Col. Klink
Recycles dryer sheets
I joined the site a few years ago when I was working full time to learn about members experiences in preparation for retirement. The short history is that the DW and I decided to buy a home in Florida in 2014 and were fortunate to buy a nice home in a great planned community about 85 miles north of Tampa. Bought the home directly from Bank of America at a great price at a time there were still a lot of foreclosures and short sales from the 2008 meltdown. Rented the home for a year and then my full time gig as a Nursing Home Administrator came to an end when the place was sold. Youngest daughter graduated college and moved to PA so we had a big house (paid off) with big taxes (Connecticut) and big utility bills. Sold the house. Hired a moving van that dropped off half our furniture at my daughters new apartment in PA and brought the rest to our smaller much more energy efficient home in Florida - our renters departed of course. Taxes went from $10,000 / year to $1500 / year in Florida. Utility bills here average $75 / month. We paid like $300 / month to heat and cool the CT. house.
Got a part time job with Hershey selling chocolate to convenience stores and did that for three years. My accountant and I were finally able to convince my frugal wife that we would not starve any time soon. She still works part time, however. Live on about 3% of portfolio value. Dividends and interest generate more than we budget / spend. Portfolio allocation is 45% stock with about 5% in preferreds. 45% bond funds both domestic and international. 10% cash.
I hit the gym each day. Joined a fishing club. Bicycle here and there as well as do some volunteer gigs in the community. That's my update... now fully retired at 58. Learned a lot from many of the members of this forum and have finally pulled it off. Life is better without work...
Got a part time job with Hershey selling chocolate to convenience stores and did that for three years. My accountant and I were finally able to convince my frugal wife that we would not starve any time soon. She still works part time, however. Live on about 3% of portfolio value. Dividends and interest generate more than we budget / spend. Portfolio allocation is 45% stock with about 5% in preferreds. 45% bond funds both domestic and international. 10% cash.
I hit the gym each day. Joined a fishing club. Bicycle here and there as well as do some volunteer gigs in the community. That's my update... now fully retired at 58. Learned a lot from many of the members of this forum and have finally pulled it off. Life is better without work...
