Cap_Scarlet
Recycles dryer sheets
Approaching 52 years of age (how the hell did I get to be 52?). British citizen living in Europe.
Looking to retire in the next 6 months from a very highly paid but super high pressure job. Two children are now pretty much grown up (one in work and one at university) and therefore nearly off the payroll.
Have been thinking and talking about retirement for the last 6 years and originally planned to retire at 50 but have been endlessly procrastinating (more below).
Finances look reasonably good and we have around $2.5 million in investible assets together with a paid off home. Also have around $1.2 million in a taxable deferred income account (payable from 60) and around $75k per annum in defined benefit pensions payable from age 62.
Children are well taken care of and due to an inheritance they each have a six figure sum available to them when they are 25.
Main problem is psychology...
Working for a "career" has been such a big thing. Moving up the corporate ladder very very nearly to the top but failing at the last hurdle has taken a huge amount out of me. On the other hand am still earning top 1% and for those two reasons (career and money) it feels incredibly hard to walk away.
But....
Age is creeping up. I'm still in decent shape (wife is a year older and also in good shape) but want to enjoy my hobbies (skiing and mountain biking) before I'm too old (maybe another 10 years?). Also....and this is the morbid part which I'm sure I'm not alone in...people are starting to die around me. A colleague at work same age non-smoker found out he had lung cancer and was dead within 12 months. And you know, in a big organization, people are sad for a few days and people say noble things but within two weeks someone had moved into his office and the name plate has gone. Don't want that to be me.
We've bought our house in the alps, which we've dreamt about since we got married 27 years ago and now its time to enjoy it.
Leaving behind the money makes me feel sad / guilty / wrong but lets face it, we don't need it and what difference will it make just to see it sitting there? But its still very hard. For years we're been seeing large sums of money arrive every months and rarely had to think about whether we can afford something. But now we we will need to start spending the stache and budgeting (albeit a very generous budget).
Deep down, I know its time. The last year I have really lost my mojo. I pushed so hard for the big promotion and didn't get it (was in the last two) that now I can't readjust. I know that I'm standing in the plane, parachute on and all I need to do is jump. Once I'm out I know I will love the ride but jumping is tough.
Looking to retire in the next 6 months from a very highly paid but super high pressure job. Two children are now pretty much grown up (one in work and one at university) and therefore nearly off the payroll.
Have been thinking and talking about retirement for the last 6 years and originally planned to retire at 50 but have been endlessly procrastinating (more below).
Finances look reasonably good and we have around $2.5 million in investible assets together with a paid off home. Also have around $1.2 million in a taxable deferred income account (payable from 60) and around $75k per annum in defined benefit pensions payable from age 62.
Children are well taken care of and due to an inheritance they each have a six figure sum available to them when they are 25.
Main problem is psychology...
Working for a "career" has been such a big thing. Moving up the corporate ladder very very nearly to the top but failing at the last hurdle has taken a huge amount out of me. On the other hand am still earning top 1% and for those two reasons (career and money) it feels incredibly hard to walk away.
But....
Age is creeping up. I'm still in decent shape (wife is a year older and also in good shape) but want to enjoy my hobbies (skiing and mountain biking) before I'm too old (maybe another 10 years?). Also....and this is the morbid part which I'm sure I'm not alone in...people are starting to die around me. A colleague at work same age non-smoker found out he had lung cancer and was dead within 12 months. And you know, in a big organization, people are sad for a few days and people say noble things but within two weeks someone had moved into his office and the name plate has gone. Don't want that to be me.
We've bought our house in the alps, which we've dreamt about since we got married 27 years ago and now its time to enjoy it.
Leaving behind the money makes me feel sad / guilty / wrong but lets face it, we don't need it and what difference will it make just to see it sitting there? But its still very hard. For years we're been seeing large sums of money arrive every months and rarely had to think about whether we can afford something. But now we we will need to start spending the stache and budgeting (albeit a very generous budget).
Deep down, I know its time. The last year I have really lost my mojo. I pushed so hard for the big promotion and didn't get it (was in the last two) that now I can't readjust. I know that I'm standing in the plane, parachute on and all I need to do is jump. Once I'm out I know I will love the ride but jumping is tough.