Roll Call for the Retirement Class of 2023!

[Miriam2]

DW and I remain on schedule to launch the "SS Zeno Retirement" dingey on June 15, 2023.

Leading up to that, this morning we just hired Vanguard PAS and now have a dedicated CFP. For a fee of $2K per $1M AUM, they will manage our finances. Within five days, they will execute all necessary trades in a tax efficient manner to: (1) reset our AA; and (2) ensure our various investments sit in the right accounts (retirement/qualified, taxable). Our initial withdrawal rate will be 2.4%. They will rebalance once a quarter. If we elect to do Roth conversions, we can connect our tax advisor to our PAS CFP so the two of them can sort out how much to convert annually between 2023 and when we hit the RMDs. We also have an "enhanced" dashboard on the Vanguard website. And we can chat with our CFP as necessary.

In a word, we now -- and again, there are two of us -- have peace of mind heading into the decumulation phase after decades of successfully self managing our finances during the accumulation phase.

Congratulations Zeno, happy to hear your family is on schedule to launch the "SS Zeno Retirement Dingey" Sounds like you prepared well over the years for this special time and now you can relax as you glide into retirement - which will be here before you know it! Thank you for sharing with us your path to retirement and your plans with Vanguard PAS and your CFP.

In retirement, I'm looking forward to no longer fretting about finances while continuing to engage in various charitable endeavors, focused on less fortunate fellow human beings as well as creatures large and small. It is truly a wonderful time of life.

I love your phrase "I'm looking forward to no longer fretting about finances." Very descriptive and very accurate for so many. Please let us know your retirement activities and how your charitable endeavors work out.

Yes for sure, it is truly a wonderful time of life.

[Miriam2]

April 2023 is my time to say goodbye to the corporate world. I'll be 62 in the summer of 2023. 39+ years in the semiconductor industry with 7 different companies (twice for one company), the last half in managerial roles. My replacement has been brought on board and I've agreed to stay to fully bring him up to speed. April allows me to front load one more year for 401K with a final true up in 2024 as well as snag some other corporate goodies.

Oh No Is a semiconductor a chip??

You're THE most important person for 40 years in the semiconductor industry and NOW you're retiring? WHAAT? There are no chips, companies can't make them, can't ship them, can't build goods that require chips - we can't buy new cars AND you're retiring NOW??

I guess we'll just need to adjust to the shock of perpetual chip shortage due to decabler's upcoming retirement

Welcome to this Truly Awesome Retirement Roll Call, dcabler! You're in this Great Class of 2023 Hope you snag every goodie coming your way!

It's been a fun career which included a couple of years as an expat in Germany, a summer working in Austria, and regular visits to the Czech Republic to visit the team I'm currently responsible for. A lot of bosses along the way, some very good, some not at all, and almost none of them in between. Some great colleagues as well as some politically motivated ones, unfortunately. Didn't always leave a job voluntarily but each subsequent job was better than the previous one!

Sounds like good years of work - now time for good years of retirement!

After I leave, it's time to take care of some "deferred maintenance" projects on the house in anticipation of a sale plus downsize to we-don't-yet-know-what-or-where. Travel, more time for cycling, hobbies, watching our daughter move through her adult life and friends all await!

How wonderful! Please let us know what you're up to.

Due to salary and number of years in the biz, I will be near max for SS which I plan on taking at age 70 with wife somewhat less from SS and also planning on taking it at 70. Will be using my custom form of ABW for withdrawals which today appears to result in spending capability above what we spend today, even with ACA med insurance added. Depending on how things go between Jan and April, I might have a little bit of space for Roth conversions in 2023, but the bigger opportunity is the following year. Taxable account only contains stock. IRA/401K's contain TIPS which are set up for duration matching to generate a very steady, inflation adjusted income stream. All international stock is held in the IRA with a little bit of US as well. Over time will convert at least the stock in the IRA/401K to Roth.

A simplified Plan B for my wife should I pre-decease is also in place and documented.

Many thanks for sharing your retirement glidepath and plans. Best wishes for a long, healthy and happy retirement

[backofbeyond]

Yup, joing the 2023 Punching Out Crew.

March 31, 2023...after 34 years in the Civil Service. I've lived in 6 countries and traveld to over 70 during my career. I'll be 57 and DW will be 56. In 2021, we downsized from a 4 bedroom home to a 2 bedroom Condo. Sold all of our antiques (some 400 years old) for a song. Hurt a bit at the time but don't ever think about it now. We intend to sell everything else but our phones, some clothes and our car and set out to be International Nomads.

I could have retired Feb 2022 but had a few items to check off. Wanted Covid levels to be down, especially in Africa. Had a boomerang daughter that is just now graduating from flight attendant school. And of course was hoping the economy would get out of it's slump. This last one may not actually happen. I took a large hit since Nov 2021, but have run the numbers and will press on.

We are keeping our car at first as we plan on doing a farewell to North America tour, which will last approx 7 months. Have 98 places pegged out (so far) to stop in both America and Canada, lots of National and State Parks. After this chapter, we will sell the car, then head off to Africa, Europe, India, Nepal, Asia, Australia, Hawaii, Yukon, back to America then South America. That should take us to the end of 2025. At that point, we plan on going slow mo and living in one country 3-6 months at a time.

As noted on previous posts on BH, due to the diversity of places we will be traveling to, the costs will vary substantially. So to keep it simple I'll divide my TSP Traditional by the number of months left (116 months when I begin) to age 67 then add my FERS annuity to the mix and live on that. We so far have booked the the first two months and are averaging $140 a night in lodging fees. Which is within budget.

