Author Topic: 2020 FIRE Cohort  (Read 539897 times)

Blindsquirrel

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1600 on: April 10, 2020, 08:07:15 PM »
 Congratulations, I heard all the cool kids hang out here so I think I am going to join you. Maybe.

hybrid

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1601 on: April 12, 2020, 08:25:53 PM »
A little late to the crowd, but I am in! Wednesday, 4/15 is my last full time day. I will likely do a little work here and there as a part-timer, but we are FIRE as of this week...

Linea_Norway

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1602 on: April 13, 2020, 12:44:54 AM »
01/01/20  Linea_Norway (@46)          CONFIRMED
01/01/20  firebrand                   CONFIRMED
01/01/20  Nancy                       CONFIRMED
01/01/20  openroadadventure (@53/50)  CONFIRMED
01/03/20  nwa-non                     CONFIRMED
01/07/20  alienbogey's wife           CONFIRMED
01/15/20  Nifty
01/15/20  Nickel (@55)                CONFIRMED
01/15/20  GettingClose's husband      CONFIRMED
01/31/20  ATS (@52)                   CONFIRMED
01/31/20  DisplacedHoosier (@57)      CONFIRMED
02/03/20  grobinski (@52/53)          CONFIRMED
02/03/20  IslandFIGirl                CONFIRMED
02/07/20  JumboShrimp                 CONFIRMED
02/??/20  RetireAbroadAt35
03/01/20  Bmjohnson (@50)             CONFIRMED
03/06/20  damyst                      CONFIRMED
03/10/20  Katmandew (@54/48)          CONFIRMED
03/13/20  CrazyIT                     CONFIRMED
03/13/20  ysette9 (@38)               CONFIRMED
03/13/20  Padonak                     CONFIRMED
03/13/20  Maenad                      CONFIRMED
03/20/20  Mmm_donuts                  CONFIRMED
03/??/20  FInding_peace (@38)       
03/??/20 or later 20  Beeboy (@46)
03/19/20  wildatheart (@53)           CONFIRMED
04/01/20  FlytilFIRE
04/02/20  CptCool 
04/15/20  hybrid                      CONFIRMED
04/15/20  Indio                       CONFIRMED
04/17/20  Ottawa
04/??/20  DreamFIRE   
04/??/20  Pennycounter   
04/??/20 or later 20  robtown   
04/??/20 - 07/??/20  JoJo
05/01/20  Fresh Bread's husband
05/08/20  rab-bit                     CONFIRMEF
05/15/20  BeanCounter
05/15/20  Lucky13 (@44)
05/21/20  Body Surfer                 CONFIRMED
05/31/20  Dee18                       Given notice
05/??/20  Rcc     
05/??/20  Lady Stash (@45)
06/01/20  Albireo13 (@64)
06/01/20  texxan1
06/05/20  thelyon19
06/05/20 (or April) rab-bit (@59)
06/16/20  Kteach                      Given notice
06/15/20  BigHaus89
06/??/20  aspiringnomad (@37)         Given notice
06/??/20  Farmgirl (@61)
06/??/20  ixtap (date uncertain)     
06/??/20  myobjectivism               Given Notice
07/01/20  FireLane (@38)   
07/??/20  JoJo
07/??/20  SugarMountain
07/??/20 or later 20  MMM123
07/??/20  bas5252 (@55)
07/??/20  2sk22 
07/??/20  SpreadsheetMan
08/07/20  HappyCheerE (@55)           Given notice
08/??/20 or 2021  Bateaux
09/01/20  rab-bit's wife
09/25/20  apurplelife
09/30/20  MarcherLady
09/??/20  Dan23
10/15/20  Unique User (@50)
10/??/20  Rubyvroom   
11/01/20  Alienbogey
11/10/20  exit2019
11/20/20  Alternatepriorities
11/30/20  Itchyfeet
12/31/20  BFGirl
12/31/20  Freedomin5 (@38)
12/??/20  david_shin   
12/??/20  MoneyTree (@36)   
12/??/20  Nora (@42)   
12/??/20  TheFIExplorer     
??/??/20  EscapeVelocity2020   
??/??/20  BlueMR2     
??/??/20  catccc   
??/??/20  DadzillaGorilla (FI@35, RE@40)   
??/??/20  FIREstache (@55)     
??/??/20  LadyMaWhiskers   
??/??/20  letsdoit   
??/??/20  onlykelsey     
??/??/20  tooqk4u22     
??/??/20  Fresh Bread
??/??/20?  Gumption
??/??/20  bownyboy

