HealthyFuture
Recycles dryer sheets
- Joined
- May 12, 2021
- Messages
- 101
Hi all. I am a new member who is considering retiring at 50 -- a year from now. I am posting in the hopes that by putting this out into the world, I will begin to do the work required to make that thought a reality. I don't know our annual expenses definitively (I have one year tracked, but not two.) I know nothing about building Roth pipelines or other withdrawal strategies and the associated taxes. Haven't yet answered all the other questions in https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f47/some-important-questions-to-answer-before-asking-can-i-retire-69999.html . I haven't determined how I'm going to ensure I feel useful/how I'll spend my time after the initial "wow" time. In other words, I've got some things I need to do.
I have saved aggressively since my first job. I have over $2M in retirement accounts and index funds. DW has that, plus some. No debts, and house is paid off. No kids. I believe that conceptually we have more than enough because the reality is we need very little beyond our health, our family's health, and ways to contribute to society to have a satisfying life. I worry already that there may not be much time left with parents, that the longer I wait the less physically I will be able to do (and there's lots I still want to do), etc. But I similarly worry about how I will take care of myself long-term given that I have no kids (I know kids aren't a guarantee for those who have them, either), and I am considerably younger than DW so could end up being the Lone Ranger later in life. Watching cousins struggle with caring for aging parents makes me think more about how there may be no one 'there' for me down the line, so assets may determine my long-term care.
So there it is. In black and white. I may be gainfully unemployed in a year. If I get myself ready....
I have saved aggressively since my first job. I have over $2M in retirement accounts and index funds. DW has that, plus some. No debts, and house is paid off. No kids. I believe that conceptually we have more than enough because the reality is we need very little beyond our health, our family's health, and ways to contribute to society to have a satisfying life. I worry already that there may not be much time left with parents, that the longer I wait the less physically I will be able to do (and there's lots I still want to do), etc. But I similarly worry about how I will take care of myself long-term given that I have no kids (I know kids aren't a guarantee for those who have them, either), and I am considerably younger than DW so could end up being the Lone Ranger later in life. Watching cousins struggle with caring for aging parents makes me think more about how there may be no one 'there' for me down the line, so assets may determine my long-term care.
So there it is. In black and white. I may be gainfully unemployed in a year. If I get myself ready....