Class of 2015

1. Ikubak - April - age 52
2. LoneAspen - Feb - age 48
3. Neihn - Dec -
4. Fourchristians - June
5. ABQ2015 - March - 59
6. Live and Learn - March - 52
7. SkeetShooter - December
8. DanD76 - June
9. Utrecht - Jan - Age 50
10. haloFIRE - August 14th - age 47
11. Doxiemama - November - age 52
12. Phil1ben - June 1 - age 53 now 55 at ret.


HA! I don't feel like such an early retiree in this group.
 
Looks like the following is growing!

So, new question.....What is the first major event you have planned after retirement?

For us, I plan to hike the Appalachian trail, while DW catches up with her family. After the AT, a year+ on travel abroad we think...

What are you thinking of doing?
 
haloFIRE said:
What are you thinking of doing?
Click to expand...

Moving back to Colorado, buying a place up in Eagle or Summit counties, and spending one or two entire years getting back in shape, and hiking, backpacking, camping, skiing, snowboarding, photography, etc.

I want one or two full years of enjoying the outdoors with no job, boss, deadlines, projects, commitments, or responsibilities hanging over me. I want a couple years of "me" time.
 
Sounds great LoneAspen! I'd love that myself. My DWis more of an indoorsey type of girl, so I might have a hard sell on my hands. She isn't very enthused about my AT trek, but supports me because she knows it has been a goal/desire since before we met
 
haloFIRE said:
Looks like the following is growing!

So, new question.....What is the first major event you have planned after retirement?

For us, I plan to hike the Appalachian trail, while DW catches up with her family. After the AT, a year+ on travel abroad we think...

What are you thinking of doing?
Click to expand...

I will be turning 50, we will be retiring, we will have our 20th anniversary and we will be picking up and moving cross country....all within a few months of each other. Its going to be a busy time and I can't wait.

Oh, and if we can fit it in, we are planning a trip where we will fly to San Francisco and spend a few days there. Then spend a few more days driving up to Seattle where we will take an Alaskan cruise.
 
1. Ikubak - April - age 52
2. LoneAspen - Feb - age 48
3. Neihn - Dec -
4. Fourchristians - June
5. ABQ2015 - March - 59
6. Live and Learn - March - 52
7. SkeetShooter - December
8. DanD76 - June
9. Utrecht - Jan - Age 50
10. haloFIRE - August 14th - age 47
11. Doxiemama - November - age 52
12. Phil1ben - June 1 - age 53 now 55 at ret.
13. SonnyJim - January 1 - age 48

Military retirement! Many thanks to those on this board. Especially Nords who has helped by sharing his experience and expertise.
 
1. Ikubak - April - age 52
2. LoneAspen - Feb - age 48
3. Neihn - Dec -
4. Fourchristians - June
5. ABQ2015 - March - 59
6. Live and Learn - March - 52
7. SkeetShooter - December
8. DanD76 - June
9. Utrecht - Jan - Age 50
10. haloFIRE - August 14th - age 47
11. Doxiemama - November - age 52
12. Phil1ben - June 1 - age 53 now 55 at ret.
13. SonnyJim - January 1 - age 48
14. Theseus - July -
 
1. Ikubak - April - age 52
2. LoneAspen - Feb - age 48
3. Neihn - Dec -
4. Fourchristians - June
5. ABQ2015 - March - 59
6. Live and Learn - March - 52
7. SkeetShooter - December
8. DanD76 - June
9. Utrecht - Jan - Age 50
10. haloFIRE - August 14th - age 47
11. Doxiemama - November - age 52
12. Phil1ben - June 1 - age 53 now 55 at ret.
13. SonnyJim - January 1 - age 48
14. Theseus - July - age 59

that (1st post) was an oops :facepalm:
 
Welcome SonnyJim and Theseus!

SonnyJim, looks like you and Utrecht are at the head of the class. My last work day is 14 August 2015, but actual retirement from the Army is exactly one year after you...looks like I'm in the very back of the class!
 
I'm counting the months to retirement - 20 to go. As far as the first major event after retirement, it will be decluttering, home repairs, and getting my house ready to put on the market. Just don't have the time or energy to do this while still working. Do want to take a bunch of 3-4 day trips around the SW e.g., Grand Canyon, Telluride, Mesa Verde, Taos, as I will probably be relocating to NW and want to see these places one more time before I go. Prefer to hold off on any major travel expenditures until I feel comfortable that there are no big surprises. :facepalm:
 
You're quite welcome, HaloFIRE. And I think your DW would enjoy it too as there are quite a few things to do in the area. From Frommer's travel guide website:
"Durango and Mesa Verde National Park, The Million Dollar Highway, U.S. 550 to Durango, where you'll be based for the next few days, passes through the picturesque historic mining towns of Ouray and Silverton and across Red Mountain Pass, an alpine locale worthy of Switzerland. Durango's historic district is one of Colorado's largest and best preserved. Explore historic downtown Durango and take a ride on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, which traverses a magnificent route to Silverton and back. Day 13 will be one of archaeological discovery. Spend most of it at Mesa Verde National Park, some 40 miles west of Durango, or at Ute Mountain Tribal Mountain Park, south of Cortez."
And of course, Telluride is also nearby.
 
