Twenty Years Early Retired Today!

WOW! Congratulation's and 20 years being free as a bird.
 
Yeah Audrey. You must know a lot of people around these parts.

You're like a friend of mine, will experience more years retired than working. Congratulations.
 
Congrats Audrey, and thanks for taking the time to reflect for us. After 20 years I wonder if you can even remember what work life is like, though I’ve been retired 8 years and the memories still seem vivid.

I hope you enjoy the next twenty even more than the first twenty.

And thanks for so many helpful posts over the years, I’ve been reading and enjoying them for about 11 years.

Loved the pic, lifelong sailor here. I would’ve recognized it was a C&C without the caption with that distinctive sheer, coachroof and cove stripe. One of my closest sailing buddies has had 3 C&C’s (27, 33 & 110), I raced on all of them with him many, many times, and I don’t think he’ll ever own anything but a C&C even though they’re no longer in business.
 
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Congratulations Audreyh1, I have learned a lot from your posts as a newbie and thank you for couple good advice you have given me.
 
Dd852 said:
Congratulations. As a 59-yr old too I tip my hat on your being 13 years my senior in FIRE. I just caught up with your well written „how I did it“ post. Is it right to assume, given the great state of the markets over the years, that your withdrawal percentage annually has stayed constant or even reduced? Or did you increase spending at all?

Long may you enjoy!
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Our net worth doubled from my 10 year post which was near the start of the 2009 recovery.

Overall, our annual withdrawal percentage has probably dropped a little. However, our income has increased significantly, and we have been spending a lot more - ramping up a bit after we moved into our house, and then more when we started traveling to Europe each year. And taxes have increased too! Plus we gift a lot annually more than we used to, and we did some serious funding of a DAF a few years ago.
 
Golden sunsets said:
Audrey; Congrats on the anniversary. I enjoyed your initial post and your 10 year anniversary post, but I REALLY loved this post, which I just read.

http://www.early-retirement.org/for...fter-retiring-in-1999-a-46032.html#post850608

Do you have any interest in updating that thread with your evolving financial situation and philosophy in the second 10 years of retirement? I'm sure we would all enjoy the read.:flowers:
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Well - you know how the last 10 years have been market wise, so I haven't had to work hard to grow the assets, LOL!

I don't plan an update. I don't think my financial philosophy has changed since 10 years ago. It's all very mechanical now. I reread "what I learned" - and I still take those lessons to heart. I'm following the same plan and sticking to it.

More focus on enjoying as much as we can now that we are so much older. Knock on wood our health remains good for another decade, or maybe even two! We still love to travel.
 
Elbata said:
Yeah Audrey. You must know a lot of people around these parts.

You're like a friend of mine, will experience more years retired than working. Congratulations.
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I do know a lot of people on this forum. And many who are not longer active. Reading my old posts brought back old friends, some of who are no longer alive.

Actually - I have already been retired longer than I was working after I graduated from college with my BSEE. I worked 18 years for one company, and that includes about 1.5 years when I went part time to get a masters degree. But I co-oped during college, and worked in high school, so there are a very few more years to go from first teeny bopper job.
 
Midpack said:
Congrats Audrey, and thanks for taking the time to reflect for us. After 20 years I wonder if you can even remember what work life is like, though I’ve been retired 8 years and the memories still seem vivid.

I hope you enjoy the next twenty even more than the first twenty.

And thanks for so many helpful posts over the years, I’ve been reading and enjoying them for about 11 years.

Loved the pic, lifelong sailor here. I would’ve recognized it was a C&C without the caption with that distinctive sheer, coachroof and cove stripe. One of my closest sailing buddies has had 3 C&C’s (27, 33 & 110), I raced on all of them with him many, many times, and I don’t think he’ll ever own anything but a C&C even though they’re no longer in business.
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I very rarely get work dreams anymore. But I do still remember it vividly.

I thought of you when I posted the pic, but I am still impressed that you recognized the boat make. We sure enjoyed that boat: very comfortable, beamy, but fast! (for us anyway, LOL)

Thanks much for the well wishes!
 
Thanks much everyone for the kind words and for celebrating with me! :flowers:
 
Add me to your fan base, color me impressed! I graduated with a BSME in 1980, and finally retired this year at 61. I’m sure I haven’t read all your posts, even about your FIRE, but one thing that has been mentioned by others and I assume holds for you was the importance of a like minded spouse, and finding that spouse at an early age, and no offspring(?). When you fired, I was getting married for the third time! Not that I only blame my ex’s for all our financial woes, but they sure never added to the bottom line, and alimony and child costs are a direct drain on anyone’s plans. #3 did contribute and has aided the plan, though she never made much, and she retired at 55.