At 67, ten years after retirement, I'm assuming we will want to grow some roots and move into the slow go years. I've arranged various annunities, including DW and my SS, to come on line. The sum totals with my FERs pension will equate to my last years salary. We won't touch our Roth IRAs and TSP Roth accounts during our travels and have them as aces in the hole incase of medical issues and/or trips after 67. Not planning on leaving any inheritance but will help our daughter when she needs it. The Germans call this giving with a warm hand vs a cold. All of this is subject to our health remaining good, but as we all know, a game changer could happen at any point.

Very excited for our next chapter and we spend most evenings now researching were we want to go and working out the logistics/costs.

Hi backofbeyond and a big Welcome to the Retirement Roll Call! You're in the Punching Out Crew in the Great Class of 2023

Thank you for your interesting pre-retirement planning and glidepath. You really know how to downsize! Very impressive. Life moves on and before you know it, you'll be out on the open road

"Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.

Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,
Strong and content I travel the open road."

--- "The Song of the Open Road," by Walt Whitman, 1856.

We wish you all the best in your new adventures and hope your planning is perfection and everything is an enjoyable retirement. Please let us know where you are and how you're doing

Thank you. That is very kind of you and we love that poem! We will keep you posted!

[Miriam2]

I thought I would be in the Class of 2024 or 2025 after I turn 60. DH is now urging me to make my break next year due to my autoimmune issues. There is so much to consider, primarily insurance options. Also, the idea of not having a paycheck is strange and disconcerting—I’ve worked continuously since I was 16. The anxiety is real, yet the allure of retirement is too strong to ignore.

Ok DesertDiva - we'll add you to this Wonderful Retirement Class of 2023 and you can update your report when you have an R-date

Welcome to the Retirement Roll Call - you're going to love not working for a pay check, although it's true that not having a pay check coming in is "strange and disconcerting" - nice way to put it. But you'll get used to it

[dcabler]

April 2023 is my time to say goodbye to the corporate world. I'll be 62 in the summer of 2023. 39+ years in the semiconductor industry with 7 different companies (twice for one company), the last half in managerial roles. My replacement has been brought on board and I've agreed to stay to fully bring him up to speed. April allows me to front load one more year for 401K with a final true up in 2024 as well as snag some other corporate goodies.

Oh No Is a semiconductor a chip??

You're THE most important person for 40 years in the semiconductor industry and NOW you're retiring? WHAAT? There are no chips, companies can't make them, can't ship them, can't build goods that require chips - we can't buy new cars AND you're retiring NOW??

I guess we'll just need to adjust to the shock of perpetual chip shortage due to decabler's upcoming retirement

Welcome to this Truly Awesome Retirement Roll Call, dcabler! You're in this Great Class of 2023 Hope you snag every goodie coming your way!

It's been a fun career which included a couple of years as an expat in Germany, a summer working in Austria, and regular visits to the Czech Republic to visit the team I'm currently responsible for. A lot of bosses along the way, some very good, some not at all, and almost none of them in between. Some great colleagues as well as some politically motivated ones, unfortunately. Didn't always leave a job voluntarily but each subsequent job was better than the previous one!

Sounds like good years of work - now time for good years of retirement!

After I leave, it's time to take care of some "deferred maintenance" projects on the house in anticipation of a sale plus downsize to we-don't-yet-know-what-or-where. Travel, more time for cycling, hobbies, watching our daughter move through her adult life and friends all await!

How wonderful! Please let us know what you're up to.

Due to salary and number of years in the biz, I will be near max for SS which I plan on taking at age 70 with wife somewhat less from SS and also planning on taking it at 70. Will be using my custom form of ABW for withdrawals which today appears to result in spending capability above what we spend today, even with ACA med insurance added. Depending on how things go between Jan and April, I might have a little bit of space for Roth conversions in 2023, but the bigger opportunity is the following year. Taxable account only contains stock. IRA/401K's contain TIPS which are set up for duration matching to generate a very steady, inflation adjusted income stream. All international stock is held in the IRA with a little bit of US as well. Over time will convert at least the stock in the IRA/401K to Roth.

A simplified Plan B for my wife should I pre-decease is also in place and documented.

Many thanks for sharing your retirement glidepath and plans. Best wishes for a long, healthy and happy retirement

Thank you so much Miriam2!!!

[Miriam2]

I will be eligible for retirement Jan 1, 2023 but I will probably stay on 2-5 more years. We are still upgrading the small farm we live on and building a SS bucket/bridge to 70. Spouse is likely to continue working until we are both Medicare eligible. There are still a lot of moving pieces and flexible plans; have to wait and see how it goes.

Ok Mike Scott - everyone here on this Bogleheads forum understands your inner urge to "build your SS bucket/bridge to 70" - don't tell your co-workers or they may whisper to the boss that you've gone looney

Please let us know what it's like to upgrade your small farm Is this for pastoral peace and bliss, or to make a retirement living? When you decide on your R-date, let us know and we'll re-boot you to a Wonderful Retirement Class

[Zeno]

deleted

[Miriam2]

At the rate this is going, I'm fretting there will only be about two of us "checking out" next year. From the threads it seems as if 2.5 million people retired/are retiring in 2022, with only about 8 people (including associated pets) planning to pull the ripcord next year. I'm not exactly looking for cosmological signs to backstop my retirement plans, but still -- I'm getting nervous about the low numbers.

