Introduce yourself here!

[Redpony68]

Hello, I am Redpony

I am 43 years old and live in SO. California.

I have many questions but will read past threads/posts to see if I am in the right place.

[Donzo]

Hey Redpony -

You are in the right place if you wanna retire as early as possible w/ less worry. I have been a regular since April of 06 - and frankly, I can't believe how much I have learned. I am in a whole new place in reguards to investing and protecting my nest egg. I retired July 1st of 06 at 49 - in no small part because of the messages absorbed here.

So enjoy the free advice and the characters on this forum - I sure have.

Good luck and give more info to get some feedback.

Donzo

[smileydog]

I'm currenty 51 and looking toward an approximate goal of retiring of 2010. I have been lurking for about a week now and want to join in and learn more. I have my investments mainly in my IRA with about 1.2M currently with $200K in home equity. My guestimate bale-out from work # is from 1.5M to 2.0M using the 72t method of tapping the IRA. I am interested in the thoughts of others on the wisdom of using this method. My expenses are now about 56k / year including a $2000 monthly mortgage (balance of $180k) that I would like to extinguish by either paying off early or down-sizing. Thanks in advance for this group and the time that you take in sharing your ideas.

dog

[crazy connie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by smileydog I'm currenty 51 and looking toward an approximate goal of retiring of 2010. I have been lurking for about a week now and want to join in and learn more. I have my investments mainly in my IRA with about 1.2M currently with $200K in home equity. My guestimate bale-out from work # is from 1.5M to 2.0M using the 72t method of tapping the IRA. I am interested in the thoughts of others on the wisdom of using this method. My expenses are now about 56k / year including a $2000 monthly mortgage (balance of $180k) that I would like to extinguish by either paying off early or down-sizing. Thanks in advance for this group and the time that you take in sharing your ideas. dog

Welcome Smiley!

Any chance you can roll your IRA into current employer plan? If you can and then sever employment during the year or after you turn age 55... You would have unfettered access to the funds. I am debating a 72T myself and still researching the fine points and exploring other options I have. What's the old sayiing abount an ounce of prevention?

Take care,

Connie

[smileydog]

Thanks for the idea Connie! I will definitely inquire about that option. I transfered the 401k into the traditional IRA that I currently have three years ago where it has grown to it's present value. If sure would be great if I could move things around and avoid the rules of the 72t plan. It is my understanding that if I begin the 72t at age 55 I would have to continue that withdrawal amount for 5 years or age 59.5 - whichever is longer.

dog

[Achiever51]

Wow, I stumbled on this site today and wish I had found it a long time ago! Effective December 31 of last year, I retired at the age of 55 -- but only after months and months of "should I, could I?" Part of my concern was about the amount of $$ I thought we'd need in retirement -- concerns that have been put aside after dozens of "what if" scenarios and spreadsheets galore! But another key issue was "what would I do with my days?" after a high-powered career that took me all over the world.

I am delighted to report that so far, this decision has been simply wonderful! I am enjoying time to do whatever -- or nothing -- I choose to do and it didn't take me but a blink to start thinking "how did I ever fit a 60+ hour per week career into my life!"

I am looking forward to reading lots of the posts on this site for good info on relocating to a warmer climate, managing finances and other secrets of the successful retiree, but for now, thanks for being here!

Achiever 51

[Baja Bogalusa]

Hi, I'm new to the forum. I'm 59, live in the Sun Belt and would love to chuck it all at any time, but I've got a second family with kids 11 and 13, so it's probably going to be at least 65 or 66. My question is a common one: 'How much will I need?' Any useful calculators out there?

[sgeeeee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baja Bogalusa Hi, I'm new to the forum. I'm 59, live in the Sun Belt and would love to chuck it all at any time, but I've got a second family with kids 11 and 13, so it's probably going to be at least 65 or 66. My question is a common one: 'How much will I need?' Any useful calculators out there?

