How do you retire early without a guilty conscience?

You're in a good place and have no reason to feel guilty about anything. You paid your dues so enjoy the benefits. I'm also INTJ, retired 12 years ago at 52 from law enforcement with 29 years and bit of time. No one tried to make me feel guilty about it, and really, with some very rare exceptions people don't want 60-year-old firefighters or police officers out there.

Agreed with the others that financially you're good to go. More as an exercise in self-assurance I offer this list of questions. I think you'll find you have good answers to all of them.

http://www.early-retirement.org/for...re-asking-can-i-retire-69999.html#post1399715
 
Living in a fire zone I greatly appreciate the work that forest firefighters do. It's a tough job. You can be justly proud of the lives and property that you have saved. You deserve to enjoy your retirement guilt free.
 
You have no reason to feel guilty, you've earned this by years of hard work in a dangerous and demanding job. However, I think it's unavoidable that some of your family and friends will be jealous, and some will try to make you feel bad just to make themselves feel better about their choices. There is nothing you can do to change that, so either avoid the topic (or avoid them) or just ignore their comments.
 
I would just say to whoever, "I'm sorry my life doesn't suck. I feel really bad about it." Then eat a bon-bon and take another sip of champagne.
 
My 65 yo BIL got laid off several months back. BIL & SIL have lived enough of a higher lifestyle that they aren't in a position to retire. SIL was about to retire when lay off hit so she's still at it. BIL is "consulting" but I don't know if he's getting any assignments. If so, SIL hasn't told DW about them.

I just walked away from a fat six figure job on 27 February that I could have done for years to come. No guilt. It was time to retire. Actually, it was about 10 years too late but that's water under the bridge.
 
Guilt is a negative emotion, get over it. It will only hurt you needlessly, as for your financial concerns take them seriously and only you can determine what is enough, but worrying about what other people think is for high school.
 
First off, congrats!

Financially I think you're sitting pretty. Between the pension and the savings combined with the low expenses, your ER should work out well.

As for guilt - I wouldn't worry about it. Just be humble when talking about your ER and your plans. Those closest to you should be happy about your achievements. It can't be much of a surprise for those that know you were working for the feds since government jobs are well-known to have decent pensions at the end of a career.
 
Like you, I am in the process of winding down my career while my siblings are still working. They are not aware of this yet but will be later this year. They know that I am ESR, and have been for 18 months.

Guilt has given way to the realization that we all have choices in life. Sacrifices I (we) have made are coming to fruition now, but things could have gone south regarding our finances to the point where retirement was a long long way into the future. Although we are comfortable there is always some one with less than us and someone with more than us.

The fact that things have worked out for you, despite the down times you have described, are a result of choices that you have made in the past with your finances. This was not a given, and guilt should not be a factor when you have a plan that works.

Congratulations for thinking ahead!
 
Ben Franklin retired in his early 40s. His greatest contributions to our country and the world came after his retirement. His inventions and experiments, his work in the Continental Congress, his diplomatic mission to France during the revolutionary war, all that occurred after he "retired."

Never, ever feel guilty about ER.
 
You have no reaon to feel guilty just enjoy retirement.
 
Just a hunch, but I'll bet your net worth will increase in so called "retirement" and your spending will be less.
 
shelnut said:
In 8 months I turn 50 and eligible to retire (FERS firefighter). INTJ personality type, the youngest of 4 siblings and the first one to retire. My pension will equal my sister’s fulltime income and about 80% of brother’s income. They think I am crazy to give up a well-paying, secure job. Half-jokingly referring to me as lazy, cheating the system and getting away with something I don’t deserve. Co-workers (many living paycheck to paycheck) don’t want to hear how I intentionally lived well below my means to ensure I could retire early.

In addition to the guilty conscience, I’m fretting over not I have enough money after retiring, which seems silly. If I never work again and my investments matched the inflation rate, I should have $45,000/year net until I’m 90 yrs old. That’s $13,000/year more than what I am living on now. In 2008 I took a 4 year sabbatical (aka post-divorce, mid-life crisis, shortly after securing my 20 years as a firefighter), with no pension, small savings, no health insurance and no guarantee of any PT income. I managed just fine on $30,000/year PT income. Now I am expecting a pension that guarantees I can maintain my current spending in addition to a healthy nest egg and that same PT income potential and yet I’m worried about money. What the heck happened to me?

The Numbers:
· Personal: Single (divorced in 2006 and no, he does not qualify to get any of my pension), no kids, one awesome dog, painfully frugal, fit and healthy.
· Salary: $76,000 + $20,000 OT. Twice my needs.
· Current expenses: $32,000/yr, $2650/mo (based on 6 years of religious tracking)
· Debt: Zilch, zippo.
· Savings: $120,000 cash, $300,000 IRA/401K (mutual & L funds). Yes, I should have more, but I am playing catch up after the divorce.
· FERS Pension: $40,500 gross, $32,500 net after St/Fed tax and health ins. Includes COLAs.
· PT Income potential: $20,000-30,000/year for 6 years.
· Housing: I rent a 2 BR house w/ garage on 5 acres for $800/mo. Utilities inc.

