How old were you when your retired early?

[SteveR]

No offense, but can retiring at 59 be considered an early retirement?  I would be devestated if I had to work to that age.

IMHO, anybody that retires before 65, 66 or 67 (SS FRA) is retiring early. If you can do it before 50 that is RE (real early) if before 40 that is RRE (really really early) and if before that you are NRE (never really employed).

There will always be the retire early purists that believe early retirement is only prior to 60 or 50 or 40, etc. To me, it is retiring before you originally thought you could or should when you started out working. Retirement before that mental or manditory date is still early.

 

[Andre1969]

In the past, I usually used to look at early retirement as retiring before the age of 65. I guess nowadays though, I'd look at it as being able to go out before my full SS benefit would kick in (67 for me). I want to be gone by the age of 45 though.

Now I'd be pissed if I had to work until the age of 59. And I'm doing my best to make sure I don't. However, if I have to it won't be the end of the world.

 

[SteveR]

My original retirement age was 65...that was the traditional age...my dad retired at 65 so it had to be the age you finally quit, right?

After 15 years on the job, I started thinking 65 is sooooooo far away. I started looking at my company's retirement plans and the wheels started turning....if I could hold out until age 55 I could qualify for X, Y and Z benefits. My new target became 59-62 (full retirement benefits). After a few more years of corporate bliss, my retirement "line in the sand" changed to 55; that was THE age I was going to pull the plug for ever. The reduced benefits could be worked around and the extra years to full benefits seems to much to bear. Dropping dead at my desk was a very good possibility. (Being carried out of your office to the ER is a life-changing event).

After a few more not so good years it was clear that I needed a change. I did not want to lose X, Y and Z so I gutted it out until age 50. The earliest retirement age you could take and still get some X, some Y and a Z. I did it.

I got out of mega corp. and moved to a mini-mega corp. Different products, different company, different part of the country and different benefits (no X, no Y and a little z). Lower stress...more appreciated for my experience...more job freedom...but a lower paycheck. The plan was to work a year....leave this job after a year and then enjoy ER. Plans do not always work out sometimes and life has a way of throwing stuff at you that keeps you ducking and jumping to get out of the way. It also brings you new directions you never dreamed of.

So, my next line in the sand is 55 (again). DW will retire then too so she can get her X, Y and Z. It won't be a lot but it will keep the wolf away from the door and paid medical premiums to age 65 are worth working another few months for. In the meantime, I will continue to pay down debt, organize our recently combined financial matters, feather the nest a bit more and then jump when I have either had enough BS at work or when DW is 55 (12.5 months). It is nice to know I have a choice.

 

[kcowan]

My original target was 55. Then I got divorced and left half my assets behind. Then the markets in early 2000s happened.

So yes, retiring at 59 was definitely early based on my new reality. And even then it was somewhat aggressive.

 

[laurence]

I still have many years to go, original target was 45, our child and DW staying home complicated that, and I made a new target of 55. If I stay with this company, worst case is 55 because my house will be paid off at 49 and I get a pretty nice retirement check at 55, 401k/IRA/after tax accounts should put the dollop on top to make it go from living to living well. I've run the numbers, and I think 50 is the earliest realistic date, so I have three scenarios worked out and a general path that they share to follow. Hey, when you are 31, there's a lot of life that could get in the way of best laid plans, I'm not counting on anything.

 

[treypar]

I am ready to retire early and can afford to do so if I can solve the health insurance problem. Just hoping that one of us is offered a early retirement deal which includes the health insurance. We will be gone immediately.

 

[kcowan]

Also the value of our big estate home dropped in half after the last real estate bubble from $1050k to $537k over 7 years. Based on my prognosis, the same thing is about to happen again. It has been an 7-8 year cycle historically. The current cycle started up around 1997.

Specific regions behave differently, but if your retirement plans rely on liberating some home equity to make the plan, you may want to adjust your timing to account for the 7-year down cycle.

Cheers, Keith

 

[spideyrdpd]

For some people early retirement is when it happens and yer still alive and kicking.

I think 55 is a nice target .

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Early retirement is when you retire and people look at you funny and ask "whadda ya do all day?"

Why doesnt anyone ask 67 year olds that question?

 

[Mwsinron]

Pretty much. I go and get my haircut I just lie and say its my day off. Otherwise the person will go on about how they couldnt possibly do that. Frankly I dont like to argue with people who have scissors aimed at my head. I come from a blue collar background where you worked till you die. Its very difficult for any of my relatives to understand and it has caused some strained relationships.

 

[Leonidas]

Early retirement is when you retire and people look at you funny and ask "whadda ya do all day?"

I get that a lot, but I get some wicked enjoyment out of clarifying by saying "well, technically I've been on paid vacation for two years, but I'll probably go ahead and really retire next year sometime". The responses are something like what you might get if you had proven to them that the Earth really is flat.

Pretty much. I go and get my haircut I just lie and say its my day off. Otherwise the person will go on about how they couldnt possibly do that.

Since every day is Sunday I tend to dress casually most of the time when shopping or running errands. Folks are just making conversation, but I often get the "are you off today" when they see me in t-shirt, shorts and sandals and I got tired of telling them the truth. Close to home I usually just say "Yeah, I'm off today." But, when dealing with someone I'll probably never see again I tend to get more creative:

No, I'm a deejay at a topless bar and don't go to work until 8 tonight

Or, I'm a rat catcher for the sewer department. I work at night when the little buggers are active.

 

[kcowan]

...No, I'm a deejay at a topless bar and don't go to work until 8 tonight

I usually say I am a financial portfolio manager and I just needed a break from the computer. But now that you mention it, maybe a chef in a gourmet restaurant would work too...

 

[Mwsinron]

That made me laugh. Maybe I should do some creative lying. Ill need to do some more research

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I just say i'm an investment advisor and work at home most of the time on my own schedule.

Then people ask me what they should invest in.

And I tell them I dont like anything right now.

Then we talk about our kids.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Just tell them that you are a disconbobulationist.

Or tell them that you are an adult film star.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

"I'm a human entropy machine...and therein lay the dichotomy..."

See if you get a response to that one, and enjoy the conversation if you do...

 

[Kitty]

I agree with you Alta, and what Brewer was trying to say....

I know authors and journalists, and they don't work this way. It takes time, understanding and hard and dedicated work. It SEEMS the OP wants a shortcut, and it's not my kind of book.

I apologize if I'm wrong.

kate

What they said

Kitty

 

[Alex]

Just tell them that you are a disconbobulationist.

Or tell them that you are an adult film star.

If I were an adult film star, I would make my stage name Pierce Vulva. Beats the hell out of Buck Naked....

 

[HFWR]

Pierce D. Vulva...

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

http://www.jasonschock.com/gangsta/porn_name.php

Your porn star name.

Dirk Maxim, at your service...

 

[Mwsinron]

Jack Tickler

 

[Leonidas]

Harry Tang

 

[bow-tie]

Harry Tang

I wonder if the astronauts ever had that problem... isn't that what they took to the moon?

 

[kcowan]

...And I tell them I dont like anything right now.

Probably really true right now!

I tell them most of my outside work is building bond ladders (for MIL as a matter of fact). That usually ends the topic.

If it doesn't, then I say I really liked Enron...

 

[Sarah in SC]

Sandy Stroker!