 30 years) is likely going to retire this year so they really would hurt if we both left in a short period of time.
Thoughts? I was planning on leaving around April 1, but there are a couple other occassions thru the year that also might be good stop dates (like trip in May for family things, I don't mind working remote, though) and a big trip to South America and Antarctica in the fall. If I quite, I could spend months down there. If I don't quit, I'd be limited to about 7 weeks.
Since this is where I posted about my termination last week, this is where I'll share this story. The corporate announcement of my departure came out yesterday. Nice and vague that I will be leaving to "pursue other opportunities". So in the lunch room today I got asked where I am going next.
My response was "Skiing".
Awkward pause and lack of comprehension
"No where is your next position?"
"Chairlift."
"No where are you going to work next."
"Well I have a season pass at Alta, so that is where I will be working on my turns. Enjoy your lunch." mic drop and exit. 7 more days.
I love awkward conversations and relish the long pause.
okay, I have my one on one (phone) meeting with new boss today. I have decided I am going to give notice. I am going to ask for a severance, but don't expect one. Maybe there will be some negotiation. This is awkward for me since he has only been my boss a little while, we've never met, and I've only talked on the phone to him once to introduce myself in January.
There is a small risk, since I am telling him weeks in advance. But the company now as even more hoops that were just set up, and I don't feel like jumping right now.
LV
okay, I have my one on one (phone) meeting with new boss today. I have decided I am going to give notice. I am going to ask for a severance, but don't expect one. Maybe there will be some negotiation. This is awkward for me since he has only been my boss a little while, we've never met, and I've only talked on the phone to him once to introduce myself in January.
There is a small risk, since I am telling him weeks in advance. But the company now as even more hoops that were just set up, and I don't feel like jumping right now.
LV
Good luck.
You should preferably have done this in a real life meeting, but I understand it is more hassle.
okay, I have my one on one (phone) meeting with new boss today. I have decided I am going to give notice. I am going to ask for a severance, but don't expect one. Maybe there will be some negotiation. This is awkward for me since he has only been my boss a little while, we've never met, and I've only talked on the phone to him once to introduce myself in January.
There is a small risk, since I am telling him weeks in advance. But the company now as even more hoops that were just set up, and I don't feel like jumping right now.
LV
Good luck.
You should preferably have done this in a real life meeting, but I understand it is more hassle.
Totally agree. I have been waiting for a real life meeting, but he wasn't planning on visiting until some time in March. Then the company just put on travel restrictions so it might not be until the end of March (or April or later). Ugh.
okay, I have my one on one (phone) meeting with new boss today. I have decided I am going to give notice. I am going to ask for a severance, but don't expect one. Maybe there will be some negotiation. This is awkward for me since he has only been my boss a little while, we've never met, and I've only talked on the phone to him once to introduce myself in January.
There is a small risk, since I am telling him weeks in advance. But the company now as even more hoops that were just set up, and I don't feel like jumping right now.
LV
Thank you @forward , @Trifele and @Linda_Norway.
the chat happened. He now needs to contact HR and the other levels of management. He is happy for me :). The HR situation is in flux here are we have merged and are now splitting into several companies, so he needed to check the new policies as to what happens now.
I did ask for a severance, but I don't think that will happen.
Now it is the waiting game.
LV
Why would you get severance if you voluntarily quit?
Sorry to lose you @CryingInThePool. Health insurance is a very big deal. Best of luck with your surgery and recovery!
So exciting to see so many of you ramping up to make the leap. Cheers to the class of 2019!
Unfortunately, I’m going to succumb to OMY. Financially I think I’m okay. Mentally, I’m almost there. Medically, on the other hand, is another story. Fair warning to the class of 2020 and beyond that might be lurking here but I really should have prioritized my health and medical to do list 2-3 years before my target date.
I’ve got a surgery on the horizon and I need to lose some weight first so between scheduling that, recovery, and bonus timing I’m now looking at Fall 2020. Not going to give up my health insurance, such as it is, until it’s 6 months in the rearview.
In full transparency I’ve been walking the tightrope between OMY syndrome and SWAMI since I was part of the 2016 class. Even though this wasn’t how I imagined things playing out it’s what I get from the action, or lack thereof, my choices have wrought.
I’m super grateful though that I have the options I do, that the closer I got to walking away, the less my job sucked and the more travel and life experiences I’ve been able to accessorize my career with.
I'm back from my vacation. Sorry to read about all of you struggling with finding the confidence to pull the plug. After two weeks off, I can decidedly say that I am ready to quit yesterday. But of course I'm sticking with the plan of 4/19. However, assuming I receive a small bonus that I'm expecting on Thursday, I plan to give my notice then, which would be about 7 weeks notice. Fingers crossed that they simply walk me out the door then. lol
I'm back from my vacation. Sorry to read about all of you struggling with finding the confidence to pull the plug. After two weeks off, I can decidedly say that I am ready to quit yesterday. But of course I'm sticking with the plan of 4/19. However, assuming I receive a small bonus that I'm expecting on Thursday, I plan to give my notice then, which would be about 7 weeks notice. Fingers crossed that they simply walk me out the door then. lol
I'm back from my vacation. Sorry to read about all of you struggling with finding the confidence to pull the plug. After two weeks off, I can decidedly say that I am ready to quit yesterday. But of course I'm sticking with the plan of 4/19. However, assuming I receive a small bonus that I'm expecting on Thursday, I plan to give my notice then, which would be about 7 weeks notice. Fingers crossed that they simply walk me out the door then. lol
If they do walk you out after giving your 7 weeks notice, are you expecting that they will pay you for those 7 weeks? I think my company will have the same approach of walking me out but I also think they will try to stop paying me as well.
MoMan, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah ... Keep up the good work
I'm 35 and fired two years ago at 33. I was a software engineer and when I quit my career I was making just under $300,000 a year so I can relate to the golden handcuffs dilemma.
Others may have spoken to this effect already but I think our generation has a problem with thinking life requires meaning. Nothing on this planet requires meaning to live. Drawing breath does not involve meaning and I think most people will be a lot happier in the long run if they divorce meaning from happiness. I spent a lot of time thinking about this after I stopped working and suddenly had many hours of the day to ponder what it is I wanted to be doing with my life. I realized that meaning is a self-imposed construct that inevitably only limits what you're able to do with your life because of the negative feelings that arise from the idea of having a lack of meaning. Trying to find meaning in any particular activity of your life leaves you open to unhappiness if your circumstances suddenly change and you are no longer able to live meaningfully. Think about the worker whose meaning is pouring his soul into woodworking and is suddenly disabled to where he is no longer able to do that. We put such a great weight on meaning that the loss of it creates identity crises for many people. If instead we focused on the pursuit of happiness then when something is no longer able to provide it we can simply continue the pursuit elsewhere.
If you're financially independent and your job brings you no happiness, perhaps you should question why you're spending 40 or more hours a week doing something that brings you know happiness. It could be that the salary allows you to do other things in your life that bring enough happiness that it's worth those 40 hours a week. Perhaps the job itself is rewarding to you and give some form of happiness. If it isn't then what is the point of staying in the job?
If you're not truly financially independent then it would seem the answer is comparing the choice of staying in the job to become more so and what amount of happiness in life that may provide you while doing it and choosing to leave the job for something else and what level of happiness that could provide. Everything in life is a gamble though and there's no guarantee that something you may choose to pursue will provide the level of happiness you think it will, particularly if you're pursuing something that is new to you and you don't yet know whether you truly enjoy it.
I've noticed that some of the happiest people I've come across aren't the most intelligent. I think this allows them to more easily accept most things in life and be happy with what they have. Those of us constantly questioning things and looking for the best or quickest way to do something never seem to be satisfied and I wonder if the feeling of needing meaning is somehow tied to that. I've spent a lot of time trying to slow down and actually enjoy my life more and think about meaning less. I've been pleasantly surprised at how okay I am with not accomplishing much on a day-to-day basis. I would say that last spring is probably the first time in my life that I've experienced truly unbridled joy just to be alive. Taking in a glorious day, going for a walk, or something else of that nature. None of those things involve meaning and I've never been happier.
Bumping the list, as it was getting hard to find on prior pages. Cycling Stache hasn't posted to the thread since early November, so I moved him to "TBD" until we hear from him.
March is nearly here!
Just gave my notice. No going back now!
(https://66.media.tumblr.com/b91608d426b50f07be26c31bbebac37f/tumblr_ojh3ljSwnN1v3vyeao4_250.gif)
Congratulations! Time for new adventures!
Despite being ready and confident in my plans, there was a pit in my stomach when I actually said the words to my boss that I'm retiring.
Just gave my notice. No going back now!
77 days until my sabbatical. Went to lunch with a senior director (peer team) & she encouraged me to think hard about what I want when I'm out, because she thinks it's very likely I can ask for & receive any flexible work arrangement. That would be huge, as I could keep my stock & determine if I enjoy doing a part time role. I've previously not given much thought to this, as my employer very, very rarely grants part time. We shall see!
I'd second those concerns about PT turning into FT, but that can be managed. My 1 day a week gig is actually turning out to be 1.5 to 2 most weeks and, if I let it, could be just as stressful as FT. It isn't for me because I was well prepared. I expected the hours creep so rather than agree to 2 days - which was my initial thought - I only offered 1 day with paid overtime for anything over that. This way I'm doing less than I expected, they are getting more than they feared and everyone is happy. More importantly, it's a time limited role and I made it clear that I'd be as helpful as possible, but I refused to actually own anything unless I wanted to. That leaves me in a position to just dump all the stress up the line and go play with my woodpile.77 days until my sabbatical. Went to lunch with a senior director (peer team) & she encouraged me to think hard about what I want when I'm out, because she thinks it's very likely I can ask for & receive any flexible work arrangement. That would be huge, as I could keep my stock & determine if I enjoy doing a part time role. I've previously not given much thought to this, as my employer very, very rarely grants part time. We shall see!
Be careful MaybeBabyMustashe: This looks like the slippery slope to OMY. Also I'd like to point out that several forum members have found Part Time = FTEquivalient,
Just remember you have FU Money exponentially and have total control of the situation. Nothing less than your ultimate goal is acceptable.
Smoke up your a..... a year prior is not the same thing as FIRE.
Go 2019!
Mark, OP, OLY
I'd second those concerns about PT turning into FT, but that can be managed. My 1 day a week gig is actually turning out to be 1.5 to 2 most weeks and, if I let it, could be just as stressful as FT. It isn't for me because I was well prepared. I expected the hours creep so rather than agree to 2 days - which was my initial thought - I only offered 1 day with paid overtime for anything over that. This way I'm doing less than I expected, they are getting more than they feared and everyone is happy. More importantly, it's a time limited role and I made it clear that I'd be as helpful as possible, but I refused to actually own anything unless I wanted to. That leaves me in a position to just dump all the stress up the line and go play with my woodpile.77 days until my sabbatical. Went to lunch with a senior director (peer team) & she encouraged me to think hard about what I want when I'm out, because she thinks it's very likely I can ask for & receive any flexible work arrangement. That would be huge, as I could keep my stock & determine if I enjoy doing a part time role. I've previously not given much thought to this, as my employer very, very rarely grants part time. We shall see!
Be careful MaybeBabyMustashe: This looks like the slippery slope to OMY. Also I'd like to point out that several forum members have found Part Time = FTEquivalient,
Just remember you have FU Money exponentially and have total control of the situation. Nothing less than your ultimate goal is acceptable.
Smoke up your a..... a year prior is not the same thing as FIRE.
Go 2019!
Mark, OP, OLY
For me it has been a useful transition mentally and doesn't get in the way of living the FIRE life too much as school age kids already imposes so much structure.
ETA: If my PT role wasn't already time-limited I would probably be looking to end it fairly soon. It's done its job of helping me transition and it is starting to get annoying when my working day turns out to be the day with the best weather!
77 days until my sabbatical. Went to lunch with a senior director (peer team) & she encouraged me to think hard about what I want when I'm out, because she thinks it's very likely I can ask for & receive any flexible work arrangement. That would be huge, as I could keep my stock & determine if I enjoy doing a part time role. I've previously not given much thought to this, as my employer very, very rarely grants part time. We shall see!
I've been lurking a couple years- Officially FIRE'd 2-28-19. Looking for new adventures and opportunities!!That's a hell of a first post! Congratulations
I've been lurking a couple years- Officially FIRE'd 2-28-19. Looking for new adventures and opportunities!!That's a hell of a first post! Congratulations
I've been lurking a couple years- Officially FIRE'd 2-28-19. Looking for new adventures and opportunities!!
I officially FIREd one month ago. Mid thirties, male from Holland.
Feels like it hasn't really sunk in yet. I really liked my job, so I will miss it. But I guess I'll have more time now to build an even better life.
I too suffered from the OMY syndrome and I actually stayed one year too long I'm afraid. Guess I'll have to enjoy my free time extra hard now to make up for it!
I'm not sure what to tell friends and family, my current plan is to just tell them I'm an IT freelancer and pretend I have some projects now and then. Which will probably end up happening at some point. Not 100% comfortable with this, but there's a high cultural expectation to work, perform, achieve... And I'm not really eager to tell much about my financial status.
Thank you @Trifele. Also, I love that you are playing in the dirt!!! It has been over a month, how are you doing??
Loren
Thank you @Trifele. Also, I love that you are playing in the dirt!!! It has been over a month, how are you doing??
Loren
I'm doing great, thanks! No decompression problems so far. I think it helped that I had plenty to retire TO. I'm much busier than I was before I retired; I always heard Post-FIRE people say that, and it's true. I joined the Y, am working out, spending loads of time in my garden, and more time with my kids. I walk around with perma-grin on my face. I'm more relaxed, and I think I'm a nicer person. It's like the best vacation I've ever had, only way better because it doesn't end.
One thing that surprised me a lot though -- before FIRE I had all these major travel plans, and now I have lost the urge. I find myself being just really happy where I am. I guess that's a great thing, but part of me is sad? wistful? that I'm not going to those places I was dreaming of. Oh well, it's only been a month. Maybe the travel bug will bite me again later haha.
Congrats @Ryder and @TheShinyHorse ! Welcome to the other side. :)
Wow, I never expected so many new people to pop out with FIRE announcements. What do you all think -- should we add this type of FIRE announcement to the cohort list?
One thing that surprised me a lot though -- before FIRE I had all these major travel plans, and now I have lost the urge. I find myself being just really happy where I am. I guess that's a great thing, but part of me is sad? wistful? that I'm not going to those places I was dreaming of. Oh well, it's only been a month. Maybe the travel bug will bite me again later haha.
On another topic, still waiting to hear from @Cycling Stache on his status. We have quite a large group on deck for March, with @exit2019 and @chasesfish up next -- less than a month to go. Are you two still on target?
Thanks for the idea. But I already did a sabattical a while ago. Came back to do OMY :-)I officially FIREd one month ago. Mid thirties, male from Holland.
Feels like it hasn't really sunk in yet. I really liked my job, so I will miss it. But I guess I'll have more time now to build an even better life.
I too suffered from the OMY syndrome and I actually stayed one year too long I'm afraid. Guess I'll have to enjoy my free time extra hard now to make up for it!
I'm not sure what to tell friends and family, my current plan is to just tell them I'm an IT freelancer and pretend I have some projects now and then. Which will probably end up happening at some point. Not 100% comfortable with this, but there's a high cultural expectation to work, perform, achieve... And I'm not really eager to tell much about my financial status.
Maybe you could tell your friends that you are taking a sabbatical now and will be freelancing later. If they then ask whether you are having a project, you can honestly answer, "no, not yet".
Thank you @Trifele. Also, I love that you are playing in the dirt!!! It has been over a month, how are you doing??
Loren
I'm doing great, thanks! No decompression problems so far. I think it helped that I had plenty to retire TO. I'm much busier than I was before I retired; I always heard Post-FIRE people say that, and it's true. I joined the Y, am working out, spending loads of time in my garden, and more time with my kids. I walk around with perma-grin on my face. I'm more relaxed, and I think I'm a nicer person. It's like the best vacation I've ever had, only way better because it doesn't end.
One thing that surprised me a lot though -- before FIRE I had all these major travel plans, and now I have lost the urge. I find myself being just really happy where I am. I guess that's a great thing, but part of me is sad? wistful? that I'm not going to those places I was dreaming of. Oh well, it's only been a month. Maybe the travel bug will bite me again later haha.
That doesn’t surprise me. DW and I have been discussing this these past days ie: when we FIRE is not a stretch to imagine we travel less rather than more. These days we often feel the need to escape, maybe we won’t post FIRE. Time will tell.
I've also handed in my notice, with the first day of retirement being as planned, April 1st.
Must confess there's a bit of a feeling of loss and guilt, but it's by far overruled by the joy of the prospect of freedom and, oddly enough, a feeling of relief. The closer the date is, the more I just want to be done with this. Six or twelve months ago I could have formulated not-unrealistically high incentives (type of work + compensation) that would have gotten me to continue working. At this point, I can't.
Are there any existing threads about adjusting your investments post-FIRE? Most of my investments are with Fidelity now because that was my employer's choice, but i'd like some guidance on tweaking my portfolio once my employer has no more say in my investments.
Are there any existing threads about adjusting your investments post-FIRE? Most of my investments are with Fidelity now because that was my employer's choice, but i'd like some guidance on tweaking my portfolio once my employer has no more say in my investments.
If a substantial 401k is present, I might leave it there, due to possibly better lawsuit protection. Can anyone confirm or deny that ?
I looked in post-FIRE, and a little bit in investor alley, but no relevant threads popped out at me.
If you like your AA the day before FIRE, it should be just as good the day after you start FIRE.
@Ryder -- I feel you, and that's exactly how I felt. ...
Less than a month to go for you! What will you do with your free time? ;)
Congrats @Ryder and @TheShinyHorse ! Welcome to the other side. :)
Wow, I never expected so many new people to pop out with FIRE announcements. What do you all think -- should we add this type of FIRE announcement to the cohort list?
Congrats @Ryder and @TheShinyHorse ! Welcome to the other side. :)
Wow, I never expected so many new people to pop out with FIRE announcements. What do you all think -- should we add this type of FIRE announcement to the cohort list?
Sure! Why not?
Wow, timely medical advice for the 2019 cohort - from 'Mayo Clinic' ;-D
[Health Experts Recommend Standing Up At Desk, Leaving Office, Never Coming Back] (https://www.theonion.com/health-experts-recommend-standing-up-at-desk-leaving-o-1819577456?utm_medium=sharefromsite&utm_source=theonion_copy&utm_campaign=top)
In particular that part about hurling your stuff ID over the parking lot. I always take it of as soon as I leave my desk, walking out without ID around my neck. As my little act of resistence.
The Onion is satire/ humor, but sadly sometimes excessively close to the truth.
Congrats @Cycling Stache. Nice to see the mustachian side of the government shut down: having to get paid for an extra month because your work won't open to let you put notice in.
We are reevaluating FIRE in 2019 already. Part being chickenshit and part a diagnosis of a not terrible but lifelong medical condition that is going to cost a few thousand a year to manage.
Congrats everyone!! WOW, thought I retired "early", looks like I'm one of the old farts!!
Congrats everyone!! WOW, thought I retired "early", looks like I'm one of the old farts!!
My October date is starting to look questionable but for a very positive reason... This week, I interviewed for a new job at my current company. To be super transparent (and because I’m feeling the freedom of FU money) I told my would-be manager, who is an all-around awesome guy that I already know pretty well, that I was thinking of leaving in October either for a sabbatical or indefinitely. He volunteered that I could do the job remotely and/or part-time if I want. This was before I even asked about either possibility!
If this materializes and I like the job, I may stay on longer than Oct. 2019 to pad my stash, gift some $$$ to my beloved niece and nephews to minimize their college loans, etc. Stay tuned...
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
My early retirement is going to start early! I found out this week that I'm going to be let go (with 5 months severance) on March 15 - only 5 more working days. I had expected to be let go, but not until April. I'm quite excited!
So, put me down for a finish date of 3/15/19 - at age 47 (for some reason the list has me retiring at 41).
My early retirement is going to start early! I found out this week that I'm going to be let go (with 5 months severance) on March 15 - only 5 more working days. I had expected to be let go, but not until April. I'm quite excited!
So, put me down for a finish date of 3/15/19 - at age 47 (for some reason the list has me retiring at 41).
5 months severance is a good deal. Congrats.
My early retirement is going to start early! I found out this week that I'm going to be let go (with 5 months severance) on March 15 - only 5 more working days. I had expected to be let go, but not until April. I'm quite excited!
So, put me down for a finish date of 3/15/19 - at age 47 (for some reason the list has me retiring at 41).
Moving up from the 2023 group. Targeting the Oct-Dec range of this year.
How many years in/how old are you? Will you be able to get that pension now?
How many years in/how old are you? Will you be able to get that pension now?
I'll be 51 at retirement and the pension with begin immediately. I know I'll never live under a bridge unless I want to :), but still have concerns about future medical costs for the family, parents and inlaws.
My early retirement is going to start early! I found out this week that I'm going to be let go (with 5 months severance) on March 15 - only 5 more working days. I had expected to be let go, but not until April. I'm quite excited!
So, put me down for a finish date of 3/15/19 - at age 47 (for some reason the list has me retiring at 41).
Congratulations @Half Stached ! That is fantastic. Got you fixed on the list above.^
How many years in/how old are you? Will you be able to get that pension now?
I'll be 51 at retirement and the pension with begin immediately. I know I'll never live under a bridge unless I want to :), but still have concerns about future medical costs for the family, parents and inlaws.
I'm curious, Fred, is that pension public or private? I'll begin collecting my public pension June 1. Currently down to 60 calendar days until my last day in the office, and 31 actual work days . . .
It's public: US Gov't. I should probably add a countdown to my desktop, but I haven't picked an exact date yet.
what your path was to $2.6mil -- i.e., asset allocation and such? Were you maxing TSP from the get-go? How many years have you been a fed employee?
I will have a pension (state government) which provides for all my essential expenses which I will draw on right away.
My personal savings in an IRA (and a modest amount of Social Security in a few years) provides for extras (wants, not needs).
I will have a pension (state government) which provides for all my essential expenses which I will draw on right away.
My personal savings in an IRA (and a modest amount of Social Security in a few years) provides for extras (wants, not needs).
That is a sweet situation @Livingthedream55 . My MIL also retired with a generous state pension a few years ago. I have a friend who will be retiring soon with a county pension, also quite generous.
I've read that some counties and states have had to trim back their benefits in order to keep the pension funds solvent. I suppose it all depends on how well the fund was managed over the years.
what your path was to $2.6mil -- i.e., asset allocation and such? Were you maxing TSP from the get-go? How many years have you been a fed employee?
I've been there 26 1/2 years. If I recall correctly we couldn't sign up for TSP for the first 6 months or so, but can't remember why. Probably just the man trying to keep me down ;). It's been 100% in the C fund (S&P 500) from the start. I figured the pension was the safe part, so the TSP could be more risky. I was mostly maxed out, but I wasn't always on top of upping the amount as the limits increased. Back in the 90s you could only do 10% of your salary. I started at 27k salary, so it was slow going for awhile. My wife is about 30% higher than me in investments. She had more aggressive options available and is clobbering me even though she started her 401k two years after I did. Our salaries have been pretty similar through the years.
Although I don't talk about money at work some people do and it surprises me how many with similar or more years working with the same or higher salary have less in their Thrift. It seems that for most it was from moving to the G fund (bonds) when the market was shaky and not getting back in soon enough. For 10 years I couldn't even remember how to access my account, so I wasn't moving anything.
I will have a pension (state government) which provides for all my essential expenses which I will draw on right away.
My personal savings in an IRA (and a modest amount of Social Security in a few years) provides for extras (wants, not needs).
That is a sweet situation @Livingthedream55 . My MIL also retired with a generous state pension a few years ago. I have a friend who will be retiring soon with a county pension, also quite generous.
I've read that some counties and states have had to trim back their benefits in order to keep the pension funds solvent. I suppose it all depends on how well the fund was managed over the years.
@Trifele Yes, very true. We have had benefits trimmed for younger workers. The state legislature keeps chipping away at it. As a retiree, I am also able to stay in the state employee group health insurance pool (paying only 25% of the monthly premium) until age 65. Without that, my retirement would not be possible.
I've worked a lot on staying calm during difficult conversations, & was able to deploy that, not once, but twice yesterday. :-)
So, in a shocking good news/bad news turn of events, my manager took me aside yesterday to describe a pending re-org. The re-org would be terrible for me, which wasn't lost on her. In a good news scenario, I've had a helluva time walking away from a great team, and even better manager. The team would still be mine to manage. The manager.... yeah, no. That's over.
...snip...
I've worked a lot on staying calm during difficult conversations, & was able to deploy that, not once, but twice yesterday. :-)
I got a PM from BlindSquirrel that s/he is now in TBD status. Exact words were "I lack the nuts" -- ha ha.
I got a PM from BlindSquirrel that s/he is now in TBD status. Exact words were "I lack the nuts" -- ha ha.
While I don't really want to laugh at someone's situation that would cause them to delay retirement, this is utterly hilarious!
That doesn’t surprise me. DW and I have been discussing this these past days ie: when we FIRE is not a stretch to imagine we travel less rather than more. These days we often feel the need to escape, maybe we won’t post FIRE. Time will tell.
Congrats everyone! All this rapid-FIRE is pretty motivating to read.
I re-read livingafi quit series linked above... I think more and more I don't want a sabbatical, part-time, remote options... just quitting, which I can. I'd do the 6 month leave for practical purposes but would only come back if there is a major crash in the meantime.
I also came back from 2 weeks vacation and feel pretty great. Can't wait! and can't believe this is real
I'm 4/1 but won't be that day, bonus isn't coming until 3/31 and didn't want to risk it. I'm only working part time, tempted to keep this gig as long as I can take my long vacations and have health insurance mostly paid for.
Thanks for the check in JoJo! Are things totally up in the air now/TBD?
BTW, I checked out your journal and blog and WOW are you my travel hero. Major applause.
Three more work days for me. This is the first morning I've woken up and realized I'm going to make it! :)
Three more work days for me. This is the first morning I've woken up and realized I'm going to make it! :)
Three more work days for me. This is the first morning I've woken up and realized I'm going to make it! :)
Three more work days for me. This is the first morning I've woken up and realized I'm going to make it! :)
Congratulations! That must have been a great feeling!
Holy crap ladies and gentlemen...I start the process tomorrow.
Verbally start telling people (including direct boss) tomorrow and people that deserve to know before it goes public before the end of the weekend. Official notice gets emailed to boss Monday AM. Over/under on how many days they want me to stay stands at 4 days.
This is like watching a row of dominos falling, only I'm one of the dominos enviously waiting my turn.
This is like watching a row of dominos falling, only I'm one of the dominos enviously waiting my turn.
I love this! That would make a great signature, at least for a little while.
While everyone at work already knows I'm retiring soon, I haven't given formal notice. A few things need to sort themselves out first, but assuming they do I'm planning to give 5 weeks notice on March 25th . I am a little jealous of people who expect to be walked out after giving notice, but that just doesn't happen where I work. I don't think they'll make an exception for me.
Looking more and more like it won't be 2019 for me. Assignment in Paris is going well, a lot of freedom to be home with the family in Houston and then work and stay in the apartment in Paris when needed...Sounds like a great situation. I'd probably stay for a bit as well, as long as you're having fun and there are no real downsides.
DH gave notice today. Awkwardness ensued when his boss came to talk to him before he got the email and said "you seem pretty happy, are you leaving or something." :DHaha.
Thanks guys (gals?), I tried to be firm with myself to ER at 45 but can’t help but wonder if I’m not just picking some arbitrary number. I think most folks that post about the wonderful retirement lifestyle really did not enjoy going to work or no longer got anything new out of it. I’m still challenged by the work and getting larger perks. It’s a little frustrating to get to this point later in life, my 20’s and 30’s were pretty miserable at work and for much less. Got me to FI faster (and allowed my wife to become a SAHP some 13 years ago), but that was the only upside. To those on the cusp of ER, cheers and congrats! I’ll get there eventually
...snip....I think most folks that post about the wonderful retirement lifestyle really did not enjoy going to work or no longer got anything new out of it. ...snip....
...snip....I think most folks that post about the wonderful retirement lifestyle really did not enjoy going to work or no longer got anything new out of it. ...snip....
This sounds like many OMY rationalizations. Some may be true for some people.
I had a fun job, great coworkers, upper tier bosses, but I found myself at work, looking at the FIRE spreadsheet (and the MMM fora) and wondering if there wasn't a greener pasture out there.
There is....
...snip....I think most folks that post about the wonderful retirement lifestyle really did not enjoy going to work or no longer got anything new out of it. ...snip....
This sounds like many OMY rationalizations. Some may be true for some people.
I had a fun job, great coworkers, upper tier bosses, but I found myself at work, looking at the FIRE spreadsheet (and the MMM fora) and wondering if there wasn't a greener pasture out there.
There is....
+1. 112k for 3 years doesn't seem like much compared to the opportunity cost.
Thanks guys (gals?), I tried to be firm with myself to ER at 45 but can’t help but wonder if I’m not just picking some arbitrary number. I think most folks that post about the wonderful retirement lifestyle really did not enjoy going to work or no longer got anything new out of it. I’m still challenged by the work and getting larger perks.
Thanks guys (gals?), I tried to be firm with myself to ER at 45 but can’t help but wonder if I’m not just picking some arbitrary number. I think most folks that post about the wonderful retirement lifestyle really did not enjoy going to work or no longer got anything new out of it. I’m still challenged by the work and getting larger perks.
This is awesome. I'm genuinely very happy for you that you're in this position (despite what's coming next, I really mean that!). I do take issue with the framing of most folks who post about their wonderful retirement, however. I'm not there yet (about 25 more working days!), but I have a great job that pays very well. I have great management, excellent peers, and a fantastic team who works for me. I think the work I've done throughout my career really matters, and I feel like I've made significant contributions. However, I realize that the next year of my life is the youngest and probably the healthiest, most potential-filled year I have left on this planet. I can't imagine *any* job that would give me as much happiness, fulfillment, or satisfaction as I'll be able to get from choosing the best possible thing to do with the next day/week/month/year. When I ask myself - is this or any job the best possible use of my short time remaining on this planet? Will my family and friends be thankful that I spent my time in this cubicle, this office, or this conference room instead of with them? Will I look back on this business decision - no matter how great it is - with as much happiness as I will look back on any of a hundred other things I could do today? I've posted a lot about how terrified I am of shutting off the firehose of money they're spraying at me, but even stronger than that terror is the knowledge that I have a limited time to do the things I want to do in life and *this year* could be the best or maybe even the only year I have left. I'm not FIRE'ing because I "did not enjoy going to work or no longer got anything new out of it", but because I don't believe this or any job is the best possible use of my life.
...snip....I think most folks that post about the wonderful retirement lifestyle really did not enjoy going to work or no longer got anything new out of it. ...snip....
This sounds like many OMY rationalizations. Some may be true for some people.
I had a fun job, great coworkers, upper tier bosses, but I found myself at work, looking at the FIRE spreadsheet (and the MMM fora) and wondering if there wasn't a greener pasture out there.
There is....
+1. 112k for 3 years doesn't seem like much compared to the opportunity cost.
I do take issue with the framing of most folks who post about their wonderful retirement, however.
However, I realize that the next year of my life is the youngest and probably the healthiest, most potential-filled year I have left on this planet. I can't imagine *any* job that would give me as much happiness, fulfillment, or satisfaction as I'll be able to get from choosing the best possible thing to do with the next day/week/month/year. When I ask myself - is this or any job the best possible use of my short time remaining on this planet? ... I'm not FIRE'ing because I "did not enjoy going to work or no longer got anything new out of it", but because I don't believe this or any job is the best possible use of my life.
@Half Stached
Is today the day? Congratulations!!
I can't imagine *any* job that would give me as much happiness, fulfillment, or satisfaction as I'll be able to get from choosing the best possible thing to do with the next day/week/month/year. When I ask myself - is this or any job the best possible use of my short time remaining on this planet? Will my family and friends be thankful that I spent my time in this cubicle, this office, or this conference room instead of with them? I'm not FIRE'ing because I "did not enjoy going to work or no longer got anything new out of it", but because I don't believe this or any job is the best possible use of my life.
DH gave notice today. Awkwardness ensued when his boss came to talk to him before he got the email and said "you seem pretty happy, are you leaving or something." :DHaha.
"Now that you mention it... Sounds like a good idea!"
Thanks guys (gals?), I tried to be firm with myself to ER at 45 but can’t help but wonder if I’m not just picking some arbitrary number. I think most folks that post about the wonderful retirement lifestyle really did not enjoy going to work or no longer got anything new out of it. I’m still challenged by the work and getting larger perks.
