After 10+ years, a first hello

[sestein1]

Hi everyone,

I am embarrassed to tell you how many years I have been lurking. I have found this forum to be a wealth of information and am very thankful that not everyone has been as bashful as I have been!

I am 56 and my youngest is headed to college in a week. I have an executive level job and between that and raising my kids (the younger is a gifted athlete so we have been traveling to tournaments for many years) , I really haven’t had time for hobbies or a lot of close friendships.

I have been thinking about ER for many years but now that I could retire if I chose to, I find that while I like being able to retire, I don’t currently have a desire to.. My job pays well and is very flexible. I currently work from home and will continue to do so most of the time even after we are able to return to our offices. I can also work from any geographic location and have enjoyed changing scenery every so often I hike continuing to have the structure of work in my days.

I am wondering if there are others like me who opted not to retire for a while once they were able to. What made you finally pull the trigger? How did you go about finding new hobbies and interests?

I would appreciate any insights you may have. And look forward to contributing now that I’ve broken through my hesitation.

 

[omni550]

Welcome aboard, and congrats on delurking!

omni

 

[Lewis Clark]

I cut back to part time work in 2017, because I had reached FI and was tired of working full time. I finally retired completely in 2020 when the job stopped being fun and I didn't want to do it any longer.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Amethyst]

I didn't have to "find" new hobbies/interests. I have had essentially the same ones since youth.

Didn't you like to do things, other than working, while you were working? Think about how much more time you will have to pursue them!

 

[rodi]

A couple of things to unpack in your post.

First - congrats on being FI and able to retire when you want to. And congrats on getting your youngest on a path to launch. (I have 2 months before my youngest starts college.)

There's a wisdom found here on ER.org that if you still enjoy work, keep working... but if your BS bucket fills up - or work is interfering with other interests... pull the plug and retire. I pulled the plug and retired when the bosses started making too many demands and I found work interfering with my outside interests.

As for hobbies/things to fill your time... One of the moderators, Walt34, has a signature line that inspires me - "I heard the call to do nothing. So I answered it." That said - I have found plenty to fill my time and not enough time to do 'nothing' in retirement. But I no longer have the pressure to get everything done on weekends or after work... I can take my time.

Several members had various glide paths to retirement after reaching their FI numbers... It's a big peace of mind to have F-U money if work is no longer fun. That alone can make work more tolerable.

 

[Montecfo]

It's Just Math

Welcome!

Yes I was FI about 5 years before I RE'd.

What made me pull the trigger? The fact that each year I chose to work meant one less year of not working.

It's just math.

 

[NW-Bound]

I enjoyed my work and was also paid reasonably well. At megacorp, people with specialized experience and knowledge were encouraged to work till their 70. However, I could not handle the bureaucracy and the Dilbert environment, and my wife told me I would develop high BP and it would kill me. So, I left.

If you do not have problem working, then there's no need to stop. At your age of 56, you are not that old. Many posters ask "do I need to continue to work?" I don't think there's anything wrong with the reverse question "do I have to quit?"

I do hope that you can get enough time off to smell the roses and do some recreational things, while you continue to work.

 

[tulak]

I’m planning on retiring when 55, for easy access to retirement accounts. That’s in less than seven years. I’m not fully FI, maybe barebones, and want more. I suspect I’ll be comfortably FI within the next 3-4 years.

Like you, I enjoy my work and will continue to work remotely. Remotely for me sometimes means different locations: Mexico, Europe, etc.

I’m happy with this arrangement and hope that it can last until retirement. For me, even 55 isn’t a hard date (still too far away), but as long as I don’t hate my job and think the extra money will improve my retirement, then I’d consider working longer.

But once I have an excess amount of money, then I’d pull the plug. I have other hobbies that I enjoy and it’d be nice to not think about work.

 

[DayDreaming]

I had plenty of hobbies and interests before retirement, so I didn't actively look for anything new to do. And right from the start, I've been surprised how quickly the time goes by - meaning I'm never bored, I just do my normal things, and the day is over before I know it. I often wonder how I had time for my hobbies when I was still working!

