One down...one to go!

[GSMAN]

About 3 years ago I started getting my DW more involved, or at least aware,, of our financial milestones and my planning for our retirement. I showed her the data and she looked at me and said, "hey, I ain't working past 55 if what your data says is accurate!" Well, she worked her last day yesterday about a month after her 55th birthday. It is so ironic that she has retired before me since she pretty much thought she was going to work to full retirement age like 65 or so. I have been the one talking about early retirement for years and she beat me to the punch!! She is giddy and I am happy for her. I will no doubt follow her either next year or in 2107 but that will be the latest for me. By the way, her biggest surprise through all of this retirement transition is the questions from her co-workers asking her "what are you going to do?". It's like people are surprised that someone can fill 8 hours a day with other activities besides sitting in an office everyday!!

 

[FreeBear]

Congratulations GSMAN, on your DW's ER and you impending ER! Similar to your situation, my DW assumed she would have to "w*rk forever", at least to 65. After serious discussion of the numbers for 10 months, we both pulled the trigger.

So what does DW answer when asked "what are you going to do all day"?

 

[Big_Hitter]

congrats on getting her to work to 55 - my wife retired at 43, if she would have worked to 55 we'd both be retired by now

 

[amyj05]

Congratulations to you both!!

 

[GSMAN]

Thanks everyone! Freebear, I think some of her responses have been, "I am going to rest for a few months since I have been working since I was 18, but in the mean time I have grandkids to spend time with, aging parents that need my help, going to do some cruises and vacations with my wonderful husband! Spend some time up at our cabin in the woods that I could only do day trips since I was always working. Other than that I got nothing else to do!!!"

 

[MuirWannabe]

I will no doubt follow her either next year or in 2107 but that will be the latest for me.

Given those two choices, I highly recommend retiring next year. 2107 just seems a bit overly conservative

 

[bclover]

Cingrats on your wife's ER. I'll admit I'm one of those who is concerned about what I'll do if I retire early. I'm not the gardener type. I plan on ER next year at 55 but only if I have a post retirement plan. Know too many people ( my sister) who are trying to find a job because they got bored. She's retired at 50, no kids. Bored to death

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[user5027]

When my brother in law's father retired his stay at home wife went and got a job!

 

[Big_Hitter]

When my brother in law's father retired his stay at home wife went and got a job!

I need to try that

 

[Walt34]

When my brother in law's father retired his stay at home wife went and got a job!

I need to try that

It didn't work for me. She stayed retired.

 

[Koolau]

DW worked her self out of a j*b (training a family member) and then was more or less "forced out" by same. Just goes to show that no good deed goes unpunished. BUT, she was relieved to be retired, as it turns out, two years before me. Worked out well financially and otherwise. Still, it was difficult for her to let go. YMMV

 

[FreeBear]

"I am going to rest for a few months since I have been working since I was 18, but in the mean time I have grandkids to spend time with, aging parents that need my help, going to do some cruises and vacations with my wonderful husband! Spend some time up at our cabin in the woods that I could only do day trips since I was always working. Other than that I got nothing else to do!!!"

Amazing DW found found time to w*rk! Looks like she's "w*rking" hard to set the retirement standard for you to follow soon.

FB

 

[FreeBear]

Cingrats on your wife's ER. I'll admit I'm one of those who is concerned about what I'll do if I retire early. I'm not the gardener type. I plan on ER next year at 55 but only if I have a post retirement plan. Know too many people ( my sister) who are trying to find a job because they got bored. She's retired at 50, no kids. Bored to death

bclover, did your sister have a plan of things to do before jumping into retirement? What's helped us so far is that we had tons of interests before we ER'd, just not enough time. To be fair, we have only been ER'd for less than a year.

I must confess that I occasionally feel adrift, but I push myself to get up and do something, one of the many things I normally enjoy, but am sometimes to lazy to take the initiative. With initiative, the boredom passes. Maybe it's an attitude that I'm determined to succeed in ER because I w*rked so hard to get here and I hated the alternative, namely having others control most of my life.

FB