 
To be decided:
tipster350
SailingOnASmallSailboat's DH (@50/51)

OLY:   
meatgrinder   
Life in balance (end of 2019)
2Birds1Stone (autumn 2019)
Firebrand (second week of December 2019)
   
OMY:   
RedefinedHappiness   
FIREby2021 (Q1 2021)   
TheContinentalOp (2021)
Sand101
desk_jockey

   
FIREing later:   
FIPurpose (date to decided)   
ToughMother (date to be decided)
GettingClose working 50% and not in management from 04/01/2020 for another year.
Katmandew (@54), parttime from 02/29/2020.

Not fully FIREd, but partly.
01/01/20  Steevven1 (@29)             Working PT
03/07/20  Fresh Bread                 Swami
05/01/20  Much fishing to do          Working PT from home occasionally


« Last Edit: May 23, 2020, 06:21:55 AM by Linea_Norway »

Linea_Norway

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1603 on: April 13, 2020, 12:45:50 AM »
A little late to the crowd, but I am in! Wednesday, 4/15 is my last full time day. I will likely do a little work here and there as a part-timer, but we are FIRE as of this week...

Congrats. Nice that you dare, despite the market plunge.

JoJo

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1604 on: April 15, 2020, 10:14:04 AM »
I'm still hopeful by July but this is dependent on how much of the country is locked down.  I have a coworker out on extended leave until mid-June (covid + paternity leave) and I feel like I should stick around until his return. 

rab-bit

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1605 on: April 16, 2020, 11:36:10 AM »
I had been planning on giving my notice next week, but now having second thoughts. We have moved into our retirement home but have had no luck so far selling our old home and I'm worried that buyers will start getting scared. We may end up having to rent it out for a while if we can't sell it.

The new plan is to take it month-by-month. If we accept an offer for the old home and things start to calm down a little with the virus and the markets, then I'll pull the trigger. But there are just too many unknowns right now.

When I was 5 years old, my parents were in this situation, bought a bigger house and couldn't sell their previous for two years. That was an economic challenge for them. Renting it helped a bit, but they lost money in total. I hope your situation will be better.

Good news for us, we accepted an offer on our townhouse this morning! I have the feeling that we may have gotten lucky selling now before the economic effects of this virus fully impact the real estate market. Our buyers seem solid, so hopefully they won't have any trouble getting a mortgage and won't get scared or lose their jobs.

We were also invested pretty conservatively in preparation for retirement so we're fortunate that our stash has declined "only" about 13% so far. I have been rebalancing and gradually increasing our equity exposure as the market has declined, so hopefully that will pay off later on.

The townhouse sale is a huge relief for us so I now plan to give my notice in mid-April with an expected last day of work on May 8th. The dream is still alive!

Well, I did it! Submitted my resignation this morning, last day of work will be May 8th!

I have to admit that I'm nervous and excited at the same time. But the stash has come back nicely over the last few weeks (we're now down about 7.2% from the February peak) and we were also lucky enough to accept an offer on our old home in mid-March, just as everything was shutting down (closing should be next week).

Still, it seems especially bizarre to be quitting my job voluntarily while so many people are losing theirs involuntarily.

Anyway, we're looking forward to the next phase. DW will still be working about 8 days per month until September, but after that, we should both be totally free.

Trifle

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1606 on: April 16, 2020, 12:35:04 PM »
Well, I did it! Submitted my resignation this morning, last day of work will be May 8th!

Congratulations!!

ysette9

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1607 on: April 16, 2020, 08:38:14 PM »
Wonderful!

It is an odd tone to be quitting. I appreciate that we have a cohort here of weirdos to share the unique experience with.

