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6 months to go for ER at 41
Old 01-08-2008, 09:21 AM   #1
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6 months to go for ER at 41

Hello, This is my first time posting , I have read these forums for some time though. I thought I would post and say Hi, and ask for some input. In 6 months Im planning on retiring. I am more than a little nervous.

I work for the State, and have what I beleive to be a very good retirement package. I am in a Hazardous duty field which is why I can retire so early. I have planned on retiring early for many years and its about to happen. I am very excited.

Most of my family and friends are not as supportive as i wish but my wife is very much so. She is in a similar field as me, and has about 8 years before she can retire. she will be 46.

My income when I retire will be 2200 a month after taxes, our health insurance is paid for for the rest of our lives. she brings home about 2800 a month. so all in all we bring home 5000 Dollars a month. we own our home and have very few bills. we live a mostly simple life, eventually we would like to travel the US ( after she retires.) Its not alot of money I think compared to what some here make im sure.

I read alot about people on here investing lots of money for retirement and haveing large savings. I cant say I have any of that. I do have some savings. Mostly that is for our kids education.

Im just wondering what people here think, because I get alot of negative feedback from people I know comments like (what are you going to do with yourself when you retire or Well if thats really what you want to do) I try my best to pass these comments off. I dont beleive a single person has genuinly expressed happiness for me(other than my wife). Even though they all know Ive planned on ER for years. I'm not a lazy person at all, There has not been a time in my life that I have been unemployed since i was 16 years old. I have always worked very hard.

My work is very stressfull, and I am beyond burnt out. My health has declined somewhat in recent years, due to stress. I feel guilty because my wife has a few more years to work.
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Old 01-08-2008, 09:46 AM   #2
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That last sentence is the only thing I question somewhat. If she has to work that much longer then I would probably continue to work at least part time although it seems you have no need to do so financially. Congrats and good luck.
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Old 01-08-2008, 09:47 AM   #3
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Congratulations!

Is your pension package inflation adjusted? You don't give all of the details, and you certainly don't have to, so if you have a good handle on your expenses and your future income and it works out, especially taking into account inflation, then enjoy!

My advice is to take the time off from your job and unwind, get over the burn out, and think about what you want to do before taking any action. If every day being a Saturday appeals to you, there you are! If you get restless or want a bit more in the pot, you could certainly find another job that's less stressful and risky. But only if you want to, not because others say you must.

There's probably a lot you can do around the house with maintenance, cleaning, grocery shopping, and taking care of the kids to free your wife of that so she can relax at the end of her work day. That should help with the guilt, if you can relieve her burden.
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Old 01-08-2008, 09:55 AM   #4
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I dont want people to get the wrong idea when I say my wife has 8 more years she "has" to work, what I mean by that is for her to retire with full benefits she has 8 more years, thats what she is pursuing, she just started a few years later than me.

Yes we receive annual COLA, and you are right there are many things I have planned on doing around the house, We own a large house on the lake but it is old and needs alot of attention, that i just have not had the time to take care of in recent years.
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Old 01-08-2008, 12:52 PM   #5
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Go for it and enjoy. If your wife keeps working for a while to assure a solid future just make sure you learn to cook (if you haven't already) and make her life a bit easier. Read up in the recipe thread.
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Old 01-08-2008, 01:28 PM   #6
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Prale
If you have health insurance, feel comfortable with the living expense situation, and have Cola'd pensions, I would say "go for it". As donheff says, help your wife out around the house...it'll help with the guilty feeling. Also, you may want to think about taking a part-time j*b at a place like Home Depot, or Lowes, or Ace Hardware. You'll get to know more about fixing things (if you don't already have those skills) and it will also help with the guilty feeling.

Only one "DON'T" from what I see here: Don't stay in a job that is going to ruin your health. You say yours is hazardous...I would stick around only until I could get out with the bennies you describe, so long as I felt comfortable living with them.

Good luck buddy!

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Old 01-08-2008, 03:20 PM   #7
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Hi Prale

This seems like a no brainer to me, while I don't necessarily recommend a complete ER, you sound like person who is serious need of a sabbatical for a year or so. In fact you might want to approach that you aren't "retiring" but rather after putting in 20 years in hazardous job (what is BTW) your are exploring new career options. (Needless to say one viable option is not working!!)

Financially the lack of saving would concern me a bit primarily because you have kids who may want to go to expensive colleges.
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Old 01-09-2008, 09:18 AM   #8
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Sounds like you are in the drivers seat as far as retirement is concerned.Go for it and if you find you need some extra cash sometime in the future you could always get a another job and it doesnt have to be high paying as you are already taking home $500 a week before you even punch your card in. As for feeling guilty about the wife still working? she has to realize that very few people get to retire at 40yrs old and you are an exception,if thats a problem for her go get a job on your local golf course.
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Old 01-09-2008, 09:27 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Prale View Post
Most of my family and friends are not as supportive as i wish but my wife is very much so.
I think you are a lucky man to have such a supportive wife. If you two are good with this plan, don't worry about the family and "friends".
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Old 01-09-2008, 01:40 PM   #10
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Thanks for the supportive posts, and yes I am very lucky with my wife of 19 years I'm already thinking of things i can do around here to enjoy my time and also help her, like cooking, i'm already a pretty good cook. I like getting recipe's off the internet and surprising my family. My kids always get excited when I'm in the kitchen cooking.

My career path started when i was 18, I joined the Air Force and was Military Police for 4 years, when i got out I went to work for Kentucky's Prison system, I spent 15 years working in a Maximum security prison, for the past 4 years I've been a Probation & Parole officer, and for the past 2 years of that I have been specialized in only supervising Sex Offenders.
Several years ago i was able to convert my military time into state time so that it would count towards my retirement. Kentucky has a 20 year Hazardous duty retirement plan, Our pay is not very good, but its made up for by a good retirement. I'll be retiring with about 24 years in the system.

I may eventually find a part time job, but it will probably be at least a year.
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Old 01-09-2008, 02:27 PM   #11
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Don't concern yourself with the reactions of others. They haven't probably ever even considered that a person could retire at 41 (most people haven't) and it looks odd to them. If you are very close to these people and believe that it is genuine concern that you have gone nuts and not just ugly envy that is the root of the comments, and if you are comfortable with doing it, tell them what you're financial situation and plans are. Congratulations and good luck!
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Old 01-09-2008, 07:26 PM   #12
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I agree with what others have said.

Take the retirement, recover, and refresh. Continue to talk with your wife, so that both of you can adjust now and in the future. If you want to get something part time in 6 months to a year, great. If not, ok. The others (family and friends) will take care of themselves. Check out the FAQ and best of boards. There are some good threads there that apply to your situation.
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