bobbfrommn
Dryer sheet aficionado
Just more of a rambling and recording of my thoughts to organize them in my head and I can look back to them at the one year mark and beyond. I was going to do it on a doc but it helped me reading others experiences when I was deciding to pull the trigger so I thought I'd put it here in case someone else finds it helpful. I'll try to include some observation/advice for any who dare read the whole thing.
Background. I retired 12/3/2024 at 56, the wife made it to 1/4/2025. We had about 2m in accounts live in a vlcol rural area in WI.
It was hard for me to actually pull the trigger. I got the green light from a dozen different online calcs, my highly detailed spreadsheet, and my fee-only advisor, but it was still hard. I guess for me as a DIY investor all my life it was hard to accept that I had done it. That this plan I had been working on since I was 20 was really going to work and I hadn't missed anything. In the end Drunk Bob needed to sit down and have a long talk with sober Bob. He said one thing that hit home, "if you don't trust this plan, then what is the alternative? How much more would you need in the bank to feel comfortable." Sober Bob ran the math and concluded he'd be working another six years to get there, and who knows what would happen in that time. In the end, it was this realization that made me move forward. I walked in the house and hit send on the email to my boss. Advice: I found doing it via email easier as I chickened out a couple of times setting up the meeting. I just apologized and explained to my boss my nervousness about doing it face to face and said I just needed to be able to hit send (no takebacks). She was totally cool with it and understood. If you are struggling with going in and doing it face to face I recommend this approach. If you have a good boss they'll understand, if you don't then who cares if you piss them off, you're leaving.
The transition for me has so far been uneventful. Work was slow despite my constantly asking for more projects. I was good at what I did but my boss doled out assignments based on the speed of my co-workers who worked at about 1/2 my pace. As I was almost working part time, moving to working no time was pretty easy. It had been that way for at least a year so I was already half way to the retirement pace. The big change is I was now untethered. Deadline for my projects and home improvement list are only pushed by me. I no longer worry about trying to get something done before Monday because then I won't have time during the week. I work as long, or as short as I feel like, quit for the day, or switch to something else. Advice: Accept that the majority of deadlines you have at this point are self-inflicted. You are doing things because you want to do them, embrace that!
It would have been better for me to quit in earlier in the fall or late summer when I first talked to my FA instead of waiting until December. I know I needed that time in my head to be comfortable, but still it narrows down what was available to keep me busy to more indoor stuff. I have a ton of hobbies, but discovered a lot of them are outdoor. My pool game has gotten exponentially better though and I'm beating friends that always kicked my rear end. I'm playing poker a couple times a week. I even joke with my friends not to worry when I win because they lost to a professional since it's my only income. Advice: I had a to do list I had been building for a few months prior. I highly recommend this for project orientated people. It helped me slide into the groove to have something I could do if I wanted. I read a lot of people feeling aimless right after retiring, I feel like having this list was essential. Advice #2: For project orientated people such as myself I found it very helpful to setup a project board. We used Trello at my job, and you can get it free for personal use so I use that. I have a board with a list of projects, including a list of what I want to get done this week, month, season, etc.
On a personal level things are good. I've been going to the bar a bit more because that is the only social option in a town of 200 people in the middle of nowhere, in the dead of winter. I'm on a dart league, and an informal pool league. I no longer worry about getting home late because I don't have to get up at 5am. This will change once winter is done. Once it's warm people hang out on boats, around campfires, on other people's decks etc. Despite a little more bar time I'm starting to lose weight. I quit my diet, and now eat what I want as long as it's whole foods and not over processed stuff. I wasn't a junkfood addict before but now have time to make good meals. I bake my own bread, make my own ice cream and treats, go get meat from the local farmers and have started canning. I rarely eat out, not to save money, but because what I make at home is so much better. The dogs and I take a hike on the 60 acres of public land next door almost every day (except when it's -15f). It's not a long hike but there are a few hills, and it's pretty walking along side our little river. Major advice: For the love of god, if you have a dog(s) start moving their breakfast time to later before retiring. They are the only reason I still get woken up at 6am!
Financially I'm shocked I'm as chill as I am. I figured I'd be opening up my accounts and looking at them daily, watching ever dollar spent, watching the market, etc. I didn't even blink an eye when we bought the wife a new (used) car last week. I was able to think, it was in the plan, it's fine. I'm vaguely aware the market took a hit yesterday, I haven't even looked up the details, it doesn't even give me a twinge. The only reason I've been in my accounts is to verify that money is moving to the correct accounts as planned, and to buy some CDs when the old ones have completed. Advice: Plan for what you see coming, throw a small amount into a discretionary allotment for unforeseen stuff. It will make you far more comfortable when money is spent.
I'm spending less, but it's not intentional I'm just finding that, for example, with more time to think and work on a project I don't need that specialized tool, or specific material. I can make do with what I have or what isn't as expensive. This weekend I came to an important realization. I was thinking, what if the plan doesn't work? How much would it suck to go back, and that is when I thought "I think I'd be absolutely fine cutting my discretionary spending severely if it meant not going back." That was something that in the planning phase I wouldn't have even considered or been ok with. I thought I'd need that discretionary to enjoy things, but I've found I don't need as much as I thought to enjoy myself. Advice: Once you have a plan, trust it. You will discover what is important to you as you go and can adapt and change as necessary.
So here I sit so far so good but looking forward to summer. I think that is when I'll really feel retired. When I can jump on the boat and fish all day, or spend the entire afternoon carving wood spirits (another new hobby) in the shade. My Trello board is quite filled with outdoor summer projects, so I think this first year will be very busy. I hope this helps someone out there in their plan. If you are struggling like I was, I think you just need to think that at some point you are going to pull the trigger. Instead of thinking about what will happen when you do, take a moment to consider what happens if you don't and see if you like where that path leads you.