Don't panic Zeno! Everyone's just trying to find their retirement papers they put somewhere and they'll sign up as soon as they realize that later is tomorrow

[AllMostThere]

My partner in life, best friend and DW, Mrs. AllMostThere, is planning on pulling plug in 2023. She is currently working PT (Tues-Thurs) as she winds down her involvement with work. I have consistently told her our plan has worked and we are okay, but she is somewhat hesitant as there appears to be a recession on the horizon. She's thinking that she will continue PT thru Q1 2023 then make the full transition sometime in Q2. She is 59 yr. old and ready for our next phase of life.

[Miriam2]

The Pre/Early Retirement Life Stage chapter is hosting an interesting zoom meeting on Wed. Dec. 7, 2022, starting at 8:00 pm ET on the pressing retirement question: Should I Work One More Year? fondly known as the One More Year Syndrome

5 pm Pacific | 6 pm Mountain | 7 pm Central | 8 pm Eastern

This will be an open discussion with people sharing their experiences with "One More Year" Syndrome and how they handled this (or didn't handle it so well), what they learned from it (or wished they learned), how it affected their finances and ultimate retirement plans, etc. The meeting is informal, come as you are, and it's fine to keep your video off for anonymity.

"One More Year Syndrome" is the temptation to work just one more year past your planned retirement date, or deciding when to quit your job but then finding difficulty actually doing it.

Targeted audience: anyone who is thinking of retiring or has retired, and of course, all Bogleheads are invited to attend

You can RSVP for the meeting HERE - and all responses are anonymous. It's not necessary to RSVP to attend, come and bring all your Qs and enjoy the discussion.

HERE is the Zoom link for the meeting - and the full zoom link is also posted on the Bogleheads Calendar of Events.

Hope to see you there!
The Pre/Early Retirement Life Stage Chapter Coordinators

[cavuotoj]

Hello, 1st I would like to thank everyone here for the wealth if information and dedication to this amazing project. I will retire in the 1st Quarter of 2023 DW in January partial she will keep her private practice. Looking forward to some travel and local projects We have another meeting with VPAS this month to set up spending account ect. Congrats to all

[dr_m]

I am nowhere near retirement but delighted to find out this tradition exists.

Congratulations to upcoming class of 2023..!!
Hoping to make my own post here 30 years from now… or less…

[Miriam2]

My partner in life, best friend and DW, Mrs. AllMostThere, is planning on pulling plug in 2023. She is currently working PT (Tues-Thurs) as she winds down her involvement with work. I have consistently told her our plan has worked and we are okay, but she is somewhat hesitant as there appears to be a recession on the horizon. She's thinking that she will continue PT thru Q1 2023 then make the full transition sometime in Q2. She is 59 yr. old and ready for our next phase of life.

We call her plan smart and careful and we fully approve On the other hand, just punching out when she feels like it sounds smart and careful and we fully approve. What is so nice - and we mean really nice - is having these good options. We wish your family a smooth glidepath into retirement and hope this next phase of your life, coming up before you know it, is really wonderful!

[HENRYGRUGER]

Miriam2:

I was originally scheduled to be in the class of 2020, and then "you know what hit the fan"...No...NOT THAT..COVID 19. Ha!

I decided OMY was in order, since there was a real danger facing me in the form of Sequence of Returns Risk...and I moved my retirement date forward, as TBD. In June of 2021, I received a contract extension, through 6-30-2025. Well that was nice and all, but there's no way I am staying on that long. I turned 72 in October 2022 and I decided June 30, 2023 would be my date. 209 days and counting.

As we all have experienced, 2022 has been a "rough and rocky road," markets wise. My portfolio is down about $116,000 for the year. Based on our recently received SSA announcement, however, we will begin receiving our new monthly benefits in January, totaling $5,764 monthly. (I waited until 70 to claim my SS Benefits. My wife claimed at 62.) Our Monthly expenses are only $4536. According to my PAS advisor, "we should to be able to take 2.8%-3% withdrawals to achieve our desired retirement income."

"Should", however, is not going to cut it for me. I am carefully considering the purchase of a large SPIA, to guarantee our income. It will cost slightly less than 1/3 of our portfolio, but the knowledge that we will no longer will be subject to the volatility of the markets is well worth it to us.

In order to assure no disruption in our income, due to Congress failing to act to "fix" Social Security by 2034, I plan to purchase additional annuities to cover the forecasted 22% loss of benefits, set to commence in 2034. Should Congress actually do the right thing, the annuities will be able to be diverted to other uses. Either way, we will be covered.

I got a lot of the motivation for this plan from reading the book, 'Dying Broke," by Steven Pollard and Mark Levine. Well worth the read.

Leaving academics, where I have been the past 14 years, is hard. Although I have long detested the political correctness of the academe, I love my students and I know, through them, I am contributing to the financial literacy of the US population and producing better trained financial services professionals. I will miss that. The salary, benefits and freedom of working from home the past 7 years has also been great.

Academics was my third career. I spent 28 years in finance and another 12 years in Insurance & Financial Services. Most of the reasons I see from folks happy to be retiring didn't really apply to me. No commuting, no travel since Covid (and none going forward), teaching all my classes online, no daily costs of lunches, dry cleaning and other related expenses. I have had a few miserable 'leaders" over the years, but even they are easier to ignore these days. All in all, I just feel like, "if not now, when?"

After decompressing for a short while after finally retiring, I plan to do some volunteering with military members, since I live less than 30 minutes from a major military installations, offering pro-bono financial education and assistance. I also plan to get involved with helping younger kids read and high schoolers understand personal finance, through Junior Achievement. Having been working from home these past 7 years, the Misses is used to me being around, so that won't be much of a change, thank goodness.

Good Luck to all the other members of retirement Class 2023.

