Retirement Countdown 2025

I'm taking in the stormy weather we've been having in the Northern California area to stay in to do a little writing. It's been a few days after Christmas and I'm really feeling the sense that my desire to retire in 2025 is literally around the corner!  As I select July 1st as my last day in the office, standard protocol in submitting a retirement/resignation to my employer is generally 3 months. This allows all the paperwork to be processed just in time before I walk out the door. So starting in April I'm letting my director know I'm leaving.  Personally, I still feel the anxiety and wonder if it's the right time, will I make a mistake by retiring too early, all these crazy thoughts start to surface in my head and making me second guess my decision.  But as there is constant rain pouring outside my window, I'm given some calmness that all my preparation has been more than enough. I've crossed all my T's and dotted my I's, and it's really...

  This has been such a common and important question many soon to retiree(s) need to make a decision. Do I stay or should I go? Sounds like a song lyric, but the truth is, yes where do I decide to live after retiring?  City Living  Here's my predicament, I live and work in the city where my job is so, it makes sense to be centrally located to where my job is - right? But, when you decide to leave, should you relocate? I live in an apartment in the city that has rent control. Many say once I leave, I can't come back as the cost of living for housing will never be the same. On the other hand, I also have real estate property outside of the city. This will be paid off soon. I could live there and forego any additional rent paying in the city. But I don't want to live in a remote setting. For me, I'm a city slicker, I love the city vibe, the convenience of walking out my door and getting a cup of coffee and sit and take in the city setting. Where as living in a remote locat...

This is always the question, many who plan to retire are faced with. Do I have enough to retire well?  How do you begin to approach this? Do we base it on our life expectancy? Do we base it on our lifestyle after retiring? So many factors. But here's a few guidelines I think I'd like to apply.  Image Source:    https://womenwhomoney.com/calculating-your-retirement-number/ COST OF LIVING EXPENSES  WHERE YOU'LL BE LIVING  TYPES OF ACTIVITIES  I think to start a conversation with these few key items will help you decide if you have enough to retire.  COST OF LIVING EXPENSES I think this would be based on your personal circumstances. For me, I think as I retire and age in place, my expenses will become much lower. Say, less expenses when it comes not working anymore. No more real transportation costs, clothing, dry cleaning, lunch expenses, etc. Anything that has to be an expense when traveling or dealing with work, expenses will be minimal or way les...