This is awesome. I'm genuinely very happy for you that you're in this position (despite what's coming next, I really mean that!). I do take issue with the framing of most folks who post about their wonderful retirement, however. I'm not there yet (about 25 more working days!), but I have a great job that pays very well. I have great management, excellent peers, and a fantastic team who works for me. I think the work I've done throughout my career really matters, and I feel like I've made significant contributions. However, I realize that the next year of my life is the youngest and probably the healthiest, most potential-filled year I have left on this planet. I can't imagine *any* job that would give me as much happiness, fulfillment, or satisfaction as I'll be able to get from choosing the best possible thing to do with the next day/week/month/year. When I ask myself - is this or any job the best possible use of my short time remaining on this planet? Will my family and friends be thankful that I spent my time in this cubicle, this office, or this conference room instead of with them? Will I look back on this business decision - no matter how great it is - with as much happiness as I will look back on any of a hundred other things I could do today? I've posted a lot about how terrified I am of shutting off the firehose of money they're spraying at me, but even stronger than that terror is the knowledge that I have a limited time to do the things I want to do in life and *this year* could be the best or maybe even the only year I have left. I'm not FIRE'ing because I "did not enjoy going to work or no longer got anything new out of it", but because I don't believe this or any job is the best possible use of my life.
Also I'll be starting the Pacific Crest Trail in 15 days, so excited and also very nervous!
Put me down as FIRED!! Gave notice on Friday. Funny thing is about 30 min before I gave notice I got reamed out over email by the bitch boss b/c I delegated something (of course I delegated b/c I'm not going to be around haha). It was as if the FIRE gods gave me one last push (not that I needed the push). I gotta say though other than the getting reamed out I'm going to miss the last few months where I did just the min amount of work, came into work once every 2-3 weeks, took care of so many personal things on work time b/c I just DGAF anymore.
Also I'll be starting the Pacific Crest Trail in 15 days, so excited and also very nervous!
Also I'll be starting the Pacific Crest Trail in 15 days, so excited and also very nervous!
Awesome - congrats!!! What was boss' reaction to you giving notice?????????
..... she offered me part time (15-20 hours) working from home or in the office, doing what ever I wanted to do. She said her group is willing to get creative (like I could work my non-travel months if I wanted to).
Oh man, that is pretty tempting. DH and I are really really lean so some padding to reduce sequence of return risks is pretty nice.
I told her I would think about it, but probably nothing until 2020, as I want to be retired first and have many trips to go on.
It was really nice to know someone values my skills enough to reach out and try to accommodate me.
Depending on what type of travel you are planning, it could be well worth grabbing that opportunity with both hands. If you can do the job from home, you can do it from anywhere that has an internet connection. That isn't going to work if your plans are for things like hiking the PCT, but for travelling the world it could be ideal. One full day and a few odd hours when you could do with a break from being a tourist anyway gets you your 15 hours. The money lets you stay there twice as long and see a whole lot more. If I didn't mind the work or find it particularly stressful that would suit me pretty well!..... she offered me part time (15-20 hours) working from home or in the office, doing what ever I wanted to do. She said her group is willing to get creative (like I could work my non-travel months if I wanted to).
Oh man, that is pretty tempting. DH and I are really really lean so some padding to reduce sequence of return risks is pretty nice.
I told her I would think about it, but probably nothing until 2020, as I want to be retired first and have many trips to go on.
It was really nice to know someone values my skills enough to reach out and try to accommodate me.
That's great @Loren Ver -- congrats! That speaks really well of how you're perceived at work. There are some that may warn you not to do it, because it's the slippery slope to more full time work (looking at you Mark ;), but personally I'm a fan of small side gigs. I've had one for almost 10 years -- for a former employer -- that takes about 5 hours per week from home. It's fun and the income is nice, speaking as a skinny FIREee.
Don't be surprised if job offers continue to come your way. I think MMM said in one of his posts that FIREees are like catnip to working people -- irresistible.
Hey Nineteen- What do you think of this?
And thanks-
I just told my boss I am resigning. Last day at MegaCorpSucks is April 5th.
I am talking to FormerCo today formally about possibly doing some work there.
I am not sure if this makes me a 2019 success or possibly a flunky if I choose to take some job at FormerCo. The fact that I quit my job without any other offer in hand feels like a victory. The shackles are falling away.
I know that if I do something for FormerCo I can quit at any time. I can enjoy a job that doesn't come with a 24 hours a day ball and chain cell phone and ridiculous travel. I don't have to be in charge of anyone. Taking work at FormerCo might be a nice downshift into a final early retirement status while I get my head straight, a nice glide into FIRE instead of a sudden stop. I can re-engage with life outside of work, have some social connection with people who do not report to me, and just breathe for a while. I won't beat myself up for not being totally done and FIRE if I do spend some months at FormerCo unwinding the knots in my gut. I will check my feelings on this more as I speak with them later today.
The talk with my youngish boss was interesting. I pulled no punches and just told him I am an early retiree and I have decided I will do the same as I tell my staff that I am leaving. I have decided there is no need to hide. My boss said he has longed for early retirement but knows he is way, way off and his wife is not quite on board. I may have inspired him to get after it.
That's awesome! Are you blogging/vlogging your hike?? It's on our bucket list to do, and I've vicariously lived through dozens of people who documented the journey on youtube.
This one in particular should get you amped up!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PleoqR7VjY
Its official as of yesterday.
Wow, timely medical advice for the 2019 cohort - from 'Mayo Clinic' ;-D
[Health Experts Recommend Standing Up At Desk, Leaving Office, Never Coming Back] (https://www.theonion.com/health-experts-recommend-standing-up-at-desk-leaving-o-1819577456?utm_medium=sharefromsite&utm_source=theonion_copy&utm_campaign=top)
Waiting to hear from @exit2019 and @Cycling Stache as to whether they are done.
CONFIRMED that 3/18/19 was my last day!
So today is the first day of the rest of my life!
I talked with my manager about taking a 6 month leave starting next month. My rationale is that it keeps my foot in the door if I want to come back and keeps me officially employed. But I realized it is harder than I thought. There is some planning involved to reshuffle my projects elsewhere or put them on standby, hire new people, coordinate my return... it probably won't be that well received if I don't return after all. I do have 3-4 big projects in flight just half-way completed. He tried to push for 3 months instead, starting in 3-4 months from now. I probably should have given more notice. Now, if I threaten to quit (which I only alluded to) they might say yes. But I'm not sure if that's the most ethical thing to do, since that company always treated me extremely well. Maybe I should simply quit, or get a leave with a plan of finding a new team on my return, which might be simpler to organize. On the other hand, maybe he's just trying to negotiate. We're supposed to think about it. But my plans will come true either way. I'm just unsure if I should bother pursuing this leave or not. I could get rehired there or elsewhere if necessary instead.
Congrats to those that pulled the trigger!!
I have a healthcare.gov question for those that have done it.
I was filling out the questions last night. Oh man. The repetition was kinda crazy and some of the questions had no answers (Are you the primary care taking for kids? Yes/No? Uh, there are no kids, which I stated earlier....).
The application couldn't go through for some reason, so I have to try again tonight. I know the form is for all kinds of people, and that I am an odd ball in this, but I had to go through all my current insurance costs and information, then there was one question on if i was losing coverage in 2019. Seemed like a lot of work and looking stuff up that is not relevant. Now I am concerned I did something wrong.
Other experiences before I head back to the form to try again tonight?
Thank you Trifele! I have several concern points (my income, COBRA options etc). I wasn't sure if I just send it in and they give me an answer, of it the process will let me refine my answers as needed....
Thank you Trifele! I have several concern points (my income, COBRA options etc). I wasn't sure if I just send it in and they give me an answer, of it the process will let me refine my answers as needed....
@Loren Ver -- Yes the income part was hard. At the end of the application they put me in "Pend" status and said they needed more information. I sent them a simple one page letter where I outlined how I was predicting my income for 2019, and they accepted that.
And COBRA is kind of a land mine -- watch out. COBRA and Exchange insurance are mutually exclusive for the remainder of the calendar year. So if you go on COBRA for even one month, you cannot go onto the exchange until the next open enrollment at the end of the year. There is one question on the application form that asks about COBRA and is potentially misleading. I forget the exact wording, but I think it's something like "were you offered COBRA by your employer", and I called to ask about that one. I was told by customer service to answer "No" to that if I was declining COBRA to go onto the Exchange. That is a very common scenario, where COBRA is offered, but ultra expensive, so people decide to decline it and go on the Exchange.
Did you find the social interaction at work odd?
I've found the under 30 employees see me as inspirational.
The over 40 employees generally don't want to talk to me
The 30-40 all fall somewhere in between.
<snip>
Please remove me from FIRE 2019 timeline. Maybe I will re-investigate the idea in a couple of years. ;)
-----
Best of luck with everything @Cookie78! Sorry to see you go.
This has been a fascinating week. I took some time to write about the reactions I got from publicly announcing this as retirement at 36. I didn't want to forget this moment and think what I learned and experienced will be helpful to everyone soon to deliver their retirement/resignation notice
It may or may not be a good idea in your situation, please be sure to know your audience. I had a good mix of both supportive and grumpy folks.
Communicating an Early Retirement (http://stopironingshirts.com/2019/03/21/communicating-an-early-retirement/)
I read this article off Rockstar Finance that talks about some interesting things to be mindful of as we all get ready to FIRE. I enjoy reading articles that give an alternative view of FIRE so I can have a better overall approach to FIRE.
As for me I'm still on glide path to my FIRE date. I stop working at my current job on May 23rd. On May 24th I start a period of 100 days of leave as a precursor to FIRE.
I like reading all sorts of FIRE articles too, @Cornbread OMalley. This one is pretty well written, so I was a bit surprised that the author doesn't seem to know about early access to a 401k account without the 10% penalty? I'm not arguing it's ideal to use 401k money early, but it is possible...True. But how can a person access 401k funds before age 59.5 without it being disadvantageous and/or being in dire circumstances? The only positive I see is withdrawing early to partially fund a first-house payment.
Your glide path sounds fantastic. Do you want to be confirmed after you finish work on May 23 instead of waiting until September for us to congratulate you? :)Please keep my FIRE date the same as I will still be bound to the organization until that date. After my FIRE date I will totally FREE!!!
My countdown app says I'm 50 days out -- but only 22 or so of those are work days. Getting really, really close. Also, amazingly, my invested stash is exactly where I'd hoped it would be some 5-6 years ago when I was looking out toward 2019.
On the downside, now that it's getting real, DW has been expressing her doubts about my retirement -- not from the financial perspective, but rather from the perspective of me being gone all the time. She's concerned that I'll be flying off on any whim that moves me, to go adventuring here and there. My doing exactly that a week ago -- i.e., booked a last minute flight back to Utah (where I'd just spent a week just a week prior) to seize upon the 38" of new fluff they'd gotten -- probably set a bad precedent. DOH! At any rate, my attitude is it's either going to work out or it isn't. If it doesn't, well then, that's life. Not that I'm looking to sabotage our marriage or anything, it's just that I'm not willing to sacrifice my happiness on the altar of her insecurity. I'm confident in the end we'll reach a compromise and all will be fine, though I anticipate there are some battles ahead, but that's married life (at least in my experience).
I like reading all sorts of FIRE articles too, @Cornbread OMalley. This one is pretty well written, so I was a bit surprised that the author doesn't seem to know about early access to a 401k account without the 10% penalty? I'm not arguing it's ideal to use 401k money early, but it is possible...True. But how can a person access 401k funds before age 59.5 without it being disadvantageous and/or being in dire circumstances? The only positive I see is withdrawing early to partially fund a first-house payment.
There's a sticky thread in Investor Alley (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/investor-alley/how-to-withdraw-funds-from-your-ira-and-401k-without-penalty-before-age-59-5/) about it.Oh, yes. The Roth conversion pipeline is useful when planned correctly.
My countdown app says I'm 50 days out -- but only 22 or so of those are work days. Getting really, really close. Also, amazingly, my invested stash is exactly where I'd hoped it would be some 5-6 years ago when I was looking out toward 2019.
On the downside, now that it's getting real, DW has been expressing her doubts about my retirement -- not from the financial perspective, but rather from the perspective of me being gone all the time. She's concerned that I'll be flying off on any whim that moves me, to go adventuring here and there. My doing exactly that a week ago -- i.e., booked a last minute flight back to Utah (where I'd just spent a week just a week prior) to seize upon the 38" of new fluff they'd gotten -- probably set a bad precedent. DOH! At any rate, my attitude is it's either going to work out or it isn't. If it doesn't, well then, that's life. Not that I'm looking to sabotage our marriage or anything, it's just that I'm not willing to sacrifice my happiness on the altar of her insecurity. I'm confident in the end we'll reach a compromise and all will be fine, though I anticipate there are some battles ahead, but that's married life (at least in my experience).
Is your wife also FI?
Otherwise, try to find some compromise by not travelling ALL the time.
I have been seeing this situation at my friends. He is a "normal" pensioner, she is much younger and still working (not FI). He travels for 1-2 months at the time. She is home alone a lot and need to solve home emergencies on her own. That has annoyed her at occasions. When he is home though, he takes a lot of responsibility for the household, doing the cleaning and the cooking.
No, not yet. She's 7 years younger and didn't get on the saving bandwagon until much later than me (and I have a pension). She's not interested in FIRE, per se. Likes her job and the sense of purpose it brings her. But it concerns her that I might be absent a lot, which I don't plan to be the case, with the exception of a summer road trip I've been dreaming about for years. She's kind of accepted that I'll be doing that trip, but her main concern is me taking off at the drop of a hat to go climb mountains or surf or snowboard. She's very much a pessimistic, worry-wart type person, and she does not share the same hobbies and passions that I have. It's worked up til now because we compromise, but of course since I won't need to work anymore and I'm not getting any younger, I do intend to pursue my hobbies more vigorously, though I recognize the need to balance it with my relationship. Only problem is, her idea and my idea of "balance" is likely to be quite different. Only time will tell if it all works out.
He's getting paid to live in Paris. Let's not shed any tears here. lol
@Half Stached
Is today the day? Congratulations!!
Today is/was the day!
WOOOHOOO!
The whole week I've been running around with a giant smile on my face. Everyone at work found out I was leaving on Monday, and I received a ton of appreciation from everyone for the impact I've had on them and their projects. It was very gratifying. Today we had a small party at a local bar in the afternoon and a bunch of people came to say goodbye. Interestingly, I told everyone I was retiring, and no one really blinked. The worst reaction I got from anyone was simply bald jealousy (which I could totally empathize with). There was no real disbelief or malice, which it sounds like many other FIRErs had to deal with.
I have to admit... right now I feel really drained. I got home around 4pm, have been a lump for the past 4 hours, and I think I'm going to go to sleep early.
Thank you to everyone here - I wouldn't be in this position today without discovering MMM and these forums 4 years ago. There has been such great advice and support - this is a great community. I am extremely grateful!
Many congratulations to all you 2019 FIREees!
I never put myself in this cohort because deep down I didn't believe it would actually happen for me, I'm not sure why. But there is no point in denying it any longer. I gave 8 weeks notice to my employer in early November, but they didn'tlook forfind a replacement until late January, so things dragged on longer than I had hoped. I've been working part time training the the new person since that point, but things are now progressing along well to where I'm working just about 10 hours per week now. They offered me a permanent part-time position working from home and making my own schedule at about 40-50 hours per month; and the insecure side of me couldn't turn it down. No real regrets, though. It will be enough to cover all of my normal costs of living without tapping into investments, except possibly for unexpected larger expenses. So I will be FIRE at a SWR of 0% for now.
Yesterday was my husband's last day at his job, so I'm officially calling it.....we are FIRED!!!!! Now it feels like the real thing. Next week's weather forecast is looking like perfect spring weather, so we'll be hiking with our dogs, working in the yard, taking on our household to-do list, enjoying picnic lunches and laughing giddily at our wonderful good fortune. We are so grateful to have been able to pull this off! It is a fantastic feeling that I can't even describe, but I wish it for every one of you who can't quite yet pull the trigger. It's more than worth every little sacrifice we made along the way.
Hahaha! I (almost) have health insurance coverage with subsidy!!
It took way too much effort, including one call where I was told I didn't qualify because quitting my job did not qualify me for a special enrollment period. That call did not end well. But then I looked it up and called back. The last person was awesome. She got me through everything, then when it didn't work again (no subsidy due to some issue), we went back through different forms until she got me what i needed. Whew! I was starting to sweat this one. Six failed attempts over four days but the seventh one took! Now I just need our termination letters (I get mine after employment ends) and we should be good to go.
Yah!
Talked to HR at work about my plan to retire July 3, and they told me "the paperwork is difficult" for a mid-semester retirement. So instead, they're going to pay me to do nothing until the end of August. Okay, twist my arm...
Talked to HR at work about my plan to retire July 3, and they told me "the paperwork is difficult" for a mid-semester retirement. So instead, they're going to pay me to do nothing until the end of August. Okay, twist my arm...
doing nothing but do you still need to come in to the office everyday?
@exit2019 -- are you still on track for wrapping up tomorrow? Or did they make you an offer you couldn't refuse?
Talked to HR at work about my plan to retire July 3, and they told me "the paperwork is difficult" for a mid-semester retirement. So instead, they're going to pay me to do nothing until the end of August. Okay, twist my arm...
@exit2019 -- are you still on track for wrapping up tomorrow? Or did they make you an offer you couldn't refuse?
the offer is made and it may be that i can't refuse it. I got the full paperwork today and I'm chewing it over.
And what are the consequences if you don't. You'll get fired? I presume Gerard can just stay at homethey're going to pay me to do nothing until the end of August.doing nothing but do you still need to come in to the office everyday?
Hey @Loren Ver -- your final week is here!! Are you ready? :)
@exit2019 -- are you still on track for wrapping up tomorrow? Or did they make you an offer you couldn't refuse?
the offer is made and it may be that i can't refuse it. I got the full paperwork today and I'm chewing it over.
Which way are you leaning @exit2019 ? I remember you are in the HCOL Bay Area and had a lot on your plate (plenty of savings, but needed to sell your house, sort out insurance, etc.) In your last post you said
"I'd give 75+% odds that they [employer] come back with a compelling counter and that against my psychological and physical health I'll stick around for it."
Sounds like you predicted your employer right. But how have you been feeling this month? Will this new job offer continue to cause you psychological and physical damage?
So basically, I'll be doing exactly what I would have been doing if retired, but for pay.
If it causes damage to your health in any even slight ways, running the hell away is your best option.
Join the fight against OMY,OMM,OMWEEK. Only YOU can prevent them!
The weight lifted off my shoulders is incredible.
The weight lifted off my shoulders is incredible.
So FIRE is agreeing with you @chasesfish ? What's your favorite part?
The weight lifted off my shoulders is incredible.
So FIRE is agreeing with you @chasesfish ? What's your favorite part?
So far its the little things. I'm being paid through mid-April and "helping out" on a couple of deals I have going on. The few hours a week I'm showing up at the office post-notice, its been the realization or ability to say "Its not my place to have an opinion" or "its your call". The decision responsibility is not my own.
Yesterday was one of those "little thing" days. Stopped by the office for two hours, was home before noon. Went to Costco at 1:30 and it was this nice laid back place full of people not rushing around banging carts into each other. Went to the nursery and planted a bunch of flowers trying to improve home appearance. Standing outside at 3pm in 73 degree sunshine was one of those moments where I just thought "holy crap, this is more than just a vacation".
I'll still be 3-6 months before we're settled down. The house coming soon sign went up yesterday, our full time job right now is prepping the house for sale and finding our new destination.
Standing outside at 3pm in 73 degree sunshine was one of those moments where I just thought "holy crap, this is more than just a vacation".
I'll still be 3-6 months before we're settled down. The house coming soon sign went up yesterday, our full time job right now is prepping the house for sale and finding our new destination.
The weight lifted off my shoulders is incredible.
So FIRE is agreeing with you @chasesfish ? What's your favorite part?
So far its the little things. I'm being paid through mid-April and "helping out" on a couple of deals I have going on. The few hours a week I'm showing up at the office post-notice, its been the realization or ability to say "Its not my place to have an opinion" or "its your call". The decision responsibility is not my own.
Yesterday was one of those "little thing" days. Stopped by the office for two hours, was home before noon. Went to Costco at 1:30 and it was this nice laid back place full of people not rushing around banging carts into each other. Went to the nursery and planted a bunch of flowers trying to improve home appearance. Standing outside at 3pm in 73 degree sunshine was one of those moments where I just thought "holy crap, this is more than just a vacation".
I'll still be 3-6 months before we're settled down. The house coming soon sign went up yesterday, our full time job right now is prepping the house for sale and finding our new destination.
That sounds wonderful. Ahhh!
Work is going downhill really quickly. Retirement may be sooner than later. Waiting for the bonus to hit the bank account on Friday and see what I feel like then.
Hi there, I'm an addition to the 2019 family...
My soon-to-be-wife and I will be traveling around the US in a self-converted camper van (conversion in process now). We'll stop that and move back whenever we get tired of it.
Work is going downhill really quickly. Retirement may be sooner than later. Waiting for the bonus to hit the bank account on Friday and see what I feel like then.
If you can swing it, go for it! I've been retired a week and half, and it's great. :)
My soon-to-be-wife and I will be traveling around the US in a self-converted camper van (conversion in process now).
Ohh. Welcome!! DH and I are slowly converting a 2002 Chevy Express. We are taking it on route 66 starting April 1. Glad to see another converter on the list. What is your van of choice?
My countdown calendar says 86 days now. I find myself fighting what I hope are irrational fears that something terrible will happen to prevent me from FIREing or that I will die before I can enjoy the freedom I'm so longing for.
Welcome @Nifty! Your plans do sound fun. Got you added for 12/31.
We have four folks on deck for next week -- @gerardc, @Ryder, @PowerStache, and @MissNancyPryor. How are y'all doing? Thrilled? Freaking out? ;)
My countdown calendar says 86 days now. I find myself fighting what I hope are irrational fears that something terrible will happen to prevent me from FIREing or that I will die before I can enjoy the freedom I'm so longing for.
I had those same fears @Parizade, and yes they were irrational and they vanished as soon as I FIREd. You'll be ok my friend.
So what shall we say is my status?
ETA- This idea of doing work at FormerCo has me also feeling kind of guilty about my current notice period. I haven't told anyone that I might continue work somewhere so the whole idea of retirement feels like I am lying to them. Even though I am not, I get it that I am not because I had no job offer when I told them toodle-loo. I am in my head on this when I shouldn't be at all. I am my own retirement police I guess. At minimum if I do anything for FormerCo it will be at least a month away so there will be time to unwind my knots a bit.
Ohh. Welcome!! DH and I are slowly converting a 2002 Chevy Express. We are taking it on route 66 starting April 1. Glad to see another converter on the list. What is your van of choice?
We are in a 2017 Transit High Roof Extended. Decided on the biggest since it's two of us and we'll be living in it full time. Just finished installing the propane heater and stove/oven. Next week taking it on a week long trip to Utah for rock climbing!
Two in a row!
Anyway, it is FRIDAY. I am oscillating between being excited and not really feeling like it is real.
I am turning my computer in at 9ish. Going to my co-worker party at 930. Then going out to lunch with work friends. Then not coming back!!
Whee!
Anyway, it is FRIDAY. I am oscillating between being excited and not really feeling like it is real.
I am turning my computer in at 9ish. Going to my co-worker party at 930. Then going out to lunch with work friends. Then not coming back!!
Whee!
Two in a row!
Anyway, it is FRIDAY. I am oscillating between being excited and not really feeling like it is real.
I am turning my computer in at 9ish. Going to my co-worker party at 930. Then going out to lunch with work friends. Then not coming back!!
Whee!
Looking forward to enjoying the spring days in the yard instead of in the office.
Only three weeks left of work here. I am kind of freaking out a bit, not really over quitting my job or retiring, but the fact that I haven't made much progress on getting rid of all of my possessions. I'm working through 4/19 and then have to be fully moved out of my apartment by 4/30.
..big snip.....
It's funny though, part of "stepping outside my comfort zone" 2 years ago was walking away from a lucrative pager. The journey to FIRE brought me to a place where I could make a decision based on happiness, not money. I've got MMM / this forum to thank for that.
..big snip.....
It's funny though, part of "stepping outside my comfort zone" 2 years ago was walking away from a lucrative pager. The journey to FIRE brought me to a place where I could make a decision based on happiness, not money. I've got MMM / this forum to thank for that.
This is the happy side of FU money, let's call it FY, Fuck Yes money.
Still sad to lose you to OMY. You still have 3 quarters of 2019 to come back.
To ALL you OMY people, You still have 3 quarters of 2019 to come back!!!
Only three weeks left of work here. I am kind of freaking out a bit, not really over quitting my job or retiring, but the fact that I haven't made much progress on getting rid of all of my possessions. I'm working through 4/19 and then have to be fully moved out of my apartment by 4/30. I'm now thinking I should've left myself more time. It's amazing how much shit one can accumulate in a 550 sq ft apartment. We shall see. I think my current plan is to have a "Free or best offer" yard sale where I just pull everything out my front door and let people take whatever they want and possibly offer a donation if they so choose. Could be an interesting social experiment.
Only three weeks left of work here. I am kind of freaking out a bit, not really over quitting my job or retiring, but the fact that I haven't made much progress on getting rid of all of my possessions. I'm working through 4/19 and then have to be fully moved out of my apartment by 4/30. I'm now thinking I should've left myself more time. It's amazing how much shit one can accumulate in a 550 sq ft apartment. We shall see. I think my current plan is to have a "Free or best offer" yard sale where I just pull everything out my front door and let people take whatever they want and possibly offer a donation if they so choose. Could be an interesting social experiment.
Or perhaps have a traditional yard sale for the first four hours but advertise that everything will be free after a certain time. Otherwise I bet that everyone will want everything for free from the get go.
Still sticking with the 2019 crew . . .
<snip>
No more OMY's!!!
Handed my notice in an hour ago. Officially 30 days but likely to be just a few days which is normal in this industry. Officially retired! (or unemployed depending on your point of view).
Slightly non-mustachian plans in that we plan to buy a sail boat, take the kids out of school (8 and 7) and head off for an unspecified amount of time. Likely to be a minimum 15 months or so and then plan from there. We are being pretty conservative on the boat purchase (<5% of net worth) and we have income from our rental properties as well as planning to rent out our house while we are away so hopefully not a crazy plan financially. Long term dream so have to give it a go and was one of the reasons I did OMY. With luck our equities will grind higher in the background but shouldn't need to touch them while we are away. Secret plan is to retrain ourselves away from over consuming as we simply won't have the space to keep buying stuff on a boat. Other than the big stuff (houses / cars / holidays) we definitely are a fail on living a 'strict' mustachian life and only want to be mustachian-lite anyway!
Lots to do. Exciting times and a little scary. Woohoo.......
Handed my notice in an hour ago.
Sailing is most definitely stupidly expensive as a hobby and if you walk past any marina you will see some of the most underutilized assets around. At least with the UK weather, owners might get 10 weekends a year maximum, particularly if they don't live close by and have a normal 9-5 job. We have a friend who lived 10 minutes from their boat but because of a rubbish UK summer only took it out 3 times one year. This is why we have never even considered owning one while working.They do always say that the two happiest days are the day you buy your boat and the day you sell it. Here's hoping you get some wonderful days in between!
However, as a place to live, at least for a while, the maths changes. You are on hand to do the maintenance yourself and it is a 'tiny house' so you simply cannot fill it with nonsense belongings. You can make much of your own power (sails, solar, wind) and by definition bulk buy groceries and the like when you can. Like a car they depreciate, but we are buying a 15 year old boat so depreciation will not be a big issue as they are priced on condition and not age by that stage (GRP hulls will last >40 years). In the meantime you also get to rent your own house out as an income stream.
Not going to claim it is the cheapest or fastest way to see the world, that is for sure, but we all have our own dreams.
Sailing is most definitely stupidly expensive as a hobby and if you walk past any marina you will see some of the most underutilized assets around. At least with the UK weather, owners might get 10 weekends a year maximum, particularly if they don't live close by and have a normal 9-5 job. We have a friend who lived 10 minutes from their boat but because of a rubbish UK summer only took it out 3 times one year. This is why we have never even considered owning one while working.
However, as a place to live, at least for a while, the maths changes. You are on hand to do the maintenance yourself and it is a 'tiny house' so you simply cannot fill it with nonsense belongings. You can make much of your own power (sails, solar, wind) and by definition bulk buy groceries and the like when you can. Like a car they depreciate, but we are buying a 15 year old boat so depreciation will not be a big issue as they are priced on condition and not age by that stage (GRP hulls will last >40 years). In the meantime you also get to rent your own house out as an income stream.
Not going to claim it is the cheapest or fastest way to see the world, that is for sure, but we all have our own dreams.
After yesterday's market close, my TSP account broke the $800k threshold for the first time. That was the goal I set for it by retirement, some 5-6 years ago. Pretty nice to see that part of the plan fall in line, even if only temporarily. I'm now 36 calendar days from my last day in the office (May 10; official retirement date is May 31), and factoring out weekends, sick days and vacation, only something like 15-18 work days left.
This is it! Phone, badge, computer, travel credit card, parking pass, building keys all getting dropped off today. Officially gone from MegaCorpSucks.
<snip>
Please move me to SWAMI status.
... only to be working for a bit of mental stimulation and to possibly find a date.
I expect my bullshit meter will be set permanently to "intolerant" ...
I expect my bullshit meter will be set permanently to "intolerant" so I have no idea how long I will be hanging out. Even with a much better culture than MegaCorp, it is still corporate life.Congratulations!
The half-step from super high velocity work life to something simpler has to be good for me and I will concentrate on developing life outside the boundaries of work. I think I will have clarity before long and will be ready to set a new RE date having already achieved FI.
Please move me to SWAMI status.
Anyone who has FIRE'd already keeping in touch with old co-workers? On social media or in person/verbal communication?
Anyone who has FIRE'd already keeping in touch with old co-workers?
Anyone who has FIRE'd already keeping in touch with old co-workers?
Yes, I'm meeting up for a beer with a largish group of former co-workers next week. This'll be the first time, and I'm really curious what it will be like.
Anyone who has FIRE'd already keeping in touch with old co-workers?
Yes, I'm meeting up for a beer with a largish group of former co-workers next week. This'll be the first time, and I'm really curious what it will be like.
It can be a bit of an acquired taste, and will probably be slightly bitter to the untrained palate, but a good beer on a sunny day is tough to beat. It's nice you're able to explore different drinks now that you're retired. ;)
Yes @Trifele , today was the day! Turned in the badge and computer.
Leaving is bittersweet as I have great co-workers. But I am excited to de-stress and be free! Sitting here at my computer right now, still feels like a normal day home from work. Very surreal.
Anyone who has FIRE'd already keeping in touch with old co-workers? On social media or in person/verbal communication? Going to be strange not having the "water cooler" type conversations anymore.
I really enjoy reading these posts as they are very inspirational. I hope to join this crew very soon. Perhaps Monday. I've been dealing with OMW syndrome for the past 3 weeks. I think I finally have my head around this so Monday could be the day. I've really been mentally checked out which makes it tough get anything done.
I've been lurking for quite some time on this thread. I am loving hearing as people earn their freedom.
I feel like I belong with you guys. I'm not FIREing now, but I did just finish my last day of full-time work. As of next week, I will be part-time, working 24 hrs per week, with no intent of ever going back to full-time work. So semi-FIRE.
I chose not to completely FIRE for a couple of reasons: worry about what future healthcare will look like, wanting to try out the FIRE lifestyle before fully quitting, since my career is not tolerant of long breaks (would be hard to get back in if I needed to), and impatience to start the FIRE lifestyle now, even though I'm not FI yet.
My schedule will be working 48 hrs in 4 days, then having 10 days off. So I see a lot of camping trips, and trips to visit family this summer when the kids aren't in school. I'm so excited!
.... Snip.....
since my career is not tolerant of long breaks (would be hard to get back in if I needed to), and impatience to start the FIRE lifestyle now, even though I'm not FI yet.
.... Snip.....
since my career is not tolerant of long breaks (would be hard to get back in if I needed to), and impatience to start the FIRE lifestyle now, even though I'm not FI yet.
I wonder if the fear of not getting back into a career job is overblown?
Is there any data on anyone who tried, but couldn't get back to the job?
a)knowing who is trying to get back in is difficult for most employees (who aren't HR personnel) to see.
b)for those who are not "returning" to the same organization, it might not be obvious that they have been "out of the game" for a period.
c) other categories may exist that I'm not mentioning.
In my case, I was never an ideal employee, and I'd likely be worse if I when back, but I'm pretty sure I could get my old job back (temporary, consultant basis).
I'm guessing based on the 4*12s that Caroline PF might be a nurse or something similar -- and if that is the case then licensure requirements may mean it makes more sense to keep working a reduced schedule rather than leaving the field entirely.
I feel like I belong with you guys.
Welcome @BTDretire! Do you want to call yourself FIREd now then?
I really enjoy reading these posts as they are very inspirational. I hope to join this crew very soon. Perhaps Monday. I've been dealing with OMW syndrome for the past 3 weeks. I think I finally have my head around this so Monday could be the day. I've really been mentally checked out which makes it tough get anything done.
