Advice from Fired 5 & 10 years ago

[Terryjm51]

I would like to hear from folks that retired a fews back on things that went well and not so well.
What advise would you give yourself starting over. Surprises you didn't expect to happen. Good or bad

I hear people say you have to find hobbys you enjoy and find an outlet to visit with people. Work can be a very social atmosphere and when you leave mega corp you need to have people to be around


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[Rick_Head]

8 years here. The only surprise is I wonder why I waited so long.

To answer your questions, I had a bit of wondering during the 2008 "correction" (I retired mid 2007). Even that went well as I went all in in early 2009 (when Cdn blue-chips were paying divies of 10%, it seemed things would improve or I was doomed regardless). Much more $, much more happy etc. That said, working was a way to get money to pay for life. My friends were not from mega-corp, my social life was totally my own.

 

[jwkde]

I am coming up on my 3rd year. The only thing is why I was worried I might be bored

 

[Terryjm51]

I have thought the same thing what an I going to day every day
I been going to mega Cor for 30 years


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[braumeister]

Approaching 14 years of RE now and no unhappy surprises.
I had a number of good hobbies before, and it has been interesting to see how some of them endure, some were dropped, and a few new ones were added.

One especially nice thing I have noticed is that with more time available to study what works, it has been possible to maintain and even improve my physical condition with better eating and exercise.

 

[donheff]

Ten years and counting. No surprises. I still marvel at the freedom when I walk the dogs on a Monday morning and see all the commuters rushing to work.

 

[pb4uski]

3 years here. It is working out better than I anticipated. I have rekindled my interest in golf which I found hard to find time to do when I was working and have gotten involved with three different groups to play golf and made a number of new friends.

I now have time to do more DIY projects which both save money and keep me busy doing interesting things. I now also have free time to help others... I was able to serve as great-auntie's guardian which I probably would have done even if I was still working but it would have been a burden... I helped BIL's mom get out from under an annuity that was underperforming.... etc.

One surprise was how much less our taxes were. You can get a good idea by taking a copy of your 2014 tax return and changing your earnings to 0 and making any other needed adjustments (for like a pension or SS starting or 401k/IRA withdrawals).

Also, for us, health insurance and health care costs have been a pleasant surprise but that might be because I was overly conservative in budgeting health insurance and health care costs. Health insurance has been 50-75% of what I planned and we have been relatively healthy so our health care costs have been lower than planned too.

 

[freebird5825]

Approaching 8 years on April 1st...I still chuckle about picking that particular day as my official last day "on the books".

I feel like a totally new person. It's all good.

I have cut way back on my group type socializing and find I am getting a little more comfy with that. I do get out during good weather and do things, so I am not becoming a complete recluse. Socializing was a priority in the early years of FIRE, but now I do it in small spurts. Just enough to keep a good balance.

My budget is a bit more relaxed since I got my deferred pension in late 2014. I had seven years to tough it out financially after I FIREd in 2007.
It all turned out ok. Whew !

 

[razztazz]

Nineteen years. No negative surprises as far as actual retirement goes.

Everybody also told me I'd have to so something, find hobbies, I'd go out of my mind, get bored. As usual, other people's understanding of things was a steaming pile of falsehoods. The social aspects of work at one time, long ago, were good but for several years had been the leading reason I wanted out.

I simply returned to what I was doing before I was so rudely interrupted in August of 1963. (First grade) Even better. No parents this time

Approaching 8 years on April 1st.

April Fools! Me too. No fooling.

 

[Onward]

Bailed out five years ago. The biggest surprise was how much I missed the feeling of investing new money. It's caused me to start a part-time business, on my terms, that allows me to have that feeling again.

I've noticed that, as the corporate world fades into the distance, sometimes I look back on it a bit romantically, forgetting all the filth there. This is a terrible mistake.

 

[jkern]

Almost 6 years for me. The financial aspect has been a pleasant surprise. Being able to retire at the bottom of a market crash had its benefits.


My hobbies (golf, fishing, gym, hiking) have kept me plenty busy and I've added volunteering for the VITA program (tax prep for low income folks).


All those home project that I never had time to do keeps me busy and adds satisfaction.