[L84SUPR]

May we please have a reservation for two on 31 December 2023. Ages at that time will be 62 and 64.

In terms of glide path, about 18 months ago I had been reading about bond tents and retirement date risk and asked my wife how certain we wanted to be we could retire on the day we wanted. She responded, Pretty Darn Certain! I opened up my computer, logged on to the TSP, and moved the funds from L 2035 to G Fund. The move was not quite as dramatic as it might seem since I moved a compensating amount of funds in a 401k from TD 2035 to TD 2065. With additional contributions through 31 Dec 2023 we will have a 7 year bridging fund in cash equivalents. The remainder of our investments are in Wellington and TD 2065 with a total AA of 50/50 including the bridging fund.

We are not great budgeters but since October we are running all of our purchases through our USAA checking account which has a handy budget tool that puts all expenditures in categories and plots them on a graph. We have an income number picked out and will be test driving the budget through 2023. We made our final house payment this month and also have 60k set aside to take advantage of the energy tax savings in the IRA act as we update the windows, doors, HVAC, and electrical panel in our home.

Our main activity we do together is riding our tandem bicycles. The Sacramento Valley and surrounding environs is a terrific location for nearly year'round cycling and this is only improved by being retired and able to pick the time and day to work around the weather. The sailing, skiing, and hiking aren't bad either. California has a favorable treatment of social security income, no tax on groceries, and we have a 1992 basis for property taxes. We have looked at locations in the intermountain west but honestly with a paid off house and income a bit above median it is hard to find a better location if cycling is a high priority.

We both are expecting pretty tough final years at work. We are looking forward to the day when our greatest concerns are having the correct knitting needles for the current project and the optimal sunglass lenses for the expected conditions.

[Miriam2]

Hello, 1st I would like to thank everyone here for the wealth if information and dedication to this amazing project. I will retire in the 1st Quarter of 2023 DW in January partial she will keep her private practice. Looking forward to some travel and local projects We have another meeting with VPAS this month to set up spending account ect. Congrats to all

Hi cavuotoj and a Big Welcome to this Retirement Class of 2023! You're on the Retirement Roll Call

Nice plans for travel and local projects, hope you enjoy everything you plan for and even more! Tell VPAS you need enough money to enjoy your retirement as you have always dreamed

[zincTwo]

I set a date in 2023...after 35 years & after the reset of my RSUs vest.

Nice plans, zincTwo! And now for those wonderful, heart-warming words -> Welcome to the Retirement Roll Call!
We'll pencil you in on the 2023 roster, and when you firm up your date, we'll erase and pencil in again!

Date set w/ employer... January 31.

[Miriam2]

I set a date in 2023...after 35 years & after the reset of my RSUs vest.

Nice plans, zincTwo! And now for those wonderful, heart-warming words -> Welcome to the Retirement Roll Call!
We'll pencil you in on the 2023 roster, and when you firm up your date, we'll erase and pencil in again!

Date set w/ employer... January 31.

OK great, we erased and rebooted you - now you're etched in gold

[zincTwo]

The Pre/Early Retirement Life Stage chapter is hosting an interesting zoom meeting on Wed. Dec. 7, 2022, starting at 8:00 pm ET on the pressing retirement question: Should I Work One More Year? fondly known as the One More Year Syndrome

This will be an open discussion with people sharing their experiences with "One More Year" Syndrome and how they handled this (or didn't handle it so well), what they learned from it (or wished they learned), how it affected their finances and ultimate retirement plans, etc. The meeting is informal, come as you are, and it's fine to keep your video off for anonymity.

"One More Year Syndrome" is the temptation to work just one more year past your planned retirement date, or deciding when to quit your job but then finding difficulty actually doing it.

The Pre/Early Retirement Life Stage Chapter Coordinators

Is there a recording or podcast archive of this event? The topic sounded interesting, and I'm sorry I missed it.

[Miriam2]

I was originally scheduled to be in the class of 2020, and then "you know what hit the fan"...No...NOT THAT..COVID 19. Ha!

I decided OMY was in order, since there was a real danger facing me in the form of Sequence of Returns Risk...and I moved my retirement date forward, as TBD. In June of 2021, I received a contract extension, through 6-30-2025. Well that was nice and all, but there's no way I am staying on that long. I turned 72 in October 2022 and I decided June 30, 2023 would be my date. 209 days and counting.

Sounds perfect! Welcome to this Awesome Retirement Class of 2023 - you're on the Roll Call

As we all have experienced, 2022 has been a "rough and rocky road," markets wise. My portfolio is down about $116,000 for the year. Based on our recently received SSA announcement, however, we will begin receiving our new monthly benefits in January, totaling $5,764 monthly. (I waited until 70 to claim my SS Benefits. My wife claimed at 62.) Our Monthly expenses are only $4536. According to my PAS advisor, "we should to be able to take 2.8%-3% withdrawals to achieve our desired retirement income."

"Should", however, is not going to cut it for me. I am carefully considering the purchase of a large SPIA, to guarantee our income. It will cost slightly less than 1/3 of our portfolio, but the knowledge that we will no longer will be subject to the volatility of the markets is well worth it to us.

In order to assure no disruption in our income, due to Congress failing to act to "fix" Social Security by 2034, I plan to purchase additional annuities to cover the forecasted 22% loss of benefits, set to commence in 2034. Should Congress actually do the right thing, the annuities will be able to be diverted to other uses. Either way, we will be covered.

I got a lot of the motivation for this plan from reading the book, 'Dying Broke," by Steven Pollard and Mark Levine. Well worth the read.

