Hate to say it, but I have to drop out of the Class of 2014 as well. I'm #51 on the list. I think a more realistic goal for me is Class of 2020, when I turn 50. But, we'll see...mainly depends on a combination of the stock market, and how fast the BS bucket at work fills up.
As for the main reasons I held off? Well, here they are, in no particular order...
1) I have a few family members that are really getting up in years. If I retired now, and they knew about it, they'd constantly be harassing me to help them out with this, that, and the other, to the point it would drive me crazy.
2) I'm just not quite where I want to be, financially. My tastes have changed. If I retired now, I'd pretty much be locked in at my current lifestyle. I wouldn't be able to travel much, and wouldn't be able to upgrade to a nicer home, which I want to do, just before I retire. I also want more financial cushioning, for the surprises that pop up here and there.
3) The BS level at work has gone down, tremendously. They're also very flexible about letting me take time off here and there, often at a moment's notice, to get personal things done. Plus, I've hit the maximum accrual on my annual leave. I get 7.7 hours every two weeks, or 200 hours per year. At that rate, I can take off 1 day every other week, for the rest of my career, and my total leave balance would barely be touched by the time I retire. Then add in the 10 federal holidays, and I can get by with only working 17 five-day-weeks per year. I admit the idea of quitting w*rk cold turkey does scare me a bit, so weaning myself off of it slowly like this might help me ease into retirement better.
Anyway, congratulations to the graduates of 2014!!