Linea_Norway

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1608 on: April 17, 2020, 05:07:40 AM »
After the weekend we will go on a week road trip to look at rental properties. I really hope we can rent something acceptable from June, so that we have a month overlap to move and that we can make definite plans. Now I am restless as we are in a sort of limbo state, not knowing where to go and need to move out at first of July. Luckily we are not forbidden to travel because of Corona, only discouraged from leisure travel. Ours is not leisure, but necessary travel.
« Last Edit: April 17, 2020, 09:01:20 AM by Linea_Norway »

Much Fishing to Do

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1609 on: April 17, 2020, 06:45:57 AM »
After the weekend we will go in a week road trip to look at rental properties. I really hope we can rent something acceptable from June, so that we have a month overlap to move and that we can make definite plans. Now I am restless as we are in a sort of limbo state, not knowing where to go and need to move out at first of July. Luckily we are not forbidden to travel because of Corona, only discouraged from leisure travel. Ours is not leisure, but necessary travel.

Good Luck!  I know this is a tough time to be doing this, but I have think there are some opportunities out there as well.  Where I live is an exaggeration of these opportunities (a place where college students/families have left and so thousands of places are sitting available, and many tenants did not pay rent for last month, so anyone who would be willing to take an empty place and pay the first few months upfront could get some very good deals right now.

Much Fishing to Do

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1610 on: April 23, 2020, 08:00:22 AM »
I guess I should have my status changed to whatever best fits. 

I had May 1 chosen, but so far this year (even before the virus issues) the amount of work for me and thus my hours have really dropped (from about 25/wk to now closer to 10/wk), and given I work from home anyway it doesn't take much effort beyond those 10.  I do like having some work as opposed to none (esp. with no travel plans for now), and its a great hourly rate so I make just about enough at that hourly pace to cover my expenses, so I'm probably going to keep doing this as long as it stays this easy.  My SWR with the market drop has gone from 3.9 to 4.5, so though I've never been very strict about needing to be below 4 (Its all using my FATFire number, so there is definitely fat that can be cut if ever needed) that probably suggests this a good path as well for now.

I've been gradually moving tasks to my direct report, who will take my position when I leave, so that'll probably help me be able to keep hours down as well going forward (with all work down for now she appreciates the hours).  Being available for what's needed whenever with a little bit of a heads up, being used to working from home for years, and only being paid for the hours I work, I guess all makes me a perfect employee in times like this so I would think my job as it is is secure, and no big deal if its not.

Indio

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1611 on: April 23, 2020, 08:09:15 AM »
I'm officially part of the 2020 FIRE cohort. Last week the decision was made for me.

With 2 high school students, I was suffering from OMY until I had a good idea of how much college would cost and didn't want to have huge out of pocket healthcare. Now I'm part of the 4.4M unemployed from last week and researching healthcare plans while figuring out what RE will look like for me.

Trifle

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1612 on: April 23, 2020, 09:56:58 AM »
I'm officially part of the 2020 FIRE cohort. Last week the decision was made for me.

With 2 high school students, I was suffering from OMY until I had a good idea of how much college would cost and didn't want to have huge out of pocket healthcare. Now I'm part of the 4.4M unemployed from last week and researching healthcare plans while figuring out what RE will look like for me.

Wow, @Indio!  Big news.  Congrats, although I imagine it's complicated. 

Body Surfer

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1613 on: April 23, 2020, 11:23:04 AM »
One month to go. Working from home now is an interesting segue into retirement. 

Unique User

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1614 on: April 24, 2020, 08:14:01 AM »
My date has been pushed from July 1st to October 15th.  My project was delayed from May to September and I took my unused vacation time these last few weeks when I was not working and not sure if I would go back.  DH was scheduled to give notice April 1st, but he is in a wait and see mode for right now as he is pretty sure there will be layoffs in July (his company told everyone the end of March that they would not do any layoffs for 90 days).  He carries our health insurance and we didn't want to have to deal with new health insurance right now.  It will still be this year, just later in the year.   

Linea_Norway

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1615 on: April 24, 2020, 01:47:17 PM »
@ FlytilFIRE
@ CptCool 
hybrid I saw your status in another thread.
@ Ottawa
@ DreamFIRE   
@ Pennycounter

How are you all doing? Are any of you confirmed FIRED?