Thank you for sharing your thinking and plans for your glidepath into retirement. We appreciate it very much and hope that everything works out the way you planned

Leaving academics, where I have been the past 14 years, is hard. Although I have long detested the political correctness of the academe, I love my students and I know, through them, I am contributing to the financial literacy of the US population and producing better trained financial services professionals. I will miss that. The salary, benefits and freedom of working from home the past 7 years has also been great.

Academics was my third career. I spent 28 years in finance and another 12 years in Insurance & Financial Services. Most of the reasons I see from folks happy to be retiring didn't really apply to me. No commuting, no travel since Covid (and none going forward), teaching all my classes online, no daily costs of lunches, dry cleaning and other related expenses. I have had a few miserable 'leaders" over the years, but even they are easier to ignore these days. All in all, I just feel like, "if not now, when?"

Nice story Henry! I'm sure you made a difference for the financial better for all your students. Agree completely: "If not now, when?" Seems like the perfect time to retire and begin your new life continuing to help others learn about personal finance and achieve their financial goals!

After decompressing for a short while after finally retiring, I plan to do some volunteering with military members, since I live less than 30 minutes from a major military installations, offering pro-bono financial education and assistance. I also plan to get involved with helping younger kids read and high schoolers understand personal finance, through Junior Achievement. Having been working from home these past 7 years, the Misses is used to me being around, so that won't be much of a change, thank goodness.

Good Luck to all the other members of retirement Class 2023.

Great plans You'll be an important part of the financial literacy of so many. Again, thank you so very much for sharing your thoughts and plans with us. We wish you all the best and hope everything you wish to achieve is an enjoyable reality for many healthy years. Please let us know how you're doing as life moves on. Good luck and happy upcoming retirement

[baguette]

Count me in for August 2023! That’s when the W2 work ends and the 1099 work ramps up…


baguette

[Miriam2]

May we please have a reservation for two on 31 December 2023. Ages at that time will be 62 and 64.

Reservations!! Of course! Welcome to the Retirement Roll Call for the Marvelous Class of 2023!

In terms of glide path, about 18 months ago I had been reading about bond tents and retirement date risk and asked my wife how certain we wanted to be we could retire on the day we wanted. She responded, Pretty Darn Certain! I opened up my computer, logged on to the TSP, and moved the funds from L 2035 to G Fund. The move was not quite as dramatic as it might seem since I moved a compensating amount of funds in a 401k from TD 2035 to TD 2065. With additional contributions through 31 Dec 2023 we will have a 7 year bridging fund in cash equivalents. The remainder of our investments are in Wellington and TD 2065 with a total AA of 50/50 including the bridging fund.

That sounds like sensible planning, and all of us here in Bogleheads Retirement Land feel relaxed and financially satisfied just reading about your financial adventure

We are not great budgeters but since October we are running all of our purchases through our USAA checking account which has a handy budget tool that puts all expenditures in categories and plots them on a graph. We have an income number picked out and will be test driving the budget through 2023. We made our final house payment this month and also have 60k set aside to take advantage of the energy tax savings in the IRA act as we update the windows, doors, HVAC, and electrical panel in our home.

Thank you for sharing these nice plans - please let us know how the test drive goes. Sounds like you have a very helpful budgeting tool.

Our main activity we do together is riding our tandem bicycles. The Sacramento Valley and surrounding environs is a terrific location for nearly year'round cycling and this is only improved by being retired and able to pick the time and day to work around the weather. The sailing, skiing, and hiking aren't bad either. California has a favorable treatment of social security income, no tax on groceries, and we have a 1992 basis for property taxes. We have looked at locations in the intermountain west but honestly with a paid off house and income a bit above median it is hard to find a better location if cycling is a high priority.

Ahh - a bicycle built for two! Hope you enjoy many years of retirement in the Valley. Don't forget the fabulous Sacramento Bogleheads Local Chapter

We both are expecting pretty tough final years at work. We are looking forward to the day when our greatest concerns are having the correct knitting needles for the current project and the optimal sunglass lenses for the expected conditions.

We hope you have easier work years ahead and enjoy preparing for retirement. Please let us know how everything goes

[usa]

Hi everyone. I will now retire 2/28/23. I will be 57 with 31 years federal service. While I'm jealous of my CSRS colleagues with their much more generous pension plans, from what I can tell, after putting in the maximum amount for 30 years, I'm in the top 1 percent of TSP balances - - I'm my fine.

[Miriam2]

Hi everyone. I will now retire 2/28/23. I will be 57 with 31 years federal service. While I'm jealous of my CSRS colleagues with their much more generous pension plans, from what I can tell, after putting in the maximum amount for 30 years, I'm in the top 1 percent of TSP balances - - I'm my fine.

Hi usa! Thanks for checking into the 2023 Retirement Class. You're on the Retirement Roll Call

Ok, 31 years federal service is good work and now time to enjoy retirement. Pensions go a long way Hope you have a wonderful retirement with lots of fun and plenty of relaxation!

[Miriam2]

The Pre/Early Retirement Life Stage chapter is hosting an interesting zoom meeting on Wed. Dec. 7, 2022, starting at 8:00 pm ET on the pressing retirement question: Should I Work One More Year? fondly known as the One More Year Syndrome

This will be an open discussion with people sharing their experiences with "One More Year" Syndrome and how they handled this (or didn't handle it so well), what they learned from it (or wished they learned), how it affected their finances and ultimate retirement plans, etc. The meeting is informal, come as you are, and it's fine to keep your video off for anonymity.

"One More Year Syndrome" is the temptation to work just one more year past your planned retirement date, or deciding when to quit your job but then finding difficulty actually doing it.

