Gooooood morning everyone!!
So excited to share this new book with y’all from my long-time blogging friend, and occasional guest poster here, Fritz Gilbert from The Retirement Manifesto!!! One of the nicest guys in the community!
Keys to a Successful Retirement:
Staying Happy, Active, and Productive in Your Retired Years
This has been a project in his head for years now, and on May 5th it becomes a reality when it officially gets launched everywhere :)
The original 401(k) millionaire is now an original author! Way to go, man!!
And of course we here at Budgets Are Sexy get a sneak peek of this book, so if it’s something you’re interested in, keep on reading and look for how to win a free copy of this below…
We’ve got THREE copies to give away – so don’t be shy!! This needs to be in your library!
More on everything below:
*******
Keys to a Successful Retirement:
Staying Happy, Active, and Productive in Your Retired Years
Here’s a clip on the book from Fritz himself which I liked better than the Amazon write-up ;) From his recent blog announcement: Big News: My Book Is Launching!
Writing the book has given me the opportunity to look back over the past 5 years of my life, from the point when I still had three years of work left through the first two years of my retirement. They’ve been some of the most interesting years of my life.
Some folks do well with the transition, and some folks don’t. I’ve studied the difference between those two camps, and I’ve been writing on the topic for five years on this blog.
Keys to a Successful Retirement highlights 24 keys that increase your chances of having a successful retirement. It’s been a pleasure to summarize all of my learnings over the past five years into a concise, easy to read book which summarizes the keys to a successful retirement. These are the keys that work, based on my personal experience and research I’ve conducted on the subject.
Like my blog, the book focuses on both the “Hard” (financial) and “Soft” (lifestyle) issues related to retirement. However, I found the process of writing a book significantly different than writing my blog posts. Writing the book allowed me to be more expansive, to more thoroughly examine relevant topics, and to organize my thoughts into a broader perspective than is possible in a 1,500-word post.
The book isn’t long, and that’s by design.
It’s meant to be read and applied, quickly and easily, by folks who are +/- 5 years of their retirement date. It’s a lot of the stuff that matters, and not much of the stuff that doesn’t. After going through four organized rounds of edits with various editors at the publishing house, you’ll find it’s a “tight” read.
I couldn’t be happier with the result.
More about Fritz:
Fritz and his wife Jackie achieved early retirement on June 2018 at the age of 55, after more than three decades in corporate America. His award-winning blog, The Retirement Manifesto, focuses on helping people achieve a great retirement, and he can also be found on Twitter sharing advice at @RetireManifesto. Fritz and Jackie recently sold their primary home and moved into a cabin in the North Georgia mountains as part of their downsizing strategy:
*******
Want a copy of this book?!
To win one of 3 copies of Keys to a Successful Retirement, answer the below question in the comments or via email, and you’ll automatically be entered for it:
At what age do you expect to hit retirement?
If you don’t ever expect to be “retired” retired, but to hit *financial freedom* instead and continue working, you can shoot us that expected age as well :)
As you can see from Fritz, he certainly has not stopped grinding! Lol…
Good luck everyone!! And congrats again my man! Giveaway open to U.S. citizens only, but you can always pick it up on Amazon later or at your local bookstore whenever we’re allowed to visit them again, harumph….
Get your entries in by midnight this Sunday, the 5th, and we’ll announce the winners Monday morning!
UPDATE: Giveaway now over! Congrats to our 3 winners! 1) Deb M., 2) Jasmine S., 3) Caren M.
*******
Amazon links to book above are affiliate links
Get blog posts automatically emailed to you!
I sort of* hit retirement last year, and now I’m glad I moved to conservative investments and built up a little cushion to deal with what I thought was a small possibility of huge sequence of returns risk… *tugs collar* yeesh.
* “sort of” because I’m back to working in healthcare part-time for at least a little while
Thank you for your service during these times!!
Plan to FIRE and at least semi-retire at age 56.5. That is about 2.5 years from now.
May do some additional quirky W2 work after that point but it will be something fun and on my own terms. No more corporate bull crap!
