too young to retire

[aaronc879]

I have never understood the idea that retirement is based on age. You retire when you no longer have a financial need to work regardless of age. There is no "too young to retire". I would retire tomorrow at age 40 if I didn't need more money for a 40 year retirement. Retirement gives you a significant amount of extra free time. What you do with that free time will determine if it's good for your health or not.

[audreyh1]

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Originally Posted by Dd852 Thanks. My problem with sunshine is I’m a very white red head and I’m basically not only susceptible to burn but I also have an allergic reaction to too much sun. So I’m sure I’ve caused my own deficiency by slathering on sunscreen and wearing a hat but the alternative does seem worse. So I’m taking V-d supplements .... we shall see!

Glad you decided to. It really does matter.

[Midpack]

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Originally Posted by aaronc879 I have never understood the idea that retirement is based on age. You retire when you no longer have a financial need to work regardless of age. There is no "too young to retire". I would retire tomorrow at age 40 if I didn't need more money for a 40 year retirement.

So work is never a valid use of anyones time? Work provides no value to anyone other than a paycheck? That’s an absurd generalization. Like some others here, I retired quite a few years after reaching FI, I guess I’m a fool.

Some people prefer work over leisure even once they reach FI. If that’s not your preference, that’s your call, might not be the best choice for everyone.

And FI is a judgement call anyway...

[audreyh1]

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Originally Posted by COcheesehead I think you probably don’t exercise as much as you think then. 10 to 20lbs overweight is a lot.

It’s easy to exercise a lot and be still 10 to 20 lbs overweight or even more. That’s true for a lot of people. Usually due to a metabolic problem such as insulin resistance. Usually requires reducing carbs to get the extra pounds off.

[Dalmore]

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Originally Posted by COcheesehead I think you probably don’t exercise as much as you think then. 10 to 20lbs overweight is a lot.

I guess the 10 -20 lbs overweight is a personal observation. Based on the the Met Life body weight chart, a 6' 2"male should weigh 171 - 209 lbs. I am currently in the 200-205 range, but my like how I look when weigh closer to 185.

As for exercise, I target walking 35 min a day at 3.6 - 3.8, and I do Pilates twice a week. Of course I am still w*rking full time and w*rk occasionally gets in the way of what I would like to do.

[COcheesehead]

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Originally Posted by Dalmore I guess the 10 -20 lbs overweight is a personal observation. Based on the the Met Life body weight chart, a 6' 2"male should weigh 171 - 209 lbs. I am currently in the 200-205 range, but my like how I look when weigh closer to 185. As for exercise, I target walking 35 min a day at 3.6 - 3.8, and I do Pilates twice a week. Of course I am still w*rking full time and w*rk occasionally gets in the way of what I would like to do.

I suggest a tracking device to measure your activity. A 35 minute walk will burn about 125-150 calories. That’s a really light workout. Equal to about one glass of wine.
I am also a mid 50’s male. I average about 700-800 calories burned in my daily workouts, but I also make it a priority. I get up at 4:40am to get my workout in before work.

[harley]

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Originally Posted by RAE I have to respectfully disagree. While it would be good to lose the 15 lbs., drinking 14 glasses of wine per week is not going to hurt you. And cholesterol is a pretty worthless indicator of heart disease risk........at least 50% of people that have major heart attacks have normal cholesterol. I would ignore cholesterol and look at the triglyceride/HDL ratio - if it is below 2.0, you're fairly low risk for heart disease; if it's below 1.0, you are very low risk. The OP should be able to lose the 15 lbs. (and improve his trig/HDL ratio) by eating a lower-carb diet for a while. He says he already eats mostly real foods, so I'm guessing he would not find it very difficult to just lower his carb consumption slightly (while continuing to consume healthy fats, meat/fish, and veggies), to see if that helps lose the weight. My guess is that it will.

And seriously, 10-15 lbs overweight has pretty much no affect on health. The overweight range on the charts is sort of like being pre-something (diabetes, hypertension, whatever). It's a range that indicates you might be moving toward obesity, which is where there actually are health issues. There have been a number of studies that show that being in the overweight range has pretty much the same mortality impact as being in the normal range, and better than being underweight. Sure, lose it if you want to, but I wouldn't sweat it.

Of course, if your blood pressure or blood sugar numbers are high, it's another issue. Then it would be a very good idea to decrease carbs and lose the weight.