Is there a recording or podcast archive of this event? The topic sounded interesting, and I'm sorry I missed it.

This particular meeting was not recorded. However, the Chat was saved and is available here.

The Bogleheads have a large number of on-line meetings available as video, transcript, and/or chat. Here is the link and web site to find all of them--
Bogleheads Virtual Online Chapter Presentations = https://www.bogleheads.org/blog/portfol ... entations/

All Bogleheads Local Chapter meetings and Life Stage Chapter meetings are listed on the Bogleheads Calendar of Events which is posted on the Bogleheads Blog - along with many other articles and Bogleheads information and links to the many Bogleheads Local Chapters -

Bogleheads Calendar of Events = https://www.bogleheads.org/blog/calendar-of-events
Bogleheads Blog = https://www.bogleheads.org/blog/

In addition, all Bogleheads can subscribe to the Virtual Chapter Events and Bogleheads Chapter Series to be notified of upcoming events by going to the Bogleheads Calendar of Events link above and scrolling down to the subscription directions.

These pages and the Bogleheads Blog are maintained by Barry Barnitz with big help from LadyGeek and other Bogleheads - and we thank them for their huge efforts keeping these pages, links, videos, transcripts, calendars, uploads, downloads, you name it - up and running for all Bogleheads

[kd2008]

My DH husband is joining the class of 2023 in 100 days!

I will continue with my employment.

Heading to Alaska - land & sea to celebrate the retirement.

[Miriam2]

Count me in for August 2023! That’s when the W2 work ends and the 1099 work ramps up…


baguette

Oh yikes! There's no relief from taxes Welcome to the Retirement Roll Call baguette! We hope your 1099 work goes smoothly and - most importantly - that you enjoy it very much as part of your retirement. Please let us know how your retirement plans go

[Houdini563]

Age 63 and 2 months. My final day was this past Friday.

No mortgage, 2 new cars in the garage, no debt whatsoever. Balance sheet looks like this:

Home. $600,000
Cash. 101,000
Trad IRA.(pays 4.5%) 320,000
VWIAX. 750,000
Am funds 2030 TD. 405,000
Am funds 2040 TD. 175,000
CD (3.35%). 267,000
Fid 500 Index. 13,000

Wife still working 2 more years. We will live on VWIAX until I’m 70. At that time SS will pay us $7500 monthly. CD will mature next January and will then migrate to VWIAX. Everything else will sit and grow.

Thank you all for the marvelous advise that has led us to hopefully a foolproof retirement!

[BernardShakey]

Please check me into the Retirement Roll Call for 2023!

After 37+ years at one storied megacorp, I decided today to hang it up for good on September 29th, 2023. It's been a good run that began the week after graduating from college. Lots of memories, great people, and some cool stories to tell.

And thanks to all of you Bogleheads --- you've helped me become confident in my retirement readiness and to thoughtfully consider how to spend my remaining years.

This moment reminds me of a quote:

"I feel like I've stolen a car...a really nice car. And I keep looking in the rearview mirror for flashing lights. Nothing yet."

Thanks.

[rich126]

My last day in my government job will be January 31, 2023. I originally picked 12/31 but then withdrew my paperwork to think it over. After being off for 4 weeks it was obvious I had no interest in working there any longer. I will most likely take a job offer as a contractor to work at a better facility non-government owned. Probably don't need the money but I will be in the area for the rest of the year, hours are flexible and if I don't like it, I'll just move on.

Unlike a lot of government retirees I'm not one who stayed there my entire career. I have about 22 years of time over 3 tours, each progressively shorter (15 yrs, 6, 2). The last go around was unexpected but due to my late father's illness I needed to be in the area and they offered me a job. My pension will provide the important health insurance and a pension to cover part of my expenses but I will be certainly relying on my savings for retirement.

I was going to write up some notes regarding the government job not being quite the cushy job many thing of but that is probably better saved for another thread or site.

My first day of retirement will be spent doing a medical test all day (pretty easy one) so no celebration there but hopefully soon. Stay well everyone.

[Miriam2]

My DH husband is joining the class of 2023 in 100 days!

I will continue with my employment.

Heading to Alaska - land & sea to celebrate the retirement.

Nice trip for the start of good retirement We hope you enjoy this new phase and that everything works out perfectly

[Miriam2]

Age 63 and 2 months. My final day was this past Friday.

No mortgage, 2 new cars in the garage, no debt whatsoever. Balance sheet looks like this:

Home. $600,000
Cash. 101,000
Trad IRA.(pays 4.5%) 320,000
VWIAX. 750,000
Am funds 2030 TD. 405,000
Am funds 2040 TD. 175,000
CD (3.35%). 267,000
Fid 500 Index. 13,000

Wife still working 2 more years. We will live on VWIAX until I’m 70. At that time SS will pay us $7500 monthly. CD will mature next January and will then migrate to VWIAX. Everything else will sit and grow.

Thank you all for the marvelous advise that has led us to hopefully a foolproof retirement!

Welcome to the Retirement Roll Call Houdini563! You're on the roster for the Awesome Class of 2023!

Thank you for sharing your retirement strategy. We hope it turns out exactly as you prepared - or even better - and really hope that your retirement is indeed foolproof! Appears you did a good job

Now for some serious questions: what are you going to do with all that free time, that empty space ahead of you? And has your wife prepared the Honey-now-that-you're-retired-TO-DO-List?

[CyclingDuo]

Add your name to this Wonderful Retirement Roll Call, post your R-date and age, get ready for punch-out day, and please share with us your exciting glidepath into retirement.

