I know exactly how you feel. I started my ERE just under a year ago. The last two years before I pulled the plug were very painful at times, as I couldn't help but watch the daily gyrations and constantly compare them against my goal.barrett wrote:I can really relate. Being close to retirement really changes the way you look at your investments. I am almost 57 and hoping to pull the plug on paid work in the next few years. The thing for me is that it's hard to not get fixated on a nice, sweet, round number for retirement. And when you are close to the end of your working years a bad portfolio day WAY outweighs current income. Sophie looks at the same dip and hope it lasts a bit longer so she can sneak in some purchases at lower levels.Fred wrote: I don't know where the rest of you are in regards to how close you are to retirement but I was planning to retire in two years but hoping maybe to even do it next year (when I turn 67). I was very hopeful after the good (normal) return last year. Another year like that and I might very well have been able to go for it next year. Needless to say, this year is a downer and another year like it in succession might even put my retirement plan in jeopardy for the following year. Been a little depressed about it lately but a good ale helps.
So I probably have more emotionally invested in it than most of you but I'm still sticking with it.
A good ale definitely helps... as does a flexible spending plan those first few years in retirement. Wish you luck with it all, Fred.
The thing is, once I finally reached my savings goal my stress did not magically disappear. If anything, I had just as much anxiety as before but this time nothing but myself to blame it on. Life called my bluff and I feared going all-in. It took several months to realize that retirement is less about money than I formerly realized and more about mental preparedness.
With the benefit of hindsight, I think that the specific monetary goal was just an excuse to maintain the status quo and I could have retired even earlier if I had been more emotionally ready. Once you're truly ready, you'll know. And IMHO the markets won't really make such a difference at that point because your plan will be much bigger than your investment account.