Why Lie About Early Retirement?

[HFWR]

Just gonna be one word. Retired. With a big smile of course.

I'm thinking two: P*ss off...

 

[Major Tom]

Now, now.......

 

[seraphim]

Five years after it's passage and all of the news coverage and controversy, especially over the past 6 months, have people still not heard of ObamaCare? That's kind of frightening.

Yes, yes we have heard of ACA. That's what's so frightening.

 

[seraphim]

I'm rather offended now - not one person has told me I'm too young to retire....

... Maybe it's the snow-white beard.

Or, perhaps, it's the T shirt that says, " Do I LOOK like a freaking people person?"

 

[HFWR]

Now, now.......

That's only for those with an attitude.

 

[braumeister]

I started saying "I'm retired" at 55, when I decided I'd had enough w*rk and didn't need any more. Nobody has ever questioned it or made any comment at all, beyond "Hey, that's great."

I should mention that everyone has always said I look much younger than my chronological age, so that's not a factor.

 

[butterfly]

Being in your 40's and telling your friends you are retired is like being at a banquet and showing your steak to the starving beggars at the window.

I learned that first-hand.

This sums it up for us too.

We have, what we now call stealth wealth, and when we retire I am dreading the questions from friends and family...

We are going to travel for a few years so that should answer their questions as we'll be on a "sabbatical". Then we'll be looking for "investment opportunities" I think.

 

[NC 57]

I just tell people I'm retired. Some will look at me and say' "You look too young to be retired." My response, which I smile stating, "I am can assure you I'm old enough to be retired."

Occasionally someone will ask what I did for a living. My stock answer is, "I worked hard."

Usually that is enough and they talk about something else.

One thing I've found interesting. We bought a travel trailer and now camp about 100 days per year. We've made a number of new friends at camping rallies over the past two years. Most are financially independent early retirees about our age. We much prefer towing our travel trailer a few hundred miles to a state park and meeting up with a few of our camping friends four or five times a year for a few days than socializing with our old acquaintances from megacorp.

 

[ajs56]

I just tell people I'm retired. Some will look at me and say' "You look too young to be retired." My response, which I smile stating, "I am can assure you I'm old enough to be retired."

Occasionally someone will ask what I did for a living. My stock answer is, "I worked hard."

Usually that is enough and they talk about something else.

One thing I've found interesting. We bought a travel trailer and now camp about 100 days per year. We've made a number of new friends at camping rallies over the past two years. Most are financially independent early retirees about our age. We much prefer towing our travel trailer a few hundred miles to a state park and meeting up with a few of our camping friends four or five times a year for a few days than socializing with our old acquaintances from megacorp.

Thanks for sharing some very good points, NC. I have thought about the camping thing also. It has been over 30 years since we camped much, but having time and resources to have a travel trailer and go when and where you want sounds nice, and I had thought about the possibility of meeting other FIRE folks as well. I'm not familiar with "camping rallies", can you elaborate a bit on that? Thanks!

 

[NC 57]

Camping Rallies

Thanks for sharing some very good points, NC. I have thought about the camping thing also. It has been over 30 years since we camped much, but having time and resources to have a travel trailer and go when and where you want sounds nice, and I had thought about the possibility of meeting other FIRE folks as well. I'm not familiar with "camping rallies", can you elaborate a bit on that? Thanks!

AJ,

To avoid hijacking this thread, I set up a new thread to provide additional information about rallies. A link to the new thread is below. If you have more questions, feel free to post a question or PM me.

Camping Rally Thread

 

[Snowcat]

This and other similar threads are of interest to me. When I am not at work, the major activity I am involved in resolves around many, short interactions (from 4 to 14 minutes) with complete strangers. The question comes up ALOT, "What do you do?" It is easy to answer now. What I do retire, I think for those people (that I will likely never see again) I may just say I am a money manager. I think saying retired to that group would take over another wise nice and comfortable discussion. For people I REALLY know, they know how hard DH and I have worked, controlled spending and saved. It will be easy to say, we are retired. The people between will be the most problematic. If people asks me how I can afford to retire early, I am very likely going to want to let them my secret. Unfortunately, for many, the train has left the station.

 

[audreyh1]

I just tell people I'm retired. Some will look at me and say' "You look too young to be retired." My response, which I smile stating, "I am can assure you I'm old enough to be retired."

That's a good answer. I usually went for the French shrug myself.

