Well, it's done. I just quit my job on the single worst intraday drop in the history of the Dow Jones. I'm 80% stock. My withdrawal rate will be roughly 3% annually. As of last week I had about 1.2M but it's bleeding by the day. My wife and I will rely on ACA for health care. Life is more fun with a little risk.
Congrats Mrbeardedbigbucks! I am 100% in agreement with you on your last point. (I am looking forward to pulling the cord in June). Since it is no secret at work that I am leaving soon, folks ask me every day "What are you going to do?" I wonder if this is the refrain because they cannot decide what they would do or if they just want to live vicariously through me. Anyway, I think others do not clamor to do what I am doing because they are not willing to endure a little risk. To me the risk is that I stay in my job and die in my office.
Thank you! You're absolutely right Aperture. Get busy living or get busy dying.
I came to a realization that the movie Shawshank Redemption is a metaphor for working in corporate America. After a while people get institutionalized. All they know is the safety and security of the same routine everyday. Their company and career gives them a sense of purpose and identity. They have a boss that they like to complain about but in reality they need that authority in their lives to provide direction. Most of their friends are at the company. Many of them eat two meals a day there. They don't want to leave all that behind because who will they gossip with and what will they complain about? How would they explain to other people on the outside what they do for a living? Corporate walls are funny. First you hate 'em, then you get used to 'em. After long enough, you get so you depend on 'em. That's 'institutionalized.'
The favorite part of my day over the last few months was slowly cleaning out my office. Everyday I would take something and shred it, recycling it, throw it out or take it home. I felt like Andy Dufresne in the prison courtyard, emptying his pockets full of the prison wall that he dug out with a rock hammer over a period of 19 years (16 years for me). In four weeks I'll finally crawl out of a tunnel of shit into the free world. If the stock market decide to take a serious dump....I'll take what's left of my stash, pack up the Subaru and drive down to Mexico or another low cost of living country. Maybe open a backpackers hostel and fix up an old boat on a beach.
When you guys retire..do me a favor. There's this big hayfield up near Buxton. You know where Buxton is?
Ok, ok, this is getting out of hand. Good luck to everyone. Don't hesitate to retire in 2018 no matter what this stock market does and for the love of god, don't go back and "consult". Go carve a chess board out of soapstone or fix up an old boat instead.
MrBeardedBigBucks out.