Learned about a friend that stopped work at 40

[ychuck46]

Wife retired at 56 and I joined her four years later at 60. Had enough the retire earlier but she wanted to get her pension from her social work job with the county, which always gave us great health benefits as well, and I worked all my life from an early age and was making good money. Just figured I would keep going and raising the bottom line higher but the DW put an end to that nonsense and wanted to travel. Been 12 years and we are still going strong doing exactly that, 4-5 months out of the year, including living on the ocean during the slow months and anywhere from 5-7 one week cruises each year. Retirement is great when you worked hard, lived below your means, and stayed invested through thick and thin.

 

[ychuck46]

It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 15 years already since I last earned a paycheck.

Been 12 years for me and what is interesting is what our bottom line has become. By staying invested, having no debt, and living below our means while still enjoying our lives immensely, our financial bottom line is 2-3x what it was when I retired even though our outflows are higher than any inflows from SS. And that doesn't count our home which has also gone up 2-3x since we bought it a few years before I retired.

 

[Mulligan]

He said now, he uses a brokerage company to manage his holding because his age and didn't want it to take so much of his time.

Street, I love that response. Reminds of the irony of one of my golfing buddies wife. She had a very successful career managing individuals portfolios and has since retired. We were all at a dinner and I was wanting to pick her brain a bit. Her answer cracked me up. Basically the day she retired, she in turn handed her own portfolio over to an investment firm. She said she is tired of it and wants nothing to do with investing even her money anymore. So she doesnt even follow the market anymore.

 

[Diogenes]

What were some lessons learned on what NOT to do?

Don't leave yourself vulnerable to getting embroiled in a workplace scandal, that cuts short your career prematurely. Retirement isn't retirement if it's forced, sudden or premature.

...you wear cheap shorts and t-shirts and drive around a Honda. You don't look like anybody that someone could sue or that a cop could write a fine for.

Driving around in a crummy (by some criteria) car, I get tailgated by cops frequently, and occasionally pulled over. They like to look for nefarious objects, pull registration/insurance/license etc., do a walk-around inspection, and find things like license-plate illumination lights that aren't (by their reckoning) sufficiently bright. Ironically, this happens not in the toniest and most uptight local jurisdictions, but rather middling (or even rough) ones.

 

[WhenIsItTime]

Yesterday evening I ran into a single man, I have known for about 4 years now. I learned from another friend that he is into stock markets. So, when we meet up on a bike trail I asked him, if he is in stocks etc.. He told me he retired at 40 years old and is now 75 and hasn't worked since then.

It was a very interesting conversation and he was an active trader for many years. He said now, he uses a brokerage company to manage his holding because his age and didn't want it to take so much of his time. He started work right out of HS for a construction company and learned about investing from his brother, who taught him what to do. He made a very modest wage but shows how investing early is a huge deal. Anyone can do it if you set your mind to it.

He plays the part to a T of "The Millionaire Next Door". More out there then what one thinks!