I am at my first anniversary of ER as of today. For those pondering ER (or OMY), here are my thoughts:
1. Haven't missed the off*ce a bit. Not a smidgen. Not an iota. Have not been even back there (except once -- at 10pm! -- when I snuck in to drop off something for a co-w*rker). I many never go back again.
2. The year flew. Truly. That fact makes me determined to do even more meaningful leisure stuff during the coming years. If you are on the ER fence, keep that in mind. You are one step closer to the last great day with every passing second.
3. I was at 3.5% WR during this first year. I could have easily done 3%, and if needed 2.5%. The finances are managable, and I should actually spend less time managing them, not more. Index funds combined with occasional rebalancing makes for an "autopilot" portfolio. My time is better spent on living the dream, not spit-polishing the golden egg that is an ample diversified portfolio.
4. I had a huge temptation to do OMY because I was making very good money while w*rking. My decision to stay on schedule, and not go OMY, was a very good one.
5. If you are thinking about OMY even though your finances give you an 80%+ chance of success on FIREcalc (or some calculator like it), then screw OMY and jump! (I was at 100%, but now I think I was just polishing the cannonball....)
1. Haven't missed the off*ce a bit. Not a smidgen. Not an iota. Have not been even back there (except once -- at 10pm! -- when I snuck in to drop off something for a co-w*rker). I many never go back again.
2. The year flew. Truly. That fact makes me determined to do even more meaningful leisure stuff during the coming years. If you are on the ER fence, keep that in mind. You are one step closer to the last great day with every passing second.
3. I was at 3.5% WR during this first year. I could have easily done 3%, and if needed 2.5%. The finances are managable, and I should actually spend less time managing them, not more. Index funds combined with occasional rebalancing makes for an "autopilot" portfolio. My time is better spent on living the dream, not spit-polishing the golden egg that is an ample diversified portfolio.
4. I had a huge temptation to do OMY because I was making very good money while w*rking. My decision to stay on schedule, and not go OMY, was a very good one.
5. If you are thinking about OMY even though your finances give you an 80%+ chance of success on FIREcalc (or some calculator like it), then screw OMY and jump! (I was at 100%, but now I think I was just polishing the cannonball....)
Last edited: