I mentioned it here in one of the retirement subject threads. It was a big thread and you probably didn’t see it.
I have been thinking about it since Christmas. I just had my 37 anniversary at work in April. I will be done in January or February. I haven’t announced at work yet. I was going to wait until fall but there is a large training session I’m scheduled for in June and it makes no sense for the company to pay for me to go and then whoever is my replacement will be will need it also so I will tell my boss my intentions at the end of May.
I know my President here on Hawaii won’t want me to go and he will probably offer me something else. He really likes what I have accomplished and will probably offer me a chance to change departments. I don’t mind what I am doing I have been trying to train a couple people to have a chance to replace me but I have other reasons to call it quits too.
First off, I can, we have invested well and have been saving since I started there. We each have 401k’s, we each have pensions and we will both get Social Security. We will have a few more years of Healthcare insurance payments by me going early but otherwise we live pretty cheap with everything paid for. We will need to take a little more out of savings because of the healthcare but it’s fine we can do it. I worked on all the retirement calculators and even with Fidelity who has our accounts and we are fine to go.
My wife turns 62 next week and she will start Social Security at the end of the year. She can use her 401k if needed and then at the end of next year mine will be available without penalty at the end of 2022. I’ll take Social Security at 62 and we will start our pensions afterwards sometime. I turn 58 in June so I will be close to 59 when I am quitting.
One big reason is my wife, she hasn’t done well during COVID. She has a bad hip and had problems walking any distances. When she got here she was walking during the day and doing fairly well. But when COVID hit with the restrictions, all the benches have been removed and you are not allowed to sit in most areas now. She used to love to go to the International Marketplace and sit for a while. But without that she has become unsure of herself and even has fallen a few times while I was at work. She hurt her back during one fall and that hasn’t helped her. She has one of those walkers with the wheels but she is really only comfortable doing anything when I am around. Although she does take Ubers to get to doctors and therapy appointments. She has even fallen a couple times while I was home but luckily didn’t hurt herself.
I think she would do much better with me there everyday and helping her get out and moving everyday. I am ready also, Molokai is calling our names. I like the people at work and they really appreciate what I have accomplished. I have definitely felt more appreciated and respected here than I did while at work than in Wisconsin. But the time is right and we are both ready.
We will take it slow and keep the apartment here on Oahu until March and make a couple trips to Molokai to get what we have left there. It’s not really a lot but we will make a couple of trips and take our time.