Early-retirement wannabe

justme111

I know a couple, very nice educated people that retired about 4 or 5 years ago from decent jobs that usually pay decent pensions. It is scary to see how their health deteriorated in the last couple of years. It made me think :" here are people that seemed to have it all - safe retirement to enjoy , children sorted - but they are so short of time to enjoy it ". Brings home message that the only real life we have is here and now, not past or future.

gfplux

Tell us more justme11

kidmugsy

Marine_life wrote: »

I suspect we can take early retirement relatively comfortably. ... We've earmarked 1 October 2016 but ....

Oh you are a tease.

atush

I had earmarked that date, but it has been put back due to grad school costs lol.

but my eye is firmly on the prize

peterg1965

For some reason I now have the date of 1 April 2021 to be the date to give up paid employment/career - that is my 'prize date', I will be 55 then and want to retire, maybe with the option of a part time job (20 hr/wk max) - just to keep me occupied and to give me my 'pocket money'. I (this includes my wife) have set myself some goals, quite ambitious, as I want to be able to have just over £60,000 a year income to support a comfortable lifetsyle and a modest mortgage.In the next 5 years or so the goals are; increase my DC/SIPP pension pots to c£280k - currently at £115k and contributing c£19k a year. ISA/cash savings to increase from £60K to c £120k, contributing c£6k-£7k year. Additionally my wife's SIPP to increase to £35k, currently at £14K and contributing £3k year!We will also have the certainty of £44k of DB pensions in 2020 which helps!I have spreadsheets/compound interest calculators in abundance to keep me focused. Fingers crossed it will be doable and possible.

gadgetmind

I've just been given permission to reduce to a 4 day week as of next March. Goal is to reduce to zero days by age 55, which is March 2018.

greenglide

I've just been given permission

Who by:question::cheesy:

gfplux

This is a word of advise or warning but probably only applies to those who have been enjoying retirement for some years like me (19 years)
Having retired at 52 and been a hoarder of paperwork, very recently I decided that I should downsize my filing/hoarding of paperwork.
So the job began. The parameters being to hold only paper that was dated 2014 and 2015 and destroy (shred) the rest.
I am lucky? to have lived in for many years in a country that have basements designed for the hoarding of paper!
So I began with many, many boxes together with a domestic shredder. And the determination NOT to read any of the files.
Now a few weeks late with much effort, much time, many trips to the tip and a growing admiration for a small but sturdy shredder (shout out for the GBC Shredmaster 70S, bought for under €40 nearly 12 years ago)
As I shielded my eyes from the solicitors bill for the flat sale in North London 17 years ago to the bank statements dated 1982!!!! I realised only too well that I had left this job for far too long.
So the advise, don't wait until it becomes a "project" keep your old paperwork under control.
By the way, the job is still not finished but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

mollycat

gadgetmind wrote: »

I've just been given permission to reduce to a 4 day week as of next March. Goal is to reduce to zero days by age 55, which is March 2018.

You're 2 months older than me.

I go in May 2018 :T

cathybird

gadgetmind wrote: »

I've just been given permission to reduce to a 4 day week as of next March. Goal is to reduce to zero days by age 55, which is March 2018.

gadgetmind, I've just applied to go down to four days a week, and in fact was toying with the idea of reducing to three. I'm still hesitant though, as if I keep working full-time I'll reach early retirement faster. But my tax situation means that I don't lose too much income by going to four days, so think I am going to go for it. I also want to reduce to zero days - sooner rather than later