Count me in - will be giving notice in March for an effective date of retirement meaning for me no longer being an employee and only doing interesting consulting jobs when I want to to keep my brain functioning. I will be living off my investments until my Reserve pension starts in 2024. Already have plans to follow around a favorite band on the US tour starting the Saturday of my first retired weekend. Will be moving back to USA, buying a car and a house...lots of stuff to do.
So many people to thank for getting here: Terhorst (You Can Retire at 35), Kaderlis, Tightwad Gazette, Millionaire Next Door, Clements ("I'm long on tuna fish and short on toilet paper"), Index Funds, Boglehead community, VPW, RPM, Early Retirement Forum, Doug Nordman, REWahoo, and decision to stay in the Air Force Reserves while still working at a full-time career (nice pension and healthcare benefits at age 60). I've had highly loaded mutual funds (USPA & IRA and another fund that ended up paying the broker more than me
) and migrated to index funds riding many market ups and downs (1989, Dot Com bust, 2008, COVID) but always doing my best to save the maximum (and then some) I could in tax deferred and Roth vehicles as well as after tax, just staying the course. I've run every model there is to see if I can retire with as much as or more of a spending lifestyle than I have now as well as consulted several financial planners.
So, it is time. I have so looked forward to this decision. I've wanted to retire early since my late 20s; I had gotten there in my early 50s, but went back to work due to some personal setbacks. I will be just 58 (birthday in mid-March) when I am done, done, done with work
. (I'm mentally there already - heh).