But being Financially Independant and not retiring is not retiring early. And one cannot retire without 30-year+ sustained income stream.sgeeeee said:I don't think these choices get at the heart of the question. Financial independence does not always trigger retirment. Some people work for other reasons. Even the financial part of the question is more complex than a single simulation by a single program.
perinova said:But being Financially Independant and not retiring is not reting early. And one cannot retire without 30-year+ sustained income stream.
Retiring at 50 when they had financial ability to retire at 35 is still retiring early. We have a number of posters on this board who could retire now but have chosen not to. We have several who could have retired earlier than they did. We have had posters who retired with sufficient funds but returned to work because they did not know how to enjoy it. There are many aspects to retirement beyond just being able to finance it. For many of us, dealing with these other aspects comes naturally. For many others it does not. But ignoring the range of life changes beyond merely financial changes that come from retiring is probably a mistake.perinova said:But being Financially Independant and not retiring is not reting early. And one cannot retire without 30-year+ sustained income stream.
youbet said:The reason for my timing also isn't on the list.
MegaCorp was busy down sizing and outsourcing for several years and provided a relatively attractive severance package for the victims, at least the long seniority victims. At first, it was easy to get on the RIF list, but I wasn't ready. Later, when I was ready, I couldn't get on the list. Finally, I got on the list and was booted with severance and retirement packages. MegaCorp is OK with me!
Admittedly, it did get a little nerve wracking at the end. There was no way to officially volunteer for the list, you just had to subtly let the right people know that if you could be substituted on the list for someone who really needed to stay, that it was OK with you. But I didn't want to be obnoxious about it because if I wound up staying longer, I still wanted good assignment, raises, etc. I was free to retire at any time, but it would have irked me to leave without a RIF package as many of my peers had gotten it. It was a bit of a tap dance.
All is well that ends well, I suppose. When we drive past MegaCorp from time to time, I give a little salute. This is a huge relief to DW who told me that if I had left under bitter conditions, she's sure it would have soured my retirement for years.
OK. My reason is "other." That's reasonable2B said:But you are if for no other reason that "other."
No, absolutely not. They started layoffs and that was no shock at all. Pretty much expected. When I finally got on the list, years later, it was no shock, other than the good news that I'd been finally made it.At first you weren't psychologically ready when the shock came.
Actually, I had looked at the numbers before hinting that I wanted to be on the list, not after I finally made it and got RIF'd.Then you looked at the numbers and decided you could (what method did you use?).
Ahhh.....no. Boy I sure didn't come across clearly or you just skimmed my post. Work was fine. I accumulated enough dough to RE but was not really chomping at the bit to leave. Being able to get a nice severance package, however, made RE look very, very good. And it has been very, very good.Or you "cracked up" and just had to get out because of the stress and figured out after the fact how you could get by financially.
youbet said:OK. My reason is "other." That's reasonable No, absolutely not.
Actually, I had looked at the numbers before hinting that I wanted to be on the list, not after I finally made it and got RIF'd.
Ahhh.....no. Boy I sure didn't come across clearly or you just skimmed my post. Work was fine. I accumulated enough dough to RE but was not really chomping at the bit to leave. Being able to get a nice severance package, however, made RE look very, very good. And it has been very, very good.
Bottom line, MegaCorp down sizing and paying out severance packages with benefit extensions was the main determining factor in my RE decision and the date was predominantly determined by them.
2B said:you evaluated your finances with the serverance as an added bonus and you were FI (what method did you use?).
audreyh1 said:I was financially independent well before I quit work.
2B said:I am afraid my poll is being misunderstood. The "I just had enough of work and I'll make do financially" (next to last) was meant to be you just got angry, frustrated and left before calculating how you'd do before you quit/retired. It's more a spur of the moment and not a "I got tired of work did the numbers and I can go so I did." That would be one of the first responses. You decided you had had enough and when the numbers felt right you left.
Feel free to change your answers if that's the case.
2B said:But you are if for no other reason that "other."
At first you weren't psychologically ready when the shock came. Then you looked at the numbers and decided you could (what method did you use?). Or you "cracked up" and just had to get out because of the stress and figured out after the fact how you could get by financially. Been there, done that and have the T-shirt. In my case I didn't feel financially comfortable, never felt "retired" and went back to work as soon a decent position opened up.