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Old 08-13-2010, 09:17 AM   #21
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I'm 40 now, and my dream is to retire around 46-47. But mentally, I think I retired about 5 years ago!
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Old 08-13-2010, 07:17 PM   #22
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I'm 40 now, and my dream is to retire around 46-47. But mentally, I think I retired about 5 years ago!
I like that

In the similar tone, I used to have a colleague in my previous company who was a senior salesman working out of his home office. He kept telling everyone who asked about his retirement plans that he actually retired five years ago, just did not tell the employer.
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Old 08-13-2010, 07:38 PM   #23
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I'm 52 now and the plan is for DW & I to both FIRE in 2018. Under the circumstances, I'll be content to retire at 60. My son leaves for college next week and I don't envy him and all those in the 18-30 category right now.
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Old 08-13-2010, 07:54 PM   #24
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62 was early for us, and as we are just now kind of, well sort of thinking we might be getting, how do you say.... old, 62 still seems like early retirement!
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Old 08-14-2010, 05:35 AM   #25
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My Opinion......

I think it should be "Retirement after having worked for at least 30 years Forum".

While I understand the incredible crap in the corp world and other places, and the increases in federal, state, and local regulations that make working lifge sometimes just plain unbearable, its my opinion that, you can't retire until you've actually worked for a good while. Its a yin-yang thing.

IMO, rtiring in your thirties is just moving to a less stressful job, and it might put you on the outs with all your friends who are still working, so essentially you move away and get a new kind of job. But again, IMO, that's not retirement because you didn't work long enough. So according to my def. you could retire at age 48, but I would really prefer that most people worked until they were old enough to get the AARP blurb and carry the card.

That's retirement for me.
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Old 08-14-2010, 07:31 AM   #26
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If I have to carry the card, I would never retire!
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Old 08-14-2010, 02:44 PM   #27
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My Opinion......

I think it should be "Retirement after having worked for at least 30 years Forum".

While I understand the incredible crap in the corp world and other places, and the increases in federal, state, and local regulations that make working lifge sometimes just plain unbearable, its my opinion that, you can't retire until you've actually worked for a good while. Its a yin-yang thing.

IMO, rtiring in your thirties is just moving to a less stressful job, and it might put you on the outs with all your friends who are still working, so essentially you move away and get a new kind of job. But again, IMO, that's not retirement because you didn't work long enough. So according to my def. you could retire at age 48, but I would really prefer that most people worked until they were old enough to get the AARP blurb and carry the card.

That's retirement for me.
I'm planning to retire in a little under three years, with between 28 and 29 years of service as a City employee. If it turns out I can prevent one of my younger co-workers from getting laid off by retiring sooner (the City is facing huge budget shortfalls at least next year and 2012, perhaps after that too if the economy does not improve), I might just do that. I'm certainly not going to stick around an extra year and a half after my target date, just to make it an even thirty. Thirty is just a number.


An unbearable job isn't the only reason people want to retire early. I gripe sometimes, but when it comes down to brass tacks, my job isn't bad. The working conditions, including pay, are fine, the work itself is a good fit for my abilities and my coworkers are for the most part agreeable people. There are just other things in my life that I'd like to accomplish, and I don't think I'll ever get them done as long as I'm working full time.
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Old 08-14-2010, 02:53 PM   #28
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My Opinion......

I think it should be "Retirement after having worked for at least 30 years Forum".

While I understand the incredible crap in the corp world and other places, and the increases in federal, state, and local regulations that make working lifge sometimes just plain unbearable, its my opinion that, you can't retire until you've actually worked for a good while. Its a yin-yang thing.

IMO, rtiring in your thirties is just moving to a less stressful job, and it might put you on the outs with all your friends who are still working, so essentially you move away and get a new kind of job. But again, IMO, that's not retirement because you didn't work long enough. So according to my def. you could retire at age 48, but I would really prefer that most people worked until they were old enough to get the AARP blurb and carry the card.

That's retirement for me.
What utter nonsense...
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Old 08-16-2010, 11:13 AM   #29
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My dad took me out to dinner to celebrate my retirement. He told me his dad retired at 63. My dad retired at 52. I retired at 43, though I'm not sure I'm done working yet. I might take some part time work as my kids are still in school and DW will work until I am 50. At this rate my grand children will retire after graduating college!