 

[youbet]

I can understand the possibility for folks who retire really early, say in your late 30's or early 40's, to be questioned about it since it's unusual and few make it to FIRE by then. But for folks working part time (often mistakenly called ESR) or for folks well into their 50's, being questioned about being retired doesn't pass my common sense test. I can't imagine the circumstances where someone might give you a hard time for being retired and especially for only working part time.

 

[Dash man]

I can understand the possibility for folks who retire really early, say in your late 30's or early 40's, to be questioned about it since it's unusual and few make it to FIRE by then. But for folks working part time (often mistakenly called ESR) or for folks well into their 50's, being questioned about being retired doesn't pass my common sense test. I can't imagine the circumstances where someone might give you a hard time for being retired and especially for only working part time.

I'm 57, yet people in my age group or older seem to think it strange that I'm retired. Younger people seem to react positively, maybe realizing it is possible for them too.

 

[HFWR]

I can understand the possibility for folks who retire really early, say in your late 30's or early 40's, to be questioned about it since it's unusual and few make it to FIRE by then. But for folks working part time (often mistakenly called ESR) or for folks well into their 50's, being questioned about being retired doesn't pass my common sense test. I can't imagine the circumstances where someone might give you a hard time for being retired and especially for only working part time.

Probably true to some extent, though I think retirement seems so undoable to some that anyone retiring seems miraculous...

 

[braumeister]

for folks well into their 50's, being questioned about being retired doesn't pass my common sense test. I can't imagine the circumstances where someone might give you a hard time for being retired.

Depends on the people, I guess.
I have two friends who retired in their early-to-mid-40s, and it never occurred to me to question that, just to congratulate them on it. Nor did I ever hear anyone else raise the issue. They were fortunate (as well as diligent), and that's it.

For me, retiring at 55 was almost late compared to them. Nobody ever raised the issue with me either (beyond a few sideways looks), but that's kind of expected.

 

[fisherman]

Certainly depends on your situation. Having kids still at home a cover story really helps.

With peers it is a necessity.

Our experience has been a lot of jealously or worse. We will keep the business in name only till 55 as that appears to be the minimum acceptable age with peers.

With older all ready retired friends a cover story is not needed.

I have found nothing to be gained by sharing er info and a lot to lose. Very few folks are happy if you are more successful financially than them at a point in time.

It has been better to just enjoy the freedom and hide the how.

Seven years in now and if I had it to do over I certainly would but my cover story would have started out as self employed consultant and stayed that way.

Ymmv

 

[crtreedude]

What has happened with me is I have (not intentionally) eased into retirement. I have never really thought of myself as working for any company, just sort of passing through. About 12 years ago I started something as an investment / future place to live, and then after 10 years moved there. I started to reduce the amount I would work, due to needing less. Now I am at a point I only work when I wish - to keep myself amused honestly.

In a way, I have been retired since I was 45, but I am still trying to learn how to not work. lol So, what I explain to people is I no longer have to work and if something is interesting enough, I am willing to do it, for compensation.

What is weird is, due to this, we still haven't touched our equity in 10 years - we live where it is very inexpensive, and we have no debts, etc. My wife started her career late, so has no desire to completely stop - she loves her work.

So, we are financially set and only accept work if we like it. Wealthy is being to do what you want every day - so I guess we are.

I don't say I am retired, because it doesn't seem to fit what we are doing. But I don't feel like a wage slave either, since we don't have to work.

 

[jayfriendly]

I just quit my job to RE. I find it quite difficult to tell my friends and ex-colleagues the real reason (knowing that most of them have a lot of financial obligations) I have been telling them that I am taking a "long break" from work. Even during my exit interview, I could not help saying that I would consider coming back there when I am ready.

 

[TimSF]

Congratulations! Been there too. I ER'ed about a year ago and still there are people to whom I say I am on 'sabbatical' or taking a hiatus.

 

[Sea Kayaker]

I was at a wedding this past weekend. Apparently word had gotten around that I was "retiring". I'm 42 and a young looking 42 at that so there was a lot of perplexed questioning coming my way. I found myself uttering such things as "It's not really retirement" and "just taking a break" and other such assurances. It was quite strange - months ago I was ready to shout from the mountaintops to the world that I was retiring at 42 - I am quite proud of the accomplishment after all. I think part of it is as a very humble guy, it's hard for me to "toot my own horn" - don't want to come across as a braggart I guess.

Anyway, one month countdown is on.

 

[Major Tom]

Recently, a friend said to me, "Why don't you get a job?"

I replied, "Because I don't want to!"

 

[trapperjohn]

Where is Diego's blog? I can't find it.