OMWeek? Eeeek! Eject, Eject, Eject!
I really enjoy reading these posts as they are very inspirational. I hope to join this crew very soon. Perhaps Monday. I've been dealing with OMW syndrome for the past 3 weeks. I think I finally have my head around this so Monday could be the day. I've really been mentally checked out which makes it tough get anything done.
OMWeek? Eeeek! Eject, Eject, Eject!
Finally did it. Gave notice on Monday, last day in mid-May. I'm done!!
Up next week we have @Eric (selling everything and going nomadic) [....] Let us know how things are going!
What does SWAMI mean?
On deck for tomorrow we have @gerardc and @Ryder. Last we heard from gerardc he was going on leave, but wasn't yet sure if it would be permanent/FIRE. Ryder gave notice at the beginning of March for a target last day of April 1. Are you two still on track?
On deck for tomorrow we have @gerardc and @Ryder. Last we heard from gerardc he was going on leave, but wasn't yet sure if it would be permanent/FIRE. Ryder gave notice at the beginning of March for a target last day of April 1. Are you two still on track?
Yep, everything went according to plan. Currently into my second week not being bound by work obligations :). It's very pleasurable and relaxing so far. It also seems like it's been much longer than 10 days: time is not flying past (in a good way, not in an "I'm bored" way) - it's a bit like summer vacation in childhood, which seemed like this endless expanse of potential for fun.
Congrats to everyone else who's taken the step or is about to do so :).
Well, I'm definitely quitting on 4/19, so that part is going well. Other that that though, things haven't been great and I haven't slept well for about 3 months now. I keep waking up in the middle of the night for hours at a time, unable to turn my brain off. This constant lack of sleep means I'm having trouble concentrating on anything for more than about 5 minutes at a time. I think most of my problems are stemming not from fears of retirement, running out of money, or not having a paycheck, but instead from getting rid of nearly everything I own. It's kind of like I never get to fully relax, because even when I'm sitting on my couch watching TV, I'm thinking about how I have to get rid of this couch and TV soon. I expanded on some of these issues here (https://bonusnachos.com/stumbling-to-the-finish-line/). But, it'll all be over soon I'm sure. Not having to get up to an alarm clock, even if I have a lot of work to do in my first 10 jobless days, will hopefully solve a lot of these problems.
On deck for tomorrow we have @gerardc and @Ryder. Last we heard from gerardc he was going on leave, but wasn't yet sure if it would be permanent/FIRE. Ryder gave notice at the beginning of March for a target last day of April 1. Are you two still on track?
Yep, everything went according to plan. Currently into my second week not being bound by work obligations :). It's very pleasurable and relaxing so far. It also seems like it's been much longer than 10 days: time is not flying past (in a good way, not in an "I'm bored" way) - it's a bit like summer vacation in childhood, which seemed like this endless expanse of potential for fun.
Congrats to everyone else who's taken the step or is about to do so :).
Up next week we have @Eric (selling everything and going nomadic) [....] Let us know how things are going!
Well, I'm definitely quitting on 4/19, so that part is going well. Other that that though, things haven't been great and I haven't slept well for about 3 months now. I keep waking up in the middle of the night for hours at a time, unable to turn my brain off. This constant lack of sleep means I'm having trouble concentrating on anything for more than about 5 minutes at a time. I think most of my problems are stemming not from fears of retirement, running out of money, or not having a paycheck, but instead from getting rid of nearly everything I own. It's kind of like I never get to fully relax, because even when I'm sitting on my couch watching TV, I'm thinking about how I have to get rid of this couch and TV soon. I expanded on some of these issues here (https://bonusnachos.com/stumbling-to-the-finish-line/). But, it'll all be over soon I'm sure. Not having to get up to an alarm clock, even if I have a lot of work to do in my first 10 jobless days, will hopefully solve a lot of these problems.
So I went out yesterday with some former co-workers. It was great to see them, but it was also strangely stressful. They are all still fully in work mode, and were commiserating about this or that crummy work situation. They're happy for me, but I got quite a few quizzical looks when I told them what I'm up to these days. I am on such a different wavelength now that I really felt like an outsider. And then last night I slept poorly. I had a nightmare that I was back at work dealing with X, Y, and Z emergencies. That was unexpected. I've barely thought about work at all since FIREing, and it's so weird that a couple hours' exposure to it again brought back the old stresses. All I can say is -- I am so damned happy to be OUT.
Up next week we have @Eric (selling everything and going nomadic) [....] Let us know how things are going!
Well, I'm definitely quitting on 4/19, so that part is going well. Other that that though, things haven't been great and I haven't slept well for about 3 months now. I keep waking up in the middle of the night for hours at a time, unable to turn my brain off. This constant lack of sleep means I'm having trouble concentrating on anything for more than about 5 minutes at a time. I think most of my problems are stemming not from fears of retirement, running out of money, or not having a paycheck, but instead from getting rid of nearly everything I own. It's kind of like I never get to fully relax, because even when I'm sitting on my couch watching TV, I'm thinking about how I have to get rid of this couch and TV soon. I expanded on some of these issues here (https://bonusnachos.com/stumbling-to-the-finish-line/). But, it'll all be over soon I'm sure. Not having to get up to an alarm clock, even if I have a lot of work to do in my first 10 jobless days, will hopefully solve a lot of these problems.
I read your blog post where you say you be okay losing your $1300 deposit if you haven't gotten rid of everything by checkout day. Why not just get a storage until for a year for that money? Buys you time to realize you don't need that stuff or discover that the nomad life isn't for you.
Last year leading up to my date I was wide awake almost every night from 3-5am. I ended up not actually leaving and am currently in OMY. We'll see how it goes this summer, but I feel much more ready to go at this point.
Well, looks like I might be a bit late to wish a big CONGRATULATIONS to @Loren Ver since you're on the road already, but I'm assuming you'll see this eventually. Wooo!
(https://i.redd.it/n421ah3wu4321.gif)
-snip-
I was very confident in my plan and my accumulated pile before my wife and I went through it in detail, but now I also have her complete confidence in my plan and she is totally on board. I've never been happier to be married to a CPA!
Today was my first retired day at home. If felt like I was playing hooky for my first day back. Well. I assume this is what playing hooky felt like as I never actually did it before....
So I went out yesterday with some former co-workers. It was great to see them, but it was also strangely stressful. They are all still fully in work mode, and were commiserating about this or that crummy work situation. They're happy for me, but I got quite a few quizzical looks when I told them what I'm up to these days. I am on such a different wavelength now that I really felt like an outsider. And then last night I slept poorly. I had a nightmare that I was back at work dealing with X, Y, and Z emergencies. That was unexpected. I've barely thought about work at all since FIREing, and it's so weird that a couple hours' exposure to it again brought back the old stresses. All I can say is -- I am so damned happy to be OUT.
So I went out yesterday with some former co-workers. It was great to see them, but it was also strangely stressful. They are all still fully in work mode, and were commiserating about this or that crummy work situation. They're happy for me, but I got quite a few quizzical looks when I told them what I'm up to these days. I am on such a different wavelength now that I really felt like an outsider. And then last night I slept poorly. I had a nightmare that I was back at work dealing with X, Y, and Z emergencies. That was unexpected. I've barely thought about work at all since FIREing, and it's so weird that a couple hours' exposure to it again brought back the old stresses. All I can say is -- I am so damned happy to be OUT.
A couple of my work friends are talking about coming to visit me in Mexico next winter, which sounds like great fun but it got me wondering. I think I'll make a rule that no one talks work in Mexico, see if they buy in to the idea.
...
FIRE 20/20 When is your last day?
...
Filed retirement paperwork yesterday - date is confirmed as 5/31.
I actually told my boss a few weeks ago - she's still trying to convince me to stay a few months longer as "it is not a good time for her for me to leave at the end of May" - I said no - she's not happy. The reason I gave her so much notice is because she was talking to me about all these massive projects she wanted me doing later in 2019 and I had to let her know, for her planning purposes, that it would not be me. She even let me know I could pull my retirement paperwork up until the last day - Fat Chance!
Filed retirement paperwork yesterday - date is confirmed as 5/31.
I actually told my boss a few weeks ago - she's still trying to convince me to stay a few months longer as "it is not a good time for her for me to leave at the end of May" - I said no - she's not happy. The reason I gave her so much notice is because she was talking to me about all these massive projects she wanted me doing later in 2019 and I had to let her know, for her planning purposes, that it would not be me. She even let me know I could pull my retirement paperwork up until the last day - Fat Chance!
Hold strong against the OMW, OMM and OMY!
There is NEVER a good time to let someone go, except for layoffs at the employers whim, even then the direct manager would probably disagree, privately..
Congrats MoMan, I can't stop smiling for you!
FIRE 20/20 When is your last day?Today was my first retired day at home. If felt like I was playing hooky for my first day back. Well. I assume this is what playing hooky felt like as I never actually did it before....
Sounds fantastic! I have some PTO to burn before I give notice so I'm taking a week off at the end of April, I'm thinking of it as a test run of FIRE lol. Plan to just hang around the house puttering on projects and get used to the idea that it will be a permanent state soon.
You're almost there @Eric . . . . 3, 2, 1 . . . !
How are you doing?
@Eric Did you manage to get rid of your stuff?
Greetings and admiration to the 2019 cohort! I've been lurking but have decided to dip my toes in the water in consideration of picking a 2019 FIRE date. I see that the water here is fine!
Yesterday, I posted a Case Study seeking input on whether to keep grinding or coast and have been surprised at the responses. Surprised enough to consider joining this cohort. I'm currently at a 3.6% withdrawal rate for my very lean annual spending plus estimated cost for a bronze level healthcare.gov plan. There's a high likelihood that I would continue to pursue income for some extra buffer, however in a much reduced capacity. Would you still have me in your cohort if that were the case?
Would you still have me in your cohort if that were the case?
Would you still have me in your cohort if that were the case?
God yes @jfer_rose -- come on in! Got you added above as "Date TBD." I'm in a really similar financial position. Skinny FIRE, small side gig, etc. It's working out great so far. Sooo glad I did it.
Feelings are feelings and they can be complicated.
@Eric -- I agree with LV -- feelings are feelings.
@Eric, I was too damned tired and worn out in spirit to be super excited on my FIRE day.
But my one year anniversary is coming up at the end of the month and I'm pretty darn happy where I am now!
@Eric - I've had plenty of those feelings. Two days away from the end of a five week notice period. Barely worked the last two weeks, say 90 minutes in the office and some random hangouts with people I like. I walk in/out of the office one last time on Friday.
There is no "normal". I was walking the dog with my wife and we were talking. She made the comment "You're not bored, you've just been overstimulated for the last fifteen years". Its getting used to a new normal!
I've been following the boards for a long time, but wanted to come out of the shadows to join you all in the 2019 cohort. I'm getting official notice in May and a severance package in July. I'll then have to decide if I can FIRE or need to find a short term job to pad the stache a bit. Feeling really ready to be done with work, but still not completely sure of my numbers. Please put me down for a tentative FIRE date of July 17, 2019. Maybe putting it in writing will positively influence the outcome.
I've been following the boards for a long time, but wanted to come out of the shadows to join you all in the 2019 cohort.
Today's my last working day.
Eric: Whoohoo! Welcome to the graduates club!
Suggested playlist: Alice Cooper School's Out Soup Dragons : I'm Free 12" Extended Mix
Congratulations @Eric! Hope you'll still check in, and let us know how things are going.
Eric: Whoohoo! Welcome to the graduates club!
Suggested playlist: Alice Cooper School's Out Soup Dragons : I'm Free 12" Extended Mix
I was thinking Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangster - like Peter in Office Space :)
I plan to retire at end of May pending my house sale. Signed up for Obamacare silver plan. However, did not qualify for premium subsidy because I, "can get health insurance through my employer" right now even though I will only make around $22000 this year . This does not seem right, because I will soon lose that coverage as the document healthcare.gov made me submit from my employer states. Does anyone know if I can somehow update my info at healthcare.gov so I would qualify for subsidy after I finally quit job?
I plan to retire at end of May pending my house sale. Signed up for Obamacare silver plan. However, did not qualify for premium subsidy because I, "can get health insurance through my employer" right now even though I will only make around $22000 this year . This does not seem right, because I will soon lose that coverage as the document healthcare.gov made me submit from my employer states. Does anyone know if I can somehow update my info at healthcare.gov so I would qualify for subsidy after I finally quit job?
I plan to retire at end of May pending my house sale. Signed up for Obamacare silver plan. However, did not qualify for premium subsidy because I, "can get health insurance through my employer" right now even though I will only make around $22000 this year . This does not seem right, because I will soon lose that coverage as the document healthcare.gov made me submit from my employer states. Does anyone know if I can somehow update my info at healthcare.gov so I would qualify for subsidy after I finally quit job?
Today's my last working day. I've already done my exit interview. I've received my final paycheck. I'll probably leave pretty darn early. When I walk out of here I'll be retired. And you know what, I'm actually feeling pretty good. Like it's starting to sink in. Can't believe it took this long, but here we are.
@MaybeBabyMustache and @dude SOOO CLOSE! It is wonderful!Loren Ver: welcome to retirement !
Today is another Monday were I didn't wake up to an alarm. I got to workout, and now I am eating a leisurely post workout snack. So nice!
Loren
Update on my semi-FIRE:
I just finished the first two-week cycle of my part-time work (work 4 days, off 10 days). It was amazing! Multiple people commented on how I looked refreshed after 10 days off. It must be because I was smiling so much.
I was afraid that I would dread going back to work after my taste of freedom, but all that I could think of was how little I had to work before my next 10 days off, so I actually enjoyed working.
Also, I found out what the financial hit to my benefits was going to be: when I was full-time, my employer paid ~75% of health insurance premiums. Now that I'm part-time, they will still pay ~70% of the premium! I am shocked that there is such a small difference.
Another great benefit: I have a friend with some health issues, and was able to help her out at the last minute with getting home from a procedure.
And I can do frivolous things like plan on seeing Hamilton (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/should-i-go-see-hamilton/) without having to worry about how I'm going to fit it into my work schedule.
Life is good!
@MaybeBabyMustache and @dude SOOO CLOSE! It is wonderful!Loren Ver: welcome to retirement !
Today is another Monday were I didn't wake up to an alarm. I got to workout, and now I am eating a leisurely post workout snack. So nice!
Loren
I saw your MPP ( monday is restocking day at the grocery store) on that thread .
I've noticed it too, especially for leafy greens and fish. So Tues-Friday (AM)look better.
SOME of this is probably store-dependent, so a general question thread is not warranted.
Crap! I need to fill out an IDP this week. What shall I fill in this field:
"Career aspirations for next 1-3 years? Indicate the particular roles, responsibilitiese, and horizontal or vertical moves (mention next role)."
I was thinking about writing:
Train a successor.
or
Retiree
But probably shouldn't do that.
Crap! I need to fill out an IDP this week. What shall I fill in this field:
"Career aspirations for next 1-3 years? Indicate the particular roles, responsibilitiese, and horizontal or vertical moves (mention next role)."
I was thinking about writing:
Train a successor.
or
Retiree
But probably shouldn't do that.
Cross train colleagues to improve team durability and cohesion.
How are you doing @FIRE 20/20 ? Do you want to be confirmed this Friday, or do you want to wait until the project wraps up?
I'm not there yet (about 25 more working days!), but I have a great job that pays very well. I have great management, excellent peers, and a fantastic team who works for me. I think the work I've done throughout my career really matters, and I feel like I've made significant contributions. However, I realize that the next year of my life is the youngest and probably the healthiest, most potential-filled year I have left on this planet. I can't imagine *any* job that would give me as much happiness, fulfillment, or satisfaction as I'll be able to get from choosing the best possible thing to do with the next day/week/month/year. When I ask myself - is this or any job the best possible use of my short time remaining on this planet? Will my family and friends be thankful that I spent my time in this cubicle, this office, or this conference room instead of with them? Will I look back on this business decision - no matter how great it is - with as much happiness as I will look back on any of a hundred other things I could do today? I've posted a lot about how terrified I am of shutting off the firehose of money they're spraying at me, but even stronger than that terror is the knowledge that I have a limited time to do the things I want to do in life and *this year* could be the best or maybe even the only year I have left. I'm not FIRE'ing because I "did not enjoy going to work or no longer got anything new out of it", but because I don't believe this or any job is the best possible use of my life.
I'm frustrated by the situation, but I know what they're dealing with (80-100 hour weeks) so I'm not frustrated with the people.
I'm frustrated by the situation, but I know what they're dealing with (80-100 hour weeks) so I'm not frustrated with the people.
Folks working those hours being paid salaries rather than hourly rates with overtime pay?
If so, that is what I call "a planned emergency". Management plans the emergency as a way to get free labor from its employees. And the suckers usually fall for it.
I tell salaried workers to always do their best, but after 40 hours per week, it's their personal time. If it's a true emergency (rather than a planned one), be a sport and do what's needed. Otherwise, only work extra if there is something in it for you. That extra might be (a) more marketable skills which will increase your income here or at the next job, or (b) a better work process via organization or automation which will make you more productive (and thus more valueable in income terms) here or at the next job, or (c) you are helping a colleague with (a) or (b), which (aside from being a nice thing to do) will give you an in at a better paying job at their next job. If it's not a true emergencyh and a, b or c don't apply, go home.
In honor of your last work week @FIRE 20/20 I'm reposting your comments from March 15. That post was a beauty and eloquently summed up the feelings a lot of us have.
Hope your last few days are smooth! I remember you said your partner is also FIREing Friday. What are your plans for after? May is one fine month to have free.
I want to take a walk together in the morning when everyone else is commuting. There are some local hikes we haven't done that we'll get to do during normal working hours. I was a musician growing up and through college but dropped it after I started working. I just ordered a nice keyboard so I can re-learn piano. I have a stack of books I want to read. I'm spectacularly fortunate to have a partner who I never get tired of hanging out with, so I'm looking forward to spending more time with her. And, for only the second time in my life I'm going to drink actual champagne. I don't have a good enough palate to actually taste the difference, but it'll be a way to recognize the occasion.
Family, relationships, music, reading, being outside, and celebrating. It should be a good month.
I want to take a walk together in the morning when everyone else is commuting. There are some local hikes we haven't done that we'll get to do during normal working hours. I was a musician growing up and through college but dropped it after I started working. I just ordered a nice keyboard so I can re-learn piano. I have a stack of books I want to read. I'm spectacularly fortunate to have a partner who I never get tired of hanging out with, so I'm looking forward to spending more time with her. And, for only the second time in my life I'm going to drink actual champagne. I don't have a good enough palate to actually taste the difference, but it'll be a way to recognize the occasion.
Family, relationships, music, reading, being outside, and celebrating. It should be a good month.
Oh my, that sounds so wonderful! I can't imagine a better life than what you are describing.
I want to take a walk together in the morning when everyone else is commuting. There are some local hikes we haven't done that we'll get to do during normal working hours. I was a musician growing up and through college but dropped it after I started working. I just ordered a nice keyboard so I can re-learn piano. I have a stack of books I want to read. I'm spectacularly fortunate to have a partner who I never get tired of hanging out with, so I'm looking forward to spending more time with her. And, for only the second time in my life I'm going to drink actual champagne. I don't have a good enough palate to actually taste the difference, but it'll be a way to recognize the occasion.
Family, relationships, music, reading, being outside, and celebrating. It should be a good month.
Oh my, that sounds so wonderful! I can't imagine a better life than what you are describing.
Yes, I'm looking forward to exploring tide pools with my grand daughter, hiking rain forests, as well as sitting in the sun doing absolutely nothing. So close now!I want to take a walk together in the morning when everyone else is commuting. There are some local hikes we haven't done that we'll get to do during normal working hours. I was a musician growing up and through college but dropped it after I started working. I just ordered a nice keyboard so I can re-learn piano. I have a stack of books I want to read. I'm spectacularly fortunate to have a partner who I never get tired of hanging out with, so I'm looking forward to spending more time with her. And, for only the second time in my life I'm going to drink actual champagne. I don't have a good enough palate to actually taste the difference, but it'll be a way to recognize the occasion.
Family, relationships, music, reading, being outside, and celebrating. It should be a good month.
Oh my, that sounds so wonderful! I can't imagine a better life than what you are describing.
Hopefully you'll have your version of that in about 2 months!
I want to take a walk together in the morning when everyone else is commuting. There are some local hikes we haven't done that we'll get to do during normal working hours. I was a musician growing up and through college but dropped it after I started working. I just ordered a nice keyboard so I can re-learn piano. I have a stack of books I want to read. I'm spectacularly fortunate to have a partner who I never get tired of hanging out with, so I'm looking forward to spending more time with her. And, for only the second time in my life I'm going to drink actual champagne. I don't have a good enough palate to actually taste the difference, but it'll be a way to recognize the occasion.
Family, relationships, music, reading, being outside, and celebrating. It should be a good month.
Yes, I'm looking forward to exploring tide pools with my grand daughter, hiking rain forests, as well as sitting in the sun doing absolutely nothing. So close now!I want to take a walk together in the morning when everyone else is commuting. There are some local hikes we haven't done that we'll get to do during normal working hours. I was a musician growing up and through college but dropped it after I started working. I just ordered a nice keyboard so I can re-learn piano. I have a stack of books I want to read. I'm spectacularly fortunate to have a partner who I never get tired of hanging out with, so I'm looking forward to spending more time with her. And, for only the second time in my life I'm going to drink actual champagne. I don't have a good enough palate to actually taste the difference, but it'll be a way to recognize the occasion.
Family, relationships, music, reading, being outside, and celebrating. It should be a good month.
Oh my, that sounds so wonderful! I can't imagine a better life than what you are describing.
Hopefully you'll have your version of that in about 2 months!
Sam, How about downshifting significantly? 2-3 day workweeks will allow you to keep a good paycheck and still enjoy your life.
Especially if you can find remote part-time work.
Two months feels like both forever and no time at all.
I'm feeling a little bit lost.
I'm feeling a little bit lost.
You seem to be uncertain what kind of future you want. So my vote is for you to give yourself space to figure that out. Take a sabbatical. At the end of the sabbatical, when you have more clarity, you can come back to your field, change careers, or fully FIRE. No need to make that decision now.
And any decision you do make now is not set in stone - it can be changed. So try out different options and see what sticks.
Sam, the first thing to say is Congratulations! Getting to even a skinny FI at 30 is an amazing achievement and deserves to be celebrated.I'm feeling a little bit lost.
You seem to be uncertain what kind of future you want. So my vote is for you to give yourself space to figure that out. Take a sabbatical. At the end of the sabbatical, when you have more clarity, you can come back to your field, change careers, or fully FIRE. No need to make that decision now.
And any decision you do make now is not set in stone - it can be changed. So try out different options and see what sticks.
I agree. Your 'stache as brought you options, so you can figure out the best one for you at this point in your life. You don't have to do anything forever, but if you don't make a decision, life will make it for you.
Take some time to think about it, makes some lists, and work it though. If you do decide to pull the trigger and FIRE, we will still be here.
@waffles Yah for paperwork. It really is getting real!!! The days are long, but the months are short.
I was thinking Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangster - like Peter in Office Space :)
A little update since FIREing in February,
Thanks for the update @SeanTash. It is good to hear what people are doing after their FIRE.
Every little twinge of pain or spot of dry skin has my mind racing to thoughts of "sure, now that I can retire I'll get some agressive cancer and DIE."
Every little twinge of pain or spot of dry skin has my mind racing to thoughts of "sure, now that I can retire I'll get some agressive cancer and DIE."
Way better to be sick when you're not working than sick when you have to drag yourself to work to pay the bills...
We know this from experience.
I'm trying very hard not to be neurotic but I find myself double checking my NW and using FIRE calculators daily to reassure myself that I really am prepared. Every little twinge of pain or spot of dry skin has my mind racing to thoughts of "sure, now that I can retire I'll get some aggressive cancer and DIE."
@SamIAm38 -- Huge congratulations to you for reaching FI at such a young age. And I agree with the other wise posters above -- if you are not yet at a place where you know what you want to retire TO, and if work is going well, why rush it? And I also agree wholeheartedly that you should take some time off work, to think things through and try things out. Your past self has given your present self what is (in my opinion) the biggest gift imaginable. So -- start unwrapping the present!
Sam, the first thing to say is Congratulations! Getting to even a skinny FI at 30 is an amazing achievement and deserves to be celebrated.I'm feeling a little bit lost.
You seem to be uncertain what kind of future you want. So my vote is for you to give yourself space to figure that out. Take a sabbatical. At the end of the sabbatical, when you have more clarity, you can come back to your field, change careers, or fully FIRE. No need to make that decision now.
And any decision you do make now is not set in stone - it can be changed. So try out different options and see what sticks.
I agree. Your 'stache as brought you options, so you can figure out the best one for you at this point in your life. You don't have to do anything forever, but if you don't make a decision, life will make it for you.
Take some time to think about it, makes some lists, and work it though. If you do decide to pull the trigger and FIRE, we will still be here.
@waffles Yah for paperwork. It really is getting real!!! The days are long, but the months are short.
You are now faced with the eternal 'what next?' and it's pretty clear that you don't have the answer to that one yet. You are FI so you have options, You are 30 so you have time. You achieved FI by 30 so you clearly have the ability to apply yourself to something and get results. You need to spend the next period of your life working hard on establishing what it is you really want to do. That is not an easy task for most people and isn't something you can come to an instant snap decision on. Treat it as a project. There are so many possibilities ahead of you that need thought, no-one will think any the less of you for not REing whilst you get your head round them. We don't want people to be FIRE'd, we want people to be happy - we just think that FIRE is a great route to that for many. Take some time to get your head together - your stache will continue to snowball in the background Work out what YOU want and go for it without regrets.
I had those exact same thoughts pre-FIRE, and it was nothing -- just some weird aspect of pre-FIRE stress. In my case I think it was extra bad because I've had cancer. I couldn't shake the thought that it would return and kill me right as I FIREd. (A grim joke told among cancer survivors is that one silver lining is you'll never have a headache again. Because you'll immediately worry it's not a headache, but cancer returning). If you've not been diagnosed with anything like that so far, then the chances of it (a) happening now and (b) being something extremely serious are really really small. Just try to stay busy, get lots of exercise, and try not to think about it. You'll be ok. :)
How are you doing @FIRE 20/20 ? Did you wrap up on Friday?
@FIRE 20/20 Woohoo on your partner calling it quits and having an fantastic weekend right after!!
Congrats to you too. Do you think they will call in May?
@FIRE 20/20 Woohoo on your partner calling it quits and having an fantastic weekend right after!!
Congrats to you too. Do you think they will call in May?
Thanks! I think it's 80% likely they will call, although a few weeks ago I thought it was nearly 100%.
I really like that list!!!
2019 FIRE Cohort:
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07/03/19 Miss Piggy
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@Trifele for maintaining the list! I really like seeing it fill up and getting updates as everyone approaches and passes the milestone.DITTO! Thank you Trifele for all you do for our cohort
Trifele picked up where I was slacking as OP, redoing the list, being general greeter and thread host.@Trifele for maintaining the list! I really like seeing it fill up and getting updates as everyone approaches and passes the milestone.DITTO! Thank you Trifele for all you do for our cohort
Thanks @Trifele !!!
Thanks for getting it all started markbike528CBX. I fully intend to drop many many balls after I FIRE, it's part of the deal isn't it?Trifele picked up where I was slacking as OP, redoing the list, being general greeter and thread host.@Trifele for maintaining the list! I really like seeing it fill up and getting updates as everyone approaches and passes the milestone.DITTO! Thank you Trifele for all you do for our cohort
I dropped the ball right after I FIRED, as I went on a cross country trip, with little internet service. When I did get back, Trifele had things going well enough, I didn't see a pressing need for my OP services.
Thanks @Trifele !!!
I'm not there yet (about 25 more working days!), but I have a great job that pays very well. I have great management, excellent peers, and a fantastic team who works for me. I think the work I've done throughout my career really matters, and I feel like I've made significant contributions. However, I realize that the next year of my life is the youngest and probably the healthiest, most potential-filled year I have left on this planet. I can't imagine *any* job that would give me as much happiness, fulfillment, or satisfaction as I'll be able to get from choosing the best possible thing to do with the next day/week/month/year. When I ask myself - is this or any job the best possible use of my short time remaining on this planet? Will my family and friends be thankful that I spent my time in this cubicle, this office, or this conference room instead of with them? Will I look back on this business decision - no matter how great it is - with as much happiness as I will look back on any of a hundred other things I could do today? I've posted a lot about how terrified I am of shutting off the firehose of money they're spraying at me, but even stronger than that terror is the knowledge that I have a limited time to do the things I want to do in life and *this year* could be the best or maybe even the only year I have left. I'm not FIRE'ing because I "did not enjoy going to work or no longer got anything new out of it", but because I don't believe this or any job is the best possible use of my life.
In honor of your last work week @FIRE 20/20 I'm reposting your comments from March 15. That post was a beauty and eloquently summed up the feelings a lot of us have.
Hope your last few days are smooth! I remember you said your partner is also FIREing Friday. What are your plans for after? May is one fine month to have free.
@Miss Piggy -- great update. How did your discussion go about your exit plan? Health insurance is a fear/big unknown for many of us.
Thanks for reposting this- it totally resonates with me.
I have no right being here- I'm in the 2023 cohort (trying to push into 2022...) but just wanted to say to everyone thanks for the continued inspiration!
I bet I've dropped a lot more balls than most. Since FIREing I've been trying to remember how to juggle again after a twenty year break...Thanks for getting it all started markbike528CBX for getting it all started. I fully intend to drop many many balls after I FIRE, it's part of the deal isn't it?Trifele picked up where I was slacking as OP, redoing the list, being general greeter and thread host.@Trifele for maintaining the list! I really like seeing it fill up and getting updates as everyone approaches and passes the milestone.DITTO! Thank you Trifele for all you do for our cohort
I dropped the ball right after I FIRED, as I went on a cross country trip, with little internet service. When I did get back, Trifele had things going well enough, I didn't see a pressing need for my OP services.
Thanks @Trifele !!!
I bet I've dropped a lot more balls than most. Since FIREing I've been trying to remember how to juggle again after a twenty year break...
I bet I've dropped a lot more balls than most. Since FIREing I've been trying to remember how to juggle again after a twenty year break...
Actual juggling? Basic 3 ball, club passing, or something else? I also took a ~20 year break from juggling and I plan to get back into it.
Just three balls at the moment, but if I can get back in the groove I'll get the clubs out of the shed. Not yet though because those things hurt!I bet I've dropped a lot more balls than most. Since FIREing I've been trying to remember how to juggle again after a twenty year break...
Actual juggling? Basic 3 ball, club passing, or something else? I also took a ~20 year break from juggling and I plan to get back into it.
This is too funny. I starting trying to learn to juggle yesterday. I came across three foil balls DH had made while at work. He would eat the candy and then add the foil onto a ball, for all 7 years that he worked there. When the ball got too big to easily add more foil he would make a new one. Turns our they are a good juggling size for me. And they sum up the last 7 years at his last company before FIRE.
Congrats on setting the date @Prairie Stash! Got you updated in the list above ^. What are your FIRE plans?The first few weeks I plan to negotiate work as a consultant to my old company at a higher pay. I suspect they don't see it my way, they're use to paying me $X and can't understand $2*X. Or I'll just offer it directly to companies of interest...There's a certain satisfaction about flexing my stash. The best time to flex is when you're indifferent, its the ultimate position of power.
Last day is May 24, I'll be 38.
I just finished the conversation. My boss was surprised and was asking my thoughts about staying on for 6 months more; I declined (if I wanted more time I could have resigned later).
This is too funny. I starting trying to learn to juggle yesterday. I came across three foil balls DH had made while at work. He would eat the candy and then add the foil onto a ball, for all 7 years that he worked there. When the ball got too big to easily add more foil he would make a new one. Turns our they are a good juggling size for me. And they sum up the last 7 years at his last company before FIRE.
@Lews Therin so very true about people being fired. I started with mostly boomers and watched a few get fired after decades of service. One guy had 40 years in and an unofficial planned retirement was a few months off, he had disclosed it over coffee to coworkers that he would retire on his birthday. All the notice they give is 2 weeks, in that case his severance was greater than his remaining weeks but the hit to his personal pride was massive.
Dropping in to say "hi" and I may have added myself to the contingent a few years earlier than planned. My last day was 3/29/19, but I'd been off work since 10/17/18....Cancer kind of changes your world. So DH is still working, and I'm enjoying what I call a "smoke break" for now. However I don't feel like going back to work and think I'm going to let this be my FIRE date. I may relegate myself back to the 2022 group if FIRE feels too hot. NW hit $1.725 this past month. Our original FIRE budget was $2.5MM....DH is making just as much as we used to make together at his new elevated job (promoted 7/1/18) and has no plans for FIRE himself for at least the next 4-5 years. We will continue saving and see how things pan out.
As for me, today was rug cleaning day.