Background. I retired 12/3/2024 at 56, the wife made it to 1/4/2025. We had about 2m in accounts live in a vlcol rural area in WI.
It was hard for me to actually pull the trigger. I got the green light from a dozen different online calcs, my highly detailed spreadsheet, and my fee-only advisor, but it was still hard. I guess for me as a DIY investor all my life it was hard to accept that I had done it. That this plan I had been working on since I was 20 was really going to work and I hadn't missed anything. In the end Drunk Bob needed to sit down and have a long talk with sober Bob. He said one thing that hit home, "if you don't trust this plan, then what is the alternative? How much more would you need in the bank to feel comfortable." Sober Bob ran the math and concluded he'd be working another six years to get there, and who knows what would happen in that time. In the end, it was this realization that made me move forward. I walked in the house and hit send on the email to my boss. Advice: I found doing it via email easier as I chickened out a couple of times setting up the meeting. I just apologized and explained to my boss my nervousness about doing it face to face and said I just needed to be able to hit send (no takebacks). She was totally cool with it and understood. If you are struggling with going in and doing it face to face I recommend this approach. If you have a good boss they'll understand, if you don't then who cares if you piss them off, you're leaving.
The transition for me has so far been uneventful. Work was slow despite my constantly asking for more projects. I was good at what I did but my boss doled out assignments based on the speed of my co-workers who worked at about 1/2 my pace. As I was almost working part time, moving to working no time was pretty easy. It had been that way for at least a year so I was already half way to the retirement pace. The big change is I was now untethered. Deadline for my projects and home improvement list are only pushed by me. I no longer worry about trying to get something done before Monday because then I won't have time during the week. I work as long, or as short as I feel like, quit for the day, or switch to something else. Advice: Accept that the majority of deadlines you have at this point are self-inflicted. You are doing things because you want to do them, embrace that!
It would have been better for me to quit in earlier in the fall or late summer when I first talked to my FA instead of waiting until December. I know I needed that time in my head to be comfortable, but still it narrows down what was available to keep me busy to more indoor stuff. I have a ton of hobbies, but discovered a lot of them are outdoor. My pool game has gotten exponentially better though and I'm beating friends that always kicked my rear end. I'm playing poker a couple times a week. I even joke with my friends not to worry when I win because they lost to a professional since it's my only income. Advice: I had a to do list I had been building for a few months prior. I highly recommend this for project orientated people. It helped me slide into the groove to have something I could do if I wanted. I read a lot of people feeling aimless right after retiring, I feel like having this list was essential. Advice #2: For project orientated people such as myself I found it very helpful to setup a project board. We used Trello at my job, and you can get it free for personal use so I use that. I have a board with a list of projects, including a list of what I want to get done this week, month, season, etc.
On a personal level things are good. I've been going to the bar a bit more because that is the only social option in a town of 200 people in the middle of nowhere, in the dead of winter. I'm on a dart league, and an informal pool league. I no longer worry about getting home late because I don't have to get up at 5am. This will change once winter is done. Once it's warm people hang out on boats, around campfires, on other people's decks etc. Despite a little more bar time I'm starting to lose weight. I quit my diet, and now eat what I want as long as it's whole foods and not over processed stuff. I wasn't a junkfood addict before but now have time to make good meals. I bake my own bread, make my own ice cream and treats, go get meat from the local farmers and have started canning. I rarely eat out, not to save money, but because what I make at home is so much better. The dogs and I take a hike on the 60 acres of public land next door almost every day (except when it's -15f). It's not a long hike but there are a few hills, and it's pretty walking along side our little river. Major advice: For the love of god, if you have a dog(s) start moving their breakfast time to later before retiring. They are the only reason I still get woken up at 6am!
Financially I'm shocked I'm as chill as I am. I figured I'd be opening up my accounts and looking at them daily, watching ever dollar spent, watching the market, etc. I didn't even blink an eye when we bought the wife a new (used) car last week. I was able to think, it was in the plan, it's fine. I'm vaguely aware the market took a hit yesterday, I haven't even looked up the details, it doesn't even give me a twinge. The only reason I've been in my accounts is to verify that money is moving to the correct accounts as planned, and to buy some CDs when the old ones have completed. Advice: Plan for what you see coming, throw a small amount into a discretionary allotment for unforeseen stuff. It will make you far more comfortable when money is spent.
I'm spending less, but it's not intentional I'm just finding that, for example, with more time to think and work on a project I don't need that specialized tool, or specific material. I can make do with what I have or what isn't as expensive. This weekend I came to an important realization. I was thinking, what if the plan doesn't work? How much would it suck to go back, and that is when I thought "I think I'd be absolutely fine cutting my discretionary spending severely if it meant not going back." That was something that in the planning phase I wouldn't have even considered or been ok with. I thought I'd need that discretionary to enjoy things, but I've found I don't need as much as I thought to enjoy myself. Advice: Once you have a plan, trust it. You will discover what is important to you as you go and can adapt and change as necessary.
So here I sit so far so good but looking forward to summer. I think that is when I'll really feel retired. When I can jump on the boat and fish all day, or spend the entire afternoon carving wood spirits (another new hobby) in the shade. My Trello board is quite filled with outdoor summer projects, so I think this first year will be very busy. I hope this helps someone out there in their plan. If you are struggling like I was, I think you just need to think that at some point you are going to pull the trigger. Instead of thinking about what will happen when you do, take a moment to consider what happens if you don't and see if you like where that path leads you.
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