retiring early-mid 40s - - thoughts

[AnIntentionalRoad]

I retired four years ago at age 41. I had trouble at first because the word "retired" to me meant old people who were done with trying to achieve anything. That wasn't me. Then I decided I was really just switching my job to "Investor." That's what I tell people I am now, and put down as my occupation.

It may just be semantics, but it has helped with my identity. It gives me a purpose in the morning, anyway. I turn on the business channel, check the news, my investments, and feel connected with the world. Also, it's a super easy "job," with very, very, very light workload, no boss, no deadlines, you can show up to work whenever you want, leave when you want, and take as many vacation, personal and sick days as you want -- without needing to tell anyone.

If you're like me and still feel somehow you should be working, I can't imagine a better "job" than this!

I''ve been taking a similar approach but using "Advisor" instead because I do some very light work on start up advisory boards--mostly paid in stock options that will never be worth much. But it is giving me an identity that avoids all the sideways glances. Often I run into other kindred spirits who also sold a company at an early age. But most can't get their head around it.

I retired at age 42, now I am 44. My kids know that I work from home on various projects. They just don't realize I most don't get paid for any of them. What's most important fir them to see is that I work hard pursuing my passions and am doing things that are meaningful. That doesn't have to be a 9 to 5 at megacorp.

BTW, about 5 days after leaving my job in 2012 we moved aboard a sailboat and cruised the Bahamas and east coast for a year, homeschooling our kids and building real family bonds. During this first year of ER on the boat most everyone was retired or on sabbatical, so nobody cared that we were ERed. Now being back in upper middle class America, that concept is hard to keep explaining and defending. So, hence I am now an Advisor.

Also, I am not ruling out the idea of a second career or another business in a few years but right now, 2 years in, I don't feel the urge. I am finally spending time pursuing all the varied interests that were set in a shelf when I was working those 60 hour weeks.

We've

 

[gauss]

I retired 27 years ago at age 33. Now at 60 with a young family it is becoming more difficult to raise my children as my son at 8 is suddenly interested in money and how I can provide for our family and still be at home all day? My Wife (33) has gone back to work to help provide some perspective, but kids seem to have these generic role models in life (developed in school) and our family is far from generic in any way.shape,form. I have even considered starting a business again , just to provide some cover. Where I live everyone has servants and all the children are picked up from school by their nannies. As I went through this before when I lived in NYC, I was determined that my future children would not feel the sense of entitlement my prior daughter felt. Plus, it is not normal to not be able to tie your shoes at 8 years old and still be a grand champion horse back rider!

It seems that the cultural pressures involved with raising children in this country have significantly increased in the past 30 years or so. Being childless, I could not understand why so much time/effort life energy is being expended on kids extracurricular activities and associated transportation etc. etc.. It seems that concepts such as car-pooling and baby-sitters have gone out of fashion. I finally discussed this once at some length with a parent and came to the conclusion that societal culture has significantly changed and it is much easier for many to comply with the social norms as opposed to replicating the environment of their own upbringing.

Given the baseline bias against ER for everyone, I could see having to deal with it in the context of being a parent in today's world as especially challenging.

A sincere good luck wish to you in balancing this in your own family's life going forward.

-gauss

 

[tryan]

I could see having to deal with it in the context of being a parent in today's world as especially challenging.

Like my mother always says ... "When you were growing up, children were SEEN, not heard. Today they run the show."

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pleeplus View Post
Tryan if you don't mind can you let us know how that goes and how you expect to approach it? Whenever I discuss my goals to retire early with friends and neighbors I get looked at like I have 4 heads. I can't imagine discussing being retired at an early age in front of parents and 7th graders! Although it would be fun! You should start it off by talking about LBYM.
+1

I'd love to hear the results.

I am not planning on "shock n awe" ... I left megacorp at 45. The FI was accomplished with income producing rental property ... that's the "angle" I am planning for the career fair. Figure I'll prep my son with some questions .... LBYM theme for sure.

 

[Henry Lili]

I left my job 11 months ago at age 46. Initially I was planning on retiring completely, but I ended up taking on a role at a company that allows me to work the equivalent of about one day a week, primarily from my home. So at this point I consider myself semi-retired.

I have no kids, and my partner still works full time, so our ability to do extensive travel is somewhat limited by his schedule. I have thoroughly enjoyed the past eleven months. I wake up when I feel like it, get lots of exercise, read the newspaper every day, cook my own meals, and still have enough to do with my part time work to dabble, without getting fully engrossed in it.

When the weather is warm, I find that my days fly by. I live by the beach, so spending time on the beach, swimming, bike riding, walking...the days go very fast.