@ aspiringnomad
You had your last day today, right? Congrats. Enjoy the firstcoming Monday as your first Monday that you don't have to get up early.

@ Indio
Welcome.

« Last Edit: April 26, 2020, 03:37:09 AM by Linea_Norway »

aspiringnomad

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1616 on: April 24, 2020, 04:36:55 PM »


@ aspiringnomad
You had your last day today, right? Congrats. Enjoy the firstcoming Monday as your first Monday that you don't have to get up early.


Nope, I've been extended at least through May. My last day is now probably sometime in June, hopefully at which point travel and other restrictions will have lifted a bit.

Body Surfer

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1617 on: May 01, 2020, 09:27:21 AM »
Wow- May is finally here. May 2020 has had significant meaning in our family for over a decade. Retire May 22. Three weeks from now yet it still does not seem like reality probably because of the busyness and disruptions of life (thanks nightmare virus). The virus positive- if there is one- Been home-based working since Mid-March which has been a nice transition to retirement.

Hope you are all feeling/doing well

CrazyIT

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1618 on: May 01, 2020, 01:54:49 PM »
Wow- May is finally here. May 2020 has had significant meaning in our family for over a decade. Retire May 22. Three weeks from now yet it still does not seem like reality probably because of the busyness and disruptions of life (thanks nightmare virus). The virus positive- if there is one- Been home-based working since Mid-March which has been a nice transition to retirement.

Hope you are all feeling/doing well

Congrats Body Surfer!

I remember the last few weeks of work seeming to drag on and on. lol (hope that's not the case for you)

6 Weeks FIRE for me.  Longest I have ever gone without working by far.  Still trying to find my way with ER (virus has restricted me from doing several things) but don't have any complaints.

Much Fishing to Do

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1619 on: May 01, 2020, 01:59:10 PM »
Wow- May is finally here. May 2020 has had significant meaning in our family for over a decade. Retire May 22. Three weeks from now yet it still does not seem like reality probably because of the busyness and disruptions of life (thanks nightmare virus). The virus positive- if there is one- Been home-based working since Mid-March which has been a nice transition to retirement.

Hope you are all feeling/doing well

Wow, your actual exact retirement date has held for over a decade.  You've got some serious planning skills (or maybe a pension that hits on that day?).  Impressive.

PhilB

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1620 on: May 03, 2020, 03:41:04 AM »
I guess I should have my status changed to whatever best fits. 

I had May 1 chosen, but so far this year (even before the virus issues) the amount of work for me and thus my hours have really dropped (from about 25/wk to now closer to 10/wk), and given I work from home anyway it doesn't take much effort beyond those 10.  I do like having some work as opposed to none (esp. with no travel plans for now), and its a great hourly rate so I make just about enough at that hourly pace to cover my expenses, so I'm probably going to keep doing this as long as it stays this easy.  My SWR with the market drop has gone from 3.9 to 4.5, so though I've never been very strict about needing to be below 4 (Its all using my FATFire number, so there is definitely fat that can be cut if ever needed) that probably suggests this a good path as well for now.

I've been gradually moving tasks to my direct report, who will take my position when I leave, so that'll probably help me be able to keep hours down as well going forward (with all work down for now she appreciates the hours).  Being available for what's needed whenever with a little bit of a heads up, being used to working from home for years, and only being paid for the hours I work, I guess all makes me a perfect employee in times like this so I would think my job as it is is secure, and no big deal if its not.
I've been following something very close to this path since I FIREd in Oct 2018.  I hadn't planned to, but I too have been averaging about 10 hours a week, all WFH, and just about covering our expenses rather than having to draw anything from the stash.  If it doesn't get in the way of other things (or come with too much corporate bullshit) then it can be a pretty sweet deal.

My hat is off to all those pulling the plug in the current turmoil.  Balls of steel.  I salute you.

myobjectivism

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1621 on: May 03, 2020, 09:31:02 AM »
Hi.. I decided to retire in May 2020 (planned 9 months back in 2019) and gave notice period too in the company.

Because of Covid, I am moving retirement to next month June (decision is not from me but from my employer). Will keep sharing my experiences of new lifestyle in this forum.

