Retired and LOVING it!

[Original Wally]

New to this forum.... i think it will be a fun forum! I retired @ age 56 on 12/19/2009 from a Municipal Utility District (Electricity) in Sacramento, CA. I was in the finance / treasury department. Did some cash management, Indenture compliance (re bonded indebtedness used to finance various projects). Before that was in the Accounting dept (Financial Statements group). Before I joined the utility I worked for a large building materials manufacturer and supplier, and before THAT was in public accounting.

Married (39 years), 3 kids & 5 g/kids. Wife was a teacher's aide for a special ed program run by the local school district. Our eldest (daughter) lives in Germany and is married to a German national. She has two sons. Our other two are sons and live in the Sacramento area - both married, and the youngest has two more grandsons and our only granddaughter. Owing to the German part of the family, we travel to Germany at least once a year. We ALSO enjoy other travel - cruises, and so on. We have a SMALL 19' trailer / 5th wheel by Scamp (www.scamptrailers.com) and LOVE to travel the USA. In 2+ years of retirement - been from Calif to Maine, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Key West and so on.

I also enjoy DIY projects around the house, and want to pursue wome woodworking. Would ALSO like to go back to model airplanes - I did some RC when I was a kid and would LOVE to do that some more.

Finance wise, we have a nice CalPERS pension, funds in a 401(k) **AND** in a Section 457 plan, and a modest after tax portfolio. House is FREE AND CLEAR!!

Looking forward to lots of fun with this forum!!

[NW-Bound]

I see that you've got the same things that I myself enjoy: a place to stay and to have a hobby or two, food in the fridge, an RV for traveling in the US, and a budget that allows for some foreign travel. What more does a guy need?

About fun with the forum, please be aware that we often pretend to be crankier geezers than we really are - this is the Internet after all - and will argue about little things for self-amusement. We are just hoping that the younger people would be scared off, as they would think "Good grief! If I would become like these ornery retirees, then it might be better to just keep working." The faint-hearted would then keep working and paying into SS for us. See our beautiful scheme?

Now that I have let you in on our secret, I must also warn you of another thing. In playing our little game, sometimes a poster would get a bit too zealous in the role that he plays, and the other side may also overreact. That's when the cops, who are also euphemistically called moderators, step in to prevent verbal fist-fight or name calling. We generally do not want that to happen, although the instigators usually calm down and come back to the realization that it is all but a game.

So, welcome aboard.

[Midpack]

Welcome aboard, I enjoyed reading your enthusiastic intro post. You sound like you're having fun in retirement, so you're doing it right!