2021 FIRE Cohort

[climber1]

Hi all!

Haven't been active here vs. the financialindependence subreddit, but enjoying reading others post-FIRE stories here so thought I'd join in.

I FIREd in January and then spent the next 5 months on a huge road trip around the US. Was a great opportunity to explore, reset, and engage in various hobbies. This may be heresy here, but I actually ended up getting another job after that and have been there for 2 months now. I was looking for some kind of challenge after the leisure of the trip and an old manager of mine reached out with a job which is basically exactly the type of work I like to do. So I've been doing that and it has been fun. I don't expect to be there long as the approach I'm taking is show up, get high impact projects done and when I can be proud of a job well done, bounce. Maybe not the conventional FIRE, but its working for me.

[4tify]

Well, I'm officially done!  Last day was today, 10/6 for @ScreamingHeadGuy 's tally.  I just deleted my work apps from my phone and realized a few things:
1. This is the 1st time in 12 years that I won't have anything work related on my phone
2. First time since I was 14 that I won't be doing paid work
3. First time since I was 18 that I'm not working at least 40 hours/ week

It's exciting and scary!

@asauer you beat me by 2 days, congrats!! I’m excited and scared too lol.

Today is my last day! No more mega Corp!! Thanks to everyone for the help & inspiration!

Congrats!!  I'm only a week behind you.

Great! Let us know how it goes!

[asauer]

Well, I'm officially done!  Last day was today, 10/6 for @ScreamingHeadGuy 's tally.  I just deleted my work apps from my phone and realized a few things:
1. This is the 1st time in 12 years that I won't have anything work related on my phone
2. First time since I was 14 that I won't be doing paid work
3. First time since I was 18 that I'm not working at least 40 hours/ week

It's exciting and scary!

Congratulations!

@asauer you beat me by 2 days, congrats!! I’m excited and scared too lol.

Today is my last day! No more mega Corp!! Thanks to everyone for the help & inspiration!

[ScreamingHeadGuy]

The roster is updated for everybody through post #1464.

So far we have 113 folks here who will be FIRE in 2021, 5 are OMY (and are "dead to us"), 5 have gone OLY into the 2020 Cohort, and one has 2LY into 2019. 

Average age of 2021ers is 45.45 (based on those 77 members who provided an age at FIRE date).  2020 average age was 48.32.  2019 average age was 47.38.

