2019 fire cohort

[MoMan]

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.

Yes. I feel just a little bitter during every beautiful, sunny day when I'm staring out of a plate glass window at the park just across from my building, thinking of all the places I'd rather be and all the things (including absolutely nothing) that I could be doing.

Barring a global nuclear war, or the current administration converting our country to universal health care, I will be here through most of 2019, eyeing my last corporate perk: company health care for life.

[TartanTallulah]

I'm just fantasising about bringing my retirement date forward. Although at a squeeze we could survive from April 2018 to April 2019 on cash savings plus my husband's income, I'd rather stick with my original plan and know that once I've retired I can be confident of being able to stay retired.

[Vegasgirl]

Just registered for my first in a series of retirement classes at work !! This one is set for mid-November and is an overview of everything.   So they want us go through a whole bunch of classes before signing anything.  I'm okay with it - the more info the better.  I'll be taking 4 classes in 2018 and then final signing in 2019. 

[Linea_Norway]

I think I might need to retreat from this group. My plan was to go work 50% from the end of 2019, but I think now that that is too optimistic.

My DH always presumes that we will still own our cabin after FIRE. Therefore I have taken the value of it (700K NOK (=norwegian crowns), roughly 70K$) out of my FIRE calculations. But damn, then we have a whole bunch more to save.

The sum that I need to FIRE fulltime in 2020 is 7,5 mil NOK (roughly $750K). But without the cabin, we only have 5,2 mil NOK (roughly $520K) at this moment if we downsize the house. Last year we saved 750K NOK ($75K). So if we keep that saving level in the coming years, there is no chance we can FIRE 50% in 2019 and full time in 2020. The value of the hut is about 1 year of our savings, and more than a year of our spendings (500K NOK / roughly $50K). We live in a HCOL country.

I realize I am looking at and least then end of 2020 for FIRE. Or I should be able to convince my DH to sell the cabin and travel back to that area from time to time to stay in our tent for free. DH likes the trout fishing there. There is a lot of wilderness there where you could camp for free, legally. I think this is the best way to go.

I guess that FIRE before my 50th is really a bit bare bones, in the sense that we need to sell house and cabin. But I would gladly do that. Although I love to be at that cabin, I still think if we would go live somewhere in an area where you can do a lot of fun things, you perhaps don't need a cabin somewhere else. The cabin costs us approx. 18K NOK (roughly $1.8K per year) for currently 30 days of use, spread through the year.

We could also imagine living in our cabin for some time after selling the house, even though it is small. One option is to sell the house at the start of FIRE, do a year of cheap type travelling (like cycling through Europe and sleep in the tent or something like that) and then keep the cabin as a base station between trips. And than later rent or buy a small house at some location that we like.

[Chairman]

I might end up not being in the 2019 cohort after all, not because I'm hitting my number early (I won't) but because next year I'll be forced to quit my job due to some complicated circumstances (tax-related, immigration-status-related, family-related, health-related etc). My plan was to "semi-FIRE" in 2019 but now I'll be doing it in 2018. "Semi" in the sense of not really needing to work but doing it anyway from time to time; now the need will be a little stronger, but the overall shape of the plan remains the same.

[Linea_Norway]

I am unsure again. My DH is now willing to sell the cabin and try living in a mobile home during the summer and in a small apartment the rest of the year. Especially hiring places until we know where we want to live. So we might free up some assets after all. We have been discussing several scenarios:
- Start FIRE with some long, cheap, slow-travel journeys and use a small home base in between those travels.
- Spend a whole winter in the very far north. I suggested one of the bigger towns over there, but small apartments there are already surprisingly costly. The north of Norway has lower income tax, but that is only relevant if you have an income.
- Working part time, e.g. 2 days a week and not during the summer, to earn some extra cash to be able to do some outrageous travel.
- Hire a mobile home (caravan) and live in that during the summer months, maybe on an acceptable campsite. Renting a small apartment during the winter.

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.

[Cornbread OMalley]

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.

[itchyfeet]

In yet another twist, changes to Australian tax law announced in this year's budget (but
Missed by me till now) have given a further prompt to FIRE (at least for a mini retirement) in 2018.

If we do not repatriate back to Australia, and move back into our old home before 30 June 2019 we will be faced with a tax bill of around ~$150,000 or potentially $300,000 (I need some clarification on the law) when we sell that house to move to somewhere cheaper. (For any Australian readers this relates to the end of the old 6 year CGT exemption rule).

