Unqiue retirement question

[greenskeeper]

I'd choose "B"

you can't put a price on time

nobody knows when their time is up.

[snafu]

We all come from different backgrounds, experiences and lifestyles so you can expect a large variance of opinion. I read 'B' as 'grind' for 3 yrs followed by easing and think retirement is boring and highly over rated. If your location is not 'preferred' take fabulous vacations. With multi communication choices you could be in the Antarctic and enjoy a Bay area lifestyle.

I've been 'retired' twice and except for a couple of terrific volunteer activities it's no fun after you've done that list of partly completed tasks/projects from a long standing To Do list. Spouse and friends were all at work with new challenges, meeting interesting people and improving skill sets while I stagnated, too ill to go to work but too much time to fill. I'm doing contract work now which requires travel. It was surprising to discover that travel can also get tiresome.


I now know how important it is to have a retirement plan with focus and direction and to develop interests and social networks beyond extended family, religious affiliation, colleagues and sports.

[97guns]

my numbers were pretty much the same as yours when i retired last year at the age of 40. in order to retire you need an income stream, for me it was real estate. i rolled 275K into 4 houses and my income is the same as if i'd been working. best move of my life.

[PatientSaver]

B.

I would take a nice three-week vacation and then go back to work because while you are employed now and can make good money, who know what the future will bring? You could become disabled from a car accident tomorrow, come down with some illness, be laid off, etc. etc. I sure hope none of those things happen, but what i'm trying to say is nothing is certain. I'd rather aim for sticking with the less than ideal but high-paying job i don't care for if it means escaping the work world sooner rather than later.

[tripods68]

If you do the "things" that your are most "passionate" about, it shouldn't matter at what age, or how long to keep working, or many hours you spend a week in it because you are doing what's important to you with all the benefits that comes with it. That's priceless.

BTW who want stress anyway right. I like Option A. Less stress and you'll live longer.

You will be able to save with longer time horizon, have more money in retirement, as supposed to outliving your money had you retire early.

[disneysteve]

BTW who want stress anyway right. I like Option A. Less stress and you'll live longer.

That is really a matter of perspective. I would find 5-10 years of work MUCH less stressful than 30 years of work. Knowing that I'd be set for retirement if I chose to do so after 5-10 years would be incredible. That doesn't necessarily mean you would have to retire at that point but you'd be free to work because you want to, not because you had to.

[tripods68]

That is really a matter of perspective. I would find 5-10 years of work MUCH less stressful than 30 years of work. Knowing that I'd be set for retirement if I chose to do so after 5-10 years would be incredible. That doesn't necessarily mean you would have to retire at that point but you'd be free to work because you want to, not because you had to.

I'd say 95% of Americans (Those making less than $250K) have to work. Not because they want to, its because they have too.

The discussion of retiring early in their 40s is myth--often viewed as feel-good story than reality itself. There are very TINY group in our society that can achieve this with few exceptions, or already multi-millionaire set for life when people factor in health care cost, inflations, lifestyle (living above means), family emergency, catostrophic event, etc., no one can afford to retire at age 44. They eventually end up going back to work through boredness of health reason, financial, etc..Its statistically impossible not to.

Obviously if someone is able save or have the ability to save $150-200K a year from his or her job, they probably in the top 1% Earners and those are the people who can.

[SteveBlissLaw]

All depends on your personality. Me, I'd bang out another couple tough years and then go on a free ride after that.