My best friend retired around the same time, so between my girlfriend, daughter and friends, my social life is just fine.


Bottom line, all is great.

 

[marko]

Going on 10 years.

Biggest surprise: I never heard again from people at work who I thought I'd stay in contact with (and who's lives I had a fairly major impact upon); but I'm still in contact with people who I figured never gave me a second thought. Go figure!

A bit surprised at how busy each day is now.

IMHO, if "every day is Saturday" after ER, then you haven't fully mentally 'left the job'...you're still measuring the days within a working framework.

For me, I slowly reached a point where "yes, it's Monday...I have to clean the boat/fix the downspout/gas the car/go to Costco/etc"... sort of "this is how I live/this is my life." without any conscious reference to not being behind a desk.

Spent a bit of time writing this trying to come up with a notable negative...got nothing! (sorry)

 

[Walt34]

Everybody also told me I'd have to so something, find hobbies, I'd go out of my mind, get bored. As usual, other people's understanding of things was a steaming pile of falsehoods.

I simply returned to what I was doing before I was so rudely interrupted in August of 1963. (First grade) Even better. No parents this time

Well said! That's about the way it worked out for us too. We just kind of take it one day at a time, now in the cold weather we're in hibernation mode but when the weather warms up we'll be out and about more.

I did have a plan to build and fly R/C airplanes, even put together a shop in the basement, but I just lost interest in that after retirement.

 

[MBAustin]

Almost 4.5 years here. Biggest surprise is how much I *don't* get done during the day!!! No idea how I ever had time to w*rk as I had many other responsibilities during those days as well.

 

[Bikerdude]

Retired 15 yrs (where has the time gone) in March. That's right, retired in March 2000. The biggest surprise was the fall in interest rates. I have survived and prospered by being flexible and maintaining a balanced portfolio. However, the 2008/09 financial crisis tested my nerve.

 

[frayne]

Going on 10th year anniversery July 1st of this year. Never been bored, still have plenty of old friends as well as new friends. It's like anything else in life, it's what you make it. The only thing that concerns me is how fast time seems to fly by. In hindsight and realizing how time is such a precious commodity I would have retired sooner by at least a couple of years.

 

[freebird5825]

I simply returned to what I was doing before I was so rudely interrupted in August of 1963. (First grade) Even better. No parents this time

April Fools! Me too. No fooling.

It was just too irresistible to make that the "on the books" exit date. My last day actually in the office was a Thursday, because I had Friday off on the compressed schedule (9 hours days, and every other Friday off).
In 2007, April 1st fell on a Sunday. It was a not-so-subtle statement I needed to make. Heeheeeheee

I like the "first grade" analogy. In good weather, I am intentionally doing things that are childlike, for the sheer joy of doing them. I go outside and stand in the rain when it's warm enough. I play in the dirt (gardening). I skip stones at the lakes.
I build sandcastles, collect driftwood and collect shells when I go to the beach at Lake Ontario. I own traditional kites, collected over the years while traveling for w*rk. Spring is not far away. I fly my kites in a huge open field right across the street from my home. I have a dinosaur coloring book and crayons that I pull off the shelf once in a while.
My indoor winter activities are simple and fun also. Most of my time is spent listening to music on my computer or cable TV and dancing when I feel like it.

 

[W2R]

I am in my 6th year of retirement. This is my kind of Heaven.

I am a lot better off financially than I thought I would be, thanks to the stock market boom.

I am surprised at how wonderful it has been to control what I do with my own time. I don't do many amazing/important/awe-inspiring things, but who cares? I'm not bored and enjoy every single moment.

I am also surprised to find an attitude shift; by that, I mean that I am starting to feel like the whole work ethic thing was a complete crock and that I was such a sucker to be duped by it. I always worked very very long hard hours before retirement, and never felt that way before in my life. Maybe that is over-reaction? But anyway, that's something surprising about how I feel these days. I am so glad to be retired and able to do what I want, sleep when I want, and shed stress before it ever sticks to me these days.

I discovered that daily routines and a low key lifestyle are very important to me. Having a lot of friends and busy social life, or having a lot of impressive sounding hobbies, are not.

