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.
Well, I don't hate my job, but you may have seen me mention that I was at 81X a page back, but that was based on my current barebones without accounting for higher healthcare costs or any extra for fun/travel. Factoring in ACA based premiums/out-of-pocket, I'm more like 63X. Throw in significant entertainment/travel, and I'm at 25X. Those figures were in that same post, though.
I'm trying to be patient with 14 months to my target, but what makes it a little tough for me is knowing that I could call it quits now with pretty much no fear of running out of money. I could drop my WR to less than 2.5% of my current stash to protect against SORR if my investments dropped off early during FIRE since I have a large buffer with entertainment/travel that I could cut way back on if I felt the need. So, I could pull the trigger today with relatively low risk. 16 years into FIRE, I could draw SS and live on the same entertainment/travel budget while only needing to draw <2% from my stash, so that adds another layer of protection. Sometimes at work, I'll start dreaming of FIRE, thinking about what I'll do, where I'll go, where I could relocate to, etc. But fortunately, it's only temporary daydreaming, and I'm always able to redirect my focus back to work when I need to accomplish something.
So, someone might ask why I am still working. One reason is due to the uncertainty of the ACA. Before my FIRE date, the mid-term elections will be history, so I hope the results will give me more optimism about the ACA's future, plus that will allow more time to see developments in the marketplace with insurers heading into 2019.
The other reason I continue to work is because I'm simply not ready to retire. I would really miss my job if I suddenly pulled the plug today. If I was working in a cubicle, pushing papers, another corporate drone, and running on the hamster wheel, I would be headed out the door today. I've worked in office settings not long ago that I wouldn't tolerate today. But, as of last summer, I have my own office, you know, with actual walls to the ceiling and a door that closes. I can control the temperature, play music, take breaks whenever I want. I have a huge amount of flexibility. And the demands of the job have actually lessened, which gives me plenty of downtime. To top it off, I'm able to focus more on interesting projects than I had been able to over most of my career. My stress level is lower than ever. For over 16 years at my current employer, I could only dream of having it as good as it is now. This all still feels very fresh to me, and I don't want to give it up yet. Ending up with another $90K in my stash is an added bonus.
Once summer gets here, I'm going to work very few full weeks through Sept. as I use up most of my benefit time for three and four-day weekends. I'll probably be anticipating FIRE more by October with 8 months to go. But even come June 1, 2019, I'm hoping to work 1 to 3 days per week for one year, if my employer is interested. Due to the budgeting of my position as full time, I don't know if that will fly. If that's not an option to stay on part time, the chances of OMY full time are pretty low, despite yet another $90K in the stash another year out. In fact, I might be ready to shelf the part time idea by my FIRE date!