This is too funny. I starting trying to learn to juggle yesterday. I came across three foil balls DH had made while at work. He would eat the candy and then add the foil onto a ball, for all 7 years that he worked there. When the ball got too big to easily add more foil he would make a new one. Turns our they are a good juggling size for me. And they sum up the last 7 years at his last company before FIRE.
If you're learning, make sure you're working on a Cascade, not a Shower. Most people think of a Shower when they think of juggling, but a Shower is much more difficult to learn and perfect than a Cascade, and the Cascade is the basic pattern that can be the starting point for more tricks, if you're interested.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toss_juggling#Shower
I took last week off to burn up remaining vacation time, this morning it's back to work and every fiber of my being is saying "no, just no." Taking a week off made me realize how exhausted and burned out I am.
I am now 46 days out from official FIRE but I think mentally I'm retiring today. I've been working very hard training my replacement and helping her set up an employee enrichment program which I've enjoyed. But after a week off I have to say my enthusiasm is gone. From this point on I will coast, doing as little as possible to keep up and do right by my replacement.
I took last week off to burn up remaining vacation time, this morning it's back to work and every fiber of my being is saying "no, just no." Taking a week off made me realize how exhausted and burned out I am.
I am now 46 days out from official FIRE but I think mentally I'm retiring today. I've been working very hard training my replacement and helping her set up an employee enrichment program which I've enjoyed. But after a week off I have to say my enthusiasm is gone. From this point on I will coast, doing as little as possible to keep up and do right by my replacement.
I took last week off to burn up remaining vacation time, this morning it's back to work and every fiber of my being is saying "no, just no." Taking a week off made me realize how exhausted and burned out I am.
I am now 46 days out from official FIRE but I think mentally I'm retiring today. I've been working very hard training my replacement and helping her set up an employee enrichment program which I've enjoyed. But after a week off I have to say my enthusiasm is gone. From this point on I will coast, doing as little as possible to keep up and do right by my replacement.
This is my last week in the office, and I can relate to how you feel. I could, if I really wanted to, bail on this week and be effectively retired right now, but I'm saving one final week of annual leave to get paid for at the end of the month. This Friday will be my last day in the office, other than having to come in for an hour or so the week of May 20-24 to turn in keys, ID, security card, etc. And I am for sure taking at least one day off this week (looks like we'll finally get one day of good weather this week here in the Northeast). So bizarre being down to just 3 days after today. Not sure when the whole "I'll never have to go to work again" thing will hit me; probably not until a week or two after I've retired, I'd imagine.
I took last week off to burn up remaining vacation time, this morning it's back to work and every fiber of my being is saying "no, just no." Taking a week off made me realize how exhausted and burned out I am.
I am now 46 days out from official FIRE but I think mentally I'm retiring today. I've been working very hard training my replacement and helping her set up an employee enrichment program which I've enjoyed. But after a week off I have to say my enthusiasm is gone. From this point on I will coast, doing as little as possible to keep up and do right by my replacement.
Congrats on achieving mental-FIRE! Can you do anything concrete like using more PTO or sick days between now and then?
I have been working to FIRE like every one else here but have had my share of OMY and changing priorities/expectations As described here (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/can't-get-to-fire-(self-sabotage!)/) and other spots in this very thread, but the decision is anxiety inducing and I really want to avoid another OMY or other reasons not to.
So maybe posting here in this cohort will make it more official, I must keep my word and all that.
So maybe posting here in this cohort will make it more official, I must keep my word and all that.
@Parizade -- congrats! Your morning plan sounds wonderful.
@dude -- Wow you are so close! Do you want to call yourself FIRE this Friday? Or wait til the end of the month?
So maybe posting here in this cohort will make it more official, I must keep my word and all that.
Yep -- Give us a date. We'll put you on the list @tooqk4u22 and support and cheer you to the finish line.
I read some of your other posts, and it sounds like you know you're there financially. You're posting here now, so it sounds like you want to FIRE. So go ahead and take the first step -- name a date. You can do it.
ETA -- batsignal out to @markbike528CBX -- the best anti-OMY coach around. :)
Just lost another, sudden heart attack, was in great shape, mid 40’s, avid biker. Lot’s of money in the bank, so sad. :(
I'm sorry to hear that. Is there a reason you're losing so many friends in their 30s and 40s?
No real reason, cancer, genetics, freak accident, etc. I know a huge number of people and I guess I am fairly popular as I have friends all over the world in this age group. I suppose some you could call acquaintances instead of friends, but still sucks. Not looking forward to getting old enough where this accelerates.
Also, sorry to drag down your thread OMY, that was not my intent. :)
Not at all, RCC. It's the most compelling reason to retire and start enjoying the fruits of our labor.
@Parizade -- congrats! Your morning plan sounds wonderful.
@dude -- Wow you are so close! Do you want to call yourself FIRE this Friday? Or wait til the end of the month?
Ha! In my mind, Friday is it -- done, kaput, game over!
Also, selling a house is a pain in the rear, but its cool to be doing it for the first time without outside forces (a job) pushing me. Its also an awkward feeling to actually be able to pick where we live. 1st world problems!
Also, selling a house is a pain in the rear, but its cool to be doing it for the first time without outside forces (a job) pushing me. Its also an awkward feeling to actually be able to pick where we live. 1st world problems!
Selling the house is always a pain. Just putting it is pristine condition, styled as a lifestyle magazine, is an enormous effort. Especially if you still live in it. And you are probably like us in the situation that you want to receive a certain minimum sum for it, to meet your expected retirement numbers. At least you don't need to do it beside having a job.
We will be in that situation in about half a year. And we also still have to figure out where we are going to live... We will rent first, but I hope this will not lead to an endless life of renting on various places and never settling.
Also, selling a house is a pain in the rear, but its cool to be doing it for the first time without outside forces (a job) pushing me. Its also an awkward feeling to actually be able to pick where we live. 1st world problems!
Hi there, sent my notice a few weeks ago leaving the rat race next month. My wife and I will be relocating back to our home city. We are both 37 yo and are FI, wife was always a stay at home, we were expats for a while relocating to different countries. Today our montly budget spend is just above 2k though bring in twice that from investments so we should have a safety margin there on top of an eraly pension that will kick in 18 years from now (once I am 55), house is paid for, and not included in our budget is travel which we like to do, not so much lately as it gets compmicated with 3 kids (todlers).
I don't miss it AT ALL. It really was like a switch.
@FIRE 20/20 - The first official letter I got was revoking my restricted stock. (http://stopironingshirts.com/2019/05/03/reflections-on-the-first-monthish-of-early-retirement/) It wasn't a thank you for your service, congratulations on retirement, information on how to access my deferred comp, or even my package for COBRA to keep my health insurance.
No, the first letter came from executive compensation saying I was terminated and I was forfeiting a bunch of money.
Welcome to the group @SHO! Well done on reaching FI so young, and with three little ones to boot. Outstanding.
Waiting for confirmation from @dude that his last day was Friday. I have a feeling he may still be sleeping off the epic weekend haha.
On deck this week we have @MaybeBabyMustache, who is waving bye bye to her job and heading off on sabbatical. What are your plans for the free time?
On deck this week we have @MaybeBabyMustache, who is waving bye bye to her job and heading off on sabbatical. What are your plans for the free time?
Oh my, so many plans! Here they are:
-Running a half marathon this weekend, to kick things off
-Taking my mom to Las Vegas
-Reading, writing, relaxing
-Running in a relay on the Washington coast
-Taking my sister & best friend to Hawaii
-Hanging out on the Oregon coast with my husband & kids
-Going on a mini vacation with my husband
-Running in a relay with my extended family
-Participating in a big mountain biking event
-Doing an obstacle event with the kids
Apparently, I'll be getting a lot of exercise!
On deck this week we have @MaybeBabyMustache, who is waving bye bye to her job and heading off on sabbatical. What are your plans for the free time?
Oh my, so many plans! Here they are:
-Running a half marathon this weekend, to kick things off
-Taking my mom to Las Vegas
-Reading, writing, relaxing
-Running in a relay on the Washington coast
-Taking my sister & best friend to Hawaii
-Hanging out on the Oregon coast with my husband & kids
-Going on a mini vacation with my husband
-Running in a relay with my extended family
-Participating in a big mountain biking event
-Doing an obstacle event with the kids
Apparently, I'll be getting a lot of exercise!
That sounds SO wonderful @MaybeBabyMustache! You aren't going to want the sabbatical to end!
And I thought the power of compounding meant the last miles were meant to be the easiest. My net worth is pretty much exactly what it was 12 months ago despite working and saving. Arrgghh..
The emotional roller coaster continues....
Whilst I am supposedly meant to be FIREing at the end of the year, I don’t really want to have to fire everyone on the way out.
The emotional roller coaster continues....
I was emailed a confidential head office “strategy” paper that is proposing to shut my office. A$$holes.
Whilst I am supposedly meant to be FIREing at the end of the year, I don’t really want to have to fire everyone on the way out.
I'm going to have to take myself off this list due to some unexpected changes affecting my budget for the foreseeable future. Best of luck to all of you taking the leap this year!
Yesterday was my notice day, so while not my official last day, it was my last day of work. My coworkers held a nice party for me and sent me on my way. Got lots of questions about my plans and a lot of incredulous reactions about my retirement (I'm in my early 40's). I didn't even hate my really long commute home last night (normally the bumper to bumper traffic would have had me grinding my teeth). So happy to be done, but I don't think reality has set in yet.
Yesterday was my notice day, so while not my official last day, it was my last day of work. My coworkers held a nice party for me and sent me on my way. Got lots of questions about my plans and a lot of incredulous reactions about my retirement (I'm in my early 40's). I didn't even hate my really long commute home last night (normally the bumper to bumper traffic would have had me grinding my teeth). So happy to be done, but I don't think reality has set in yet.
Yesterday was my notice day, so while not my official last day, it was my last day of work. My coworkers held a nice party for me and sent me on my way. Got lots of questions about my plans and a lot of incredulous reactions about my retirement (I'm in my early 40's). I didn't even hate my really long commute home last night (normally the bumper to bumper traffic would have had me grinding my teeth). So happy to be done, but I don't think reality has set in yet.
I met with my manager yesterday to talk about some issues that came up around my "final project." This project was supposed to be something light and fun, which it was until some of the stakeholders became hostile and combative over who was in charge. I was feeling frustrated and shared this with my manager. I'm going to paraphrase his wonderful response:
"At the end of day Parizade you don't report to them, you report to me, and if it was up to me you wouldn't have to do anything you don't want to do in these last few weeks. In my opinion you should be floating out the door on Cloud 9, not wrestling with hostile stakeholders. So do whatever you want to do now, and I will back you up on it!"
I work remotely so I couldn't give him a hug but I certainly did in my mind! He just gave me permission to float through the last month and I intend to do exactly that.
I met with my manager yesterday to talk about some issues that came up around my "final project." This project was supposed to be something light and fun, which it was until some of the stakeholders became hostile and combative over who was in charge. I was feeling frustrated and shared this with my manager. I'm going to paraphrase his wonderful response:
"At the end of day Parizade you don't report to them, you report to me, and if it was up to me you wouldn't have to do anything you don't want to do in these last few weeks. In my opinion you should be floating out the door on Cloud 9, not wrestling with hostile stakeholders. So do whatever you want to do now, and I will back you up on it!"
I work remotely so I couldn't give him a hug but I certainly did in my mind! He just gave me permission to float through the last month and I intend to do exactly that.
I met with my manager yesterday to talk about some issues that came up around my "final project." This project was supposed to be something light and fun, which it was until some of the stakeholders became hostile and combative over who was in charge. I was feeling frustrated and shared this with my manager. I'm going to paraphrase his wonderful response:
"At the end of day Parizade you don't report to them, you report to me, and if it was up to me you wouldn't have to do anything you don't want to do in these last few weeks. In my opinion you should be floating out the door on Cloud 9, not wrestling with hostile stakeholders. So do whatever you want to do now, and I will back you up on it!"
I work remotely so I couldn't give him a hug but I certainly did in my mind! He just gave me permission to float through the last month and I intend to do exactly that.
On deck for FIRE tomorrow we have dude. How are you doing @dude? Any big plans for tomorrow night after you leave work?
(https://media1.giphy.com/media/l41m6t4KSY8zsUoFi/100.webp?cid=790b76115cd56ff176314f72490ef232&rid=100.webp)
So maybe posting here in this cohort will make it more official, I must keep my word and all that.
Yep -- Give us a date. We'll put you on the list @tooqk4u22 and support and cheer you to the finish line.
I read some of your other posts, and it sounds like you know you're there financially. You're posting here now, so it sounds like you want to FIRE. So go ahead and take the first step -- name a date. You can do it.
ETA -- batsignal out to @markbike528CBX -- the best anti-OMY coach around. :)
@Trifele - I will be officially on sabbatical, by EOD today!
F'ck it, I am out. OMY be damned or in any event it will be later in life if it does happen. I am going to throw caution to the wind and irresponsible F'ck up our lives.
Just finished up the Southern Cal portion (702 miles) of the Pacific Crest Trail and waiting out the snow in the Sierra Nevada for some weeks and hanging out with friends and family in the meantime. I didn't really make any real friends, but the experience has been awesome so far. So much pretty scenery and everyone was so nice, chill, and helpful. It's been challenging, but not overwhelmingly so, I can do 20+ miles a day without any problem at all and I'm not a super hiker or anything. We've been fortunate with the weather too as it's been below average temperature 80%+ of the time. Even on my worst day where there was so much route finding and uphill elevation and it was hot as hell not once did I think "hmm I'd rather be at work" LOL. Been at my parents' place for 24 hours and already miss the trail.
If anybody is even remotely thinking about doing something like this, I say do it, you will not regret it, whether you end up hiking 500 miles or make all the way to Canada.
Congratulations to those in this group that recently pulled the plug or are on the precipice of doing so!!
Its been awhile since I've posted an update, but I've been extremely busy. Since the fall/winter, work has not been going well and I've grown increasingly unhappy/stressed. I got a new manager last year who wants to add a lot to my plate without taking anything away. As my priorities have been changed, the tasks I spent my first 11 years or so here doing (and I feel I'm needed for) have been relegated to the back burner and this has caused some problems and increased my stress level.
I've been planning to pull the plug in late June, but I may need to look at pushing it forward for my sanity. I had just a few financial goals that I wanted to accomplish in 2019 before I pulled the plug- with the biggest being to fully fund my 401k for the year. I've been making good progress there and would be on track to do so by mid June, but if I leave earlier I may not get there (I could come close). To add some complexity to the situation, I'm the only one in my company with a license to perform my specific role in my state and our contract with our client requires they employ a licensed person in the state. My leaving would requiring unwinding a number of things with no replacement ready to pick up the tasks. So I want to give somewhere in the neighborhood of 4-6 weeks notice. However knowing the hiring process around here there's little chance a replacement would be found and in place even with 6 weeks so I won't be able to just smoothly transfer things over to someone else. That's fine, I can leave regardless and just start running through a checklist of shut down items (If it takes longer for a replacement to be brought on board I could offer to come back to train them later- of course only for additional pay!). I'm somewhat torn on moving up my date too much, I really don't want to screw my co-workers by leaving them suddenly and without the proper person on board to help them which could cause problems with our contract, but on the other hand I really want out of here to my freedom.
When I first committed to FIRE during 2019 my job was going relatively smoothly, I just was bored/tired and wanted a change from working so planned an exit. Now the job is worse (at least in my mind). I may have some senioritis- I know I'm leaving soon and I'm checking out and overwhelmed. I need my freedom- and 80 something more days still seems like an eternity when you feel things are not going well and getting worse!
Congratulations to those in this group that recently pulled the plug or are on the precipice of doing so!!
Its been awhile since I've posted an update, but I've been extremely busy. Since the fall/winter, work has not been going well and I've grown increasingly unhappy/stressed. I got a new manager last year who wants to add a lot to my plate without taking anything away. As my priorities have been changed, the tasks I spent my first 11 years or so here doing (and I feel I'm needed for) have been relegated to the back burner and this has caused some problems and increased my stress level.
I've been planning to pull the plug in late June, but I may need to look at pushing it forward for my sanity. I had just a few financial goals that I wanted to accomplish in 2019 before I pulled the plug- with the biggest being to fully fund my 401k for the year. I've been making good progress there and would be on track to do so by mid June, but if I leave earlier I may not get there (I could come close). To add some complexity to the situation, I'm the only one in my company with a license to perform my specific role in my state and our contract with our client requires they employ a licensed person in the state. My leaving would requiring unwinding a number of things with no replacement ready to pick up the tasks. So I want to give somewhere in the neighborhood of 4-6 weeks notice. However knowing the hiring process around here there's little chance a replacement would be found and in place even with 6 weeks so I won't be able to just smoothly transfer things over to someone else. That's fine, I can leave regardless and just start running through a checklist of shut down items (If it takes longer for a replacement to be brought on board I could offer to come back to train them later- of course only for additional pay!). I'm somewhat torn on moving up my date too much, I really don't want to screw my co-workers by leaving them suddenly and without the proper person on board to help them which could cause problems with our contract, but on the other hand I really want out of here to my freedom.
When I first committed to FIRE during 2019 my job was going relatively smoothly, I just was bored/tired and wanted a change from working so planned an exit. Now the job is worse (at least in my mind). I may have some senioritis- I know I'm leaving soon and I'm checking out and overwhelmed. I need my freedom- and 80 something more days still seems like an eternity when you feel things are not going well and getting worse!
Back with an update- and things have certainly changed since the last update. My new manager abruptly resigned- he left for another position (yeah!). The company also brought in a new VP of our department (leadership has basically turned over almost completely which is a good thing). The new VP (who so far has said all the the right things and been listening to the team) began discussions with me about promoting me to answer directly to him and giving me leeway to design the job (there is one thing I would be asked to take on, but other items seem flexible). Although I was torn about whether to even engage in a discussion given my impending FIRE goal, I decided it wouldn't hurt to have dialogue to see if there was a fit. I had previously aspired to get promoted to a role such as what is being discussed 4-5 years ago, but had mostly given up on the idea and focused attention on my current job and preparing for FIRE. Nothing like a late 11th hour possible change of plans. And no, I had not announced a retirement date or even hinted at my plans. I've been keeping that close to the vest.
The discussions are still ongoing, but won't be finalized until mid to late June at the earliest. I have a couple of must have items on the list if I'm going to agree to stay that I won't get into here. This decision is not primarily a financial one however. It's great to have leverage of course, but the downside if I take the promotion is that I probably won't FIRE this year, and would need to push it out to next year at the earliest- or longer if I actually like the new job a lot and want to stay. For now I'm leaving 2019 on the table but I'm going to let this process play out before a final decision. That means earliest possible FIRE date is now late July for me, but probably shouldn't commit to a date at this point until I know more (I should probably move to date TBD for now).
It was a long weekend and I felt anxious. I coud barely sleep with second guessing myself, I'm exhausted today. Keeping the emotions in check is hard, I developed a nervous twitch in my eye that's bugging me incessantly.
On deck this week we have @Prairie Stash who is set to pull the trigger on Friday. How are you doing PS? Last minute jitters, or can't wait to run out that door?
Yesterday I spent time with my older daughter, I went for an hour walk in the afternoon. We talked about whatever was on her mind while we held hands. It was nothing really, normal stuff, but that's what I want the most. Over the years I've become very good at my job which tends to keep me away from human interactions, I stare at computers far too much. I want to feel connected to people, in just a few days it's all going to change.
Hi everyone. I'm joining this cohort today. And today I gave my notice.
I've been doing the OMY thing a bit to get my numbers up and had some planned mini-retires along the way, but it is time.
Now I will have to decide if I want to work P/T or just rip the band-aid off altogether. My employer will likely ask me to carry on a while. I think it makes sense and can always use the benefits cushion to postpone decisions about health insurance. That's PLAN B.
Of course, if negotiation doesn't go that way, it's PLAN A, FI date: July 8.
PS--I've enjoyed reading everyone's stories while lurking here in the background...
Hi everyone. I'm joining this cohort today. And today I gave my notice.
I've been doing the OMY thing a bit to get my numbers up and had some planned mini-retires along the way, but it is time.
Now I will have to decide if I want to work P/T or just rip the band-aid off altogether. My employer will likely ask me to carry on a while. I think it makes sense and can always use the benefits cushion to postpone decisions about health insurance. That's PLAN B.
Of course, if negotiation doesn't go that way, it's PLAN A, FI date: July 8.
PS--I've enjoyed reading everyone's stories while lurking here in the background...
Thanks for the check in @Luck12! Updates like that are a breath of pure, fresh air -- and a peek through the window into the possibilities of FIRE.
On deck this week we have @Prairie Stash who is set to pull the trigger on Friday. How are you doing PS? Last minute jitters, or can't wait to run out that door?
This week we also have @tooqk4u22, who may be setting him/herself on FIRE today and handing in a resignation. How are you doing?
Thanks for the check in @Luck12! Updates like that are a breath of pure, fresh air -- and a peek through the window into the possibilities of FIRE.
On deck this week we have @Prairie Stash who is set to pull the trigger on Friday. How are you doing PS? Last minute jitters, or can't wait to run out that door?
This week we also have @tooqk4u22, who may be setting him/herself on FIRE today and handing in a resignation. How are you doing?
I resigned on Monday, they didn't accept it though (not that it matters), but they are trying to think of some alternatives that might make it more palatable for me...we will see but my guess is it ends they way I intended.
I resigned on Monday, they didn't accept it though (not that it matters), but they are trying to think of some alternatives that might make it more palatable for me...we will see but my guess is it ends they way I intended.
It's definitely a surprise, but I feel lucky I have the emotional bandwidth right now to help him with this, vs being caught in my own work stress vortex. Also, super grateful we've made a lot of other conservative financial decisions that give us a lot of flexibility.
I've been FIREd just over 2 months now, and it has been great! The best is getting to yoga 5-6 days a week, and I've also enjoyed lots of cooking, and playing games. I've finished up all of the home projects that I avoided over the past two years, and it feels good to have them done. That being said.... I do feel a bit restless. I've had a couple of offers to do some part time consulting, and each time they come up I get happy and excited. I haven't committed to anything, and I want to see how the summer goes with some out of state trips as well as visitors coming here for a few weeks. I also have jury duty at the end of the summer - I've never done it before, and doing it without worrying about work sounds great.
Anyway, I'm curious... anyone else ever feel restless?
The best is getting to yoga 5-6 days a week...
This is what I'm looking forward to most, having adequate time for self-care for the first time in decades.
Anyway, I'm curious... anyone else ever feel restless?
I resigned on Monday, they didn't accept it though (not that it matters), but they are trying to think of some alternatives that might make it more palatable for me...we will see but my guess is it ends they way I intended.
Wait, what? I'm trying to imagine how this went:
tooqk4u22 - Hey boss, I resign. My last day will be <whenever>
boss - No, you're not quitting.
tooqk4u22 - um, yes I am.
boss - Nah, I'm pretty sure you be here after <whenever>
In all seriousness, if I remember your prior posts correctly you have plenty to FIRE but due to family obligations and the same fears most of us have you've been trying to hold out longer and longer. Eventually you got fed up and decided you were done. Is it possible that they can fix the things that pushed you over the edge? I know that once I decided I was done I only got more confident in that decision. Now that I'm out and waiting to hear about my first consulting gig I'm dreading going back - even though it's a great opportunity.
Anyway, I'm curious... anyone else ever feel restless?
As @SwordGuy said, I think there are many different types of restlessness, depending on what you feel is lacking. I have definitely NOT felt any restlessness or longing for my former work. I HAVE however felt a lot of physical restlessness. I have more energy now that I'm not sitting at a desk job all day, and I can exercise as much as I want to scratch that itch. I feel great.
Another type of restlessness is the travel bug. When I first FIREd in January I had no desire to travel anywhere and just focused on getting my fitness back and working around the house/garden. But now four months in, the travel bug is back. We're going to Europe in the fall -- can't wait! I'm having so much fun planning the details.
@Half Stached, if consulting makes you feel happy and excited, go for it. But as @PhilB and others would say, beware the slippery slope of part time work. It can be tricky to manage that at a small level where you get the fun, but none of the stress or encroachment on the rest of your life.
This is what I'm looking forward to most, having adequate time for self-care for the first time in decades.
+1
Yeah it kind of went like that. In their court to see if there are alternatives - doubt it but i appreciate the effort and will listen if they do come up with something.
Summer off, part time/remote work structure upon return could be appealing option to help me ease into FIRE transition.
But like you, since giving my resignation I have been relaxed and at ease and even less interested in the BS (if that was even possible). On the other hand i have actually been pretty busy at work this week with a bunch of the stuff I like - if I could work in more of that and less of the BS (probably not possible) and the other stuff above I could see OMY.
For now, as far as I am concerned I am out!
I can't believe that after next week, going to work ever again will be completely optional for me!You're out of the woods, you're out of the dark, you're out of the night,
Yeah it kind of went like that. In their court to see if there are alternatives - doubt it but i appreciate the effort and will listen if they do come up with something.
Summer off, part time/remote work structure upon return could be appealing option to help me ease into FIRE transition.
But like you, since giving my resignation I have been relaxed and at ease and even less interested in the BS (if that was even possible). On the other hand i have actually been pretty busy at work this week with a bunch of the stuff I like - if I could work in more of that and less of the BS (probably not possible) and the other stuff above I could see OMY.
For now, as far as I am concerned I am out!
That's awesome - it's good to know you're valued enough that they'll try to work with you to fix things that suck at work just to keep you. Congrats - that's what FIRE-money plus the skills, talent, and reputation you've built up buy you. You have done the hard work of getting to a stage in life where you can choose to either live free as you choose or your company will make work so much better that you choose to stay there instead of FIRE. Pretty awesome!
I found that I was really engaged my last 2 weeks as I tried to transition everything. However, my first 4 (!) weeks of FIRE have been so great that I'm dreading the potential call to support a project for 6-8 weeks as I previously agreed to. I can't go back on the commitment I made because I couldn't live with myself for breaking it and I really like the people I'd be working with. But I really wish I had just broken free completely. Your situation is different than mine, but I would recommend that if they offer something like the summer off that you make it clear you might not be back. I feel like I'm living in the alternative universe where Dr. Doom (livingAFI) didn't get on the treadmill in this post - https://livingafi.com/2015/03/22/quitters-never-win-except-when-they-do-33/.
I love the Wizard of Oz analogy -- so many of us stay locked in too long to jobs we don't love doing any more, but once we step into FIRE and pull back that curtain we see that all the doom and awe and fear we had of the Wizard (status, or money or whatever is keeping us from taking action) was just some small timid part of ourselves pulling frantically on some cleverly hidden levers.
Today is my last day, 15 years of memories are flooding back. I'm a little sad they didn't meet my contract price to stay on a bit longer, it would have been a slower release. Now that the day is here I feel out of sorts. I spent an hour last night cleaning paper files, I started when paper files were a big thing, it was cool seeing some of the fun stuff I did over the years; I had forgotten some of it so it all came flooding back.
In the last couple weeks I've received some nice accolades from my clients, I never realized people took much note of me. Hearing what people thought of me and having people go out of their way was humbling. At work I was fairly burnt out and getting all this positive feedback is really nice, in a weird way if I had known what people thought a year or two ago I probably would have stayed on longer, a lot of my reasons for leaving were morale issues (having a stash was my stress relief).
Damn, but it's good to see all those folks on the confirmed list!
Hello all. Yes that is right, I am in the final stages.
Thanks so much you guys for advice on signing up for Obamacare which I have set to kick in July 1. With subsidy, the monthly premium for a high deductible silver plan is $134.
The plan as it stands now is my house sale would close June 12 according to an accepted offer and I will work two days after closing. I have vacation approved for the last two weeks of June, so I plan on giving my boss the obligatory 2 week notice of termination right before I leave on the last day. That way I don't have to explain I'm retiring to everybody.
Unfortunately there is a catch: I am not at all sure my sale will go through because the house buyer is trying to get a USDA direct loan that has all kinds of opaque requirements and these were not spelled out in the offer and every week I am asked to complete some repair or update. For instance, replace a perfectly fine water heater because it might fail in five years due to its age. I would repair these things myself but the Feds want only licensed contractors and logistics of getting the contractors here within required time frame, with copies of invoices and the miscommunications between Feds and realtors is proving comical and maddening. Buyers has a zero money down 33 year loan at 3.25% interest which makes me think it's too good to be true also although I assume PMI would be required.
So, I am trying to preparing myself psychologically for huge disappointment on the home sale and to work a few more months until house sells finally. My next step after June 12 was gonna be to move into a two flat apartment building I own and start renovating it. If my house fails to sell as I anticipate I will unfortunately probably cash in some old, rather high paying I-bonds in order to start renovating before I move to the apartment. So it wouldn't be 100% terrible, since I wouldn't have to live inside a demolition and construction zone when I retire.
Hello all. Yes that is right, I am in the final stages.
Thanks so much you guys for advice on signing up for Obamacare which I have set to kick in July 1. With subsidy, the monthly premium for a high deductible silver plan is $134.
The plan as it stands now is my house sale would close June 12 according to an accepted offer and I will work two days after closing. I have vacation approved for the last two weeks of June, so I plan on giving my boss the obligatory 2 week notice of termination right before I leave on the last day. That way I don't have to explain I'm retiring to everybody.
Unfortunately there is a catch: I am not at all sure my sale will go through because the house buyer is trying to get a USDA direct loan that has all kinds of opaque requirements and these were not spelled out in the offer and every week I am asked to complete some repair or update. For instance, replace a perfectly fine water heater because it might fail in five years due to its age. I would repair these things myself but the Feds want only licensed contractors and logistics of getting the contractors here within required time frame, with copies of invoices and the miscommunications between Feds and realtors is proving comical and maddening. Buyers has a zero money down 33 year loan at 3.25% interest which makes me think it's too good to be true also although I assume PMI would be required.
So, I am trying to preparing myself psychologically for huge disappointment on the home sale and to work a few more months until house sells finally. My next step after June 12 was gonna be to move into a two flat apartment building I own and start renovating it. If my house fails to sell as I anticipate I will unfortunately probably cash in some old, rather high paying I-bonds in order to start renovating before I move to the apartment. So it wouldn't be 100% terrible, since I wouldn't have to live inside a demolition and construction zone when I retire.
Big group potentially ready to burst into flames this week:
-- @Odiedog859 who I think just did a long backpacking trip to burn up his last PTO. (nice)
-- @Livingthedream55 who can't wait to go "work optional." Woo!
-- @Dibdab is in the final planning stages, working to get on the Exchange and sell his house.
-- And @SamIAm38 was a May maybe, evaluating a job offer that could turn skinny FIRE to chubby.
How are you all doing?
Big group potentially ready to burst into flames this week:
-- @Odiedog859 who I think just did a long backpacking trip to burn up his last PTO. (nice)
-- @Livingthedream55 who can't wait to go "work optional." Woo!
-- @Dibdab is in the final planning stages, working to get on the Exchange and sell his house.
-- And @SamIAm38 was a May maybe, evaluating a job offer that could turn skinny FIRE to chubby.
How are you all doing?
Dibdab has bumped his date out a couple weeks. @Odiedog859, @Livingthedream55, and @SamIAm38 -- any update?
Exciting items Odiedog. Nicely done.Several members are Euro expats/immigrants @Exflyboy being first to mind. There must be a thread(s) on relevant subjects somewhere here.
In my neck of the woods, the expected has happened, and megacorp has offered me a transfer. It’s to the to the US. Philly specifically. I’ve never been to eastern US, just the west coast, Montana, Wyoming, Alaska and Hawaii.
Philly is a long way from home and a long way from FIRE, but I’ll have to think about the proposal. Could be fun for a couple of years I suppose.
I’ll fly to Megacorp HQ in 3 weeks to discuss. I am still not ready to confess to my true FIRE ambitions to my employer, so are playing along.
I wish I was at 110% and not 90% of my desired stash.... even even a tad more than 110% will be awesome and put to good use.
I have lots of questions about expat life in the US. Im not sure if this forum is a decent place to pose my questions.
Exciting items Odiedog. Nicely done.Several members are Euro expats/immigrants @Exflyboy being first to mind. There must be a thread(s) on relevant subjects somewhere here.
In my neck of the woods, the expected has happened, and megacorp has offered me a transfer. It’s to the to the US. Philly specifically. I’ve never been to eastern US, just the west coast, Montana, Wyoming, Alaska and Hawaii.
Philly is a long way from home and a long way from FIRE, but I’ll have to think about the proposal. Could be fun for a couple of years I suppose.
I’ll fly to Megacorp HQ in 3 weeks to discuss. I am still not ready to confess to my true FIRE ambitions to my employer, so are playing along.
I wish I was at 110% and not 90% of my desired stash.... even even a tad more than 110% will be awesome and put to good use.
I have lots of questions about expat life in the US. Im not sure if this forum is a decent place to pose my questions.
I've only been to Philly 3 to 5 times in my life, even though I grew up about 120 miles away in rural Central PA.
Anti-OMY alert- You do realize, that over the course of FIRE, that your stache is likely to vary by MORE than 10%? Unless your "number" is bare skeleton, you've got lots of wiggle room. FIRE now, FIRE FOREVER.