Last edited:
Thanks again!

Truly appreciate the ideas!

DW and I have been watching "Breaking Bad" on Netflix, and would really like to visit and see the terrain around ALB. Very different from the deserts I've seen in my travels.
 
New Member of 2015

After much discussion, my DW and I finally settled on Jan of 2015. I was really hoping for Jan 2014, but the advantage of not having to do a SEPP to get at my money was the biggest deciding factor. We have been tracking expenses very closely since Jan 13 and feeling good about our retirement budget. I do have up to 13 weeks of vacation that I can take in the next 16 months, so that may make it bearable. Cheers to the class of 2015!!

1. Ikubak - April - age 52
2. LoneAspen - Feb - age 48
3. Neihn - Dec -
4. Fourchristians - June
5. ABQ2015 - March - 59
6. Live and Learn - March - 52
7. SkeetShooter - December
8. DanD76 - June
9. Utrecht - Jan - Age 50
10. haloFIRE - August 14th - age 47
11. Doxiemama - November - age 52
12. Phil1ben - June 1 - age 53 now 55 at ret.
13. SonnyJim - January 1 - age 48
14. Theseus - July - age 59
15. cinman2000 - Jan - age 54
 
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1. Ikubak - April - age 52
2. LoneAspen - Feb - age 48
3. Neihn - Dec -
4. Fourchristians - June
5. ABQ2015 - March - 59
6. Live and Learn - March - 52
7. SkeetShooter - December
8. DanD76 - June
9. Utrecht - Jan - Age 50
10. haloFIRE - August 14th - age 47
11. Doxiemama - November - age 52
12. Phil1ben - June 1 - age 53 now 55 at ret.
13. SonnyJim - January 1 - age 48
14. Theseus - July - age 59
15. cinman2000 - Jan - age 54

So it looks like haloFIRE is the youngest of the group (so far). He's planning to FIRE at 47. I was wondering if halo would share the strategy he used to get to this point. There are many paths to FIRE and I love hearing how other people did it.
 
1. Ikubak - April - age 52
2. LoneAspen - Feb - age 48
3. Neihn - Dec -
4. Fourchristians - June
5. ABQ2015 - March - 59
6. Live and Learn - March - 52
7. SkeetShooter - December
8. DanD76 - June
9. Utrecht - Jan - Age 50
10. haloFIRE - August 14th - age 47
11. Doxiemama - November - age 52
12. Phil1ben - June 1 - age 53 now 55 at ret.
13. SonnyJim - January 1 - age 48
14. Theseus - July - age 59
15. cinman2000 - Jan - age 54

Well, after sharpening the pencil and recalculating many times over DW and I have decided summer of 2014 will make a fine exit point. So we are planning on moving ahead to the class of 2014! :dance:
 
Class of 2015 - shyly raising my hand

Some organizational changes at the office have prompted me to seriously consider my retirement timeline. In the past, it was a range of between 2 and 5 years..2015-2018 time frame . July 2015 (2 years) being the soonest when the eldest is graduating HS. 5 years being when the youngest graduates HS.

Well..some things are a blessing in disguise. A major work reorg has caused me to likely go through a change in (and possible reduction of) responsibilities, change in management, and lots of personal pain in the process. While it's a blow to the ego, it seems to be the catalyst to solidify my life plans -- that's all I've thought about for the past month or so. While not yet mentally ready to FIRE, and financially still a bit frightened primarily because we do not have a good USA based budget for monthly living expenses (being abroad for a long time)... I find that I am thinking about things differently all of a sudden. My priority is to get the eldest out of high school before moving on... thus bound to around 21 months in this position. Subtracting about 2 months of banked vacation, plus another month to accrue in 2014, I guess it's more like 18 months of work ahead..... wow... that's just a year and a half. Two annual review cycles. (happy dance)....

So, put me down as a class of 2015 -- Hopefully in summer, and I will be just shy of my 46 th birthday at that point, God willing.... Wife will likely continue to work... and for me, it's probably a temporary pause/partial retirement til I find an interesting "Act 2".... Who knows what it may be -- i do have a passion for business and for people so like many, perhaps I will transition to run my own small business - not so much for just money but to keep my mind happy. My son keeps reminding me that everyone needs a "side hustle" so will search for mine.

