Before I pull the trigger..... need a push from you guys

[Lukeee]

The goal was 2021 at the point I became active on this forum ... but due to a few reasons, I am ready / am able to pull the trigger next year (24 months earlier). I am honestly burnt out with work:

- I don’t want to wake up at 1, 2,4 am every night thinking of the things I need to do and complete the following day.
- I want to travel and not feel like I have to rush because I only have 10 days of vacation time.
- I want to savor life (more) and not having regrets of not knocking items off my bucket list before age catches up.
- I’m tired of being tired in the evenings with no time for a meaningful hobby.

FIRECalc puts me at 100% well beyond my life expectancy
Just doing a spreadsheet with CDs and pension/social security, 401K later in life I’m safe.

I need that slap in the face
I need that push over that diving board
I need to hear stories from you guys.

For those (happy or unhappy) that are a few years into FIRE, let me know how stupid/wise I am for getting cold feet. Brag to me what I am missing, or tell me that RE is over rated. I’ll be 50 if I decide to FIRE next year.

 

[pacergal]

Consider yourself pushed!
Really, only you can decide.
If your spreadsheets/calculators tell you that you are financially OK, and your emotions are telling you that you are done with work and ready to leave, what is stopping you from taking that step?

 

[Another Reader]

Post your numbers. That's the only way most people would be willing to tell you what they would do in your shoes.

 

[Lukeee]

Consider yourself pushed!
Really, only you can decide.
If your spreadsheets/calculators tell you that you are financially OK, and your emotions are telling you that you are done with work and ready to leave, what is stopping you from taking that step?

Oh I forgot to discuss that part. It’s just the psychological aspect of change and not having a support group to discuss that with. Obviously nobody at work... when I take time to really think about the change ahead (this morning) . I got butterflies in my tummy (like my first date years ago or the first day in school). It’s been a long time since I’ve had this feeling.

 

[pb4uski]

Change is hard. It is unsettling to make such a big change, particularly if there is no going back. You just need to believe.... believe in the force, Lukeee.

 

[Richard4444]

Changes in behavior are difficult when one does not have a trusted mentor to give the "Ok, Atta boy" to. It seems that you feel confident that your numbers are sufficient and you are seeking this Board to be your mentor. That's reasonable. Ok - Go !

Rich

 

[Chuckanut]

Here is one of my favorite cartoons that I picked up on this site. I find it meaningful. You might also.

 

[Nature Lover]

I am honestly burnt out with work:

- I don’t want to wake up at 1, 2,4 am every night thinking of the things I need to do and complete the following day.
- I want to travel and not feel like I have to rush because I only have 10 days of vacation time.
- I want to savor life (more) and not having regrets of not knocking items off my bucket list before age catches up.
- I’m tired of being tired in the evenings with no time for a meaningful hobby.

For those (happy or unhappy) that are a few years into FIRE, let me know how stupid/wise I am for getting cold feet. Brag to me what I am missing, or tell me that RE is over rated. I’ll be 50 if I decide to FIRE next year.

Lukeee,

I retired 3 years ago at 55 with a similar mindset.

Burn out - check
Insomnia/work stress - check
Way too little time for my interests - check (and double check)
Financially secure - check

Result: Very happy I checked out. With an additional 70 hrs/week to do as I see fit, there's more time for living.

NL

 

[travelover]

You are going to die and under constant stress, die sooner. Don't be like my friend who vowed to work until 65 so he would have a nice full pension, but found he had metastasized cancer at 64 and was gone in a few months. He never spend a day enjoying retirement.

 

[Ginny]

Just do it! What benefit do you derive from staying? You do not need the money. I was 63 and never thought I would retire that young, until I joined this forum. One day I woke up and KNEW that it was the right answer for me. It has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. No worrying about work, clients, or getting sued. I am having a blast! Traveling, making new friends, working on new art projects, bought a boat, have seen kids and grandkids more. Good luck!

 

[Dtail]

Lukeee,
We are retired almost 14 months. It is the most wonderful feeling in the world. Some days we forget what day of the week it is.
I had a successful career, but don't miss a thing and don't bother with anything or anyone from my former work life.
Since your numbers are good, pull the trigger.
Read the Travelover post again. You never know even if you are healthy now.

 

[SumDay]

I retired at the end of last month. I too was tired of waking up thinking of nitnoy stuff I forgot to do at work the day before, being exhausted all the time, not having enough time to enjoy weekends because of "chores", blah, blah, blah...

Every retirement calculator and our fee-only advisor told us ~4 years ago that we were ready, and I just couldn't pull the trigger. DH became Medicare eligible this summer so I jumped ship in August. Health care was one of my biggest concerns, and now we only have to hope my employer doesn't cancel my semi-expensive retiree medical insurance.

Two weeks in, and I'm off a nasty medication I was taking to help me sleep, I'm loving going to the grocery store, or car wash, or even picking up dog poo in the middle of the day. I feel like a new woman. Not sure if my mood will continue on this trajectory, but DH is certainly hoping it will. I'm just enjoying life and decompressing at my own pace. Picking up dog poo > w*rk.


I highly recommend it. This place is basically my support group as far as ER goes. Hard to discuss with those who don't get it.

