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I understand. We have financial freedom and that is what matters.

You need to make decisions that are best for you. You still have so much more to share and I'll be here for it. 💕

Good for you Kristann! You should always follow your gut. You have lots of great ideas to share without the personal finance! I for one will keep watching! 😊

I noticed the video before this one and the it was gone before I got to view it. Thanks for the explanation. I am so glad you decided to pull those down- there are few places today that full disclosure is safe. You have much else to share. Your channel can pivot. Thanks!

I know that was a tough decision to make and am happy that you made the decision that gave you peace of mind. I hope you continue to share your more general thoughts on retirement finances and how you prepared to take on this challenge before retirement.

Good for you--the financial information was a lot of personal and sensitive information you shared. I do think that should be kept private vs. public. You can't be too safe with some of the people who you are unaware of their motives. I will continue to look forward to your experiences and perspectives in retirement--I do think that as you go forward, there is a lot of good information you can share on that.

Thank you for sharing, I appreciate your style and wish you a happy healthy retirement.

Wow--sounds like you had a GREAT October. I loved the beautiful colors of Vermont. Did you visit Ben & Jerry's headquarters--and if so, tell us about the ice cream creation you got! I want to ask you a hard question. Do you think you are still in the "honeymoon" stage of retirement. I hear the first 9 months to a year it's a lot of fun but then after that it can get boring unless you find a new "purpose". So that is why I ask, not to be critical but curious. But thanks for sharing all the pictures with us. I have always wanted to go on a trip out east and see the fall colors.

This is such a fantastic channel - I really enjoy your perspective on FIRE - I look forward to the investments progress video

I was worried a bit about you ,too. Glad you are well. Isn’t fall great?🍁🍂

Welcome back. I'm glad to hear you were gone to have fun. ❤

Just wanted to say that I really enjoy your videos - you have such a great energy and manner about you!

Glad you're back! I was worried about you. 😄 Your trip looks gorgeous! Fall is so beautiful.

I had a portable pension with the Ontario Nurses government pension but I decided to cash it out at age 49 and I am so glad I did - I started living this philosophy back in 2008 and it is a beautiful way to live - my nest egg continues to grow even though I have been unemployed for 16 years. Planning is everything. Frugal most days but when I spend I go all out and enjoy to the full!!! Highly recommend. Thanks Kristann

Great video! Truth being told, MOST people are not afraid to leave "too much" money behind; most people are afraid that they run out of money. With finance "gurus" like Dave Ramsey telling us that we can withdraw safely 8% of our nest egg, and Suze Orman claiming that $2M in the nest egg is "nothing," it's no wonder that the financial uneducated are confused. The big elephant in the room is assisted living. Worse case scenario, both spouses need 24/7 help for a decade or longer; in that case those numbers can really add up. Bill Perkins claims that if the individual doesn't have money, the government will chime in. I think that's a poor position to be in. Another point I'd like to make is that it's darn near impossible to die with zero if you have a home, unless you sign up for a reverse mortgage, which I despise as it's a huge corporate scam. So even if you almost depleted your nest egg at old age, your heirs will still enjoy hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of real estate. That ain't nothing, no? My wife, 62, and I, soon to be 67 will retire coming spring. We'll sell our overpriced California home and buy our forever home in a lower cost of living area with cash. With housing cost out of the way, how much money does a frugal retired couple really need to live well off? According to my spreadsheet, about $2,5K per month, or $30K per year. Most couples cover that with their SS checks alone. All the money in our IRAs is just padding for extensive travel and God knows what. Brenson himself has revised his 4% rule to 4.7%, but I think, unless we hid a serious recession soon, an older couple can safely withdraw 5 if not 6% of their retirement funds. The one consideration that really matters is Roth conversions; imagine your substantial nest egg doubles by the time you are 63 and doubles again by the time you approach RMD time, that could really spoil the fun! I'll check back in. Cheers!