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My Opinion......

I think it should be "Retirement after having worked for at least 30 years Forum".

While I understand the incredible crap in the corp world and other places, and the increases in federal, state, and local regulations that make working lifge sometimes just plain unbearable, its my opinion that, you can't retire until you've actually worked for a good while. Its a yin-yang thing.

IMO, rtiring in your thirties is just moving to a less stressful job, and it might put you on the outs with all your friends who are still working, so essentially you move away and get a new kind of job. But again, IMO, that's not retirement because you didn't work long enough. So according to my def. you could retire at age 48, but I would really prefer that most people worked until they were old enough to get the AARP blurb and carry the card.

That's retirement for me.

Retirement is defined by you. Don't let these rigid thinkers define it for you. Life is more than working for a living, doing what your told and fitting the mold. If you think you're ready, go for it. Call it what you want and 99% of the folks on this board will support you. Considering you could easily live to be 90 nowadays, 60 is early!
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Old 08-16-2010, 11:44 AM   #30
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My dad took me out to dinner to celebrate my retirement. He told me his dad retired at 63. My dad retired at 52. I retired at 43, though I'm not sure I'm done working yet. I might take some part time work as my kids are still in school and DW will work until I am 50. At this rate my grand children will retire after graduating college!
May I suggest that their college tuition fund be simply diverted to their retirement fund. That way, they can start ER right after high school.
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Old 08-17-2010, 08:16 AM   #31
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What utter nonsense...
NO, dude, its not utter nonsense. ITS MY OPINION. I didn't call it a fact. Its IS RUDE to tell someone that their opinion is "utter nonsense", though.

However, what you could ahve said with more aplomb woud be, "For me, that opinion is utternonesense." To state with pseudo authority that someone elses opinion is utter none sense is something in not very genteel.

And this too, is my opinion.
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Old 08-17-2010, 10:11 AM   #32
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I think it should be "Retirement after having worked for at least 30 years Forum".
While I understand the incredible crap in the corp world and other places, and the increases in federal, state, and local regulations that make working lifge sometimes just plain unbearable, its my opinion that, you can't retire until you've actually worked for a good while. Its a yin-yang thing.

You could retire at age 48, but I would really prefer that most people worked until they were old enough to get the AARP blurb and carry the card.
Is 30 years a magic number? Where does that number come from? I retired in my 30's and you are telling me that, in your opinion, I didn't suffer long enough to deserve to retire? Talk about being rude.


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IMO, rtiring in your thirties is just moving to a less stressful job, and it might put you on the outs with all your friends who are still working, so essentially you move away and get a new kind of job.
What kind of job is that? I moved away from what exactly by retiring in my 30's? It makes no sense whatsoever.

Just because you keep saying "it's my opinion" does not make it any less nonsensical. And that's MY opinion.
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Old 08-17-2010, 10:46 AM   #33
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Rarely is truth absolutely on one side of a scale. To feel the need to call someone's opinion 'nonsense" may give away a degree of insecurity.

I am retired, and have been for a long time, but I don't feel that it is nonsense to think that quitting almost before one gets started may not be in anyone's best interest. I don't know that at all, I am just agnostic about it, and feel that outcomes and satisfactions/regrets may depend heavily on how life progresses.

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Old 08-17-2010, 10:52 AM   #34
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I have opinions (and give advice), but everyone should be sure to have a grain of salt and a lime on hand....
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Old 08-17-2010, 11:04 AM   #35
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Is 30 years a magic number? Where does that number come from? I retired in my 30's and you are telling me that, in your opinion, I didn't suffer long enough to deserve to retire? Talk about being rude.

This is actually an interesting philosophical issue. And I could see their being different views on it. I think the vast majority of people who are here think that early retirement is fine. But...what does that mean?

Retire at 60? Sure.

Retire at 55? Sure

Retire at 50? Probably

Retire at 40? Maybe.

Retire at 30? Hmm

Let me put it this way. Let's say my 19 year old son won the lottery and suddenly had no economic need to work. Would I advise him that he should immediately "retire" and never work again? I doubt it.

I do think that there is a natural human desire to do things and be productive. I'm not sure that is served by lifelong leisure even if one is wealthy. Think of some of the children of wealthy people who never have to earn a living. They don't always end up in a good place emotinally.

