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Old 11-14-2019, 07:19 PM   #61
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No problems with job, just had enough dough. So many hobbies, so little time. Planned to retire (and gave notice) at 59.5, left 6 months early at 59.

No biggie. No angst, no soul searching, no doubts, no shame, no boredom, no remorse, no regrets.

Just lotsa fun!
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Old 11-14-2019, 07:55 PM   #62
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We have enough money. We don't know how much time we have remaining. So, didn't need the b.s., and I retired. Free 16 years, so far.
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Old 11-14-2019, 09:23 PM   #63
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I had a bad case of burnout but held on for @ 5 more years. It was a good discussion because I was able to add considerably to my NW mainly due to the increased value of company stock. At age 58 my body was hurting. I had a physical job as a tradesman. So basically I was hurting every day. I am lucky. I have the resources to be comfortable.
I’m afraid I’m not very good at this FIRE stuff. I like not having to bust my rear every day, playing more golf, being able to exercise more and eat better but I feel bored/unproductive. I have a move coming up so I’ll be able to keep busy getting my house ready to sell and relocating but after that I’m going to need to find a way to contribute. I have one thing that might be worthwhile to pursue. Nice that I don’t have to worry about compensation.
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Old 11-14-2019, 10:05 PM   #64
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Liked my job, most of the time, until the last few years. New management was destroying the culture that made it fun. Wife got sick and died, knew I couldn't travel and raise the kids as I wished while on the payroll. Did some math, saw I could hang it up. Volunteered to be a participant in a pending layoff and was treated fairly on my way out the door. Overall, a great career, more than I could have dreamed as a graduate of mediocre semi-rural/suburban HS in the 70's.

Never looked back, and don't spend time thinking about the once fulfilling and lucrative job.
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Old 11-14-2019, 10:54 PM   #65
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since you asked...two things really.

- my grandpa retired at 60 in 1959. that was unusual in those days. i would spend my summers with them and i think that's where the seed was subconsciously planted.

- my wife and i have been traveling and vacationing by motor home since 1986. during one of those early trips we were at a private RV resort in florida. they were advertising a special...$300 p/m if you booked 3 or more months. for fun we started playing the 'what if' game. we figured that all we needed were two FT min wage jobs...as long as our home was a 25' x 8' 'hallway'...in order to live pretty "good", good being one of those open-to-interpretation words. these days plenty of folks live and travel in their RVs full time but most are retired and have an adequate nest egg. but playing that game made us realize that ER as well as FI were attainable goals. so we worked hard, saved, invested in a LBYM lifestyle and we attained those goals in 2005 and 2006.
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Old 11-15-2019, 02:30 AM   #66
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Originally Posted by FlaGator View Post
Liked my job, most of the time, until the last few years. New management was destroying the culture that made it fun. Wife got sick and died, knew I couldn't travel and raise the kids as I wished while on the payroll. Did some math, saw I could hang it up. Volunteered to be a participant in a pending layoff and was treated fairly on my way out the door. Overall, a great career, more than I could have dreamed as a graduate of mediocre semi-rural/suburban HS in the 70's.

Never looked back, and don't spend time thinking about the once fulfilling and lucrative job.
Bolded by me - this statement is very true for me. Had a great career, but don't think about it anymore and don't keep track or in touch with anyone associated with it.
It is a whole different lifestyle in so many ways and we never feel bored, even when doing nothing.
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Old 11-15-2019, 04:26 AM   #67
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I had the $ to leave, and did not have the desire to stay.
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Old 11-15-2019, 04:52 AM   #68
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The company I had worked for, for most of my working life, went out of business and laid me off at the age of 45. I didn't feel like re-inventing myself in order to continue working, which is what would have been necessary. Early retirement at that point required me to commit to living on a fairly low income, and I was prepared to do that.

For me, the choices were -

1) Adapt myself to a different type of work, do whatever was necessary to remain in the work force and, in return, have a higher standard of living in retirement or

2) Stop working at that point, accept a lower material standard of living, but enjoy more years of doing what I want, when I want.


I chose #2. That was 10 years ago. I do occasionally wonder if I should have worked for another 5 or 10 years but, to be honest, had I done that, I most likely would have had moments in which I wondered whether I should have retired instead of continuing to work. Heck, I sometimes wonder what my life would have been life if I hadn't moved from the UK to the US in my early 20's. There is no way of knowing with these things. We can only move forward. Overall, I'm pretty comfortable with my decision.
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Old 11-15-2019, 06:04 AM   #69
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Reasons for finally pulling the plug?

I finally figured out what I wanted to do when I grew up and had the funds to do it.
This is my story also. Never even thought about retiring till I looked into it and realized I had enough and wanted to spend all my time doing the things I love to do it this world.
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Old 11-15-2019, 06:20 AM   #70
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I enjoyed my last career path of the past 20+ years and probably would have stayed a little longer even though I had enough to retire earlier. Unfortunately medical issues forced my to leave. We are financially set but the same health issues and a few more that are in the near future prevent me from doing most of what I had saved and planned for. Bummer. I guess my 2 grown step-children are going to be financially independent when the day comes. I hope they don't blow it or get pestered by their other relatives for the money and wind up struggling in their retirement years.