However, if someone was to pay me to work overseas again, I might consider it. The per diem and or pay would have to be really good though. Paid repatriation or spousal visit flights would be great too.
Thanks for the comments
I’d have no intention of staying in the US long term. It would just be a couple of years. We look forward to the day we return to Australia.
If we went to the US my company would pay my rent, so it would be an ok deal financially. Maybe not as good as my current deal in The UAE (due to no tax), but still better than anything I would ever have earned back in Oz....
But it is true that any money we earn from now is just for luxuries. So i would be a OMY victim/ perpetrator.
For me to the US for a few years is just taking the opportunity to add a further life experience, amd a few extra $ in the bank as a side effect is not the worst thing in the world.
Damn, but it's good to see all those folks on the confirmed list!
HAHAHA! That was my retirement quote! DH even cross stitched it for me and I put it our the door of our adventure planning room!!! He even did the A Team A :).
Damn, but it's good to see all those folks on the confirmed list!
HAHAHA! That was my retirement quote! DH even cross stitched it for me and I put it our the door of our adventure planning room!!! He even did the A Team A :).
This is fabulous! I picture a world map covering one entire wall with strings pinned in it here and there, lockers full of exotic gear for things like wingsuit gliding, and a bank of computers for checking weather and flight schedules . . .
Damn, but it's good to see all those folks on the confirmed list!
HAHAHA! That was my retirement quote! DH even cross stitched it for me and I put it our the door of our adventure planning room!!! He even did the A Team A :).
This is fabulous! I picture a world map covering one entire wall with strings pinned in it here and there, lockers full of exotic gear for things like wingsuit gliding, and a bank of computers for checking weather and flight schedules . . .
Actually it is a wall sized map of the US (as DH doesn't fly so most of our together travels are in the US). It is being filled with pins of various colors to denote things we do all over. The other wall is covered with 4 years of future wall calendars for planning. Computer, memorabilia, etc. :D.
Damn, but it's good to see all those folks on the confirmed list!
HAHAHA! That was my retirement quote! DH even cross stitched it for me and I put it our the door of our adventure planning room!!! He even did the A Team A :).
This is fabulous! I picture a world map covering one entire wall with strings pinned in it here and there, lockers full of exotic gear for things like wingsuit gliding, and a bank of computers for checking weather and flight schedules . . .
Actually it is a wall sized map of the US (as DH doesn't fly so most of our together travels are in the US). It is being filled with pins of various colors to denote things we do all over. The other wall is covered with 4 years of future wall calendars for planning. Computer, memorabilia, etc. :D.
Four those travelers who don't have a big wall, take a picture for your desktop/ home page from http://www.gcmap.com/mapui
Damn, but it's good to see all those folks on the confirmed list!
HAHAHA! That was my retirement quote! DH even cross stitched it for me and I put it our the door of our adventure planning room!!! He even did the A Team A :).
This is fabulous! I picture a world map covering one entire wall with strings pinned in it here and there, lockers full of exotic gear for things like wingsuit gliding, and a bank of computers for checking weather and flight schedules . . .
Actually it is a wall sized map of the US (as DH doesn't fly so most of our together travels are in the US). It is being filled with pins of various colors to denote things we do all over. The other wall is covered with 4 years of future wall calendars for planning. Computer, memorabilia, etc. :D.
Four those travelers who don't have a big wall, take a picture for your desktop/ home page from http://www.gcmap.com/mapui
You and your fancy technology ;).
Also CONGRATS @Livingthedream55 and @MoMan. Thanks for keeping us informed.
I'm out of here! Well, I'll stop by here once in a while but shutting down the computer, password updating complete :-) Had a nice low key breakfast get together with the rest of the department.
What to do first....Oh, that's already decided......
And just like that, JUNE IS HERE! Can you believe it?
How are you doing, June folks?? Just a few days left! :)
Last day is June 12th. Always nice to leave after a down month for the markets, I am sure there is more to come - oh well, I will be enjoying my summer.
Last day is June 12th. Always nice to leave after a down month for the markets, I am sure there is more to come - oh well, I will be enjoying my summer.
Congrats on setting the date @tooqk4u22! Got you added above for next week. ^ (No worries about the down market; if I recall your numbers correctly you were at 100% on cfiresim. The calculators take into account the ups and downs of the markets.) Yes! It will be a mega-fine summer. :)
And congrats on your milestones @markbike528CBX! How has your first FIRE year been?
I've been reluctant to join this thread because I've been "one more year"-ing for at least 5 years. But DH has given notice to his management that he is retiring in July...and I am wrapping up what may be my final transaction this month. So feel free to add me to the July list!
I've been reluctant to join this thread because I've been "one more year"-ing for at least 5 years. But DH has given notice to his management that he is retiring in July...and I am wrapping up what may be my final transaction this month. So feel free to add me to the July list!
I've been reluctant to join this thread because I've been "one more year"-ing for at least 5 years. But DH has given notice to his management that he is retiring in July...and I am wrapping up what may be my final transaction this month. So feel free to add me to the July list!
Wow!! That's an amazing story. See you in Hanoi/SE Asia in fall/winter 2020!!
Congrats Moose-like person!
At 29 and 27, you're like me, there's no downside to retiring now, since you could easily go back, and you have decades of time to cover off issues, by making tiny incremental changes to either income, returns, or simply consuming less. Nice pension Payouts?
Welcome @RichMoose. Glad you joined us and I am really happy to see some public service representation at the early ages. It can be done and you did it!!
Loren
Welcome @RichMoose and congratulations on achieiving FIRE at such a young age.
Out of curioisity, since i've been vaguely following your blog, (too technical for me), would index funds have gotten your to fire at the same speed?
Howdy, @Trifele!
Can't share too many details here just yet, but I'm still on target.
Howdy, @Trifele!
Can't share too many details here just yet, but I'm still on target.
We're all rooting for you. Just don't be this guy...
So Fellow 2019-ers— what did you tell people when you left your employer?Lotsa possible answers:
QuoteSo Fellow 2019-ers— what did you tell people when you left your employer?
stay tuned for edits, this is my not-so-sober take on it.
QuoteSo Fellow 2019-ers— what did you tell people when you left your employer?Lotsa possible answers:
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/post-fire/do-any-of-you-flat-out-lie-about-keeping-a-job/
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/am-i-obligated-to-tell-friends-about-my-fire-plans/
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/do-you-tell-people/
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/what-would-you-tell-your-19-year-old-self/
stay tuned for edits, this is my not-so-sober take on it.
So Fellow 2019-ers— what did you tell people when you left your employer?
Snakes-in-the-Grass/Beth
Hello All,
I have been lurking on this thread for many months — and am finally ready to join in the fun!
Hello All,
I have been lurking on this thread for many months — and am finally ready to join in the fun!
...snip...
So Fellow 2019-ers— what did you tell people when you left your employer?
Snakes-in-the-Grass/Beth
To all the lurkers reading this: Maybe you know you have enough money, but are struggling to pull the trigger. Maybe you've been OMYing for a while. Maybe you're scared, but desperate to taste that freedom. Well, come on in here! Whether you need help stepping through the door, or just someone to celebrate with you on the other side, we're your crew!
I've been pretty vocal at work since late last year that I was going to retire in June. I've actually been annoying my co-workers by counting down the weeks lol. I have been considering it motivation for retirement planning for the early career folks. I have a federal government job, so I push the younger employees about TSP contributions and discuss the different investment funds like I wish someone had done for me when I started. Education is key.
The plan as it stands now is my house sale would close June 12 according to an accepted offer and I will work two days after closing. I have vacation approved for the last two weeks of June, so I plan on giving my boss the obligatory 2 week notice of termination right before I leave on the last day. That way I don't have to explain I'm retiring to everybody.Is the 2 week notice really obligatory? If not, seems like you are playing semantics. In reality you look like you are giving no notice as the company/co-workers wont have time to properly off-board you. Obviously, there are no repercussions if you are planning on leaving the industry for good but I would think about your relationship with co-workers/friends. I had a co-worker just do this (he's moving to California so didn't care about burning bridges). Just seemed like a lack of respect for the teammembers having to pick up the work.
The plan as it stands now is my house sale would close June 12 according to an accepted offer and I will work two days after closing. I have vacation approved for the last two weeks of June, so I plan on giving my boss the obligatory 2 week notice of termination right before I leave on the last day. That way I don't have to explain I'm retiring to everybody.Is the 2 week notice really obligatory? If not, seems like you are playing semantics. In reality you look like you are giving no notice as the company/co-workers wont have time to properly off-board you. Obviously, there are no repercussions if you are planning on leaving the industry for good but I would think about your relationship with co-workers/friends. I had a co-worker just do this (he's moving to California so didn't care about burning bridges). Just seemed like a lack of respect for the teammembers having to pick up the work.
The plan as it stands now is my house sale would close June 12 according to an accepted offer and I will work two days after closing. I have vacation approved for the last two weeks of June, so I plan on giving my boss the obligatory 2 week notice of termination right before I leave on the last day. That way I don't have to explain I'm retiring to everybody.Is the 2 week notice really obligatory? If not, seems like you are playing semantics. In reality you look like you are giving no notice as the company/co-workers wont have time to properly off-board you. Obviously, there are no repercussions if you are planning on leaving the industry for good but I would think about your relationship with co-workers/friends. I had a co-worker just do this (he's moving to California so didn't care about burning bridges). Just seemed like a lack of respect for the teammembers having to pick up the work.
If I were the company, I would unapprove the vacation, so that you would be present those 2 weeks, for some transfer of routines to your co-workers.
Sorry for a rambling post, but today was an eventful day at the office. It did not go as planned and I have a lot to report.
I decided to tell my boss about my plans today as we had a meeting where they were relevant. But he dived right in to the meeting and so I addressed each point he raised without feeling it was the right time to mention my news. The feeling of nervousness in my stomach getting stronger and stronger as the meeting progressed. And then when he was done with all his points, I awkwardly told him that I have enrolled in a carpentry program starting in September which would require me to leave the job. I still don't feel 100% certain about my decision, although I'm 95-99% sure I will go through with leaving (I do really love my boss and coworkers!!). While I said I was leaning towards leaving, I think I left him with the impression that I was much less decided than I am. Not my finest hour. He wants me to give him my final decision ASAP.
Subsequently, and unrelated, I learned later this afternoon that I am being sent on business travel for two non-consecutive five day/four night trips in July. This in addition to my previously scheduled vacation for a week in July. This is a far greater amount of travel than I normally experience. (And I live alone and have a cat that currently needs medicine 2X per day, ugh! gonna be expensive!) I had been toying with making August 2 my last day in the office to allow a month off before starting the program, however now I will be out of town on business travel that week/day. I don't want my last day to be a day when I'm out of the office.
Tentative last day: August 9?
In addition to previously planned business travel and vacation, this would mean I have 35 work days remaining, 22 of which would be in the office-- Yikes!
Well, I just finished drafting my resignation letter, so I guess I'm part of the club!
Sorry for a rambling post, but today was an eventful day at the office. It did not go as planned and I have a lot to report.
I decided to tell my boss about my plans today as we had a meeting where they were relevant. But he dived right in to the meeting and so I addressed each point he raised without feeling it was the right time to mention my news. The feeling of nervousness in my stomach getting stronger and stronger as the meeting progressed. And then when he was done with all his points, I awkwardly told him that I have enrolled in a carpentry program starting in September which would require me to leave the job. I still don't feel 100% certain about my decision, although I'm 95-99% sure I will go through with leaving (I do really love my boss and coworkers!!). While I said I was leaning towards leaving, I think I left him with the impression that I was much less decided than I am. Not my finest hour. He wants me to give him my final decision ASAP.
Subsequently, and unrelated, I learned later this afternoon that I am being sent on business travel for two non-consecutive five day/four night trips in July. This in addition to my previously scheduled vacation for a week in July. This is a far greater amount of travel than I normally experience. (And I live alone and have a cat that currently needs medicine 2X per day, ugh! gonna be expensive!) I had been toying with making August 2 my last day in the office to allow a month off before starting the program, however now I will be out of town on business travel that week/day. I don't want my last day to be a day when I'm out of the office.
Tentative last day: August 9?
In addition to previously planned business travel and vacation, this would mean I have 35 work days remaining, 22 of which would be in the office-- Yikes!
Welcome @Home Stretch! Got you added to the list. You are joining a few other 30-ish year old FIRE-ees here in the cohort -- well done. What's your plan for after?
07/03/19 Miss Piggy
07/03/19 Miss Piggy
I am confirmed. Gave notice. May stay on for some part-time/consulting hours, but my time in the FTE world is almost over.
Well, I just finished drafting my resignation letter, so I guess I'm part of the club!
Welcome @Home Stretch! Got you added to the list. You are joining a few other 30-ish year old FIRE-ees here in the cohort -- well done. What's your plan for after?
God you updated to August 9 @jfer_rose! Congrats on firming up the plans. It can get nerve wracking at the end; just keep putting one foot in front of the other.
And we're waiting for news from these 4 folks to see if we can mark them confirmed:
06/12/19 @tooqk4u22
06/14/19 @Dibdab (56)
06/15/19 @okonomiyaki (49)
06/15/19 @2Birds1Stone (32)
I've been pretty vocal at work since late last year that I was going to retire in June. I've actually been annoying my co-workers by counting down the weeks lol. I have been considering it motivation for retirement planning for the early career folks. I have a federal government job, so I push the younger employees about TSP contributions and discuss the different investment funds like I wish someone had done for me when I started. Education is key.It must be bizarre spending your last weekend as an employed person. Somehow, the Sunday night stress won't be so stressful when it's the last working week of your life! Congrats.
I only have 5 work shifts left! My actual last day of work is June 19, technically retiring on June 29. There have been some comments on how happy I seem about it!
Last day at office 21Jun - last official day of employment 30Jun. Plans for next 12 months agreed with partner...
Last day at office 21Jun - last official day of employment 30Jun. Plans for next 12 months agreed with partner...
Excellent! Thanks for the check in @okonumiyaki. Got you updated^. You and @Parizade have only 5 days to go!!!
It must be bizarre spending your last weekend as an employed person. Somehow, the Sunday night stress won't be so stressful when it's the last working week of your life! Congrats.
I only have 5 work shifts left! My actual last day of work is June 19, technically retiring on June 29. There have been some comments on how happy I seem about it!
@tooqk4u22 -- How did it go yesterday? Did you wrap up?
And how are you doing @Dibdab, @okonomiyaki, and @2Birds1Stone ? Is tomorrow still your last day?
@tooqk4u22 -- How did it go yesterday? Did you wrap up?
Actually 6/10 was my last day so I am basically one week in. It has gone fast and busier than I expected, mostly my doing and a good thing and I haven't been on a computer since then until now (had to pay some bills). So far so good. Main issue is my projects list keeps growing in number and my ideas are tending toward "way above my skill set"
Welp, I just gave my notice this morning. It went more smoothly than I ever could have expected. Manager/CEO were both very chill about it. Everyone is very understanding and people have been coming by to wish me well and ask where I'm going (to which I respond "I'm taking some time off").
As I said in my last comment, I don't have much to hand off, so we discussed when my last day would be. I was originally hoping for Wednesday, but now I'm seeing it will take at least 2 days just to properly get the paperwork together and hand everything off without putting an undue burden on HR or IT, which I would never want to do (I get along great with them). So, to make things easy on everyone we have decided officially that my last day will be this Friday, June 21st.
So, @Trifele - you can update the list! Can't wait to join everyone else who has made the leap in 2019!
@tooqk4u22 -- How did it go yesterday? Did you wrap up?
Actually 6/10 was my last day so I am basically one week in. It has gone fast and busier than I expected, mostly my doing and a good thing and I haven't been on a computer since then until now (had to pay some bills). So far so good. Main issue is my projects list keeps growing in number and my ideas are tending toward "way above my skill set"
Wow! CONGRATULATIONS!!! Got you confirmed above. I hear you on the projects, haha. After a while, you wonder how we ever had time to work full time.
By the way, I have to ask: how do you 'read' your user name? When I see it, part of my brain reads "too quick for you", but sometimes it looks like "toque" and "tutu", which would be an interesting outfit lol.
Congratulations @RichMoose, I'm right behind you. I'll be turning in my badge and computer on Thursday.
Congratulations RichMoose, I'm right behind you. I'll be turning in my badge and computer on Thursday.Awesome! If you don't mind sharing, what's your service?
My service? Megacorp lackey lol. I'm turning in my security badge, no more access to corporate hq.Haha! I guess in my world we make assumptions about badges. Police, fire, paramedics, military, etc.
But thank you for your service :-)
I was thinking about that the other day @Trifele when I saw this thread
How do you motivate yourself to work 1,000 more days? (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/how-do-you-motivate-yourself-to-work-1-000-more-days/)
I did a search to see what I was posting about 1000 days ago, apparently motivation was not a problem for me. I had some major family issues going on at the time so that was a distraction, but it certainly didn't lessen my motivation.
I'm dismantling my home office today and making the 2 hour trek up to the cities. I'll be staying there with a friend tonight and dropping off most of my equipment before the office party tomorrow. I'll hold onto my laptop another day so I can respond to any last minute farewell emails, but I certainly won't be using it for work.
It's all getting very real now.
Yooooooo, 2019 Cohort peeps! Figured I'd check in since I cast off the shackles 41 days ago. Retirement is fucking grand! Went to Hawaii for 2 weeks (week in Maui, week on the Big Island), now been back a couple weeks. Haven't set an alarm clock for well over a month now, and I love it. Getting ready for a 3-week intermountain west (CO/UT/WY) climbing trip in a few weeks, then coming home for a couple weeks before heading back out west for 3-4 weeks (WY/Vegas/SoCal) for some jiu jitsu and surfing. Beyond that, who knows? Been filling my days with lots of working out, running, climbing, and jiu jitsu. This FIRE deal is as good as I'd fantasized it would be! Git some!
c'mon over @Loren Ver, they sent the leftovers home with me
@Trifele - you can confirm me for the date that's currently on the group list for me: July 3. (You had asked about that a page or two ago.) Thank you for managing this list/thread/group! :)
I'm in kind of a bittersweet mental space right now. I love my teammates; my boss is pretty good; the work is mostly okay; but I absolutely effing HATE thecultcompany. So happy to be ending the daily grind of wanting to put a sharp stick in my eye instead of walking into that building.
@Trifele - you can confirm me for the date that's currently on the group list for me: July 3. (You had asked about that a page or two ago.) Thank you for managing this list/thread/group! :)
I'm in kind of a bittersweet mental space right now. I love my teammates; my boss is pretty good; the work is mostly okay; but I absolutely effing HATE thecultcompany. So happy to be ending the daily grind of wanting to put a sharp stick in my eye instead of walking into that building.
That is only a week and a half from now. :-) Sounds like you really meed to quit there.
It is very often the company and it's rules and culture. The people you work with are often the best part of a job, apart from a few exceptions, but they all have to comply with the company BS.
It is very often the company and it's rules and culture. The people you work with are often the best part of a job, apart from a few exceptions, but they all have to comply with the company BS.
Put the sharp stick down @Miss Piggy, you're almost there.
All retirement celebrations are done now, I'll be getting on a plane to Seattle in a few hours. I don't think I'm really feeling it yet, letting go of the "gotta work" mindset might take me awhile.
I think I'm out guys. Wasn't feeling completely comfortable with the idea of stopping work completely to fire, and not comfortable staying at this routine. I need a larger nest egg to support the life I'd like to live.Congrats! Sounds like a great opportunity. I would not feel pressured to FIRE at all. If a good opportunity like this comes up, it might be the motivation you need to get a new wind in your working life (and maybe your personal life as well). It is always nice to know that if things don't work out you have a healthy nest egg to back things up and you can walk away stress free.
I liked the sabbatical idea but a job came up that seems really interesting. 15% more money, flexibility in where I can live, less hours, weekends off and a different type of position within my field. It's been fun in the 2019 cohort but I guess I'll find a new cohort home.
My future employer said I can start when I'm ready. How long of a gap between this employer and starting with them is acceptable? I was thinking of asking for 4-5 weeks off between jobs but I'm not sure if i'm pushing it, or I could get away with more.
Wish me luck, 2 weeks notice in 3 days....
I think I'm out guys. Wasn't feeling completely comfortable with the idea of stopping work completely to fire, and not comfortable staying at this routine. I need a larger nest egg to support the life I'd like to live.
I liked the sabbatical idea but a job came up that seems really interesting. 15% more money, flexibility in where I can live, less hours, weekends off and a different type of position within my field. It's been fun in the 2019 cohort but I guess I'll find a new cohort home.
My future employer said I can start when I'm ready. How long of a gap between this employer and starting with them is acceptable? I was thinking of asking for 4-5 weeks off between jobs but I'm not sure if i'm pushing it, or I could get away with more.
Wish me luck, 2 weeks notice in 3 days....
Checking in after a few days on the other side. IT IS GLORIOUS.
I've been waking up around the same time as I did before (7am), but now I fill my mornings with productive activities. So far, I've been making super-healthy breakfasts, delicious coffee, and then going for 30-minute high-intensity bike rides. I take a good hour to cool down (still in pretty garbage physical condition), then I take a shower and make lunch. Every day so far this week I've had stuff scheduled with my close friends and/or ex-coworkers, so I'm certainly not wanting for more socialization. Bought a new game for 80% off on a Steam sale, but haven't even had time to play it that much because I've been so busy living my actual life.
How the hell did I ever have time to live my life before I left my full-time job? Oh wait, I wasn't...
How the hell did I ever have time to live my life before I left my full-time job? Oh wait, I wasn't...
That sounds very fun @Trifele, have a wonderful time.
I had a "work" dream last night, the Sr VP of my department gave me an assignment to research and map out all the best restaurants in Dublin. I accepted the project LOL
Congrats to all who have crossed the finish line-- I'm super jealous! Now that it's July, I can finally say, "I'm retiring next month." (Loren Ver-- my official date is 08/30).
It's fun as word slowly seeps out to colleagues. Two of them found out yesterday during a meeting. It's also fun to hear of the projects and changes that are coming up in my department that I willmissavoid. What a relief. One change is reconstructing our floor. Hurricane Harvey damaged all the buildings on our campus, so now MegaCorp is taking the opportunity to revamp every floor. It means getting rid of the 5 foot tall cubes and replacing them with lower "open workspace" cubes. Right now my space is fairly secluded, and people tend to forget I exist (which is heaven for my introvert personality). Not sure I can handle "open."
Since we are allowed to work from home 2 days a week, I figure I have about 20 commute/cubicle days left after factoring in vacations and holidays. It's getting closer ... so excited!
Checking in after 3 months of FIRE...great to see our list of confirmed cohorts growing!
I don't know if this feeling of elation continues forever, but I don't know if I have ever been happier than I have the last 3 months. Sleeping better, low stress, physical exercise and lots of time with family. We are on the east coast and just spent 10 days in the PNW. Beautiful!!
2019 FIRE Cohort:I'm from the 2022 cohort, but decided to go early and do some part time work. If this group want to count that for posterity and encouragement for others, my date is 9/14/2019.
2019 FIRE Cohort:I'm from the 2022 cohort, but decided to go early and do some part time work. If this group want to count that for posterity and encouragement for others, my date is 9/14/2019.
Thanks to @Parizade @SwordGuy and @Trifele for your comments. Loved the GIF for sure. As you may know, it's a bit of a fragile time until the dust settles. I will be using COBRA nonetheless to get me to 2021 if possible. This is happening.July 8th is tomorrow, my stated FIRE date from May 2019 when I posted my alternative plans depending on my employer's cooperation. I'm going with a glide path plan of several months of part-time work (half-time) with some mixed feelings. This will enable me to keep my benefits to the end of the year and I'll sign up for one of the exchange health insurance plans during open enrollment for 2020 and by accepting this offer of part-time work, I maintain these options to step away: resign and keep my insurance for 18 additional months, or become "retired" from my employer (which does not offer much in the way of benefits). I'm FIRE today, age 57, not super-early RE, but beating my original objective of 60 by three years, so I'm grateful.
I'm FIRE today, age 57, not super-early RE, but beating my original objective of 60 by three years, so I'm grateful.
Hey there 2019 companions. One month in and it is going great. Like others have said, it is hard to believe I had time to work. For example, this is the first chance I've had to check on this forum since May.
I do find that I need to set a few strong guidelines so I don't waste time needlessly. The dogs don't get the retirement thing so I'm still up everyday early but I like mornings. I try to work on something that needs to be fixed around the house everyday and I try to get out and do something to stay in shape (lots of options here where I live). Who knew that if you play golf at least twice a week, you start getting better. Our local course has a great deal on a season pass that I finally get to take full advantage of. The big snowpack has also resulted in higher than normal river levels and we have had a lot of swiftwater rescue calls that I can now help out with (I volunteer with the local fire department).
I know it can't last but it doesn't hurt to see the markets still doing well and my savings continuing to increase while I'm not working for a salary anymore. I did stop by the office last week for a co-workers birthday party and it was great catching up with folks. A few noticed the continuous smile I had
Glad I made the jump and fully embraced the concept of enough. I could have easily been a chronic OMY person.
I'm FIRE today, age 57, not super-early RE, but beating my original objective of 60 by three years, so I'm grateful.
Congrats - and 10 years earlier than your SS full retirement age of 67.
2019 FIRE Cohort:
07/??/19 Dire Wolf
Congratulations @Eric
I love your slow travel / nomadic plans. My wife and I have a home base, but we still hope to slow travel 4-5 months per year.
Following your blog / Instagram account now. Have fun!
2019 FIRE Cohort:
07/??/19 Dire Wolf
Notice given at work, 7/26 to be my last day!
Hi All,
Just thought I would throw an update out. I am still following the 2019 cohort and hesitating to climb over the fence to fire myself. I know here is not the place to discuss it, but I am struggling with all the irrational unknowns of fire and the fact that for me it really appears/feels like once I make that committment to leave it is a one way street in my career and I can't really go back. Standing at the fence, I worry that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. That and I believe I am also suffering from a Stockholm syndrome like situation in my job but thats hard to see clearly when I'm in the middle of it.
Still hoping for this year...Congratulations to everyone who has made it!
We planned to stay for 3 nights but stayed for a week instead. Thanks retirement!
Sugar mountain and forward -
We are using COBRA for the first 18 months since that was less expensive than ACA because we don't qualify for subsidies. After that, we will look at ACA again. If too expensive, one of us will work again briefly at a fun job and ride out COBRA for another 18 months.
...
We are far more likely to die than to outlive our stash.
We planned to stay for 3 nights but stayed for a week instead. Thanks retirement!
LOVE this! Best line of the day.
s
Hi All,
Just thought I would throw an update out. I am still following the 2019 cohort and hesitating to climb over the fence to fire myself. I know here is not the place to discuss it, but I am struggling with all the irrational unknowns of fire and the fact that for me it really appears/feels like once I make that committment to leave it is a one way street in my career and I can't really go back. Standing at the fence, I worry that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. That and I believe I am also suffering from a Stockholm syndrome like situation in my job but thats hard to see clearly when I'm in the middle of it.
Still hoping for this year...Congratulations to everyone who has made it!
Glad to know I'm not the only one. My current date in the 2019 list is August 1st. That's probably not going to happen. Today was actually the day I was going pull the trigger and give notice but I didn't. Next regularly scheduled opportunity is in a couple of weeks. I was originally going to quit last year, but got talked into staying with a new lower stress role. Just haven't quite wrapped my mind around giving up what right now is pretty easy money. That coupled with the current uncertainty around ACA and as you said "Stockholm Syndrome" have made me hesitant.
Hi All,
Just thought I would throw an update out. I am still following the 2019 cohort and hesitating to climb over the fence to fire myself. I know here is not the place to discuss it, but I am struggling with all the irrational unknowns of fire and the fact that for me it really appears/feels like once I make that committment to leave it is a one way street in my career and I can't really go back. Standing at the fence, I worry that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. That and I believe I am also suffering from a Stockholm syndrome like situation in my job but thats hard to see clearly when I'm in the middle of it.
Still hoping for this year...Congratulations to everyone who has made it!
s
Hi All,
Just thought I would throw an update out. I am still following the 2019 cohort and hesitating to climb over the fence to fire myself. I know here is not the place to discuss it, but I am struggling with all the irrational unknowns of fire and the fact that for me it really appears/feels like once I make that committment to leave it is a one way street in my career and I can't really go back. Standing at the fence, I worry that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. That and I believe I am also suffering from a Stockholm syndrome like situation in my job but thats hard to see clearly when I'm in the middle of it.
Still hoping for this year...Congratulations to everyone who has made it!
Glad to know I'm not the only one. My current date in the 2019 list is August 1st. That's probably not going to happen. Today was actually the day I was going pull the trigger and give notice but I didn't. Next regularly scheduled opportunity is in a couple of weeks. I was originally going to quit last year, but got talked into staying with a new lower stress role. Just haven't quite wrapped my mind around giving up what right now is pretty easy money. That coupled with the current uncertainty around ACA and as you said "Stockholm Syndrome" have made me hesitant.
I am only a month into FIRE and its been great. If you go back and read my posts you will see that I had a lot of fear/anxiety about making the decision (there were probably a thousand reasons - markets, spending, healthcare, kids costs escalating, family, expectations, having to be a cashier if it doesn't work and so and so on). Because I am only a month in I can't tell if its greener on this side or not for the long term or how it will work out, but I have really enjoyed the last month and personally I am really really surprised how easy the transition was (I think it helps that it is summer) - I thought I would have that initial ""What did I do?" or "What will I do?".
I said to DW last week "How did I have time for a job?" and it has been all social or family fun with some chores - I haven't touched the bigger project lists that I had planned to come out of the gate with. I feel so much better and not stressed at the moment. I am also now doing light exercise and walking 4-6 miles a day most days.
This only another anecdotal perspective and is not meant to push you. You have to do what's right for you including how you feel about it, only you can decide.
I said to DW last week "How did I have time for a job?" and it has been all social or family fun with some chores - I haven't touched the bigger project lists that I had planned to come out of the gate with. I feel so much better and not stressed at the moment. I am also now doing light exercise and walking 4-6 miles a day most days.
s
Hi All,
Just thought I would throw an update out. I am still following the 2019 cohort and hesitating to climb over the fence to fire myself. I know here is not the place to discuss it, but I am struggling with all the irrational unknowns of fire and the fact that for me it really appears/feels like once I make that committment to leave it is a one way street in my career and I can't really go back. Standing at the fence, I worry that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. That and I believe I am also suffering from a Stockholm syndrome like situation in my job but thats hard to see clearly when I'm in the middle of it.
Still hoping for this year...Congratulations to everyone who has made it!
Glad to know I'm not the only one. My current date in the 2019 list is August 1st. That's probably not going to happen. Today was actually the day I was going pull the trigger and give notice but I didn't. Next regularly scheduled opportunity is in a couple of weeks. I was originally going to quit last year, but got talked into staying with a new lower stress role. Just haven't quite wrapped my mind around giving up what right now is pretty easy money. That coupled with the current uncertainty around ACA and as you said "Stockholm Syndrome" have made me hesitant.
I am only a month into FIRE and its been great. If you go back and read my posts you will see that I had a lot of fear/anxiety about making the decision (there were probably a thousand reasons - markets, spending, healthcare, kids costs escalating, family, expectations, having to be a cashier if it doesn't work and so and so on). Because I am only a month in I can't tell if its greener on this side or not for the long term or how it will work out, but I have really enjoyed the last month and personally I am really really surprised how easy the transition was (I think it helps that it is summer) - I thought I would have that initial ""What did I do?" or "What will I do?".
I said to DW last week "How did I have time for a job?" and it has been all social or family fun with some chores - I haven't touched the bigger project lists that I had planned to come out of the gate with. I feel so much better and not stressed at the moment. I am also now doing light exercise and walking 4-6 miles a day most days.
This only another anecdotal perspective and is not meant to push you. You have to do what's right for you including how you feel about it, only you can decide.
Hi All,
Just thought I would throw an update out. I am still following the 2019 cohort and hesitating to climb over the fence to fire myself. I know here is not the place to discuss it, but I am struggling with all the irrational unknowns of fire and the fact that for me it really appears/feels like once I make that committment to leave it is a one way street in my career and I can't really go back. Standing at the fence, I worry that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. That and I believe I am also suffering from a Stockholm syndrome like situation in my job but thats hard to see clearly when I'm in the middle of it.
Still hoping for this year...Congratulations to everyone who has made it!
Just keep in mind that if you have slightly set you budget too low, or the stockmarket tanks, a barista type of job will provide you with the funds that you need. You don't need to go back to your current position and income.
If you go back and read my posts you will see that I had a lot of fear/anxiety about making the decision (there were probably a thousand reasons - markets, spending, healthcare, kids costs escalating, family, expectations, having to be a cashier if it doesn't work and so and so on).
I said to DW last week "How did I have time for a job?" and it has been all social or family fun with some chores - I haven't touched the bigger project lists that I had planned to come out of the gate with. I feel so much better and not stressed at the moment. I am also now doing light exercise and walking 4-6 miles a day most days.
