My mega corp had been downsizing for several years following the 2008 financial crisis. My boss comes to me in 2012 with an offer for a lateral move to an area that presented little interest to me. I had really enjoyed my career there, but it was clear I was out of runway. Went home that night and talked it over with DW, and concluded I didn’t really need to work anymore. Next morning, I told my boss to just give me a package. They did. No regrets. Never looked back. Retired at 49. Moved to Florida. Life is good.!
How abrupt was your final decision?
- Thread starter FLSUnFIRE
- Start date
To everyone at my company, my decision to "suddenly" retire at 59 1/2 years old appeared to be out of the blue and reckless. However, I had been making plans to retire in the summer of 2020 and had everything ready to go but felt bad about leaving my boss so had not given notice. I was very loyal to him. Then one morning in June came the shake up where the technical support people for the products I was responsible for were laid-off or moved to other departments, and I was told I would be working for a SVP that I did not want to work for. Plus I had no technical support for the products. I immediately gave a two week notice and have not looked back. Life is good!
Wow, I love this thread! Too many great stories to quote! I still love hearing such stories even though I've been out for 6 years. I used to read these inspirational stories on my smartphone during those long pointless w*rk meeting.
I especially love the short notice, "drop out of warp speed" stories!
"It's better to burn out, than to fade away..."
I especially love the short notice, "drop out of warp speed" stories!
"It's better to burn out, than to fade away..."
Al in Ohio
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
I'm in One More Month (OMM) mode right now. My planned FIRE date was this past April, but when Covid-19 hit and we all started working from home, I put off the decision in part because I expected a RIF to come along. Also, Covid-19 has greatly impacted two of my planned ER activities; international travel and live music. So, I keep working.
My Megacorp has reported 3 straight quarters of declining revenue and profit so a RIF is still a possibility. The fact that they haven't announced any company wide restructuring changes so far is unique in my 22 years with them. Just my luckMy new target date is April 1, 2021. There is a small benefit to me by working enough to log another year of "substantial social security earnings." But I can relate to all of the other comments about how the BS can actually get harder to put up with once you're FI.
If I can hang on until Thanksgiving then the rest of the time will be all down hill. We have to use up our vacation time by year end, so December is usually a cake walk with so many people taking time off. Since we get our new vacation time in January, I will only have to work about 40 days to get three months of pay next year. I am really hoping that the world will be a much better place to live by next spring.
I would hang on til Jan next year. It’ll be here before you know it. Retired and stuck at home during Covid is no party. Rack up some more bennies and cash.
Markola
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Actually, I retired in July and am stuck at home and am enjoying the party. 
It’s a great relief from constant Zoomland, which was oppressive to me.
It’s a great relief from constant Zoomland, which was oppressive to me.
KarlH
Recycles dryer sheets
I actually decided Wednesday, gave notice Thursday, and finished my last day Friday. I am glad to be gone, but will need a week or two for it to sink in. In the meantime, I can take the dog on long walks and help DD with school.
Markola
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Way to rip the bandaid off and get on with it! I gave a month’s notice and it sucked waiting for the big day.
1242Vintage
Full time employment: Posting here.
My retirement decision was made very quick.
I had an annual review mid-March 2020, all was good and fine there with all performance objectives. After CEO and I both signed the review, I took the opportunity to spontaneously change the subject to my retirement. I hadn’t really given much thought to retirement before that conversation.
Walked out of that meeting with a May 1, 2020, retirement date.
I dropped my stuff in my office, took the elevator down from the Exec floor and out to the patio on the ground floor. Called my wife with a ... guess what I just did honey ... celebratory phone call.
I had an annual review mid-March 2020, all was good and fine there with all performance objectives. After CEO and I both signed the review, I took the opportunity to spontaneously change the subject to my retirement. I hadn’t really given much thought to retirement before that conversation.
Walked out of that meeting with a May 1, 2020, retirement date.
