I'm a 45 year old Average Joe who after becoming disillusioned with the
Financial Sector and with no financial training became a DIY saver and investor in 2007.
I started this blog in 2009 to hold myself accountable to 6 simple words - Save Hard, Invest Wisely, Retire Early.
Living these words enabled me to reach Financial Independence (with the option of Early Retirement) in July 2016, a journey time of less than 10 years. In the spirit of full transparency that has been made possible with no defined benefit pension or inheritance but simply living every day the principles I describe in this blog.
At the time of writing my wealth is £1,309,000 which my research and tracking suggests should be plenty to live the life I want 'until death do us part' but for some personal reasons I won't retire until mid 2018.
That all adds up to Retire before 45 because of a saving and investing journey that added 0.9% of my eventual retirement wealth per month every month until I'd reached Financial Independence.
I am not a Financial Planner, have made mistakes on the way and I'm sure will make further mistakes in the future. This blog shows some of those. Even so it continues to be a positive experience.
I started this blog in 2009 to hold myself accountable to 6 simple words - Save Hard, Invest Wisely, Retire Early.
Living these words enabled me to reach Financial Independence (with the option of Early Retirement) in July 2016, a journey time of less than 10 years. In the spirit of full transparency that has been made possible with no defined benefit pension or inheritance but simply living every day the principles I describe in this blog.
At the time of writing my wealth is £1,309,000 which my research and tracking suggests should be plenty to live the life I want 'until death do us part' but for some personal reasons I won't retire until mid 2018.
That all adds up to Retire before 45 because of a saving and investing journey that added 0.9% of my eventual retirement wealth per month every month until I'd reached Financial Independence.
I am not a Financial Planner, have made mistakes on the way and I'm sure will make further mistakes in the future. This blog shows some of those. Even so it continues to be a positive experience.
Last updated: 14 January 2018
Hi, I just thought I’d say thanks for taking the time to create the RIT blog. I came to you from a link on Early Retirement Extreme, which was rather too extreme to my mind!
ReplyDeleteYour approach chimes well with my thinking to date and as I'm also in the UK and around the same age it makes for very interesting reading.
Hi OIMO
DeleteGlad that the approach I'm taking has struck a chord with you. The journey has been one of the most positive things I have ever undertaken even if I include the few mistakes I made early on.
That said, I'm still learning also so please feel free to engage with Comment to any article which can either support, challenge or share an alternate more efficient method to name but three. Also I'd like to hear more of your story given it sounds like we have some similarities.
Cheers
RIT
Clearly we are not talking here about the basic concept of retiring early. Frankly I was given early retirement at age 52 but would have happily continued working even although certainly at that time I was well able to retire financially. It would be interesting to hear what early retirees really feel if they retire at say 45. I am amazed at the number who seem to have the ambition to retire asap (although I see in your case that you would like the option rather than a real ambition to retire at say 45) It would also be interesting to see what sort of investment returns you are actually achieving..
ReplyDeleteHello RIT,
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had already a nice journey towards Early retirement. I hope to learn a few things from you, as I have started my journey recently.
Amber Tree
Hi RIT,
ReplyDeleteI am interested to read above that you dont have a DB pension as part of you FIRE planning, is there a reason for that?...My understanding was that nowadays they are like 'hens teeth' and if your employer offered you one you should grab it with both hands...is that not the case?...If this sounds naive please excuse it but I am at the beginning of my FIRE/financial understanding journey , having just 'let it happen', hopefully I am not too late!
As for reaching FIRE, congratulations!...I take a lot more to 'do' than to complain about your lot and never 'do'
Hi Anon
DeleteIt's not a choice to not participate in a DB scheme and if offered I certainly would have participated. It's just that given my age and the sector of the economy I work in the DB drawbridge had already been long pulled up before I arrived on the scene.
Off thread but something about attitudes of people who are retired...
ReplyDeleteMy neighbours have just retired and over the past 3 months have been on 3 trips visiting family abroad. (3/4 weeks away in total). They share the home domestics and planning of trips. 60 years old....it is a retirement well earned.
Last week I asked her if she was busy ''it's been frantic and chaos I can't wait to relax and have some down time''
Bumped into him - asked him if he was enjoying retirement, told him I heard they were busy ''not busy at all...its been great not working and taking time for yourself and relaxing''
For me this is very important...some people are busy....others just always feel busy. If you retire early it is important to be active, entertained and occupied but NEVER feel busy. My sabbatical involved 5 weeks in Australia, 2 in Italy, several weekend trips to cities in the UK, total refurbishment of our Edwardian Semi by me, purchase of 3 flats (all in one converted terrace) one needed full refurbishment and a new bathroom, lots of concerts and the odd visit to football games. And not once was I busy...I bounced along for those 6 months without a care in the world, relaxed and the world absolutely at my feet.
Retiring early is an opportunity to live life with vigor....not to feel 'busy'. My plan was to buy time so I can see the Amazon, climb mountains, enjoy the family, watch the stars and appreciate the seasons. If for one moment I am 'busy' then I may as well be back at work.
So 18 months for me then I am 'retired' at 50....and whilst I ensure that I enjoy my time now but am excited at the opportunity to live life without 60 hours a week in a high stress job being barked at.
Phil 321
Hi, Robert
ReplyDeletePlease don't ask me how I found your site -- I think it's through Nicholas Bates's blog but I can't be sure -- but reading your book and a few posts has rekindled in me (aged 49!) the need to stop procrastinating and to take control...of my/our finances.
Thanks for all your wisdom and insight. I've already learnt a shed load and hope that, like you, I can plan for retirement so that I'm not working until 68 or I drop dead.
Best wishes
Julian
I'm looking to make 5-6%, but an I.f.a. wasn't 1.2% p.a., that's like 20% of anything made! Looking for a link to your investment strategies
ReplyDeleteSorry but on what planet is 1m gbp enough to retire at 43 years old? Unless you're planning on spending the rest of your life in some 3rd world shithole living on tickover?
ReplyDeleteAnon: It depends what kind of lifestyle keeps you happy.
ReplyDeleteI'm still not sure whether his £1m includes his house (I think he may not own one and be renting instead, although he didn't reply when I asked him on this blog).
If it's £1m plus house sale then he should be fine. Without house sale it will be tighter, especially as he's still young at 43. The bit that makes my wife laugh is his groceries spending - she keeps threatening to put me on dry bread & gruel which is what she's convinced he must be living on at that minuscule budget!
Anon: Sorry to return to this point, but RIT's £1m could pay him £19,230 pa gross for 52 years before it runs out. That would take him up to the age of 95 and assuming that he never made a penny in dividends, interest or capital growth. Ok he'd have inflation against him - but as I said, that is without any growth at all.
ReplyDeleteI know of many people who live on that sort of income and also have to work full time for it in soul destroying jobs. At least he wouldn't have the grind of a job or business to run for his £20k pa. So, bread & gruel notwithstanding, well done RIT, whether or not you have a house sale to add to that £1m. And Anon, maybe you're just used to living a more expensive lifestyle, in which case I agree that £1m from age 43 isn't going to be enough for you in the UK.
Hi RIT, thank you for creating this website. I have been an on/off reader for a while. I was wondering if you could change the Feed settings to display the Full article instead of an excerpt (See https://imgur.com/a/ug69e0I ). This will help people who use a Feed Reading App to read your article. Thanks again!
ReplyDelete