We enjoyed joining your banquet table at the conference in Chicago, Miriam2!

Half of CyclingDuo is retiring this year. My wife will join the 2023 retirement roll call at age 65 1/2 in June.

Her exciting glidepath into retirement?

I'm not sure I can pedal to keep up with her anymore, but her glidepath into retirement this year alone includes a whirlwind trip to Vegas with our daughter to celebrate, a trip to Orlando, a 7 day bike ride across our fair state with umpteen thousand other cyclists, a trip to Utah, and she has asked me to treat her to a trip to Europe this October in celebration of her retirement to visit friends where we used to live.

40 years of speech pathology work with head injured and stroke patients as well as a stint working with K-12 students with speech and language difficulties.

The thing she is most looking forward to: no more paperwork on evenings and weekends!
The thing I am most looking forward to: Does not having to listen to her complain about all of the paperwork count?



CyclingDuo

[mhc]

I gave my two week notice last Tuesday. February 28 is my last day after working 30+ years in tech at the same company plus 4 years in the Army. It is only by the grace of God I was never laid off. I'm so excited to be done with work.

12 years ago I decided to make a plan to get to retirement by age 55. With the help of all the bogleheads, I did it. Retiring at 55.

I plan to spend more time serving and helping people. My DW and I also have plans for some extended vacations, especially, once all of our kids are launched.

[Miriam2]

Please check me into the Retirement Roll Call for 2023!

After 37+ years at one storied megacorp, I decided today to hang it up for good on September 29th, 2023. It's been a good run that began the week after graduating from college. Lots of memories, great people, and some cool stories to tell.

And thanks to all of you Bogleheads --- you've helped me become confident in my retirement readiness and to thoughtfully consider how to spend my remaining years.

This moment reminds me of a quote:

"I feel like I've stolen a car...a really nice car. And I keep looking in the rearview mirror for flashing lights. Nothing yet."

Thanks.

Thank you for such a nice retirement post, Bernard! Wow! 37+ years at one storied megacorp and it's nice to hear how you worked so many years with worthwhile work and great fellow workers. Well now you're in the storied megaretirement class! Many Bogleheads plan for years for the day they reach this roll call, they dream about it and some can't sleep at night until they hear these beautiful words: Welcome to the Retirement Roll Call!

Now we're interested on how you're going to spend your retirement years, other than evading the Law

We wish you all the best in this new phase of life

[Longruninvestor]

2023 marks my 56th trip around the sun and I just yanked the retirement rip cord. As I was on my way out, my megacorp extended an early retirement offer and I managed to snag one. Many have told me that 56 is too young to retire but I am doing it anyway, ha. I have heath insurance through my former company with a decent premium subsidy and a pension I can pull now or wait and take a higher monthly benefit later —it goes up roughly 5% every year until 65. At present I’m thinking that a lower tax bracket to stuff more Roth conversions in is a good incentive to wait. My spouse is 55 and has no plan to retire anytime soon.

[piper]

Miriam, count me in as of feb 14th! I have been fortunate that this country has given me the opportunity and more importantly my parents the work ethic to achieve this goal. I wasn't sure if this was the year but ended up turning out that way.

[mcregis]

Hi,
Thanks for this community for the great and rich spectrum of information!
I just retired Feb 1st , 2023. 55 yrs old. Wife is retired too.
I am volunteering as tax prep with VITA, traveling next month, exercising daily.

[LiketoHike]

I guess I am in!
59 YO. Gave notice 5 weeks ago, my last day is Friday, March 3rd after 19 years with my current company and 30 years in the industry. Its sinking in and getting real now. Wife is currently semi-retired. Looking forward to this new chapter with nervous anticipation. Thank you Bogleheads for helping me get here!

[pizzy]

I wish....

[jmk]

I'm getting ready to in July at 59, with wife continuing to work another four years till she's 57.

Funded ratio is 1.5 with 1.6 million.

But, getting cold feet. Having a nice spreadsheet is not the same as in real life pulling the trigger.

[Orange44]

Today is my last day. 3/3/23. Thank you all. I plan to be on this board reading and posting for many years to come.

[mhc]

Today is my last day. 3/3/23. Thank you all. I plan to be on this board reading and posting for many years to come.

I'm on my 3rd day of retirement and it is great.

[Miriam2]

My last day in my government job will be January 31, 2023. I originally picked 12/31 but then withdrew my paperwork to think it over. After being off for 4 weeks it was obvious I had no interest in working there any longer. I will most likely take a job offer as a contractor to work at a better facility non-government owned. Probably don't need the money but I will be in the area for the rest of the year, hours are flexible and if I don't like it, I'll just move on.

Unlike a lot of government retirees I'm not one who stayed there my entire career. I have about 22 years of time over 3 tours, each progressively shorter (15 yrs, 6, 2). The last go around was unexpected but due to my late father's illness I needed to be in the area and they offered me a job. My pension will provide the important health insurance and a pension to cover part of my expenses but I will be certainly relying on my savings for retirement.

I was going to write up some notes regarding the government job not being quite the cushy job many thing of but that is probably better saved for another thread or site.

My first day of retirement will be spent doing a medical test all day (pretty easy one) so no celebration there but hopefully soon. Stay well everyone.

Hi rich126! Thanks for this interesting story about your glide into retirement Welcome to the Retirement Roll Call and this Marvelous Class of 2023!

Hope your medical tests went OK and that you're ready for an exciting time of life. Please let us know what you plan to do and how you feel about filling all your available space. We wish you all the best in retirement

[Miriam2]

Add your name to this Wonderful Retirement Roll Call, post your R-date and age, get ready for punch-out day, and please share with us your exciting glidepath into retirement.

