phase2
Confused about dryer sheets
What a fantastic forum. Yes, I've been lurking for a few weeks but it's time I come out and say hello.
I'm 34, married with 4 kids, and I'm very analytical by nature. I work from home as a Statistical Analyst in the Healthcare sector. But how did I get here, you ask? I had a wake-up call.
My DH started a new job last year. During his first week, he came home one evening telling me he found out something rather morbid at work that day. He discovered that the person formerly in his position had died...at work. The man was 63 and was only days from retirement. Other employees recalled him coming into work each morning with a cheery announcement of how many working days he had left. Then one day, sitting at his desk, he had a heart attack. The paramedics arrived, but it was too late. He died right there on the floor.
Days after hearing that story, I couldn't get it out of my mind. I started asking myself things like..."Am I going to work and save for 40 years just to end up dying before I can enjoy it?" This eventually led to a google search for "early retirement" and I found this site.
What once was a plan to put in 40 years with a respectable savings effort has become an obsession with retiring in 15 years and saving/investing like a madman.
So far, we've...
* Downsized our home from 2500 sf in an upscale neighborhood to 1000 sf in a working-class neighborhood
* Sold our extra 3rd vehicle, paid off the other two early
* SIGNIFICANTLY cut back spending, now living on only DH's income ($60k)
* Since downsizing, new mortgage is small and will be paid off in 3 years
* Saved $100k so far in a 401k
* Increased saving/investing to the point that my entire annual income ($110k) is going into 401k/Roth IRAs/Taxable Accounts
This entire process (and this forum) has been absolutely life-changing. I had never considered ER prior to last year and now that I know it's possible (from the motivational success stories found on this site) I'm more excited for our future than I've ever been.
I'm 34, married with 4 kids, and I'm very analytical by nature. I work from home as a Statistical Analyst in the Healthcare sector. But how did I get here, you ask? I had a wake-up call.
My DH started a new job last year. During his first week, he came home one evening telling me he found out something rather morbid at work that day. He discovered that the person formerly in his position had died...at work. The man was 63 and was only days from retirement. Other employees recalled him coming into work each morning with a cheery announcement of how many working days he had left. Then one day, sitting at his desk, he had a heart attack. The paramedics arrived, but it was too late. He died right there on the floor.
Days after hearing that story, I couldn't get it out of my mind. I started asking myself things like..."Am I going to work and save for 40 years just to end up dying before I can enjoy it?" This eventually led to a google search for "early retirement" and I found this site.
What once was a plan to put in 40 years with a respectable savings effort has become an obsession with retiring in 15 years and saving/investing like a madman.
So far, we've...
* Downsized our home from 2500 sf in an upscale neighborhood to 1000 sf in a working-class neighborhood
* Sold our extra 3rd vehicle, paid off the other two early
* SIGNIFICANTLY cut back spending, now living on only DH's income ($60k)
* Since downsizing, new mortgage is small and will be paid off in 3 years
* Saved $100k so far in a 401k
* Increased saving/investing to the point that my entire annual income ($110k) is going into 401k/Roth IRAs/Taxable Accounts
This entire process (and this forum) has been absolutely life-changing. I had never considered ER prior to last year and now that I know it's possible (from the motivational success stories found on this site) I'm more excited for our future than I've ever been.