I tired of the corporate rat race and FIRED in March 2015 at the age of 45. My wife beat me to retirement by several months. I retired because I accomplished my career goals, grew tired of the usual corporate BS, and wanted to join my wife in the ER fun. We both have been w**king hard since our teenage years, and none of our parents lived to retirement. We have long enjoyed an active outdoors lifestyle, so we wanted to retire while still healthy and energetic.
For us the critical elements toward FI and eventually FIRE were LBYM, professional-level dual incomes, no kids (DINKS), steady investment in stock mutual funds over more than 2 decades, and God's grace (luck, if so inclined). We were blessed with solid educational opportunities to kick off our careers and a chance to earn good incomes for a few decades, while remaining healthy and somewhat sane. We also married relatively late and perhaps spared ourselves the financial and emotional train wreck of divorce. To our marriage, we both brought substantial savings, a w*rk ethic, and an almost genetic LBYM lifestyle. Nevertheless, we led very comfortable, yet hectic lives. We squeezed in fun and quality relational time in the cracks of our lives dominated by demanding j*bs.
Over the past few years my j*b transitioned from good, to just OK, to Absolute Living Hell. Google searches led me to the ER Forum and simulation software like Firecalc, which proved pivotal in the plan to move from FI to FIRE. The ER app appeared on my phone and helped me pass the interminable hours in w*rk meetings and mind-numbing conference calls with some hope for a better future soon. I feel blessed to have access to such resources as the ER Forum, Firecalc, SWR research, and others tools on the net. After a year of this research and hand-wringing, we both FIRED. I join the ER online community in the hope of encouraging others toward FI and FIRE, just as all of you by example have encouraged me on this incredible journey of a lifetime.
In closing, I would like to honor my mom and dad, both foreign immigrants and proud naturalized US citizens. My mom would say "Sometimes you just have to take it!" when I complained that life was too tough and the fight too lonely. Dad was fond of remembering that he arrived in the US with only his wits and "20 dollars in my wallet". So I dedicate my FIRE to my mom and dad, God's great blessing to me. I believe my folks would be proud!
For us the critical elements toward FI and eventually FIRE were LBYM, professional-level dual incomes, no kids (DINKS), steady investment in stock mutual funds over more than 2 decades, and God's grace (luck, if so inclined). We were blessed with solid educational opportunities to kick off our careers and a chance to earn good incomes for a few decades, while remaining healthy and somewhat sane. We also married relatively late and perhaps spared ourselves the financial and emotional train wreck of divorce. To our marriage, we both brought substantial savings, a w*rk ethic, and an almost genetic LBYM lifestyle. Nevertheless, we led very comfortable, yet hectic lives. We squeezed in fun and quality relational time in the cracks of our lives dominated by demanding j*bs.
Over the past few years my j*b transitioned from good, to just OK, to Absolute Living Hell. Google searches led me to the ER Forum and simulation software like Firecalc, which proved pivotal in the plan to move from FI to FIRE. The ER app appeared on my phone and helped me pass the interminable hours in w*rk meetings and mind-numbing conference calls with some hope for a better future soon. I feel blessed to have access to such resources as the ER Forum, Firecalc, SWR research, and others tools on the net. After a year of this research and hand-wringing, we both FIRED. I join the ER online community in the hope of encouraging others toward FI and FIRE, just as all of you by example have encouraged me on this incredible journey of a lifetime.
In closing, I would like to honor my mom and dad, both foreign immigrants and proud naturalized US citizens. My mom would say "Sometimes you just have to take it!" when I complained that life was too tough and the fight too lonely. Dad was fond of remembering that he arrived in the US with only his wits and "20 dollars in my wallet". So I dedicate my FIRE to my mom and dad, God's great blessing to me. I believe my folks would be proud!
