This is pretty much the worst case

[FI_RElater]

yep scrapr, that was “fun” last year... won’t happen again (as i’ve got a snow blower now ) now if they’d done something about all the fires and smoke last year...

in one of my previous jobs, there was a guy drop at his desk— 42 years old. another gone a few months after retirement (65 for him). some profs at one of my schools were gone at 45 and 50... and I knew a coworker that lost his wife who was in her early 30’s.
my parents never made it past 62... one much earlier... sometimes you never know. that’s why we took advantage of opportunities to travel earlier, many of which were international, so we wouldn’t wait too long and have to ask what if’s

(alas, I had to wait until we could have HI throughout retirement... well after FI otherwise, and now aren’t even at 2.5% WR. )

[kevdude]

My father died when he was 54 and my wife’s father died when he was 51. That was plenty of incentive to want to stop working by 50. Made it with a few months to spare.

We still have kids in school (15 and 13) so can’t totally enjoy our time (but certainly enjoy being with the kids) so still have a very p/t job managing our rentals. But we certainly take advantage of our time off during their school vacations.

[GravitySucks]

Early deaths and illnesses is why I got out early too.
Ice.
Mom's doctor told her not to leave the house if it's snow or ice. That pretty much means stay inside all January in CNY so I rented a place for the month in Myrtle Beach and took a trip with her down here. All the locals saying it's the coldest January they remember.
I had to walk the dog, slipped on the ice, wrenched my back and hit my head. No noticeable brain damage. Took ten days for the back ache to end.
No noticeable brain damage.

[RobbieB]

Sucks.

My previous girlfriend lived in Tahoe. I got a new dog after Christmas. A young energetic dog that needed exercise. Lots of snow and ice. She said "here try these yak tracks"

I almost fell over before I removed them. They suck too.

[haha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRG Yaktrax! https://www.rei.com/product/760280/y...raction-system

These are excellent. In Seattle we get little snow, but people often do no bother to shovel the snow so our sidewalks are slick. Yaktrax make a real difference.

Ha

[joeea]

When you start out looking for it, it's not hard to gain confirmation bias for the thoughts of retiring early. If you intended to retire at 35, you'd start noticing stories of people who died in their 40s and 50s.

Just remember, these are the exception, not the rule. Try harder to notice all the folks you see in their 80s and 90s.

I semi-retired a few years ago at 60. My wife is still working. She enjoys her work and plans to continue for at least a few more years, and that makes me happy.

I'm in the middle of cancer treatments and working toward a complete recovery. I'm not going to change any of our plans just because of that. We expect to live a long life. It's been happy so far and we have saved and planned for it to continue to be happy for a long time.

I believe the best thing is to find a way to be happy with your life as you live it. Find work that makes you happy. Find retirement that makes you happy. Find activities that make you happy. That way, no matter when it ends, you've lived a good life.

[jimbee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRG Yaktrax! https://www.rei.com/product/760280/y...raction-system

Thanks for the tip. I just ordered a pair.

[Gumby]

I have attended too many funerals recently, and it has really brought home to me how fleeting life is. My original plan was to retire in June 2019, but I'm starting to think about advancing that by a year and just going with the belt and suspenders approach instead of belt, suspenders, buttons and velcro.

[Teacher Terry]

I have lost 3 friends between the ages of 59-67 so we are doing lots of traveling now while we can (63). I had a concussion 3 years ago power walking with our big dog. I had a headache for 2 weeks. Now I walk much slower. I also broke my finger 2 years ago tripped outside over an uneven sidewalk both times. Now I look down while I walk.

[FI_RElater]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gumby I have attended too many funerals recently, and it has really brought home to me how fleeting life is. My original plan was to retire in June 2019, but I'm starting to think about advancing that by a year and just going with the belt and suspenders approach instead of belt, suspenders, buttons and velcro.

but Gumby, you’re supposed to have bailing wire and duct tape as backup

[Maenad]

My mom was just diagnosed with dementia. She's 75, and we've been seeing signs of cognitive decline (in her math skills) for a good 5 years. She retired at 65 and got a whopping 5 years before things started to go downhill. I'm pulling the plug ASAP - currently forecast about 2 years out, when I'm 45.

[Senator]

I worked extra hard so that I could retire and get out of working. Life is short. I guess I worked hard because I was lazy...

Quote:

Originally Posted by haha These are excellent. In Seattle we get little snow, but people often do no bother to shovel the snow so our sidewalks are slick. Yaktrax make a real difference. Ha

These are what I used plowing snow. Great traction. Well worth the extra cost. When I was out by myself shoveling snow on potentially icy driveways and sidewalks at 2 AM in sub-zero weather, my life was at risk. I trusted them.
https://www.rei.com/product/806475/y...raction-system

[irishgal]

Long ago I worked as the EAP director of a large aerospace company. A very nice man, one week before his retirement, came to see me to ask for some help finding resources. His wife had just been diagnosed with aggressive ALS, and their plans for post retirement travel and fun had just stopped. He said to me, after I gave him all the info he had asked for, "don't wait to have fun, travel, and enjoy life. You have no guarantees".

His words really made an impact on me. 20 years ago, seems like yesterday.

[irishgal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maenad My mom was just diagnosed with dementia. She's 75, and we've been seeing signs of cognitive decline (in her math skills) for a good 5 years. She retired at 65 and got a whopping 5 years before things started to go downhill. I'm pulling the plug ASAP - currently forecast about 2 years out, when I'm 45.

I am sorry to read this.