# Countdown to retirement



## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

I love working for the state. I arrived home from work today to find a letter in my mailbox from the state retirement system. It was my annual benefit statement full of various numbers, benefits, dates and program information. As I was sorting through the unnecessarily complicated mess a date suddenly jumped out at me: "Special Early Retirement 07-01-2017". Huh!? Here I have been eligible for special early retirement for 6+ weeks and the state apparently did not want me to know. I dug out last years benefits statement and it has a different date. Apparently the way they calculate time in service has changed and now I am suddenly eligible to walk out the door any day now. My normal retirement date also moved and is now a few years earlier as well. I could actually take full retirement in 2025 and be done working for good while making only $13k less a year than I will make this year (of course the numbers go up every year). 

Let the countdown begin! :woohoo:


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## backlash (Nov 11, 2008)

I retired shortly after I turned 63.
I have really enjoyed not going to working.
While the paychecks were nice and the work was easy it just got to be a boring job.
When my wife asks me what I have planned for the day I tell her nothing, I'm retired.
I have found a couple of things to keep me as busy as I want to be.
I guess you have some things to think about and discuss with the family.
Nobody that I know ever laid on their death bed and said "I wish I would have worked longer."


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## bkt (Oct 10, 2008)

Congrats, Sentry! It's nice to see light at the end of the tunnel.


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

I can retire in 2019, in June when I am 59.5.
I can live on $25,000.00 a year( on paper), no loans at all.
One Credit card, taxes & house hold budget.
Insurance & small repairs.
But I will know more in early 2019.

Congrads & good luck.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

My issue is that in 8 years I will have one kid in Middle School and two in High School. Might not be a good time to retire. Plus the lovely Mrs. Sentry18 is a decade younger than I am so she is looking at a solid 15-18 years until she retires. So I will probably keep working until I get ousted, pissed off or we're empty nesters. And it is most likely to occur in that order. 

Plus my wife and I have a deal. I am going to retire approx. 5 years before she does. I am going to buy an old Willys Jeep (or similar military vehicle), go to the indoor range every day, go to lots of movie matinees, eat lunch out as much as possible, smoke some weed (presuming it legal here by then), hang out with my buddies, work out at least every other day and play old video games. Basically I am going to be a teenager again but a teenager with money, more aches & pains and less hormonal confusion. Then when she retires I am going to be hers to do with as she pleases; which means lots of travel, plays, symphonies and other adventures.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

I mostly retired when I was 52. Ah..... It is so great!
I hope everything hangs together so you can can enjoy retirement too.


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## PreparedRifleman73 (Nov 2, 2012)

Sentry18 said:


> My issue is that in 8 years I will have one kid in Middle School and two in High School. Might not be a good time to retire. Plus the lovely Mrs. Sentry18 is a decade younger than I am so she is looking at a solid 15-18 years until she retires. So I will probably keep working until I get ousted, pissed off or we're empty nesters. And it is most likely to occur in that order.
> 
> Plus my wife and I have a deal. I am going to retire approx. 5 years before she does. I am going to buy an old Willys Jeep (or similar military vehicle), go to the indoor range every day, go to lots of movie matinees, eat lunch out as much as possible, smoke some weed (presuming it legal here by then), hang out with my buddies, work out at least every other day and play old video games. Basically I am going to be a teenager again but a teenager with money, more aches & pains and less hormonal confusion. Then when she retires I am going to be hers to do with as she pleases; which means lots of travel, plays, symphonies and other adventures.


I used to do retirement planning for a living. That there, is a great plan!


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

Caribou said:


> Perhaps you don't want to retire but you can now have an attitude.artydance:artydance:


Oh crap, was I supposed to wait for my eligibility before I got an attitude?


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## obg12 (Apr 9, 2016)

Congrats Sentry,my first check comes sometime in Oct.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

you can't retire hundreds of entitleds need your tax money


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## cqp33 (Apr 2, 2012)

I retired from active duty after 20 years, I am now 42 but still work as a consultant but I will probably hang that up in 5-7 years, my goal is not work after 50 for someone else.


