Scared of Retirement?
I recently read a post from the Go Curry Cracker blog.
The post was: https://www.
The post followed a couple who asked similar questions that we have been asking ourselves:
- What would we do with all of the extra time?
- Would we end up needing to get part time jobs later after giving up two good jobs?
- To a lesser extent, what would our family and friends say?
- Do we have enough saved?
To some of these I have answers, others, well not quite so much.
What would we do with all of the extra time?
This is actually a really important question. I forget which blog it was but I remember reading a while back, that most FIRE blogs are half financial and half lifestyle. Once you have your retirement saving strategy, the financial part is easy; just follow your plan. What is more difficult is figuring out what to do once you have retired.
For me, I think a decompression period will be in order. In that time I intend to shed the last vestiges of work, relax, spend time walking, and at the gym and just getting myself to a point where I am mentally as well as physically healthy. This is something I am trying to do now but work is always in the way.
Would we end up needing to get part time jobs later after giving up two good jobs?
If my understanding of the math is correct, and we have saved enough, I think we will be fine. This to me feels more like a confidence issue more than a financial one. And if you think about this, what is the worst that can happen? I am sure I can pick up a part time job if I need to, although actually, the latter part of the question is the crux of the issue – have I left my well paying job too soon?
To a lesser extent, what would our family and friends say?
This is an easy one to answer – I don’t give a damn what they think. This is totally about me and the wife, and what we want.
Do we have enough saved?
This is the big one for me. It’s not so much about how much we have saved but more about my understanding of the way all this works. Have I done this right?
So from the questions above it is easy to pinpoint my pre retirement anxiety – will we have enough saved / will we jump too soon from our jobs. I think we are realistic enough to understand the market (to a degree) and understand where we are with our savings, and make a common sense decision.
But it is still scary ….