Three years in and no regrets!

[Lazyfish]

Retired June 30, 2021. Best decision ever. Best advice was from this board and wisdom imparted was critical to my decision. My favorite quote, no idea the source, “you can add years to the front of your retirement but not to the end.” Might have used this a few times to influence others. Trips to New Zealand, Colorado, East Coast, Florida, South Carolina, and a trip planned for Egypt next year. Life had been terrific. Golf game is in great shape. Handicap below 4. Need to reel in spending a bit but we are on budget. Investment portfolio balance is fundamentally unchanged despite withdrawals.

The wisdom and experience available here prepared me for most all issues to be considered. A great deal of thanks are herein offered to those who imparted their wisdom and suggested sites to investigate that could calm fears and suggest further actions.

Lazyfish

 

[skyking1]

Great to hear from you and thanks for sharing your positive report.

 

[street]

Happy for you and that all went good in the transition. I can relate to you on how people here gave me the confidence and from their experience help me to retire with ease. Not sure I would have without this site when I did.

 

[Cassius King]

Great post. Hopefully it will inspire some folks that are currently sitting on the fence!

 

[Koolau]

Yes, I still feel blessed that I found this site. I was always a good saver but really needed help with investing and figuring out when I had "enough."

 

[MarieIG]

So glad to hear that you have been enjoying your retirement Lazyfish. Those trips sound great!

 

[Dtail]

Congrats. Sounds like the correct decision. Another happy person in retirement.

 

[2029FIREaway]

Nice update. Thanks for the write up.

 

[HI Bill]

Awesome, I ER'd a few months ahead of the OP in March 2021. No regrets, except, perhaps, not having done it sooner! Better than I expected, and somehow, even though I rarely accomplish a lot during the day, I'm rarely without something to do!

 

[pacergal]

Another happy retirement story, love those!
Congratulations.

 

[Midpack]

My favorite quote, no idea the source, “you can add years to the front of your retirement but not to the end.”

+1. That is a good one, I missed it too. Needless to say adding years to the end is quite a bit less appealing than adding to the front.

I wish my golf game was in such good shape - I'm a 12...

I can tell you 13 years in, I still don't regret pulling the trigger - thanks to a high probability of success plan.

 

[surprising]

Since you started retirement in the middle of covid, did you have to adjust your spending or withdrawal rates?

 

[Lazyfish]

Since you started retirement in the middle of covid, did you have to adjust your spending or withdrawal rates?

Really did not. Things went pretty much as expected from a spending standpoint. We’ve not said “no” to trips with friends and our own trips so that has been a little over budget. Do find that I mistime the expenditures in the budget because the bigger trips want some of the money up front. Like buying airline tickets 6 months in advance. Guess I need to be a little more forward thinking
Wife is a wonderful planner and we have friends spread out over the country so getting to visit them has been wonderful. We drive a lot and have a place in Colorado where we spend time to escape the Texas heat. Had a couple of bumpy expenditures associated with the condo but it is revenue generating and covered those costs.