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## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

I retired at 59.5, I could see the writing on the wall, the school district I was working for was trying to run me out and I may not have been able to get my retirement, so I jumped the gun and surprised them, they thought I was going to retire in a few years to get a higher monthly income. Thing is we were debt free and could get along with less income on a early retirement, truth is I'm glad I didn't stay longer as I would probably would have ended up behind bars for beating the crap out of a few real AH's, ended up being a real blessing to be retired, other than having more to do now because of honey does.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

There's a App for the iPhone called "Final Count". When I'm about ready to open my mouth to tell my employer what I really think, I check the App first and remember my long term goals.

A year ago I qualified for 100% of my pension.
401K is maxed at where I want it.
8 months I'm debt free.
Younger wife needs to be on Medicare before I retire.


5 year. 00 month. 13 day. 8 hours. 27 minutes. 15 second. I open my mouth!!!


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

My Dad put in 25 years in LE then retired (which is approx. where I am at). But then he took a job in the private sector as a safety consultant & accident investigator with a large utility corporation and put in 18 years there. His income went up by 50% when he took that second job. He gets 2 pension checks now and they are almost the same size. Together they are much more than if he would have put in 40 years in LE. So my original plan was to do the same sort of thing, but now I dislike people so much I just want to retire and be done working even if it means less money. Fortunately my Mom & Dad also taught me to save so I have a separate retirement account that I feed every month on my own. Plus I married a sugar momma whose retirement income will probably be well over twice what mine are (cha-ching).


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

20 years in public service and I am at 25 years in a private service company. The more I work with people the more I agree with Mark Twain, "The more I know about people, the better I like my dog."

I've got to get me a dog!


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## terri9630 (Jun 2, 2016)

AdmiralD7S said:


> I'm under FERS, so I don't get to retire (i.e., walk away but still get a paycheck) until I'm 62. At that point, I will have around 42 years of service. That's a LONG time to work, so I've been keeping my eyes out for alternatives, including VERA, VSIP, and retiring "on my own cognizance" (putting in my 30 years and using my savings to last me another 12 until retirement checks show up)


Hubby's under FERS to but as LE. His mandatory retirement age is 57 but because of the age/time in service requirements he's going to be eligible at 51.

We have 2yrs 2months and 0days.


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## Balls004 (Feb 28, 2015)

I'm not old enough to retire just yet, but have enough put away that I could if I really wanted to. So I've only worked jobs that I like the past few years (to be literally taken as I don't put up with BS from employers or customers very well anymore). Then came along an offer to do instruction as a contract instructor at very attractive rates and retirement benefits. So if I were you, Sentry, I'd look into some of the .MIL/GOV/LE training companies out there and see if you can find one that suites your retirement plans. Work is fun, customers are generally easy to get along with, and might fit your plan to take an early retirement.


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

TheLazyL said:


> There's a App for the iPhone called "Final Count". When I'm about ready to open my mouth to tell my employer what I really think, I check the App first and remember my long term goals.
> 
> A year ago I qualified for 100% of my pension.
> 401K is maxed at where I want it.
> ...


I know what you mean.
I qualified for my pension 2 year ago.
But the longer I stay the more i get per month.
401K is looking good, it will never be where I want it.
I am debt free, I pay land,automobile & income taxes.
Cable & one small credit card, which I will trade for a debit card soon.

Younger wife is working till she is 70, her words.
But I think that will change at 65 in 9 years.


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## fteter (May 23, 2014)

If it were just me, I'd retire tomorrow (age 61) and make it work. Got enough socked away in my 401K to do so...it would be a little tighter than I'd like, but I'd still live decently. But my lovely wife does not qualify for Medicare for another 5 years. And she needs that medical care. So I'll be working at least until she crosses that milestone.


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