Class of 2019

[Montecfo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by YakGrl April 1, 2019 I will be officially retired! So happy to join the class! I have been reading, dreaming and preparing for years. Thanks to all on the site for all the info and encouragement.

Hey nice. Are you doing anything in particular to celebrate?

[YakGrl]

I don't have a big celebration planned. A bottle of bubbly with friends at dinner. I plan to take the first month to relax and explore what my new life can be like. Beach walks in the morning and kayak trips whenever I want. Many other ideas but I don't want to over schedule for a while. After 37 years of working, I'm looking forward to some free time.

[targatom2019]

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Double digit finally!!!

[ugeauxgirl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vipertom1970 Attachment 31086 Double digit finally!!!

Congratulations to you. I'm envious.

Have 312 on my calendar. Had a conference call with the retirement department the other day and they suggested pushing it back a week and I nearly growled.

[Lawrencewendall]

Told management last month of my resignation and they were totally supportive. Today, I told about 20-25 co-workers that I interact with of the news. I chose today to tell them as it is my 36th anniversary of joining the Army (who's the fool? ) Their responses have been overwhelming with support and thanks. This environment makes it especially hard to walk away from the crew.

[Downtown]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Downtown I've been contemplating Dec 31, 2019 as my official date to stop W-2 income and focus on the next stage of life. DW and I will both be 55 years old then and we should have plenty of $ socked away. It's exciting to start planning for a different set of priorities. 2148 days to go!

That was my post back in February 2014. Five years later, I'm still on track to pull the trigger later in 2019, and DW already left her job last year. Lots of life changes during the last couple of years increased our financial requirements (we moved to HCOL area), but we can still make it work. Now I'm working on picking the date and making final transition plans. Feeling great.

Best of luck as y'all navigate the last few months!
Downtown

[bUU]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bUU I really could use another year or two of accumulation but circumstances are driving us to cut that short. I might not even make it to 2020 at this point though my spouse will. Fingers crossed.

It is looking increasingly like I won't make it to 2020. We signed papers on a home in a retirement community, and will likely be able to move in sometime this fall. That'll surely earn me a pink slip from megacorp - and I'll breathe a sigh of relief. Money will be a little tight, but nothing we can't overcome.

So I guess that makes me part of the Class of 2019.

[Montecfo]

I am definitely, officially class of 2019, having given notice this week. Last day is May 23rd. Woo hoo!

[Bigdawg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigdawg Congrats Osprey. I'm looking at going 3/4 time in 2020 (the year I turn 55).

Latest plan: Out of town conference the week of 29 April-3 May. When I return I will be asking for 4X8's for a 32 hour work week. Right now I am doing 36-44 every two weeks with every other Friday off. The Boss used to be good about "doing the work" vice "watching the clock". That has changed recently. Just built dream house and want to roll up original 1st along with two 0% credit cards and a equity loan on townhouse and have only one mortgage payment. Closing that on Tuesday. House will have a 550K against a 700K value (with 100K going into my taxable account). 4% so I will carry that for the full term. Military pension easily covers it. Looking for the glide slop to full ER. Probably dip under 30/wk sometime in early 2020(my 55 year) then fully ER in late 2020 or 2021. All depends on how the emotions go. Financially we are already FI. With that being said I will now identify with the class of 2020.

[Finance Dave]

So I finally FIRE'd 1/1/19!

57 years young, and so far loving every minute of it. A few observations thus far....some good and some not so good.

Good
1) I am sleeping more...I sleep about 5-6 hours, wake up, then go back to sleep for another 1-2 hours...nice!

2) I've started going to a fitness club...2x/week for now and trying to advance that to 3x/week. I also put down some mats in a room at home and I'm doing light stretching 3x/week to keep my arthritis at bay.

3) We started using "Home Chef" packaged meal deliveries...it's working pretty well and making it easier to plan meals (see below)

4) I've been able to put a sizable dent in my "to do" list. I bet I've completed at least 10 projects that I've put off for years! Most of these are fun things...for example I'm a hobbyist woodworker so I installed a new dust collection system to make my woodworking more enjoyable and less dusty.

5) Our vacation itinerary is filling up...we have 7 vacations this year, two of which we already completed. We go to Ireland in June....that's the big one.

and the very best one....
6) It used to be that 80% of my waking time was spent wor*ing, and the other 20% playing. That has reversed itself. I still have rental properties so occasionally have to do things with those...but I'm doing so many fun things now that it's almost blissful!


Not so good
1) I'm lounging around and not getting any clothes on until about 10 AM...I've allowed myself 1 year to adjust but I don't want to be a "couch potato" long term

2) I've gained about 12 pounds...OUCH!