DH and I had a big project we wanted to do when we got back from vacation. Instead we decided to build a little library. Our neighborhood doesn't have any and we have wanted to build one for years. The first coat of paint is drying right now. It should be ready to place by Monday :D.
How did we have time for a job indeed!
Loren
Hi All,
Just thought I would throw an update out. I am still following the 2019 cohort and hesitating to climb over the fence to fire myself. I know here is not the place to discuss it, but I am struggling with all the irrational unknowns of fire and the fact that for me it really appears/feels like once I make that committment to leave it is a one way street in my career and I can't really go back. Standing at the fence, I worry that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. That and I believe I am also suffering from a Stockholm syndrome like situation in my job but thats hard to see clearly when I'm in the middle of it.
Still hoping for this year...Congratulations to everyone who has made it!
Just keep in mind that if you have slightly set you budget too low, or the stockmarket tanks, a barista type of job will provide you with the funds that you need. You don't need to go back to your current position and income.
Thanks for the reminder Linea_Norway. The irrational side of my brain says 'who in their right mind would hire me as a barista?'
I'm getting there slowly, you all are keeping me on track.
If barista is too high pressure, how about receptionist? Think you can answer phones and say hi to people?
When I was 18 and had my Chevy Citation packed to the gills on the way to college, I still remember the fantastic feeling of looking in my rearview mirror with the certain knowledge that I was moving on to better things. The feeling as I zipped away from work on my fun little moped today was not nearly as strong, but very similar. But this is probably a product of being a tempered 47 year old versus a cheeky 18 year old.. Early retirement confirmed.
When I was 18 and had my Chevy Citation packed to the gills on the way to college, I still remember the fantastic feeling of looking in my rearview mirror with the certain knowledge that I was moving on to better things. The feeling as I zipped away from work on my fun little moped today was not nearly as strong, but very similar. But this is probably a product of being a tempered 47 year old versus a cheeky 18 year old.. Early retirement confirmed.
Hey y'all, just got back from our camping trip (first vacation since FIREing in January). It was fabulous. Remember when we were kids, and summers seemed to last forever, and time was slow? It was like that. It was different than any other vacation I've had in the past thirty years. My brain slipped into this wonderful sideways relaxed/high-focus mode. We did loads of hiking, swimming, and kayaking, but then I could also contentedly sit for hours, just quietly observing one thing, then another. Maybe this is what 'vacations' are like when you don't have a job you have to go back to? Jayz, that was good. As @Eric would say -- "Thanks, retirement" haha. I was so dang relaxed by the end of it, it was kind of a shock to get back into the car and have to focus on operating a motor vehicle. I didn't think FIRE could be any better than our at-home life, but folks there's another level, if you sprinkle in a little travel.
Big thanks to @Loren Ver for taking over for a couple weeks (while she was on her own vacation!) :) Congrats to those who recently FIREd and to those who are on the fence, go for it!
I deleted my LinkedIn account today! Not sure why exactly, but I hesitated to cut that tie . . . But it feels great! Like a post-FIRE rite of passage.
I read on another thread where someone kept their account but updated their status to "RETIRED, HAHAHAHA!"
I deleted my LinkedIn account today! Not sure why exactly, but I hesitated to cut that tie . . . But it feels great! Like a post-FIRE rite of passage.
I read on another thread where someone kept their account but updated their status to "RETIRED, HAHAHAHA!"
Woo Hoo!
Mine is listed as Retired Scientist :). I tried to change the company information, but Linkedin likes actually companies and it wasn't worth my effort to figure out.
LV
I deleted my LinkedIn account today! Not sure why exactly, but I hesitated to cut that tie . . . But it feels great! Like a post-FIRE rite of passage.
I read on another thread where someone kept their account but updated their status to "RETIRED, HAHAHAHA!"
I deleted my LinkedIn account today! Not sure why exactly, but I hesitated to cut that tie . . . But it feels great! Like a post-FIRE rite of passage.
I read on another thread where someone kept their account but updated their status to "RETIRED, HAHAHAHA!"
In LinkedIn format "Congrats Trifele"
I had to log in to see what my LnkedIn says, I am a Gentleman of Leisure at Independent Consultant.
I've gotten anniversary Congrats for this "position".
I deleted my LinkedIn account today! Not sure why exactly, but I hesitated to cut that tie . . . But it feels great! Like a post-FIRE rite of passage.
I read on another thread where someone kept their account but updated their status to "RETIRED, HAHAHAHA!"
In LinkedIn format "Congrats Trifele"
I had to log in to see what my LnkedIn says, I am a Gentleman of Leisure atIndependent ConsultantLeisure Personified.
I've gotten anniversary Congrats for this "position".
Love this!
Dead man walking.
Most conversations either start or end with "so how many days left?"
For @DireWolf and @Lews Therin, who are on their final march to freedom this week . . .
(https://media3.giphy.com/media/thNsW0HZ534DC/200.webp?cid=790b76115d3606704964626b6b1a9212&rid=200.webp)
08/01/19 SugarMountain
Thanks for the check ins @Omy and @SugarMountain -- got you updated. ^^^
Thanks for the check ins @Omy and @SugarMountain -- got you updated. ^^^
Please put me down for end of August. I do plan to keep my biz going because I do what I want when I want, and I enjoy it. =-D
We may have a project come through that would positively impact our situation. If/when that happens, I may reconsider my business decision.
Thanks for the check ins @Omy and @SugarMountain -- got you updated. ^^^
Please put me down for end of August. I do plan to keep my biz going because I do what I want when I want, and I enjoy it. =-D
We may have a project come through that would positively impact our situation. If/when that happens, I may reconsider my business decision.
Got you moved from 6/30 to 8/31
Thanks for the greeting- as several of you are aware, it’s a “mixed blessing”. But I plan to make good use of my unexpected freedom! First, the surgery and recovery.
at 70-80% SR (Like yours) Every years is above 10% NW.
Don't get bogged down by watching the money accumulate (especially if you're happy with current expense levels)
(I think I get to comment, since i'm the other one at the same NW level. (500k)
at 70-80% SR (Like yours) Every years is above 10% NW.
Don't get bogged down by watching the money accumulate (especially if you're happy with current expense levels)
(I think I get to comment, since i'm the other one at the same NW level. (500k)
You're right, but since I'm in two player mode now, running the #'s through https://engaging-data.com/will-money-last-retire-early/ or firecalc.....
Quit now - 46% chance of success (5.5% withdrawal rate)
Quit 3/30/2020 - 66% chance of success (5.1% withdrawal rate)
Either one is a risk, but the chance of success improves by nearly 50% in 8 months.
Yup!
Thought at 32 years old, we definitely don't plan on never earning any income again.
Our spending is in the $35-36k/yr range as a couple, so even PT work every other year for 6 months can increase our success rate drastically.
Add me to the list! FIRING the end of the week.
I was able to FIRE about 3 years ago, but my dream job opportunity came up working at a super hot company (which shall remain nameless) with the "dream team." I had high hopes of doing great things with my heroes... But, guess what? It turned out to be toxic. I did it for all the right reasons, and I saw it through, but now I'm done. After 30 years of working, I am done.
Time is the only currency we have.
I went to part time a few years ago. Going the rest of the way in two weeks. I gave my notice today! FIRE date 2019-08-08.
Rough first day... signed my release paperwork at 8AM, followed sailing with friends, free ice cream, replacing a backpack with a larger, nicer and higher quality one at the exact same price, and then biking back home.
Left home at 0730, returned at 1445. 2h30 of biking.
Not something I could have done in a day if I had to work!
Welcome @iluvzbeach ! Got you added.
By the way y'all -- in addition to being by far the coolest FIRE cohort, we are the second biggest as well. So far this year we are running just a bit behind 2018's numbers of FIRE-ees. If a few more folks add their name to the list we can stand forever at the top of the FIREy mountain with our hands raised in exultant victory haha!!
Welcome @iluvzbeach ! Got you added.
By the way y'all -- in addition to being by far the coolest FIRE cohort, we are the second biggest as well. So far this year we are running just a bit behind 2018's numbers of FIRE-ees. If a few more folks add their name to the list we can stand forever at the top of the FIREy mountain with our hands raised in exultant victory haha!!
@DirtDiva and @couponvan - you are both real reminders for all of us that we may not in fact have 30, 40, or 50 years ahead of us post-FIRE. I'm sorry that you are both going through that right now! I had a little scare earlier this year that turned out okay, but if it went the other way, I certainly would have left work immediately to focus on spending as much time with my family and doing the things I wanted to do while I could (progression and treatment allowing of course).
At a year out from first surgery/start of treatment, this is the summer of FUN....MMM meets YOLO. I figure if I am alive next year (planning on it!) I will go back to conservative spending me. For now, I am living the best life, and it’s good. Spain for Spring Break, new house in May, California in June, Alaska/Seattle cruise in July, Illinois lake cottage in August, and then California again in September. Not working makes all of this travel and fun possible. I thank my past self a lot for her frugal ways!@DirtDiva and @couponvan - you are both real reminders for all of us that we may not in fact have 30, 40, or 50 years ahead of us post-FIRE. I'm sorry that you are both going through that right now! I had a little scare earlier this year that turned out okay, but if it went the other way, I certainly would have left work immediately to focus on spending as much time with my family and doing the things I wanted to do while I could (progression and treatment allowing of course).
That's the bitch of it. Now I finally have the time, but treatment is going to make it impossible to do the things I want, at least for a few months as I recover from surgery.
At least I have plenty of time to spend with family and friends.
Congrats @xbdb that is wonderful. I hope your ex-co-workers sent you off right!!
Welcome to the cohort @mowine, we are always happy to bring in more FIRE-achievers, as we are the coolest and most welcoming cohort ;).
Hey, can I be retroactively added to this cohort?
I quit/retired on May 17, I didn't have an exact date planned much in advance. A couple of weeks before I did the deed I felt a very strong persistent urge to leave and never take up paid work again -was just sick of the commute and repetitive work. So I did it, and now spend my time with my daughters, my dog, and on the many trails in the neighborhood.
Life is good!
In other news, I have just agreed to extend my one-day-a-week, term-time-only gig with my old employer out to 1 July 2020. Does this mean that I am both OLY and OMY I wonder?
And bat signal out to the rest of our July potentials:
07/??/19 @Thedividebyzero (45)
07/??/19 @Mathieu
07/??/19 @Miss Piggy
Any updates?
And bat signal out to the rest of our July potentials:
07/??/19 @Thedividebyzero (45)
07/??/19 @Mathieu
07/??/19 @Miss Piggy
Any updates?
I am confirmed 7/3/2019.
And bat signal out to the rest of our July potentials:
07/??/19 @Thedividebyzero (45)
07/??/19 @Mathieu
07/??/19 @Miss Piggy
Any updates?
I am confirmed 7/3/2019.
Congrats @Miss Piggy ! Got you CONFIRMED.^ How was your first month?
Congrats @Miss Piggy ! Got you CONFIRMED.^ How was your first month?
Thanks! Awesome so far. But why am I still so busy??!!
Ironically, on a trip to Florida to celebrate, I was banned from the forum, presumably due to an IP address issue at the hotel. So my first month included NO reading/posting on the forum. I got to a point that I was okay with the withdrawal, but in all honesty, I really did miss y'all!
Congrats @Miss Piggy ! Got you CONFIRMED.^ How was your first month?
Thanks! Awesome so far. But why am I still so busy??!!
Ironically, on a trip to Florida to celebrate, I was banned from the forum, presumably due to an IP address issue at the hotel. So my first month included NO reading/posting on the forum. I got to a point that I was okay with the withdrawal, but in all honesty, I really did miss y'all!
Ha! We forgive you for abandoning us during your time of celebration if you were banned. But in the future if you are to be banned, you should do something more exciting than having an IP issue :).
Congrats @Miss Piggy ! Got you CONFIRMED.^ How was your first month?
Thanks! Awesome so far. But why am I still so busy??!!
Ironically, on a trip to Florida to celebrate, I was banned from the forum, presumably due to an IP address issue at the hotel. So my first month included NO reading/posting on the forum. I got to a point that I was okay with the withdrawal, but in all honesty, I really did miss y'all!
Ha! We forgive you for abandoning us during your time of celebration if you were banned. But in the future if you are to be banned, you should do something more exciting than having an IP issue :).
Excellent point, @Loren Ver. And one I shall keep in mind for future banning opportunities! ;)
Shout out to @jfer_rose. Are you still on track for tomorrow? Last time you dropped by things were terrible in the office, and you were tentatively planning to FIRE August 9. How are you doing?
Shout out to @jfer_rose. Are you still on track for tomorrow? Last time you dropped by things were terrible in the office, and you were tentatively planning to FIRE August 9. How are you doing?
I'm having trouble believing that when I walk out of work tomorrow, I won't need to go back on Monday! I was able to rectify my clumsy notice situation. I had my exit interview yesterday and my going away lunch is today. I felt quite a bit of guilt about leaving my job since it is one that attempts to make the world a better place, and I am passionate about what we do. But I have been blown away at how excited my coworkers and colleagues have been about my new plans! Almost everyone has expressed envy. I should explain, I haven't told anyone I am retiring, I have been saying that I am leaving to complete a full-time carpentry-related program at the local community college.
I have 3 weeks off before my classes start. It's a 1-year program and I couldn't be more excited. No idea what comes after that! Also, as a symbol of my escape from professionaldom I am dying my hair purple this weekend (something I had long wanted to do but lacked the guts to try).
As an aside, my boss actually mentioned MMM to me since I gave notice. I think maybe he has been on to me since my boyfriend early-retired 2 years ago. I neither confirmed nor denied. Teehee!!!
Hey guys,
Sorry for abandoning you all. Here's an update. My wife and I quit on 4/19, but needed to get rid of all of our stuff besides what would fit in the car and be gone from our apartment by 4/30. The main stressors were trying to make sure that all of our stuff ended up with people who would use it instead of in a landfill. And we tried to balance that process with the fact that we were still living there during that time, so we still wanted a bed to sleep on and a TV to watch at the end of the day and things like that. That process was grueling and I'm soooo glad it's over.
From there, we loaded up the car with our remaining belongings and went camping for about a month as we drove from California back to the Chicago area. Highlight was definitely the Moab Utah area (https://bonusnachos.com/moab-rocks/), including Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. We planned to stay for 3 nights but stayed for a week instead. Thanks retirement!
Then we spent about a month visiting with friends and family in the Midwest before getting on a plane for Bangkok at the end of June. We just spent two weeks here in Bangkok and will be leaving for the Gulf of Thailand and Koh Phangan tomorrow for some island time.
I kind of thought the retirement thing would really hit me when we got on the plane for Thailand, but it's turning out to be more of a gradual change than a switch that flips. This still kind of feels like a long vacation, although since we know it's long, we're taking our time getting over jetlag, will sit around for a day if needed, and am generally cooking at home still instead of eating out too much. We've seen some sights, but mostly are just going at it pretty slowly and not worrying too much about packing in a bunch of activities, figuring it will work itself out. And if we miss something, well, we'll be back at some point.
All in all, it's been going pretty good so far. I'm happy to be in SE Asia and we've got the next ~2 months planned (2 weeks on Koh Phangan, 2 weeks on Koh Samui, 2 weeks in Phuket, 2 weeks in Siem Reap, Cambodia). So now we just get to enjoy amazing produce at ridiculously cheap prices, hot weather, and leisurely breakfasts.
Eric
Yooooooo, 2019 Cohort peeps! Figured I'd check in since I cast off the shackles 41 days ago. Retirement is fucking grand! Went to Hawaii for 2 weeks (week in Maui, week on the Big Island), now been back a couple weeks. Haven't set an alarm clock for well over a month now, and I love it. Getting ready for a 3-week intermountain west (CO/UT/WY) climbing trip in a few weeks, then coming home for a couple weeks before heading back out west for 3-4 weeks (WY/Vegas/SoCal) for some jiu jitsu and surfing. Beyond that, who knows? Been filling my days with lots of working out, running, climbing, and jiu jitsu. This FIRE deal is as good as I'd fantasized it would be! Git some!
Shout out to @jfer_rose. Are you still on track for tomorrow? Last time you dropped by things were terrible in the office, and you were tentatively planning to FIRE August 9. How are you doing?
I'm having trouble believing that when I walk out of work tomorrow, I won't need to go back on Monday! I was able to rectify my clumsy notice situation. I had my exit interview yesterday and my going away lunch is today. I felt quite a bit of guilt about leaving my job since it is one that attempts to make the world a better place, and I am passionate about what we do. But I have been blown away at how excited my coworkers and colleagues have been about my new plans! Almost everyone has expressed envy. I should explain, I haven't told anyone I am retiring, I have been saying that I am leaving to complete a full-time carpentry-related program at the local community college.
I have 3 weeks off before my classes start. It's a 1-year program and I couldn't be more excited. No idea what comes after that! Also, as a symbol of my escape from professionaldom I am dying my hair purple this weekend (something I had long wanted to do but lacked the guts to try).
As an aside, my boss actually mentioned MMM to me since I gave notice. I think maybe he has been on to me since my boyfriend early-retired 2 years ago. I neither confirmed nor denied. Teehee!!!
Coming to the finish line today we have @seattlecyclone. Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Put me down as CONFIRMED, and feel free to put down my age.
This morning I achieved my personal best on the office pinball machine. Then I went out to a nice farewell lunch with my team, packed up my personal belongings, turned in my laptop and badge, and came home a retired man.
Huge congrats, @seattlecyclone! What an amazing accomplishment and at 34, no less! I’m just a few months behind you but am 15 years your senior at age 49. Had I been smarter, I would have handled my 20s and early 30s much differently and I’d be done already. I love reading about folks who started out on the right foot and achieved FIRE at such a young age. Congrats again, enjoy every freaking moment of FUREd life.
so I plan to come in to the office the next morning with a severe hangover, hand in my badge and laptop and make a 180 degree exit back to bed.
so I plan to come in to the office the next morning with a severe hangover, hand in my badge and laptop and make a 180 degree exit back to bed.
You got to admire a MoMan with a plan! Congratulations...
I'm bumping to 2019 from the 2020 group. My last day in the matrix is planned for 11/21 when my RSUs vest. From there it will be on to watching Jerry Springer reruns with Cheetos on the couch then straight to the nursing home!
Looking forward to hearing all of the stories about ACA and commiserating on market performance. I'll be 39 and have a 3.3% withdraw rate due to a planned expiration year of 2080+.
My last day in the matrix is planned for 11/21
I'm bumping to 2019 from the 2020 group. My last day in the matrix is planned for 11/21 when my RSUs vest. From there it will be on to watching Jerry Springer reruns with Cheetos on the couch then straight to the nursing home!
Looking forward to hearing all of the stories about ACA and commiserating on market performance. I'll be 39 and have a 3.3% withdraw rate due to a planned expiration year of 2080+.
Its bizarre to think that when I started investing 20 years ago, I was in mutual funds with a 2%+ expense fee.
@Trifele My job isn't that bad and most people would think I'm crazy for walking away but I've come to a point in life where time is more valuable than money and I fortunately have enough money. The most regretful scenario for me is the thought of looking back when I'm 80 and realizing I spent most of my time typing shit into a computer and sitting in meetings rather living true to myself and with family.
@Trifele My job isn't that bad and most people would think I'm crazy for walking away but I've come to a point in life where time is more valuable than money and I fortunately have enough money. The most regretful scenario for me is the thought of looking back when I'm 80 and realizing I spent most of my time typing shit into a computer and sitting in meetings rather living true to myself and with family.
A-men. I hit that point when I was 48. It was suddenly crystal clear to me then that I valued the time far more than the money, and that I wanted out of work as fast as possible. I put the hammer down on savings and sprinted for the FIRE finish line. cFIREsim says I've got a 96% chance of success . . . honestly I would have pulled the trigger with lower odds than that. Time is all we have.
Because we don't know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, an afternoon that is so deeply a part of your being that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four, five times more, perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps 20. And yet it all seems limitless.”
Question to the group of 2019 fire cohorts that have already retired and are doing roth conversions:
How are you handling health insurance? We will be eligible for ACA/obamacare and will have some investment income in retirement, however, I also want to start doing roth conversions to get those sweet tax free investment returns. My concern is this is going to push us over the ACA subsidies limit.
Should we go balls to the wall with roth conversions up to the tax free income amount and pay full insurance or try to limit income/roth conversion and get as much ACA subsidies as possible?
SIAP!
Thanks
Shout out to the rest of our August folks -- @MoMan, @Gerard, @oldtoyota, and @Omy. How are you all doing? Still on track for the end of this month?
Shout out to the rest of our August folks -- @MoMan, @Gerard, @oldtoyota, and @Omy. How are you all doing? Still on track for the end of this month?
Settled my final transaction today...I'm done!
I decided last night on Oct. 1. I’m planning to give notice on Sept. 18 when some stocks vest, then my last day of work will be Oct. 1 so that health insurance is covered through the end of October.
It’s all coming together... and yes, the senioritis is strong
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Settled my final transaction today...I'm done!
09/14/19 @Classical_Liberal (43)
Hey muh Nineteen peeps, been a while.
I think I am about to re-join the ranks of the unemployed.
I left my very stressful job April 5th as per the glorious FIRE plan and then went to work later that month at a place I used to work years prior in an effort to transition and SWAMI my way into a retirement.
I shifted from a high power boss type to more of a technical analyst, but it is a salaried role rather than something hourly and has a decent paycheck. Unfortunately I have been there 4 months and it is boring beyond all hell. There is a struggle because the person who is supposed to be training me is a passive aggressive dude who told me flat out, "No one taught me anything here, I had to figure it out for myself" and then proceeded to not teach me anything there. Every bit of knowledge I have gained has been painfully acquired. It was clear that he did not want me to be the successful candidate for this job, he wanted a buddy of his, but they could not meet the salary requirements. The fact that I easily figured out that I was not his first choice should tell you everything about how he treated me after I arrived.
But, the goals of transitioning are being met for the most part-- I have enjoyed not carrying a company cell phone and the extension of medical insurance as well as a paycheck, though it is much smaller than I was making before. I am still saving a ton of dough even with the dramatically reduced income. I decided that I would stay a year so as not to be a jerk about things but knew that if things continued how they are I would not be making any long term career out of this.
Today my boss and I had our regular 1:1 session and she said she could tell I was not happy. I explained (again, because I have been saying it to her since my second week there) that I was not getting the training I needed and was frustrated but I was sorry I was not hiding it better. She encouraged me to take a promotion where my skill set and leadership experience would be better used. I declined and emphasized that I purposefully downshifted to this role in order to build a life that was not driven by work. After a few moments we developed some ideas on how I could find a path forward and we agreed.
She then ham-handedly turned the topic to my hours. She said she noticed I only worked 7 hours a day and I really need to work 8.
I quit.
She freaked out. She refused to accept my resignation.
It was fairly dramatic but I explained that I have been working the exact same hours as the rest of the group, I am a salaried individual, and furthermore I asked more than once when I got on board what the deal was and it was agreed I was fine. I had just spent 40 minutes going through how I was struggling with getting necessary training from a guy who refuses to provide it and to move to a discussion about my HOURS of all things was just too much. I told her I simply can't take that and therefore I quit. She told me to sleep on it and let her know Monday.
So I will confirm with her Monday that I am really BYEEEEE.
Am I missing something? I simply can't think of one reason to stay other than l am bummed I will have to go out to the health exchange. Thoughts?
Damn, I have missed you.
And for the following folks that haven't checked in lately, how are you doing?
10/01/19 @SnakesintheGrass (55)
Hey muh Nineteen peeps, been a while.
I think I am about to re-join the ranks of the unemployed.
I left my very stressful job April 5th as per the glorious FIRE plan and then went to work later that month at a place I used to work years prior in an effort to transition and SWAMI my way into a retirement.
I shifted from a high power boss type to more of a technical analyst, but it is a salaried role rather than something hourly and has a decent paycheck. Unfortunately I have been there 4 months and it is boring beyond all hell. There is a struggle because the person who is supposed to be training me is a passive aggressive dude who told me flat out, "No one taught me anything here, I had to figure it out for myself" and then proceeded to not teach me anything there. Every bit of knowledge I have gained has been painfully acquired. It was clear that he did not want me to be the successful candidate for this job, he wanted a buddy of his, but they could not meet the salary requirements. The fact that I easily figured out that I was not his first choice should tell you everything about how he treated me after I arrived.
But, the goals of transitioning are being met for the most part-- I have enjoyed not carrying a company cell phone and the extension of medical insurance as well as a paycheck, though it is much smaller than I was making before. I am still saving a ton of dough even with the dramatically reduced income. I decided that I would stay a year so as not to be a jerk about things but knew that if things continued how they are I would not be making any long term career out of this.
Today my boss and I had our regular 1:1 session and she said she could tell I was not happy. I explained (again, because I have been saying it to her since my second week there) that I was not getting the training I needed and was frustrated but I was sorry I was not hiding it better. She encouraged me to take a promotion where my skill set and leadership experience would be better used. I declined and emphasized that I purposefully downshifted to this role in order to build a life that was not driven by work. After a few moments we developed some ideas on how I could find a path forward and we agreed.
She then ham-handedly turned the topic to my hours. She said she noticed I only worked 7 hours a day and I really need to work 8.
I quit.
She freaked out. She refused to accept my resignation.
It was fairly dramatic but I explained that I have been working the exact same hours as the rest of the group, I am a salaried individual, and furthermore I asked more than once when I got on board what the deal was and it was agreed I was fine. I had just spent 40 minutes going through how I was struggling with getting necessary training from a guy who refuses to provide it and to move to a discussion about my HOURS of all things was just too much. I told her I simply can't take that and therefore I quit. She told me to sleep on it and let her know Monday.
So I will confirm with her Monday that I am really BYEEEEE.
Am I missing something? I simply can't think of one reason to stay other than l am bummed I will have to go out to the health exchange. Thoughts?
Damn, I have missed you.
Unfortunately I have been there 4 months and it is boring beyond all hell. There is a struggle because the person who is supposed to be training me is a passive aggressive dude who told me flat out, "No one taught me anything here, I had to figure it out for myself" and then proceeded to not teach me anything there.
Last day is 9/12, confirmed. I'm semi-RE in that I'll still work intermittent contract work for my old employer
Thanks everyone. You are right, it is obvious this is just done. Once I put a button on things I will tell you how it ends and will put it in the Epic FU thread. I will spend some time today and tomorrow figuring out how to gracefully exit but honestly I just want to tell her that she better look for someone who actually needs this job so they will have a higher tolerance for the crap. Trick-or-treating my way around the entire floor to get answers that could well be provided by a fellow sitting 3 feet off my right elbow is such bullshittery that I simply won't but up with it. I have digested it overnight into 3 simple points.
Per my boss:
- I am not happy and everyone can see this (this is horrifying to me that I am somehow poisoning my team, I can't tolerate that, of course she tried to walk it back when I repeated her words back to her)
- I am wasting my talents in this role and should be in a higher position (for the the umpteenth time I don't want that and I think her own judgement here is coloring her opinion of the above about me being "unhappy")
- There is a problem with my hours (you have got to be fucking kidding me, I am not an hourly clerk)
She will be in a bit of a pinch because I was heartily welcomed back by the executives this spring because in my prior employment I was responsible for a ground breaking and highly visible program still in use today and they hated to see me go to that other company. She was clapped on the back for getting me to return and will now have to explain how she "lost me" again. I surely hope she goes for the easy answer that I refused to work 8 hours a day. Ha!
There is a struggle because the person who is supposed to be training me is a passive aggressive dude who told me flat out, "No one taught me anything here, I had to figure it out for myself" and then proceeded to not teach me anything there.
Sorry folks, I’m now def a OMY victim.
Hopefully I’ll be able to call time at 30 April next year.
...snip
DH dove right in to building giant metal creatures to put in the yard.
......snip.
If you haven't pulled the plug, don't be scared. This is awesome
...snip
DH dove right in to building giant metal creatures to put in the yard.
......snip.
You got me there. Need welding skills, more motivation. I think DW would be enthusiastically onboard .
. . . the world needs more whimsy and giant metal creatures :).
We co-bought a welder as a joint Christmas for each other (along with the needed gear). Over the past four months DH taught himself to weld using trial and error with some youtube videos to fix particular issues. His welds aren't pretty, but they hold the dinosaurs and other creatures together :D. I would highly recommend, the world needs more whimsy and giant metal creatures :).
I don't mean to "bogart" the thread, but I'm super excited about my situation. After "working" from home today, I started to toss out some of my work wardrobe: disintegrating shoes, threadbare pants, socks that have long since given up any sign of elasticity, etc. The ONLY reason I replace my worn out underwear is purely for comfort reasons.
I mentioned all of this to my wife over dinner and she seemed a little surprised: "I never noticed that your pants were threadbare or that your shoes were disintegrating", etc.
All of which confirmed my long-held belief that 98% of people don't give a shit about your clothes/fashion/shoes/haircut/etc. Seriously, those shoes have been falling apart (like obviously/visually) for at least 5 years. Not a single person, including my wife, has raised an eyebrow. Please, people, don't waste your money pretending to look fashionable. (pretty sure the same things go for your car).
The deed is done!Today I showed up late wearing shorts, tennis shoes and a T-shirt that says "Wake and Bake" with the Pillsbury dough boy. For any non-stoners in the audience, that's a reference to getting high first thing in the morning. (For the record, that never happens to me ... any more.)
FIREing today we have @Gerard, who's selling his house and stuff at the same time -- eek. We've had a few other cohort members do that too. Where are you moving to, Gerard? Let us know how your last day of work goes!
Also waiting to hear from @oldtoyota who hasn't stopped by in a while. Not sure if s/he is still on track for today.
Hey @Gerard -- how are you doing? Is it a done deal?Hey, thanks for checking! I am indeed officially for-real retired. Super lucky that the dude moving into my office is on sabbatical this year, so I can occasionally use the office, and store some stuff there for now.
Hey @Gerard -- how are you doing? Is it a done deal?Hey, thanks for checking! I am indeed officially for-real retired. Super lucky that the dude moving into my office is on sabbatical this year, so I can occasionally use the office, and store some stuff there for now.
The house sale is going through, closing in a few weeks. I've given away most of my stuff ('cause my partner and I are combining households in a different city). Gonna have a last giveaway that I announce on Kijiji (Canadian Craigslist) in a couple of weeks.
My professional contacts at other universities are shocked/surprised... many academics don't retire until several years after they die.
And up today we have @Cornbread OMalley who I believe cemented this FIRE date a long time ago (thanks to military processes). Are you done sir?Yes, thanks for checking. Today is the official date, however, I have not been to the office since May 23rd. The free time is great, and I've been doing a lot of self reflection and thinking about future opportunities. Thank you to all on this thread! You are a great resource!
And up today we have @Cornbread OMalley who I believe cemented this FIRE date a long time ago (thanks to military processes). Are you done sir?Yes, thanks for checking. Today is the official date, however, I have not been to the office since May 23rd. The free time is great, and I've been doing a lot of self reflection and thinking about future opportunities. Thank you to all on this thread! You are a great resource!
I confirmed my date with Trifele today!
I was working for myself so I did not have a job to leave. Haha. My business is enjoyable for me, and I've been successfully working on ways to make my working time function better with family life and non-business goals of mine. The good news is I have done that with a revised business model.
In the late spring and early summer, I created some tests to see if a service would sell or not. The test went well, and I want to see if I can grow it.
At this stage, I'll continue to develop the business. As I keep going, I think I can leverage my time enough to reduce the time I spend on it while increasing the profits enough for my purposes.
I'd love to have this service mean my expenses are covered. If so, that would mean my money could continue to grow. I like that idea.
In short, I am continuing with my side hustle / business. When Trifele messaged me, I said I was good with being counted as retired or not and she/he said a side hustle doesn't mean I am retired...
So that is my story, everyone! After all this time, I realized I'm no longer attached to the "retired" label. =-D
In short, I am continuing with my side hustle / business. When Trifele messaged me, I said I was good with being counted as retired or not and she/he said a side hustle doesn't mean I am retired...
In short, I am continuing with my side hustle / business. When Trifele messaged me, I said I was good with being counted as retired or not and she/he said a side hustle doesn't mean I am retired...
What I meant to say, and probably didn't do it well, was that I think you can be considered FIREd with a side hustle . . . A number of us here in the cohort have a bit of money coming in here or there. Sounds like maybe your side hustle is pretty robust, but christ I'm not the Retirement Police. This whole FIRE thing is a big complicated spectrum. I CONFIRMED you as a SWAMI* above @oldtoyota. We need to celebrate you, because you're one of us. :)
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Sounds like things are going great!
*ETA -- SWAMI = Satisfied Working Advanced Mustachian Individual, a/k/a someone who is 'free' but is working because they want to. MMM did a post on it
In short, I am continuing with my side hustle / business. When Trifele messaged me, I said I was good with being counted as retired or not and she/he said a side hustle doesn't mean I am retired...