I dropped my stuff in my office, took the elevator down from the Exec floor and out to the patio on the ground floor. Called my wife with a ... guess what I just did honey ... celebratory phone call.
scrabbler1
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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- Nov 20, 2009
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- 6,698
I remember in the months leading to my giving the month's notice of my leaving, I was constantly asking myself, "Why am I still working here?" But after I gave the notice, I was so relieved to have stopped asking myself that question any more.
We had a plan... we called it BEXIT..(Wife is called Becky and were originally from UK!) We had a Soft Medium and Hard Bexit plan... for 2,3 5 years in the future... But in 2017 our circumstances changed... My Ankle fusion Op got brought forward... andWife was not enjoying working for her sociopath boss.... So daringly Post Op Recovery we said F**K it and stepped off the train.... We made a bold move to Vancouver Island and have been retired ever since... Think we surprised all our friends who thought we were only joking about retiring in our early 40's. Haven't regretted our decision... We don't know any other early retirees so finding our own way thru experiences.
Koolau
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
I love the name of your plan.
Only spent one day on Vancouver Island and I think you'll love it there. Best of luck.
Vincenzo Corleone
Full time employment: Posting here.
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2005
- Messages
- 617
Abrupt.
I discovered irrefutable information that made me realize boss was taking me for a fool.
I quit the next day after discussing it with my wife.
I discovered irrefutable information that made me realize boss was taking me for a fool.
I quit the next day after discussing it with my wife.
Dtail
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Sounds like a good decision.
Montecfo
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
It was not abrupt for me. I had been planning it for 5 years. The exact timing was dictated by my desire to spend the summer travelling. So retired May 2019.
No regrets.
To retire you have to leave money on the table. I just did not want to leave "life" on the table.
No regrets.
To retire you have to leave money on the table. I just did not want to leave "life" on the table.
Montecfo, I totally agree... some people just don't get it.... they think Being able to Retire is a $$ figure or a status... Its more of a mindset.. a state of mind that says... I'm so done with wishing away 5/7 of my life waiting for the next rushed, exhausting weekend. To step off the train while its still moving means you are giving up on some unknown final destination on the tracks... but you are now free to enjoy the station you are at before you pass it by!
brett
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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- 5,925
I got the heads up that I would be the target of a package within the next few weeks that had a target end date of six weeks from that time.
I was thrilled. I had been waiting for it and expected it at some point over the next 9-12 months. It gave me time to speak with several colleagues who had experienced the same in terms of what the package would be and what the final negotiated package would be. And engage counsel to negotiate on my behalf.
It was a great ending to 25 years with megacorp. Great company for 25 years, treated me well from day one until we agreed to the final package 25 years later. I consider myself to be have been extremely fortunate.
I was thrilled. I had been waiting for it and expected it at some point over the next 9-12 months. It gave me time to speak with several colleagues who had experienced the same in terms of what the package would be and what the final negotiated package would be. And engage counsel to negotiate on my behalf.
It was a great ending to 25 years with megacorp. Great company for 25 years, treated me well from day one until we agreed to the final package 25 years later. I consider myself to be have been extremely fortunate.
pacergal
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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- 5,875
We were told by FA that we could retire 5 years before we did. Even with her assurances, I did not feel ready financially, but was burnt out on my job. DH and I made a 5 year plan, based on measurements I needed to meet to get very well subsidized healthcare in retirement.
Changed positions, loved my new job and new boss. A year later was given a raise and higher position. Started really not liking the politics, which got worse each year.
Kept the 5 year plan, but moved it up a few months.
DH left abruptly mid year due to health, I left a few months later.
Changed positions, loved my new job and new boss. A year later was given a raise and higher position. Started really not liking the politics, which got worse each year.
Kept the 5 year plan, but moved it up a few months.
DH left abruptly mid year due to health, I left a few months later.
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ls99
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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For several months carried my completed but not signed resignation letter in my pocket. One fine day when a load of crappy assignements were handed out, I interrupted the meeting and said count me out, I'll be gone in two weeks.