[GenXguy]

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Originally Posted by Dalmore I just had a physical after 4 years. I am mid 50s and targeting retirement for next year. I think my health to be pretty good for my age. No known issues or ailments. I exercise regularly and eat healthy, real foods and cut out as much sugar as I can. I do need to lose a 10-20 pounds, but that is about it.

Many people who are in good health, eat healthy food, and exercise get sick. There are no guarantees. Even though I've had minimal health care needs to date, I consider good health care coverage a must. I would have retired at 54 if it wasn't for the uncertainty with the ACA - lawsuit will drag out for a while.

Good luck on getting that cholesterol level down. There's no shame in taking statins.

Also, remember there's no safe amount of alcohol.

https://www.insider.com/theres-no-sa...ke-risk-2019-4

[harley]

Once again, a study that doesn't say what the headline does. I don't think most people consider 4 drinks a day moderate. I do, but most don't. And using females as the control group for a study of men? That sounds like high end science to me. There's not a word in there about any affects of real moderate drinking, like one to two drinks per day, and maybe not every day.

And yes, there's no shame in taking statins, but there is danger. Everyone needs to make their own choice.

[JoeWras]

My doctor is 68 and never plans to retire, so yeah, he gave me the same line about being too young and how men who retire die.

He loves his job. Good for him. I may have to find a new one if he really wants to work until he dies. My dad's doctor got weird after age 75 or so. Should not have been practicing medicine.

[cooch96]

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Originally Posted by COcheesehead I think you probably don’t exercise as much as you think then. 10 to 20lbs overweight is a lot.

Ever seen any football linemen, sumo wrestlers, or heavyweight boxers? Many of them watch their diet, but if you eat 8million calories of steak salad a day and only burn 7.5, there’s a chance you’ll pack on the weight. It has a lot to do with the genes.

I weighed 165 at my most athletic (way back in grad school) but I’m built like Fred Rogers and used to wrestle at 147. So I was carrying a good 15lbs in my love handles and belly. I routinely see folks walking around with over 100lbs of flab; 15 is really not much.

[COcheesehead]

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Originally Posted by cooch96 Ever seen any football linemen, sumo wrestlers, or heavyweight boxers? Many of them watch their diet, but if you eat 8million calories of steak salad a day and only burn 7.5, there’s a chance you’ll pack on the weight. It has a lot to do with the genes. I weighed 165 at my most athletic (way back in grad school) but I’m built like Fred Rogers and used to wrestle at 147. So I was carrying a good 15lbs in my love handles and belly. I routinely see folks walking around with over 100lbs of flab; 15 is really not much.

I think people miss my point. The OP was complaining about their doctor. Yet what the OP was saying didn’t seem to add up. Prime example, I eat right and exercise regularly, yet I am overweight. As we found out their exercise was a 35 minute walk and occasional Pilates.
I was just taking the doctor’s side of the argument.

[Retch The Grate]

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Originally Posted by Midpack I retired at 57, and I have mixed feelings (non financial) about it. Most of your peers and maybe all your friends will be at work all day Mon-Fri. Are you ready to be alone that much, or hang out with retirees much older than you are. It’s not that I didn’t know going in, but it’s not easy to get used to. I wasn’t going to hang out regularly with 70-80 year olds, many physically limited. Some people like solitary, so people don’t.

Make friends with nurses. their work schedule tends to include long blocks of time off, often during the work week. I'd be doing a much better job building a deeper relationship with the nurse friend I'm dating casually if I was not working a job at the moment.

[DogGone]

I also recall reading that doctors in particular have the hardest time so take that into consideration on his response. I just FIREd a few months ago in my early 50s and it’s been great.
I have many personal interests that do not rely on others and I socialize on the weekends like I did before but spend much more unrushed quality Time with my wife, parents (while their still alive) and son. (while their still home).

[sfbrown]

He's probably worried about losing you as a paying customer. Nothing virtuous about being a physician. It's a business like anything else. That's why I'm also wary of the drugs he's trying to push your way. He get's a benefit for pushing certain products. Show the same level of trust and skepticism when you go to the doctor as you do when you go to buy a car.

[PoF]

Sounds like your physician is out of touch. He may also be jealous.

