Greetings all
First, I want to thank everyone for all the information I have read here over the years. And now, the rest of the story. Well, today I turned in my retirement papers with my last day being May 11, 2012 after 32 years at Megacorp. I'll turn 55 the week before. I started looking (lurking) at this site in early 2006 when I was burned out from working endless hours and wanted out. At that time I figured I could work part time doing contract work and be ok with a FIRE date between 55 and 59-1/2. So I turned in my resignation in September of 2006. After initially refusing the bribe, I mean incentive award to stay, my manager asked me to stay at least to the end of the year until they could find my replacement. They seriously sweetened that deal so I agreed to stay until the end of 2006. They also made concessions to lighten my workload. And for the next few months, the job was good and dare I say fun. Well I had a few projects that weren't quite done at the end of the year and I wanted to finish them, so I kept on working into 2007. January soon turned to March when we get our annual performance review and I received a great bonus without asking for a dime. I figured I would be done in another month and that would be it. Well, they made some promises, added a promotion and more incentives (who knew quitting would be so lucrative). Well, work was reasonably good, so I fell for it. Bad Doug. Fast forward to a year later; you know the story; the promises didn't quite pan out (the money did though). So by early 2008, I was ready to leave again. I was working on a project for a good friend of mine so I decided to stay until it would be completed in September of 2008. September of 2008 comes along and I see my portfolio is devastated. A big chunk of my "paper" savings are gone and the contract jobs have dried up. Now I have to stay and "they" know it. The low point of 2009 comes along and I felt I would have to work a lot longer. The only good thing I did was not panic and sell off all of my mutual funds and stocks. Time drags on at work, but by 2011, the market starts to look a little better. And if I make it to 55, I will qualify for a partially subsidized medical retirement benefit. So here I am, I made it.
It feels a bit weird dealing with issues that I won't be completing. It just doesn't feel right. Oh well, I guess I need to get use to the idea and move on. So the countdown begins!
Doug
First, I want to thank everyone for all the information I have read here over the years. And now, the rest of the story. Well, today I turned in my retirement papers with my last day being May 11, 2012 after 32 years at Megacorp. I'll turn 55 the week before. I started looking (lurking) at this site in early 2006 when I was burned out from working endless hours and wanted out. At that time I figured I could work part time doing contract work and be ok with a FIRE date between 55 and 59-1/2. So I turned in my resignation in September of 2006. After initially refusing the bribe, I mean incentive award to stay, my manager asked me to stay at least to the end of the year until they could find my replacement. They seriously sweetened that deal so I agreed to stay until the end of 2006. They also made concessions to lighten my workload. And for the next few months, the job was good and dare I say fun. Well I had a few projects that weren't quite done at the end of the year and I wanted to finish them, so I kept on working into 2007. January soon turned to March when we get our annual performance review and I received a great bonus without asking for a dime. I figured I would be done in another month and that would be it. Well, they made some promises, added a promotion and more incentives (who knew quitting would be so lucrative). Well, work was reasonably good, so I fell for it. Bad Doug. Fast forward to a year later; you know the story; the promises didn't quite pan out (the money did though). So by early 2008, I was ready to leave again. I was working on a project for a good friend of mine so I decided to stay until it would be completed in September of 2008. September of 2008 comes along and I see my portfolio is devastated. A big chunk of my "paper" savings are gone and the contract jobs have dried up. Now I have to stay and "they" know it. The low point of 2009 comes along and I felt I would have to work a lot longer. The only good thing I did was not panic and sell off all of my mutual funds and stocks. Time drags on at work, but by 2011, the market starts to look a little better. And if I make it to 55, I will qualify for a partially subsidized medical retirement benefit. So here I am, I made it.
It feels a bit weird dealing with issues that I won't be completing. It just doesn't feel right. Oh well, I guess I need to get use to the idea and move on. So the countdown begins!
Doug