My state's pension doesn't have COLA, so that's a negative about it for sure. Another is that we can't leave it to anyone else after we/spouse (I'm single)die. I am saving outside my pension, partly because I know about the no COLA, and because I DON'T want to feel trapped at my employer. It'd depressing and creepy to think of just "well I have to get through the next 20 years to get to my good pension amount, then i'll be free". GROSS. I see it as that if I'm happy I'll keep working there, and I've figured out how much my pension will be worth if i were to leave now and take it at 62 (thats the most it seems to go up if I weren't contributing any more). I also know that, based on my current details, each year I continue it will go up 1k value, which is the equivalent of 25k invested, based on the 4% rule. I ALSO could cash it out and use the amount its worth to invest if I leave my job all together and forfeit. But, I see it as valuable, kind of like a bond allocation, and it would be something I'd be unlikely to want to give up after all these 14 years I've contributed so far. Anyway, I agree, its definitely pros and cons to the pension scheme scenario compared to just 401k !

Every day is a holiday, I like that.

Very inspiring! Will follow your channel and learn from your journey. Although my husband and I older than you. Thank you.

My husband will be 55 before I. So does it mean I can’t live in a 55 community?

Kristann- I just found your channel this morning and a lot of your financial journey sounds like mine! I was fortunate that my parents talked about money when we were growing up and then during my second year of teaching 2 of the teachers explained all the financial ins and outs of our school district. Anyway, it’s 10:30 PM and I need to get back to grading papers. Tomorrow I’ll watch your second video ☺️

Great job! I retired from local government at the end of March (at 54). I would not label yourself, FIRE or not FIRE…your choice! Even though it does apply. My pension is 80% of my salary, so I think you are doing great!!!! Don’t get trapped in the labels. Likely you had a lower salary working for government which was an investment toward your pension instead of a large brokerage account. Just know that you ARE ON FIRE!!!!

I’m sorry you got sick! I work for a cruise line in Alaska and we have quite a few guests getting Covid.

Sorry you caught COVID. Hope you feel better soon.

We came home with Covid on our cruise as well... 4 out of 5 of us. Gladly it was only on the last day!

Thanks for sharing. I’m not a huge traveler anyway, but I can also foresee that my first retirement years will be close to home caring for my mom. You actually affirmed that it’s ok we are homebodies. Hope you kick COVID quickly. Take care.

Hi Kristann, I look forward to every new video you put out. You have a friendly and easy way of chatting like an old friend and very informative. I ❤ yr sharing videos like this one and the one on your housing community. Thank you for sharing and may you be blessed.

I bought an RV on a lake last week. That will be my future vacation spot. I normally drive around the country in my car for a month or so, but that will be less Frequent now. Much more fishing 🙂

I've had Covid twice. Once from being on a plane and once from my classroom. It really puts a damper on travel!! There are obnoxious people everywhere you go unfortunately. I don't know if I could do a cruise. I think I would feel trapped! Feel better soon!

I can’t tell you how much I enjoy your videos. We have something’s in common. My husband and I live in a 55+ community and have no children. And like you I really enjoy my alone time. I know for me a cruise would not work for me. But glad you were able to enjoy the sights. Take care of yourself and look forward to your next posting 😊

Oh no! Hope you feel better soon. Travel is definitely a way to see things afresh…

Congratulations on your retirement. I think this book is more about selling more books than giving good financial advice. The part about spending more than what you earn during younger years may or may or may not work out depending on what happens in the future. It might be overly optimistic at least in that section. Robot might replace your job in 10 years and you may have to rebuild a new career from scratch at a time that you built up debt in your younger years. It's written to cater to younger spend-a-holic to buy the book and talk about it so that others can follow. The 4% rule doesn't always work. Inflation for each person is different. Basic needs tend to go up faster than government published inflation (think housing, medical, food, energy, basic transportation (not a Ferrari)). Aside, even when 4% rule did "work", it was only up to 30 years and would not apply if you're trying to retire in your 30's for most people because you may live a lot longer than 30 years. It's ok when you reach point where even with the most conservative calculation and lofty medical inflation numbers you can throw at, you'll still likely to end up with too much money left over--that's the other audience the book was written for. Let's say you died at age 85 with $1 million of assets. If you could spend the equivalent amount 60 years ago at age 25, how much would that equate to in lump-sum amount be assuming 6%/year after inflation? $30,314.34. The magnification of life experience early on might not equate to the comfort of a fallback cushion you are building if you didn't spend that money that early. So I think there's a great deal of exaggeration on how much money was left behind and how much how much more enjoyment you could have earlier in life if you spent it on experiences back then. Money is a weird thing. Sure, giving to adult kids who are just starting out has a bigger impact to them. But there's a point where you have to decide if you're doing more harm than good by handing out money. What was that comment from Warren Buffett....Leave enough to do something, but not enough to do nothing.

