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View Poll Results: Why Retire Early?
Dissatisfaction with work. (e.g. boss, commute, politics, boredom) 230 51.57%
Desire to pursue leisure activities (e.g. travel, sports, hobbies) 273 61.21%
Desire to work in a different capacity (e.g. volunteer, small business, part-time) 69 15.47%
Desire to spend more time with family, friends and loved ones 146 32.74%
Desire to care for a loved one with health issues 25 5.61%
Your health (poor health or desire to become healthier) 78 17.49%
Freedom to pursue your love of art, music, and/or culture 73 16.37%
Freedom to live in a different place 86 19.28%
Ability to live a quiet, tranquil and reflective life 176 39.46%
Other 47 10.54%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 446. You may not vote on this poll

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Poll: Why retire early?
Old 02-11-2011, 01:17 PM   #1
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Poll: Why retire early?

Why did you, or do you want to, retire early? Multiple selections permitted.
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Old 02-11-2011, 01:44 PM   #2
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I think you forgot "Why Not?" and "Because I Could".
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Old 02-11-2011, 02:06 PM   #3
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Only reason I retired earlier than I wanted is that I had to quit to take care of my mother who had dementia (at 86 she was allowed). Otherwise, I'd kept working till I fell over at my desk; however, now that I haven't worked since '03 and am finding so many interesting things to do...well, not so sure I want to start another business like I kept saying I would. Maybe I should have picked a city with less to do in..
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Old 02-11-2011, 02:35 PM   #4
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Numbers 1, 2, 7, and 9. Also, refer to my sig.
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Old 02-11-2011, 02:50 PM   #5
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Other, but Why Not most likely closer to it. Or 'just because I could'.
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Old 02-11-2011, 02:56 PM   #6
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Other. I loved my job, but just wasn't performing as well as I used to. Time to stop, not to mention a timely layoff.
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Old 02-11-2011, 03:06 PM   #7
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I was just ready to retire . I had been FI for a few years but delayed retirement finally I just made the decision and gave notice . It's been a good decision .
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Old 02-11-2011, 03:13 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flyfishnevada View Post
I think you forgot "Why Not?" and "Because I Could".
I checked all except #3 and #5. I checked "Other", meaning "Because I Could", and "Because I am ready for the next step in life and this is it."
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Old 02-11-2011, 03:28 PM   #9
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I checked all except #3 and #5. I checked "Other", meaning "Because I Could", and "Because I am ready for the next step in life and this is it."
I'm thinking "because I could" should have been an option! This applies to DH and I for sure. However, I don't believe most of us would have chosen early retirement if the numbers didn't make any sense. If you can't retire because you need the money, health insurance or whatever, it's not really a choice.

I worked with lots of people who were ready from a financial/security standpoint but didn't go there. We're a different group from the "norm" and it's fascinating to know what inspired us to take this path.

Many of us were first drawn to this forum to figure out this very question. Thanks for the interesting responses everyone
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Old 02-11-2011, 03:39 PM   #10
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I was definitely escaping from a hostile work environment.

However, if I had know how much fun goofing off is, that would have been a motivator, too.
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Old 02-11-2011, 03:43 PM   #11
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I selected several of the choices, but "because I could" would be my main reason. The second most important reason is that I always planned to retire at 55 through my entire 30 year federal career.
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Old 02-11-2011, 03:58 PM   #12
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For me it was mainly the awful commute although I had been getting down at the work at my job to some degree.
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Old 02-11-2011, 03:58 PM   #13
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We had some good examples in our families who had retired early and were having a blast - looked like something we really wanted to do.
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Old 02-11-2011, 04:12 PM   #14
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  1. Liked (past tense) my job and the money, but enough is enough. Fortunately I never reached 'I hate my job,' more the tug of reaching FI and then some.
  2. Would still like to work, and will if I find a job I just want to do for the satisfaction alone - hopefully less responsibility, see #4.
  3. Would like to move south some (shoveled enough snow),
  4. And quiet, tranquil & reflective have more meaning now than when I was much younger.
    • Didn't check better health because I'm already active, but it would be a second tier goal.
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Old 02-11-2011, 04:18 PM   #15
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Other.

I lost my job in 2002, searched for a new job and soon realized that no one was going to hire a guy in his late 50's for any kind of decent paying job in my field, so I reassessed my financial situation and realized that we had already accumulated a pretty nice chunk of investment money, a paid up mortgage, in addition to 3 pensions and SS.

After the dust settled, I embraced ER and now realize that a loafer is much more than a shoe.
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Old 02-11-2011, 04:18 PM   #16
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1, 6, 9

W*rk (& the folks involved) was physically making me sick)
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Old 02-11-2011, 04:39 PM   #17
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Not yet retired (at the latest class of 2014) but I picked number nine as the main motivating factor. I plan to spend Jan. - March in FL when I am retired to escape the cold and snow. I do like the summers and fall in western PA. I close second would be the time to improve/maintain my health on my schedule via regular exercise in the morning hours.
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Old 02-11-2011, 04:59 PM   #18
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First and foremost, for health reasons. Boredom at work was a close second.
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Old 02-11-2011, 05:08 PM   #19
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...well, not so sure I want to start another business like I kept saying I would. Maybe I should have picked a city with less to do in..

It is funny how things turn out . I never planned on starting a business and here I am with a successful (hobby ) business .
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Old 02-11-2011, 05:25 PM   #20
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Just to clarify my previous post....

Because I had been working P/T for 7 years before I ERed, I had already been enjoying to some degree many of the benefits from not working. Working even two days a week had become a nuisance to the stuff (volunteer work and hobbies) I had been doing in those 7 years, so I needed to get rid of the nuisance. However, it was the commute which was the overriding reason for leaving my job.
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