So there, I said it in print. July 2015. Age 45. And to the guys at MegaCorp "*&CK you and the horse you rode in on !!!

I am SO at peace with this...it's been a real mental struggle for the past month going through the **** at work...feeling totally unvalued and disrespected.... wow... I am free. Thanks for today... thanks for this forum, some great people here... I dont post often, but i read a lot.
1. Ikubak - April - age 52
2. LoneAspen - Feb - age 48
3. Neihn - Dec -
4. Fourchristians - June
5. ABQ2015 - March - 59
6. Live and Learn - March - 52
7. SkeetShooter - December
8. DanD76 - June
9. Utrecht - Jan - Age 50
10. haloFIRE - August 14th - age 47
11. Doxiemama - November - age 52
12. Phil1ben - June 1 - age 53 now 55 at ret.
13. SonnyJim - January 1 - age 48
14. Theseus - July - age 59
15. cinman2000 - Jan - age 54
16. biker4life - July 2015 - Age 45
 
I am so new at this I had to fix my age. I will be 55 in 2015, not 52. I am 52 now so I fixed the list to reflect that. Also I switched from November to December due to health insurance coverage. One more month won't kill me hopefully.

1. Ikubak - April - age 52
2. LoneAspen - Feb - age 48
3. Neihn - Dec -
4. Fourchristians - June
5. ABQ2015 - March - 59
6. Live and Learn - March - 52
7. SkeetShooter - December
8. DanD76 - June
9. Utrecht - Jan - Age 50
10. haloFIRE - August 14th - age 47
11. Doxiemama - December - age 55
12. Phil1ben - June 1 - age 53 now 55 at ret.
13. SonnyJim - January 1 - age 48
14. Theseus - July - age 59
15. cinman2000 - Jan - age 54
16. biker4life - July 2015 - Age 45
 
Hell. Yes.

Targeting first week of 1/15 (15 months, 16 total days). Would make it 12/14 but we get paid for a "holiday break"--all the days between Xmas and New Years. Currently, as close as could be to starting to hate the j*b. Have already negotiated every other Friday off, taking days off here and there using up the tons of vacation I've accrued, and using a sick day monthly (I accrue 1 per month) just to hang in there. The bureaucracy, bullshit, incompetence, and overall mess of the place is...shall I say, seriously testing my target date?

First thing I've promised myself to do right after retiring/gaining my freedom is take a trip down the Amazon.
 
Forgot. I'll be 59 1/2 in 1/15. Not exactly early, but early enough for me.
 
I'm be joining this class in June 2015 at the age of 52. I just hit my number today, and will be working between now and then to fill three more buckets - for roof replacement, new car and that big 'unplanned' expense.
 
1. Ikubak - April - age 52
2. LoneAspen - Feb - age 48
3. Neihn - Dec -
4. Fourchristians - June
5. ABQ2015 - March - 59
6. Live and Learn - March - 52
7. SkeetShooter - December
8. DanD76 - June
9. Utrecht - Jan - Age 50
10. haloFIRE - August 14th - age 47
11. Doxiemama - December - age 55
12. Phil1ben - June 1 - age 53 now 55 at ret.
13. SonnyJim - January 1 - age 48
14. Theseus - July - age 59 (2014 - congrats :)
15. cinman2000 - Jan - age 54
16. biker4life - July 2015 - age 45
17. Al18 - June 2015 - age 52

Just updating the list. I got 500+ days to go :) Can't wait to see people dropping off the list as they RE.
 
To the Class of 2015 members:

Is anyone concerned about health insurance? At my company our premiums have gone from $400 per month to $1,500 per month for my husband and myself for our Aetna HMO coverage. This is over a period of 11 years. The past few years the premiums have gone up 20% per year. At first I had $30,000 put aside for health care, then $60,000, then $100,000 now my financial advisor at work told me to calculate $300,000 for ages 55 to 65 for health care coverage. That is $30,000 per year for ten years. Now my husband does have some health problems and does need some medications so I do usually spend $1,500 per year on medication co-pays for him. I am still planning on retiring at age 55 but spending $300,000 on health care coverage/co-pays is really hitting my retirement budget pretty hard. So much for the carefree retirement I have spent 30 years dreaming of and planning for.

I have read about the exchanges. Our combined taxable income will be approximately $60,000 but I can pull out another $20,000 if I need to, to pay for health care coverage which pretty much means we would be paying the max. Or I can keep my "Cadillac" coverage with Aetna HMO that is currently $1,500 per month.

If I survive to age 55 (my hope) (full retirement age), I will receive $300 monthly from age 55 to 65, from my company to help with health care cost. That amount will never increase. When they established that benefit that covered the entire healthcare cost for a couple.

Sorry this was such a long post but the healthcare element of retirement is stressing me out.

Doxiemama
 
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