Hi from Eastern PA--57 joining class of 2017

[Oneparkatatime]

Long time lurker here. last w**k day should be June 2. Have gotten a lot of good information from this forum and maybe I can get active and contribute something. DW and I are both 57 with first grandchild just arrived a couple of weeks ago. We had to move out of the eastern PA area where all of our family is during the great recession in 2009 and now will be moving back. Job changes have been pretty good to us, though, and we have a non-COLAed pension of about 40k and retirement assets of ~1.5MM. I have been tracking closely and figure our expenses to be about 100k/yr including HC--makes for a tight 4% WR, but will drop with SS. Chemist for 30+ years, have too many hobbies to fit into nights and weekends!

Anyway--Hello to all!

 

[Lawrencewendall]

Welcome to the site from a fellow pennsyltuckian. Great info here. Will be FIRE in 2021.

 

[street]

It sounds like you are ready and that makes a difference to adjust to retirement. I wish you well and have a great retirement.

 

[evilanne]

Congrats on your pending retirement & good luck with your move back home

 

[Oneparkatatime]

Thanks all! Already have a house back home that we bought almost 4 years ago. Hope these last few weeks don't go too slow.......

 

[gamboolman]

Onepark.....

Well done sir.

If I'm honest, I am just abit envious.....as I'm near to 58 and holding out for 2MY....plan to go at age 60...my pension if I take the pension vs Lump Sum is also NCOLA....we are struggling with taking Pension vs Lump Sum....good problem to have !

Again well done

 

[MBAustin]

Congratulations and welcome to posting, onepark! I gather by your user name that perhaps camping or RVing are in your future plans??

Enjoy those last few weeks and feel free to join the Class of 2017!

 

[rodi]

Welcome Onepark.

I used to live in eastern PA (philly suburbs) and it seemed like I was surrounded by chemists who worked for J&J. It's a nice place to live.

Looking forward to hearing more from you. Good luck with wrapping up work and moving back to Eastern PA.

 

[Oneparkatatime]

Our stomping grounds are the Allentown area, about an hour north of Philly. Lots of Pharma chemists in the area, I was not one of them.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[phil1ben]

Just retired in January at age 57 and live in Bucks County. Wife and I also graduated from Muhlenberg in Allentown. Congratulations. We are loving it so far. Just returned from a 10 day trip in an Airstream. Prior to retirement, never had a vacation longer than 6 days in my life.

 

[PERSonalTime]

Just retired in January at age 57 and live in Bucks County. Wife and I also graduated from Muhlenberg in Allentown. Congratulations. We are loving it so far. Just returned from a 10 day trip in an Airstream. Prior to retirement, never had a vacation longer than 6 days in my life.

Where did you go? DW and I love to camp!

 

[EastWest Gal]

We're close to you as well-West of Harrisburg. Welcome to the club!

 

[Philliefan33]

Hello from another retired chemist in PA. DH and I split our time between Bucks County and Carbon County.

 

[euro]

Welcome to the board and congratulations, Oneparkatatime!

 

[Mo Money]

Welcome from western Pennsyltucky. (More tucky than Pennsyl...) You'll be fine, especially if the current state of healthcare insurance resolves in a way that makes it affordable and available to people of our age group. You will wonder how you had time for a full-time j*b -- honest. Every single day I wonder that...

 

[phil1ben]

Where did you go? DW and I love to camp!

Long story but we drove from eastern PA to Columbus, Ohio to pick up a 2016 25 foot Airstream that we rented. Very few companies rent them. We then drove south to Charlestown, IN (Louisville border) and did the Bourbon Trail, a Kentucky Dinner Train ride and Churchill Downs then south to Nashville for The Hermitage, the Honky Tonks, Haddie B's Hot Chicken, Ryman Auditorium and the Grand Ole Opry. Then back to Columbus and a tour of the Airstream factory in Jackson Center, Ohio then 660 miles back home. It was our first time camping or pulling a trailer. We are considering buying an Airstream and wanted to try it out first.

 

[TJFogelberg]

We like the NE corner of PA and enjoy the state in general. (Lived in Milford from '76-77). We joined Thousand Trails in part because of their parks, Hershey and Timothy Lake. Also like the milder winters in PA. Congrats on retirement. Have been semi-retired for many years, the freedom and time to travel are fantastic.