Retirement plan:
· Travel more. Road trips to visit family/friends, camping/hiking, exploring. I don’t anticipate a significant increase in my expenses, except for car/moto gas & maint and 2-3 month cheap vaca rental.
· A couple of months each winter in Mexico or other warm locale, camping or short-term rentals, as I did during my work sabbatical.
· April thru October in current location to facilitate PT work which could be more that planned due to established work connections.
· Keep renting, I know it seems silly to pay rent for a house I’m not using year around, but it’s a great situation that would be hard to duplicate for the price. And I don’t want to live out of a storage unit or a suitcase.
· Initially, pull $6,500/yr. from savings to supplement pension for a total of $39,000/yr, $3250/mo. for $600/mo more than current.
· Save PT income until reaching a cash total of $150,000+, likely to occur after 2-3 years. After that enjoy the rest of the income (or more likely, keep saving since I find it hard to spend money indiscriminately).
· After age 56, consider using savings to buy a small place/condo where I can settle into full retirement. Or not.

Make sense?? See any wholes in my logic? Muchas gracias.:greetings10:
Click to expand...

Sounds like you are good to go Shelnut, I'm aiming to get out in June. Like you I've felt a bit of guilt at getting out at 52. I've worked bloody hard for 35 years and invested sensibly, I can afford to do it. My only issue is getting my wife fully on board, I get the same old stuff about being too young etc. When I think about having the rest of my life free it just blows my mind! We have all earn't it on here, we've saved our hard earned money and done our time.

ENJOY!
 
Definitely live your life the way you want! Enjoy yourself!
 
First off thank you for being a FF. I have the most respect for FF over any profession since you risk your life to save someone elses stuff.

I guess I'm lucky. Since I have said I will ER I have gotten nothing but congratulations and good wishes from my friends and family. While some might be jealous no one has mentioned a thing. only my Aunt has asked what will I do and that I am too young, then I reminded her that I will be ER a year later than her husband did :p. Naturally to her I will always be a young kid

Best of luck!
 
I never really had any negative feedback. I stated my intentions pretty far in advance. My mom did mention that I was still pretty young and she thought I'd be bored, but I just took that as motherly advice, and she didn't harp on it...just mentioned it once or possibly twice over a long time period. What I did encounter was my supervisor and co-workers trying to convince me not to go...lol. They weren't negative about it, they just wanted me to stay (possibly because it was gonna be such a hassle to hire a new guy, with a big learning curve before he could fully contribute). However, I'd prefer to believe it was because they were going to miss me so much! ;)

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I'm the same Myers Briggs type as you so I will tell you the guilt is an "NT" thing.
I'm going out in a few months at age 57 and my parents are horrified, only because they don't get why I don't want to work until I drop dead. Navigating the guilt will be the most challenging part, but take it day by day and I'm sure it will decrease over time.
Good luck!


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irishgal said:
I'm the same Myers Briggs type as you so I will tell you the guilt is an "NT" thing.
I'm going out in a few months at age 57 and my parents are horrified, only because they don't get why I don't want to work until I drop dead. Navigating the guilt will be the most challenging part, but take it day by day and I'm sure it will decrease over time.
Good luck!


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Click to expand...


Well, your parents may one day be very glad you're rested up and no longer tethered to a j*b when they need someone around.
 
Guilty conscience?
Nope, none at all. Earned the right to RE.
 
Firefighting pays well!

$96,000 salary plus a annuity worth over $1,000,000 and $150 a month healthcare in retirement.

All for 20 years of work?

I think you chose your occupation very wisely and should enjoy your retirement.
 
Guilt? That's funny. My dad asked my future brother-in-law what he did for a living. He answered, "I'm retired. You'll enjoy it when you get there."
 
While my actual M-B type is also INTJ, I have adopted a new one: DGAS (don't give a sh!t). Makes any guilt or other issues seem to evaporate away. I have approx one more year, and think about retirement numerous times per day. Just keep focus on the goal!

Welcome to the forum, it sounds like you have it all pretty well planned out and ready for a new phase in life.

BTW, been working full time since i was 15, and part-time during school, including self-supporting student. I have already put in 36 years working, so no guilt getting out!
 
Last edited:
When I first retired (hasn't been very long), I did harbor a little guilt. Especially when I would get the strange looks when folks asked what I was going to do workwise after retiring from the AF and I told them "nothing". But, I have recently remembered that guilt is one of the most useless human traits....and it's VERY human. So...I too adopt the DGAS attitude. Or as the young ones say today "Haters are goin' hate!". :)
 
As for participating in the economy, isn't supplying capital by investing one's lifetime of savings in the markets an important service and contribution? Or is buying a mountain of plastic crap made in China the only way to participate?


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