Retirement letter delivered yesterday.

[DelianLeague]

Fire now (sort of).

Even though I have been planning this for a few years, when it actually came to sending my letter of intention to retire, the feeling was not like I had expected. I thought I would feel happy but instead the feeling has been a little foreboding.

I have been working for 40 + years so I expect this is normal and it will pass soon.
I am in my mid fifties so I suppose that this counts as FIRE, as my state retirement age is 67.

D.L.

[Darka]

Congratulations!

I retired just after my 52nd birthday last October and instead of any foreboding, I had an immense sense of freedom and joy.
It took me 6 months or so to decompress from a lifetime of work, so don't expect an instant transition of feelings.

It's all perfectly normal and after 40 years of work is to be expected.

regards,
Darka

[Itsallaguess]

Even though I have been planning this for a few years, when it actually came to sending my letter of intention to retire, the feeling was not like I had expected.

I thought I would feel happy but instead the feeling has been a little foreboding.

Well done.

For those of us here who are still working towards that end-goal, I think it's absolutely brilliant to hear of others actually crossing the finishing line, so please do be aware of the huge encouragement it gives others to see that you've made it.

In terms of any completely understandable feelings of foreboding, I would try to think of all the people who were perhaps able to make the initial long-term plans, but for one reason or another never got chance to actually implement them...many don't...

I hope you have a long and happy retirement, and it would be great to hear some updates on how you're getting on once you've settled into things a little...

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[PhaseThree]

Congratulations - Don't worry the feelings of foreboding will pass and you'll spend a few months decompressing and deciding what happens next.
My only recommendation is not to burn any bridges and to keep in contact with ex-colleagues.

I did this at 54, spent 6 months in blissful oblivion, then got a call from my ex-boss asking if I was interested in a bit of consultancy work on "something interesting". Four years later I'm still consulting, working three days per week and earning more than I did when I was full time - but without the associated corporate bollox.

Retirement is just the point in life when you get to decide what happens next rather than being forced into a role by finances or circumstances.

[88V8]

Retired in my mid-50s, 14 years ago.
It's great.
Expand the hobbies.
No 3hr commute.
Enjoy....

V8

[BullDog]

Many congratulations. I gave the company, informally, two years notice that I was quitting work. And still, about two weeks before my scheduled last working day I started getting pestered by the top company management to reverse the decision. Just saying this so you might be prepared to do what I did. Just say NO. Enough is enough and after I worked my last day, nothing happened. And the company continues to carry on without me. On my part, not a minute of regret.

Well done and enjoy your hard won freedom.

[Dod101]

It is an interesting situation, retiring. I was given early retirement at the age of 52. I was generously looked after and whilst I enjoyed the prospect of retirement, I would have taken a consultancy except that my wife’s health was not good and I did not follow up on that. After she died, six years later, I was offered a couple of consultancies but by then it was all too late so I turned them down.

For me, it was too early to retire as I enjoyed my job, was on top of my brief and would have happily continued to work (in the Far East where I had been for most of my working life) but it was not to be. I would not know why someone would want to retire at a really early age but presumably they do not enjoy their work. That is a great shame. I always enjoyed my work and never saw giving up work as ‘freedom’. I could tell you what that was for me but will not. I do not particularly enjoy it.

Dod

[DelianLeague]

For those of us here who are still working towards that end-goal, I think it's absolutely brilliant to hear of others actually crossing the finishing line, so please do be aware of the huge encouragement it gives others to see that you've made it.

Many Thanks,
Yes, I have crossed the line and I sometimes can’t believe that I am in this lucky position, as I am from a poor family and have a non-professional background.


I will write a very brief description of how I was able to retire early in another post soon as I feel that if I can do it then anyone can.

D.L.

[Snakey]

Well done! It's a massive achievement, and you should feel proud.

I went about a year ago at 49. Took me nine months to decompress - that is to say, to get to the point where I could properly look around and relax and really enjoy the freedom of each day as it came.

Prior to that it was a weird mix of relief, disconnection, anti-climax, feeling absolutely shattered, and feeling mildly and irrationally hurt on realising that although this is the biggest bombshell moment of your life it's nobbut a minor logistical blip for them, and they are not in fact a) sorry they weren't nicer to you or b) having crisis meetings about how to convince you to stay/come back.

I say try to enjoy the series of "lasts" that are coming your way (I missed all mine as we were still WFH - my "last" Christmas do and my "last" birthday in the office were in 2019, my "last" boring meetings and team lunches were in March 2020, and I had no idea any of it would be my last), and go easy on yourself in your first few months of freedom. Don't rush to tick stuff off - that's a work mentality that you no longer need. Just chill.