Cheers!
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Old 11-15-2019, 06:33 AM   #71
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OP should add a poll.

In my case I left to be a caregiver to an ill parent...didn't know at the time that would last well over a decade. Was able to work part-time for a member of my extended family until they sold their business.

Doubt I'd be able to return to full-time work at this point, fortunately spouse plans on working until we're both eligible for Medicare.
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Old 11-15-2019, 07:47 AM   #72
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I worked in a small family owned construction business. We had two employees killed in a job site accident, and I saw more than I needed to see. I was always able to bounce back from life's big hits (divorce, major illness, etc), but couldn't get up off the canvas from this one. When the owners of the company decided to continue on with their European vacation plans instead of delaying it by one day to attend the funerals, that was the straw that broke this camels back. It took a two year exit plan for me, but now I'm retired and travel full time. Every day is a vacation day for me..........
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Old 11-15-2019, 07:55 AM   #73
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Liked my job for the most part, enjoyed my co workers. Did not like the endless meetings.

A few years prior, started researching, landed here, and when I was comfortable with my answers to "Some Important Questions to Answer Before Asking - Can I Retire?", I retired at the earliest I could to max benefits.
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Old 11-15-2019, 08:13 AM   #74
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When I think about it, working was all about the benefit of something other than myself. Sounds selfish (maybe). My thoughts, decisions, motivations were about something other than my quality of life. It's good to be part of a team and accomplish goals, but who does that benefit in the long run? Sure, the paycheck or bonus made me feel special. Completing a project, so on was fulfilling to an extent. But it was for some entity that really did not benefit me. Unless, I were to leave some extraordinary legacy from my work, my ultimate goal was to have the freedom to live a less stressed life where I'm in control of my time and my goals.
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Old 11-15-2019, 08:37 AM   #75
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OP should add a poll.
I suppose one could try, but there seems to be a myriad of reasons, and many of us have multiple factors. Besides, I'm enjoying the stories, and young dreamers may find them motivating.
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Old 11-15-2019, 08:46 AM   #76
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I wish this thread had a poll.

I did one many years ago -- asking why people picked the date. IIRC, very few said "I never liked the work I did". Many pointed to a change -- new boss, re-organization, health problems -- as being thing that pushed them out. Some had a generic "I just got tired of dealing with the bureaucracy".
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Old 11-15-2019, 09:22 AM   #77
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I received a misdiagnosis of a serious medical condition that forced me to re-prioritize EVERYTHING that I’d previously found important. I found myself weighing assets/income/work against an ever-shortening opportunity to do the things that really mattered to me (family/friends/travel/fun). Three months (!) later when the misdiagnosis was corrected, my priorities remained shifted and I jumped at the first opportunity that came along (i.e. corporate downsizing). This was the best thing that could have happened to me...except for the gray hair gained during the 3-month death sentence.

I had a very good job with interesting opportunities, wonderful co-workers and a nice income. I now have a great retirement.
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Old 11-15-2019, 09:53 AM   #78
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I had the goal of FI @55 since I was in my late 20's. My goal wasn't to retire, but to be able to tell MegaCorp to go "pound sand" if I got fed up and not have to worry about being unemployed. In the first three months of this year, five different friends and relatives I hadn't seen in a long time asked me if I was retired yet.... As I am not quite 55, I laughed and said, "I wish". But it got me thinking and I started researching (found this place) and running numbers and scenarios. Around August I made the decision that DW and I could do it. Work had gotten to the point where I was ready to go immediately, but DW wasn't ready. She has several projects that she wants to accomplish before she quits. So we decided to RE in June of 2020. I am planning to let MegaCorp know I am quitting after the first of the year to give them time to find a replacement. If they kick me out early...Yeah me!!!
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Old 11-15-2019, 10:05 AM   #79
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What led you to retire??
When I was 20, courting my future bride, she and I agreed to a shared vision of how we wanted to retire.

I hated my job and what it did to me, but it offers a 20-year pension.

While I was working, we bought an apartment complex at each of our duty stations, and my wife managed them for me while I was deployed.

If I had been fully-disabled by my career, ideally we could have retired to manage one of those apartment complexes.

I was fortunate, in that I survived long enough to get my pension.

Retiring as young as possible had been our shared goal for the first 20 years of our marriage.

I had no intention of working any longer than the absolute minimum.
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Old 11-15-2019, 10:23 AM   #80
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I had always planned to retire at 55. But as that time approached I began to think I might work a few years longer. Ironically, just weeks before my 55th birthday, a family member required my assistance. So I retired at 55 as originally planned.
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