Hope to use this latest hurdle to get the recession out of the way in advance of pulling the trigger in 2.5 years.
So close now!!!
I hope it all works to plan!
I am currently doing the baby steps I only have a personal loan and my student loans left to pay off. I am single and working two jobs but it’s tough I am hoping to be out of debt sooner rather than later I would love to retire early so I can enjoy life a little but I’m focusing on one step at a time I don’t want to be overwhelmed at what is in future but I have never felt so financially calm in my life. Budgets are sexy.
So so SO happy to hear that last line :)
You keep doing your thing over there and being proud of yourself with each step you make!
Unless something extraordinary happens (really good, or really, REALLY bad), I’ll retire at 55.
It would take a fortunate windfall to retire before 55 when I can make penalty-free withdrawals from my 401k.
And by waiting until 55, I’ll likely exceed what I consider to be my already padded “number”. So my date is set firmly in clay. Once I retire, would that be “kiln-FIRE’d”?
Heyoooo!
I am hoping (and planning) to retire from full-time work in four years, at age 57. I was a single parent for many years, so have been playing catch up. I love playing with the numbers but I’m starting to realize I need to focus on the ‘retire TO something ‘ part of the equation! Thanks for always bringing us interesting articles!
A very good thing to think about NOW vs later when you’re in the thick of it and wondering what the hell to do with yourself! Haha… Though something tells me you’ll be just fine once it’s time :)
From full-time work, 3 years at 65. We don’t yet know what our new reality looks like and because of that, I have a feeling that part-time employment will be in my future for many years!
Q. At what age do you expect to hit retirement?
A. I expectED to retire from the company where I worked for 13 years, in 2027, which would have been my 20th anniversary. I was going to live for 2 years off of my 401k, and then file for Social Security, at which point I would have been 70 and getting the maximum benefit.
Well, you know what they say, God loves to hear us make plans so he can laugh. Last August I was laid off because the company was reorganizing. After six months of severance pay, I rolled over my 401k. I am hoping to make it last past the point that I would have claimed Social Security at the earliest age. And yes, I have looked for another job, to no avail. They only hopeful offer I got turned out to be a money laundering scam. I’m 61, and other than the basic literacy and office skills, I don’t have anything special to offer. But I also make a bit of extra money completing surveys doing freelance closed captioning.
Of course, half the country is laid off now. The timing on this could have been a whole lot worse for me. The layoff came just four weeks after I had moved to a smaller home with no mortgage. The market had not tanked before I rolled over the retirement account. And, if things ever get back to normal, it looks like I might have work with the Census Bureau.
So that’s my answer! Hope you and yours are doing okay. I really enjoy your blog.
Dang, that’s quite an answer!!
So good you moved to a smaller place with no mortgages!!! I hope you find something decent soon – and that you hopefully enjoy! :)
Really glad you’re liking the blog – thank you for saying so :)
Three weeks ago…like many Americans I was handed a severance package at the beginning of the year so my last day of employment was 3/6 and I am 55 years old. The package was decent with severance pay, lifetime medical and a pension.
When my wife and I tallied up all the numbers in our financial budget (I believe the key is to know your numbers), we made the decision that I could fully retire.
I wish we were in better times given we all took a financial hit over the last month but the positive is that no one retired is really spending a lot of money right now.
Looking forward to seeing what retirement is really like!!
Wow man – that’s huge!!!!
Congrats on your retirement!! Lifetime medical is insane! And even rarer than pensions these days! ;)
Will you hit us back in a couple of months and tell us what it feels like so far? I hope you really like it!
I’m planning to retire at 55.
I plan to retire at 67.
My ideal age of retirement would be 55. I love Fritz’s blog and can’t wait to read his book!
You’re gonna love it if you already love him :)
Sara, thanks for your loyalty to my blog – would love to see one of my regular readers win one of the books J$ is giving away! Good luck in the giveaway!
My expected retirement age is 62!
I’m a new subscriber. Really enjoying your newsletter/blog.
I’m planning on retiring at 62 in just 4 short years!
Thanks Anne!
