Recent content by LaVieQ

I bailed out when I was 56 and my financial situation was similar to OP's. I could've continue to work on an as-I-pleased basis for a few more years, but, based on what people in this good community had to say, felt it better to leave early. It was not planned - a fortuitous situation arose...

Not a problem if you have interests and activities to pursue outside of work. It's been more than 2 years for me, and, I'm wondering where the retired life is that I had envisioned earlier: time to read books, watch movies, listen to music, and generally be useless. But, being Type Aish (not...

There were things I wanted to pursue in life outside of work - leisurely travel, healthy living, learning new things, having time to indulge in music or reading, etc. But, w*rk was getting in the way. Therefore, I quit. :-) I've been out now for 2 years and I have no regrets and don't miss...

Congratulations Bryan. I'll take a "two 6 mo vacation" to go. I retired on same date, but, in 2014 - I've just passed the 1 year & 3 mo mark. For a year, I lived and traveled in Europe and Asia, then shifted back to the US this year. Reno'd my US condo that I had bought a while back. That...

+1 I like that approach, although I don't have much in the way of inactive time after 1 year of leaving the yob. :-) To OP's dilemma: I was in a similar situation as I approached 55. I had enough in the way of saving and financial wherewithal to pull the plug, but, certain other (personal)...

I've lived mostly in condos or apt.s after graduation, and, yes, there were a couple where neighbors/thin walls were a nuisance. But, for the most part, as a single, I didn't enjoy living in a house - it feels too big. HOA's could be bothersome, but, it's not like one has to deal with them...

Yes, being out of the work place and doing things I want to do is definitely more energizing than dragging on and on at megac**p :-\. But, depending on the work situation, staying on need not be all bad if one can actively manage/shape one's work. I was in the OMY mode for 2+ years before I...

Planned on retiring at 55, stayed on until 57 as the work was not taxing and gave me an opportunity to go and see places around the world in the course of doing what I did.

I had told my management in year (N-1) that Year N would be my last year. At the beginning of year N, they offered a package to a few volunteers as they had to adjust the budget a bit. After a bit of back and forth, I was out of there in the 2nd month of Year N, with a package. So, my last year...

Excellent point. In fact, I moved to Seattle a decade ago and lived there for 2 years. In the second year, I felt as if I was just not interested in going to work anymore. There were days when I didn't want to get out of bed. It was around that time that I had started reading this forum, and...

My first post here, although I've been lurking for years, learning from the experience and the wisdom of the people on this wonderful forum. While I had planned on getting out at 55, I was fortunate enough to have an easy work life that made staying on an easy decision. So, I fell victim to the...