Hello All,
52, DINK, always had an unwritten goal to FIRE in the 53-55 timeframe.
Due to COVID, my company just announced an early-out package. Three years at 2/3 pay plus two years of no-cost healthcare. I must decide in two weeks to apply for this or not.
After building a spreadsheet, the numbers are close to a wash whether I stay to 53 (and work hard) or go now. The greatest hit is in lost future savings; about $160K before growth. I made the "mistake" in also comparing the early-out to instead staying and working 2/3 the hours until age 56. That's over $400K in lost savings plus the value of not touching funds until later.
Our monthly expenses are $6500 and we have $3.4M across all accounts, mostly 401k and a mix of Roth & Traditional IRA. I have a small pension that will kick in immediately plus a USAF pension & TriCare that start at age 60.
My biggest concerns are with buying healthcare from age 54-59 (which adds aprox. $1200/mo to our budget), learning about tax strategy, and paying for pop-ups, like a kitchen remodel or a new roof. The other one is that simple, but human, desire to not screw up such an important decision.
All of my reading and FIREcalc trials indicate I'm good to go, yet, now that the moment is at hand I am mildly overwhelmed at the reality of the moment I've dreamed of actually being here. On the other hand, I feel mentally ready and do hope this proves to be the right choice.
I would appreciate any advice. While I thought I was prepared for this, I suddenly feel like there is so much I don't know.