Name Age (at FIRE) FIRE Date Sisto 50 2019 2LY Aldi Early 50s 1/23/2020 OLY CrazyIT 56 3/13/2020 OLY Mmm_Donuts 3/20/2020 OLY Marcher Lady 49 12/15/2020 OLY Zinnie 38 10/22/2020 OLY Matz_70 50 1/1/2021 BikeFanatic 55 1/4/2021 Confirmed Sciurus 1/8/2021 Confirmed ScreamingHeadGuy 41 1/22/2021 Confirmed 12321 35 1/23/2021 Confirmed moneypitfeeder 42 1/29/2021 Confirmed Sultan58 1/31/2021 Confirmed Climber1 January Confirmed fireflye 50 2/1/2021   goat_music_generator 27 2/2/2021 Confirmed dividendman 38 2/5/2021 Confirmed texxan1 2/15/2021 Confirmed Buffaloski Boris 56 2/28/2021   dreams_and_discoveries 39 February   fiStressRelief 40 3/1/2021 Confirmed Dreamer40 40 3/3/2021 Confirmed Farfetchd 33 3/7/2021 Confirmed skyrefuge 43 3/12/2021 Confirmed TheContinentalOP 55 3/19/2021   logjammin 39 3/26/2021   Mrs. Healthywealth 42 3/26/2021 Confirmed Blindsquirrel 3/31/2021 Confirmed ronsbusa3 50 4/1/2021 Confirmed HumanAfterAll 44 4/2/2021 Confirmed Trede 51 4/2/2021 Confirmed marque 47 4/8/2021 Confirmed sailingTowardsFI 43 4/9/2021 Confirmed Abe Froman 4/16/2021 Confirmed simmias 47 4/16/2021 Confirmed Ottawa 49 4/16/2021 Confirmed OmgLmg 4/16/2021 Confirmed Tipster350 60 4/16/2021 Confirmed justchristine 4/27/2021 Confirmed bluebelle 4/30/2021   Need2Save (Mr.) 4/30/2021 Confirmed FireTheWorldOver 42 4/30/2021 Confirmed RetireAbroadAt35 April Confirmed traveler 5/3/2021 Confirmed LD_TAndK 29 5/6/2021 Confirmed Peter Parker 5/7/2021 Confirmed cdn5cents 53 5/8/2021 Confirmed Geographer 30 5/10/2021 Confirmed aethonan13 33 5/14/2021 Confirmed MoStash 53 5/14/2021 Confirmed amberfocus 36 5/22/2021 Confirmed SheWhoWalksAtLunch 56 5/28/2021 Confirmed Chaplin 47 5/28/2021 Confirmed CoffeeR 55 5/31/2021 Confirmed SWAMI Mrs. Sloth May Confirmed gary3411 30 May   WildJager 35 May   80Westy 50 May   EricEng 36 May   rightstuff 55 6/1/2021 Confirmed ItalianGirl 52 6/1/2021 phildonnia 50 6/2/2021 Confirmed JoJo 48 6/4/2021 Confirmed crazy jane 55 6/7/2021 Confirmed Arbitrage 43 6/10/2021 Confirmed Coast-FI Newstart103 40 6/11/2021   highlandterrier 47 6/25/2021 Confirmed Ladychips 55 6/30/2021 Confirmed mld 33 June SunniD June   lukebowles 7/1/2021   Eurotexan 7/1/2021 Confirmed professordough 44 7/2/2021 Confirmed boarder42 (Mrs.) 34 7/7/2021 Confirmed Need2Save 48 7/8/2021 Confirmed Pylortes 7/9/2021 Confirmed Dusty Dog Ranch 7/12/2021 Confirmed S.O.U.L. Malee55 55 7/17/2021 Confirmed, but employed until 2022 FireLane 39 7/23/2021 Confirmed Norsky July     icebox92 36 8/6/2021   Well Respected Man 56 8/6/2021 Confirmed force majeure 45 8/11/2021   Nemisis. 8/13/2021 Confirmed CarolinaGirl 50 August   Jack0Life ('s wife) 32 9/3/2021 Confirmed Bownyboy 49 9/7/2021     ospreyjp 56 9/27/2021 Confirmed frugalecon 9/30/2021 GBRS 36 September asauer 43 10/6/2021 Confirmed billy 10/7/2021 Confirmed 4tify 54 10/8/2021 Confirmed Nazar 10/15/2021 dougules 43 10/15/2021 IKAG (Dicey's husband) 60 10/31/2021 damo October Boyband 37 October snowball 40 11/4/2021 Canuck042 45 11/5/2021 dblaace 11/24/2021 Money Badger 53 12/1/2021 Morning Glory 40 12/15/2021 SmartyCat 12/17/2021 Accountant007 48 12/23/2021 Ulysses Everett McGill 55 12/31/2021 dblaace 60 12/31/2021 NoVa 12/31/2021 effigy98 43 December Wadiman December lightmyfire June-Sept monarda 61 TBD lemonlyman TBD dsw TBD MoneyTree TBD exit2019 TBD zombiehunter TBD SmartyCat 59 TBD Prairie Gal TBD YoungGranny 2022   mindfulrun 2022 LightTripper 2022   the_fixer 2022 boarder42 2022

[ScreamingHeadGuy]

Congratulations to everybody who's FIRE'd since my last posting.  I am so happy for all of you. 

