[BenLurkin]

4. You’ve pulled the welfare wagon for forty-five years.

[mewzilla]

To my mind, #3 argues for sticking it out and drawing a paycheck as long as you possibly can....

[Simon Green]

I’m retiring on Friday. Woo-hoo!

[freedumb2003]

Only a few years left.

Despite the recent wild ride I have enough to retire very comfortably — I could now but I have a specific goal.

After working 40+ years I can use the break.

Note to youngsters: Start saving for retirement YOUR VERY FIRST PAYCHECK. Social Security, if there at all, is subsistence living at best.

I didn’t start saving until I was in my 30s. Had I started when I started working I would have retired years ago in my late 40s or early 50s!

[Political Junkie Too]

Imagine you're looking at a $2 million nest egg. If we apply a fairly conservative 2% annual withdrawal rate, you'd start out with $40,000 of income.

Am I missing something here?

Why assume a "withdrawal rate?" What about investing the $2 million in a diversified portfolio that earns, say, 4% annually? Won't that give you $80,000 without withdrawing any principle at all?

-PJ

[elcid1970]

I thank the Army regulation that forced me to retire at 62. Seven beautiful years since.

Retired means retired; let someone else climb up to Machu Picchu.

Ah...time for my midmorning nap...my couch beckons...signing off.

;^)

[slumber1]

I’ve retired early and for me the most important thing, something that these guys never seem to say is buy a house and get it paid for. Do not go into retirement with a mortgage or rent. It is almost always a persons biggest monthly expense. It’s amazing how much less income I need now that I’m not workiing

[G Larry]

I retired at 62 and its worked out well for me.

Can’t believe how many of my graduating class have already passed.
Many were the outstanding students and athletes.

[BuffaloJack]

I’m in my 70s. I still work a full time job. I don’t know how long I will live, but lots of family members are 20 or more years older than me. My aunt, 16 years older than me, jogs and teaches aerobics. I’d be afraid of running out of money if I retired now.

[jetson]

If you retire at 62 you pull less from social security. If you don’t need it, this is a good way to help ease the system.

[MamaDearest]

I've been retired for 15 years and have enjoyed every minute of it.

The future is unknown: Out of my last six small office jobs, six coworkers have died in the past 10 years. All were younger than me. Most were 40s, 50s and early 60s. This is the best reason of all to retire early. I'd rather survive on ramen noodles than have no retirement at all.

[Redleg Duke]

Just make damned sure that you have a meaningful work in the form of a hobby or hobbies. If you come home, sit on your ass and watch TV, you probably won’t last more than 18 months!

I am busier now, three years into retirement, woodworking, restoring “Old Arn”, gardening and just plain having fun!

Plan for retirement. You are a worker and your body needs a fun job!

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

I seriously don’t care. Due to my earlier, lackluster job record, I doubt that I can retire earlier than age 70.5, when my 401(k) disbursements kick in and my SS benefits can be maximized (if that’s still around).

[bigbob]

At the risk of stating the obvious - the best reason is so you can do what you want to do in the last portion of your life. The first portion is spent learning how to do things. The middle portion is spent doing them and saving money so you don’t have to do them forever. Then comes the payoff - the freedom to spent the 24 hours in each day however you feel like spending them. The ultimate freedom!

I aim to meet or exceed my dad’s accomplishment of spending more years retired than I did working. You can always adjust your lifestyle to require less money but you can never adjust the amount of time you have left on the planet. Simple facts.

[dfwgator]

Imagine you're looking at a $2 million nest egg.

David: Oh, God. I guess this was my fault. That’s what I’m thinking. Maybe I just didn’t explain the nest egg well enough. If you had understood… you know, it’s a very sacred thing the nest egg, and if you’d understood the Nest Egg Principle, as we will now call it in the first of many lectures that you will have to get, because if we are to ever acquire another nest egg, we both have to understand what it means. The egg is a protector, like a god, and we sit under the nest egg… and we are protected by it. Without it? No protection! Want me to go on? It pours rain. Hey, the rain drops on the egg and falls off the side. Without the egg? Wet! It’s over. But you didn’t understand it and that’s why we’re where we are.

Linda: I understood the nest egg.

David: Oh, please. Do me a favor. Don’t use the word. You may not use that word. It’s off limits to you! Only those in this house who understand nest egg may use it! And don’t use any part of it, either. Don’t use “nest.” Don’t use “egg.” You’re out in the forest you can point, “The bird lives in a round stick.” And and and you have “things” over easy with toast!

[SoCal Pubbie]

My father worked at Douglas Aircraft for 38 years, retired at 64, and had a massive stroke nine months later. He was dead four years after that. I am 60 now. I never want to retire. Of course I can’t financially anyway, but at my funeral I’ll be banging on the casket lid yelling “Let me out, I’ve got work to do.”

[SPI-Man]

I always said that I was going to retire at 55 and go teach. So I did. I spent the years between 55 and 62 substitute teaching middle school and high school. It was very rewarding (though not financially) and I got to “work” when I wanted too.
Now at 72 I do exactly what I want to do and really enjoy life. I worked hard, saved and invested. Now I enjoy the fruits of that labor. Life is good.

[musicman]

[goodnesswins]

My husband retired on Halloween 2017...I’ve never retired...just quit an official job in about 1991...instead, as I told a co-worker I got politically involved and am just a busy type person...plus I moved wherever the Hub was transferred, or where he went on projects. NOW, with his retirement it seems we are BUSIER than ever. BUT, it means we get to spend today, WEDNESDAY on a “Snow Day” with the grand and great grandchildren.

[Lurkinanloomin]

#2 was the reason I retired early.
If I had tried to work until official retirement, I’d have been dead.