The lease to our tenants will end Feb 2019 so we should probably plan to move back in then. As we had always planned to travel for 6 months before moving home the tax law is making us seriously consider a June 2018 FIRE, which we were seriously considering in any case LOL.

DW has a job option from Jan 2019 in Australia if she wants. I don't plan on working, but DW is far more off en to the idea.

DW's mother is also not well which is yet another driver for earlier repatriation and FIRE or mini FIRE.

I say mini FIRE because I remain a little concerned that some extra stash buffer would be good to avoid any future money worries whatsoever. We have put ourselves in a great position never to have to worry about money. I really don't want to turn the tap off too soon. Part time or contract work post FIRE will add that little bit of froth to our full glass. This work could happen any time I bet the next 25 years. It is still hard to get my head around the fact of retiring 20-25 years early. Awesome, but so different to my friends, family and peers.

[PhilB]

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).

[PhilB]

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?

[Linea_Norway]

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?

Of course a small house with a large outhouse is possible.

I have also been considering in living in some nice coastal place in the summer and in some nice winter resort in the winter (we like to go cross-country skiing). But all scenarios require owning multiple buildings. You would need to rent them out to make sure they generate some money. And if you are living in some other far away place, renting out is more challenging as you would need a (paid) caretaker. It is definitively an alternative to live in several places and rent out, but we'll need to think it through very well.
We could probably rent out our current house, but I am not sure if we could get a high enough rent for it to generate a nett 4% profit.

[TartanTallulah]

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'm doing the same juggling act, trying to hit the right balance between tax-advantaged savings for the longer term and immediately-accessible savings to fill in the gap between the age I'll actually retire and the age at which I can take my pension. Watching cash collecting in a savings account on 1% interest while I have unused ISA allowance and my husband has unused SIPP capacity (and I possibly have too, but that's less certain because my occupational pension contributions are substantial and mysterious) is making my fingers twitch, but I'm sure it's only bothering me because I see it sitting there every time I check the online balance of our current account and know that with a couple of mouse clicks it could be in my ISA or one of our SIPPs.

Once I have six months' living costs plus the cost of our next-but-one holiday in cash, I'll start thinking about topping up the pensions again. I estimate that we'll be there by the beginning of 2018.

[Trifle]

I'm doing exactly the same thing right now.  Previously I was maxing out 403b/457, and now have throttled way back so I can top up our cash accounts instead.   It does feel weird to have all that tax-advantaged space sitting there unused . . . But like you Tartan Tallulah, if I can hit my cash goal early (maybe February of 2019?)  then I can start pouring money back into the tax advantaged space. 

[oldtoyota]

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.

[PhilB]

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.

[Linea_Norway]

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.

+1. Have a look at your real spending and see who is right. Maybe the husband has a point? Make an overview with the real numbers.

[FIRE 20/20]

I'm moving from the 2020 cohort into 2019.  We should be at 25x expenses sometime in early 2018.  Even though we have plenty of buffer in that budget and are ignoring our pensions, social security, inheritance, and the possibility of consulting work, we're incredibly risk averse so OMY to 2019 is the new plan.  Once we're out of our industry it will be almost impossible to get back in.  There are some regular certification rules that mean that we both have a golden ticket right now for good salaries and little risk of unemployment, but once we lose the certs it's incredibly hard to get back in.  In early 2019 we should hit 3.5% WR with inflated expenses, so I don't see a need to stick around into 2020 unless the markets absolutely collapse between now and then. 

[Cornbread OMalley]

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.

[moxie]

I'm adding myself to 2019.

• DH retired this summer at age 60. He might get a part-time job after Thanksgiving until I retire. This was his second retirement. First was from the military so we have retired military healthcare.
  
• I want to retire 12/27/2019. I'll be 59.

[CryingInThePool]

Welcome FIRE 20/20 and Moxie!   With all the recent OLY conversations and skip aheads to 2017/18 it's only fair that a few drop into join us in 2019 as well.

[Bateaux]

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.

[PhilB]

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?

[itchyfeet]

I am also toying with the idea of padding the stash further. Not through fear, but through greed.

I just don't know.

What is certain is that at this point the stash is growing very fast.

2 years extra of working (even on a lower salary) would make a significant difference to spending options post FIRE.

[PhilB]

I've been round and round those thoughts about padding the stash even more to give me more options and it can indeed be very alluring.  It all comes back to the question of what makes you happy.  For me, I'll already have a well padded stash and if I want to spend more one month then I can simply spend less another. 
Yesterday was a public holiday here and most people spent it sitting in traffic jams to and from crowded beaches.  I spent an absolutely idyllic day - working in the garden, playing with the kids, reading a book in the shade, cooking and eating a great stir fry and washing it down with a bottle of wine.  Total spend for the day about £10.  If you offer me the choice of spending 3 weeks like that, or an extra week working, in order to save much the same amount of money then I know which one I'm going for.