Extracted the crumpled document from my pocket, signed it and handed it to the boss.
The sight of dropped jaws was priceless!
Extracted the crumpled document from my pocket, signed it and handed it to the boss.
The sight of dropped jaws was priceless!
Markola
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
^^^^^^^ Ding, ding, ding...I think we have a winner!
Out-to-Lunch
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
^^^^^^ Yes, that is hard to top!
mitchjav
Recycles dryer sheets
About a year before I retired I thought I would work for about 3 more years. This was late 2017, just before my 59th birthday and I figured I'd go to 62. During 2018, I was just getting more and more frustrated.
+ I was in an IT sales engineering role and the industry was changing yet again (more reliance on cloud, hardware getting harder to sell, more of the interesting work was being done on the software side (where I wasn't)).
+ My company had gone through a merger and as much as there was a goal to have the entire combined company act as a unified organization, it wasn't happening. There was still a lot of in-fighting and distrust. There were incentives in-place driving different parts of the company, who were supposed to be aligned, to go in different, conflicting directions.
+ Management was be coming even more numbers driven than usual. The final straw for me was at a mid-year review. Despite all the frustration, I had had quite a good half-year - beating my goals by a healthy margin. Rather than any positive feedback, management lit into me (and almost everyone else in my position) for not doing even better. (It didn't help that my own management was being goaled and evaluated on metrics other than my peers and I were).
Shortly after that review, I scheduled a meeting with a financial advisor that I had been working with for a year or so, and asked him to validate my thinking that I was in a position where I could leave. He assured me that I could. I was going to do it towards the end of the year - but was so unhappy, that I decided to pull the trigger in early September. My boss asked me to stay on through the end of the August-October quarter, which I agreed to do.
My last day was November 2, 2018.
So, I guess you could say it was fairly abrupt vs. my original and even against my revised plan - but looking back, best decision ever!!!!
+ I was in an IT sales engineering role and the industry was changing yet again (more reliance on cloud, hardware getting harder to sell, more of the interesting work was being done on the software side (where I wasn't)).
+ My company had gone through a merger and as much as there was a goal to have the entire combined company act as a unified organization, it wasn't happening. There was still a lot of in-fighting and distrust. There were incentives in-place driving different parts of the company, who were supposed to be aligned, to go in different, conflicting directions.
+ Management was be coming even more numbers driven than usual. The final straw for me was at a mid-year review. Despite all the frustration, I had had quite a good half-year - beating my goals by a healthy margin. Rather than any positive feedback, management lit into me (and almost everyone else in my position) for not doing even better. (It didn't help that my own management was being goaled and evaluated on metrics other than my peers and I were).
Shortly after that review, I scheduled a meeting with a financial advisor that I had been working with for a year or so, and asked him to validate my thinking that I was in a position where I could leave. He assured me that I could. I was going to do it towards the end of the year - but was so unhappy, that I decided to pull the trigger in early September. My boss asked me to stay on through the end of the August-October quarter, which I agreed to do.
My last day was November 2, 2018.
So, I guess you could say it was fairly abrupt vs. my original and even against my revised plan - but looking back, best decision ever!!!!
Great story. At one time I had the signed undated resignation letter ready to go but I didn't use it.
martyp
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
I decided similarly. I had decided I could retire but was waiting to see if there would be improvements at the start if the fiscal year. Instead my boss asked me to start a search to hire a new technician (which I didn’t think I needed). I hated the hiring process and it made no sense to be involved if I wasn’t planning to be here by the time they arrived. The next day I handed in my notice.
harley
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Let's see. I got a paper route when I was 12, and started planning my exit the first time it snowed. I spent pretty much my entire working life planning on retiring early. Obviously there were delays after marriage and a kid, but I always had it in mind. We lived our lived below our means in an attempt to be FI. Once that was achieved I hung around a few more years so I could get retiree medical coverage (pre-ACA). The minute I had that in hand I was gone. So no, not abrupt.
