4th Annual SWFL E-R.org Get Together

[Dtail]

Had another great time hanging with folks at our get together today.
A special thank you to Omni550 for arranging the event.

 

[pb4uski]

+1 Thanks to Omni for organizing again and it was great seeing everyone... some veterans, some newer members and a couple lurkers.

 

[aja8888]

Did Redduck make it this year?

 

[Dtail]

Did Redduck make it this year?

Unfortunately no.
We are all wondering what is happening with him.

 

[simple girl]

It was a great time as always! Such a fun group of people. Thank you omni for organizing!

My lurker friends enjoyed it, too.

 

[aja8888]

It's customary to say the following on threads like this:

"This thread is useless without pictures!"

 

[omni550]

Well, another SWFL E-R.org gathering is on the books. Everyone said they had a good time.

Fourteen of us met for socializing and lunch in Sarasota. We had a repeat guest from Washington, DC. Five others traveled from various places in Florida, approximately 90 miles apiece. The rest of the attendees were 'fairly local'.

Conversation was quick, varied, and interesting, with the hubbub of voices only quieting when it came time to eat. Topics ranged from financial...to vacations...to side gigs...to a few w*rk-related travel stories...to how some of us barely remember w*rking ...and many other topics of interest.

Some tales of the E-R.org forum (and those that preceded it) were also shared.

Looking forward to our 2021 meetup. Hopefully, Moemg, BoodaGazelle, and anyone else in the area will be able to join us.

See y'all next year!

omni

 

[Lewis Clark]

Thank you again Omni for organizing the event. It was fun meeting everybody!

 

[nvestysly]

I was in the post office the other day and some of the faces in those pictures look familiar...

We don't live in Florida but we do visit from time to time. Maybe we'll see you next year.

 

[harley]

That last picture looks like I'm saying "Well, I'm with EF Hutton and EF Hutton says...".

And I had an excellent time. Thanks to Omni and everyone who showed up. Looking forward to next year.

 

[CaliKid]

So fun!

I think there should be ER.ORG-Con 2021 in a place like Vegas! Jus' sayin'!

 

[omni550]

I think there should be ER.ORG-Con 2021 in a place like Vegas! Jus' sayin'!

And we'd rent booth space to annuity salespeople?

omni

 

[CaliKid]

And we'd rent booth space to annuity salespeople?

omni

As long as they defray the costs of the event heck ya!

 

[Lewis Clark]

So fun!

I think there should be ER.ORG-Con 2021 in a place like Vegas! Jus' sayin'!

And charge a sliding scale of fees based on when we took (or plan to take) social security.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

You all look so young! Glad you all had a good time. Looks like a cool group.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Conversation was quick, varied, and interesting, with the hubbub of voices only quieting when it came time to eat. Topics ranged from financial...to vacations...to side gigs...to a few w*rk-related travel stories...to how some of us barely remember w*rking ...and many other topics of interest.

Did anyone bring up Politics? If so did they have to stand outside in TimeOut for 5 or 10 minutes?

 

[simple girl]

You all look so young! Glad you all had a good time. Looks like a cool group.

Awh, aren't you sweet! Come join us next year! We can make it a FL statewide ER Get Together! It's will be our 5th annual. We'd love for as many to come as possible. Sarasota is a nice little get-away!

 

[BeachOrCity]

Thanks everyone, esp OMNI for coordinating (again!).

Sorry I did not get a chance to chat w/ everyone!

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

Thanks for organizing this Omni. It was great to meet you all. More excited than ever for my transition this year! (although, I am enjoying my paid holiday off today!)

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

You all look so young! Glad you all had a good time. Looks like a cool group.

That was one of my key take-aways.... ER definitely wears well!

 

[omni550]

So fun!

I think there should be ER.ORG-Con 2021 in a place like Vegas! Jus' sayin'!

OK, CaliKid, now you've got my 'brain wheels' turning....

Have lectures/discussions on:

Pay off mortgage, yes/no?
Take on a mortgage in retirement?
When to take Social Security?
Mental preparedness for retirement
Retirement planning calculators
Roth conversions
Tax planning
(Heck, any of the recurring themes on the forum would probably work)

Rent booths to:

Vacation spots
Retirement spots - domestic (AZ, TX, FL, etc.) and foreign (Chang Mai, Thailand, Lake Chapala, Mexico, etc.)
Second-home locations (low/no tax) - can overlap with above locales
Cruises
Vacation purveyors -- Active (hiking, biking, etc.) or Themed (photography, cooking, history, etc.)
Federal programs - Social Security, Medicare, Retired Military, Retired Fed workers
Fidelity
Vanguard
Schwab
Insurance Sales (can include HSA, Medicare Supplemental and Advantage)
Financial Planners
Annuity Salespeople

Any other^ suggestions?

Who's interested in attending?

omni

 

[Jerry1]

Omni,
You think too much. That list sparked my work PTSD. I hated going to those conferences.

Though on the lighter side, I bet that would be a very successful conference. All you need to add is that the financial planners and annuity sales people will be providing a free steak dinner for your attendance.

 

[omni550]

Omni,
You think too much. That list sparked my work PTSD. I hated going to those conferences.

Though on the lighter side, I bet that would be a very successful conference. All you need to add is that the financial planners and annuity sales people will be providing a free steak dinner for your attendance.

It's really just an excuse to get the folks on the forum to come and socialize for a day or two....

omni

 

[boog]

Thanks Omni for making sure this event happened. I enjoyed the conversations and fellowship. It’s well worth the drive. Looking forward to next time!

 

[pb4uski]

...Who's interested in attending?

omni

If the elusive W2R attends, then I am there!

P.S. I bet we could get Sandy Morris to sponsor the whole deal.