Keep us posted on what you decide, and good luck!

 

[griffithee]

DO IT!!!! You have to do it!!! You have more than enough stashed so take the plunge. I dont regret retiring early at all. Going into my sixth year of retirement and have not hit 50 yet. I love it. You never get this time back. DO IT!!!!

 

[NW-Bound]

"Before I pull the trigger..... need a push from you guys"

Dunno about pushing anybody.

Didn't we all read the news recently about a girl who was hesitant about jumping off a bridge, and was pushed off the railing? She got hurt in the fall. The one shoving her was arrested.

 

[cyber888]

Ok here goes ... you can die tomorrow or next week or next month, so hand in your resignation now and retire. Dont be a slave until you die. Set yourself Free now ... Time is more valuable than Money. You cannot take your millions if you die next week from stress. Do it.

 

[ocean view]

Look at it this way, if you quit at 50 (or tomorrow) and for some reason after 6-12 months you are still uncomfortable you can always go back into the workforce. Easy to explain to potential employers that you took a break to recharge. Or take a part time job at Walmart to fill a financial gap. My point is that at your age, it’s not an irreversible decision. btw, I was 50, DH 47, and a 12 yo kid, no hesitation, no regrets.

 

[Conundrum]

I need that slap in the face
I need that push over that diving board
I need to hear stories from you guys.

Consider it done

I RE at 51. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do in ER but I knew for sure what I DIDN’T want to do (work). It’s been about 6mo since pulling the plug and so far so good. I’m mainly working on health issues right now and I’m seeing improvement so, it’s been a successs in this short period of time.

Work to live, don’t live to work. If the numbers work and you want to pull the plug by all means do it!

Good luck

 

[Franklin]

I need that slap in the face
I need that push over that diving board
I need to hear stories from you guys.



You want encouragement? My oldest brother was afraid to retire so he said "wait to 70". He came home early one day to watch the SEC title game and collapsed dead in the garage at 65. My other brother wanted to work 2 more years to qualify for a pension. He had a stroke and died last year at 65 and never got the pension. I signed him up for SS and he got 2 checks before he passed away and SS took back the last one. Me, I studied the odds and walked away from a very lucrative C suite role because I didn't want to miss any more in life. And.....as I type this I just got back from running 5 miles. Only you really know your circumstances so follow your gut.

 

[Pellice]

Two weeks in, and I'm off a nasty medication I was taking to help me sleep, I'm loving going to the grocery store, or car wash, or even picking up dog poo in the middle of the day. I feel like a new woman. Not sure if my mood will continue on this trajectory, but DH is certainly hoping it will. I'm just enjoying life and decompressing at my own pace. Picking up dog poo > w*rk.

So happy for you SumDay! I your sentiments. I am enjoying life too, including every type of housework, all > work. Still on some w*rk mailing lists, got a new set of instructions on how to submit certain paperwork, up to 16 pages, from a paragraph when I started. I mentally threw it out the window.

 

[Scuba]

Like others have said, it has to be your decision, but we RE’d almost 2 years ago and have had a blast so far. More time with family and close friends who are also retired, more time to travel, and more time to do community benefit work that is meaningful to us. No commute, no office politics, no being around others you wouldn’t choose to see if not for w*rk. They do call it work for a reason!

 

[Mdlerth]

Which one would you do for free?

Picking up dog poo > w*rk.

All too true. It sounds like an insight from Mark Twain.

 

[Lukeee]

Wow thanks for all the replies.

Some comments:

- yes, I am not worried about the finances, and should some financial Armageddon happen, I have no issues going back to work.
- good to see that a few of you were in the same position and are happy.
- I do look forward to scooping poop during daylight hours and starting up running again .... not have to rush with breakfast AND taking the time to make it.
Some of your comments ... about pushing retirement hits home as mom did that never got to really enjoy retirement due to health issues... time is truly > money after a certain point.

It might be time to recalibrate my countdown.

 

[cynicalbuthopeful]

I will give you one more story to help your recalibration. My sister retired early last year at 56. She is very happy. Her close friend was giving it one more year. In early August he died suddenly of heart failure. He was fit, ate health, but had a congenital heart issue (he knew, but his friends did not).

 

[trirod]

- I don’t want to wake up at 1, 2,4 am every night thinking of the things I need to do and complete the following day.
- I want to travel and not feel like I have to rush because I only have 10 days of vacation time.
- I want to savor life (more) and not having regrets of not knocking items off my bucket list before age catches up.
- I’m tired of being tired in the evenings with no time for a meaningful hobby.

All this sounds very familiar (or maybe I’ve been posting in my sleep again). I will turn 51 this year and am retiring February 1, 2019. I have been doing A OMY thing for a couple of years now and what made me finally pull the trigger was to buy our retirement house in Northern Michigan. There’s only so long I want to keep paying two sets of real estate taxes, utilities etc. And that 4.5 hour drive each way to visit it gets old really quickly. So if you are planning on moving on retiring then that is one option (not necessarily financially smart, but it worked for me).

 

[Badger]

You never actually said you were unhappy with your job. If you are then what's stopping you? If you have enough money then you have enough money.


Cheers!