concerned about launching ER

[dunkelblau]

A buyout offer took me out a few years ago, but after a few weeks I ran out of stuff to do during the day, so I let management talk me back in with a package of changes on my wish list. Rumor has it another buyout offer is coming soon, and I'll probably give it another go. Why? No particular reason, I don't feel much pull from either side, it's just a convenient time to try something different.

[Exgloveman]

The nice thing about going out when you like your job is that you can go out on top and you will be pleased with your career.You never want to be like an old athlete and stay past your prime. I went out on top. Loved my job, my boss, and income. After 40
years of heavy travel and work hours I finally am getting to know my family again. Found out I like them.

[martyp]

I ER'd 5 yrs ago but DW seems to have the same quandary you have. I dutifully listen to her complain about her job but at the same time she doesn't hate it. She wanted to work some more years to boost her pension income but that reason is slowly going away as she approaches her "number". She see's how much I am enjoying retirement but she doesn't exactly want to do what I am doing. I don't think she knows exactly what she wants to do. And she is afraid of the reaction from her boss and colleagues if she leaves them in the lurch without anyone who can really take her place at w*rk. Only she can make the decision though.

[petershk]

I'm in a very similar position.

Enough to retire
Don't hate job (just think I might owning my time more).
Not sure what to do.

At a high level I suggest a few things
1) momentum bias
Right now you are in a place where the default behavior is go to work, collect paycheck, come home. If you do nothing that will continue. To change you need to take action. Thus you will overweight the risks of the new decision and underweight the risks of the status quo.

Consider this. If you were unemployed right now and you were offered your current job would you take it? What if salary was double? What if salary was half?

2) fear of money vs fear of living a long time.

It's easy to calculate the scenarios where money runs out. it's hard to calculate the scenarios where time runs out... Especially the QUALITY of that time. The one thing we can be reatively confident in is that the quality of our life will likely go down over time... Reaching 0 at death (maybe it's negative if you're really sick or something).

3) survivorship bias on the forums
This forum will naturally skew to people that retired and like it . People that hated it or ran out of money are probably not here.

Now I think most people regret waiting longer than they should once they can retire, but I think its a consideration.

Lots of luck!

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

[petershk]

Oh yeah one more thing...

FI had a big impact on my job quality. When I couldn't retire I liked work more because it was a vehicle for independence. Once I can buy that vehicle, that part of job satisfaction became a vehicle for slightly more security.

So lets say I have 20% BS at work but I exchange that for 10% closer to independence. That feels good.

Now let's say it's 20% BS for 1% greater financial stablility. That feels bad.

So I think FI changed my attitude towards work much more than the job itself changed. And I suspect co-workers also feel that... Not necessarily in a good way.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

[Asher Aion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by obryanjf We hit our 1st # in 2010, 1MM, but waited for the next level up. I tried PT 2 times; 24 hours/week, but usually ended up working 70-80 hours, so put a stop to that this year at 50yo. Other reasons to pull the plug was travel and others having a claim on my time. I never hated my job, but sometimes hated what needed to be done to do my job well.

Wow. This comment resonates with me big time.

[tmm99]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R Do you generally enjoy workdays more than you enjoy Saturdays? If you are the type of person who frequently wakes up on a Saturday or Sunday morning, gleefully anticipating jumping in the car and going in to work to finish just a few more things that you are dying to get done, then I think you probably shouldn't retire just yet. On the other hand, if you are the type of person who looks out the window from work on weekdays, and wishes you were out there doing something else instead of stuck inside, then I think you probably should retire. If you are neither of these, then I don't know. When we are working, often all of our free time on the weekends is taken up by chores, home maintenance, and so on. Maybe you should spend your weekends and holidays exploring your interests and having fun, doing any chores after work on weekdays so that you can leave these weekends open for fun. Then you can contemplate how you feel each Sunday evening when you know that tomorrow it will be time to go back to work.

Very well said. I used to get a serious Sunday evening blues (The weekend was filled with chores and now I have to finish the laundry and go to work tomorrow morning! ARGH! syndrome), so that is one indication.

[pb4uski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by petershk Oh yeah one more thing... FI had a big impact on my job quality. When I couldn't retire I liked work more because it was a vehicle for independence. Once I can buy that vehicle, that part of job satisfaction became a vehicle for slightly more security. So lets say I have 20% BS at work but I exchange that for 10% closer to independence. That feels good. Now let's say it's 20% BS for 1% greater financial stablility. That feels bad. So I think FI changed my attitude towards work much more than the job itself changed. And I suspect co-workers also feel that... Not necessarily in a good way. Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

My experience was the opposite. Once I was FI I didn't give a care about the political BS... just about getting the job done without BS and providing great client service.... so I felt more free to call out things because the worst that could happen was that they fired me and my attitude was... so what. Interesting thing, the more irreverent I got, the more they loved it. A lot of times I was just saying what everyone else in the room was thinking but was hesitant to call out.

[Bir48die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moneygrubber I downshifted in oct 2014 to 3 days a week, after a year of doing this i am ready, the 3 days really began to be an irritant. Going april 2016 @55 i am ready!

I'm three months into P/T. I keep having to jockey around my days. I pass up on opportunities. I work for a good company and it has a real family feel. However, the same issues keep coming up that did when I was F/T. It's a big ship with a small rudder. Too slow to change. At the end of April '16 I will do like the Shark Tank. "I'm Out!"