We were shooting for 55 but didn't think we would actually go through with it. If my kids didn't move away half way across the world for university, we probably would have continued working. We missed our kids so much that we decided to go for it when my husband was 53 and I was 52. It was the BEST decision we made. Retirement life is so amazing that it feels like a dream!

Thanks for sharing. Nice to hear about your “splurges”. I feel like the transition to spending in retirement will take some time for me. Scarcity mindset has helped me get ready to retire, but now I need to learn to trust the numbers and be willing to spend and move out of the accumulation phase.

Great video! We retired at age 52 and 53 with a pension and often wondered if we qualify as FIRE too. We retired last October and it's the BEST decision we've ever made.

My date has been set at Dec2025, but for the past few weeks I’ve been really “trying on” the date of Dec 2024. It has been a great exercise and has helped me do detailed investigation. Dec 2024 is very good. Dec2025 is great. That led me to see that Dec2025 may be the winner!

Good morning! Yes! I’m an HSP as well, but at least 4 years from retirement as an elementary school teacher…not the best place for someone who gets overstimulated easily. 😢. I look forward to time alone from the moment I wake up! Lol.

My date was when I turn 59 1/2. I couldn't make it that long. I just couldn't do it! But you are right, having a date is important!

We hope to retire at 60. Health care is a concern though.

I have a dream date - 2030 and a backup date - 2034. Our pension rules changed, and we're not sure if we're covered under the old rules or the new rules. It's difficult to plan. We're committed to hitting the road as soon as we are financially able.

12/29/2028 - 50yrs old & 52yrs old with traditional FIRE 😊

My date was when I turned 59 1/2. But it shifted to 55 when I was laid off a month after my birthday.

I hope to retire in two years on the early side and four or on the later side in my 50's, depending on how work goes, how life goes, and how finances go. I've been planning it and working for it for the last 10+ years. Those are my two dates. Happy Labor Day to all the working people out there, and also to the retired people for all that you did over the years in your jobs and all that you're still doing to inspire people in your new retired roles!

I did not have a date other than as soon as possible.

I had every federal holiday on my calendar.

I started my Channel in May. Retired at 52 (almost 5 years ago). I’m here because @agingonyourterms sent me. Your truth bombs are spot on. I’ll put some thought into your challenge! (Also just subscribed)

New sub. 😂 Hi from New Zealand. Im a Gen xer and thinking about my future plans This was very interesting I love the idea of the Lodge central meeting place. Lots of friends and activities sounds fun. My lifestyle is very different atm.❤ i just did a pro and con sort of video about living in the country.

Kristann this was fascinasting! I've never heard of HSP before. I can see some of my family members may be this way. Thanks for sharing!

Yep, one of the biggest benefits is ability to go do stuff during work hours. I'd also add it's also a great time to take group fitness classes. The people that are there also have flexible schedules. Thank you!

I can relate to your realization about being mentally exhausted after a day working from home.

So that is interesting. My son is sensitive to loud areas--wonder if he is a highly sensitive person. When he was little, we could never go to the school fun fair in the gym it was too loud. So I would work a booth in the hallway where it was quiet and he would hang out with me there. Regarding your alone activities, I love writing and have joined an international postcard exchange (postcrossing) but work is so busy, I haven't been able to keep up. But I look forward to doing that again, to gardening and joining a water aerobics class. I can imagine shopping on Monday is MUCH better than shopping on the weekend (especially Costco). You make me want to retire--soon! Thanks for sharing.