After working toward early retirement for years I am finally ready to pull the plug on this job. I am handing in my notice today or tomorrow with a target retirement date of 4/2/2024. It's been a long time coming and it's pretty daunting but I'm super happy to be finally doing it!
I joined the MMM forums in August of 2015. At that time I had been saving diligently and have always been frugal but it was awesome to find out that I wasn't alone and that there were a lot of people working toward the same goals as me. I hung out around here for a few years but by that point my savings and lifestyle were on autopilot and there wasn't that much left to optimize so haven't been around these forums for many years. It's a little surprising to see how these forums and the FIRE movement in general have changed since I last checked in. Forum posts like "Which ultra-expensive car should I buy?" and "which of my 9 streaming services should I cut back on?" seem shocking to someone whose last forum visits probably had threads about reusing Ziplock bags and what a frivolous waste paper towels are. I have watched a few videos about the "death of the FIRE movement" and it's pretty obvious what's going on (FIRE gurus trying to appeal to a wider audience so more people who are in the "But what if I don't want to change my lifestyle at all, I can FIRE too, right?" mindset are diluting the message) but knowing that and seeing in action are two different things. It doesn't really change anything about my future but it's weird to see the movement mutate to appeal to the mass market.
I am 51 years old and single. I have been working for my current company for the last 13 years and have amassed a nice stash that should last me the rest of my life. Taking the plunge is causing some anxiety, mostly around healthcare. I have been relatively healthy all my life and don't currently have any chronic conditions but the healthcare system in the US is messed up and having to buy my own insurance along with possible increased future medical costs in retirement is my big unknown. For the past 10 years I have spent $25-35k per year but I'm not sure how that's going to look with medical costs included. Hopefully, starting in 2025 I will be able to manage my income to get maximum ACA subsidies. It seems like a lot of the people on this forum who have already taken the plunge are doing just fine with this aspect so I'm trying to be optimistic about it but having this big unknown is pretty frightening.
The other scary aspect is the "what are you retiring to?" question. I am a very introverted person without a ton of social contact so I will likely be doing a lot of things solo. I do a lot of outdoorsy stuff (ski, hike, camp, fish, etc.) but I'm a little concerned that I might get sick of my favorite activities if I am doing them every day. I have a pretty high tolerance for boredom so I'm pretty sure I'll be OK and I'll find new activities to do with the extra time on my hands but it's still a concern.
I'm mostly just posting this because only the people on this forum will really understand what I am doing and why I am doing it. For instance, even though I have been talking about doing this for years my brother still is incredulous that I would leave my high-paying job to do nothing (in his view). The COVID pandemic and other deaths in my family have only reinforced the idea that nobody knows how much time they have and why should I waste it working for an employer if I don't need to financially? Others think I'm crazy (I'm not) and/or lazy (I am). I just want ALL of my time to be MY time, grinding away at a 9 to 5 until you die seems like such a waste of life. Despite the trepidation I am eagerly looking forward to my new lifestyle and I expect I will enjoy it thoroughly. Thanks for listening!