What I meant to say, and probably didn't do it well, was that I think you can be considered FIREd with a side hustle . . . A number of us here in the cohort have a bit of money coming in here or there. Sounds like maybe your side hustle is pretty robust, but christ I'm not the Retirement Police. This whole FIRE thing is a big complicated spectrum. I CONFIRMED you as a SWAMI* above @oldtoyota. We need to celebrate you, because you're one of us. :)
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Sounds like things are going great!
*ETA -- SWAMI = Satisfied Working Advanced Mustachian Individual, a/k/a someone who is 'free' but is working because they want to. MMM did a post on it
That was sounding a little harsh, and we all know Trifele is a softie on all us old retired folks :).
Anyway I could see side hustle going retired or SWAMI depending on what the doer sees themselves as. We usually aren't too judge-y about it :). Glad you made it though! Congrats!
The few months of practice was very good! I stopped wearing my wristwatch; I started to lose track of the day of the week because every day feels like a Saturday. The biggest benefit thus far has been more time to cook and eat real food, exercise properly, and get proper rest. I've lost weight and am healthier overall, and my energy level has increased. I'm also spending a lot more time with my friends and family. I enjoy it but don't know if they enjoy it since I come to visit more frequently.And up today we have @Cornbread OMalley who I believe cemented this FIRE date a long time ago (thanks to military processes). Are you done sir?Yes, thanks for checking. Today is the official date, however, I have not been to the office since May 23rd. The free time is great, and I've been doing a lot of self reflection and thinking about future opportunities. Thank you to all on this thread! You are a great resource!
Hurray! So you had a few months of practice and training before the actual event. Makes success more likely :). Way to go!
I am in for 2019.
Sept 27th or Mid Oct will be my last day of work, depending if I can hold off giving notice another couple weeks. Day at a time....
And congrats to all who have made the leap to FIRE in 2019!
Cheers,
Thrifty.
Today is my last day!
Today is my last day!
Bam! Day zero indeed!!
I confirmed my date with Trifele today!
I was working for myself so I did not have a job to leave. Haha. My business is enjoyable for me, and I've been successfully working on ways to make my working time function better with family life and non-business goals of mine. The good news is I have done that with a revised business model.
In the late spring and early summer, I created some tests to see if a service would sell or not. The test went well, and I want to see if I can grow it.
At this stage, I'll continue to develop the business. As I keep going, I think I can leverage my time enough to reduce the time I spend on it while increasing the profits enough for my purposes.
I'd love to have this service mean my expenses are covered. If so, that would mean my money could continue to grow. I like that idea.
In short, I am continuing with my side hustle / business. When Trifele messaged me, I said I was good with being counted as retired or not and she/he said a side hustle doesn't mean I am retired...
So that is my story, everyone! After all this time, I realized I'm no longer attached to the "retired" label. =-D
So awesome! I still remember way back when when you were just starting the business and trying to decide whether or not to quit your day job. You have come so far! Very happy for you that you have found the right place to settle work- and income-wise for the next bit. Good luck with the side hustle and welcome to FIRE!
In short, I am continuing with my side hustle / business. When Trifele messaged me, I said I was good with being counted as retired or not and she/he said a side hustle doesn't mean I am retired...
What I meant to say, and probably didn't do it well, was that I think you can be considered FIREd with a side hustle . . . A number of us here in the cohort have a bit of money coming in here or there. Sounds like maybe your side hustle is pretty robust, but christ I'm not the Retirement Police. This whole FIRE thing is a big complicated spectrum. I CONFIRMED you as a SWAMI* above @oldtoyota. We need to celebrate you, because you're one of us. :)
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Sounds like things are going great!
*ETA -- SWAMI = Satisfied Working Advanced Mustachian Individual, a/k/a someone who is 'free' but is working because they want to. MMM did a post on it
In short, I am continuing with my side hustle / business. When Trifele messaged me, I said I was good with being counted as retired or not and she/he said a side hustle doesn't mean I am retired...
What I meant to say, and probably didn't do it well, was that I think you can be considered FIREd with a side hustle . . . A number of us here in the cohort have a bit of money coming in here or there. Sounds like maybe your side hustle is pretty robust, but christ I'm not the Retirement Police. This whole FIRE thing is a big complicated spectrum. I CONFIRMED you as a SWAMI* above @oldtoyota. We need to celebrate you, because you're one of us. :)
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Sounds like things are going great!
*ETA -- SWAMI = Satisfied Working Advanced Mustachian Individual, a/k/a someone who is 'free' but is working because they want to. MMM did a post on it
That was sounding a little harsh, and we all know Trifele is a softie on all us old retired folks :).
Anyway I could see side hustle going retired or SWAMI depending on what the doer sees themselves as. We usually aren't too judge-y about it :). Glad you made it though! Congrats!
Exactly! @oldtoyota -- if you feel FIREd instead of SWAMI let me know and we'll get that changed!
I am in for 2019.
Sept 27th or Mid Oct will be my last day of work, depending if I can hold off giving notice another couple weeks. Day at a time....
And congrats to all who have made the leap to FIRE in 2019!
Cheers,
Thrifty.
Welcome aboard @thriftyc! Got you added.^ It'll be here before you know it!
In short, I am continuing with my side hustle / business. When Trifele messaged me, I said I was good with being counted as retired or not and she/he said a side hustle doesn't mean I am retired...
What I meant to say, and probably didn't do it well, was that I think you can be considered FIREd with a side hustle . . . A number of us here in the cohort have a bit of money coming in here or there. Sounds like maybe your side hustle is pretty robust, but christ I'm not the Retirement Police. This whole FIRE thing is a big complicated spectrum. I CONFIRMED you as a SWAMI* above @oldtoyota. We need to celebrate you, because you're one of us. :)
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Sounds like things are going great!
*ETA -- SWAMI = Satisfied Working Advanced Mustachian Individual, a/k/a someone who is 'free' but is working because they want to. MMM did a post on it
That was sounding a little harsh, and we all know Trifele is a softie on all us old retired folks :).
Anyway I could see side hustle going retired or SWAMI depending on what the doer sees themselves as. We usually aren't too judge-y about it :). Glad you made it though! Congrats!
Exactly! @oldtoyota -- if you feel FIREd instead of SWAMI let me know and we'll get that changed!
I like being a SWAMI. Do I get a bottle that, when rubbed, produces a genie??
I'm moving to this cohort (thanks, @Trifele, for the invitation) as I've decided to leave my job in December due to health concerns. I'm not at my "number", but I'm done with full-time work. I may have to look for something PT in the future, but for the next couple of years, I'm focusing on my recovering my health and perspective.
I read through the last several pages of this thread and it's inspiring!!
Forgot to mention my date, it'll be 12/23/2019 and I'll be 49. Wow, just writing that made it more real.
Forgot to mention my date, it'll be 12/23/2019 and I'll be 49. Wow, just writing that made it more real.
Wow. This sounds like someone is going to have the best Christmas ever...
@Linea_Norway sounds like you are creeping the date forward, does this mean you will be selling the house sooner or retiring then selling later?
Loren
@Linea_Norway sounds like you are creeping the date forward, does this mean you will be selling the house sooner or retiring then selling later?
Loren
We will sell during our long notice period. The real estate broker recommended selling in autumn, before the snow makes the steep roads difficult. We suddenly realized that if someone indeed makes an offer in the beginning of November, they might want us to move out in Jaruary. As we don't want to work, while moving out, because of commuting distance, we decided to move the FIRE date foreward from Feb 2020 to Jan 2020. With the Christmas holiday before that and us not working on Fridays, the actual last day may be on thursday 19th of December 2019. But our last contract day 31rst of December. With last vacation money paid out in January, which is good for tax reasons.
And up next we have @Classical_Liberal with four days to go. Is it feeling surreal?
I am on schedule. All is locked and loaded...no turning back now. Looking forward to a glorious fall!!
Can I move you to CONFIRMED?Yep
Can I move you to CONFIRMED?Yep
Congrats a day late @Classical_Liberal! I hope your last day went well. Can I move you to CONFIRMED?
While @Trifele is out enjoying some nomadic ventures, I am going to try and upkeep the list. Since I am not nearly as cool as she is, please keep your expectations low :).
We have a bit of a gap, but for the rest of the month we have
09/27/19 @snowdog (58)
09/27/19 @thriftyc
09/??/19 @RetirementDreaming
How are the last few weeks treating you? Are you on schedule? Do you have a day RetirementDreaming?
Loren
Congrats a day late @Classical_Liberal! I hope your last day went well. Can I move you to CONFIRMED?
While @Trifele is out enjoying some nomadic ventures, I am going to try and upkeep the list. Since I am not nearly as cool as she is, please keep your expectations low :).
We have a bit of a gap, but for the rest of the month we have
snip
How are the last few weeks treating you? Are you on schedule? Do you have a day RetirementDreaming?
Loren
I'm on track. Last day 9/30/19!
Submitted my retirement notice last week, a week earlier than I had originally planned. Last day has been changed slightly to 10/03.
Ugh, you guys.
I thought I was squarely in the 2020 cohort, while keeping one toe in here, but work is really getting under my skin.
...snip...
I have given notice today and my last official working will be 31rst of December 2019, in practice the last Thursday the 19th before Christmas.
My job did not want to give me an official sabbatical, but said I could come back at any time later if I wanted to.
@markbike528CBX - I have added Ms. markbike528CBX as 30/Sept/2019 as that is in two weeks. Good for her! I have manged to recruit one person, so you are still rocking it!
@Linea_Norway Woo hoo!! That is so exciting. The current list has you at 19 Dec, do you want that or 31 Dec? I am glad they are giving you flexibility to come back if you want to (smart of them!), but I really hope you don't need to!
As soon as we get to page 60, I'll pop up the new list for double checks and visual enjoyment :). It is such a long pretty list!
Loren
I officially gave my notice today. Last day of work will be Oct. 1, as planned. My apartment lease is ending Sept. 30, I’m finishing work Oct. 1, and my partner and I are hitting the road Oct. 2 to roam the earth for a little while.
It feels surreal that this milestone is finally thisclose. I hope I don’t get hit by a bus :)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hello all! I had been planning to FIRE in 2020, but due to a reorg at MegaCorp I've been officially downsized. My last date is October 15th. I have been FI so several years now, so I can say with confidence that I am officially FIRE!
Hello all! I had been planning to FIRE in 2020, but due to a reorg at MegaCorp I've been officially downsized. My last date is October 15th. I have been FI so several years now, so I can say with confidence that I am officially FIRE!
Has it been weird being happy about this while other people are scrambling?
Woohoo, that is fantastic! I have added you to the list, which I will post on the next page. Are you making any plans since you are out early?
Just checking in on the thread. If anyone is still on the fence, do it!
Officially six months since I gave my retirement notice and five months since I walked out. The fear is real and its going to feel weird for the first 3-6 months. I realize just how toxic of a work environment I was in and it took a while for the animosity towards work to slowly fade away.
FI is about freedom to do what you want, the RE part may be temporary or permanent. Its amazing the opportunities that show up once you aren't wed to a full time job.
I've made it this far in the year, so I really need to stay until next March to get the bonus. I am part-time (60%) and at this point, I have half of the rest of the year off, so don't feel bad for me :)
So put me in the OMY category, hoping to get the guts to end by April or so.
One more month syndrome for me. LOL! Will confirm new date.
Thank you for the updates @thriftyc and @SugarMountain. I'll (or Trifele) will update the list once you have a more detailed date.
Anything in particular stalling the pull (that you would like to share of course)? Hopefully it is all good things!
Loren
Thank you for the updates @thriftyc and @SugarMountain. I'll (or Trifele) will update the list once you have a more detailed date.I am looking to buy a new gravel bike, and realized working a tad longer to pay for it was worth it. :)
Anything in particular stalling the pull (that you would like to share of course)? Hopefully it is all good things!
Loren
I just resigned! Last day October 11.
So surprising how emotionally difficult it is. I've been building toward this for 20-30 years.
But it's so hard to actually do it. So scary.
On the other hand, for all this fretting I haven't come up with one bit of self FUD to latch onto for why I shouldn't do it or should delay. Just the break-up-like feels and general anxiety. ×100
Pop on over and celebrate your FI % status with everyone...
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/throw-down-the-gauntlet/race-to-100-fi! (https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/throw-down-the-gauntlet/race-to-100-fi!)
07/03/19 Miss Piggy CONFIRMED
Does she know that you're FIREd? "Outstanding" is how an old boss would nearly invariably respond to "How's it going?". It is a bit of a conversation stopper in that it is pretty clearly better than "OK".07/03/19 Miss Piggy CONFIRMED
Spent the weekend visiting my parents. Here's part of one of our conversations:
Blah, blah, blah...
Mom: "How are you two doing on your retirement savings?"
Me: Pause...hhhmmm...how to answer this??? "Outstanding." (Very matter-of-factly, in a "case closed" sort of way.)
Mom: Pause... "Oh."
End of conversation.
That felt good. Probably for her, too. I've never had a FIRE conversation with my parents, but they know my husband and I are at least semi-decent with money. Maybe now they believe we're doing better than they thought.
Does she know that you're FIREd? "Outstanding" is how an old boss would nearly invariably respond to "How's it going?". It is a bit of a conversation stopper in that it is pretty clearly better than "OK".07/03/19 Miss Piggy CONFIRMED
Spent the weekend visiting my parents. Here's part of one of our conversations:
Blah, blah, blah...
Mom: "How are you two doing on your retirement savings?"
Me: Pause...hhhmmm...how to answer this??? "Outstanding." (Very matter-of-factly, in a "case closed" sort of way.)
Mom: Pause... "Oh."
End of conversation.
That felt good. Probably for her, too. I've never had a FIRE conversation with my parents, but they know my husband and I are at least semi-decent with money. Maybe now they believe we're doing better than they thought.
Does she know that you're FIREd? "Outstanding" is how an old boss would nearly invariably respond to "How's it going?". It is a bit of a conversation stopper in that it is pretty clearly better than "OK".07/03/19 Miss Piggy CONFIRMED
Spent the weekend visiting my parents. Here's part of one of our conversations:
Blah, blah, blah...
Mom: "How are you two doing on your retirement savings?"
Me: Pause...hhhmmm...how to answer this??? "Outstanding." (Very matter-of-factly, in a "case closed" sort of way.)
Mom: Pause... "Oh."
End of conversation.
That felt good. Probably for her, too. I've never had a FIRE conversation with my parents, but they know my husband and I are at least semi-decent with money. Maybe now they believe we're doing better than they thought.
Oooh, I want to know, too!
Does she know that you're FIREd? "Outstanding" is how an old boss would nearly invariably respond to "How's it going?". It is a bit of a conversation stopper in that it is pretty clearly better than "OK".07/03/19 Miss Piggy CONFIRMED
Spent the weekend visiting my parents. Here's part of one of our conversations:
Blah, blah, blah...
Mom: "How are you two doing on your retirement savings?"
Me: Pause...hhhmmm...how to answer this??? "Outstanding." (Very matter-of-factly, in a "case closed" sort of way.)
Mom: Pause... "Oh."
End of conversation.
That felt good. Probably for her, too. I've never had a FIRE conversation with my parents, but they know my husband and I are at least semi-decent with money. Maybe now they believe we're doing better than they thought.
Oooh, I want to know, too!
Sort of. She knows my husband and I have left the full-time corporate world, which I assumed would immediately greatly concern her, for health insurance reasons. That was the first question she asked upon finding out: "What are you doing about health insurance?" We are doing COBRA, then the marketplace. She also knows I'm keeping my consulting business going because I love the work, so she's not worried about us ending up homeless living in a van by the river. But it's highly likely she thinks we're nuts. I'm okay with that.
07/03/19 Miss Piggy CONFIRMED
Spent the weekend visiting my parents. Here's part of one of our conversations:
Blah, blah, blah...
...snip...
Mrs.markbike528CBX IS CONFIRMED! 10/30/19.
Yes 9/30/19 at 54 for Mrs.markbike528cbx.
We now have to sign up for COBRA for the next three months,than look into a a plans, as the Cobra will be the same or more cost after Jan 1, 2020
Looks like we have a few folks who may have pulled the plug this week? Send in an update and let us know how you are doing!
10/01/19 @SnakesintheGrass (55)
Looks like we have a few folks who may have pulled the plug this week? Send in an update and let us know how you are doing!
10/01/19 @SnakesintheGrass (55)
Yup, I’m done! October 1 was my first day of FIRE freedom as planned.
I’m focusing the first few months on undoing 15 years of sitting indoors in a cubicle staring at a computer screen. Doing trail runs in the park instead of on a treadmill facing a brick wall, riding my bike, taking a yoga class most days, working out in the garden. Being retired is even better than I had imagined it!
Snakes in the Grass/Beth
Yes 9/30/19 at 54 for Mrs.markbike528cbx.
We now have to sign up for COBRA for the next three months,than look into a a plans, as the Cobra will be the same or more cost after Jan 1, 2020
Yes 9/30/19 at 54 for Mrs.markbike528cbx.
We now have to sign up for COBRA for the next three months,than look into a a plans, as the Cobra will be the same or more cost after Jan 1, 2020
Brave of you to post her age for all to see. You might be in a bit of trouble if she sees this, especially if you are around each other more often now you're both FIRED. :D
TL;DR: I'm semi-(?) retiring at the age of 49 with a stash, forthcoming pension, and forthcoming SS. After 28 years of 401k contribution, 20 years of aiming to retire early, and 2-3 years of actualization triggered by a layoff.
10/11/19 BigMoneyJim (49)
What are your plans?
I am confirmed as well.
Just dropped my laptop, badge, and office keys off at FedEx. I'm officially done.
Now to hit the gym and hit the MTB trails while it's still nice and warm out =D
What did you all tell your jobs when you quit? Did you tell the truth that you were retiring, or did you get creative? Or did you just resign Nixon style - short and sweet with no reason?
And what did you tell your parents?
I'm dreading both of these conversations! :) First world problems, I know.
What did you all tell your jobs when you quit? Did you tell the truth that you were retiring, or did you get creative? Or did you just resign Nixon style - short and sweet with no reason?
And what did you tell your parents?
Quick update on my status. I received and signed my separation agreement from megacorp. I'm confirmed - although it's been almost 3 weeks of not going to work so the separation agreement is only a formality. Wahoo!
Looks like we have a few folks who may have pulled the plug this week? Send in an update and let us know how you are doing!
10/01/19 @SnakesintheGrass (55)
Yup, I’m done! October 1 was my first day of FIRE freedom as planned.
I’m focusing the first few months on undoing 15 years of sitting indoors in a cubicle staring at a computer screen. Doing trail runs in the park instead of on a treadmill facing a brick wall, riding my bike, taking a yoga class most days, working out in the garden. Being retired is even better than I had imagined it!
Snakes in the Grass/Beth
Today was my last day . I'm at home searching facebook marketplace for a new (used) bike and drinking a beer or three.
FIREing today we have @Enigma. Any plans for your final walk out the door and first free days?I have my out processing / Off-boarding at 2pm today where I drop off my laptop, keys, tokens, IDs, etc. My guess it will last an hour.
FIREing today we have @Enigma. Any plans for your final walk out the door and first free days?I have my out processing / Off-boarding at 2pm today where I drop off my laptop, keys, tokens, IDs, etc. My guess it will last an hour.
Tomorrow I plan to head to the gym in the morning as if it was my job. May sleep in an hour. Was waking up at 4:30am daily to beat the traffic.
Next week I will be traveling to Titusville Florida with a last minute trip that my father was going on.
My husband just FIREd - walking around with a smile on his face, literally! The big problem is that he's not happy that I'm still working and very unhappy whenever I work late or on a weekend. We've accepted an offer on our "big house" and it will hopefully close in three weeks. At that point I can consider an end date myself, but it certainly won't be soon enough for him.
I know that making some kind commitment /deadline will help keep me focused so I don't drag things out any longer than Feb 7. To that end I have rented an apartment in Spain starting in mid February and and going to buy non-refundable airline tickets in the next few days to make sure any backsliding as painful as possible.
As of tomorrow, 100 calendar days, 67 work days left. Each with a smile on my face.
I'm confirmed!! Last day was 9/30/19. I'm 47. Just waiting on husband now. He's 7/1/20.
I just confirmed with HR that my last day will be 12/6/19! I'll still be (barely) 39 that day. Excited that my "goal" to quit before 40 is going to work out!
My husband just FIREd - walking around with a smile on his face, literally! The big problem is that he's not happy that I'm still working and very unhappy whenever I work late or on a weekend. We've accepted an offer on our "big house" and it will hopefully close in three weeks. At that point I can consider an end date myself, but it certainly won't be soon enough for him.
Are you moving away or moving into smaller and less expensive places?
Nice that you have a deal for your house. We are in the process of selling and can get our first offer earliest the coming week. But we need to wait and see.
I did some clean up on our cohort list and removed a few folks who no longer appear to be on the forum. Shout out to our remaining 'TBD' folks. Any chance you'll still FIRE this year, or is it looking like OMY?
@SugarMountain
That's great @Linea_Norway! Less than a month to go! It must be feeling pretty real now.
I realized the other day that is has been over 8 months since we pulled the plug. My brain keeps telling me it was a few weeks ago. Ha. This week was full of people complaining about going to work due to the very cold and icy weather. I'm so glad I got to miss the driving. I did have a very nice walk though. I love walking in the snow. So happy.
@firebrand love it. Keep on counting!!!
@Linea_Norway that is wonderful news. Less Mondays are better!
@meatgrinder cold turkey is the best way to quit!
@Flavius Welcome! It really is wonderful, and if it isn't for you, you have time to figure out what is.
@6-Saturdays so, will you be moving to Mexico while your wife is still working part time? If so, that is an awesome gig!!
Yes, her company really likes her and will take whatever time she is willing to give them. It is going to be a pretty good set-up. US dollars go really far in Mexico. I don't think we actually need the extra money, but it keeps her inner bag lady quiet, so I will be a "kept man" I've told her it's the ultimate accessory :)
@firebrand love it. Keep on counting!!!
@Linea_Norway that is wonderful news. Less Mondays are better!
@meatgrinder cold turkey is the best way to quit!
@Flavius Welcome! It really is wonderful, and if it isn't for you, you have time to figure out what is.
@6-Saturdays so, will you be moving to Mexico while your wife is still working part time? If so, that is an awesome gig!!
Yes, her company really likes her and will take whatever time she is willing to give them. It is going to be a pretty good set-up. US dollars go really far in Mexico. I don't think we actually need the extra money, but it keeps her inner bag lady quiet, so I will be a "kept man" I've told her it's the ultimate accessory :)
An excellent score, on both fronts!
@Linea_Norway I would be tempted to sell enough stocks while markets are high to cover your spending for at least the next year. When you are negotiating the house sale you really don't want to be thinking 'I have to sell this quickly or I might run out of cash!' or you could feel pressured into accepting a low offer. You may feel differently, but that's the way my mind would work.
DH didn't understand how I could be finished so early. There are lots of days to take off until the 31rd of Dec. I know I already ordered a few days off after Christmas, as those are short days and cost few hours. But I might still have 30 and 31rst of Dec, which I just don't recall. As I didn't bring my job pc home, I need to wait to Monday to double check the dates. Maybe I am very wrong and my last day will be around the 19th. I guess I will survive the extra week as well.
Today I printed a bunch of hiking maps on the color printer at work, as a last "goodie". I already have lots of maps, but I lack a few of areas that I plan to visit some day.
12 working days to go! I've committed to carrying out a bag full of personal items each day that I need to take home. It's surprising the number of things that have accumulated over 16 years. I'm glad I'm starting the clean-up process early.
Today's "score" is a bunch of plastic grocery bags found in a desk drawer. I use them to scoop cat litter, and have come close to running out recently, so this is very exciting! Lol.
12 working days to go!
12 working days to go! I've committed to carrying out a bag full of personal items each day that I need to take home. It's surprising the number of things that have accumulated over 16 years. I'm glad I'm starting the clean-up process early.
Today's "score" is a bunch of plastic grocery bags found in a desk drawer. I use them to scoop cat litter, and have come close to running out recently, so this is very exciting! Lol.
I also have only1216 working days to go! We moved offices last year, so I don't have much crap around. I think I can take all I own in two trips, one the dressing room downstairs and one my desk and drawer block. There are a few books of mine in a book shelf, but I don't think I want to litter my house with them.
Damn. I got all excited for a second knowing we have the same RE date.12 working days to go! I've committed to carrying out a bag full of personal items each day that I need to take home. It's surprising the number of things that have accumulated over 16 years. I'm glad I'm starting the clean-up process early.
Today's "score" is a bunch of plastic grocery bags found in a desk drawer. I use them to scoop cat litter, and have come close to running out recently, so this is very exciting! Lol.
I also have only1216 working days to go! We moved offices last year, so I don't have much crap around. I think I can take all I own in two trips, one the dressing room downstairs and one my desk and drawer block. There are a few books of mine in a book shelf, but I don't think I want to litter my house with them.
Edited. I had the number 12 in my head because of the 12th of the 12th, my last day. But 16 working days left according to my phone app.
There are a few books of mine in a book shelf, but I don't think I want to litter my house with them.
Hooray @NotJen ! Do you have any plans for after FIRE?
Hooray @NotJen ! Do you have any plans for after FIRE?
Very loose plans. 2 weeks at home with no agenda, 2 weeks visiting my family for the holidays, then in January I'll start to look into volunteer opportunities, work on fixing up my house and selling more of my stuff, and decide what the heck I want to do in the future! Or at least where I want to move.
A little update since FIREing in February,
Since then, I've got rid of all my stuff in Australia (except what I can carry) and I've been travelling in Asia - Bhutan, Thailand and mostly here in Nepal.
I've been trekking like crazy for the last 7 weeks. It feels good to be exercising my body again so much.
I've lost a bunch of weight, and feel as fit as at any time in my life.
In a surprising twist, I'm actually considering some kind of SWAMI - I realise how toxic my last workplace was, but I think a new location (I'm thinking somewhere like Barcelona or Berlin) and a cool smallish company might actually be a genuinely fun challenge.
This is partly driven by my realisation that my budget is really lean - even in Nepal, one of the cheapest countries in the world, I've gone over it on the odd day - so it would be really difficult in Europe (I do want to spend some time there each year)
Part of the problem is that mentally I was using prices from my last extensive travel a few years ago, when the Aussie $ was about on par with the U.S. $. Now its closer to 2/3, and local prices seem to be based mainly off of the greenback's value.
But it's still a choice - I can live frugally if I need to. Or I can do other work for fun - english teaching, woofing for accomodation+food, etc. So not decided yet. I definitely won't be taking a boring job at a big corporation that sucks the life out of me each day!
Oh and for the record @Trifele, I'm 48 (for the list).
A little update since FIREing in February,
Since then, I've got rid of all my stuff in Australia (except what I can carry) and I've been travelling in Asia - Bhutan, Thailand and mostly here in Nepal.
I've been trekking like crazy for the last 7 weeks. It feels good to be exercising my body again so much.
I've lost a bunch of weight, and feel as fit as at any time in my life.
In a surprising twist, I'm actually considering some kind of SWAMI - I realise how toxic my last workplace was, but I think a new location (I'm thinking somewhere like Barcelona or Berlin) and a cool smallish company might actually be a genuinely fun challenge.
I feel your pain about the valuta thing. The Norwegian crown is also hopelessly low, so that Europe and the US are now like 25% more expensive than they used to be. It is therefore cheapest to stay in our own country during vacations.
This is partly driven by my realisation that my budget is really lean - even in Nepal, one of the cheapest countries in the world, I've gone over it on the odd day - so it would be really difficult in Europe (I do want to spend some time there each year)
Part of the problem is that mentally I was using prices from my last extensive travel a few years ago, when the Aussie $ was about on par with the U.S. $. Now its closer to 2/3, and local prices seem to be based mainly off of the greenback's value.
But it's still a choice - I can live frugally if I need to. Or I can do other work for fun - english teaching, woofing for accomodation+food, etc. So not decided yet. I definitely won't be taking a boring job at a big corporation that sucks the life out of me each day!
Oh and for the record @Trifele, I'm 48 (for the list).
I think it's high time I updated!
So after all the travel I got back to Ireland with a half baked plan to do some work. I looked at Barcelona and London, but ended up taking a job very close to my family in Ireland (in software).
I enjoyed the novelty of working in rural Ireland, but the job was soooooo ... Soul destroying... That I quit after 6 weeks!
I spent another couple of months hanging out with family and doing an awesome Iceland trip, before an ex colleague offered me a part time (3 days a week) gig back in Oz.
Tbh, the thought of avoiding Irish winter was enough for me to give it a go.
It's turned out great. Part time work is sooo much better.
And it's a tiny company, no red tape, or bs. Just get stuff done.
It's just a short contract, but I'm happy to do it longer if they want me longer.
In real moustacian fashion, I've hardly paid anything in rent, just a weeks airbandb at the start. The rest of the time I've been petsitting,
with a few days here and there with friends.
So even though it's not the highest paid gig, and it's only part time, I'm still saving a bit. And the best part is it doesn't feel like work.
I go hiking for hours midweek, take naps on my days not in office and generally am loving life.
Sound like a good situation you are in now, with a part time job with no BS. Interesting to hear you are only pet sitting and don't have your own place. Not my personal thing, but very badass.
In Spain the unemployment among young people is very high. So thinking you could come in there as a foreigner and just take a job is not so realistic.
Did you wrap up yesterday @meatgrinder?
Yes - I'm out!
Congrats to our sole November FIREee @meatgrinder. Way to go on a package! I tried and failed. Glad it worked for you.
I am so glad we FIRED when we did. DH just had a retinal detachment. We are going in for surgery tomorrow. If he worked it would be a month of FMLA (unpaid medical leave from work) and I would have to leave him alone after the first few days to go back to work, knowing he wont be able to move around nearly at all. He will be VERY restricted in head/body position for several weeks, but since we are FIRED, I can be around taking care of him, instead of worrying about him while sitting at a desk.
Not happy it happened, but happy it happened when it did.
Loren
Congrats to our sole November FIREee @meatgrinder. Way to go on a package! I tried and failed. Glad it worked for you.
I am so glad we FIRED when we did. DH just had a retinal detachment. We are going in for surgery tomorrow. If he worked it would be a month of FMLA (unpaid medical leave from work) and I would have to leave him alone after the first few days to go back to work, knowing he wont be able to move around nearly at all. He will be VERY restricted in head/body position for several weeks, but since we are FIRED, I can be around taking care of him, instead of worrying about him while sitting at a desk.
Not happy it happened, but happy it happened when it did.
Loren
I'm intrigued... You quit but asked for severance? How did you phrase? Did I catch all of these details? Did you being up RSU losses as an excuse?
I might be in a similar situation so would love to learn from you!!
This has made me very familiar with how the severance process works and how much $ it pays.
This has made me very familiar with how the severance process works and how much $ it pays.
What should someone shoot for in terms of severance - months or years worth of salary? I worked one place where the standard was 1 week for every year you worked. That seemed pretty slim.
This has made me very familiar with how the severance process works and how much $ it pays.
What should someone shoot for in terms of severance - months or years worth of salary? I worked one place where the standard was 1 week for every year you worked. That seemed pretty slim.
Mine was 3 weeks of base pay for every year worked.
This has made me very familiar with how the severance process works and how much $ it pays.
What should someone shoot for in terms of severance - months or years worth of salary? I worked one place where the standard was 1 week for every year you worked. That seemed pretty slim.
I will need to be moved to the “OMY” column (was in TBD). Reason(s) for the OMY: 1. Replaced crappy manager with new manager who is much easier to get along with and less micro-managing. 2. Income increase (including bonus) of roughly 30% from last year and 25% higher than the next best year of my career (More compensation is helping me to want to ride the wave a little longer). 3. Spouse may explore leaving position to relocate soon, and I may just work until close to whenever that arrives.
I had set a goal of leaving by mid year 2019, but a lot of that was driven by a manager I didn’t really like working for. That situation suddenly improved when that manger left. I’m not setting a hard date to pull the plug at this point since it caused me some disappointment previously when I decided to stay longer. Good luck to everyone finishing up in Dec- I hope to join you in the near future!
I'm happy to report that I'm 1 month into retirement and I'm loving it!! Getting lot's done around the house (at my pace), Began swimming and cycling to get ready for a Tri, and eating a lot better than I did when I was on the road Mon-Fri each week. I do miss my team at work from time to time, but I do not miss the travel, the pressure, the zillion daily emails, meetings, 2 flights per week, etc... A huge net positive!!! Freedom is good.
I’m at the 3-month mark since retirement so thought I would check in. So far it’s everything I fantasized about. I’m actually spending a little less than I expected.
So how do I spend my time? If I’m doing anything remotely productive it probably involves puttering around in my garage wood shop. I’m currently into creating whirligigs. You’ve seen them before: a wooden propeller spins a metal shaft to drive a whimsical figure, like a man endlessly chopping a log. Google it for a visual explanation. I recently completed a mermaid version for my father in law, and have been experimenting with the welder he gave me. I’ve also patched the cracks in the drywall in our dining room and repainted it. Otherwise I’m becoming an expert at doing nothing. Some people really can’t handle it.
