Question for those who did a partial RE

[grumpy]

Whakamole,

My partial RE was fortuitous. I was eligible to retire from Uncle Sam at age 55 and had been planning to retire at that age all along. My wife was not eligible to retire from teaching for two more years. My gov't project office wanted to keep me on as a consultant/contractor so I decided to partially retire until her retirement. I insisted on a maximum of two days per week and negotiated an hourly rate 50% greater than my previous government rate. This income was in addition to my gov't pension.

My wife finally retired in July and my project is now winding up. I will fully retire Oct. 1st.

This partial RE allowed us to add over $200k (earnings plus additional savings) to our nestegg. We will be moving to a "55 or better" community (a smaller house) in December.

I could have fully retired at 55. Our finances would have been a bit tighter but it would have worked. The part time schedule was great. It allowed me the time and energy to do other things I enjoy. Now I feel fully prepared for "real" retirement.

Grumpy

[ESRBob]

Grumpy,
Welcome to ER and to the board. Great story. re socking away the last chunk during some part-time employment during the last two years -- you'll appreciate that little extra breathing room for a long time, I bet! 8k a year forever (is how I look at it...)


ESRBob