Glad you’re here with us! :)
Thanks for the post today and have read The Retirement Manifesto many times. My wife and I expect that we’ll be “retired” at 59 (6 years away). This could be a little sooner, or possibly even much sooner than we think given all the is happening in the world right now. :/
Nice that you *both* can retire at the same time though! I think all this stuff will make everyone more industrious by the time we’re all done with it… Provided we make it out nice and healthy :(
Nelson, thanks for reading The Retirement Manifesto! I hope you win a free copy of the book! If you don’t win here, keep an eye on my site, I’ll be doing a giveaway later in April. thanks for being a loyal reader of my blog!
I expect to be financially free, but still working PT, one sweet little year from now!!! At 53.
Thanks for the contest!
Nice!!!
I want an email when you pull the trigger, please! :)
I am a second career Federal employee. My plan is to retire in May 2028 which is the month I turn 60 with almost 23 years of service.
I planned for several years to retire at 56 and did so at the end of Feb 2020.
What a odd first month of retirement!!
I’d say! Haha…
Huge congrats though! :)
I was planning for retirement in less than 5 years, before age 55. Current events may push that back a bit but I won’t know for sure until things settle down. Fingers crossed things bounce back nicely and that I can go back to my plan!
I am retired and my wife continues to work.
Im aiming to hit retirement at 45, even with everything going on!
Nice!!
What type of route are you using to hit it? Stocks? Real estate? Self-employment?
My rough goal has been 52. I think it’s likely that I can long beat that with numbers, but I set it intentionally out there to relieve stress and build flexibility.
We’re 37. My husband hopes to retire from teaching at 55 (good pension) and then work part-time either in online education, college adjunct, or even at a grocery store! Best case scenario would be me joining him at 55 when our youngest graduates HS, but more likely I’ll work until all the kids are through college and weddings are saved up for..about age 60. Now all depends how the markets shake out, what healthcare looks like in 20 years, and, of course barring major job loss, etc.
The health insurance stuff will be key…
Can’t even guess what it’ll be like in 20 years – other than probably still a mess?! Lol…
Thanks J. Money: Please come back to podcasting, I miss your reassuring voice!
Awww, haha… Feels like forever ago!
Do you know that Paula just came down with Covid??!
https://twitter.com/AffordAnything/status/1244751164924522496
Really freaky stuff (but looks like she’s already recovering!)
Early retirement age will be 45, 12 years from now. Hope to hit FI by 40 and then build a cushion/donation fund for the last 5ish years before “quitting”. Who am I kidding I’ll never be able to quit forever, but I’ll scale back to work only on passion projects and things that bring me joy on a significantly reduced schedule.
Love it!
And even more so you’re already knee deep in this stuff at only 33! I bet you’ll hit it at 40 too… maybe even 39 :)
I am newly divorced at 50, inherited all the debt and responsibilities but got the very few assets as well. Truly upside down at the moment. I intend to clear this debt, retire by 60 and put my two daughters through college. How? No clue. Determination? Hells yes. New lease on life and taking the bull by the horns! Good luck to all in their journeys as well
YOU GOT THIS!!!!
I can feel how determined you are!! :)
I retired from the Air Force this month at 40 years old. Although, I seek employment so I can retire from the workforce at 50.
Thank you for your service!
54
I’ll expand on my answer to say, I am 55 and I retired last February at 54. The first year has been great except for the current pandemic.
Susan!! Great to see you hanging with my friend, J$! Let’s do lunch again after this crazy virus thing passes? Hope all is well with you, “neighbor”!
My plan was/is to retire in 2 months at 55. However, given the current situation I may already be retired as I’m one of those staying home.
Happy retirement to YOU! :)
J – I retired at Age 55 – can I be entered in the book giveaway? I can’t seem to get away from this Fritz guy. “One of the nicest guys in the community”, wow!! As B&J would say, “Thanks for your support!”. Much appreciated!!
Haha… You stop it over, sir.
Not shy here! Thinking positive when I say, hoping to be retired by 55 from my 9-5. However, digging into realestate sounds like I can take that from work to a passion. I really am excited for the future!