3) I can't do things during the week with my friends because they are all still wor*ing. And they don't want to go out at night because they have to wor* the next day! LOL


We did take out about $15k from DW's TIRA recently...first time we've taken money OUT...I must admit it was a bit odd...looking at the balance and realizing it may never be that large again (although we hope to earn more than $15k in gains before we take out another chunk). Had to take out of DW's TIRA instead of mine because she is over 59 1/2 and I did not want to use SEPP.

I'll give some credit to this board for all the info, enthusiasm, and motivation. Sorry I'm not a frequent poster, but I'll try to get on a bit more.

Gotta go....I want to do some woodworking, then drive around in my restored musclecar, then go out for a craft beer with my DW!

WOoo Hooooo!

[bUU]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigdawg Latest plan: ...

I'm beginning to think about how this will go down. The most likely scenario is that we'll put our home here up for sale in late summer or early fall (depending on our new home's construction progress) and I'll just go in to the office the next day and give a week's notice.

I have occasionally considered offering to continue to work, but remotely, but I hate working in the cesspool they've created there and working remotely won't make anything better. Besides, my manager clued me into a secret, that the company set a deadline of September 30 to eliminate all remote employees (yet they aren't eliminating contractors who work remotely in India - what silly nonsense).

I'm hoping for a layoff or some way to prompt them to fire me (without cause). That would be so much cleaner and I could try to find a new job where our new home is while collecting unemployment. However, the last layoff was just a couple of months ago, and I doubt that they'd let me go during the next layoff regardless.

It's a bit of a shame, in my mind, that my career is petering out like this rather than having gone out on a high, but that ship sailed when megacorp RIF'ed me in 2017 before we were anywhere near ready to retire.

[EastWest Gal]

5 work days left. I work 11 12-hr shifts per month. They are often bunched together. My last day is May 2nd. I have a concert that night, so I’ll have no chance for goodbyes that day.

The medical director who talked me into coming back and who now has a national position is leaving mid-May. Everyone I worked with 5 years ago has moved on to other hospitals, even other states. Two of my favorite nurses are retiring too.

Moving on will be an immense relief. It doesn’t feel like a career anymore, just a job.

[Out of Steam]

Have requested a September 30th retirement date. So, looking like it will be 2019.

[Montecfo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EastWest Gal 5 work days left. I work 11 12-hr shifts per month. They are often bunched together. My last day is May 2nd. I have a concert that night, so I’ll have no chance for goodbyes that day. The medical director who talked me into coming back and who now has a national position is leaving mid-May. Everyone I worked with 5 years ago has moved on to other hospitals, even other states. Two of my favorite nurses are retiring too. Moving on will be an immense relief. It doesn’t feel like a career anymore, just a job.

Congrats on your decision. Sure sounds like it is the right one for you.

[Glide77rocks]

Finished out 37+ years on March 29, 2019. Just hit 60, Wife 58.

Retirement is everything I had hoped it would be!!! Going to be awesome.

[MoneyChic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glide77rocks Finished out 37+ years on March 29, 2019. Just hit 60, Wife 58. Retirement is everything I had hoped it would be!!! Going to be awesome.

Congrats!!!

[atmsmshr]

Like most - My retirement date has moved around a bit. So have expectations.

Age 25 started with mega and planned on 55. That would have been 2016.

Subsequent marriage, kids, lifestyle creep and pension cuts moved to 60. The first three I would not change for all the tea in China.

Great Recession and DW's disability moved it out to 62.

Staying the course of nearly 100% equities and taking a role in senior management pulled it back to 60 with lots of fun money.

Watched parents aging and found this forum to realize the time value of money and moved back to 59.

Several friends died, DW had a car accident this year and pulled in again to this August at 58 years old.

Started splitting atoms for Uncle Sam at 18 - forty years later I am done.

When I started, never appreciated the true value of a medical pension either from Tricare or a corporation. Last week, Mega corp calculated top tier medical insurance policy for DW and I at $381/month until age 65. Mega stopped offering medical pensions 21 years ago, but geezers like me were grandfathered. (Mega even stopped annuity pensions for awhile after that, but they are back; with a lower annual interest credit for the millennials.)

Two months to go before turning in my retirement papers.

Work stress is disappearing.

[Out of Steam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glide77rocks Finished out 37+ years on March 29, 2019. Just hit 60, Wife 58.

Pretty much where we will be, 60 and 59. Glad you're enjoying it so far!

[Out of Steam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bUU It's a bit of a shame, in my mind, that my career is petering out like this rather than having gone out on a high, but that ship sailed when megacorp RIF'ed me in 2017 before we were anywhere near ready to retire.

I can sympathize, as my career had been petering out that way since 2015. Combined with a mental health issue, it was painful at times.

Landed on the right side of a reorganization not long ago, and am having a good last year of work. Thought about OMY, but have decided to stick with our retirement and moving plans for 2019.

[gamboolman]

OOS Well done !

We have followed your posts and wish you the best

Congrats - we won't be far behind as most likely will retire effective 31-Dec-19.