Not new to ER, but new to ER.ORG

[oldmanmikey]

Hey Everyone

Just another dope, trying to plan out retirement, have some concerns and questions but also some experience to share and wanted to be part of the community officially (even though I've been lurking on and off for literally 10 years).

42, Male, US, Software type job

Not supplying financial info -- I might do that in another thread at some point?

But basically I'm close to being able to retiring and trying to work out whether or not I actually want to do it. The most interesting posts on this site, for me, are consistently the type that are like:

1.I have enough money to retire but won't for reasons a, b, c
2.I don't have enough money to retire but I'm going to quit my job anyway for reasons x,y,z
3.This is how things are going in retirement (much detail as possible)
4. I retired and hated it
5. This is how I knew it was time to retire

Luckily the forum seems to supply a great stream of these topics.

Anyway, thank you for having me around, gonna keep this one short and end it here.

[samclem]

oldmanmikey,
Welcome! We're looking forward to hearing more from you. C'mon in, the water is fine!

[W2R]

Hi, oldmanmikey.

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldmanmikey The most interesting posts on this site, for me, are consistently the type that are like: 1.I have enough money to retire but won't for reasons a, b, c 2.I don't have enough money to retire but I'm going to quit my job anyway for reasons x,y,z 3.This is how things are going in retirement (much detail as possible) 4. I retired and hated it 5. This is how I knew it was time to retire

Addressing (3), things are going really well. I do what I want, when I want to do it, most of the time. These have been the best years ever, for me anyway. I have plenty to spend and could be living it up with world cruises and fine dining, but instead most of the time I'd rather play video games, post on forums, or spend time with my sweetie.

Unfortunately after I retired I had enough time to think and realize how old I had become, something I hadn't fully appreciated before then, somehow! I was 61 when I retired and by now, I am 70. Each year is as good as 10 years when I was younger and I wish I had retired at a younger age.

Addressing (5), I knew it was time to retire when I finally became eligible for retiree health insurance; that was before Obamacare. If I had had health insurance, I might have retired 2 years earlier. So, my nest egg is bigger than planned, and that is not a bad thing....

[imoldernu]

Welcome oldmanmikey!

Quote:

3.This is how things are going in retirement (much detail as possible)

Detail Maybe more than you want.
30 years of detail, here:
http://www.early-retirement.org/foru...ent-62251.html
The nice thing about retiring young, is that if it's not exactly what you want, expect, or if something goes wrong, you can always go back.

Best wishes

[JakeinChina]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldmanmikey Hey Everyone Just another dope, trying to plan out retirement, have some concerns and questions but also some experience to share and wanted to be part of the community officially (even though I've been lurking on and off for literally 10 years). 42, Male, US, Software type job Not supplying financial info -- I might do that in another thread at some point? But basically I'm close to being able to retiring and trying to work out whether or not I actually want to do it. The most interesting posts on this site, for me, are consistently the type that are like: 1.I have enough money to retire but won't for reasons a, b, c 2.I don't have enough money to retire but I'm going to quit my job anyway for reasons x,y,z 3.This is how things are going in retirement (much detail as possible) 4. I retired and hated it 5. This is how I knew it was time to retire Luckily the forum seems to supply a great stream of these topics. Anyway, thank you for having me around, gonna keep this one short and end it here.

I'm in a similar situation as I turn 40 next month, have enough but continue to read up on others past experiences to try and learn from their mistakes, as well as understand their suggestions and advice.

As the above poster stated, when you retire very young, the worst thing that can happen is maybe you have to go back to work for a couple years, then figure things out.

[flintnational]

Welcome to the forum. I have mentioned it to others, IMHO, the most important aspect of FIRE is Financial Independence, FI. Once, you reach, FI, you can do whatever you desire. That might include w*rking at the current position, or cutting back or Firing. FI gives you choices.

[dtbach]

Welcome to the site. Look forward to hearing more from you.