 

[mickeyd]

10+ years retired. What has surprised me is the fact that all of my unsophisticated stubby pencil back of the envelope planning has paid off so well. Big points~ 1. start saving/investing ASAP,2. LBYM, 3. Believe in the long-term value of the US sock market 4. Read Bogle.

EZ Peezee.

 

[razztazz]

Amazing. Our lives sound a lot alike. I was surprised to see at the drug store a few yrs ago those bottles of "bubbles" with the wand inside. I used stand on the front lawn as a 4 yr old and blow bubbles. So I bought several bottles and now I stand on my lawn and see how high some of them can go on a windy day. I don't know if any of the neighbors have seen me or if they think I'm a kook. But since they're not signing my paychecks I don't need to care.

It was just too irresistible to make that the "on the books" exit date. My last day actually in the office was a Thursday, because I had Friday off on the compressed schedule (9 hours days, and every other Friday off).
In 2007, April 1st fell on a Sunday. It was a not-so-subtle statement I needed to make. Heeheeeheee

I like the "first grade" analogy. In good weather, I am intentionally doing things that are childlike, for the sheer joy of doing them. I go outside and stand in the rain when it's warm enough. I play in the dirt (gardening). I skip stones at the lakes.
I build sandcastles, collect driftwood and collect shells when I go to the beach at Lake Ontario. I own traditional kites, collected over the years while traveling for w*rk. Spring is not far away. I fly my kites in a huge open field right across the street from my home. I have a dinosaur coloring book and crayons that I pull off the shelf once in a while.
My indoor winter activities are simple and fun also. Most of my time is spent listening to music on my computer or cable TV and dancing when I feel like it.

 

[Independent]

I would like to hear from folks that retired a fews back on things that went well and not so well.
What advise would you give yourself starting over. Surprises you didn't expect to happen. Good or bad

I hear people say you have to find hobbys you enjoy and find an outlet to visit with people. Work can be a very social atmosphere and when you leave mega corp you need to have people to be around

More health problems than we anticipated. Not just us, but close family.
Similarly, we were well protected financially in the Great Recession, but we discovered ourselves helping family who were more vulnerable.

Didn't do the traveling I'd hoped for. Discovered that it was possible to slooow doowwn (took a while).

The lesson is that we benefitted from "belt and suspenders" planning. We had a big cushion and used it.

 

[Davis65]

Independent: why no travelling? That is what I'm looking forward to the most.

Mickeyd: i'm glad that the US sock market has treated you well. Hosery will never let you down.

Everyone else: thanks for the reassurance. With 16 months to go to finishing work at 50, I still worry about missing the psychological rewards if work. It sounds like you've left all of that behind without regrets.

 

[ERTX]

"Retired" in 2005 at the age of 35. In July will be retired for 10 years. The "retired" years have gone by much faster than the working years. Thank you Apple!

 

[Kabekew]

Retired just over five years ago at age 40. Biggest surprise was the huge number of conventional retirees out and about during the usual workday. I had to get used to these being my new "peers," which I haven't felt ready for. I had to get used to very sloooooooow moving in parking lots and grocery store aisles, although that annoyance is a whole lot less than the annoyances in my former megacorp life.

Another surprise was realizing just how many projects I had always dreamed about working on during retirement were fundamentally profit-motivated, which I didn't need now being FI and retired, and I lost interest in. Make custom bass guitars in my woodshop? And deal with the marketing, customer service, shipping, parts, inventory... eh, no thanks. Write a novel? But why? Don't need the money, so what would I get out of it? Lots of critics? Eh... no thanks.

One thing I do enjoy that I imagined I would before retirement is waking up naturally. Every morning when that damned alarm would go off in my working life I swore someday when I'm retired I'm going to sleep as long as I want and get up when I feel ready. I get to do that now. I still love that.

 

[razztazz]

More health problems than we anticipated. Not just us, but close family. Similarly, we were well protected financially in the Great Recession, but we discovered ourselves helping family who were more vulnerable.

This is similar to my own situation. I did not mention it in my previous post because it wasn't specifically a "surprise" related to or cause by "retiring"

Moral of the story: (My story, anyway) Be prepared even for low probability / high down-side stuff that you will not be able to fully recover from.

And people used to tell me I worried too much. HAH!