I have a goal to retire at age 55 in 3 years. I enjoy reading blogs of others have done & are doing to prepare for early retirement.
I am hoping to be able to retire from the need to work by 45. That would be in 8 years for me. I’m not sure exactly what I will want to retire to. I have many ideas of things I would like to do, none of which involve earning an income except maybe doing work part-time. I think if I do that I might focus more on doing work that would grow my skills and worry less about what it pays or how secure the job/company is. At least right now I do work for a good company.
Should hit FI at age 50; would like to retire at 55 so I can access 401k.
Right now I’m 36. Wanting to retire in the next 8 years or so – we’ve saved up over half of what we need, and I’ve heard the last bit is the easiest (with the first $100k being the hardest). With the crazy market right now though, who knows…
YUP! I would agree on that statement! Much easier now that you’ve got a base to compound off of!
We plan to hit the retirement button this year on 11/1/20 at the ages of 53 & 57. Started implementing the bucket system to gear us up for our retirement strategy with all in place in the next couple of months. Always looking for more information on retirement & tax strategy as we move forward.
Fun!! You’re so close!
Hubby is 58, I’m 52. We were supposed to be retired this year but… The sale of our business fell through so he’s still working. (He works, I do the books, manage our investments, and ride my horses). We’re grateful for the money coming in during this bear market opportunity and have been stuffing our 401K and investment accounts. We’ll start seriously trying to sell again after this all blows over and look forward to extensive traveling throughout the US after that.
I hope you get an even BETTER offer for it!! It’s happened to a couple of my projects over the years! :)
I’m currently 55 and my conservative retirement age is 67. My last house payment will be 1 month before I turn 67, so that’s what I’m going with for now. We’re currently paying off debt and not really able to put anything towards the mortgage. We’ll be done with the non-mortgage debt some time next year, probably closer to the end of the year. I estimate we should be able to pay off the mortgage 2-5 years earlier than scheduled. So my hoped-for age of retirement is 62-65.
I just started retirement at age 60. If blogs such as yours had been around when I was much younger, I’m sure I would have been able to retire earlier.
At least you can still hang out with us now – with all that free time you now have :)
Never really plan on truly retiring. My hope is that I can create an income stream in retirement that I can work on and keep adding value. Currently 31. Plan on retiring from my tech career at 50.
i hope to retire at 65
I’ll retire at 65, when I’m eligible for Medicare. Until then, I’ll need an employer’s coverage.
My wife and I are currently planning to retire at age 55 We are currently 47. We had discussed pushing it to 60 before this latest crisis (because we both enjoy our jobs).
We could probably retire “now” (well, maybe not NOW), if we really wanted to, but I am conservative when it comes to the amount of net worth I want to amass before we retire ($5M+).
Oh wow – you’re not kidding! Haha…
A helluva goal to shoot for weather over-conservative or not!
I am almost 61 and plan to retire between 64 – 65.
I hit “possible to retire” at age 64 but plan on continuing to work until 68 (currently 65). I arrived at the party quite late, by finding Financial Peace University and Dave Ramsey about 15 years ago. Since then, paid off a mountain of debt and put four kids through university. Currently with $0 debt, and could “make it” if I retired now. Will continue working to make retirement more fun and more relaxing.
Nice!!! Dave is GREAT about getting people out of debt… Glad you found him :)
I would say that we will be officially retired when I’m 62 and my husband 60.
J money, plan to retire by 42 im 32 right now.
That would be sweet!
I hit retirement at 62. Have been retired since Dec 2019. So far I’m still trying to figure out what to do with myself all day/everyday. Been catching up on all the reading I was putting off and also catching up on movies that I missed (but I had to cut back on that since my local library is closed at the moment).
Catching up on getting in touch with friends and just staying healthy.
I like that last part :)
Maybe you can start a blog and create a whole new community online too? If there’s something you’re super passionate about discussing?!
The week before the pandemic hit, my financial advisor and I decided I could retire at 55 or anytime thereafter. Currently 40, but I’m ok with that, due to *gestures at world*.
Love Retirement Manifesto!
