Tomorrow that number turns to 29.

With a week and half deer hunting trip beginning next Sunday and two weeks of vacation (use it or lose it) at the end of Dec., my official last day to work will be Dec. 15.

I am ready. My GAS meter is broken! I'm not talking about the fuel gauge on the truck and I live in a total electric home.

My financial guy said with what I have, he can pay us what I'm making now, inflate it annually for inflation at 3 percent and if he can hit the average growth we have had over the past five years, when my wife is 95, she'll have $3M left.

Started work in 1976 and except for a two year period of trying the self-employed thing, it has been a get to work and grind it out every day. I've enjoyed what I do, but I'm ready to put holes in paper more, ride the ATV more, walk the dog more, teach a new dog, travel some and worry about me and the wife more.

Nice. I'm hoping to do the same in two more years.

Good on you for having the discipline to invest throughout your life, I wish more people would do that so we wouldn't need welfare for seniors. Enjoy your retirement, you've clearly earned it.

Congratulations! Although I’m not as flush as you, I retired officially the first of October. Love it!

Congrats on the milestone. I got a call from my financial planner in 2011 to meet with him, which I did. He looked me in the eye and said "I see no reason why you can't retire today if you want". That was one of the best things I've ever heard. No regrets whatsoever.

Enjoy your new life.

Jim

Congrats also.

I started mine June 30th, a few months shy of my full SS date. No regrets.

I screwed up early in my career, I made mistakes in regard to employment with a retirement plan, only 401K's which I did not get serious with until 1991. But that is the path I took, make the best of what I did or didn't do.

Working part time now, three to four days a week albeit less hours. And a lot less stress and b.s.

Thanks for the congratulations.

PossibleZombie, there was discipline, but when I married the current Mrs. Hunthelp she had a sweetheart divorce arrangement with her ex...he had to pay the house payment for her for ten years. Regardless if she remarried.

I got eight years of socking a mortgage payment into my 401K. Without that bonus to the retirement plan courtesy of the ex, I would be biting on the inside of my cheek, keeping my mouth shut and grinding away at the salt mine for a bunch more years.

Thank goodness, Mrs. Hunthelp had a good divorce attorney. I remind myself she still has his card, so I behave myself!

I've done well over the past 10 years, but sadly I didn't have anything before that so when I retire I'll only have about 23-25 years of 401k savings.

I just hope that I make it TO retirement to worry about it.

Congrads, my wife is done at the end of June. As for me, we will have to see if the business will sell. We could probably do without the business income but I have worked hard for 23 years and I don't want to just give it up. That could change depending how how much fun Mrs. Pal is having!

Jim

Congrats on the pending retirement. And congrats on preparing for it so well.

One thing, I wouldn’t bet on hitting the average growth we’ve had in the past five years. Haven’t we had record growth over that period?

quote:

Originally posted by Hunthelp:
My financial guy said with what I have, he can pay us what I'm making now, inflate it annually for inflation at 3 percent and if he can hit the average growth we have had over the past five years , when my wife is 95, she'll have $3M left.

This would have me a little concerned. Repeating the last 5 years of market returns will not be easy. I think I've had 20%+ returns for the past 5 years. Not likely to happen.

What happens if your returns are 3% - 5% every year?

Not the market growth, his growth.
I have been on a four year very conservative strategy. He has pulled me right at seven, the plan calls for 4.5.

Enjoy, congratulations!

very happy for you - congrats

keep us posted on what its like and we'll remind you what its like to drag your ass to work every day

Congratulations! I agree, the "I'm retired and set for life" feeling is phenomenal.

Congrats!! Ill have to work until I'm dead