So do I miss anything from the work world? The knee jerk reaction is, not a goddamned thing. But there is one thing: Anticipation. I used to count down the days until Friday or payday or the next holiday, and ultimately retirement. Now it doesn’t matter if it’s Monday, Friday or Columbus Day. But that’s ok with me.
I’ve failed a bit on my plan to bike extensively. I put 60 miles on my bike the first free week and developed some tendinitis in my elbow. So I spent $300 to have my bike reconfigured with a higher gooseneck and swept back handle bars (plus some other overdue maintenance). It makes a huge difference.
One other thing is my mom’s worsening aging. One week into my retirement she suffered a minor stroke and needed hospitalization. It’s taken a toll on her short term memory. It’s part of life. It sucks but now it’s no big deal to run to her place at a moment’s notice. Fortunately my late father had the foresight to sock some money away for their future. Fingers crossed that it will last long enough.
And then there’s travel. I don’t need anyone’s permission or approval anymore to leave town whenever I want. It’s totally subject to my wife’s work schedule. Consequently I am writing this from an air b-n-b in Scandinavia. Yeah retirement!
I am on track to leave at the end of this week. I spent a few moments trying to "lock in" the feeling of a Monday morning at work. It could be my last one ever!
Looking forward to having no work obligations next week :)
Just have to check in and say....it is incredible to NOT be working the Monday after Thanksgiving.
Just have to check in and say....it is incredible to NOT be working the Monday after Thanksgiving.
Haha -- I thought that too @chasesfish! 10 months after FIREing I hardly think about work at all anymore, but this morning I did. It was snowing, and it was super delicious not having to get dressed and drive to work on this particular Monday.
Maybe the lesson I want to impart on these boards is don't delay FIRE. Appreciate your health and the health of those you love. Take care of yourself. Don't sweat the small stuff.
It’s going to be a rough day. Even though I’ve never been very social, it’s hard saying goodbye to the people, and I’m also oddly anxious about losing my digital work history.I'm excited for you NotJen! I think I can relate to your comment about digital history. I feel like Hilary Clinton today, deleting tons of Emails from our platform*. Many of my employee Emails are confidential in nature and I owe it those who have confided in me to protect their confidentiality.
Heading in to their LAST DAY OF WORK today we have @Sid Arthur, @NotJen, and @6-Saturdays. Congrats ladies and gents! Let us know how it goes and when it's official!
Heading in to their LAST DAY OF WORK today we have @Sid Arthur, @NotJen, and @6-Saturdays. Congrats ladies and gents! Let us know how it goes and when it's official!Confirmed! I’m out!
Confirmed! I’m out!
Hope it went well for everyone else leaving today!
I confirmed my date with Trifele today!
I was working for myself so I did not have a job to leave. Haha. My business is enjoyable for me, and I've been successfully working on ways to make my working time function better with family life and non-business goals of mine. The good news is I have done that with a revised business model.
In the late spring and early summer, I created some tests to see if a service would sell or not. The test went well, and I want to see if I can grow it.
At this stage, I'll continue to develop the business. As I keep going, I think I can leverage my time enough to reduce the time I spend on it while increasing the profits enough for my purposes.
I'd love to have this service mean my expenses are covered. If so, that would mean my money could continue to grow. I like that idea.
In short, I am continuing with my side hustle / business. When Trifele messaged me, I said I was good with being counted as retired or not and she/he said a side hustle doesn't mean I am NOT retired...
So that is my story, everyone! After all this time, I realized I'm no longer attached to the "retired" label. =-D
Edited to add: "NOT" before retired. Oops!
I can confirm that I am officially retired and have joined this wonderful cohort in the next phase. This is my first Monday of being retired.
Im going to have to bow out of this group... Off to 2020 now, but still not far.
Megacorp is offering me a severance for march 1st... Since the business unit i tecnically work for got sold. 18 months pay, not a bad gig for working a total of 43 more days.
ONWARD, see you guys soon i hope lol
Tex
I will be giving notice middle of next week. I had originally planned to give notice early next year after my 4Q bonus was deposited, but I've decided to risk it and give notice in December and still request/expect the bonus for the quarter.
I will be giving notice middle of next week. I had originally planned to give notice early next year after my 4Q bonus was deposited, but I've decided to risk it and give notice in December and still request/expect the bonus for the quarter.
If it's any kind of significant amount, I'd reconsider.
My boss was a super agreeable guy,
but when my colleague gave notice the week before the bonus were paid (after he had 'earned' the bonus if you like) it was quietly withdrawn from his next paycheck (even though he was still working there).
He called my boss, who knew nothing about it being withdrawn, but when it went to accounts there was some fine print saying the company would not pay bonuses if notice had been given.
I will be giving notice middle of next week. I had originally planned to give notice early next year after my 4Q bonus was deposited, but I've decided to risk it and give notice in December and still request/expect the bonus for the quarter.
If it's any kind of significant amount, I'd reconsider.
My boss was a super agreeable guy,
but when my colleague gave notice the week before the bonus were paid (after he had 'earned' the bonus if you like) it was quietly withdrawn from his next paycheck (even though he was still working there).
He called my boss, who knew nothing about it being withdrawn, but when it went to accounts there was some fine print saying the company would not pay bonuses if notice had been given.
I'd echo the above. Obviously you know your situation better than any of us, so this might just be empty advice. But a lot of times these sorts of situations aren't in the manager's hands. HR policy or some other corporate consideration can often be stronger than good intentions from a manager, even at a high level. But again, maybe your situation is one where you can feel confident in that working out. Best of luck to you either way!
That is so cool that you and your DH are FIREing together @Linea_Norway. Your plans sound great -- relaxed and FREE.
You can confirm me now. I have said goodbye to my coworker and gave away my door card. Now I just need to get my last paycheck this month and my vacation money in Jan.
You can confirm me now. I have said goodbye to my coworker and gave away my door card. Now I just need to get my last paycheck this month and my vacation money in Jan.Congratulations to my younger retirement twin Linea!
I have a little over a week left. My colleagues are starting to tell me goodbye as people are heading out for the holidays over the next week. Today, one of them came to tell me how much I would be missed and how much they have valued my voice. I wouldn't have expected this from this particular person. I got a little teary. It was really nice of them.
I can confirm that I have definitely FIRE’d. Just had my first week of not working and it has been great.
My DH took his last working day yesterday, Friday the 13th. He officially had one day left to work, but had nothing to do and nothing to invoice. So he is taking that day off unpaid. So you can confirm him on the 13th.That's very interesting regarding your BP. I have borderline HBP myself and am on some meds to help with it. Do you also take meds or are trying to manage it without?
This morning, Saturday, feels like my first day without work, as I also didn't have to get up early to drive DH to the train station, like yesterday. I slept with a few wake ups in between, but I didn't get up until 8 am. I measured my blood pressure and it was within normal range! That is a seldom thing, only measured at the beginning of the summer, after weeks of meditation practice. So if this what not working does to me? I will keep measuring regularly to see what happens, but so far so good. It was one of my goals with FiRE to get my high bp levels down.
My DH took his last working day yesterday, Friday the 13th. He officially had one day left to work, but had nothing to do and nothing to invoice. So he is taking that day off unpaid. So you can confirm him on the 13th.That's very interesting regarding your BP. I have borderline HBP myself and am on some meds to help with it. Do you also take meds or are trying to manage it without?
This morning, Saturday, feels like my first day without work, as I also didn't have to get up early to drive DH to the train station, like yesterday. I slept with a few wake ups in between, but I didn't get up until 8 am. I measured my blood pressure and it was within normal range! That is a seldom thing, only measured at the beginning of the summer, after weeks of meditation practice. So if this what not working does to me? I will keep measuring regularly to see what happens, but so far so good. It was one of my goals with FiRE to get my high bp levels down.
Unless some new FIRE friends pop out of the closet to join us, we are down to one! @Life in Balance has the baton now, running the final leg to the finish line next week. Go Life In Balance!!
Congratulations to all those in the 2019 class. I thought I’d pop by to collect the baton on behalf of the 2020 class and Sprint out of my office and down the street with out even a peak over my shoulder, into the blazing sunset of a low BP FIREd life.....
2020 will be EPIC!
I will be giving notice middle of next week. I had originally planned to give notice early next year after my 4Q bonus was deposited, but I've decided to risk it and give notice in December and still request/expect the bonus for the quarter. Double whammy I'm going to request it be paid out to me after 1/1/20 as we'll obviously be in a lower tax bracket next year. Fortunately with a very gracious boss, I feel pretty confident I'll get what I'm asking.
Good luck tomorrow @Life in Balance! Hope you cross that finish line with a big smile.
Good luck tomorrow @Life in Balance! Hope you cross that finish line with a big smile.
Smile is in place! I am done!! I still cannot quite believe it, but I am so ready! Here's to a rejuvenating 2020.
We MADE IT!!!!2018 had the previous record with 73 confirmed. 2019 beats that with 80. 2018 will probably argue that the site membership got bigger, but 2019 also have 9 OLYs of whom 6 appear in the 2018 list. Clearly these should really be considered as advance pathfinders for the 2019 cohort making the score 89 to 67...
Congrats Cohort!!
It is hard to believe 2019 is coming to a close and we have FIREd. What a great year, and what a great cohort!
Assuming no more changes, how did our size compare?
I have tried 4 times to add a gif of graduation caps getting thrown into the air but can't do it. I know I have seen somewhere, at least once, the instruction on how to make it work. Probably on the Top Is In thread but that is over 100 pages! I did check the forum FAQ and technical section but don't see it. I googled it and tried those suggestions but no go. Can anyone help?
In the mean time just imagine graduation caps getting thrown in the air or Reese Witherspoon saying "We did it!" at the end of Legally Blonde. That is how I feel for all of us! Congratulations to all.
Congrats and Thank you Team!I prefer to think of it as setting a good example :-)
Special Thank Yous to @markbike528CBX for getting this train rolling, then bailing out when he saw something shiny in 2018 :D.
..........
Congrats and Thank you Team!I prefer to think of it as setting a good example :-)
Special Thank Yous to @markbike528CBX for getting this train rolling, then bailing out when he saw something shiny in 2018 :D.
..........
Yep @Trifele really picked up the list ball when I FIRED and dropped list maintenance . It is quite a lot of work and careful thread reading.
I notice that @Loren Ver also spotted for Trifele at times. Thanks!
The general cheeriness of this thread was also appreciated.
Hugs all the way around! We were a great team and group!
So, today was the first day back to work for most of my friends. After a long Christmas break, it was a rough Monday for them.
I asked them to work hard to get the stock price up, since I still own stock.
As for me, I slept in since the bed was soooo warm.
LV
Looks like @meatgrinder may be our lone FIRE-ee in November -- he's scheduled for 11/21. How's it going @meatgrinder? Any plans for after your last work day?
I did some clean up on our cohort list and removed a few folks who no longer appear to be on the forum. Shout out to our remaining 'TBD' folks. Any chance you'll still FIRE this year, or is it looking like OMY?
@Mathieu
So after 6 months of "staycation" I enrolled in a carpentry technical degree. Not only do I practice wood working for free, I also gain very valuable skills and make friends ! All of this for 300US$ for a full year of tuition. I'm having a great time learning new things, and I've already received several very interesting employment offers. I guess I'll work part time in that field so I can continue gaining experience without impacting much my time with family.
How is everyone feeling with the big drop in the market?
Q: Post-FIRE folks: how are you handling the market downturn?
A: Wheeeeeeee!
How is everyone feeling with the big drop in the market?
How is everyone feeling with the big drop in the market?
How is everyone feeling with the big drop in the market?We've had injuries that put my wife and daughter in a wheelchair (twice for my wife!), 2 tooth replacements for me, replacing two cars with 1 year old, very low mileage ones, buying a house that was almost 50% more expensive than the house we lived in, and giving a bunch of money to our son to pay down medical bills for our grandchild. Plus we took some small vacations in between being injured or ill.
Curious for those who retired, if we see a 50% drop, will you return to work?
If it gets that bad, there might not be many jobs to return to.
Curious for those who retired, if we see a 50% drop, will you return to work?I might be tempted to extend my 1 day a week gig a little longer, but I wouldn't dream of returning full time.
Curious for those who retired, if we see a 50% drop, will you return to work?Pardon me, sorry to enquire, but I didn't quite hear you. Return to what?
Quote from: link=topic=49913.msg2576577#msg2576577 date=1583716044Curious for those who retired, if we see a 50% drop, will you return to work?Pardon me, sorry to enquire, but I didn't quite hear you. Return to what?
Quote from: link=topic=49913.msg2576577#msg2576577 date=1583716044Curious for those who retired, if we see a 50% drop, will you return to work?Pardon me, sorry to enquire, but I didn't quite hear you. Return to what?
This is now a Post-FIRE thread, so the w**k word is banned.
To answer HBFIRE's impertinent question, FUCK NO.
We will keep our spend rate EXACTLY as it has been/ is.
-75%, we'll still make it, but with lower spending.
Quote from: link=topic=49913.msg2576577#msg2576577 date=1583716044Curious for those who retired, if we see a 50% drop, will you return to work?Pardon me, sorry to enquire, but I didn't quite hear you. Return to what?
This is now a Post-FIRE thread, so the w**k word is banned.
To answer HBFIRE's impertinent question, FUCK NO.
We will keep our spend rate EXACTLY as it has been/ is.
-75%, we'll still make it, but with lower spending.
Quote from: link=topic=49913.msg2576577#msg2576577 date=1583716044Curious for those who retired, if we see a 50% drop, will you return to work?Pardon me, sorry to enquire, but I didn't quite hear you. Return to what?
This is now a Post-FIRE thread, so the w**k word is banned.
To answer HBFIRE's impertinent question, FUCK NO.
We will keep our spend rate EXACTLY as it has been/ is.
-75%, we'll still make it, but with lower spending.
I will never say never but 50% probably wouldn't be it as I started FIRE with conservative AA/glidepath approach.
So equities are down about 20% from highs and broke through 2019 lows (after the 2018 year end rally). The 2018 lows for SP500 was 2416, which is roughly 30% drop from all time highs. Funny thing is that is the point in time when I was comfortable with FIREing - it was after the 20% drop from the highs in 9/2018 to the lows in 12/2018 that confirmed I was comfortable with the risk.
I didn't actually FIRE until 6/2019 and by that point the market had just about recovered to the 9/2018 highs plus I added another 5-7% or to the stash from year end bonus, annual 401k match, vesting RSUs etc. I then moved about 10% from equities to bonds to have a more conservative AA/glide path plan so I could sleep at night. Definitely had FOMO as markets ran up the rest of the year and into this year but didn't change anything and now I still sleep at night. I like my AA and I like that I FIREd with less than 4% WR. I will rebalance some as this continues.
But what's the likelihood of a 50% drop? Better than 50/50 probably. Personally I think 30% will be the floor. The standstill that is being caused by coronavirus, even if the issue/fear lasts only another month, will ripple through the economy and SP500 earnings will drop - how much, who knows. If its 20-30% then market is where it should be, if its more it will drop more but will recover faster like during the financial crisis.
Anyway, I may have or will leave money on the table with my conservative ways but I personally could not handle 100% equities and I really really really really wanted to be sure I didn't have to go back to work.
Wow, that is exactly my situation. December 2018 was when I became totally comfortable with FIRE - even after that drop we were right around 25x spending without any cuts (4% WDR). I waited until I could max my 401(k) and add some to the 'stache and FIREd in April instead of June, but that's close. And I upped the bond portion of my portfolio to have a less volatile mix. The result was a tiny bit of FOMO during the run-up over the last year, but I was comfortable with that decision. I will say that if the markets end up with a CAPE value below 23 I will move back to 100% equities, in accordance with my IPS. That's just a 12% drop from where we are now.
So equities are down about 20% from highs and broke through 2019 lows (after the 2018 year end rally). The 2018 lows for SP500 was 2416, which is roughly 30% drop from all time highs.
So equities are down about 20% from highs and broke through 2019 lows (after the 2018 year end rally). The 2018 lows for SP500 was 2416, which is roughly 30% drop from all time highs.
Not a huge difference, but the S&P 500 closed at 2,351.10 on Dec 24, 2018. That was the the closing low for the year 2018.
I was doing great emotionally until I went grocery shopping at 6 am this morning. SO many empty shelves it was depressing. We will be fine, but I fear for everyone who is more vulnerable.
I understand EXACTLY how you feel on this.
2. I think I still have burnout syndrome (sort of a PTSD) from work/career because there is nothing that interests me if it means not controlling my schedule (aside from my family that I can't control) or reporting to someone or held to some timeline. Whatever. An example was I crafted some things and they came out well that I actually got several requests for some. And if I did it I I could probably make a nice profit if I broke it down hourly, but then I would have to DO IT, DELIVER IT, LISTEN TO PEOPLE THAT MAY NOT LIKE THIS OR THAT A LITTLE. Nope, not interested. Which is funny because I like making stuff, but just on my timeline.
Wow, I just realized that two days ago was my 1st anniversary of not working. It went pretty fast and something like this:
...
I understand EXACTLY how you feel on this.
2. I think I still have burnout syndrome (sort of a PTSD) from work/career because there is nothing that interests me if it means not controlling my schedule (aside from my family that I can't control) or reporting to someone or held to some timeline. Whatever. An example was I crafted some things and they came out well that I actually got several requests for some. And if I did it I I could probably make a nice profit if I broke it down hourly, but then I would have to DO IT, DELIVER IT, LISTEN TO PEOPLE THAT MAY NOT LIKE THIS OR THAT A LITTLE. Nope, not interested. Which is funny because I like making stuff, but just on my timeline.
If and when I get good enough that people want to hire me to make things for them, it will be on the following terms:
1) You will get it when you get it. It might be tomorrow. It might be a decade from now. I might give your money back and say, 'Oh, never mind.'
2) You'll get what I make you. Whatever that ends up being.
3) The only thing I promise when you get it is that I like it.
If I'm good enough, I'll be able to get commissions like that.
And if I'm not, I won't.
Since I don't need the money, it's a win-win either way.
Thanks for the update @FIRE 20/20 it is good to hear back from the 2019ers!
I too have no idea how work fit into my life. How did I actually manage to wake up to an alarm and get things done on demand? Utter non-sense.
LV
Thanks for the update @FIRE 20/20 it is good to hear back from the 2019ers!
I too have no idea how work fit into my life. How did I actually manage to wake up to an alarm and get things done on demand? Utter non-sense.
LV
Indeed, obligations for an employer who requires you to be present at the office for 7,5 hours a day is non-sense. I can really get used to the quieter times outside rush hour. When I need to shop now, I always plan it during work time. The corona thing has made it much more crowded now on all times, and I get the impression that from 2 pm most people are off. But if I manage to do much stuff before that time, I'm fine. I have gotten a much lower stresslevel for shopping and traffic now.
Uh, possible pro tip: Shipments tend to be smaller, lighter or non-existent on Sundays, ergo Monday is not the optimal shopping day for groceries. You have the time of day right, but you should find fresher goods Tu-We-Th. This is particularly true for Costco. Source: Costco brother. He says you're welcome ;-)Thanks for the update @FIRE 20/20 it is good to hear back from the 2019ers!Indeed, obligations for an employer who requires you to be present at the office for 7,5 hours a day is non-sense. I can really get used to the quieter times outside rush hour. When I need to shop now, I always plan it during work time. The corona thing has made it much more crowded now on all times, and I get the impression that from 2 pm most people are off. But if I manage to do much stuff before that time, I'm fine. I have gotten a much lower stresslevel for shopping and traffic now.
I too have no idea how work fit into my life. How did I actually manage to wake up to an alarm and get things done on demand? Utter non-sense.
LV
Linea- I too find myself really avoiding the normal crowds, even before the pandemic. The shift in patterns due to the virus has made things harder as many schedules have shifted, but I think I have found a new sweet spot. I'm not up as early as I once was, but before 1030am still seems to be pretty light on a Monday morning.
Thanks for the update @FIRE 20/20 it is good to hear back from the 2019ers!
I too have no idea how work fit into my life. How did I actually manage to wake up to an alarm and get things done on demand? Utter non-sense.
LV
Thanks for the update @FIRE 20/20 it is good to hear back from the 2019ers!
I too have no idea how work fit into my life. How did I actually manage to wake up to an alarm and get things done on demand? Utter non-sense.
LV
I think about this daily
Uh, possible pro tip: Shipments tend to be smaller, lighter or non-existent on Sundays, ergo Monday is not the optimal shopping day for groceries. You have the time of day right, but you should find fresher goods Tu-We-Th. This is particularly true for Costco. Source: Costco brother. He says you're welcome ;-)Thanks for the update @FIRE 20/20 it is good to hear back from the 2019ers!Indeed, obligations for an employer who requires you to be present at the office for 7,5 hours a day is non-sense. I can really get used to the quieter times outside rush hour. When I need to shop now, I always plan it during work time. The corona thing has made it much more crowded now on all times, and I get the impression that from 2 pm most people are off. But if I manage to do much stuff before that time, I'm fine. I have gotten a much lower stresslevel for shopping and traffic now.
I too have no idea how work fit into my life. How did I actually manage to wake up to an alarm and get things done on demand? Utter non-sense.
LV
Linea- I too find myself really avoiding the normal crowds, even before the pandemic. The shift in patterns due to the virus has made things harder as many schedules have shifted, but I think I have found a new sweet spot. I'm not up as early as I once was, but before 1030am still seems to be pretty light on a Monday morning.
How is everyone doing?
I hit two years this Friday...and I don't know how I ever had time to work!
How is everyone doing?
I hit two years this Friday...and I don't know how I ever had time to work!
still mentally prepared to withstand a 50% drop in equities but don't think that will actually happen.
still mentally prepared to withstand a 50% drop in equities but don't think that will actually happen.
You do realize that you already have been there, done that and got the t-shirt for to 50% drop already? :-)
@stoaX - Where did you land? We pulled off our move in July, so at least had eight months to experience the place before the last thirteen of pandemic life.
I underestimated the amount of time/work a cross country move would take, it was a solid 3+ months of a new full time job.
@stoaX - Where did you land? We pulled off our move in July, so at least had eight months to experience the place before the last thirteen of pandemic life.
I underestimated the amount of time/work a cross country move would take, it was a solid 3+ months of a new full time job.
We landed in the suburbs of charlotte, on the SC side of the border, just 2 months before the covid hit. I hope to never make a major move again.... but I suspect that I will.....
Two and a half years after "retiring" and falling straight into a little stash-sparing freelance job doing the most enjoyable parts of my occupation I remain a FIRE failure. I keep thinking I'm going to become surplus to requirement and that'll be OK, but as things stand I remain useful and having a defined role in an actual workplace has been a blessing during the pandemic. With no opportunities to spend on holidays and dining out, I managed to save most of my income in 2020. It'll be lower this year because my parents, who live some distance away, need a lot of support from me so I can only work around 12 days a month. But that's more than enough, and it's all icing on the cake that was my lean FI situation in late 2018. I suspect that as things open up and short vacations and long bike rides become possible I'll be less willing to work.
Today is the 4th of July holiday (observed). I don't have to go to work tomorrow. EHHHHH!!!!
So earlier this month DH and I went up to mother in law's house (few hours drive) to do some things she needed done around the house (painting fence, fixing toilet, caulking storage barn etc.) and visit.
While her and I were out and about we got to chatting about DH and I being retired and she stated, "you two are just so much happier now. Not that you weren't happy before, but still." It was pretty funny.
She retired when father in law got terminally ill years ago to take care of him. They were always frugal and good savers so she knows the game. She is just so happy we could step out of the game while we still so young and really enjoy retirement. And of course come up in the middle of the week to fix her fence and storage barn :).
Loren
So earlier this month DH and I went up to mother in law's house (few hours drive) to do some things she needed done around the house (painting fence, fixing toilet, caulking storage barn etc.) and visit.
While her and I were out and about we got to chatting about DH and I being retired and she stated, "you two are just so much happier now. Not that you weren't happy before, but still." It was pretty funny.
She retired when father in law got terminally ill years ago to take care of him. They were always frugal and good savers so she knows the game. She is just so happy we could step out of the game while we still so young and really enjoy retirement. And of course come up in the middle of the week to fix her fence and storage barn :).
Loren
So earlier this month DH and I went up to mother in law's house (few hours drive) to do some things she needed done around the house (painting fence, fixing toilet, caulking storage barn etc.) and visit.
While her and I were out and about we got to chatting about DH and I being retired and she stated, "you two are just so much happier now. Not that you weren't happy before, but still." It was pretty funny.
She retired when father in law got terminally ill years ago to take care of him. They were always frugal and good savers so she knows the game. She is just so happy we could step out of the game while we still so young and really enjoy retirement. And of course come up in the middle of the week to fix her fence and storage barn :).
Loren
:)
It really is great when we can help family with things.
Hey @oldtoyota , methinks you've returned after a long-ish break. Hope you've been well and welcome back!So earlier this month DH and I went up to mother in law's house (few hours drive) to do some things she needed done around the house (painting fence, fixing toilet, caulking storage barn etc.) and visit.
While her and I were out and about we got to chatting about DH and I being retired and she stated, "you two are just so much happier now. Not that you weren't happy before, but still." It was pretty funny.
She retired when father in law got terminally ill years ago to take care of him. They were always frugal and good savers so she knows the game. She is just so happy we could step out of the game while we still so young and really enjoy retirement. And of course come up in the middle of the week to fix her fence and storage barn :).
Loren
That’s so nice you can do that for her, and I bet she appreciates it! My mother did similar by retiring to care for my dad. He had retired years earlier.
I hope you two have lots of fun in your retirement. :-)
Hey @oldtoyota , methinks you've returned after a long-ish break. Hope you've been well and welcome back!So earlier this month DH and I went up to mother in law's house (few hours drive) to do some things she needed done around the house (painting fence, fixing toilet, caulking storage barn etc.) and visit.
While her and I were out and about we got to chatting about DH and I being retired and she stated, "you two are just so much happier now. Not that you weren't happy before, but still." It was pretty funny.
She retired when father in law got terminally ill years ago to take care of him. They were always frugal and good savers so she knows the game. She is just so happy we could step out of the game while we still so young and really enjoy retirement. And of course come up in the middle of the week to fix her fence and storage barn :).
Loren
That’s so nice you can do that for her, and I bet she appreciates it! My mother did similar by retiring to care for my dad. He had retired years earlier.
I hope you two have lots of fun in your retirement. :-)
That's great @Trifele , I did as well. I was excited to see one so near by and not sold out. They are looking for someone that is good identifying plants, so, if you know someone ;).
Losing track of the days is something I didn't expect to be so easily done. It is an oblivion of the best kind. I am still waking up every day so, so grateful to feel fully rested and free from inane office bullshit.
I have to say though that it has been a sincere disappointment with this whole Covid dealio that I do not get to enjoy shopping alone mid-week while the rest of the gerbils collect pellets. I was told there would be empty stores. Alas, everyone is out there, all the time, playing hooky from their WFH job or still not back to where they were in the Before Times.
I will get over it. I have forever to do so.
@dresden were you in Florida before, or did you decide that being near family was better than the FL life? Just curious. We have a home in IL near a lake in central IL we don’t use. It may get used more as our oldest is graduating and he doesn’t have a set job yet. He used to work at the lake in the summers and may do that again for survival money until he gets a job. It was supposed to be our 2022 FIRE house, but life is playing jokes on us.
I also early retired for health reasons in 2019, and don’t want to go back to work. DH now thinks he never wants to retire after changing jobs last year. He doesn’t have any retirement hobbies outside of travel. I think we have 10 trips planned this year, even though he’s working. We used to live in Naperville, and have family all around that area.
Definitely small world! I will remind you that winters are way worse than you remember. So plan at least a 1-2 week escape to sunny Florida or San Diego, or just about anywhere warm. My favorites were spirit airlines flights to FLL, Puerto Rico, or Myrtle Beach. Where we have our lake house is probably about an hour from where you are landing. I’m guessing you are of the “the world ends at 75th population” from Naperville. Sarasota beets Naperville for overall annual quality of life IMO. However for FIRE people who can travel at the winter months, it’s a great launch zone to other options.@dresden were you in Florida before, or did you decide that being near family was better than the FL life? Just curious. We have a home in IL near a lake in central IL we don’t use. It may get used more as our oldest is graduating and he doesn’t have a set job yet. He used to work at the lake in the summers and may do that again for survival money until he gets a job. It was supposed to be our 2022 FIRE house, but life is playing jokes on us.
I also early retired for health reasons in 2019, and don’t want to go back to work. DH now thinks he never wants to retire after changing jobs last year. He doesn’t have any retirement hobbies outside of travel. I think we have 10 trips planned this year, even though he’s working. We used to live in Naperville, and have family all around that area.
I was in Florida primarily for work reasons, but we did really like it there. In 2019 housing in Naperville and Sarasota, Florida were about equal. Fast forward to 2022 and housing in Sarasota is more than 50% more expensive than Naperville even though prices went up in both places. It made the economics of moving much better for us.
My wife and I grew up in Naperville and met there while we were in high school. We are moving a little further west, but still close to enough to spend more time with family which are also located in and around Naperville.
It's a very small world!
It's that time - Pre-registration is now open! Pre-register here (https://forms.gle/c52pqfdtEYAhg3Cm7), and let us know if you have any questions!
@tooqk4u22 Don't we at least get two weeks notice? I mean, you don't want to burn any bridges, do you???
Best of luck! May Megacorp be all you are hoping for!
Lol, it took you going back to work for me to realize your handle is "too quick for you 22", not "too CUTE for you 22". Duh. At least I always knew Joe was/is A Rebel Spy.
I believe you have a short-ish window, maybe six months, before the IRP are called in for a full investigation. I hope the new gig is as good as they said it would be.
Also, you can't say you're going back to work just so you can afford some super-expensive machining tools. @Exflyboy's got that angle covered. That would be former pilot, Frank.
@tooqk4u22 - we’re going to have to watch you retrieve your personal belongings, retain your badge and escort youout of the buildingout of this thread.
In other exciting news, I tried to FIRE in 2019 but failed (not financially, just never truly left the job completely); however, that’s all changing next week when I officially retire. Really excited that it’s finally happening for real!
Count me in. I was starting to worry there was something wrong with 2019 as it didn't have a thread!
Our target is summer 2019. I'll be turning 53 and my wife turning 55. We are just about FI now (2015 spending matched forecast sustainable income if retiring now), but the kids won't finish high school until 2024 so we would be unable to go travelling until then even if we did retire. On good days I consider staying on PT after 2019. On bad days we think about going now, but 2019 is the sweet spot as my wife would be able to access pension funds at 55 and we also have an endowment maturing. That makes it the first date that it all works from a cashflow viewpoint - if we go earlier we have to use the mortgage facility for cashflow, unless I'm lucky enough to get made redundant. We're running a 2/3rds saving rate, so each year makes quite a difference financially, but neither of us really enjoys the job any more so we think 2019 will be the point when laziness trumps greed!
I saved up my own lottery prize and am now spending it.
In my career I was resentful of handing over my days to ungrateful overlords and I was boundlessly curious about literally ANYTHING ELSE I could do with my time. I admit it, I didn’t retire TO anything. I retired FROM meaningless bullshit, and it is marvelous.
The answer is clear.
I saved up my own lottery prize and am now spending it.
In my career I was resentful of handing over my days to ungrateful overlords and I was boundlessly curious about literally ANYTHING ELSE I could do with my time. I admit it, I didn’t retire TO anything. I retired FROM meaningless bullshit, and it is marvelous.
The answer is clear.
Thank you so much for this--it is pinging for me, in a big way. I've been spinning my wheels about leaving my job; I think if the market hadn't tanked this year I might already have done it. Given the 20% drop in the stash we're not technically ready, but I think reading the above has given me permission to do it when we are.
"I saved up my own lottery prize"--those words are ringing in my ears today. I've done just that. It took 20 years, but I have done JUST. THAT.
Thank you. <3
I saved up my own lottery prize and am now spending it.
In my career I was resentful of handing over my days to ungrateful overlords and I was boundlessly curious about literally ANYTHING ELSE I could do with my time. I admit it, I didn’t retire TO anything. I retired FROM meaningless bullshit, and it is marvelous.
The answer is clear.
"I saved up my own lottery prize and am now spending it."
@dude A pension plus a million on the side saved is a nice thing, and you will be collecting SS on that little person as well until they turn 18. Hmmm.
Thank you for the updates @dude and @couponvan. Sorry you ended up divorced and in Texas dude, but I am glad you seemed to recover. Couponvan, any ideas what you will do for PT work? Hopefully something fun!
Loren
It seems like lots of us have returned to work! I'm still firmly in the never ever ever camp as far as returning to work goes.
I'm coming up on my retirement anniversary. Work seems long ago in a galaxy far away.
I'm coming up on my retirement anniversary. Work seems long ago in a galaxy far away.
I can't believe it was my prior life. So far away, so strange.