A lot of what I thought I'd want/need to do, was from the perspective of sitting trapped at my desk. Unsurprisingly my plans revolved around the options I could see would open up as a result of not having to be "back" for work - therefore, primarily travel-based. It looks different now I'm here, and I will revisit my list with a critical eye before committing to anything. I may decide that I'd rather have a fortnight in Devon and a few long weekends away than spend two months in Thailand just because I said I would, or that I'm happier reading books than trying to write one. (Admittedly, I'd be a lot keener to explore the world if everything were back to normal. Still, the whole point of early retirement is that, unless you get unlucky, there is plenty of time. I wouldn't want to "see how I feel in a few years' time" about long-haul travel if I were 68, I'm sure.)

[moorfield]

Early retirement/FIRE I suppose depends very much on children. I have a few and will be locked into the academic calendar (holidays etc.) for four more years yet, so 2026 is earliest I can start thinking about FIRE in practice. By then I will be early/mid 50s, and one of the lucky who will be able to access pension income at 55 rather than 57. The mortgage should also be gone by then.

But I don't think I would ever want to stop work completely, not until my mid-60s at least, so probably contracting/consulting or a part time "downsized" job. My pension planning is on course to be delivering an income above the higher rate income tax threshold (~£50k) as soon as I can accesss it, so it's not inconceivable Lady M and I could both be working part time into our 50s and bringing in an overall income of £100k+. That's the thought that is keeping me going through all the tedious meetings, appraisals, etc. etc. at the moment. 4 more years!

[FoolishFilFive]

Well done! It's a massive achievement, and you should feel proud.

I went about a year ago at 49. Took me nine months to decompress - that is to say, to get to the point where I could properly look around and relax and really enjoy the freedom of each day as it came.

Prior to that it was a weird mix of relief, disconnection, anti-climax, feeling absolutely shattered, and feeling mildly and irrationally hurt on realising that although this is the biggest bombshell moment of your life it's nobbut a minor logistical blip for them, and they are not in fact a) sorry they weren't nicer to you or b) having crisis meetings about how to convince you to stay/come back.

I say try to enjoy the series of "lasts" that are coming your way (I missed all mine as we were still WFH - my "last" Christmas do and my "last" birthday in the office were in 2019, my "last" boring meetings and team lunches were in March 2020, and I had no idea any of it would be my last), and go easy on yourself in your first few months of freedom. Don't rush to tick stuff off - that's a work mentality that you no longer need. Just chill.

A lot of what I thought I'd want/need to do, was from the perspective of sitting trapped at my desk. Unsurprisingly my plans revolved around the options I could see would open up as a result of not having to be "back" for work - therefore, primarily travel-based. It looks different now I'm here, and I will revisit my list with a critical eye before committing to anything. I may decide that I'd rather have a fortnight in Devon and a few long weekends away than spend two months in Thailand just because I said I would, or that I'm happier reading books than trying to write one. (Admittedly, I'd be a lot keener to explore the world if everything were back to normal. Still, the whole point of early retirement is that, unless you get unlucky, there is plenty of time. I wouldn't want to "see how I feel in a few years' time" about long-haul travel if I were 68, I'm sure.)

Just to say, I thought your third paragraph was really articulate and well expressed

[TUK020]

Fire now (sort of).

Even though I have been planning this for a few years, when it actually came to sending my letter of intention to retire, the feeling was not like I had expected. I thought I would feel happy but instead the feeling has been a little foreboding.

I have been working for 40 + years so I expect this is normal and it will pass soon.
I am in my mid fifties so I suppose that this counts as FIRE, as my state retirement age is 67.

D.L.

And now the world is your lobster!
Make plans, but be prepared to change them.

I declared victory last year, having just turned 60.
My plans revolved around rehabilitation from surgery (hip replacement) playing tennis, seeing friends, learning French (to get a French passport), and staying in touch with work colleagues so that I could engineer a smooth transition.
Tennis & seeing friends are still on the agenda, but I seem to be spending most of my time running a Ukrainian networking group, helping get kids into school places, scout groups etc etc.

You are suddenly in a position of being able to decide what is important to spend time on, rather than your career needs driving it on autopilot. This is a profound dislocation, but not a bad one.
Enjoy

[abbeymeadster]

Interesting. Like you, I could send in my letter of resignation now but am feeling reluctant to do so and have a sense of foreboding/finality.

In my 20s and 30s I never expected to feel like this - I thought I'd happily disappear into the sunset popping the champagne corks!
It turns out it's harder than it looks.

Do you have any plans for what to do in your free time? For me, that will be critical. I'm not very good at sitting still.

[vrdiver]

Congratulations on making FIRE a reality! You have created a tremendous gift - that of time, in which you can decide what you want to do, rather than being driven by other people (many of whom are fundamentally good individuals) who really don't care about your priorities.

