Help, help, I’m being asked to interview again!!!

[eudaimoniac]

Hello all….Thanks for all the help ....I'm asking for more.

I am comfortably early retired. I paid off the house, have a military pension, and 500K in Fidelity investments (or I did last week) that I don’t plan to start using for a few years. We want to use it supplement what we need to make up for when my wife’s salary stops and she joins me in ER. My wife teaches 1st graders and I used to teach fifth graders until my disability (hearing) forced me into this early retirement I so enjoy.

We have two boys in high school and I spend my time being a househusband, keeping up with the boys and their schoolwork and helping my elderly mother with things around the house. My wife wants to stop teaching after the boys move out (4 years hopefully)
The boys have about 30K a piece put away for college.

Earlier this school year, back in August, everyone around the house was getting responsible going back to school and I thought I would apply for a few positions. I applied for a curriculum specialist position at a local college and low and behold they called…. again.

Problem is now that I have had a taste of this new found lifestyle ….. well….. I have grown spoiled by it. I don’t relish the thought of a 20 mile one way commute in heavy traffic, dealing with the politics of another job, the frustration my hearing issues cause, or being away and unavailable when the school nurse calls or mom needs help with the garage door again.

I do however feel guilty that I’m not earning the money that may help the family down the road. So here I am wondering what you’ all think about my situation and wondering to myself about how much is enough and where the balance in my life is or should be.
Hurry with feedback…….They call on Monday.

 

[REWahoo]

They call on Monday.

Don't answer.

 

[TickTock]

Selecting certain bits of your post:

I am comfortably early retired. I paid off the house, have a military pension, and 500K in Fidelity investments (or I did last week) that I don’t plan to start using for a few years.

(snip)

We have two boys in high school and I spend my time being a househusband, keeping up with the boys and their schoolwork and helping my elderly mother with things around the house. My wife wants to stop teaching after the boys move out (4 years hopefully)


(snip)

Earlier this school year, back in August, everyone around the house was getting responsible going back to school and I thought I would apply for a few positions. I applied for a curriculum specialist position at a local college and low and behold they called…. again.

Problem is now that I have had a taste of this new found lifestyle ….. well….. I have grown spoiled by it. I don’t relish the thought of a 20 mile one way commute in heavy traffic, dealing with the politics of another job, the frustration my hearing issues cause, or being away and unavailable when the school nurse calls or mom needs help with the garage door again.

I do however feel guilty that I’m not earning the money that may help the family down the road. So here I am wondering what you’ all think about my situation and wondering to myself about how much is enough and where the balance in my life is or should be.
Hurry with feedback…….They call on Monday.

Feedback:

Well, to me this is actually a fairly straightforward thing - you're weighing the contribution that you make now as a househusband against the money you'll need later.

Doesn't mean it's simple, just straighforward.

Post more on your financial situation if you want better financial feedback. For now, I'll say two things, (1) don't undervalue your contributions being there in your boys' and mother's lives, and (2) why did you apply in the first place? Feeling guilty, want to do it (that seems not to be the case), value the money more than what you're doing now? Other?

Good luck!

 

[citrine]

Say that you thought about it and changed your mind.
Or you could say that you didn't hear the phone ring!

 

[W2R]

Have you talked it over with your wife? What are her thoughts on this?

I am just thinking that you and she are a couple, and she knows you, and how this will affect you and the family, better than we do.

 

[bbbamI]

I have a friend that retired from her bank examiner's job a few years ago. They called her in November and wanted her to work for one year. I said, "I don't think you're gonna like it." She said, "yeah, but the money is good."

So she took the offer.

I have never heard her utter a foul word since I have known her. She cusses on a regular basis now.

 

[Texas Proud]

I don't think 'work' is a dirty word if you like doing it....

And I can tell you that I would love to be able to teach in a college situation.. (now, remember this is coming from someone who has never done it, so the 'grass is greener' might be here)....

But, teaching has always been fun to me.. and rewarding more than the money...

Do they have a campus closer than 20 miles? Maybe they could work with you so you could do your work from somewhere else...

Also.. to me if your wife is working it would be good if you did also so both of you could retire earlier... but, as someone else said, your contribution as the 'house husband' has a lot of value... all should be weighed..

 

[dumpster56]

I erd in jan of 07 then started to do a bit of sub teaching, days when I felt like it. Then this summer I was asked to work two days a week teaching physical education at two different elementary schools, the little kids. Then I looked at my contract that they sent me when I said yes and wow, nice dollars for well very little time. 8:30 to 2:45 on those two days. Its great, love doing it. It does not feel like work.

 

[eudaimoniac]

Thanks for the insight

Here’s more detail about our financial situation.
Please tell me what you think.

My wife and I are in our mid 40s.
I have a military pension (32K) and about 500K in mutual funds. (200K of which is in IRAs that we fund to the limit each month and the other 300K in joint accounts). She works as a first grade teacher making about 42K. The two high school boys each have about 30K stashed away for college. House and cars are paid off.

I pay for all the bills like cable TV, phone, this internet connection, water, electric, insurance, etc (including the funding of both IRAs) and have about $500 left to blow each month.

She pays for the food, household supplies and the fun things we do that make up our standard of living.

Our plan…….When the boys leave (hopefully in about 4 years) the grocery bill goes way down, (I think their legs are hollow), she can quit working if she chooses then I can stop funding the IRAs. We make up the difference with some of the funds from our regular mutual funds while leaving the IRAs alone till we reach 59.5 if at all possible.

Soon after she stops working I would like about 50K out of our joint accounts for a new vehicle.

Am I dreaming here or does this sound like it could work?

 

[REWahoo]

Am I dreaming here or does this sound like it could work?

Do you have an idea of what your annual expenses will be once you are both retired? Have you run your projected nest egg/pension/SS and retirement spending numbers through FIRECalc? Until you nail some numbers down neither you nor anyone you ask can answer your question above.

 

[unclemick]

Weellll - I'm starting my 15th year of ER so the memory gets a tad foggy but:

I went back after a year and a half or so out - for the big bucks as a jobshopper - worked a year - the money was great BUT it certainly cured any enthusiasm for work. Back in the 90's mist's of time.

heh heh heh - in my case, I was layed off, had sorta figured out that work sucked by the time I went back, but the $ were aluring.

 

[Janet H]

30 K for college is a good start but isn't going to cover 4 years, even at a state U. There are always summer jobs for kids, student loans, scholarships, etc but consider that you might be under-funded in this area.

 

[Nords]

Eudai, are you comfortable with the concept that you've served your time, made your financial contribution, and are now in charge of taking care of the family?

If that's the case then you could be comfortable with calling the school and telling them that the situation has changed-- you're no longer available.

Or you could really put them on the spot by asking them how flexible they could be with their family leave policy...

I don't care how good the money is or how much it could help your family someday. It's hard to make it overcome the dissatisfiers of commuting, uniform attire, workplace [-]backstabbing[/-] politics, and juggling family crises. Doesn't sound like you have much internal commitment to employment, either, which means that your quality of life would suck.

There are always summer jobs for kids, student loans, scholarships, etc but consider that you might be under-funded in this area.

No, he's doing just fine, but the kids might be under-funded!