In 2005, just before I turned 50, I started getting more into our investments, looking at our prospective pensions, our various IRA and 401/457/403 holdings, SS projections, and prospective retiree HI. I also started reading a bunch of investment books. I found Daniel Solin's books pretty simple and easy to understand.
Based on what I was seeing at the time and on what our projected earnings and savings would be, I thought that we would be able to retire in 2011. DH had no interest in retiring at all, and he was not entirely on board with what I was doing, but I was a woman on a mission and planned and behaved accordingly.
Thank goodness for that.
Less than 3 years later, in 2008, DH lost his j*b of over 29 years. He was PIP'd, demoted, and then RIF'd. It was a 4 month process, and it was horrible.
After 4 months off, he got a new j*b in his field, and 3 weeks later I lost MY j*b with a bank. No, 2008 was not a great year for many folks.
Then in mid-2009, DH lost the new j*b. Management changes.
He came home that day, and we looked at each other and said, "WTH?"
For 4 years we have looked for w*rk in our fields, out of our fields, all but out IN the fields. We were a bit disoriented. We were those discouraged w*rkers but kept looking through last year.
All the while, I kept running Schwab's calculators, doing my spreadsheets, showing projected cash flow and how what I'd planned met with what we were actually doing. It has all been pretty rudimentary, but it works for us.
Last year, I found this site and learned even more. All of you have educated me immeasurably.
I would say the threshold for us was this year, 2013, when we finally felt we had enough data behind us to say, "No, we don't need no stinkin' j*bs" and "Yes, we are retired."
That feels great.