Here is a shout-out to folks whose FIRE date has passed but from whom I haven't received a confirmation yet.  @Matz_70 @fireflye @Buffaloski Boris @dreams_and_discoveries @TheContinentalOp @logjammin @bluebelle @gary3411 @WildJager @80Westy @EricEng @ItalianGirl @newstart103 @mld @SunniD @lukebowles @Norsky @icebox92 @force majeure @CarolinaGirl @frugalecon and @GBRS

[anotherAlias]

You can list my age as 45 when I retired...wouldn't want to skew the avg age.

[SmartyCat]

Unfortunately I'll skew it upward a bit - still on track for 12/17/2021, age 59.

[billy]

you can add me to the list I retired on October 7th at 39 years old.

[asauer]

you can add me to the list I retired on October 7th at 39 years old.

Congratulations!

[billy]

Hey thanks, lots of hiccups along the way, but I made it. When I saw this video in May https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXeJANDKwDc, I fired 5 months sooner.

[monarda]

Not going to retire this year, but discussed today with the boss a move to working part-time, to 60% (3 days a week). Still gets full benefits! Probably going to switch over to that soon. Maybe next month, even?

Yup, going to part time Mid-November.

[Trifle]

Wow, quite the FIRE party going on here!  Congratulations to all those pulling the rip cord!


                                                   

[Well Respected Man]

Yikes at that video. I think it's more like hang gliding, or really, just flying a plane and landing. Nothing as scary as jumping off a building.

I had a work dream this morning, where the project was always going wrong, and I dutifully trotted upstairs to tell the boss, and he was getting more and more frazzled. Suckers.

It may have something to do with my having to set an alarm for the first time in I don't know how long. I have an electrician starting a project today, and I should at least be awake and have pants on for that.

Other than that, I finally settled on an alternative to straight bond funds for part of our taxable money. I went with FSRRX, Fidelity Strategic Real Return. It seems like it provides some inflation protection, and is not as correlated with stocks. The house proceeds are now fully invested according to plan, and we have 3 years' expenses in short-term holdings, as well as a paid-off house.

Good to see some fellow skiers in here. I also have the Epic pass, and our house is only a few minutes away from one of the smaller mountains. I'm sure to eclipse my very paltry record for most days skied in a season. See you on the slopes!

[crazy jane]

I had a day off from watching the grandchildren. So what did I do? I substitute taught at the school I retired from. I was the music teacher and had a blast. The best part was reading the sub plans and being so thankful I will never have to do that or any regular planning ever again. I also loved all the hugs from the kids and having lunch with my friends. Now what should I do with the extra $110?

[dsw]

Hi everybody! It's been awhile since I checked in. I left my job in July and I haven't really been able to remember to update the forums since. So far everything is going great. Just as I hoped, a fairly conservative plan has me pretty serene about the market fluctuations. I've been traveling, volunteering, and just tooling around the house. I've had a very fortunate career, but I'm happy to be stepping away from it.

I hope you're all doing well!

d

[dougules]

Hi everybody! It's been awhile since I checked in. I left my job in July and I haven't really been able to remember to update the forums since. So far everything is going great. Just as I hoped, a fairly conservative plan has me pretty serene about the market fluctuations. I've been traveling, volunteering, and just tooling around the house. I've had a very fortunate career, but I'm happy to be stepping away from it.

I hope you're all doing well!

d

That sounds so great.  And the fact you've been out in the real world not on the forums isn't really a bad thing. 

[Dreamer40]

Congrats to all the recent plug-pullers! I love hearing all the success stories and updates. I passed my 6-month-retired mark recently and feel like I’m finally decompressing. I recently started a volunteer gig at a nonprofit orchard and didn’t get a panic attack at the thought of committing to something. Luckily, volunteer hours are only 2 days a week and it’s completely on a drop-in basis. Nobody cares if I don’t show up or even what time I show up. Yeah! It’s been good to start getting out of the house more. I felt like I really needed to stay at home for quite a while and do my own thing.