Heather, thanks for the love! If you were good before the pandemic hit, you’ll be even better after – you’re buying stocks even cheaper now! Good luck on your journey.
I plan to reach FI and retire by age 60. I love your blog, Fritz’s, RetireBeforeDad, EarlyRetirementNow (I could probably name another dozen I follow religiously). This book looks like it will be fantastic! Currently I am 53 and my spouse is 51. She is a nurse on the front lines of this pandemic, and though it is scary, we are so proud of her. I have been in software sales for the last 20-years. We figure we reach FI in about 5-years, mainly because by then all three of our kids are finished with college or trade school. Warren Buffett is still the top man in my financial learning, and he summed up something about this type of stock market a few years back: “the media will never say this, but the stock market is on a fire sale currently!” Good luck and many blessings to you, your family and all of the readers of this column! Rich B / CO Native
Thanks Rich!
And please thank your wife for us too!! She is doing God’s work out there!!
Rich, thanks for being a regular reader of The Retirement Manifesto. My thoughts and prayers are with your wife and others on “the front line”, a scary place to be. Give her a hug from all of us!
I assume at 67, but I am kinda aiming for 2050 (two years early) simply because I like round numbers! Haha
Looking at retiring at 57 from the daily grind. That’s 13 more years if this market keeps going up and to the right.
I’m planning on retiring in the next 5 years (so before age 55). But for me, that means leaving the corporate world behind to work on my passions. I’ll never stop working, but what I define as work is definitely going to change :)
I tried to retire last year, but my employer lured me back in with a primo offer to work PT from home (my choice of days and hours). That move alone has increased my happiness quotient by 1000%. Hoping to fully retire in about 3 years (age 59), but we’ll see how it goes.
WOW!!
Good for you!!!
Everyone winning now!
I am 23 and am projected to reach a SWR of 3% by the age of about 37. That is assuming my expenses don’t inflate massively >_<
Don’t have kids like I did! ;)
hoping to be retired in 2 years. Finishing a new building project for current owner/boss and then ME time!!
Cool!! So close now!
Dear hubby and I both retired two years ago at age 62. He was blessed to have a pension and medical insurance until we qualify for Medicare, which combined with our social security income makes for a comfortable living. We saved heavily in our employer sponsored (and partial match) retirement programs and hope it’ll be at least another five years (age 70) before we have to take anything out of them. Our investments are all very protected, so we should come out of this financial downswing okay.
While we’re doing well financially, it’s been harder than anticipated to adjust to being home together full time. We do love the freedom! Husband and I are quite opposites in our wants for retirement, however, and that’s what I’m hoping to get from this book.
A good thing to figure out, for sure haha…
Glad y’all are financially sound and comfortable!
I plan to retire by age 60. Hopefully 55 if investments reach my target. This market pullback is a lesson in preparedness and asset allocation.
Hi, J$!
I hit retirement last December, though I am still working (teaching) part-time. I am hoping to have a wonderful, active retirement, and to achieve that, my essential step at the moment is huddling inside (i.e. withdrawing in solitude to save the world) waiting for the virus to pass.
Stay safe!
Amen to that!!
Congrats on being retired!
I’m aiming to retire at 50 (i.e. quit the cubicle and do something I enjoy whatever that may be). This year I increased my retirement and investment contributions, paid off another student loan, and started an etsy shop to get this whole multiple streams of income (active & passive) going.
Nice work!! That’ll all help speed things up!
I was fortunate enough to hit retirement this past February 28th. 57 years young. Congrats Fritz.
Congrats!!
I expect to retire in 12 years at 63 but might have to extend to 65 depending on cost of healthcare at that time.
I feel like I keep adjusting my number! I’ve been building my plans Around retiring at age 62 – but also hoping I’ll have a big enough padding so I could adjust to 60 if I’m just so fed up with work. On the other hand, if I’m still enjoying my job, I’ll retire later or maybe look to only work part time.
It’s having those *options* to choose that matters most!
A great position to be in! :)
We got a little bit of a late start, and by that I mean I went to the very American route of taking out a bunch of loans on things I probably didn’t need before discovering the fire community. But we are still hoping to retire by around 50.
