normal to feel apprehension as ER date gets closer?

[retiringat50]

Decided in Dec/Jan that Im going to ER mid July
As the date gets closer Im feel more apprehension
Of course it doesnt help that I set up a 72t w/Fidelity!

 

[Rambler]

I don't even have a final date, still a couple or so years out, and I have apprehension...of course, this market has thrown water on my plans...options and SARs that were riding high in June 07 are now well below the low-tide marker...still, we'll make it, but we may have to adjust our anticipations a bit.

R

 

[Moemg]

I got apprehensive as the days dwindled down . I had worked thirty nine years so work was always a big part of my life . The apprehension disappeared after the first few weeks . Mine was more apart creating a new life than money .

 

[REWahoo]

I had just the opposite emotion - as the date got closer I became more and more euphoric.

Everyone is wired a little differently of course, but if it really doesn't feel right and you haven't passed the point of no return, why not delay? To my way of thinking, ER should be a positive experience and not a source of apprehension.

 

[CyclingInvestor]

I had just the opposite emotion - as the date got closer I became more and more euphoric.

Everyone is wired a little differently of course, but if it really doesn't feel right and you haven't passed the point of no return, why not delay? To my way of thinking, ER should be a positive experience and not a source of apprehension.

same here - as the date got closer, I was more and more relaxed.

 

[Khan]

I only had about six weeks between acceptance of early retirement application and actual date of retirement. I was euphoric the whole time.

 

[Dawg52]

I retired this time last year, just in time for spring golf. So I had not problems what so ever. Sometimes I do think about the income I gave up from my old employer, but I quickly get over it. Just have to remember I'm now being paid as the good ole Norwegian widow. Worked for her.

 

[Rivrider]

I'm feeling a little nervous because of the market lately. But overall, as my ER date gets closer, I'm feeling good and looking forward to it.

 

[travelover]

I think it is perfectly normal to feel apprehension. You are making a big change in your life and probably have internal (and external) doubts about the decision. I know I certainly did.

Like any change, it may take some time to adjust. Once I had run numerous retirement calculators and they all said go, I jumped - and started concentrating on making my new life.

 

[Walt34]

I had the same experience of apprehension/euphoria at the same time. It is a big change, no question.

You'll learn to like it. If not, you can get a job, or there is no shortage of suggestions here for things to do. But it's nice to be in a position wherein working is optional.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Congratulations on the July date!

I imagine it will feel like leaping off a cliff (like we felt when we first started paying college tuition for our kids) so some level of apprehension would not be unexpected.

Paula Zahn who has a new PBS show called "Retirement Revolution" (MassMutual sponsored- Retirement Revolution® to premiere March 31 on PBS) was on the Today Show this morning and she said the people who are most worried about making it in retirement are the ones who have carefully planned for it (imho because most of the people who haven't planned for it obviously weren't worried about it or they would have planned). So you are probably well prepared if you are worried.

 

[dex]

I had just the opposite emotion - as the date got closer I became more and more euphoric.

Everyone is wired a little differently of course, but if it really doesn't feel right and you haven't passed the point of no return, why not delay? To my way of thinking, ER should be a positive experience and not a source of apprehension.

That was my reaction also.
Once I stuck a pin on the date; it felt as if a weight was lifted off my shoulders.

 

[M Paquette]

I just retired 3 weeks ago. Up until about two weeks before The Date, I was getting sort of apprehensive. Nervous. Wired and having second thoughts.

I reviewed all my numbers for retirement finance, spent a weekend retesting everything, sat down with my wife and bored her to tears going over everything. She reassured me that it sounded like I had considered everything, and we'd be fine.

I made a conscious decision to stop second and third guessing myself.

That certainty that I was going to retire, and would be OK, is what allowed me to finally really believe that I could let go of things at work. That last two weeks were oddly euphoric, a sort of surrender of work and responsibility to the folks who would be taking over my responsibilities.

Of course, now I have new responsibilities. Should I go scratch the cat behind the ears, or go check on how the roses are doing? Decisions, decisions...

 

[Goonie]

I had just the opposite emotion - as the date got closer I became more and more euphoric.

same here - as the date got closer, I was more and more relaxed.

That was my reaction also.
Once I stuck a pin on the date; it felt as if a weight was lifted off my shoulders.

Ditto what they said! And as each day drew closer to my target, I felt more and more excited, like I was getting ready to take a long, fun-filled vacation! Once I had cyphered everything out and had run all the numbers.....several times.....I never felt an ounce of apprehension.....only excitement!

Nothing has changed in the past 51 weeks since I bailed out......except maybe I'm even a bit more happy and excited with my ER decision!

 

[W2R]

I worry too much.

This is why I am moving my portfolio into my planned retirement asset allocation now, even though I won't be retiring until late 2009. I am not spending the dividends.

The advantage for me is that now I can see and experience exactly how much my portfolio produces, while I am still working and "safe". A lot of people probably could just figure out how the portfolio should be doing in Excel, and be happy with that. But for me, actually experiencing my money market account growing from just what my portfolio is producing, and seeing real $$ accumulating really cuts down on my normally excessive worry.

 

[kaudrey]

Paula Zahn who has a new PBS show called "Retirement Revolution" (MassMutual sponsored- Retirement Revolution® to premiere March 31 on PBS) was on the Today Show this morning and she said the people who are most worried about making it in retirement are the ones who have carefully planned for it...

----

Sounds like my father in a way. I was showing him my assumptions over Christmas to get his input (he retired early too), and he said, "You'll be fine. I suspect that the people who have the spreadsheets are the ones that don't really need them."

 

[Nords]

... the people who are most worried about making it in retirement are the ones who have carefully planned for it...

That's probably more successful than the "blissful ignorance" approach.

I think a lot of people worry about many aspects of their upcoming ERs. Yet six months after ER their chief reaction is to wonder what the heck they were worrying about.

 

[megacorp-firee]

I had seriously planned for retirement for about 4 years prior to 'pulling the ripcord'. By the time I got to 6 months before the date, I had my job on 'autopilot' and had lost my passion for working.
No apprehension at all... mostly anticipation. Being financially prepared made it a lot less stressful.
When I finally got to FIRE, I threw myself into serious retirement. I am thoroughly enjoying it. Best of luck to you.