We worked two years after we made our nut but not due to fears, just wanted to bank some extra cash to acquire a few final things and finish feathering our new home. Our FP asked us why we were still working to make sure we weren’t moving the goal posts late in the game but, if we were, she wanted to understand why so she could help us adjust our plan if necessary. She had always told us that stepping off would require a faith position in the hard work we had done but that, if we weren’t changing our objectives, we were good to go. We really didn’t need to hear that to assuage any late-stage concerns, but it reinforced that any money made after that point was truly gravy and we could freely decide when to cut our corporate ties. We also had the benefit of our son’s fully-funded 529 coming back to us penalty-free (minus taxes on the gain) in annual increments as he completed his years at the service academy, and SS was also a bonus as we didn’t count on it in our financial plan, so taking it early added to our cushion.
I think because I started planning for retirement from the first day of my first job out of college, I looked forward to the end of my corporate life with excitement and jumped off the carousel happily and without fear. I don’t think of it as having “made it,” just having accomplished a lifelong goal that I’m now free to enjoy.
Drawing from that hard-earned pile is why we built it in the first place, that’s what it’s there for, so no concern about using it as it was meant to be used. It’s funding the life we planned for this last stage of our lives, and we intend to enjoy it.
Congrats, @Youdon_tsay! You’ll get used to your newfound freedom and funds. Honest. 