That time that you have given back to yourself - it's natural to feel a sense of foreboding, along with a lot of other feelings, depending on all the different things that are changing; your daily routine, your social network (especially if dominated by work colleagues and work activities), your sense of self-worth, even, if you define yourself by your job. However, as others have posted, take some of that time to "decompress", to reset your priorities and to find out what makes you, well, happy.

I retired at 50, and have no regrets eight years on. Today I'm working on a little project doing what I want to do. Last week I was 200 miles away sharing the days with friends. Tomorrow, I'll see what the local weather is doing and decide my day accordingly.

There are hobbies you never had the time for, books you never got to read, places (even in, or especially in, this country) you always meant to go to, that have all become possibilities again. There's also the sheer joy of taking time to walk or cycle to places, enjoying the journey, discovering where you live, that maybe just wasn't possible when you were busy working for a living.

I hope you are able to come back here (to this thread) and keep us updated on what you decide, and how you feel.

All the best
VRD

[88V8]

Interesting. Like you, I could send in my letter of resignation now but am feeling reluctant to do so and have a sense of foreboding/finality.Do you have any plans for what to do in your free time? For me, that will be critical.

If you have hobbies, you can expand them.
In my case, it was DIY, classic cars, reading, a bit of gardening.

If your whole life has been work and then collapsing in front of the tele, I can imagine filling the time might seem difficult, but for me it was the cliche that I don't know how I had time to go to work.

V8

[Charlottesquare]

Interesting. Like you, I could send in my letter of resignation now but am feeling reluctant to do so and have a sense of foreboding/finality.Do you have any plans for what to do in your free time? For me, that will be critical.

If you have hobbies, you can expand them.
In my case, it was DIY, classic cars, reading, a bit of gardening.

If your whole life has been work and then collapsing in front of the tele, I can imagine filling the time might seem difficult, but for me it was the cliche that I don't know how I had time to go to work.

V8

Are you me?

Your list matches mine to the tee except I also have model railways and my 1987 Scimitar SS1 is not really that classic yet. (maybe it never will be)

[SalvorHardin]

Do you have any plans for what to do in your free time? For me, that will be critical. I'm not very good at sitting still.

I signed up for a Law degree with The Open University. That kept me fairly busy for the first three years. I went from full-time work to sort of full-time student at home. The OU offers degrees and individual courses in lots of subjects which are properly designed for home study.

Expanding upon existing hobbies is a good option. Walking helped me get fit and lose a couple of stone in the first year.

I went to the cinema a lot more than when I was working, until I was banned by some health and safety jobsworth for daring to take my motorcycle helmet into the cinema.

I watch quite a bit of County cricket (I live about five miles from a County ground). Lots of day trips to places I'd never been to, generally no further than thirty miles from home. It's surprising how many interesting places there are to visit in the UK.

Also quite a bit of travelling around Europe by train. I strongly recommend that people get their travelling done earlier rather than later, as we generally have less energy as we get older.

You might find some interesting part-time work. I know several people who having retired, got jobs at racecourses (working on the fences and as stewards) and rugby grounds on matchdays (much better behaved spectators than at football).

Good luck!

[JohnB]

Conservation work (with 4 different groups) gives structure to my week and power to my elbow. Archving documents and updating/writing wikis scratches my technical itch. Oh and taking photographs of memorial benches for an international documentation project. I'm closing in fast on second place.

[AF62]

I went to the cinema a lot more than when I was working, until I was banned by some health and safety jobsworth for daring to take my motorcycle helmet into the cinema.

!!!

When I used to commute into London I used to take a bicycle into the cinema without any issue (although it was a Brompton).

As for the cinema, I thoroughly recommend the Cineworld Unlimited card (or similar offered by the other chains), where for a monthly fee you can watch as many films as you want. A pleasant way to spend an afternoon when the weather might not be great, and as you are not paying for individual films then ‘giving it a go’ and watching things you wouldn’t otherwise have done often pays dividends.

[Charlottesquare]

My route has been to reduce working hours, now age 62 I work three days with a four day weekend.

I must admit I can get a bit edgy re thinking about retiring, whilst we could both retire now any significant downturn in the economy could erode our incomes and absent state pensions for 3-4 more years (circa 19k a year between us) not sure I would like to take the risk, especially as unlikely to be employable for similar money elsewhere if I then changed my mind after 12 months.

Given the last few years have seen a large fall in 2020, a rebound into late 2021 and then another drop recently I am aware that if we had to bleed pension funds at the bottom of the market it would not be pleasant.

I think fear will override my wish for total freedom and I will stay in harness to nearer 64/65.