When the weather is somewhat cold and unappealing, lately I've been finding it a bit frustrating. And in the past few weeks, I've been finding it a bit more exciting to get involved with some work related projects. And I've been going into the office a bit more than I was earlier on. So I'm starting to wonder if I'm not quite ready to completely end my career aspirations. But I feel like I have tremendous control over my schedule, and I know that if I don't like what I'm working on, it's perfectly fine to quit and try full time retirement, or just do something else.

If my partner was also retired, it might be a bit different. If I had kids, I'm sure they would keep me very busy. So everyone's situation is different. But looking back at my decision to leave a very high paying position...I have no regrets. The freedom to explore who I am and what I want to do with the rest of my life has been priceless.

Ready, our situations are very similar.
- quit the rat race 7 months ago
- left a solid six figure salary
- 46 at the time - 47 now
- no kids
- partner sill working full time so travel options are limited.

So, I have been traveling with friends a bit. Meeting up with former co.workers for dinner and drinks roughly on a monthly basis - different ones in rotating months - from the different places I have worked over the years.
- Also catching up on many, many books that I had no time for in the past and more exercise as well.
- actively managing my portfolio keeps me busy but not busy enough I suppose.

All that said, while I can,t see going back and strapping on the corporate uniform for 60 hours a week I am looking into other initiatives to pursue given I still have a great deal of energy to burn off doing something that is fulfilling and productive. Voluntering doesn't seem to be the right option at this time - too many old, retired people Lol

 

[Henry Lili]

I retired four years ago at age 41. I had trouble at first because the word "retired" to me meant old people who were done with trying to achieve anything. That wasn't me. Then I decided I was really just switching my job to "Investor." That's what I tell people I am now, and put down as my occupation.

It may just be semantics, but it has helped with my identity. It gives me a purpose in the morning, anyway. I turn on the business channel, check the news, my investments, and feel connected with the world. Also, it's a super easy "job," with very, very, very light workload, no boss, no deadlines, you can show up to work whenever you want, leave when you want, and take as many vacation, personal and sick days as you want -- without needing to tell anyone.

If you're like me and still feel somehow you should be working, I can't imagine a better "job" than this!

Kabekew, excellent summary of your 'job.' I'm just 7 months into Er - and I've been telling most who ask that I,m consulting and just a select few that I now manage my investments "full time."

 

[ERhoosier]

I'm cutting back to halftime in Sept, done March 2015. I chose medicine as a career out of a sense of duty--I was the best student in my high school, graduated second in GPA in my year in as a Biochemistry major at UC Berkeley, and generally found school easy yet took it pretty seriously. Gradually found my way picking a specialty and getting work in a group near my husband's music career. I did fine but really did not enjoy it as much as most of my colleagues. I was burnt out and miserable so I took a posiion on the other side of the country. I was always good at what I did but it to this day falls flat for me. High level of success as a physician and generally miserable as a person.

It's scary because those of us who have a "career" tend to define ourselves by the limited role we have in the world where we get paid for what we do. Getting away from that career world, we sense that somehow we were not successful in reaching some indefinable pinnacle of "achievement" or "success". In fact our goal was always to find time to live, as we did during the summers when we were kids.

Every major change is fraught with scariness.

It's better for you to look at the fear for what it is--fear of change, fear of being irrelevant. Without change life is boring and we are each very important and very unimportant to others, at the same time. I'm trying to embrace my own unimportance, as beyond that lies the freedom to choose my activities, instead of having them chosen for me.

I'm scared too, but also very excited.

Sad, but all too common a story among docs (& other HC professionals). For many it's almost gotten to be like completing (retiring from) military service- proud to have served but time to move on.
Like any major job/life change, it's often a period of anxiety/uncertainty. But also of excitement with new freedoms & challenges ahead.

And though we will always be important to those close to us, no one captured an individual's place in the universe better than the late great Alex Karras

 

[Travelwanted]

Sad, but all too common a story among docs (& other HC professionals). For many it's almost gotten to be like completing (retiring from) military service- proud to have served but time to move on.
Like any major job/life change, it's often a period of anxiety/uncertainty. But also of excitement with new freedoms & challenges ahead.

And though we will always be important to those close to us, no one captured an individual's place in the universe better than the late great Alex Karras

Yep...medicine is getting more and more difficult. Incomes are dropping and regulations increasing. It's still a noble career, but its best days are in the past. I know EastWest Gal and Ob/Gyn65 can relate. I'd be curious how many docs are on the site. I'd love to hear from any that have already ER'd.

 

[ERhoosier]

Yep...medicine is getting more and more difficult. Incomes are dropping and regulations increasing. It's still a noble career, but its best days are in the past.....

Falling incomes along with (or due to?) rising regulations. Same can prob be said about many technical professions these days. And small businesses too.