aja8888
Moderator Emeritus
Work till 70, die by 80, eliminate your chances of running out of $! (Sarcasm)
That may be sarcastic, but there's a bit of reality in that, especially for the folks that expect to live to 100!
Work till 70, die by 80, eliminate your chances of running out of $! (Sarcasm)
I am in this camp. While we could have done worse, I regret not being more financially disciplined. For example, I did not start seriously saving until I was in my 30s.I regret not taking the financial steps that would have allowed me to retire earlier.
I retired at age 52 in 2003 and although I was a tad apprehensive looking back 15 years this Oct. it was my best decision I ever made. My mega-corp employer cut my healthcare benefits in 2006 and that was a big surprise (and costly) but we got through it, especially after ACA was passed. I came within an inch of leaving when I was around 50 but the market downturn caused me to back out for a few years. I had what I thought was enough using Firecalc but even with a few unexpected expenses things have worked out very well. For the first time in my life I am starting to have a few health issues. Things begin to change in your late 60's healthwise (or at least they have for me). My only retirement regret is that in hindsight I was too financially conservative. I wish I had let my freak flag fly in my 50's.
Peace
I could have retired promptly at 55, but for some reason I didn't. I guess a whole bunch of reasons to leave were fighting with reasons to stay.
I could regret that final year, but spending a year in that particular assignment also led to my being offered a part-time job which has proven quite beneficial, in terms of $$.
Now, if I'd worked any longer full-time, let alone in that final job which had some challenging aspects, I would be taking myself to a psychiatrist. Have just seen the death notice for yet another cow-orker, who started when I did, and was only 2 years older than I am.
I have no regrets when I retired at age 58. My plan was to retire 55 and could have easily but was still having fun then.
I can say if I would of found this site when I was 55 I would have pulled the trigger then. I was really uneducated about retirement before this site it would have made a big difference that I found it earlier.
A, good thing you retired earlier than planned and had fun with your husband. Time is more important than money. Suze Orman is so rich she is out of touch.
Rob, I also teach an online college class. I love it and have done it on cruises and in Europe. Started 6 years ago and have no plans to quit.