Look at the calculators available under Sections 2.4 and 2.5:

http://www.golio.net/My_Homepage_Files/Page10.html

I still think the most powerful retirement calculator is FIRECalc, the one associated with this site (see Section 2.5 in link above).

To do a thorough job you will need to gather a few financial records. But you can put these calcualtors to use pretty quickly using a few crude estimates, then refine your calculations later.

Good luck.

[AirJordan]

Hi I'm AirJordan,

24, 70k invested, looking to get riiiiiiiiiiiiichhhh. I firmly believe that index funds are for people who have no knowledge of the market, and that stock picking/ active management is the way to go. And apparently I'm not that liked here

[DRiP Guy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AirJordan Hi I'm AirJordan, 24, 70k invested, looking to get riiiiiiiiiiiiichhhh. I firmly believe that index funds are for people who have no knowledge of the market, and that stock picking/ active management is the way to go. And apparently I'm not that liked here

[Randyb]

I'm Randyb. I'm new to this community but have been watching from the outside for a while. My goal in life is help move people out of the unpredictable stock market into carefully selected California real estate so that they can either retire comfortably or become financially independent.

[Martha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Achiever51 Wow, I stumbled on this site today and wish I had found it a long time ago! Effective December 31 of last year, I retired at the age of 55 -- but only after months and months of "should I, could I?" Part of my concern was about the amount of $$ I thought we'd need in retirement -- concerns that have been put aside after dozens of "what if" scenarios and spreadsheets galore! But another key issue was "what would I do with my days?" after a high-powered career that took me all over the world. I am delighted to report that so far, this decision has been simply wonderful! I am enjoying time to do whatever -- or nothing -- I choose to do and it didn't take me but a blink to start thinking "how did I ever fit a 60+ hour per week career into my life!" I am looking forward to reading lots of the posts on this site for good info on relocating to a warmer climate, managing finances and other secrets of the successful retiree, but for now, thanks for being here! Achiever 51

I was done December 31 too. Suddenly life moves at a different pace. Welcome to the board!

[Martha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Randyb I'm Randyb. I'm new to this community but have been watching from the outside for a while. My goal in life is help move people out of the unpredictable stock market into carefully selected California real estate so that they can either retire comfortably or become financially independent.

Really? Are you a real estate agent? Or just messing with us.

[donheff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martha Really? Are you a real estate agent? Or just messing with us.

Common Martha. That followed AirJordan's intro. Gotta be someone with a sense of humor who created a username for that one.

[Martha]

Yeah, you have to be right, someone messing with Air, not the rest of us.

Quote:

Originally Posted by donheff Common Martha.

[donheff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donheff Common Martha.

You are anything but common. That should have been "come on."

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Oh he's not a troll. He's just poorly educated in matters of investing and hasnt yet read that monkeys throwing darts could do better than the entire universe of stock pickers, historically.

But maybe he knows the trick to mastering both complex financial situations and group psychology with regards to those financial situations.

[lswswein]

After reading AJ's posts again, my conclusion is that he is either a troll or incredibly dense. He claims to have read all the books including the Bernstein ones and if he is like this now, there is nothing anyone here can say or do that can change his mind. I think he is wired like some of those nutjobs who don't belive in rational thought or argument. He will keep spewing sweeping statements!

-h

[shanjwa5]

Good Evening!

Better yet hello all..........my name is john........broke 50 last year and heading towards 51......worked like a loyal dog for GE/NBC for the last 16 years and
have recently taken a fun position with a new company with less stress.
Have worked like a mule for the last 30 years and building a retirement nest egg that I want to see grow while i make ends meet with this new postion. Maybe too much info on the first date but wanted to connect with similar profiles and see what they are doing, planning or suggesting.

[lswswein]

Hi John
Welcome! Good to know that you are enjoying your new job - lot of people here will tell you how much more enjoyable not working at all is :-) I stiil have a long way to go and I am looking fwd to hearing interesting stories about your NBC stay...

-h