We enjoyed joining your banquet table at the conference in Chicago, Miriam2!

Oh for sure we had a great dinner table! We were pretty well behaved and never banned

Half of CyclingDuo is retiring this year. My wife will join the 2023 retirement roll call at age 65 1/2 in June.

Congratulations! And Welcome to this Most Extraordinary Retirement Roll Call for 2023 and to all the benefits attached hereto (and trust me, there are many great benefits

Her exciting glidepath into retirement?

I'm not sure I can pedal to keep up with her anymore, but her glidepath into retirement this year alone includes a whirlwind trip to Vegas with our daughter to celebrate, a trip to Orlando, a 7 day bike ride across our fair state with umpteen thousand other cyclists, a trip to Utah, and she has asked me to treat her to a trip to Europe this October in celebration of her retirement to visit friends where we used to live.

Oh dear, what a whirlwind, I can't even keep up with your description and I'm exhausted already You may be too exhausted to retire We hope you both have great fun and enjoyment in the upcoming year.

40 years of speech pathology work with head injured and stroke patients as well as a stint working with K-12 students with speech and language difficulties.

For sure, meaningful work and now a meaningful retirement.

The thing she is most looking forward to: no more paperwork on evenings and weekends!
The thing I am most looking forward to: Does not having to listen to her complain about all of the paperwork count?

Hope she is prepared for the Roll Call's new Rite of Passage for New Retirees -

Take out your work Franklin Planners and all stacks of paperwork and tear them up into little pieces and, well, add them to the garden compost, or burn those Planners and papers, in safety of course, not to violate the local No Bonfires code, or just dump them into the Big Trash Bin with appropriate blessings and Good Riddance

We wish the first half of CyclingDuo an enjoyable retirement and wish the second half enjoyable retirement anticipation

[CyclingDuo]

Add your name to this Wonderful Retirement Roll Call, post your R-date and age, get ready for punch-out day, and please share with us your exciting glidepath into retirement.

We enjoyed joining your banquet table at the conference in Chicago, Miriam2!

Oh for sure we had a great dinner table! We were pretty well behaved and never banned

Half of CyclingDuo is retiring this year. My wife will join the 2023 retirement roll call at age 65 1/2 in June.

Congratulations! And Welcome to this Most Extraordinary Retirement Roll Call for 2023 and to all the benefits attached hereto (and trust me, there are many great benefits

Her exciting glidepath into retirement?

I'm not sure I can pedal to keep up with her anymore, but her glidepath into retirement this year alone includes a whirlwind trip to Vegas with our daughter to celebrate, a trip to Orlando, a 7 day bike ride across our fair state with umpteen thousand other cyclists, a trip to Utah, and she has asked me to treat her to a trip to Europe this October in celebration of her retirement to visit friends where we used to live.

Oh dear, what a whirlwind, I can't even keep up with your description and I'm exhausted already You may be too exhausted to retire We hope you both have great fun and enjoyment in the upcoming year.

40 years of speech pathology work with head injured and stroke patients as well as a stint working with K-12 students with speech and language difficulties.

For sure, meaningful work and now a meaningful retirement.

The thing she is most looking forward to: no more paperwork on evenings and weekends!
The thing I am most looking forward to: Does not having to listen to her complain about all of the paperwork count?

Hope she is prepared for the Roll Call's new Rite of Passage for New Retirees -

Take out your work Franklin Planners and all stacks of paperwork and tear them up into little pieces and, well, add them to the garden compost, or burn those Planners and papers, in safety of course, not to violate the local No Bonfires code, or just dump them into the Big Trash Bin with appropriate blessings and Good Riddance

We wish the first half of CyclingDuo an enjoyable retirement and wish the second half enjoyable retirement anticipation

Thank you. We'll open up the fire pit and burn all those planners that won't be needed after the end of June for sure...

[Miriam2]

^^^^^ Nice firepit, perfect for burning years of paperwork

[Hebell]

Spouse, who is a pilot, retires at age 65 this September. I am already retired.

[Miriam2]

I gave my two week notice last Tuesday. February 28 is my last day after working 30+ years in tech at the same company plus 4 years in the Army. It is only by the grace of God I was never laid off. I'm so excited to be done with work.

12 years ago I decided to make a plan to get to retirement by age 55. With the help of all the bogleheads, I did it. Retiring at 55.

I plan to spend more time serving and helping people. My DW and I also have plans for some extended vacations, especially, once all of our kids are launched.

Congratulations mhc and a Big Welcome to this Stupendous Retirement Roll Call and the Class of 2023 You stuck with the tech and the company and now you can enjoy all the benefits of a wonderful retirement.

We wish you all good things, launch those kids, get out and explore new vistas and new social events, plan those vacations and get out and enjoy this beautiful world, and stay in touch with family and friends

[rich126]

Just as an addendum to my retirement note. My last day was 1/31, so it has been about 6 weeks. I did get a couple of job offers and most likely will start one job in a few weeks. We'll see if I last long. It will be at a better location and I will try to keep my hours closer to 32 than 40. I figure the extra money (higher salary than my government job) will basically cover my first year of "retirement" expenses if I stick with it for about 6 months.

Retirement itself hasn't really set in. We've done a few overnight trips but nothing major. A little boredom but I spend a ton of time on the computer and then we watch a lot of streaming stuff. Also have been exploring some restaurants that we hadn't gotten to before due to being a bit of a drive. Doing a better job of hitting the gym. And finally still trying to find a retirement home. Harder than expected.