Hiya…

[RetiriusMinimus]

I’m 60 so past FIRE…maybe smoldering…smoky…

Kids working and out of house. Just wifey and me. Still working, last 3 years very high income due to stock and bonuses pushing me in 35% bracket…(prior years were just ok) but expect to be forced out in 24 months or less. NW is 2.8, of which 2.5 is IA, 50-50 mix 401K and taxable. No mortgage or other debt. Live in high tax/high CoL state in Northeast.

Looking forward to retire, volunteer and maybe part time something.

God bless and let’s all be nice to each other….

 

[Luvtoride]

Welcome Ret Minimis,
So interesting all of the various situations here. Sounds like you’re in very good shape other than living here in the NE (I’m in NJ so I feel your pain).
Appreciate your positive words about being nice to each other. We’re all here to share ideas and learn.
All the best.

 

[Whisper66]

Glad to have you on board. Just curious …. have you tested with Firecalc or other tools to see if you are financially set to retire? With your savings, you might be. If yes, what drives you to keep working? Job enjoyment (hopefully)?

 

[HI Bill]

Welcome! Congrats on the 35% tax rate. I never got there.

Have you determined your budget for your retirement years? I'm a bit concerned that your income and your savings are out of sync. You seem to only have less than 10X your current annual income saved up....depending on your desired expenses and spending, this may/may not be enough to support your lifestyle!

 

[RetiriusMinimus]

@whisper66 yes and the Fidelity planner, actually posted something in the other board. Fire is 100% and Fidelity 150. If one can trust the models.

 

[RetiriusMinimus]

@Hi Bill. My prior comp was a bit less. These have been really good years and I’m quite frugal…except for buying cameras..

 

[Koolau]

Have you pinned down how you will handle health care until MC is available? I've always thought HC is the single biggest challenge - especially in early 60s. YMMV of course.

 

[Dtail]

@whisper66 yes and the Fidelity planner, actually posted something in the other board. Fire is 100% and Fidelity 150. If one can trust the models.

If you have a good handle on your expenses, then the above scores, especially with Fidelity at 50% cushion over your projected expenses, then you are in great shape.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

Welcome to E-R! I think 60 is very much FIRE...

 

[RetiriusMinimus]

@Koolau, yes in the FART planner i have LTC and Medigap, plus $ to carry me from 61-MC. The planner really helps to budget things down to detail.

 

[pb4uski]

FART planner?... Is that where I snuggle with DW back to back in bed and then let 'er rip? [emoji23]

 

[CindyBlue]

FART planner?... Is that where I snuggle with DW back to back in bed and then let 'er rip? [emoji23]

Probably not and live to tell about it

 

[skyking1]

That sounds like what you find in a Belgian Bakery

 

[Koolau]

That sounds like what you find in a Belgian Bakery

For some reason, this reminds me of an early HS German class. We learned how to conjugate the verb fahren which means "to ride." When we got to er, sie, es, the class erupted into snickers (not the candy bar.)

Now returning you to our regularly scheduled symposium as YMMV.

 

[RetiriusMinimus]

Too many beans last nite….

 

[dadu007]

@Hi Bill. My prior comp was a bit less. These have been really good years and I’m quite frugal…except for buying cameras..

LOL. Cameras are my financial kryptonite as well. I've been on a bit of a (used) buying spree of late, buying anything and everything that I think I'll want to have in retirement. I have quite the photographic arsenal now! I realized the hobby morphed into the hunt for gear, rather than the hunt for photos. Trying to change it back...

 

[HI Bill]

LOL. Cameras are my financial kryptonite as well. I've been on a bit of a (used) buying spree of late, buying anything and everything that I think I'll want to have in retirement. I have quite the photographic arsenal now! I realized the hobby morphed into the hunt for gear, rather than the hunt for photos. Trying to change it back...

I totally understand. I went to a PhotoCon in Hawaii, and almost walked out with a Phase One camera. I was going to upgrade to Canon's R5, but it has an electronic VF, and 5 less MP than my EOS 5DS R. It also has a shorter battery life, which is less than ideal for underwater photography where you can only change batteries between dives (and overheating cameras are a really bad thing, as they cause underwater housings to fog up).

 

[RetiriusMinimus]

Yep… Nikon Acquisition Syndrome (NAS) is a disease to be reckoned with….

I’ve actually toned things down. I’ve got enough to cover macro, wildlife and landscape photography. About 15 years ago or so I’d hit estate sales/tag sales buying film and Polaroid cameras for next to nothing (prior to the film revival..), made a few thousand dollars in profit to fund some of my current kit. At the end of the day it’s not the equipment, it’s the photographer….