What do you do for a living?

zerogravity said:
We are working now to support two kids in college....

Once kids are done with higher education we plan to use the empty nester years as a turbo charge to the retirement accounts. ....


--ZG
Click to expand...

We had three in private colleges simultaneously (only paid for four years each). After the last one graduated, we for the first time truly understood emotionally/subjectively that we make a lot of money. Savings have been supercharged and I finally was able to say something other than "four or five more years" to DW. :LOL:

Hope it works as well for you.
 
I am a CPA currently employed as a Vice President of Finance for an Energy company. Age 55 earn $200,000 per year. Plan to retire in the next 3 to 5 months. DW is already retired and pressing me to retire asap. We plan to travel, exercise, improve our golf game, take some classes at the local junior college,and improve our dancing. Also have a Motor Home we plan to take across the country. Long term we are going to visit a few retirement havens such as Panama, Costa Rica or South France to see if this might be a place we would like to live for periods of time. I currently max out my 401K contributions and save an additional 5,000 per month in after tax funds. No debt and $1,700,000 in liquid assets. Hope to work about 500 hours per year as a financial consultant until 60.
 
Brianeboatman said:
We all dream of retiring early here on this site. I'm curious, what do you do for a living? What kind of money do you make? And finally, what percentage of your wages are being invested to retire "early"?


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum
Click to expand...
Small business owner, currently take a salary of $100k, though my business makes more than that. I'd say I've put in 20-30% of my income in to either my business or some type of business for a while, now everything's paid for " home, etc ", I can probably push that to close to 50%, probably could do more than that but we like to travel, so...
 
I own a business and a commercial building. Targeting a 2021 (58 years old at that point) retirement as I sell my share of the business over the next 5 years. The building will probably stay with me for at least another 12 -15 years. We also have an eBay store on the side.
Income from the business is $275,000/ year plus a car, expenses, 401k and insurance. Income from the buyout is about $100,000/year. The commercial building throws off about $180,000 year, but that is all eaten up by the property taxes, upkeep and the mortgage. Payoff date is 2026. After that 2/3rd's will convert to income. The eBay biz generates about $6,000 a year.
We save about 50%++ of our take home for retirement. Plus all the buy out. EBay goes to vacations.
 
Last edited:
Naval Officer at around 17 years, surface warfare with a nuclear engineering subspecialty. Approaching command tour. My pay is a matter of public record. :)

DW is a director of gymnastics at a local YMCA with thousands of girls in her program.

We save roughly 45% of our gross every year.
 
braumeister said:
Oddly, despite the tough going, I still have good feelings toward the USAF, and thoroughly enjoy my occasional visits to bases. I would guess that any former military members here will understand that.
Click to expand...
I suspect that's because in the navy (I can't speak for the army or air force), one usually works as a part of a team, towards a common goal … whereas civilian employment has much more of an 'every man for himself' ethos.
 
I own a small chain of 4 coffee shops and a small strip mall that one is in, I used to work for the state in Human services while I was building up the business,so small pension eventually an added plus is low cost insurance in one year when my wife hits 55. I am trying to minimize my involvement a much a possible while my wife is as involved as ever.
 
Last edited:
Quit HS in the 10th grade, bounced from low paying job's while living job to job, paycheck to paycheck, hitchhiked from NY to AL and back to NY. Took and passed test for my GED. Worked doing roofing and siding, landed an apprenticeship in the painters union good job until the late 80's when the construction boom bombed. In 1990 got a job with NY state as a diesel mechanic, got promoted to supervisor, got promoted again to Superintendent, got promoted again to Assistant General Superintendent. Was on the way to my next promotion when diagnosed with the big "C". Took off work for 6 months for treatment, thank goodness for sick time. Went back to work and 2 months later voluntarily demoted back in job title 10% cut in pay but a ton less stress, had enough time in higher job as not change my pension. My boss sent me to a nice quite out of the way location. Finished my last 2 years and packed it in 12/02/15. Pension based on $110,000 and full medical for life. Not to shabby for only having a GED. Life worked out despite my best efforts at sabotage early on.
 
Mulligan said:
Ya but you could buy a soda, hamburger, and a gallon of gas to go buy it for a nickel. :) Try feeling peer pressured into buying a $40 Izod off of $2.30 an hour. Heck 30 years later the same shirt is cheaper now than it was then! :)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

My step father caught a ride to the mill each day with James Arness (Marshall Dillon) in the 30's. A few years prior to that his mom would give him a quarter. 5 cents for the bus ride downtown (Mpls), 5 cents for the movie, 5 cents for a sundae at Bridgeman's and 5 cents for the bus ride home. Of course his mom wanted the nickel change when he got home.
 
Bigdawg said:
5 cents for the bus ride downtown (Mpls), 5 cents for the movie, 5 cents for a sundae at Bridgeman's and 5 cents for the bus ride home. Of course his mom wanted the nickel change when he got home.
Click to expand...
Interesting how those prices have changed relative to each other. Imagine paying as much for a bus ride as for the movies today. :blink: You could probably take a cab instead. :LOL:
 
RISP said:
Interesting how those prices have changed relative to each other. Imagine paying as much for a bus ride as for the movies today. :blink: You could probably take a cab instead. :LOL:
Click to expand...

So I'm guessing here, but I would think 2-3 bucks for a bus ride, 5-6 bucks for the Bridgeman's sundae (do they still have Bridgeman's in the Midwest?) and about 8-10 bucks for the movie. Matinee maybe 6 bucks.