[Bateaux]

I like some non Mustacian things.  Like wanting to liven on a boat.  A really nice boat.  I'm not wanting to push out for five years.  Maybe 2020.

[VoteCthulu]

Sometimes I think I should work longer, and other times I seriously consider quiting now and taking the risk of an over 4% WR. Once I hit my number I expect I'll coast along until the next BS moment at work pisses me off enough that I just quit.

[markbike528CBX]

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.

MPP- most everyone here at work is pretty cool and wouldn't say things like that.  Everyone suspects I'm FI.

[TartanTallulah]

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.

That is happening to me. All. The. Time.

Crap BS stuff will grind me down, but my workplace is also threatening to become toxic and dramatic in the near future and that could make me press the eject button early even if it means freelancing for a while.

[itchyfeet]

Another month done and it's time to tally up the numbers.

However, before getting to the numbers, I feel the need to express a small, silly rant.

I have become rather anal in tracking my progress towards FIRE, OCD even. I know I am not alone here in this obsession. Whilst it is easy to track my bank accounts and stocks, as their value is quoted second by second, for my property investments I have to use a proxy. I can't list my houses every day to see what a buyer would pay. So in "the rules" of my tracking spreadsheet I use the property indexes issued by corelogic.com.au. It's not perfect, but they publish a daily index for each Australian major city, so it's easy for me to use. I know that I won't really know what the houses are worth till I sell, but I like tracking the approximate value by index (even if the starting value I used for this year was based on my personal, "expert", conservative assessment of valuation based on comparable sales and not the indexed value from purchase date, which seemed to overstate the value. Yes this rant contains a few contradictions. lol).

Anyways, I have been happily tracking the property value indexes month by month (and sadly even more often), and then all of a sudden at 31 August Corelogic.com.au decides to change their index methodology. The result of this is that my property value, per the index, dropped by $40,000 compared to 1 day earlier. Yes, it's only an approximate index, but I am miffed by this sudden drop in my NW.

Ok that's the end of my silly, and meaningless rant.

In the end, at 31 August my spreadsheet shows a small decrease in NW for the month of August, and FIRE is a little further away... hypothetically at least.

Savings were good for August, and stock market returns ok. Just that damned adjustment to the property index. Haha.

So we are parked at 22x spending for another month, but am looking forward to September as I think our spending will be lower than normal this month.

[dude]

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 !!!

Oh man, I was getting that same award for like 5 years straight because I was maxed out in my pay grade, but then they went and upgraded my position from a -14 to a -15, and I was eligible for QSI's again. I really, really miss having that extra week of annual leave, but the numbers told me I had to opt for the QSI the past two years -- and now I'm topped out at -15, so maybe I'll get a 40-hour award next year!.

[dude]

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.

I've got one coming in 2019 that's considerably more than that, and I'm hoping to have $800k invested on top of it.  It's a LOT of money, I know, but I will be retiring with a mortgage, so there's that.

[dude]

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'll be here until May 7, 2019, when I hit retirement eligibility in my job. Then I'm gooooooooone.

[Cornbread OMalley]

...I will be retiring with a mortgage, so there's that.

I will most likely be in a situation similar to yours!

[markbike528CBX]

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

[markbike528CBX]

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.

That is hilarious.  NO one has ever mentioned me and Mr. Favre in the same paragraph before.   I was going to ask him for advice on how to handle the stress, but I figured he still has flacks to shield him from the proles.   I gave up football (American) after I realized that 139lb centers are not long for this world. The first string nose tackle I had to deal with was fully 100lbs heavier than I, and he was trying to cut weight for wrestling season.

[Cornbread OMalley]

I found this article the other day on Rockstar Finance that I thought was interesting.  I'm currently halfway through a 30-day break as I am transitioning between jobs.  Thus far I'm not doing much of anything while at home during this break, and I am actually finding it very, very relaxing.

https://moneyqanda.com/retirement-rehearsal/

[dude]

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

TECHNICALLY, I'll still be 53!  But I'll turn 54 three weeks after I retire, so you know, whatever.

[moxie]

I'll be 59. :-)

[Bateaux]

Dude,  I turn 50 next year. I'll be 51 right after the target day of 6/1/19.   If I stay for company health insurance it's 2023 and 55.  That's why I'm a fan of the current ACA.  If it goes, I'm not sure what to do.