I found this site just few days back and I am hooked to it. Very useful information from everyone in this community. Thank you.

Linea_Norway

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1622 on: May 03, 2020, 09:46:29 AM »
Hi.. I decided to retire in May 2020 (planned 9 months back in 2019) and gave notice period too in the company.

Because of Covid, I am moving retirement to next month June (decision is not from me but from my employer). Will keep sharing my experiences of new lifestyle in this forum.

I found this site just few days back and I am hooked to it. Very useful information from everyone in this community. Thank you.

Welcome to the cohort.
It sounds like you figured out your FIRE number by yourself and then found the site. That is well done. I had no clue at all before I read the 25 x yearly expenses rule on this site.

myobjectivism

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1623 on: May 03, 2020, 12:39:48 PM »
True.. this is how it all started for me without knowing that FIRE term exist..

1. Few years back, I approached financial advisor to find out how to diversify my money in investments but not with the our to retire early. I am from India and retiring early is very very rare and most of the people like me didn't hear about that concept.
2. One year back, my ex-colleague of my age (around 42 last year) retired and moved to countryside to live.
3. At that time, I started researching but I don't want to compromise on existing lifestyle and thought to continue for some more time and make decision.
4. As per calculations, I made a decision 9 months back and now about to start FIRE lifestyle in few weeks.

Loren Ver

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1624 on: May 03, 2020, 06:52:18 PM »
Hey 2020 Cohort, just dropping in from 2019 cohort to see how you are doing.  I was so happy to see your list with so many CONFIRMED even with the Covid stuff going on (and at least one because of).  That is AMAZING!  Way to go!  Showing the world that you don't just FIRE because the market is currently going up.  It is like you had a plan or something.

Love it.

Keep up the good work!

Loren

 

2sk22

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1625 on: May 07, 2020, 07:36:40 AM »
As of now, I am still planning to retire this year but the whole covid situation has introduced a bit of uncertainty. Unlike many, my job is not immediately at risk but my situation is a little unusual. This is a small startup with a very good group of people and I would like them to succeed but, due to covid, things are a lot more uncertain. I do feel a sense of obligation to help out - and they really do need my help.

As such, I don't really need the money and could quit at any time. It's only a sense of obligation that holding me back from quitting. I'm in a wait-and-see mode. Hopefully, things will stabilize later in the year and I can retire with a clear conscience.

Much Fishing to Do

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1626 on: May 07, 2020, 09:27:17 AM »
It's only a sense of obligation that holding me back from quitting. I'm in a wait-and-see mode. Hopefully, things will stabilize later in the year and I can retire with a clear conscience.

Sounds familiar.  Congrats either way as that's pretty darn close to being FIREd, as you'll certainly be doing stuff you feel obligated to do for reasons other than money for the rest of your life (charity, family, community, etc)

Dee18

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1627 on: May 07, 2020, 11:57:32 AM »
I submitted my official retirement request yesterday with the last day of employment as May 31.  I do have some mixed feelings.  There is a bit of "what am I going to do right away" since I have cancelled travel plans and a bit of "whoa, that retirement account is looking a bit light compared to where it was a few months ago," but mostly I am grateful that I have been on the MMM path and can retire on the scheduled date. 

JoJo

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1628 on: May 07, 2020, 12:17:07 PM »
Awesome @Dee18

An update on my situation, CEO just announced we are all working remote for "at least 90 days"... I was hoping to retire after we could return to the office, and like Dee18, not sure what to do if I did quit as travel was my previous plan.  I might actually go stay with my parents for awhile and work remote.

Linea_Norway

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1629 on: May 07, 2020, 02:33:30 PM »
I submitted my official retirement request yesterday with the last day of employment as May 31.  I do have some mixed feelings.  There is a bit of "what am I going to do right away" since I have cancelled travel plans and a bit of "whoa, that retirement account is looking a bit light compared to where it was a few months ago," but mostly I am grateful that I have been on the MMM path and can retire on the scheduled date.

Congrats on giving notice and being cool on your (temporary) lower stocks.

