ER Christmas Gift

[REWahoo]

The spouse gave me a great Christmas gift - a digital "Time Remaining to Retirement" countdown calendar/clock. It counts down the days/hours/minutes/seconds based on any date you select as your final day in the working world, up to 12-31-2049.

Thankfully, mine reads only 125 days, 8 minutes, 31...30...29...

REW

 

[LovesLife]

Sounds great, REW. Isn't great when the spouse is supportive of early retirement? Merry Christmas.

LovesLife

 

[REWahoo]

Sounds great, REW.  Isn't great when the spouse is supportive of early retirement?  Merry Christmas.

LovesLife

LovesLife, thank you, and Happy Holidays to you as well.  

I am happy to say my spouse is OK with my plan to retire in 124 days (love that countdown clock), although I'm not sure it really qualifies as "early" since I will be 58 at the time.  She quit the business world (I don't dare say she stopped working) three years ago, and has been generally supportive of my efforts to do the same.  One reason may be that we have been on a very tight budget and I promised her we can each increase our annual discretionary spending by 10% once I do quit.

Better the carrot than the stick.

REW

 

[MJ]

although I'm not sure it really qualifies as "early" since I will be 58 at the time.

As far as I'm concerned any retirement prior to 65 is early. I am making the plunge in 4 months and I'll be 57 next year.

Happy holidays to you and the family.

MJ

 

[REWahoo]

MJ, when do you plan on telling your employer you are pulling the plug , or have you already done so? Like you, I have 4 months to go and I'm debating how much notice to give. I've already told them I plan on leaving in 2005, but I didn't get specific and I suspect the assumption is that I will leave at the end of the year.

REW

 

[MJ]

MJ, when do you plan on telling your employer you are pulling the plug

REW,

I have not told my employer that I am leaving.
I plan to give them either 2 or 3 week notice.
Based on my current responsibilities, that should be more than enough notice.

Regarding your Christmas gift, I set up my financial spreadsheet to automatically calculate the number of months, weeks and days using today's date.

I will be looking forward to your announcement here.
Good Luck.

MJ

 

[LovesLife]

I think I am going to tell my boss that the 2 day a week arrangement is not going to work out and that I quit. I plan on talking to him this Monday and telling him the last day will be the end of the month. I originally told him before Thanksgiving that I was going to quit due to the conflicts with his family. He had asked me to think about staying on in one of the offsite centers. Well things have gone even more south, if at all possible.

This is really scary for me. I have been employed since I was 17 years old. But I am so tired of the BS. The only peace I feel is when I tell myself "I quit" and then when I start thinking about trying to make it work I get all worked up over the situation.

 

[John Galt]

Hello Loveslife................

Whenever I got into a miserable employment situation
(which was rare and never lasted very long), I quit.
I recall vividly two times where I quit without any
job waiting and no real prospects. Just up and left.
The next morning I felt absolutely reborn. No job, lots
of bills/responsibilities, but a great feeling. MY ER
departure was a bit more gradual. Anyway, maybe
it will work out the same for you. I hope so.

JG

 

[LovesLife]

JG,

Thanks for the encouragement. My issues with leaving are twofold. One: dumping my customers without notice. I have not prepared anyone for this. It makes me feel dishonest. Some of them would not have gone with my company if it hadn't been for me. Two: it's hard to kiss this kind of money goodbye. Very little time for good money. I know I don't want to work for anyone else, either. It's either here or not at all.

LovesLife

 

[grumpy]

My wife gave me a retirement countdown clock on my 54th birthday, knowing I planned to retire as soon as I turned 55. I kept it on my desk at work. At my retirement luncheon I bequethed it to the person on the project who was planning to retire next. I requested that the clock be handed on down in a similar manner. As far as I know it is still ticking down toward the retirement date of someone on my old project team.

My wife was not eligible to retire until 2.5 years after me. When she was one year away from retirement I got her a countdown clock for her desk too. I think she passed hers on to one of her coworkers.

Grumpy

 

[Jarhead*]

JG,

Thanks for the encouragement.  My issues with leaving are twofold.  One: dumping my customers without notice.  I have not prepared anyone for this.  It makes me feel dishonest.   Some of them would not have gone with my company if it hadn't been for me. Two: it's hard to kiss this kind of money goodbye.  Very little time for good money.  I know I don't want to work for anyone else, either.  It's either here or not at all.