[FIRE 20/20]

dude, you can put me down for 42 and April 2019.  The date is a guess.  We could pull the plug in 2018 if we decide that the our safety margin is already more than sufficient or we'll plan on doing a little consulting, or we could delay back to 2020 if the markets collapse.  Zero growth between now and early 2019 should get us to a 3.5% withdrawal rate for our planned spending.  I'm guessing April because money earned in the beginning of the year is taxed at a lower marginal rate. 

[Vegasgirl]

So after much calculating on my part I'm moving myself up from Sept 1, 2019 to April 1, 2019.   I'm 99.9% I'll be able to swing it a little earlier than I originally planned.

[MoMan]

An extra 5 months of freedom sounds good to me!

[itchyfeet]

September over and a month closer to freedom.

We Saved almost exactly 50% of our salaries, which is what we aim for. Unfortunately, we had a month of smallish returns on our investments, which followed on from negative returns last month but still we have clawed our way back to where we were at 31 July. 😕

After 75% of the year we have achieved 83% of the net worth growth I targeted for 2017 at the beginning of the year. In fact, the net worth growth we have had this year is pretty mind blowing so definitely no complainy pants moaning.

September saw us finally make the decision that we won't be FIREd at June next year. There is a small chance of a mini FIRE but if we take that route we will be back at work 6 months later.

To kill the indecisiveness we just  decided to push our "number" 10% higher to cater for the purchase of a home in a more expensive location, which could become an extra contingency to draw on down the line.

So, instead of being 90% of the way to FIRE we have slipped back to 82% of the way there and we are back to targeting to wind our working lives in June 2019.

[Half Stached]

Hello, class of 2019!

I've seen that you've been losing some members to the class of 2018, so I thought I might shore up your numbers - I'm coming over from the class of 2020.

Here's where we're at:

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%

With the condo purchase, we've raised our annual savings rate to 75% (no rent or mortgage payments). On the other hand, work has become quite a bit more stressful. Even though we're tracking toward 2020 for our target, I've decided I'm going to be done on 4/1/2019 (after annual and long term bonuses payout). Worst case scenario I'll need to find a part time side gig at some point.

[TartanTallulah]

Eighteen paychecks to go ... eighteen paychecks to go ... tra-la-la-la-la :-)

Or maybe nine. No fewer than nine. I've promised myself that I'll stick it out at least until June 2018 and anything after that is a bonus. If it looks like I'm at risk of losing next summer to work after losing the last three, I'm gone. But I'd quite like to have replaced myself in some form in my workplace before I go. I'm pushing that as hard as I can without letting my intentions slip out. It would be easy to grow the business enough to accommodate an additional part-timer, and one of my current colleagues and I would both be happy to drop to two days a week if we had someone who wanted full-time.

Our savings rate is ticking along nicely at just over 50% of our take-home pay plus whatever is lopped off my pay at source for my final salary pension. At some point in the near future I should get an additional payment. Last year it was enough to cover most of the cost of a new car (this wasn't frivolous, it was to replace a falling-apart car). This year most of it will go towards our savings and investments, the kids will get some, and if it's above a particular amount I have in mind we're having some jam today in the form of a skiing trip.

I still haven't got over the excitement of discovering that I don't have to work forever.

[Trifle]

Welcome aboard, Fire2020 and Half Stached!  2019 is going to be an excellent year. 

September was a great month ....  If the market stayed like this I could bump our FIRE date from 8/1/19 to something like 2/1/19, but I am going to play it safe and just plan on the extra six months.   

[SpreadsheetMan]

Joining up - The die is cast for me. My company sale completed yesterday and I am now FI, but I have an earn-out period to complete to finalise the stash and retire with honour.

I expect it will be 27th Sept 2019 or around there depending on remaining holiday. I will be 57, so 10 years before UK state pension.

Happy day :-)

[Linea_Norway]

Eighteen paychecks to go ... eighteen paychecks to go ... tra-la-la-la-la :-)

That is impressive. I understand your happiness.

I think I still have 27 paychecks to go. Then we are talking December 2019 and I will be 46 at that time. Please let that be true...

[Zoot]

Posting to follow and cheer on the Class of 2019 (and secretly hoping, just maybe, to join in).

[Trifle]

Dude or Mark -- Can you please add the three new folks to the spreadsheet?  Fire2020, HalfStached, and Spreadsheet Man -- thanks