Hi There

frayne

Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Joined
Oct 18, 2002
Messages
3,903
Location
Chattanooga
Friday night and getting ready to go in for a 12 hour night shift. I'm 51 years old, married, home owner, kid in college (senior) and debt free. Been contributing to my 401K for over 25 years (yes I'm diversified). Work for a F-500 company and hoping an ER package will come down the line in the next year or two. Want to be ready to take advantage of it, if it happens or bail at age 55. Really need to get that golf score below 80 on a consistent basis. Hope to gain some useful insight by participating in this forum.
 
Welcome! It sure sounds like you are well-positioned for early retirement!

Good luck!

Dory36
 
Hello board, I just found this board and it is what I've been looking for! I am 53 and semi-retired, mainly due the fact that my wife is a full time bank employee here in our small town. She loves her job so she won't mind hanging in there for 4 to 5 more years. She works less than a mile from home so she's happy, a big plus! I work in the local school cafeteria 4 hours a day and enjoy all the the holidays and days off the kiddies do, and believe me they get alot of time off! Not having to draw much down from my investments yet. I look forward to sharing ideas with all of you. ER has been my mantra for years.
John T
Boerne, TX
 
HI John! If you enjoy retirement as much as I do you
will be a happy camper. Suggest you read Paul
Terhort's book, 'Cashing in on the American Dream;
How to retire at 35'. Paul is my retirement guru.
If you can't locate a copy (out of print now), I know
the Irving, Tx. library has a copy. I semiretired in 1993
and then lived and worked in the Dallas area for
4 years (part time mostly). Anyway, retirement for me
has worked out great. Best decision (other than
marrying my wife) I ever made. Good luck!
 
Welcome!

As you've read from others, early retirement is not something anyone seems to regret!

It seems like people only return to work because their spending is out of proportion to their portfolio. I guess that's why many of us focus so much attention on the realistic amounts one can withdraw from a portfolio, and not risk having to go back to work!

Dory36
 
Dory 36 has it right. I have covered all of the
"worst case" scenarios I can think up. Have not come
up with anything that would force me back into the
workforce. Interesting, as for most of my career I was
a textbook workaholic. Like to say that I went from
a man of influence to a man of indolence almost overnight :).
 
Willpower reinforcement

I have noticed that my willingness to spend has dropped even lower now that any purchase involves the hidden question "Would you go back to work to buy this?"

Baanista

How 'bout them Bandera Bulldogs! - 2002 Texas 3A Champs!
 
frayne said:
 Really need to get that golf score below 80 on a consistent basis.  Hope to gain some useful insight by participating in this forum.

Frayne: Had to reach back to forage that quote from the archives. ;) Your name, plus a fairly good memory (about the important things) ;) allowed me to do so.

I retired in 1987 just short of being 50, my kids being pretty much raised at that point, and plugging in inflation (and no pension, or health ins.) had equivelent to your assetts.

I had a couple of things in my favor. (I knew what I wanted to do with my freedom, and a wife that was willing to move 600 miles away to allow me to do so.)

I was a low-handicap golfer (2), but never had the time to put in the range work, etc. that is required to get to the next level. The Senior circuit begins at age 50, so it was a mad dash to put in, sometimes 6 or 7 hours a day at the "range" to have the chance of competing at that level. When I was 52, I qualified for a slot
and my playing partners were Lee Trevino, Chi Chi Rodrigues, and Billy Casper.

I found that I could I could match them for distance, but the 30 something years of refining tournament play, and subtleties of the game that they refined over the years, was not going to be a realistic goal for me personally.

I have, since that time, confined myself to playing in non-professional tournaments that are driving distance for me.

I have mentioned a number of times on this board, that I have seen a number of retirements busted on the "boredom" and "ego" issues, but very few on the financial issues.

If you have a plan on what you want to do with the rest of your life, (and it sounds like you do),
then by all means do it.

Good luck, Jarhead
 
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