Our plan was much different and included large pension and SS income, as there is no way I could ever have believed living entirely on a portfolio was something I could trust myself with until maybe 10 years ago, but by then, my plans had been laid out, and from my stand point seemed easy. And I only found this place 4 years ago, which was part of the problem. Whodathunkit? But honestly, that early of an ER was never on my radar in the least. I was and probably still am too conservative about personal life financial risks. My plan was plenty of fixed income with the portfolio designed for discretionary and lifestyle enhancing. Regardless of whether I had done as well as I did during the last 10, which far exceeded any of my plans, I was going out at 63. Just cutting it down 2 years seemed a major accomplishment, and realistically I could have easily left at 58, ( minor pension reduction and still had full company health care for both of us), but the greed of OMY (wait for DW to be on Medicare, have a promotion increase pension significantly, etc,) got the better of me.

Interesting to me, is that my college roommate and good friend, also went out west and worked a very successful startup, but instead of taking your more unusual path, started up two of his own companies (and selling them) after learning the ropes there, and “retired” at 50, only to try his hand at another one after being too bored with retirement “so young”. He and his spouse were also like minded ambitiously, ( but had some kids). So even with FIRE already his life, he still kept at it.

At least I am one of the youngest retirees I know from my own professional circle. Many I worked with have the more stubborn “we are put here to work and contribute” and worked at the same company 35-45 years, and I can’t tell you how many asked me in all seriousness, where I was going to work next, retiring “so young”. Everyone is different. Wish I’d found this place when you did!!
 
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Well, I’m 59 and have been retired for 9 years. My wife was able to take her full pension early so we’ve been traveling and enjoying life ever since. We have more money now than we had when we had when we retired. Life is Good.

Best Stephen
 
I followed your links read through your story. Wow, an amazing detailed account through time. Thank you so much for sharing it. I love how you keep things simple and spend so much time just enjoying life.
 
That is awesome! Love your timeline from start to present and most of all you LIVING life to the fullest.
 
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Cool story - I'm 53 and thought I was REAL early retiring at 49! BTW, I just bought a refurbished Sony A6000 with a Sigma 16mm 1.4 from Amazon and am having a blast learning on this thing. Amazing how far digital cameras have come in the past decade and this thing I have is considered old already! lol
 
Perryinva said:
Add me to your fan base, color me impressed! I graduated with a BSME in 1980, and finally retired this year at 61. I’m sure I haven’t read all your posts, even about your FIRE, but one thing that has been mentioned by others and I assume holds for you was the importance of a like minded spouse, and finding that spouse at an early age, and no offspring(?). When you fired, I was getting married for the third time! Not that I only blame my ex’s for all our financial woes, but they sure never added to the bottom line, and alimony and child costs are a direct drain on anyone’s plans. #3 did contribute and has aided the plan, though she never made much, and she retired at 55.
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Well actually I did get divorced at 27 which wiped out my savings and left me saddled with an underwater house that’s to the oil bust. And I remarried 4 years later to a much better life partner. But my good earnings and savings habits help me recover quickly although stock options were ultimately the big winner financially.

I was just glad to get that mess out of the way young, and not have any children involved.
 
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Audrey, how did you handle health insurance all those years? If you already answered this, please point me to the post.
 
camfused said:
Audrey, how did you handle health insurance all those years? If you already answered this, please point me to the post.
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Cobra at first. Then my only option was a state health risk pool. In 2013 that closed and I went on an ACA eligible plan which I bought directly from the insurer. Got juggled around a bit as insurers kept limiting what they provided individuals. Ended up on an HMO plan, but at least the network is broad even though I always have to go through the PCP.

I’m just hoping I have insurance over the next 5 years. Fingers crossed! DH starts Medicare next year at least.
 
How wonderful that you were able to do that !! Kudos I have been retired one year and bored out of my gourd 😂 hubby doesn’t want to retire (workaholic) same job 30 yrs
 
Congratulations Audrey on your 20 year retirement milestone!

I have learned a lot from your posts since I discovered this forum a few years ago. However, I didn't know your back story until now. I love how you developed and evolved your strategies using research, trialed an approach and validated the results against a benchmark, all while taking into consideration your personal strengths, weakness, and tendencies. That is what I am striving to do.

Thank you for continuing to participate and share your experiences. One of the things I value about this forum is the high level of thought presented in different ideas, viewpoints, and strategies.
 
audreyh1 said:
How long for you, unclemick? You’ve got me beat, I think, right?
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Jan 1993.

heh heh heh - :cool: Although chickenheartedness made me talk 'unemployed slacker' and not advertise til I got my age 55 first pension check Aug 1998. :blush: :angel: Then I became 'high class ER'
 
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