If I can add to the excellent advice about 401's and a good advisor:
Get your home mortgage paid off YESTERDAY. Have no debt at all including car loans and credit cards.

Congrats Rick,

Based in Marietta, guessing you are with Aero. I'm in the SSC, Denver. Aero has been carrying LMC for some time, Space not so much. Good on you that your leaving at 60 with no knock-down on your pension, and only weeks ahead of the degraded (and ACA compliant) health care insurance for 2018. Your retiree health insurance will be better than whatever is in store for those of us retiring after 2017.

Bob....Yes, no debts here...mortgage paid off 12 years ago!

In Canada we have RRSPs (registered retirement savings plan) and TFSAs (tax free savings account) instead of your 401ks and these have always been maxed out every year.

fast_e_man yes I am in Aero . Actually I am NOT sticking with LM Health Works for insurance . It was going to be 1997.45 per month to cover the wife and I and it did not include ANY dental or vision coverage . We found an aftermarket ( if that's the right term ) health insurance policy that looks very similar to LM HW but has dental and vision and it was 1076.00 a month . Only difference I see is it has a 5K deductible whereas LM was 2500.00 .

Something that, according to Sammy and Tobra, is going to evaporate and cease to exist "next" month. :D

DL

Today was my going away party , wow a lot of emotions at that one ! But I held it together . Cleaned out my office I go in tomorrow and it is my last day at work . I feel like a big weight has been lifted off my shoulders .

"I switched to a large bank financial rep about four months ago. I was with a small financial planner for six years but let him go coz he was on too many holidays."

I was with WFC then switched to Vanguard and took a few years to learn to self direct. Brk-B and APPL only for the last 5 years. Done very well, but then look what happened to AOL years ago, so you have to watch. Warren says buy and hold, which is what I have done for 5 years. Very happy with my returns. Don't have a lot but it should get me by "middle class" until my brain or body is not functioning properly anymore. At which point who cares? High end nursing home for 100K-150K year? Or a county home for free? At that point it does not matter. I don't want to live for ever. I have lived well, although I would do better the next time around. The only thing I about at the end that is a variable is who will take care of my dogs. They have been spoiled super rotten. I have some plans as a short term in place. But rehoming 4-7 year bonded old boxers is not easy.

Congrats to the OP. And good luck.

PS- these are the good threads.

It's over :D I went in for 5 hours today then decided to leave . Did one final handshake tour and I was gone . It felt really good walking across the parking lot to my car . Before getting into the car I took one long last look at the facility , tipped my hand to wave and then left .
I go back on 11/30 to " off board " that's when I turn in my badge and then it's officially over . I wanted to stay an employee until then just in case of any paperwork issues :rolleyes: with my retirement papers . After all this is a large defense contractor what could possibly go wrong :D

Now get busy living my friend and enjoy the ride. I think you are going to really enjoy it.

It's 5:41 AM and normally I would have been at my desk 30 minutes ago , instead I'm enjoying a cup-o-Joe and on Pelican yeah I miss work a lot :D . My wife just gave me a big smile yeah I'm going to like this a lot !

It's Monday....yippee :)!!!

Congrats!

A few years left for me in the salt mine.
Actually an enjoyable position that is pensioned. I pay for half of the pension and my employer pays for the other half.
I will have an opportunity to dabble in retirement (as I do every summer) for a whole year. I work for 4 years at a reduced rate and take the 5th off at that same reduced rate. The year off will mark the halfway point between now and my retirement.

So the question is, what are you going to do today?

Two days of taking it easy back to work ! :D We have granite countertops being installed this Thursday and my portion of the work is to remove the existing post form tops . Started this morning around 9:00 ( had to sleep in ) and finished the majority of it by 1:00 . Two large L sections and a small piece next to the fridge . So far no surprises .

Tomorrow is the island top and I'm done . Then I have a spare set of rear John Deere wheels that need to be painted before I mount the AG tires and a set of wheel weights that also need to be painted . I also have to finish installing H2 hydraulics on my JD 330 garden tractor to be able to run the Buford Bucket I recently purchased . My to do list is a mile long and wide !!! :D

Dang newbie....that list is the shortest it will ever be....trust me on that :)!

Hey guys I'm officially retired ! At aprox. 8:00 this morning I signed all my departure papers , turned in my badge and walked out of the facility . I had no emotions other than a big smile :D . I can honestly say I have not had ANY thoughts about work during my 30 days of vacation this month . To me that means I was ready .

I did one quick tour to see a few folks and they all commented how happy and stress free I looked and that's how I feel . I am enjoying sleeping in a little and little things like my wife and I taking daily walks . I have plenty of projects to keep me busy so FULL SPEED AHEAD into retirement !!!

Awesome - start living life for YOU now!

Hooray! you made.
Have a great time.

Congrats you lucky SOB!

That's really neat that you and your wife both look forward to this chapter, good luck.

Keep working buddy I need you to pay taxes so I can get my SS and Medicare checks. My govt cheese.