Retirement does imply that you retired from something. It has an implication of you did certain things...ideally in a career that was worthwhile and fulfilling...and now you are done with those and ready to do other things.

The person who has never really gone through those worthwhile and fulfilling things through work seems more...unfinished...than retired. (This is one reason that personally I've never really understand a woman being a stay at home wife/mother for the entirely of adulthood. I can understand being home with kids for a time or deferring one's career for awhile due to a spouse's career but never really understood the idea of not working outside the home ever. Just seems odd to me -- and I'm female).

Now obviously where you draw the line on this is a gray area. It was suggested 30 years as one person's opinion. You might say 15 years. Someone else might say 20 years. Another person might say X years of part time work and then retire. I suggest that very few people would advocate 0 however.
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Old 08-17-2010, 11:07 AM   #36
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HsiaoChu - I disagree with your opinion about working for a certain period of time. But, I am curious as to how you would define 'work' for the purposes of saying that someone should put in a certain amout of time. Specificially, would you consider work to be an activity that:
(1) produces earned income
(2) contributes to society
(3) is something along the lines occupying a person to build character or something like that

I could make compelling arguments that in many instances early retirement will produce some or all of these things more so than what society calls a 'job'.
I'm just curious as to the thought process behind this type of opinion.
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Old 08-17-2010, 11:17 AM   #37
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Let me put it this way. Let's say my 19 year old son won the lottery and suddenly had no economic need to work. Would I advise him that he should immediately "retire" and never work again? I doubt it.
I think there would be a fundamental difference between retiring (or never working) from a windfall at an early age vs retiring early by extreme savings. It seems like the windfall would tend to corupt values but I think that would be more a function of youth, lack of life experiences and an absence of moderation that tends to come with age as opposed to lack of work experiences.
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Old 08-17-2010, 11:56 AM   #38
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This is a retirement forum? Lol, many of us aren't seeking retirement 'per se', but merely financial indepenence.

I find this forum to be an excellent place to get financial advice, even if I have to occassionally listen to one or two grumpy old men tell me about how they used to have to walk up hill both ways in the snow.


All kidding aside, congrats on your "early" retirement. Somebody told me that 64 is the new 44, so you should party like it is 1991!
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Old 08-17-2010, 12:04 PM   #39
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I retired...became financially independent...whatever you want to call it at the age of 41 and left my job.

Now, if I had met that goal at the age of 30 or 35, would I keep working instead of doing other things I'd like to do?

Ummm, words escape me, I'll just use this little guy --->
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Old 08-17-2010, 12:12 PM   #40
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Let me put it this way. Let's say my 19 year old son won the lottery and suddenly had no economic need to work. Would I advise him that he should immediately "retire" and never work again? I doubt it.
The person who has never really gone through those worthwhile and fulfilling things through work seems more...unfinished...than retired.
This conversation comes up a lot at Hale Nords. If I'd been able to keep having fulfilling & worthwhile work to satisfy my every desire then I never would have ER'd. Instead the dissatisfiers quickly outweighed the satisfiers-- especially when we started a family.

Put it in this context: "My child, I think you should go find a soul-deadening entry-level drudge job at Megacorps. Initially you'll want to kill yourself rather than get out of bed on your 40th consecutive Monday morning for that rush-hour commute, but soon you'll be promoted to middle-level frustration and then executive dreariness. Imagine how good you'll feel when you stop!"

Instead we tell our kid that we hope she achieves financial independence as soon as she's able so that she can look for something she enjoys doing. If it's a job, great. (Good luck with that.) If it's not a job then I hope it's fulfilling & worthwhile.

As for that hypothetical 19-year-old lottery winner, the first thing I'd do with him (and his new fortune) is take him surfing.

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NO, dude, its not utter nonsense. ITS MY OPINION. I didn't call it a fact. Its IS RUDE to tell someone that their opinion is "utter nonsense", though.
However, what you could ahve said with more aplomb woud be, "For me, that opinion is utternonesense." To state with pseudo authority that someone elses opinion is utter none sense is something in not very genteel.
And this too, is my opinion.
In my opinion, every board has a culture which you would benefit from appreciating instead of admonishing and lecturing.
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