Thanks for pulling me through

[AboutThere]

Well Class of 2024 it is!

Started here 8 years ago when my older brother was laid off at 64 and we had some questions. Then my sister was laid off at 64, and then my other sister was laid off at 64 and I said "I'd better have a plan."

So, knowing nothing about anything financial, and being in a bad starting place in my 50s, I dug in here. Posted a little, but read a lot. Saved a lot. Didn't blink in Dec 2018. Didn't blink in March 2020 or 2022. Stayed the course.

When others have questioned my plan to leave before SS kicks in I've come here to shore myself up.

When my "advisor" (re: salesman) said he'd only charge me 70 basis points he didn't expect that I knew that equates to thousands of dollars every year. Thanks for that information. (We parted ways last week)

One life-altering post taught me about 457s - I had no idea I could open one, and that has been crucial in my planning. Tax planning advice has also been crucial.

Before I came here I made every mistake you can make financially (that's for another post!) but I'm proof you can recover, even starting in your 50s, if you have the information and you have a plan and stick to it.

So thanks to all of you - you don't even know that you helped me navigate this and come out the other side.

 

[Midpack]

Thanks for sharing. Almost all of us have benefited from ER.org, I certainly have in the 5-6 $ figures, and almost all seem willing to help those following the same path as well.

 

[LateToFIRE]

Congrats!

 

[NanoSour]

Great post and congratulations. Posts like yours helps pull others through.

 

[Rickt]

Congratulations on your retirement!
Best wishes!!

 

[pacergal]

Congratulations on your retirement!

Yes, this forum is full of wonderful folks willing to share their knowledge and experiences. I am so thankful I found it several years ago.

 

[AboutThere]

Congratulations on your retirement!

Yes, this forum is full of wonderful folks willing to share their knowledge and experiences. I am so thankful I found it several years ago.

Yes - although I post sparingly, I read here often, especially when I'm nervous about the market. It's a good group of people for sure.

 

[brucethebroker]

Congrats!
Now, if you can just figure out what to do with all that spare time......(I highly recommend naps!).

 

[Chuckanut]

Success stories are always good to read.

 

[mystang52]

Great to read this. This site has been very valuable to me over the years, but especially so in the time before I ER'd.

 

[freetodream]

What a great post. Congrats!

 

[frayne]

Before I came here I made every mistake you can make financially (that's for another post!) but I'm proof you can recover, even starting in your 50s, if you have the information and you have a plan and stick to it.

Congrats and don't feel like the Lone Ranger as we all have made some mistakes along the way to FIRE.

 

[athena53]

Thanks for telling your story. It's especially encouraging to see someone in their 50s making positive changes that made a difference. Seeing family members lose their jobs can be a wakeup call- my Dad was "demoted" (I'd ever heard that term before then) from his job managing a steel plant when he was in his mid-50s. He and Mom moved to Myrtle Beach, bought a house for cash and enjoyed a simple but happy retirement. They're both gone now but they were a shining example. That incident was a stark reminder to me that jobs don't always last as long as you want them to.

And yes, it's funny that many people think retirement = "Start collecting SS". It doesn't have to.

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

Best FI place on the internet here. If there was a way to calculate the value of the hive knowledge here it would be quite dramatic. Certainly not an exageration to say 10s-100s of millions of money saved/earned by those participating and those that just lurk. Not just the purely financial but health and other life topics that come up here. And if you get to meet any of the regulars they are just as awesome in person IME.

 

[38Chevy454]

Good story about perseverance and sticking to your plan. You don't have to be 100% right in all financial decisions, but knowing what you do now, you increase your odds for success tremendously. Welcome to the retirement club.

 

[Dtail]

Congrats on your journey.
Yes this is a great site and I only wish I could have discovered it before 2017.

 

[AboutThere]

Good story about perseverance and sticking to your plan. You don't have to be 100% right in all financial decisions, but knowing what you do now, you increase your odds for success tremendously. Welcome to the retirement club.

That's a key point - just set the mistakes aside and keep moving in the right direction. It wasn't perfect, I didn't secure that last .25% etc., but we have enough to not w*rk any more

 

[dixonge]

Well Class of 2024 it is!
<snip>
Before I came here I made every mistake you can make financially (that's for another post!) but I'm proof you can recover, even starting in your 50s, if you have the information and you have a plan and stick to it.

So thanks to all of you - you don't even know that you helped me navigate this and come out the other side.

Congrats from a fellow mistake-maker, but at least you didn't come here and attempt to convince others how your mistakes weren't mistakes.....

 

[brokrken]

Congrats and good luck in your retirement!

 

[ecowtent]

Congrats! I feel the same way. so much knowledge and help.

 

[indiajust]

It's an excellent place to avoid the ready, FIRE, ... aim sort of problem. Just cool off and read a bit to take edge off big decisions.

Some calamity cannot be avoided, just bear up. But many times we don't need to be faster and smarter to the point of perfection, just a bit better than average. This place helps with that.

Choose your fellow travelers well. The road takes care of itself.

 

[Koolau]

OP's confession that s/he had made every mistake in the book before finding this site rang true with me. I thought I was the only one that had gone through that. The only claim I've ever made is that I was a good saver. Other than that, I learned much from this site and do give thanks often for the FIRE community.



Congratulations to AboutThere. To the extent we were of help to you, you are most welcome. We look forward to stories about your Early Retirement.