Hello!

[MrAENeuman]

I thought it was about time that I registered with this forum, which I must say is the most informative, useful, and consistantly civil that I have had the pleasure to lurk upon.

I "retired" almost one year ago (at age 50) but find that I am still subject to occasional panic attacks: the sky will fall (inflation rages and my investments dwindle) and as I increasingly become less employable in my sole employable field (software engineering) I will perish in poverty. The rest of the time I am enjoying "working" around the house at a leisurely pace, getting proper exercise, decreasing the stack or reading material, and wondering how I ever had any time for commuting and paid employment?? My wife (at age 55) took an early retirement as a CA teacher and I guess I just said why not me too?

I am finding some difficulties in adjusting to this new lifestyle - some external like dealing with what to tell family, peers and acquaintances about my "work" to feeling ok about my choice of how I am spending my much more abundant free time.

My readings in this forum have already been a great help in easing some of these insecurities and have provided a good deal of financial infomation. Thanks, maybe I'll be able to make some small contribution.

[haha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrAENeuman I am finding some difficulties in adjusting to this new lifestyle - some external like dealing with what to tell family, peers and acquaintances about my "work" to feeling ok about my choice of how I am spending my much more abundant free time.

Al, you could say what I say- "I'm a full time boy-toy." That usually stops further inquiry.

M

Quote:

I "retired" almost one year ago (at age 50) but find that I am still subject to occasional panic attacks: the sky will fall (inflation rages and my investments dwindle) and as I increasingly become less employable in my sole employable field (software engineering) I will perish in poverty.

I hung up the work life about 4 years ago, and fretted a bit like yourself. Every retirement forum I frequented was predicting a Dow 5000. That has not happened, and after 4 years it seems a little unlikely. There are plenty of things to worry about. The sun is burning out as we speak 8).

[MRGALT2U]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cut-Throat I hung up the work life about 4 years ago, and fretted a bit like yourself. Every retirement forum I frequented was predicting a Dow 5000. That has not happened, and after 4 years it seems a little unlikely. There are plenty of things to worry about. The sun is burning out as we speak 8).

C-T is right. There is plenty to worry about. I find I am more relaxed
(about spending) all the time. Like you, I don't know the time of my departure,
but I do know every 24 hours I have one less day to cover with my
meager pile

Jg

[Spanky]

May be it is better not to worry about anything and let it be. The outcome is the same whether one worries or not.

[HFWR]

My ex-cousin-in-law used to say that he got up every morning, and worried for 15-20 minutes, just to get it out of the way.

[MRGALT2U]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spanky May be it is better not to worry about anything and let it be. The outcome is the same whether one worries or not.

This is frequently true. The trick is to THINK without having it spill
over into worrying. A very fine line indeed!

JG

Welcome to the forum!

Quote:

...like dealing with what to tell family, peers and acquaintances about my "work"

I'm curious about this. Do you mean that you think people will think you're lazy to retire? That they'll be jealous that you don't have to work anymore?

Quote:

...feeling ok about my choice of how I am spending my much more abundant free time.

After years spent debugging software, writing code, worrying about bugs, etc., you deserve to spend your time any way you want. Don't forget that.

[MrAENeuman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl I'm curious about this. Do you mean that you think people will think you're lazy to retire? That they'll be jealous that you don't have to work anymore?

There have been a couple of response types depending on whether it's a relative or casual acquaitance. I look a bit younger than my years so surprise is common. I usually get asked multiple times what I am going to do, i.e. next employment. Like most others I read about in this forum, my wife and I live below are means so there is some surprise that we are so "rich". Ex-coworkers are a bit of a special category in that many of them rode the stock option roller coaster down the other side of the hill so I'm sure they're kicking themselves once again.

I'm sure that all of the responses are colored and perhaps amplified by my own subtle guilt feelings as well.

[Lazarus]

Welcome! I too have been impressed with this forum which induced me to join and quit being a lurker. A lot a very thoughtfull people here. And I am not a joiner of many things.

[yakers]

Hey Lazarus, welcome aboard. There ae a few high power folks on this board...then there are the rest of us. A pretty "real" place. It all works by people sharing.

[wildcat]

Glad to see a few newcomers that are not trying to sell some crap like index funds with loads and high expense ratios. Sorry another poke at the Amex guy. I just got tossed out of a softball game so it had to come out.

[laurence]

Whoa, Wildcat, you aren't one of those softball guys who goes all agro at a self pitch beer league right? You seem so level headed!

[wildcat]

Well I was filling in for a guy. I had metal spikes on from my baseball days and I got tossed. What is this world coming to?

[laurence]

Well that's different, my wifes softball team had an opposing pitcher melt down over a taunt. Talk about some one who needs perspective! They had to hold him back or we would have had a fistfight. Loser.

[MRGALT2U]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laurence Well that's different, my wifes softball team had an opposing pitcher melt down over a taunt.* Talk about some one who needs perspective!* They had to hold him back or we would have had a fistfight.* Loser.

A taunt? Horrors. That is "hate speech". Should be good for about 5 years
in the state pen. Know what, very soon it will be. Some places already have rules against "inappropriate laughter". Where we are headed
will make '1984' look like a walk in the park. We've already got
laws/rules/PC thought that Orwell himself never conjured up.

END OF RANT........................................

JG

[laurence]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRGALT2U A taunt? Horrors. That is "hate speech". Should be good for about 5 years in the state pen. JG

Actually, I think it's a federal offense, like most PC laws, so you'd do Fed Pen time.

[sgeeeee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laurence Well that's different, my wifes softball team had an opposing pitcher melt down over a taunt.* Talk about some one who needs perspective!* They had to hold him back or we would have had a fistfight.* Loser.

What was the taunt intended to do? . . . make the pitcher feel more mellow? While I wasn't there and don't doubt this opposing pitcher may have overreacted, I think people sometimes get what they deserve. The person making the taunt has decided that the line of acceptable behavior includes taunts but not whatever the pitcher did in reaction to that taunt. The pitcher has a different standard. I probably have a different standard than either one.

[haha]

I think it helps any man to spend at least some time in a society where most everyone is armed. It helps you learn to be polite.

Ha

[laurence]

Quote:

Originally Posted by - SG What was the taunt intended to do? . . . make the pitcher feel more mellow? While I wasn't there and don't doubt this opposing pitcher may have overreacted, I think people sometimes get what they deserve. The person making the taunt has decided that the line of acceptable behavior includes taunts but not whatever the pitcher did in reaction to that taunt. The pitcher has a different standard. I probably have a different standard than either one.

Well, I threw this out offhand but since you asked, basically it's a self pitch league, where someone on your team throws three pitches for you to take a swing at, otherwise you are out. So the pitcher is also the third baseman when the other team is up to bat. A couple guys on DW's team like to ham it up and tease people for fielding errors etc. They'll tease anybody, and they were, themselves as well. But I guess since DW's team was running up the score pretty good, it just got under his skin. They were comments like, "nice throw" when you overthrew, or "good defense!" when you let the ball go between your legs. Everybody seemed to be laughing, drinking beer, kids in the dugout etc. and then all of a sudden this guy just turns around and says, "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU! SHUT UP OR I'LL MAKE YOU!" and his team was ready to back him up. They are known as the poor sport team of the league, super competitive etc. Wrong league to have that attitude, methinks.