I assure you that there is a generation of doctors very much interested in early retirement, for their patients and in many cases, for themselves. I've been out of the profession for three months now and I find it much easier to take better care of myself now than I did before.

Cheers!
-PoF

[FI FELLOW]

Facing a similar choice. I turn 60 in 3 weeks, and have a net worth around 5MM. I can easily retire, but worry if it's too early. I'm the highest grade scientist at a Fortune 500 company whose products you'd all recognize, work in a fun lab full of interesting people of varied backgrounds, and have quite a bit of prestige and gravitas at work. At home I'm just another guy who gets in his wife's way. I'm in good health, lift weights 3 time/week (5am workouts before work that I really enjoy) and feel much younger than 60.

I get 7 weeks of paid vacation per year, so I can do a lot of traveling now, and get paid for doing it.

Although I have no doubts I'd find things to do, I wonder if they'd be as rewarding. As of now I'm staying at work... can you talk me out of it?

[JoeWras]

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Originally Posted by FI FELLOW Although I have no doubts I'd find things to do, I wonder if they'd be as rewarding. As of now I'm staying at work... can you talk me out of it?

Not with that cushy job and 7 weeks of paid vacation.

7 weeks? Damn, I'd stay.

Do start thinking about a way to get your gravitas, though. I don't know what your gravitas is. The people who I worked for seem to think it was to push me around. (Not saying that is your case!!!) I feel like you mentioning that is key. You need to find something that you feel gives you importance.

For high prestige scientists, lawyers, doctors many never find it and end up working until they can't, usually at an easier pace.

[The Cosmic Avenger]

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Originally Posted by FI FELLOW Facing a similar choice. I turn 60 in 3 weeks, and have a net worth around 5MM. I can easily retire, but worry if it's too early. I'm the highest grade scientist at a Fortune 500 company whose products you'd all recognize, work in a fun lab full of interesting people of varied backgrounds, and have quite a bit of prestige and gravitas at work. At home I'm just another guy who gets in his wife's way. I'm in good health, lift weights 3 time/week (5am workouts before work that I really enjoy) and feel much younger than 60. I get 7 weeks of paid vacation per year, so I can do a lot of traveling now, and get paid for doing it. Although I have no doubts I'd find things to do, I wonder if they'd be as rewarding. As of now I'm staying at work... can you talk me out of it?

Usually the only people who we try to talk out of it are those who don't seem to have enough money to meet their spending needs. Your safe withdrawal rate would probably be $150-200K per year with that NW (although that's just a guess, as we're missing a lot of information like AA, SS, pension (if any)), so that doesn't sound like an issue!

So rather than try to talk you out of it, I'll ask, do you ever want to travel more, volunteer more, spend more time around the house and/or on hobbies? You might want to ask about working 35 or 30 hours a week for a few months, or taking more weeks of leave unpaid. It sounds like you don't need the money and so a reduction in compensation in exchange for more time off wouldn't be a problem, and you would still be doing the work you seem to enjoy. And if you find yourself not enjoying the extra time, you could go back to full time. I would just suggest you try it for a minimum of 3 months, as some people take some time to build new habits and get used to the change in routine.

[Focus]

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Originally Posted by FI FELLOW Facing a similar choice. I turn 60 in 3 weeks, and have a net worth around 5MM. I can easily retire, but worry if it's too early. I'm the highest grade scientist at a Fortune 500 company whose products you'd all recognize, work in a fun lab full of interesting people of varied backgrounds, and have quite a bit of prestige and gravitas at work. At home I'm just another guy who gets in his wife's way. I'm in good health, lift weights 3 time/week (5am workouts before work that I really enjoy) and feel much younger than 60. I get 7 weeks of paid vacation per year, so I can do a lot of traveling now, and get paid for doing it. Although I have no doubts I'd find things to do, I wonder if they'd be as rewarding. As of now I'm staying at work... can you talk me out of it?

Your choice is clear. You enjoy your job and it's ideal for you. Why leave it? Sounds like whatever you'd find to do in retirement wouldn't be as fulfilling as your job.

I'm getting the sense that you somehow feel you're obligated to retire once you've reached FI and a certain age. Not true at all. FI is all about gaining the ability to choose what you want to do. You happen to be doing it already. Ride that wave as long as it's enjoyable, knowing that you have the resources to drop out at a moment's notice if things ever go south.