At what age did you pull the plug?

[NoOneGetsIt]

I was sharing with my DH [I think that means husband?] about this blog and he asked me what the average age of the FIREs was so....


Curious as to when you retired?
Was it a good decision or should you have waited?
Or should you have done it sooner?

 

[pb4uski]

Yes, DH=darling husband, DW=darling wife, DD=darling daughter, DS = darling son

Curious as to when you retired? 56
Was it a good decision or should you have waited? Good decision
Or should you have done it sooner? No (retired once we sold our second home which reduced our expenses dramatically and padded our retirement investments)

 

[DeborahB]

Right after I turned 62.

 

[mickeyd]

you pull the plug

Plug was pulled by the company and I was suddenly unemployed @ 58 or so. To my surprise we had plenty of pensions/investments that will last until we are 100+.

That's OK. I'll get over it.

 

[gauss]

Age 47
Great Decision

Company ceased all pension accruals so sticking around 8 more years to get a formal retirement no longer had any appeal.

-gauss

 

[heeyy_joe]

I'm 57 and will be out for sure at 58.

 

[Meadbh]

Retired @55. It was the right time.

 

[W2R]

I retired at 61.

The three and a half years since then have been great. If I had only known I would like retirement this much, years ago....

 

[jclarksnakes]

I was 56 when I retired. I would have retired earlier but DW was still working (her choice). She will retire june 1st. WE should have retired several years earlier.

 

[comicbookgujy]

Yes, DH=darling husband, DW=darling wife, DD=darling daughter, DS = darling son

Curious as to when you retired? 56
Was it a good decision or should you have waited? Good decision
Or should you have done it sooner? No (retired once we sold our second home which reduced our expenses dramatically and padded our retirement investments)

WHAT I thought the "D" stood for dependable

 

[clifp]

39
Yes and no. I was absolutely the right decision for me to take some time off work, and smell the rose, or orchids in my case.
But I think 39 is too young not have found a second career and while I do volunteer work it isn't the same thing.

 

[Nemo2]

46.......didn't really 'retire'....just quit being employed.

 

[Brdofpray]

DW and I were both 56.

Best decision of our new lives!

 

[Walt34]

52 the first time. I'd been in law enforcement for just shy of 30 years and while there was no one factor that made me go there were a multiple of smaller ones that cumulatively made the choice easy.

It was a good choice. I'd have been committed by now if I hadn't.

So while I'm working (for now) I have the option to leave when I want. It's a much more laid-back and less stressful environment.

 

[WestLake]

Turned 55 in March - plan is February 2014 when i will still be 55. Just so I can say, "55".

 

[Germonico]

58 but became a live-in caretaker of a local historic estate which required about 15 hours of work each week. Did this for 18 months. Now officially retired @ 60. DW is 58 and plans to work another 5 years.

 

[Rambler]

51. It could have been a little earlier but all in all, the timing was right. Staying longer would not have been good for my health.

R

 

[amfox1]

45. Planned it three years in advance and left at the right time for me.

 

[travelover]

54 and not a moment too soon.

 

[MichaelB]

A couple of earlier polls on ER age

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f28/poll-what-age-did-you-fire-59525.html
http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f28/age-at-retirement-50979.html

 

[RockyMtn]

51 here. Timing was perfect for me.

 

[ziggy29]

47.... at least for now. Was planning to go to about 50, but plans can change...

 

[NYEXPAT]

1 month shy of 34. Never planned it, but 26 years later it's all worked out.

 

[ER Eddie]

Thanks for this thread, No One Gets It, and for posting those earlier polls, MichaelB. I am hungry for retirement, and yet, yesterday, I had a spell of uncertainty and got into the "one more year" type thinking. I was thinking that 53 is just too early to retire somehow -- not because I couldn't afford it, but because it's just ... irresponsible (?) somehow. You're "supposed" to work until you're 65, right? Or at least 59? Aren't I being reckless or lax or irresponsible somehow, by bowing out so early? Shouldn't I stick around longer, like everyone else? And I'm going to walk away from a job at my "peak earning capacity"? Isn't that foolhardy?

But these polls and this thread make it clear that my target of 53 is about average. Granted, this is an early retirement forum, but at least I feel less like an oddball -- or an oddball with plenty of company, anyhow.

 

[Nodak]

The day after my 60th birthday.