Hi. I'm Steve 52. FIRE at of 58.

[tn3sport]

25 year veteran of megacorp Inc. Age now is 52 and I plan to FIRE at 58.

No pension.
100% of my pre-SS retirement is tied to 401k. Risky, I know.
2 kids will exit college fully funded by 529's about the time I pull the trigger on RE.

My 401k is well funded, but to be able to retire at 58 and have enough money for a comfortable retirement, I will not touch (withdraw) the 401k until I'm 60. Therefore, i'll have to find a way to live for two years, ages 58 and 59. These two years are post RE and before I touch the 401k. I'll likely use cash savings, selling all LTCG, and drawing on Roth contributions. My tax footprint should be near zero those two years and I'll likely qualify for low cost health insurance.

If plan fails, I'll go back to work.

My retirement philosophy:
Honestly, I don't plan to go back to work after age 58. I'll make due.
I will always have a boat. If I'm broke, it will be the 19 foot boat I have now. If I'm rich it will be a 40 ft sailing catamaran. However, I will still have a boat.
Same with my other hobbies. I'll always have a motorcycle. If Im broke, it will be the bike I ride now. If Im rich, I'll have a BMW GS1200.
I'll always have a gym membership. If I'm broke, I'll work parttime as a lifeguard for the gym membership. If I'm rich, I'll join a nice gym near the beach.
Same with all my hobbies. Its not a matter of having to limit what I do. Its a matter of scale.

Great website guys.
Take Care.

 

[FIREmenow]

I will always have a boat. If I'm broke, it will be the 19 foot boat I have now. If I'm rich it will be a 40 ft sailing catamaran. However, I will still have a boat.

These are wise words (myself, a rabid serial boat-owner) - it will allay your "what will I do in retirement" fears.

Besides, if you have a boat (even as much as a canoe), you are automatically rich in my book.

 

[2017ish]

Sounds a lot like us; we are out at 56/57 with almost everything in 401k/IRA accounts. Just enough in taxable to tide us over for three/four years of aggressive roth conversions.

I don't see that fund location as being especially risky at all. As long as the tax deferred account(s) will cover your spending, you'll be fine. How closely have you tracked the spending (excluding kid and work related expenditures)? Will that spending change much in retirement? Sounds like you also have the benefit of flexible spending if needed, which is a definite positive.

Big question--what beach is the gym at in Chattanooga?

Hah--I'm another Steve in Tennessee.

 

[Bigdawg]

25 year veteran of megacorp Inc. Age now is 52 and I plan to FIRE at 58.

No pension.
100% of my pre-SS retirement is tied to 401k. Risky, I know.
2 kids will exit college fully funded by 529's about the time I pull the trigger on RE.

My 401k is well funded, but to be able to retire at 58 and have enough money for a comfortable retirement, I will not touch (withdraw) the 401k until I'm 60. Therefore, i'll have to find a way to live for two years, ages 58 and 59. These two years are post RE and before I touch the 401k. I'll likely use cash savings, selling all LTCG, and drawing on Roth contributions. My tax footprint should be near zero those two years and I'll likely qualify for low cost health insurance.

If plan fails, I'll go back to work.

Take Care.

Sport, you have 6 years to fund some after tax accounts that could easily (depending on your expenses) carry you from 58 to 59.5.

 

[MBAustin]

Welcome tn3sport! If you haven't seen them yet, we have a pretty comprehensive list of things to consider before pulling the plug:

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f47/some-important-questions-to-answer-before-asking-can-i-retire-69999.html

as well as a FAQ:

Early Retirement FAQs - Early Retirement & Financial Independence Community

Biggest factors are careful tracking of expenses and checking your scenarios in a calculator such as Firecalc. And as suggested above, you might consider putting some of your new savings into regular (not tax-advantaged) accounts over the next 5 years to build up that cash for 58-59.

 

[tn3sport]

Big question--what beach is the gym at in Chattanooga?

Hah--I'm another Steve in Tennessee.

Haha. Good catch. I have property in St. Augustine that I'll build on eventually. I'll always have something here in TN or even NC because the climate is so nice and the motorcycle riding is superb. But, I was born and raised in FL and will ultimately return. Hence, the love of boating...