I’m also finally getting bit by the travel bug again. Thinking about doing a GAdventures trip in the spring perhaps. Perhaps sign up with some friends I don’t see anymore since moving cross-country last year. It’s always so fun to meet up with people in another country. “Fancy running into you here in Egypt!” Fingers crossed that a covid booster is approved soon for us J&J people.

[HSBW]

Can I join the cohort, at least for now? I just put in my notice to leave my job and stay home with our 1 year old son. Current plan is 6-12 months off and then we'll reassess. I'm hopeful that my staying home makes life better for everyone to the point that it becomes permanent. We are borderline FI now depending on the spending number (a matter to straighten out with my wife). Another 6-12 months of market gains, small bit of savings, and continued conversations may get her to the point where she's comfortable taking a step back too.

[dougules]

I'M DONE! 

[dougules]

Can I join the cohort, at least for now? I just put in my notice to leave my job and stay home with our 1 year old son. Current plan is 6-12 months off and then we'll reassess. I'm hopeful that my staying home makes life better for everyone to the point that it becomes permanent. We are borderline FI now depending on the spending number (a matter to straighten out with my wife). Another 6-12 months of market gains, small bit of savings, and continued conversations may get her to the point where she's comfortable taking a step back too.

Of course you can.  Welcome.

[snowball]

Congrats to all of you who've taken the leap!  That's so awesome.  Three more weeks and I'm joining you - I can almost taste it.

[nazar]

It's official,  I am done.  I just logged off for the last time. Time to celebrate!

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

[Malee55]

I have been on paid leave since mid July and have not missed work at all. In Melbourne we are in lockdown so I have not been able to get out and do much. However I am slowly recovering from the burnt out feeling that led me to decide to pull the pin. I have been walking around the neighbourhood and meeting up with friends (outside in a lockdown friendly way) and just feel so relaxed. I am now able to contemplate looking for a volunteer job without the thought stressing me out. I know I will not want to keep up this lifestyle for ever, but it was what I needed for awhile.

[Ladychips]

@nazar and @dougules - welcome to the party!!

@snowball - It tastes good!!

@HSBW - welcome to the cohort.  You are gonna love it.

I've been retired 3.5 months.  I have no idea if I am decompressing or not.  I walked out and never looked back.  I still have a number of people in my personal life who work or worked there so I hear quite a bit about what's happening, but it's almost like a tv show that I watch.  I'm kinda interested in a drama/fiction kind of way but it doesn't mean anything in my REAL life.

Retirement is the greatest thing ever.  I am 1000% more laid back (my best friend who is still working is somewhat upset with me because I am no longer predictable.  I've always operated on a schedule/clock/plan.  Now, I'm okay with changing plans at the last minute; I'm ok with not knowing all the details...it's shocking to her!  Feels good to me and I'm a little bit sad I wasn't like this my whole life.

The only thing I struggle with a little bit is answering the 'what are you doing' question.  Man, people have alot of EXPECTATIONS.  And I'm like 'oh, most days I do a little yoga, try to put my hands in the dirt regularly, spending alot of time with my parents, brother, nephews and their new wives, napping, reading, sitting on my porch, talking to my friends, you know...living.  Whatever seems most attractive on any given day.'  For most people, that doesn't seem to be enough.  I realize that is their issue, not mine.  I just want people to know how awesome it is!  I'm mentally chewing on that to see if I need a better response or need to just let go of other people's stuff.

I've been so happy watching this cohort kicking it.  So looking forward to the rest of the group joining us!