During pre marriage counseling in 1992 the guy told us he had just paid 37.5K for a Suburban. He said his mom said that was strange because she and dad paid 37.5 for their first house (early 60's SoCal).
 
Bigdawg said:
So I'm guessing here, but I would think 2-3 bucks for a bus ride, 5-6 bucks for the Bridgeman's sundae (do they still have Bridgeman's in the Midwest?) and about 8-10 bucks for the movie. Matinee maybe 6 bucks.
Click to expand...

In Boston Matinee's are $12.50/$11, normal seats are $14/$12.50 for an Adult/Senior. Might be able to get a little cheaper if you head to the suburbs...
 
ChiliPepr said:
In Boston Matinee's are $12.50/$11, normal seats are $14/$12.50 for an Adult/Senior. Might be able to get a little cheaper if you head to the suburbs...
Click to expand...



The local movie theatre in my town is $4 every night, with first run movies. I usually head to a theatre about 10 miles away for a better audio experience and they are $8. The prices are almost loss leaders to get you to buy the popcorn and soda and make their money that way.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Bummer dude. Ma always gave me extra dough so I could buy a small bag of (unbuttered) but fresh popcorn.
 
Senator said:
I am a data architect at a major US financial institution as my FT job.

I also have 24 rentals, a small mowing/snow plowing company, work as a property manager for the HOA, and manage another property for another investor.

I spend less than $30K a year. I have saved 100% of my take home net pay from my FT job, maxed out my 401K and HSA, plus saved another $7K a month. And I actually lived a bit.

Next year, 2015 saving projections are to save over $11K a month, plus my 401K and HSA, as I had some one-time expenses that are not going to happen in 2015. I paid off two mortgages and will not be giving/loaning my sister $29K.
Click to expand...

Congratulations, Senator! You DESERVED it!:dance:
 
I retired 3 years ago in 2013. Now I just teach yoga and Pilates so I'd have something to say when people ask the "What do you do?" question. Most are satisfied with that answer. No one ever followed up with "and you can live on that?" etc.

Before ER, I worked full time in Finance.

I saved over 50% of my earnings during working years to finance ER. I lived well during my working years and continue to live well now in ER.

Just hope I continue to enjoy good health and ER should be smooth sailing :)
 
I sell free, no-ad Android apps. Nobody has to know the "free" and "no-ad" part. If they think I've got thousands of installs a month at $0.99 each, or 500,000 installs, all showing ads, that's all on them :D
 
My first helmet from 1977 says Fireman on it. At some point in the mid 1980's it transitioned to Firefighter. So almost 39 years in the FD. Retired now for about 2.5 months. Still figuring out who I am now. Itching to find another job but DW keeping me retired for now.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Early Retirement Forum mobile app
 
Backdraft57 said:
My first helmet from 1977 says Fireman on it. At some point in the mid 1980's it transitioned to Firefighter. So almost 39 years in the FD. Retired now for about 2.5 months. Still figuring out who I am now. Itching to find another job but DW keeping me retired for now.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Early Retirement Forum mobile app
Click to expand...


The thought of having a j*b makes me itch too... Think it's hives...
 
Washed dishes in high school...briefly. Walked cornfields during the summer through college. Managed to survive two different megacorps 11 years before moving on to a family owned business. I didn't fit there either. Go figure. I "retired" so to speak in 2013 to become a SAHD. I ended up working full-time during tax season while the DW supports me and the two kids the rest of the year. My working helps me feel like I'm not a complete shiftless layabout and it helps with the savings.

I was proud to surpass $1M this last year in total assets, but we keep plugging away at the nestegg since the house/property is included in that figure. While we were both at full-time employment, we managed to save 60% of our gross income. It helps to make a decent amount and control what you spend. Timing is important, too. We paid off the house shortly after our first youngin' was born, so we traded a house payment for daycare.

I can't wait to be ready to be comepletely free of the necessity of work, but being so young, healthcare is the real question mark. By the time we are 50, and barring the shite hitting the fan, we'll have more money than we know what to do with. That's not to brag, it's just this frugality/cautious approach is a hard habit to break. Who knows... that market could go up in smoke and I won't have to worry about how to spend it. Time shall tell. We have been extremely fortunate so far, and I am eternally grateful I found this site in 2004. I haven't been back here to post for quite some time. Life gets in the way like that, sometimes.
 
Spent 12 years in the Navy as a submarine nuke mechanic, supervisor, and instructor before a medical discharge. Now I am a senior technical writer for a firm in the power industry (effectively what I do is tell companies what they've bought, how it works, and how to run it). I've been doing this for 8 years, picked up a B.S. in business management with a concentration in finance in the meantime and got serious about investing when I got out of the Navy.

Current goal is to be at least semi-retired in ~9 years (lots of 2-3 month contract gigs out there for my line of work).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Janet H
  • Sticky
Forums 101 - posting, accounts, basics (revised for 2024)
Replies
22
Views
235
Janet H
Janet H
S
Crazy how much things can change in less than 10 years
Replies
13
Views
813
Surewhitey
Surewhitey
N
Article: 'I'm too young to retire': What forced these workers to retire
2
Replies
46
Views
4K
meleana
M
E
Five Years Retired: Lessons Learned
2
Replies
35
Views
5K
Bullwinkle
B
G
Early Retirement SS Benefits Reduction due to Income earned questions.
Replies
8
Views
874
glasswave
G

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom