Retirement countdown update all done now

[lynnerself]

onlyI'm inspired by Firebird to start this thread.
Retirement date planned as June 26 2015.
I'd like to post about what's happening as it approaches.
So far I have not told anyone at work my plans.
DH who is retiring the same day is spreading the word everywhere, so I may have to tell my boss soon.

Today
Put up new 2015 calendar in my private office. Big red circle on THE DATE. Hopefully no one sees or asks why.
I was Cheated out of about 3 hours of Holiday pay due to a policy that is legitimate, but I was not informed of. One more reason to leave this place.
Dow Jones down 331! Ouch!

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

We cannot endorse this plan until you answer the following questions thoroughly and truthfully:

1. How old are you?

2. How old is your DH?

3. Please provide a detailed financial statement showing sufficient funds to support yourselves and avoid being supported by the rest of us.

4. Please provide a retirement budget that can be sustaIned long term from your own funds.

;-)

[lynnerself]

Jan 5, 2015 17:35:39 GMT -5 GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl said:

We cannot endorse this plan until you answer the following questions thoroughly and truthfully:

1. How old are you?

2. How old is your DH?

3. Please provide a detailed financial statement showing sufficient funds to support yourselves and avoid being supported by the rest of us.

4. Please provide a retirement budget that can be sustaIned long term from your own funds.

;-)

1 and 2. DH and I will both be 61 at retirement.
3.
4. No budget. We figure we will spend about what we do now, minus savings plus increase in healthcare. But DH ran about 20 different spreadsheets to prove we could move the date up to this summer and that we would make it until SS and then Medicare kicks in.

[Bonny]

What's your plan for healthcare?

[cronewitch]

Good job getting ready. I love the big red circle. You will be fine if the markets crash you may have trouble spending freely but you will get over it.

[lynnerself]

We can continue with DH insurance through the State. We have to pick up the cost, but there is some discount based on years of service. Still we are planning about $12000 a year until age 65. Then we also have State pension sponsored Medicare supplement plans.

[Bonny]

Jan 5, 2015 18:11:07 GMT -5 lynnerself said:

We can continue with DH insurance through the State. We have to pick up the cost, but there is some discount based on years of service. Still we are planning about $12000 a year until age 65. Then we also have State pension sponsored Medicare supplement plans.

FYI We are currently paying just over $1,000/mth from DH and me through Kaiser. It's the bronze plan and we have had about $3k each in out of pocket costs. DH is 56 and I am 53.

[lynnerself]

FYI. The date was going to be June 30th, end of the month. But we moved it to Friday the 26th so we could plan a retirement party that did not conflict with the 4th of July!!

[TheHaitian]

Jan 5, 2015 18:17:06 GMT -5 lynnerself said:

FYI. The date was going to be June 30th, end of the month. But we moved it to Friday the 26th so we could plan a retirement party that did not conflict with the 4th of July!!

You got your priorities straight, I approve this plan

[imawino]

I hate you!!!

That is all.

[lynnerself]

Countdown: 124 days (I am not counting weekends, but I haven't subtracted Holidays yet)

Today
Sent in time cards, only 11 more times to do this.
Working on list of important contact phone numbers to leave my staff and successor.

Need to calculate net worth for 2014 (as of 12/31/2014) and calculate (from website) what my actual SS monthly amount will be.

I have already changed the amount taken out for my 401K Roth for 2015. But I think I will not be able to arrange to put in the entire $24,000 in, probably just half that.

Also I put in the request to pay out excess sick time (we can get anything over 200 hours paid back to us at 50% once a year in Jan.)
It's only about 22 hours I can get paid for, put any hours left at retirement is lost.

Dow Jones currently down again

[Sam_2.0]

Sounds like you have some "sick" days to use up, lynn

[lynnerself]

Jan 6, 2015 13:33:27 GMT -5 Sam_2.0 said:

Sounds like you have some "sick" days to use up, lynn

Yes, but the rules are tough.
1st day sick comes from regular PTO, after that from designated extended sick time. And for 3 days or more you need a doctors excuse.

So the best I could do is add a sick day to a PTO day for 2 days off. (And I am considering a couple of these.)

[Sam_2.0]

Maybe some spring fever Or mental health days. Dont be too suspicious, though, call in on a Tues & Weds. Hahah!

[lynnerself]

Due to privacy, I don't have to say why I'm sick, especially if I have plenty of time to cover it.
And if they get suspicious, what are they going to do? Reprimand me, fire me?
But the problem is that PTO days will be paid out at retirement.
So I'd like to bank as many of these as possible to increase my income for this year.
But I can't get into Sick time without using PTO first.

[Wisconsin Beth]

I don't suppose you have a nice doctor who will write you a note? 

My Dad's surgeon refused to write my Dad a note clearing him for his "real" job - said flat out that he didn't want Dad to ruin his work going back to the drop forge shop.  So Dad last year or so was light duty - sweeping, etc. 

[lynnerself]

Countdown: 123 days

Not much happening on the retirement front today.
It's my half day at work.
Going through old files and paperwork. This is as much new year stuff as it is about retirement.
We've made an appointment with one of our financial advisors. They scheduled it as a "pre-retirement meeting"

[Tennesseer]

lynnerself-it is a good thing to prepare yourself for retirement like the way you are doing here.  You are getting used to the idea retirement is coming.  

I was able to retire quite early in age because my employer offered buyouts or early retirement (if qualified (which I was)) to individual professional contributors and low-to-mid level management.  Most of those who took the buyout/early retirement were gone within 30 days.  Some, after they left, were a bit unsettled/confused because it all happened so quickly and it was like they didn't know what hit them.

I took the early retirement but was asked to stay eight additional months until the end of the company's fiscal year and to work on HR-related projects related to the buyout/early retirement taken by 3,500 employees and the moving of existing employees into vacated positions.  I had time, like you, to get used to the idea I was retiring after 30 years working for the same employer.  I was ready to go on my last day of work and never looked back.

[lynnerself]

Countdown: 122 days (and this one is almost over)

Market up more than 500 for the last two days
I generally don't watch this close, but fear a big drop right before we take the big step.

Excess sick leave has been posted to my time sheet and will be paid in about 2 weeks.

[Bonny]

Jan 8, 2015 19:38:54 GMT -5 lynnerself said:

Countdown: 122 days (and this one is almost over)

Market up more than 500 for the last two days
I generally don't watch this close, but fear a big drop right before we take the big step.

Excess sick leave has been posted to my time sheet and will be paid in about 2 weeks.

Don't watch. The daily swings will make you nuts.

When DH retired June of 2012 the Dow averaged around 12,500. Within 60 days there was a low of 12,000 and a high of 13,000,

[lynnerself]

Countdown : less than 24 weeks
I changed the thread title and hope to update it weekly.
Not much happening on the retirement front.
DH is grumbling that we may need to work another week just to pay for my Seattle Seahawks weekend. (See my other thread.)


Also have asked for 2 "sick" days for next week.

[cronewitch]

Use up some sick days by scheduling doctor and dentist appointments on back to back days after a PTO day. You might need to take some time to practice relaxing like a retired person. It is now 4AM here and I got up about an hour ago. Having second cup of coffee. I went to bed early last night because I was tired. Day before went to bed at 6:15 AM got up at noon, so back in bed early last night. Retirement is wonderful you sleep when tired not tied to a clock.

[lynnerself]

Countdown: 116 days.

But since today is almost over and I'm on vacation sick 2 days next week, it's down to 113 days

I think one of my staff is going to quit. I got a call today asking for an evaluation of her.  I was tempted to not say good things so I wouldn't lose her, but that would be a terrible thing to do.

I was really hoping not to have to go through the whole search and hiring thing again before I leave.

Another staff member may be out on FMLA for the month of May. This will only be an issue if I am trying to train a replacement at that time.

Wednesday afternoon we have a meeting with our financial advisor the guys who try to sell us stuff, but run really good projections and have a few interesting ideas.

Off to Seattle tomorrow

[lynnerself]

Countdown: 112 days

We saw our "investment advisors" yesterday. They didn't try to sell us anything new. We just got a really good explanation of what's happening with what we have and how we can change it at retirement.

Some things that YM might have advised against are working out well.  We have some variable annuities that were bought with 5% and 6% guarantees just before the big market downturn. (The product we have is not even sold anymore).   We can convert these to a guaranteed 5 or 6% payout for life, while still maintaining the full value as a death benefit. 

This income will be added to pension and SS to cover basic expenses.

So far we are still happy with the REITs and BBC they sold us. We only have a small amount in these, testing the water to see how they perform. Actually, in general we only have a small percentage of our net worth invested with these guys.  But you should have seen their eyes light up when I mentioned the 401k money I would need to be rolling over this summer. (Sorry guys, but you are not getting to play with it.)

At work I had a staff member give notice

I was really hoping not to go through the whole search and hiring process again before I left.

I'm still trying to decide when to tell my boss I may be leaving this year.

[lynnerself]

Countdown: 111 days

I received an e mail from my boss today that included
"I am working on doing annual reviews and will be scheduling time with each of you to chat and set some goals for this year. "

So I think I may need to mention that my "goals for this year"  mostly include retirement.

[Bob Ross]

So are you really gonna have 110 more of these posts?

Just retire already, and start a post-retirement thread.

Should go something like this:

Day 1:  told a no good teenager to get offa my lawn.
Day 2:  told a no good teenager to get offa my lawn.
Day 3:  breaking out the shotgun...

 

[plugginaway22]

No! Don't stop posting, I love this and will continue to follow along and dream about when it will be me!

Did you say how old you are? ETA:  just saw, 61

[gawgagranny]

My countdown is significantly longer than yours, but I am finally under the 24 months to go mark.....feels strange to even be thinking about it yet!

[Value Buy]

We have officially reached the three month retirement mark, and have not pulled any sharp objects out attacking each other yet, so it been a good retirement so far.

Last week we cleaned out the closet in the back bedroom.

Found 16 old ties, and 14 white shirts that we had forgotten.........as well as 11 woman's work outfits..........

Opened the other spare closet, and we are seeing another day project, then off to the church resale shop and Goodwill.

Also an entire box of old photos when the kids were pre-school/grade school age. That took a day to go thru........wife had to talk about each photo

[lynnerself]

Countdown: 110 days

All I want to do is be able to go to the beach on a weekday. Not to have to fight the crowds for parking and to get into popular restaurants. The weather was nice and the beach was a zoo yesterday.