[texxan1]

I havent been here in a while, so will add my age to the list to help the data set... 49 years, 1 month and 11 days the day i FIRE'd lol

to add insult to my wonderful ex employer, they offered me my job back with 7 figures lol... and i said NOPE.... since FIRE ive added 5 more locations to my Twice the Ice machines and have 2 more coming online soon.... im just the arranger, i have a contract employee who does all the work..... i hade one HECK of a deal buying super super super cheap for a man who wanted out of the business.. . that deal added 75k a year cash flow this year and 125k cash flow for next year...... Nice

since the world is opening back up, the bride to be and i are headed to thailand for 6 months come january...... Happy FIRE FOLKS

[dougules]

since the world is opening back up, the bride to be and i are headed to thailand for 6 months come january...... Happy FIRE FOLKS

I'll be right behind you whenever COVID calms down.  Bangkok has been my plan for my FIRE kickoff trip for a while now. 

[Aethonan]

So excited by all the updates!  @dougules -- delighted to see you pull the trigger at last.

I'm still doing some part-time fun (paid) stuff, but I've also ramped up a once-abandoned (and expensive) hobby... so am just putting some of the extra fun money towards the fun activities :)  Enjoying the mix of it for now.

Cheers all around!

[Blissful Biker]

Sign me up for the 2021 Cohort!

We were tracking towards 2023 but a recent financial influx pushed us over "the number".  I've given my notice and will be done by the end of the year, with potentially a wee bit of training my successor trickling into early 2022.

Please add me to the list to FIRE on 31/12/2021 at age 49.

Exciting but unsettling too.  Who am I without my fancy title?  Thankfully I'll have lots of time on my bike and skis to ponder.

[NoVa]

HR has pointed out to me that my final day will be December 30, not 31, as that is a holiday. One day closer!

[HSBW]

Can I join the cohort, at least for now? I just put in my notice to leave my job and stay home with our 1 year old son. Current plan is 6-12 months off and then we'll reassess. I'm hopeful that my staying home makes life better for everyone to the point that it becomes permanent. We are borderline FI now depending on the spending number (a matter to straighten out with my wife). Another 6-12 months of market gains, small bit of savings, and continued conversations may get her to the point where she's comfortable taking a step back too.

Of course you can.  Welcome.

Thanks @dougules and congrats on your exit!

[HSBW]

@nazar and @dougules - welcome to the party!!

@snowball - It tastes good!!

@HSBW - welcome to the cohort.  You are gonna love it.

I've been retired 3.5 months.  I have no idea if I am decompressing or not.  I walked out and never looked back.  I still have a number of people in my personal life who work or worked there so I hear quite a bit about what's happening, but it's almost like a tv show that I watch.  I'm kinda interested in a drama/fiction kind of way but it doesn't mean anything in my REAL life.

Retirement is the greatest thing ever.  I am 1000% more laid back (my best friend who is still working is somewhat upset with me because I am no longer predictable.  I've always operated on a schedule/clock/plan.  Now, I'm okay with changing plans at the last minute; I'm ok with not knowing all the details...it's shocking to her!  Feels good to me and I'm a little bit sad I wasn't like this my whole life.

The only thing I struggle with a little bit is answering the 'what are you doing' question.  Man, people have alot of EXPECTATIONS.  And I'm like 'oh, most days I do a little yoga, try to put my hands in the dirt regularly, spending alot of time with my parents, brother, nephews and their new wives, napping, reading, sitting on my porch, talking to my friends, you know...living.  Whatever seems most attractive on any given day.'  For most people, that doesn't seem to be enough.  I realize that is their issue, not mine.  I just want people to know how awesome it is!  I'm mentally chewing on that to see if I need a better response or need to just let go of other people's stuff.

I've been so happy watching this cohort kicking it.  So looking forward to the rest of the group joining us!

Thanks @Ladychips ! I definitely feel you on the expectations piece. I'm hoping that the stay at home dad part makes that less of an issue for me. The real difficulty will be when my wife eventually quits too. It seems like a failure of imagination in the general populace about the possibilities of leaving work earlier than conventional age. Talking with family is often a reminder of the fact that this is a small minority niche community. To add my age to the list, I'm 33 and out at the end of October.