Lucky13

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1630 on: May 12, 2020, 09:59:27 AM »
Hi everyone! I've been waiting to post until I had a new FIRE date, but I guess I'm just happy riding the mandatory work-from-home wave (way less stressful for me) and seeing how it goes. I was planning to quit this Friday, so any money I make after that point is bonus. Still planning to retire by the end of the year.  :)  Congrats to those that gave notice already!

Body Surfer

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1631 on: May 15, 2020, 08:04:43 AM »
One more week and I am retiring. Been working from home since Mid-March so this will feel anticlimactic when the day finally arrives. Will have to go on Cobra for the remaining of year- too expensive, but we dare not go with health insurance during this plague.

Body Surfer

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1632 on: May 21, 2020, 05:12:21 PM »
Retired a day early. Many staff members drove by the house a few times honking their horns and gave me a retirement gift. I haven't seen these fine folks since early March as we have all been working from home. Unexpected but fun lol.

Well...time for the next phase of life.

Thanks to many of you who have provided much wisdom to me.

LostGirl

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1633 on: May 21, 2020, 06:42:08 PM »
Go team! Congratulations on staying strong!

As for me, I transition to part-time this month. It's anti-climactic with the quarantine but still better than working full time. I'm planning to ride it out as well and see if I can transition to part-time after this ends. As a parent with school age children, I still can't go back to the office and when the shelter in place is lifted because there are no child care options.


Covet 19 has changed everything, but another factor that's pushing my date is that we are closing on another rental property this month. I wanted to retain my income for more that mortgage until that property closes. I am feeling less tied to my job and more tied to my family, so we will see how this progresses.

Linea_Norway

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1634 on: May 22, 2020, 01:27:30 AM »
Retired a day early. Many staff members drove by the house a few times honking their horns and gave me a retirement gift. I haven't seen these fine folks since early March as we have all been working from home. Unexpected but fun lol.

Well...time for the next phase of life.

Thanks to many of you who have provided much wisdom to me.

Congrats on being retired and daring to take the plunge under current circumstances. Nice that your staff members made a supportive gesture.

Ottawa

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1635 on: May 22, 2020, 09:40:32 AM »
Yes, was supposed to be retired a month ago now.  Was literally 2 days away from putting in my resignation. But: Covid
So, am currently getting paid to stay at home.  I will monitor how things are going, then when it looks like we're going back to work - I will give notice and take 8 weeks vacation!  Kind of fortune telling..but - my guess is that it will correlate with summer ending.  In Ontario, school is done for this year and over night summer camps are all cancelled for the kids.  So, I'm sure the Minister of Education et al will be working hard on a plan to restart school in Sept.  This will allow parents to also go back to work. 

bownyboy

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1636 on: May 23, 2020, 02:51:02 AM »
Hello from the UK!

The big global experiment that is working from home since 16th March has really focused my mind on what it would be like to retire.

After 22 years of daily commuting on trains, buses and tubes there is no way in hell that I’m going back to that rat race.

I’ve been contracting in IT for the last few years which has helped massively to accelerate the stash for FIRE. My current contract finishes 18th August. It may get extended until December. Either way, I’ve decided to pull the plug this year!

Still can’t quite believe it after many years of reviewing my spreadsheets and imaging the day I just stop! This forum has been a great inspiration and support along the way.

Linea_Norway

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1637 on: May 23, 2020, 03:43:46 AM »
Hello from the UK!

The big global experiment that is working from home since 16th March has really focused my mind on what it would be like to retire.

After 22 years of daily commuting on trains, buses and tubes there is no way in hell that I’m going back to that rat race.

I’ve been contracting in IT for the last few years which has helped massively to accelerate the stash for FIRE. My current contract finishes 18th August. It may get extended until December. Either way, I’ve decided to pull the plug this year!

Still can’t quite believe it after many years of reviewing my spreadsheets and imaging the day I just stop! This forum has been a great inspiration and support along the way.

Welcome. Tough to make this decision and espesially be ause of the corona crisis.
I have heard of others have don't miss their 1,5 hour commute at all and would like to work from home all the time.

rab-bit

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1638 on: May 23, 2020, 06:15:23 AM »
I had been planning on giving my notice next week, but now having second thoughts. We have moved into our retirement home but have had no luck so far selling our old home and I'm worried that buyers will start getting scared. We may end up having to rent it out for a while if we can't sell it.

