WestcoastRN
Dryer sheet aficionado
Not FIRE yet, but oh so close...17 months and counting
I'm a registered nurse (57), DH is a railroad conductor (60). Neither of us will have the "golden ticket" (big pension/paid healthcare) if we retired today or at 66. With that said, after working full time my entire life, I just went down to 24 hours a week as I wind down to retiring altogether when DH can fully retire from the railroad at 62.
On the flip side we've been diligent savers, living a very frugal - and happy - lifestyle. No debt, no mortgage. We've managed to accumulate >$850K in investments, and purchased a ski condo (for cash) which is expense neutral since we rent it out a good portion of the time in winter. My biggest concern, as I'm sure it is with most ERs, is health insurance.
I hope to learn a lot of investing strategies from this site, especially investors who started out as novices. We currently have our investments in a "Balanced Fund" at a large banking institution where we pay well over 1% management fees. Just when I start to think I can manage our retirement savings myself, I get cold feet. There's just so much to know though I'm the first to admit I don't know much at all when it comes to the what/where/how of investing.
Compared to most of my coworkers, friends, and family, who have lived way - WAY - beyond their means and will probably have to work well into their 60's or 70's, we'll be considered "early" retirees!
Cheers!
I'm a registered nurse (57), DH is a railroad conductor (60). Neither of us will have the "golden ticket" (big pension/paid healthcare) if we retired today or at 66. With that said, after working full time my entire life, I just went down to 24 hours a week as I wind down to retiring altogether when DH can fully retire from the railroad at 62.
On the flip side we've been diligent savers, living a very frugal - and happy - lifestyle. No debt, no mortgage. We've managed to accumulate >$850K in investments, and purchased a ski condo (for cash) which is expense neutral since we rent it out a good portion of the time in winter. My biggest concern, as I'm sure it is with most ERs, is health insurance.
I hope to learn a lot of investing strategies from this site, especially investors who started out as novices. We currently have our investments in a "Balanced Fund" at a large banking institution where we pay well over 1% management fees. Just when I start to think I can manage our retirement savings myself, I get cold feet. There's just so much to know though I'm the first to admit I don't know much at all when it comes to the what/where/how of investing.
Compared to most of my coworkers, friends, and family, who have lived way - WAY - beyond their means and will probably have to work well into their 60's or 70's, we'll be considered "early" retirees!
Cheers!