[asauer]

I'M DONE!

Woohoo!! Enjoy!  I look forward to hearing your decompression journey in the journals.

[asauer]

@nazar and @dougules - welcome to the party!!

@snowball - It tastes good!!

@HSBW - welcome to the cohort.  You are gonna love it.

I've been retired 3.5 months.  I have no idea if I am decompressing or not.  I walked out and never looked back.  I still have a number of people in my personal life who work or worked there so I hear quite a bit about what's happening, but it's almost like a tv show that I watch.  I'm kinda interested in a drama/fiction kind of way but it doesn't mean anything in my REAL life.

Retirement is the greatest thing ever.  I am 1000% more laid back (my best friend who is still working is somewhat upset with me because I am no longer predictable.  I've always operated on a schedule/clock/plan.  Now, I'm okay with changing plans at the last minute; I'm ok with not knowing all the details...it's shocking to her!  Feels good to me and I'm a little bit sad I wasn't like this my whole life.

The only thing I struggle with a little bit is answering the 'what are you doing' question.  Man, people have alot of EXPECTATIONS.  And I'm like 'oh, most days I do a little yoga, try to put my hands in the dirt regularly, spending alot of time with my parents, brother, nephews and their new wives, napping, reading, sitting on my porch, talking to my friends, you know...living.  Whatever seems most attractive on any given day.'  For most people, that doesn't seem to be enough.  I realize that is their issue, not mine.  I just want people to know how awesome it is!  I'm mentally chewing on that to see if I need a better response or need to just let go of other people's stuff.

I've been so happy watching this cohort kicking it.  So looking forward to the rest of the group joining us!

Yes!  I'm shocked at how many people expect me to be doing something big.  I might eventually but not right now.

[dougules]

When I tell people I want to just chill on the couch for a little while, most folks I talk to totally get it.  I could be doing some long-awaited travel right now, but it just feels so good for the moment to just veg.  I’ve got time and I’ll get there.

[WYOGO]

Tomorrow, I am officially informing my boss of my departure, during my performance planning review for the next year. I am one that was part of the 2020 cohort holdover, delayed due to COViD, and uncertainty surrounding the ACA and such. Two weeks left…feels kind of surreal. Feel super lucky to have a optimal distribution of funds among the various “buckets” and am excited to finally embark on this new chapter.

[sisto]

Tomorrow, I am officially informing my boss of my departure, during my performance planning review for the next year. I am one that was part of the 2020 cohort holdover, delayed due to COViD, and uncertainty surrounding the ACA and such. Two weeks left…feels kind of surreal. Feel super lucky to have a optimal distribution of funds among the various “buckets” and am excited to finally embark on this new chapter.

Congratulations!

[Ladychips]

@WYOGO - your timing seems impeccable!!

[Chaplin]

Sign me up for the 2021 Cohort!

We were tracking towards 2023 but a recent financial influx pushed us over "the number".  I've given my notice and will be done by the end of the year, with potentially a wee bit of training my successor trickling into early 2022.

Please add me to the list to FIRE on 31/12/2021 at age 49.

Exciting but unsettling too.  Who am I without my fancy title?  Thankfully I'll have lots of time on my bike and skis to ponder.

Awesome! 'Can't wait to hear how it plays out!

[Dicey]

Posting to update DH's status, except I still don't know for sure, which is fine with me. We just spent two weeks in Utah. We came home and he worked his usual four-day week. It seemed like forever to me, but he was fine with it. I suspect he's just going to wake up one morning and declare himself done. When it happens remains to be seen, but I know it's not far off, which makes me happy.

[WYOGO]

@WYOGO - your timing seems impeccable!!

It was a great way to end a miserable meeting that does not address any of my needs or resolve the growing corporate dysfunction. Shortly after it began, I said …”full transparency, frankly I won’t be here to drive or achieve those metrics and other areas of my life are now the focus of my “development”.