 

[Golden sunsets]

I loved my work. I owned my own company and worked years beyond becoming FI. I only stopped when the work, and associated income finally dried up, due to structural changes within the industry I was operating in. I was just shy of my 69th bday when that happened.

 

[38Chevy454]

Welcome out of the shadows. Great being FI and working because you want to. If your BS bucket gets full, or you develop hobbies or other interests that you would rather spend your time, you can stop working. Just knowing that you do not have to work is a great feeling.



In my case, I had more than enough hobby and outside work interests that I retired when I could. Although I did extend a little and worked part time the last year. Mainly for insurance coverage and also to line up with general planning.

 

[pacergal]

^^^ agree
just knowing that you can retire and do fine financially is great.
If you enjoy your job, stick with it. You will know when it is time to go. You may dread Sunday nights, get more frustrated with "asks" or add ons to your daily work, or what ever. Each of us had our own AHA moment!
Welcome to posting! Hope to hear more from you.

 

[Bigdawg]

Interesting post OP. As I am writing this the last meeting that I will ever attend is finishing up (online/phone con). I am slightly younger (will be 56 in October) and have been at 32 hrours/wk for 27 months now. Contract ends on Wednesday. 5 weeks vacation pay plus 13 weeks serverance pay. Sort of looking for something but not too hard. If something falls into my lap I will give it a chance. Starting working my hobbiles 10 plus years ago. Umpiring baseball and officiating volleyball. Also had kids in high level sports. DD played volleyball internationally (Australia and Ireland). DS played juniors hockey. At 26 and 28 they are still participating in their sports on a recreational level. I have been at basic FI for 11 years now. Although budget has adjusted upwards maybe 10-15% since then so technically not FI in retrospect. Best of luck OP. FI is a numbers game. RE is totally up to you (once FI of course).

 

[freedomatlast]

I was FI at your age but chose to work till 59 1/2. At 59 1/2, I was offered a very generous voluntary package, so I took it.

Then several months later after retiring, I was offered a consulting job that I turned down on several occasions, but finally took after they offered stupid high money. It is definitely in my area of expertise, but only the technical aspects of my old job which I enjoy and little of the management BS that drove me to retire at 59 1/2.

When I retired, I never thought I'd be doing this kind of work ever again, but you just never know where life will lead. When this consulting gig starts to feel like a job, that will be the end of it and I will go back to spending more time with my hobbies again.

 

[gbronc]

Same age as you. I am an executive in big tech, but my three children have already finished college and have paying careers. My last day of work is July 30. I had the same issue where the job is very flexible and pays quite well and requires limited amounts of my time. But I just began to get embarrassed at my lack of engagement and effort. I also wasn't adding considerably to my net worth anymore with annual earned income. You didn't say you disliked your job. If I really liked my job I would've stayed a while longer. As everyone says, you really have to think about your other interests and how you'll fill your time. As many have also stated, if you aren't already pursing an interest before retirement, you probably won't after it either.

Don't feel like you HAVE to retire. This forum can, at times, make you feel like you are crazy to not retire. You will know when the time is right.

 

[Secondact]

I have been a semi-lurker here since 2013. I was a hair shy of FI at 56. I am 62 now and still working because my career is enjoyable to me and allows time for my personal pursuits. It provides access to people and travel to places that would go away if I retired. I'm on the glide path to hang it up at the end of 2023.

I must say that I wear a mighty fine KMA hat to work every day, which has given me the confidence to expand my comfort zone exponentially and take chances (successfully) that I would never have taken earlier in my career.

 

[sestein1]

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome and replies! It helps to know that others who were FI chose to work for several years afterward. I don't mind my job but it definitely doesn't excite me. I will continue on for a while at least until I feel like I really don't want to do it anymore.

One thing I have found is that I like the structure of working. I don't want to work all day every day but I feel that the contrast between leisure time and work makes the leisure time so much more enjoyable. I need to do a better job of taking advantage of the flexibility I have and not sitting at my desk because it is during normal work hours.