Toddtheformeraccountant
Recycles dryer sheets
OK, I RE'd now about two years ago, in April 2021. I'm 57 now, wife is 58.
Here's my update!
What I suspected is true...that my basic makeup/mentality did not change, that the same basic struggles and downers while working, are STILL struggles and downers in retirement, just different.
First I am still a bit of a worrier, which really sucked given my career (a controller for an S&P 500 company)...there is ALWAYS something to worry about or be concerned about or lose sleep over.
That worrying mentality has not changed, I simply worry about DIFFERENT things. I'm more familiar with what is going on in my family's lives....whether the kids or sisters or other relatives, and am more engaged and aware of the struggles they are going through, and able to offer help, so naturally, I begin to worry/get concerned about those things instead. Though there is not nearly as much lost sleep as worrying that our financial statements or controls were messed up and I would be fired and a laughingstock.
I was pretty disciplined before RE....mapping out my day, figuring out what needed to be done and checking off my to do list. Making sure I exercised. Making sure stuff stays in order. I still am disciplined, with DIFFERENT things...the things I have on my to do list now. Though now I'm a bit more relaxed about it, because the ramifications of procrastinating now is, I'll just do it tomorrow.
As for activities....used to spend 50 hours a week working, another 10 hours thinking about work, the rest with family or loafing. I'm still busy...between exercise, piano playing, reading various books, doing the gardening, reading the Bible, doing bible studies, volunteering at my church, taking care of our pool, fixing things about the house, cleaning the house, etc., I am probably spending the same 50 hours a week.
Many things I thought I would do, I have not yet taken up. I'm looking back at my "retirement activities" list and there's a good 15 or 20 different activities out of 30 that I have not touched yet. Some were probably just wishful thinking...like teaching an accounting class...I have been asked by a few folks in the education community to teach but no thanks, I think I just thought before I retired that might be something fun, but now that it's possible, no thanks.
Haven't traveled as much as we expected, though wife and I are fixing that over the next several months, just took a trip to Canada and have a two week trip to Europe planned in October.
As for regrets...none. I was expecting some time in the first few years at least a bit of contemplation, should I have worked a few more years? Am I going to get bored? Well, does "boredom" come or a lack of activity or monotony? Yes, and it did before I was retired too. Work became monotony. Now, sometimes gardening can be monotony. Sometimes I lose focus or discipline on whatever I'm working on ...like practicing piano, and have to take a couple days off. But that was the case with work as well....I would take "mental health" days (while still being at work) just focusing on something totally outside my area of responsibility and trying to recharge my batteries. That's true now, too, in retirement.
But the acid test is....would I trade the monotony/stress/worry/occasionally lack of focus or drifting of retirement, with the same downsides working? Not a chance.
Bottom line...I have not thought for ONE SECOND that I'd rather be working. When I retired, I wasn't expecting that it would be fantasyland and constant bliss. And that expectation IS met, retirement can occasionally suck, because life can suck and be imperfect, we live in a fallen and imperfect world, but but I'd much rather be living any "suck" day of lack of focus or boredom or indecision about what to do, in retirement than any of the occasional "bliss" or "mountaintop" days that happen in a challenging career.
Quick update on finances....kept it simple, with about 55% equities index funds, 45% bonds index funds, 5 years expenses in CD's. Spending less than we expected....probably about 2% withdrawal rate. Assets have increased a bit since retired in April 2021....
Here's my update!
What I suspected is true...that my basic makeup/mentality did not change, that the same basic struggles and downers while working, are STILL struggles and downers in retirement, just different.
First I am still a bit of a worrier, which really sucked given my career (a controller for an S&P 500 company)...there is ALWAYS something to worry about or be concerned about or lose sleep over.
That worrying mentality has not changed, I simply worry about DIFFERENT things. I'm more familiar with what is going on in my family's lives....whether the kids or sisters or other relatives, and am more engaged and aware of the struggles they are going through, and able to offer help, so naturally, I begin to worry/get concerned about those things instead. Though there is not nearly as much lost sleep as worrying that our financial statements or controls were messed up and I would be fired and a laughingstock.
I was pretty disciplined before RE....mapping out my day, figuring out what needed to be done and checking off my to do list. Making sure I exercised. Making sure stuff stays in order. I still am disciplined, with DIFFERENT things...the things I have on my to do list now. Though now I'm a bit more relaxed about it, because the ramifications of procrastinating now is, I'll just do it tomorrow.
As for activities....used to spend 50 hours a week working, another 10 hours thinking about work, the rest with family or loafing. I'm still busy...between exercise, piano playing, reading various books, doing the gardening, reading the Bible, doing bible studies, volunteering at my church, taking care of our pool, fixing things about the house, cleaning the house, etc., I am probably spending the same 50 hours a week.
Many things I thought I would do, I have not yet taken up. I'm looking back at my "retirement activities" list and there's a good 15 or 20 different activities out of 30 that I have not touched yet. Some were probably just wishful thinking...like teaching an accounting class...I have been asked by a few folks in the education community to teach but no thanks, I think I just thought before I retired that might be something fun, but now that it's possible, no thanks.
Haven't traveled as much as we expected, though wife and I are fixing that over the next several months, just took a trip to Canada and have a two week trip to Europe planned in October.
As for regrets...none. I was expecting some time in the first few years at least a bit of contemplation, should I have worked a few more years? Am I going to get bored? Well, does "boredom" come or a lack of activity or monotony? Yes, and it did before I was retired too. Work became monotony. Now, sometimes gardening can be monotony. Sometimes I lose focus or discipline on whatever I'm working on ...like practicing piano, and have to take a couple days off. But that was the case with work as well....I would take "mental health" days (while still being at work) just focusing on something totally outside my area of responsibility and trying to recharge my batteries. That's true now, too, in retirement.
But the acid test is....would I trade the monotony/stress/worry/occasionally lack of focus or drifting of retirement, with the same downsides working? Not a chance.
Bottom line...I have not thought for ONE SECOND that I'd rather be working. When I retired, I wasn't expecting that it would be fantasyland and constant bliss. And that expectation IS met, retirement can occasionally suck, because life can suck and be imperfect, we live in a fallen and imperfect world, but but I'd much rather be living any "suck" day of lack of focus or boredom or indecision about what to do, in retirement than any of the occasional "bliss" or "mountaintop" days that happen in a challenging career.
Quick update on finances....kept it simple, with about 55% equities index funds, 45% bonds index funds, 5 years expenses in CD's. Spending less than we expected....probably about 2% withdrawal rate. Assets have increased a bit since retired in April 2021....
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