That ended it in short order cordially with me committing to aid the transition and support during these next and final two weeks.

[Ladychips]

@WYOGO - your timing seems impeccable!!

It was a great way to end a miserable meeting that does not address any of my needs or resolve the growing corporate dysfunction. Shortly after it began, I said …”full transparency, frankly I won’t be here to drive or achieve those metrics and other areas of my life are now the focus of my “development”.

That ended it in short order cordially with me committing to aid the transition and support during these next and final two weeks.

Great report. Thanks for sharing!

[stealthwealth]

Today I crossed $1.6M invested!!!  My house has about $60k owed, and is worth about $225k, needs about $200k put into it to get it to a happy place.  43 yo.  I'm still employed, professional career with no real workplace dysfunction or anything, but I'll probably be trying to dial back to part time in the next year or so, assuming I can get above $1.8M in the next year, which is my "comfort" number. 

[big_owl]

Gave notice of FIRE today.  Last day of work is 12/31.  I'm excited yet anxious/sad at the same time.  My spouse is going to keep working as she loves her job. 

[SmartyCat]

Gave notice yesterday! My last workday will be 12/17/2021.

[dividendman]

Gave notice yesterday! My last workday will be 12/17/2021.

It's interesting to me that you chose the end of the year instead of the beginning of the next, what's the reason for this?

Typically it's better to chose the beginning of the next year so you can get 401k/HSA/etc filled a bit + company matches. Many companies also pay out bonuses at the start of the year.

[SmartyCat]

Gave notice yesterday! My last workday will be 12/17/2021.

It's interesting to me that you chose the end of the year instead of the beginning of the next, what's the reason for this?

Typically it's better to chose the beginning of the next year so you can get 401k/HSA/etc filled a bit + company matches. Many companies also pay out bonuses at the start of the year.

Hi @dividendman - you may not find my answer very satisfying, because I'm also leaving three paid holidays (Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve) on the table by exiting in mid-December, which has my boss politely horrified.

For the math part: my company 401k match happens throughout the year rather than in January, so at most I'm leaving 0.2% of my salary behind rather than 5% for the 401k match. I'm continuing my HDHP through COBRA, and my employer doesn't fund or match HSAs, so no loss there - I can continue to fund it on my own. My position is straight salary; no bonus impact tied to when I leave.

The non-math part: Burnout. Holidays with my family without the shadow of year-end mayhem from people trying to get their projects from 2% to 100% in the last days of the year. Also, I promised myself I wouldn't be working on my 60th birthday, and I'm excited to be keeping that promise.

[dblaace]

Congrats big_owl and SmartyCat!

[LetsRetireYoung]

This is an awesome thread!! :) I'm the only person I know who actually retired young, so seeing the rest of all y'all is literally making me grin as I sit here, reading all your stories.

I was an Amazombie for 11.5 years, moved a lot for work (6 cities in 10 years!), then transferred from Seattle to Toronto because a) politics and b) better healthcare and c) mildly better for global warming, then became a permanent resident 2 years later, and then finally quit. :) It helped that I very carefully increased my stock portfolio by 197% between May 2020-May 2021 hahaha.

I moved to the beautiful Quebec City 2 months ago, and I'm loving it here... It's very lean-FIRE friendly: a 1-bedroom apartment in a nice part of town (with all the utilities + fast Internet included) is only $470 USD a month. O_o My combined monthly expenses are about $1,100 USD at this point, and I'm loving this new adventure and an opportunity to learn Quebec French through this full immersion. I declared lean-FIRE in mid-May, and I highly doubt I'll ever go back. :^D

[billy]

Ya, it's great reading that other like minded people fired this year as well. I wouldn't think rent would be that cheap in Quebec.

[Ladychips]

@SmartyCat , I loved your answer. Sometimes it's just time to go and money doesn't necessarily factor into the equation. I think you're gonna love retirement!