Yahoo article

[cj]

I thought this was interesting:

http://finance.yahoo.com/columnist/article/retirement/2363

For those of you who are already there, how long did you stay in the "liberation" phase?

CJ

 

[MasterBlaster]

Although I am still contemplating retirement, I would have to classify myself using their terms as an "Uncertain Searcher".

Even though the money to FIRE is there, the concept of entertaining myself all day every day makes me a little apprehensive.

To quote another thread, I might not find myself with a cold one sitting at the beach but instead would find lots of time for my new friends Oprah, Jerry Springer, and Dr. Phil.

 

[REWahoo]

I'm 8 months into the Liberation phase and still going strong. Not sure how long it will last, but I still get a smile on my face every day knowing I no longer have to go to w*rk.

To quote another thread, I might not find myself with a cold one sitting at the beach but instead would find lots of time for my new friends Oprah, Jerry Springer, and Dr. Phil.

Anyone but me notice that no one listed any of those programs on old whats-his-Bunny's thread of favorite TV shows?

Although I spend a lot of time home alone (especially now that DW has decided 'no way' are the grandchildren going to day care when Grandma can take care of them in their own home), I've never seen those three programs.

However, I will admit to occasionally watching reruns of "Home Improvement". Arrrgggh! Arrrgggh!

 

[Nords]

What a depressing article. If the majority of retirees are somewhere between "Uncertain Searchers" & "Worried Strugglers", then why did they leave the workforce? I can't believe that over 60% of retirements are involuntary (or blissfully ignorant).

The "Mapping Retirement's Mindscape" article isn't very cheerful, either. "Reorientation" & "reconciliation" sound like something that happens on death row when the Supreme Court turns down your last appeal. Didn't Kubler-Ross use a similar vocabulary in "Death & Dying"? Oh, wait, that's "bargaining" & "acceptance"...

While I'm on a rant roll, what's this "leaving a legacy" crap? Again, I felt like I left plenty of legacy at work and we're still trying to get our current "legacy in progress" ready to leave the nest. When I'm an empty-nester I doubt that I'll be moping around trying to drop off a legacy somewhere. If I wanted to leave a legacy I would think that the best time to do so would be during one's prime working years or via volunteering. I think that if I really wanted to spend my time volunteering that it would have happened by now. But hey, perhaps this feeling will change if I become a grandparent.

Apparently once again I have great difficulty accepting the credibility of a retirement analysis written by someone who's still working for a paycheck. It'll be interesting to see his opinions again after he's a few years through the retirement process.

I'm a few weeks short of four years since ER. I think I'm permanently stuck in the "liberation" stage. ER's been everything I've fantasized and more and I'm probably going to stay somewhere in "carefree contentment" for the rest of my life. But again I'll check back on this thread in 10-12 years...

 

[cj]

I think I'm permanently stuck in the "liberation" stage.

Thanks, Nords, I wanted to believe that the liberation stage could go on a lot longer than the article said!!  The anticipation stage is great fun, but I am looking forward to the next stage.

About "leaving a legacy" (another view) - we had a financial advisor for a short time.  We fired him because of some of the ridiculous investments he made for us (another story entirely).  But he kept trying to sell us on LTC insurance, even though I felt strongly that we can comfortably self-insure, or at least wait until we are a bit older.  He kept saying that we should "preserve our legacy".  But, we have no kids, so who the heck would the legacy be for?

CJ

 

[becca]

Still in the liberation stage 4+ years post retirement. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming. Life is good - no life is great in retirement !

 

[unclemick]

Hmmm - let me rephrase the article.

Albiet - it was involuntary.

How retiree's can put some stuff in a hour or so into a pickup drive a 1000 miles. Lose maybe 100k- 130k worth of crap/stuff to a hurricane.

Still in FIRE status and reasonibly happy - doing nothing in particular.

Freedom with a capital F. Stay loose ala Bear Bryant.

A couple negative events - which I won't repeat here - the funeral lady(she's a hottie) is still trying to sell me a funeral plan - BUT they don't keep wooden boats and flaming arrows in stock for a Viking funeral. Plus the IRS wants me until 84.6.

heh heh heh - Yahoo say's I'm what!

 

[Mr._johngalt]

Hmmm - let me rephrase the article.

Albiet - it was involuntary.

How retiree's can put some stuff in a hour or so into a pickup drive a 1000 miles. Lose maybe 100k- 130k worth of crap/stuff to a hurricane.

Still in FIRE status and reasonibly happy - doing nothing in particular.

Freedom with a capital F. Stay loose ala Bear Bryant.

A couple negative events - which I won't repeat here - the funeral lady(she's a hottie) is still trying to sell me a funeral plan - BUT they don't keep wooden boats and flaming arrows in stock for a Viking funeral. Plus the IRS wants me until 84.6.

heh heh heh - Yahoo say's I'm what!

We don't need no stiiiiiinking "funeral plans". It doesn't hurt
to keep meeting with her though.

JG

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Tell her you'll buy any box they have if you can jump her in it first...

 

[audreyh1]

Liberation Phase lasted about 2 years for me.

You know you're in liberation phase when you wake up in the morning thinking "WOW - I don't have to go to work today - WOOHOO!".  When you see morning traffic and you catch yourself thinking "Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah - you have to go to work today, and I don't!". ( My apologies to all the worker-bees.....  Liberation is pretty intoxicating.)

Now? - I already forgot that I used to ever work!    Believe you me, doing something for hire is a very foreign concept in my life today.

Which brings me to another part of the article.  I am most definitely in the "Empowered Reinventors" category.  And that is definitely what I've been doing in my life since about 1.5 years into ER.

So here's what totally shocked me:

Three-quarters of them are either working or intend to reenter the workforce, possibly in a new job or career.

WHAAAAA?!? 

What's wrong with these people!!!

I NEVER want to have what I love to do messed up by having to worry about making money at it.

I guess my concept of "leisure" is more along the line of the ancient Greeks who considered leisure time essential for the mind's "highest work" and considered such pursuit totally divorced from anything that "earned a living".

"Pure Leisure" does NOT mean laying around doing diddly-squat! It just means spending your time doing what YOU want to do, not at the beck and call of someone else (client, boss, you name it).

Audrey