Planning for hubby to retire 8 years from now at 57. I will retire at the same time or probably 2 additional years at 53, after the kids finish college. Still have enough time to recover from this mess, I hope.
We def. do :)
Aiming for age 54 – that’s the earliest I can use my excellent retirement health plan. I was really excited when I recently did a 5-year vision exercise and realized in 5 years I expect to be retired.
Excellent!!! Early congrats!! :)
I am planning to retire in approximately three years at the age of 62. Reading everything I can to best prepare. Market downturn has me concerned whether I will still be ready at that time.
I plan to hit retirement in 2021 hopefully or 2022 at the latest if everything goes according to my well thought out plan( yeah right) lol
My husband retired at 55. I plan to work 5 more years and retire at 60. Of course, if I get laid off from my current job, with everything that’s going on, I may decide to retire then. I’ll take it as the situation presents itself! :)
You’re secretly hoping to get laid off, aren’t you? ;)
My husband and I plan to retire in 10 years at the ages of 58 and 54. We purchased our dream home November 2016 in the Black Hills of South Dakota and it will be paid off in 7 years. We will continue to work for 3 years to purchase a Winnebago and pump up our retirement accounts some more. Our plan in early retirement is to spend summers in South Dakota, autumns up and down the west coast, winters in Arizona (not in the Winnebago, probably a long-term rental), and springs up and down the east coast.
AHHHHH sounds so wonderful!!
What a fun thing to look forward to! :)
Goal is 57.
Currently 46.
Accumulation at 25 = $0.
Family of 5, one income.
Great job Fritz.
Damn.
Comeback story in the making!
Retired from full time work at age 62, then just a little consulting.
Congrats! What do you consult on?
65? I’m in no rush for now, though you must always be prepared.
I planned to retire when I git that magic combo at work, meaning years of service + years of age = flights for life. With some planning, will power, and tenacity it happened in 2018 when I was 56. Could not be happier about that decision. Now with the pandemic, I just want my family to stay safe. I wish same for you and yours.
Amazing how fast health can become a priority out of nowhere!! Hope everyone indeed stays safe and healthy! Congrats on your early retirement!
Hoping by 50 (I’m 35 now). Planning to taper to part time in the next few years. But a lot is up in the air right now thanks to COVID!
That’s awesome you might be able to go down to part-time so soon!! Great way to ease into it! :)
I was aiming for it in 2 years when I hit 62 , but…………………… with what has been happening in the market, It may be 67.
I retired at 60 when I could get my full pension benefit.
I don’t have a super-specific number, as I’m one of those people who would have no idea what to do with herself without SOMEthing on her agenda at all times, but I’m aiming for mid fifties. The goal has been $1M by forty (though the last month has made that harder) and into the low $2M range by 50-52.
My plans could absolutely change by then, but for now, I dream of being able to spend a month or two each summer in Finland, where summers are exquisitely divine, another month or two traveling wherever strikes my fancy, and the rest of the time at my home base in the US.
That would be amazing :)
Last May, at age 54, after 35 years raising six kids and 29 years homeschooling them, I was hired for a seasonal wildland fire support position with our local state forestry office. All my earnings went to our mortgage which we paid off January 31. With my husband’s 401K, pension, and other sources of income, and being debt-free, we could retire now, but I just got started! I really like having a seasonal, part-time job since it lets me work and still have a life. Husband will be 59 this summer. His job is a good one with generous benefits but very stressful. He can retire or pursue other work possibilities pretty much whenever he decides to pull the trigger. I, however, plan to keep working as long as I enjoy what I’m doing.
You guys are in such great positions!! Full control to *choose* according to your own terms – that’s what it’s all about… And especially impressive after raising SIX KIDS!! You guys are saints! :)
Hmm, I should hit FIRE by 40-45 best case scenatio, but I’m not sure when I’ll actually retire.
*** GIVEAWAY OVER ***
Congrats to our 3 winners!
1) Deb M.
2) Jasmine S.
3) Caren M.