The new plan is to take it month-by-month. If we accept an offer for the old home and things start to calm down a little with the virus and the markets, then I'll pull the trigger. But there are just too many unknowns right now.

When I was 5 years old, my parents were in this situation, bought a bigger house and couldn't sell their previous for two years. That was an economic challenge for them. Renting it helped a bit, but they lost money in total. I hope your situation will be better.

Good news for us, we accepted an offer on our townhouse this morning! I have the feeling that we may have gotten lucky selling now before the economic effects of this virus fully impact the real estate market. Our buyers seem solid, so hopefully they won't have any trouble getting a mortgage and won't get scared or lose their jobs.

We were also invested pretty conservatively in preparation for retirement so we're fortunate that our stash has declined "only" about 13% so far. I have been rebalancing and gradually increasing our equity exposure as the market has declined, so hopefully that will pay off later on.

The townhouse sale is a huge relief for us so I now plan to give my notice in mid-April with an expected last day of work on May 8th. The dream is still alive!

Well, I did it! Submitted my resignation this morning, last day of work will be May 8th!

I have to admit that I'm nervous and excited at the same time. But the stash has come back nicely over the last few weeks (we're now down about 7.2% from the February peak) and we were also lucky enough to accept an offer on our old home in mid-March, just as everything was shutting down (closing should be next week).

Still, it seems especially bizarre to be quitting my job voluntarily while so many people are losing theirs involuntarily.

Anyway, we're looking forward to the next phase. DW will still be working about 8 days per month until September, but after that, we should both be totally free.

I can confirm that my last day of work was May 8th. We closed on the sale of our old home on May 4th and we've been working on bathroom renovations in our new condo. Other than that, I plan to take it easy, enjoying the nice spring and summer weather while thinking about some other projects that I might want to start in the fall. There is also a possibility of doing some consulting for my now former employer and I would consider that as long as it doesn't take up too much of my time.

Congratulations and best wishes to all of the current and future 2020 cohort retirees!

Body Surfer

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1639 on: May 23, 2020, 09:23:54 AM »
yes, I agree with you folks- WFH has been an interesting working dynamic helping prep folks toward RE. Easier to visualize what RE is like.

ixtap

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1640 on: May 23, 2020, 09:28:33 AM »
yes, I agree with you folks- WFH has been an interesting working dynamic helping prep folks toward RE. Easier to visualize what RE is like.

If I thought this were early retirement, I wouldn't be pursuing it.

ysette9

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1641 on: May 23, 2020, 06:48:58 PM »
yes, I agree with you folks- WFH has been an interesting working dynamic helping prep folks toward RE. Easier to visualize what RE is like.

If I thought this were early retirement, I wouldn't be pursuing it.
No kidding. If this were FIRE I would keep working until all the kids were in school. This is so much harder than working.

Linea_Norway

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1642 on: May 24, 2020, 08:04:24 AM »
yes, I agree with you folks- WFH has been an interesting working dynamic helping prep folks toward RE. Easier to visualize what RE is like.

If I thought this were early retirement, I wouldn't be pursuing it.
No kidding. If this were FIRE I would keep working until all the kids were in school. This is so much harder than working.

Yes, my FIRE was planned to all about making outdoor trips. We started the season with staying at home because of symptoms. Then came a law that forbidbus to stay in our mountain cabin during the skiing season. Then campsites are closed for tents (no toilets and showers available). North Norway was closed for visitors from the south. We cannot and don't to go cycling through Europe this year. Europe has become even more expensive for us, because of corona valuta changes. All things that were unexpected and not what I imagined.

When I would have had to work from home, work would have been so much better. I mostly hated the open office plan and the noise that came with it. But also a lot of other aspects that would have continued during work from home. Like scrum meetings and too many input channels for disturbances (phone, email, skype, pidgin, windows 10 groups, automatic copy of support cases that a customer ligs). That aspect of FIRE is much better. I still get disturbances by mail, sms, phone and post, but at least not about work.
« Last Edit: May 24, 2020, 08:09:21 AM by Linea_Norway »

Body Surfer

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1643 on: May 26, 2020, 07:33:16 AM »
yes, I agree with you folks- WFH has been an interesting working dynamic helping prep folks toward RE. Easier to visualize what RE is like.

