Years to/from Retirement

[Midpack]

1) I see posts from pre-retirees,
2) quite a few from recent retirees (which makes me question their credibility on what it's like), and
3) from "experienced" retirees.

Just wonder what the demographics are here for all the responses where they're not specified. Apologies if this has been done before...

 

[Moemg]

I retired in Dec. 2006 but was lured back by high hourly wage and one day a week . Within a year I knew for absolute positive I was done and retired permanently Dec.2007 .

 

[Ronstar]

I cant fully retire until Dw does - I dont know why - she made the rule. My desktop countdown says: 1160 days, 19 hours, 51 minutes, 15 seconds until full retirement liftoff.

 

[SteveR]

1) I see posts from pre-retirees,
2) quite a few from recent retirees (which makes me question their credibility on what it's like), and
3) from "experienced" retirees.
...

Not sure if the term "credibility" is the right one here. Many folks might take offense at having their credibility questioned.

I can assure you that I am fully aware of the difference between w*rking in a high stress j*b for 12+ hours a day with being on-call 24/7/365 for 33 years and being retired. I know that each new phase of my retirement will be different...not better or worse...just different than the one before it. My short list of things to do never really shrinks...it just has different items on it.

 

[fisherman]

I retired in December of 2007. I am definitely a newbie to retirement but I really like the learning curve.

 

[Martha]

I always listen to HaHa, Jarhead and UncleMick, the ER veterans.

 

[jIMOh]

I am 35 and will retire no sooner than age 53, I believe and even that is a question mark. 53 is when my twins graduate HS.

 

[Goonie]

I FIRE'd the first week of April '07......just over one year now. I was normally at work 8 hours a day for 30+ years.....many times 12-16 hours....never less, but I was always 'on call' 24/7/365.

The FIRE'd life is GREAT!!! I haven't missed my job since the day I walked away from it! Gardening, other hobbies, and travel have filled, and continue to fill, my days with fun and relaxation!!! I'm sitting in Savannah, Ga right now, because.......ummm......I can be! My job used to continuously interfere with my free time........but not anymore! Free time RULEZ!!!

 

[Texarkandy]

47.5 y/o right now & the plan is to semi-ER in 11 to 18 months from now - & start looking for a new, flexible, part-time career(s) - it will probably take my time since my current career doesn't translate directly to anything else very well & I want to do something completely different anyway.

Have also recently learned I need to tally up a couple more years of SS earnings sometime between then & 62.

"The Plan" involves house sale & downsize though, so we'll see how that goes in the current economy -

"The Plan" also involved higher return on investments than I've been getting the past year & likely will for the next since I moved all my $ to risk-averse April 07 (a little too early) in anticipation of the housing meltdown & market troubles.

 

[calmloki]

i'm saying within 5 here. At 58YO now it doesn't look much like early retirement, but we have a 93YO Mom that wants to live out her days in her desert home - my gal is doing her best to enable that. We also have 2/3 of our assets in rental real estate, which keeps adding cash to the kitty. If it all sold we should have enough, even if it didn't bring in inflato-prices, but that seems a little pointless if one of us is tied into caregiving. Figure every year of renting we add about a year worth of retirement money, while shortening our need by a year - 5 years from now with rents at an all time high the property prices for income property should be high and people should be salivating for the opportunity to buy from us. Then we'll party! Bartender! Johnny Walker and metamucil all around!

 

[Rambler]

I said within 5 years, but it will be as soon as possible after DD graduates HS which is 406 days from today. In reality, it will probably be about two years from now given the day that the golden handcuffs drop off, the amount of notice I have to give (contractual issue), and prepping my successor. However, I hear megacorp is preparing a nice shiny new set of handcuffs to put on me...can't let DW get word of that or it may REALLY be 5 years...

R

 

[torres9]

Possible semi Er in 4-5 yrs. Hope to pay off mortgage and fund 529 for kids by then.

May work pt for5-10 yrs more.
torres9

 

[megacorp-firee]

2) quite a few from recent retirees (which makes me question their credibility on what it's like),

? we have opinions and observations that are valid for recent retirees.
I think we know what it's like to hang it up and start enjoying life.

We may be doing it wrong. ... I don't know ... how many years do you have to do this to be credible?

What is it you think you are are looking for?

