I just retired...well, kinda sort of

[jimbohoward69]

All,

I am now on terminal leave from the U.S. Air Force...my "official" retirement date is May 1st. Holy cow, the past 22 years have just flown by I tell ya!

I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone here on E-R.org for their sage advice (either directly via e-mail/PM or through the myriad of helpful links on the site)...especially Nords who, as a fellow military retiree, knows full well the bittersweet emotions you feel when you first hang it up. Can't wait for the book Nords!

I'll be 41 in May, have close to 200K in savings/investments, no debt or mortgage and will net a COLA'd pension around $1900/mo for the rest of my life. I am also in the running for a GS-6 position doing what I just did for 22 years. Although I'd love to stop working altogether, an enlisted pension is something you can't live off without supplemental income, especially in California.

Again, thanks to all of you who constantly post your personal stories and helpful links to inspire those of us who truly want to get out of the "rat race" as early as possible...maybe now I'll actually have the time to post some words of wisdom to fellow ER wannabes

Peace!

Jim

 

[REWahoo]

Jim, congratulations and thank you for your many years of service.

One question - is there a missing zero or should there be a mo instead of a yr in the quote below? Sure hope so...

... a COLA'd pension around $1900/yr...

 

[jimbohoward69]

Jim, congratulations and thank you for your many years of service.

One question - is there a missing zero or should there be a mo instead of a yr in the quote below? Sure hope so...

Thank you my friend...and yes, my "monthly" pension has been corrected

 

[Purron]

Yeah, Nords is one special dude. I could not have given you the same sage advice he did since I haven't walked in your shoes. Wishing you all the best. Please keep us posted on your journey.

 

[REWahoo]

Yeah, Nords is one special dude.

Did you say that in your "Church Lady" voice?

 

[obgyn65]

Congratulations Jim. I agree Nords' advice is great.

 

[ERhoosier]

I'm new to ER (1st post), but thanks for your AF service.
And congrats on your AF retirement. Not a bad deal to have youth, a bit of guaranteed COLA'd income, AND health insurance (HUGE issue for many ER's).
All the Best!

 

[Dog]

Congratulations!!! And thank you for your service.

 

[Purron]

Did you say that in your "Church Lady" voice?

Nope. My Tom Waits voice.

Props to mh for posting this

http://www.early-retirement.org/for...r-and-r-hall-inductees-54764.html#post1038331

 

[Nords]

Glad you decloaked, Jim, and congratulations!

Check your e-mail. You'll also have to keep us posted on your "lessons learned" and your "Whaddya DO all day experiences"...

So-- do you surf?

 

[jimbohoward69]

Check your e-mail. You'll also have to keep us posted on your "lessons learned" and your "Whaddya DO all day experiences"...

So-- do you surf?

Thanks for the e-mail Senor Nords...I will be getting back to you in the coming week or two. I used to surf and body board when I was stationed in Cocoa Beach, FL but have since graduated to snowboarding after having lived in Washington state for 7 years...and currently residing 3 hours from Tahoe

It's only been a week and two days and I'm still trying to wrap my arms around the concept that I'm done with the military. I really haven't done much of anything except grocery shop, clean and some other uneventful things...but I guess that's what it's all about...I can do these things whenever I want

I do have a quite a bit of travel scheduled in March/April, which will take me to my official retirement date of May 1st. I'm still on the fence about continuing with my federal job search or going back to school to get a 2nd Bachelors degree (Financial Services) that will trump my first one from a no-name school with a no-name major. The Post 9/11 G.I. Bill is fabulous and I can probably live off of that and my pension for a couple of years.

Unfortunately, my blood pressure has been high lately. The week of my ceremony and final outprocessing, I could feel a slight tightness in my chest that just wouldn't go away...I chalked it up to anxiety and it more or less went away after I punched the clock. However, as I've been looking for new employment, I still get that same tightness every so often. On the contrary, when I research schools/programs/locations (or am NOT working on my resume), I don't get that feeling and actually fell a bit "giddy". 22 years of hard living has a lot to do with my elevated BP but the "fog of the future" isn't helping either.

Unfortunately, I know I won't be able to continue on as a "career student" but the thought of going back to school and learning about a field I've always been passionate about (along with managing my own investments) is exciting!

That's all for now...I'll keep you posted on what transpires next. I've already submitted a couple of applications for the summer semester timeframe (Jun-Jul) and will be going to the doctor each day this week to get a baseline BP reading. Keep your fingers crosssed!

Thanks to all of you for making this community a great place! I'm still early on in my journey but your ideas and advice along the way have helped me immensely.

 

[JDARNELL]

Congrats I am 4-7 months behind you with 21yrs TOS. I am really interested to hear what you are going thru. I know the roller coaster I am on and from what you have said so far mine seems about normal

Tomcat98

 

[Nords]

I'm still on the fence about continuing with my federal job search or going back to school to get a 2nd Bachelors degree (Financial Services) that will trump my first one from a no-name school with a no-name major. The Post 9/11 G.I. Bill is fabulous and I can probably live off of that and my pension for a couple of years.

Look up posts here by "Boxkicker". That's exactly what he did while working part-time and weekends. He retired with almost zero savings and spent at least the next year using the GI Bill with his pension. You might even want to send him a PM or an e-mail for an update.

Unfortunately, my blood pressure has been high lately. The week of my ceremony and final outprocessing, I could feel a slight tightness in my chest that just wouldn't go away...I chalked it up to anxiety and it more or less went away after I punched the clock. However, as I've been looking for new employment, I still get that same tightness every so often. On the contrary, when I research schools/programs/locations (or am NOT working on my resume), I don't get that feeling and actually fell a bit "giddy". 22 years of hard living has a lot to do with my elevated BP but the "fog of the future" isn't helping either.

I was borderline when I ER'd and today I'm routinely around 110/65. I suspect that ER tends to have a calming effect on your body's stressors-- especially the parts where you get to control most of your own life & schedule. So although you may get a lot of medications thrown at you, and although that may be a necessary step, you'll probably be able to do a lot with diet, exercise, and the general lower-pressure ER lifestyle.

I've thought about snowboarding but I have a lot of trouble getting past that first syllable. I've heard that it's all about the front foot while surfing is more about the back foot, so that'd certainly be a change of pace.

 

[Frost]

Although I'd love to stop working altogether, an enlisted pension is something you can't live off without supplemental income, especially in California.

I'm confused. Why can't you live off the pension without supplemental income?