Building my nerve

[BradMM]

I've been thinking Feb, 2012, is when I'll make the leap to retirement! Now that I've put an approx date on it, I can't stand the thought of one day beyond that. I feel I'm getting more and more committed to that target date by default! Just got to bring DW along so she'll be comfortable. I don't know if being German has anything to do with it but I think she'd work 'til she drops and worry the entire time about not having enough! ... all the way up to the point where you don't even need it anymore... you're DEAD!

[eytonxav]

Good for you Brad. Now go here and add your name to the class of 2012:

http://www.early-retirement.org/foru...a-54646-4.html

[Glo]

I was worried about having enough when I was forced to retire at age 59. DH made me a spreadsheet showing investments which we turned some into income as well as expenses. I felt better after reviewing this, but still was somewhat tense. It all worked out; we spend much less than when we worked. And I'm still able to save each month.

[SteveR]

ER in this day and time takes a bit more planning that before the "fall." Investment returns are down as was as fixed income interest rates making previous formulas obsolete during the decline and for an unknown period into the future. My opinion is that if you don't have solid 95% confidence of having the necessary assets based on the current rates of return for a decade then you may not have enough to comfortable retire without making some significant sacrifices in lifestyle in the next several years. We are not even close to being out of the woods re: the American economy. So many goods and services have been moved off shore (China & India) that jobs may never recover to the pre-2006 levels. What will motivate corporate America to bring these jobs back home? Much lower wages and benefits. But the average worker would rather not work than take a 50% cut in pay and benefits. So what will be America's next economic boom trigger? My crystal ball says there is none and we have a long way yet to fall before things improve.

The markets that will expand are those that can feed the growth of the middle class in China and India. What can we offer them that they can't already get cheaper from their own factories? The genius that can address this will be the next dot.com billionaire.

My $0.02