L
ovesLife

Hi Loveslife:
I am answering your post, because i was in a very similar position when I decided I wanted something different for the balance of my life.
Regarding the "clients", I also felt a kinship to them, and when I decided it was time, I mailed each one of them a letter explaining my situation. (Not sure it made a big difference to them, but it made me feel a lot better).
Regarding giving up a large income, the thought process I went through follows:
l. My two children were pretty much raised.
2. My wife was a homemaker, and not oppossed to relocating. (I wanted to move to a largely undiscovered section of Calif. free of crowds, tourists, still with good climate, and a wealth of outdoor possibilities).
3. My "lightbulb" moment was realizing that if I stayed, and ended up with 3 times our "net worth" by staying another 10 years, it would result in financial "overkill",
and would have missed 10 years of living where we both
have thrived since leaving. (Has now been 18 years).
I honestly think that at a certain point, the "giving up of a large income", is very illusionary, if you can figure out what makes you most happy, and you (as best you can figure) will be able to accomplish that on whatever "net worth" you have.
I can certainly understand your mind-set, on this big decision, but if you feel you are prepared, and approach retirement as a beginning of a new adventure, I think you will be able to overcome the "dislocation factor" in short-order.
Good Luck to you.
Jarhead

 

[LovesLife]

Thank you so much, Jarhead, for responding to my post. I keep running the numbers. It's there. Thank God, it's there. I will be leaving my customers in good hands, as the next audiologist that would take my place is very good. But what do I tell them? I hate to say anything negative about the company as it would look unprofessional. Saying that I decided to retire sounds wierd because I am only 43 (my customers are "older" people, avg. age 77) and also it is so sudden. I feel like I am exiting without any grace and it really makes me angry towards the company.

Any yet I am so ready to relax and enjoy this next phase of my life. I'm young, healthy, have 2 wonderful children, and a great husband.

Damn that company.

LovesLife

 

[REWahoo]

 I will be leaving my customers in good hands, as the next audiologist  that would take my place is very good.  But what do I tell them?  I hate to say anything negative about the company as it would look unprofessional.  Saying that I decided to retire sounds wierd because I am only 43 (my customers are "older" people, avg. age 77)  and also it is so sudden.  I feel like I am exiting without any grace...

LovesLife, just tell them the truth (or at least part of it).  You are leaving to "seek other opportunities" and "pursue your dream".  When they ask what your dream is, tell them what I'm telling those who ask me the same question..."I'm not sure, but I plan on having a great time finding out!"

Go for it!

REW

 

[LovesLife]

Thanks, REW. This is all starting to feel possible.

LovesLife

 

[kayelem]

Loves Life:

We are in somewhat of a similar situation...I am 44 and getting ready to RE. My husband, 50, wants to work another couple of years because he likes his job, but he will also ER.

My plan was to turn in my resig. on Jan 7...even have it written, but I am stalling. One reason are some new customers that I just brought on in the 4th Q (we only bring on couple of new customers a year, so the recruiting process is quit long and involved on both sides). One of the CEO's called me on Christmas Day to tell me how excited he was to be starting off 2005 working with my company and my organization. I feel like a heel telling him "run for the hills, I was only doing my job and this is one screwed up company". Of course, I would never do that, but it sure feels like that is what I'd be saying in not so many words. My employees love me because I buffer them from the crap, but it's killing me...so I feel bad about leaving them behind as well. I know rationally that these are all excuses, and I think on the first day that I wake up and don't have to go to work I will feel wonderful.

Pulling the trigger is tough emotionally even when you have the $$.

Kay

 

[LovesLife]

Kay,

That's exactly how I feel. I keep telling myself that my replacement is going to be my buffer and that if and when I run into my customers on the street my retirement will be old news. But it is still scary to make this move. I am calling my boss this morning and telling him. I feel he has had plenty of notice since I orginally told him I was quitting before Thanksgiving. After what his wife said about me at the Christmas party, they no longer deserve my employment. Have courage, Kay. Good luck.

LovesLife

 

[JOhn Galt]

I have mentioned this before, but am reminded by
recent posts.

I never suffered any emotional angst about retiring.
None whatsoever. An outsized ego can be very annoying to others, but it's a great help dealing with
life's big decisions and potential roadblocks to your goals.

JG

 

[LovesLife]

Well, I did it. It's official.

 

[parnass]

Well, I did it. It's official.

Congratulations! Best wishes for a fabulous retirement.

 

[LovesLife]

Thank you.

LovesLife,
still smiling

 

[Bob_Smith]

LovesLife, congratulations! How did your employer take the news? When is your last day?

 

[MJ]

Congrats to you.
Good luck and enjoy your new grand adventure.

MJ

 

[bruce1]

Congratulations! Enjoy it to the fulllest and I hope you'll be seeing a similiar message from me in six to nine months. I've got a bit of cold feet.

 

[Martha]

Congradulations Loveslife. Sometimes I think office parties should be banned. I have heard too often comments like yours. If you haven't told your customers, this quote from you might be just the thing to say:

I am so ready to relax and enjoy this next phase of my life. I'm young, healthy, have 2 wonderful children, and a great husband.

 

[LovesLife]

Thank you all for the good wishes. I am so HAPPY. I called my boss on Monday and told him that I would not be working after the end of this month in the main office and just a few sessions in the outer office to finish things up there. By the tone of his voice, he sounded like he knew it was coming down to this. (At the company Christmas party, his very drunk wife who is half owner of this dynasty, said horrible things about me to anyone who was willing to listen.) Oh well, their loss.

Now my priority is to take care of myself, find new things to do and rediscover some of my old hobbies. I also need to restucture the portfolio for retirement.

LovesLife