Almost there - Need Encouragement

[RetiredAt49]

Well, I turned in my two weeks notice today, so here we go! FIRE'd as of 5/5!

[emoji322] [emoji322] [emoji322] - you will not regret it! Congrats!

 

[Katiek]

Congrats. You've clearly thought about this and planned for a long time, so this isn't some sudden, unplanned decision. Now go enjoy!

 

[DesertSolitaire]

Congratulations and enjoy your early retirement. Very inspiring.

 

[pacergal]

congrats, the date is getting close!

 

[Shepard]

Thank you, everyone! It does feel strange knowing I will be done Friday afternoon. I know others have said this before, but I was still surprised by the variety of reactions to the announcement at work.

 

[Act2]

Love hearing that you are on track! Congratulations!

 

[Slim11]

Congrats. I will be joining you soon. Its a lot to think about, but I find the closer the date gets the easier it is.

 

[WhenIsItTime]

Thank you, everyone! It does feel strange knowing I will be done Friday afternoon. I know others have said this before, but I was still surprised by the variety of reactions to the announcement at work.

I went through that 4 years ago. Surreal time. Hard to explain to peers, especially those more flippant with money. I still have friends who check in on me to see if I went back to work somewhere.

Congrat's! You earned it. Hopefully you wake up every day feeling blessed to be in control of your time.

Purpose is key to many for satisfaction. Mine is family, health, fun, continual learning, giving back. Find/embrace yours. Enjoy the process.

 

[Rianne]

Congratulations! You planned and executed, thought it through, and here we are!
We executed without planning but it all worked out. Sometimes events in life just happen, for us, happened for the better.

 

[Unpaintedhuffhines]

Update 4/6/2023

Once the market started turning down at the start of 2022, I decided to wait it out a bit and kept saving/working as my portfolio dropped. Fast forward to today, I am back at 30.5A (years of living expenses), or a 3.28% withdrawal rate, with an extra 4A on the side for various contingencies and sinking funds.

I am moving toward a retirement date somewhere between 5/5/2023 and 6/2/2023, but I still find myself thinking about OMY. I make enough and live frugally enough that OMY is worth 2A in additional savings. I'm getting more confident I am ready but it feels like a lot of money to walk away from at 43.

Thanks for listening

To be clear: it *is* a lot of money you are walking away from. You are in your prime earning years, and if you're like most, if you continue to work, it's the most lucrative time (financially) in your career. That being said, only you can determine if you have enough and whether the juice is worth the squeeze. Once I was well past my number, I realized I was trading time I would never get back for money I would never need (someone else coined this phrase, but I have used it as my mantra).

Retired 7 months ago, and I could not be happier.

 

[Shepard]

Well, it is technically Day 3 of retirement, but today is the first Monday after the weekend where I didn't have to go into work. It feels strange, but in a very good way! It is still hard to believe I don't have to go back.

Thank you again to everyone for the thoughts and encouragement!

 

[Youngblood]

Congrats, Shepard! For you, every day is Saturday, now