Hello from Central OH

[BigBob]

Ok, hopefully I will get off on a better foot by introducing myself first, since I have been lurking here for awhile.
I am 46, a husband of a very dear wife and father of 4 boys aged 20, 19, 12, and 11. The younger two boys we adopted from Russia two years ago when we felt we still had something left in ourselves to give.
I have worked for 25+ years as a software developer, working in various jobs in government contracting, insurance, manufacturing, banking, and now back in insurance again. Never worked anywhere more than 5 years, and am currently finishing my 3rd year.
Financially, we have roughly 450K spread across 401k, 403b, Roth IRA, DRIP, and taxable accounts. Mostly in VG and Fido, and overall about 85% stocks. Home is paid for, no debt (what a free feeling), 2 of the boys in college(ouch!), but have saved separately about 80K in Coverdale and 529 accounts for them.
Company offers very decent DB retirement at 55 and 10 years, so I am hoping to be able to hang on here for 8+ more years until that point. FIRE goal is about $1M, based upon current spending (although that should drop once all the boys are out of the house - please?!)
We enjoy travel and camping, so this is something we plan to explore even more once we retire. I am learning from other's experiences, not just the financial picture, with retiring early. Parents retired at 57 and found that they were out of place with the retired crowd where they retired (Central Fla), so we want to make sure we consider all aspects of RE, not just the FI.
Looking forward to continuing to learn more, and possibly share my knowledge...

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Welcome, Bob. You'll like it here. Honest .

We have friends who adopted two Russian boys years ago. They were told at the time that the boys were brothers, but learned later that this was not the case. I think the whole process was pretty chaotic and, well, less than straightforward back then but, most importantly, after a couple years of adjustment, it all turned out well and the whole family is very successful and loving.

Enjoy the board.

[omni550]

Welcome, BigBob.

As someone who is thinking about relocating to Florida soon and is similar in age to your parents, I'd like to hear a bit more on why your 57-year old parents felt out-of-place in Central Fla when they retired.

Any suggestions for me? Things to look out for? Lessons learned?

TIA,

omni

(edit: corrected typo)

[BigBob]

Omni,
My parents are not too vocal about their feelings, but I think a lot of it was that they were 57/55 and many of the people around them were 65+, a half a generation apart. Their friends their own age were still working, so people their age were scarce. Dad got involved in Habitat, and I think that was the best thing for him, as he has helped build over 20 houses in the past 14 years. Over the next 8 years we will be compiling a list of todo's that will be for fun and for "purpose". Wonder if anyone else has a list they would like to share as a starting point?

Thanks RIT. 2 years in the family and we are still adjusting. Lots of issues, but that is really what we expected. The adoption process was VERY long and involved and emotionally dragging. End result is good tho.

[Nords]

Welcome to the board, Bob, and this time I really mean it!

Maybe your parents discovered the difference among neighbors, coworkers, and real friends. We've learned to enjoy our "down time" during the weekday, and on evenings/weekends we're ready to spend time with friends. You guys are aware of your parents' experiences and you're making a list, so there won't be any issues.

The #1 concern of all prospective ERs is "What will I do all day." Once they're ER'd, without exception they all wonder what the heck they were concerned about... the ones who see it coming never have a problem.

[pfpelican]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigBob we will be compiling a list of todo's that will be for fun and for "purpose". Wonder if anyone else has a list they would like to share as a starting point?

You might find ESRBob's book, "Work Less, Live More" (link at bottom right of any page), helpful in this regard.