Time to Retire ............. (?)

 Got some close friends retiring next week ...    others my age have already pulled the plug  .. several many years ago. Most are my age, few are several years younger.  Saw where my buddy Ken said this to Nancy this morning.  Ken retired a year or two (one year older than I )  "Your gona love every day being a Saturday!!!!"  .    Hell, my dad retired by age 57 which has always had my attention.  And of course, this all got me to thinking.

I've got several retirement calculators out there I use, but Fidelity's is my fav to date.    I had age 65 as my target date for retirement, with a life span to 92 in there for me, 94 for the wife  and the numbers work. Well to punch 3 years early theoretically, I had to adjust my 

Essential Expenses: This includes things that you purchase every month, such as housing, food, utilities, etc.

and my

Discretionary Expenses: This includes things that you could potentially live without, such as vacations, gifts, dining out, etc.

But came out with numbers that work.  The crazy part to me was ... changing it from 65 to 62 only shorted me two years on the backend.  I can easily drop my spending $500 or $1000 a month and it makes up for that and all the numbers work out. But what it doesn't take into account is some months I won't spend the full discretionary amount. Nor does it take into account that number will decrease annually once I'm in  my 70s and 80s.  Now there are always other situations that come into play as well of course... but...   I like what I see.

Tells me next month I could easily pull the plug and enjoy the ride.  Hell, I could have done it years ago except I'm enjoying my current version of life too much.  But damned if it ain't nice knowing you can still do it if  you choose; less stress that way.   The one thing I never thought too much about in the early days was how long we'd be on this earth. I always assumed by 75, I'd be gone.  But my Dad turns 85 in a few months and is the epitome and health and wellness, so the odds are in my favor.  Appears my heart issue over the last two years is solved; Doc says my heart will 'outlive' me ... hmmm.   Never dawned on me I might make it into my 90s!  Well, the numbers work unless the government completely screws the pooch and continues down the path it's currently going.  But, one can only plan the best they can under current conditions.  There's always the options of becoming an expat and moving to a different country with a low cost of living.  That'd be my last alternative.  But ...... never take that one off the table?

On a positive note, this shitty economy hasn't ruined my plans ..    still doable.  Things are slowly coming back.  Some of my folks that I confer with have told me we've hit bottom and headed back up.  Hope so .. because this downward trend has been ugly.   Inflation is a mess and nibbling at all of us financially.   

Good Days ahead.  Hell,  most days feel like a Saturday to me, today?   Live Life, Love Life. Live everyday , like it could be your last.  My motto ..........  works for me!

At 62, lil short .. but fixable!