 

[Nords]

"retired more than 10 years ago (but GT 5) "

Is that intended to be "Retired more than five years ago"? Maybe you or a moderator could edit that to mean something less mathematically redundant.

? we have opinions and observations that are valid for recent retirees.
I think we know what it's like to hang it up and start enjoying life.
We may be doing it wrong. ... I don't know ... how many years do you have to do this to be credible?
What is it you think you are are looking for?

Today is the sixth anniversary of my last military haircut, and in 32 more days it'll be six years of ER.

So I have experience, although I may not have any credibility...

 

[Walt34]

On July 1 it will be six years since full-time employment. I've done a couple of short term contracting jobs, nothing more than a month, now working occasional part time and waiting for that to turn into full time. This just to get out more and have a bit more play money, the immediate target is a travel trailer and the fuel to use it, but very much aware that this is optional.

"Optional" gives work a whole different perspective, my KMA hat is firmly in place.

 

[Khan]

Official retirement date: 31 Jan 2004 (age 54).

Pushing 3.5 years.

At the end of 2008, it will be 4 years; does that mean I'll have a BA in Retirement Studies?

 

[VaCollector]

Sold my accounting practice July 1, 2007 BUT with the promise of w**king tax season (only) thru 2010 (the year my youngest graduates HS) in order to make the transition for my clients and the new "Boss" - who has worked with me for almost 12 years.

.....made the decision in late April 2007....spent less that 20 days at the office between then and the rest of the year....and never missed it.

I was surprised at how easily I transitioned back into my w**k habits....and how much less stress there was this year.....although I did adjust my schedule...no appointments before 10 AM....latest appointment 5 PM and NO weekends

So I guess that officially puts me in the "almost" retired category??..."within 5 years of retirement".....although I feel like I'm ALL RETIRED now and that I'm just one of those that has found a GREAT part time job that allows me to delay needing to pull any fund$ from my retirement for at least a couple more years (thankfully - since the market hasn't exactly been kind - YET!!)

 

[hankster]

I said "More than 5 years" even though I'll get the key to the "golden handcuffs" in 4 1/2 years. The increase per year on my DB pension monthly payment and the growth on the 401k should really take off about then. I'll probably then find myself stuck in the "one more year syndrome"

 

[ziggy29]

I won't be able to fully retire for probably 10-15 years (42 now). But I do want to do a career change before then, "downsizing" my job to something I enjoy more even if it pays less.

The truth is that I don't really know what I'd do with myself if I completely retired, but I do know I don't want to be in the corporate rat race any longer than I have to. I'm sure I'll still want to do something, so when the financial ability is clearly there it'll be time to consider making the jump. Oh, and my wife getting a decent job with good benefits would be necessary, too.

 

[CuppaJoe]

I'm looking at leaving my j*b at the end of August, this year. Interesting topic, Midpack, this is the InterNet and I would take everything with a grain of salt. Could be that the newly retired who post here are different from the ones who do not post at all.

As for my personal situation, I'm very curious to know how permanant R differs from the many blocks of time I took off in the past; mostly about 3-4 months at a pop. I'm leaving a lot of room for serendipity; don't want to over-plan.

 

[FlaRan]

5 years to go. My planned date is September 2013 when I am 50. I most likely will take some time off and then transition into something enjoyable and part-time. I'm hoping for a real estate rebound over the next 5 years to keep my plan on track.

 

[NotReady4Purple]

204 days 13 hours 21 minutes (approximately ) to go.

 

[happy2bretired]

Two years ago YESTERDAY at 55. Officially anyway, since I took two weeks of annual leave prior to my retirement date. I just now thought of that. Wow, it really has gone fast. I'm still pondering what kind of "life" I want in retirement. Haven't figured it out yet. All I know is I really don't want another job that I feel tethered to... I like being free to do whatever I want during the day even if I just sit on my deck watching my grass grow.

 

[TeeRuh]

"within 5 years of retirement"; though I didn't like the provided selections. My last day of w*rk will be exactly 30 days from now; way, way within 5 years! At 57 I'll already be pushing the definition a bit of "early" retirement. If I went the full 5 years I'd already be eligible for SS.

But I guess to the point of your survey: "no credibility"

t.r.

 

[Calgary_Girl]

DH and I are only 38 and 35 so I voted we're more than 5 years to retirement (although the sooner the better!).