Hello fellow FIRE aspirants and achievers

[IQuit]

Hello.

I’ve been lurking and learning for some time and thought I’d introduce myself. When it dawned on me a few years ago I might actually be able to retire early after crunching some numbers I worried I was nuts or missing something big. Finding this forum and reading it daily since has taught me so much and given me confidence this thing is doable. I really appreciate this community … Thank you particularly to the excellent moderators who keep the forum very readable and enlightening.

Some random things about me …

* Target ER date: February 16, 2018 at 3:02 PM according to my spreadsheet (which calculates to 6 significant figures so it must be accurate!) I’ll be 55 and DW will be 58.

* Target SWR: 3.1% with a frugal but comfortable annual withdrawal

* About my handle: Regrettably picked on impulse after a bad day at work

* Biggest concern: Health care costs going forward … like everyone else

* No pension, no debt

* AA: 70/30 with 50% international (basically mimic VT with equity portion)
Investment approach: Pretty boring and DIY … inexpensive ETFs, Very diversified, pay close attention to AA with rebalancing.

* Highest priority: Maximizing post-tax savings to get us through until we reach 59.5 and can access IRAs without penalty … We’ve longed maxed out pre tax savings where most of our assets are now

* Most important lesson: When I started investing many years ago I knew nothing … and knew I knew nothing so I went with S&P index fund because I wasn’t smart enough to know which active fund to pick. As I learned more I thought I was smart so I started buying individual stocks … and quickly started losing $ (I was lucky to fail early when the damage was minimal). Went back to where I started … cheap index funds but this time knowing that I didn’t know how to time markets, or pick stocks. Other people seem to have the knack … I sure don’t.

* What I’m looking forward to most after FIRE: Finally having time to cycle as much as I want to ... eyeballing a move to Tucson which is a great bicycling town

[VFK57]

Welcome to the Forum. Try your numbers on Fire calculator: http://www.firecalc.com/intro3.php
Many ERs use different investment strategies:, equities (index funds, individual stocks, paying dividends), real estate, fixed income (bonds, CDs). As you need to bridge your retirement age to IRA and eventually SS / medicare, the strategy should be to generate cash flow in.

[IQuit]

Thanks VFK57 for the tip.

Looking good with FIRECALC with 95% success rate using conservative assumptions. Lot's more to study and investigate this year as we prepare.

[kimcdougc]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IQuit Thanks VFK57 for the tip. Looking good with FIRECALC with 95% success rate using conservative assumptions. Lot's more to study and investigate this year as we prepare.

Welcome. We did an NUA (company stock - has to be in place for 1 year). Took enough money 2 live for 6 or more years till DH reaches 62. Had a big tax bill to pay that year. Since then we look like poverty.

I retired at 50 and husband at 57.

Good news, we have spent way less than we thought we would while still traveling across the country twice in our travel trailer.

That was (2) years ago next month.

Life is good.

[FreeBear]

IQuit, I love your user name! Pretty much captures my mindset when I bailed out 2 years ago.

Finances look solid from what you report. Are you planning carry your current AA (asset allocation) into retirement or change to more bonds or cash? What AA will allow you to sleep at night when the bears come out and you are now longer w*rking?

Have and and DW talked about non-financial plans in retirement? There can be big differences in expectations that may have to be managed. So what are you going to do all day when no longer w*rking?

[IQuit]

Thanks kimcdougc for the inspiration. I'm envious of your RV experience ... If I was single I'd go in a heart beat ... my wife ... not so much. That's OK there are lot's of other appealing paths too we both enjoy.

FreeBear you hit on a really key point for us. Two years ago when I started researching ER my wife and I were on totally different pages. It took her a while but she's come around to the idea of downsizing and leading a simpler life where we value time and freedom more than the big house. Downsizing will fund our retirement for almost four years. Now she's more eager than I am and I'm the one dragging my feet for that extra bit of margin. I can see how critical it is for both spouses to be in sync on this decision.

We do plan to maintain our AA in early retirement. A dumbbell risk approach appeals to me with the 30% fixed income portion in CDs and short term bonds which I could draw down on until equities recovered. We rode the last two bear markets all the way down then all the way back up ... I know that is a very different scenario than when retirement is imminent or in process ... and with a lot more $ at stake. Thanks to what I've learned from people on the forum here I believe I'll have the temperament to ride the roller coaster again and not lose sleep.

We are health fanatics and really look forward to finally having the time to do all the outdoor activities we love but haven't been able to do while working. Seeing our parents health decline has given us impetus to enjoy our remaining healthy years as much as possible.

[FreeBear]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IQuit We are health fanatics and really look forward to finally having the time to do all the outdoor activities we love but haven't been able to do while working. Seeing our parents health decline has given us impetus to enjoy our remaining healthy years as much as possible.

+1

Same for us. Neither parents made it past 70, and it wasn't pretty. Sadly, no one has made it into the 90's in two generations.

So we're trying to become more health conscious too, perhaps some would consider us "fanatics". Then again, we never did things the way other folks did. We retired to buy back time with money

We too love being outdoors. In retirement, it helps that we can pick more ideal weather instead of often doing stuff in the rain or in the dark just so we can get a few more miles in before having to go back to w*rk the next day. Life is great; come join the rest of us!