If I thought this were early retirement, I wouldn't be pursuing it.
No kidding. If this were FIRE I would keep working until all the kids were in school. This is so much harder than working.

Yes, my FIRE was planned to all about making outdoor trips. We started the season with staying at home because of symptoms. Then came a law that forbidbus to stay in our mountain cabin during the skiing season. Then campsites are closed for tents (no toilets and showers available). North Norway was closed for visitors from the south. We cannot and don't to go cycling through Europe this year. Europe has become even more expensive for us, because of corona valuta changes. All things that were unexpected and not what I imagined.

When I would have had to work from home, work would have been so much better. I mostly hated the open office plan and the noise that came with it. But also a lot of other aspects that would have continued during work from home. Like scrum meetings and too many input channels for disturbances (phone, email, skype, pidgin, windows 10 groups, automatic copy of support cases that a customer ligs). That aspect of FIRE is much better. I still get disturbances by mail, sms, phone and post, but at least not about work.

Linea: sorry about all these negative changes. I understand what you are experiencing. I just retired, and so many events that were planned are changed or modified. For instance, we had to cancel DW's birthday celebration with our kids coming home. We will still go on our vacations, but won't eat out or go to craft breweries while there which is very disappointing- just to name of few of the negative changes. Canceled retirement get-to-togethers too.

Maenad

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1644 on: May 26, 2020, 07:40:01 AM »
Glad to hear others are doing well, or as well as can be expected. We're enjoying our retirement and decompression as much as we can. I've been writing letters to friends and re-started my stained glass/mosaic hobby. We've also learned how to make good homemade pizza! Being introverts and homebodies has made this easier, but we do really miss our weekly gaming sessions - online and video conferencing just isn't the same.

We've been keeping our spending down a bit, and are relying on the cash cushion we'd built up for some major purchases this year (which are being deferred). Our current spending rate is somewhere between 3.25% and 3.5%, so we should be able to pull through this, assuming it doesn't get much worse. And if it does, we'll adjust.

texxan1

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1645 on: May 26, 2020, 05:50:12 PM »
my plan was to retire june 1, but with the looming immigration hold. My fiance can not get her K1 visa yet till things open up... SO i am holding off until she gets her visa.... so hoping to still be in the 2020 pool... No reason to leave until she arrives in the states....

Working from home now, 20 hours per week getting full Global rotational pay so its ALL GOOD.

back abroad once planes start flying again... Come on VISA lol

Tex

Body Surfer

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1646 on: May 27, 2020, 01:13:16 PM »
my plan was to retire june 1, but with the looming immigration hold. My fiance can not get her K1 visa yet till things open up... SO i am holding off until she gets her visa.... so hoping to still be in the 2020 pool... No reason to leave until she arrives in the states....

Working from home now, 20 hours per week getting full Global rotational pay so its ALL GOOD.

back abroad once planes start flying again... Come on VISA lol

Tex

Where is your fiance from?

texxan1

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1647 on: May 27, 2020, 08:43:45 PM »
She is from the Phillippines

Bateaux

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1648 on: May 28, 2020, 06:18:47 AM »
We're well beyond our minimum to FIRE which is 2 million not including real estate.  But, there is just too much unknown.  Still hoping to FIRE in early 2021.  Which may equate to no actual work in 2021.  I'll have two months of vacation available come January first.  I'll count that as 2020 if only using vacation time in 2021.  Maybe some better outlook will come by then.

Linea_Norway

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Re: 2020 FIRE Cohort
« Reply #1649 on: May 28, 2020, 09:46:22 AM »
We're well beyond our minimum to FIRE which is 2 million not including real estate.  But, there is just too much unknown.  Still hoping to FIRE in early 2021.  Which may equate to no actual work in 2021.  I'll have two months of vacation available come January first.  I'll count that as 2020 if only using vacation time in 2021.  Maybe some better outlook will come by then.

Then I'll change your date to December 12, 2020.