[dreamer1]

Hello. It's been awhile since I have posted. I thought it would be a good idea to start a new thread and find out if anyone out there has the same type of plan as my wife and I. (early semi retirement) We are both 40 and have young children. But, we have a plan which calls for buying a nice home in a golf community in about 8 years and perhaps moving there by about 53 yrs old.(there are many nice communities in the Winter haven/Leesburg area as Faithful Frank can attest to) Many people I talk to think we are crazy for planning this because the thought in today's world is that you have to work until you're 70. We are saving so that we don't need to do this. I would still work part time to help keep busy. I don't want to retire at an old age when I can enjoy the beautiful Florida weather and play golf three times a week. My inlaws are currently in a CRF community in Winterhaven and feel like kids again because they are having so much fun.

So, let's see how many others are as optimistic as me.

Thanks, Dreamer1

[faithfulFrank]

Dreamer1,

That is exactly what I'm planning on doing. I can "retire" in 620 days with a pension good enough to live on. I'll be 53 years old then.

We bought our home 2 years ago down in Florida. I paid cash for it, (always lived within our means and invested well), and although it may be worth a tad less then when I bought it, I have no regrets.

I currently rent it out to snowbirds in the winter and that rent pays all the expenses for the year. Owning the "rental home" has been a good tax situation. We go down there a month at a time twice a year...(I get a lot of vacation time) to work on the house, etc. and to prepare it for our guests. In fact, we leave to go down there tomorrow....(can't wait!!)

If you know where you want to be, prices are low now. Will they get lower? Perhaps....depends on the area, etc, and he cost of mortgages.

I will stay busy when I'm down there.......I see many good business opportunities for me and I am preparing for them now. Heck, I turn down work every time I'm down there. I will not really need to work, but I want to stay busy, and do not want to add zeros to my Social Security yearly avg.

I'm basically getting to the point where I can no longer stand the high taxes in NY and our brutal Buffalo winters.

I bought in a 55+ community, but you can have 20% of owners under 55. There are many in our neighborhood that are also "young", and I like getting in on the ground floor of the future boomers. We live for our trips down there, and have grown very close to our Florida neighbors. I love owning palm trees and picking my own oranges.

It is tough to be up here during the winter, but the end of that is within sight. My snowblower is all ready to be used already for when we return from Florida.

One thing to realize is that this forum has a inclination for being negative. I can understand the why's of that, but for those who have saved throughout their life and have a plan, Florida can be a nice place to live. I want to do that before I'm too old to enjoy it.

So I guess I'm with you. You seem to be doing the right things. Research things well, know what you want, be patient, and have a plan. In life, I have learned that folks regret more the things they have not done more then the things they have.

Keep me posted. Positive, conservative, common sense, hard working folks are hard to come by, and I find myself being a better person when I'm with them.

Well, tomorrow I'm Florida bound again.......Yippee!

Frank

[dreamer1]

Faithful Frank, I'm jealous. Enjoy your time down there. We are going down in February for 2 weeks to stay with the inlaws. I enjoy being in that area and getting up in the morning for a bike ride when I am there or a nice long walk. They live right by a lake which can be very peaceful. As you said, conservative, planning, and patience!! That is the key to success. And I plan on paying for our home with cash when ready!!

Dreamer1

[Sunnydee]

I'm retiring in June, at age 53, and am anxious to move to Florida full time as well. We've bought our house, love the neighborhood, and are excited about starting this new phase of our lives while we can still enjoy ourselves. I think your plan is sound. We planned for years and now we're almost there - it feels good. Best wishes.

[dreamer1]

Hey Sunnydee. A couple of questions: How old were you when you decided you wanted to retire to Florida? Where are you currently living? Lastly, where in Florida will you be living? 53 seems to be a good age. Still young, kids grown, and hopefully invested enough.

Thanks, Dreamer1

[Raybo1]

I have to laugh at some of these posts by people who want to retire in their early fifties and move to Florida before they are too old to enjoy themselves. If you are in good health and watch your diet and exersize regularly, then you can enjoy life into your eighties. Most people are not dying of old age at 62 or 65 and can live for decades so let's be honest about retiring before then. Basically, you are just tired of the rat race, tired of the weather up North, and see Florida as a sunny paradise. Be assured that old age won't overtake you if you don't retire until you are in your sixties. Even with good planning, the thrill of early retirement can get old after a few months when you are used to working full time. Stay working and saving and put the Jimmy Buffet syndrome on hold for a few more years. You may live to be a hundred.

[dreamer1]

Rayboy, to each their own I guess. None of us really know when the good lord will take us. Don't misinterpret what I said. I still plan on working at that point of my life. I just want to do it on my terms and wake up to sunshine in the morning instead of a foot of snow in the driveway. Is that such a bad thing to look forward to? Retirement may have been the wrong word to use. Maybe "easier day to day life" would have been a better phrase. I know too many people that are in their mid 50's, in big debt, and complain about their jobs but are forced to remain there because they have payments up the wazoo. They have to have that big 4 bedroom house so that they can show it to their friends and family. Forget the fact that it will keep them in debt until they are 85. Thanks but no thanks. All I am saying is that I want to be doing something that makes me happy and in an atmosphere where I can enjoy the outdoors.

Lastly, I really do enjoy Jimmy Buffett's music. But, the Beatles will always be my favorite.

Later, Dreamer1

[faithfulFrank]

I agree with dreamer1,

I think in life one regrets more the things they did not do more then what they did.
I will work owning my own business when I move down here in 2 years........but there will not be the stress of HAVING to work. My pension should more then pay my expenses, and I'll be debt free. I see plenty of opportunity doing the work I like.......doing what I want to when I want to, but not having to. No one said on their deathbed they wished they spent more time at the office.

Raybo, I do not know where you live, but I'll tell you, after living half a century in Buffalo NY winters, I'm ready to live where there is no harsh winter. I do not mind the snow that bad as much as the bitter cold and having to pay hundreds of dollars a month to stay warm. Add to that thousands in taxes, etc, I'm ready for a life without the stress of harsh changes in seasons.

I'll sell my big, impressive northern house and enjoy my smaller, easier to maintain Florida home. Ray....if you like the snow, etc, I'll sell you my place. It's quite nice, and I'll throw in the snowblower.........

By the way....I'm back in Florida now, and just got out of the pool after doing laps......nice way to stay in shape......my northern pool has been closed for over a month ....here it was in the eighties today......I love it.

To each their own.

Frank

Frank

[KathyA11]

Originally Posted by Raybo1

I have to laugh at some of these posts by people who want to retire in their early fifties and move to Florida before they are too old to enjoy themselves. If you are in good health and watch your diet and exersize regularly, then you can enjoy life into your eighties. Most people are not dying of old age at 62 or 65 and can live for decades so let's be honest about retiring before then. Basically, you are just tired of the rat race, tired of the weather up North, and see Florida as a sunny paradise. Be assured that old age won't overtake you if you don't retire until you are in your sixties. Even with good planning, the thrill of early retirement can get old after a few months when you are used to working full time. Stay working and saving and put the Jimmy Buffet syndrome on hold for a few more years. You may live to be a hundred.

I've worked since I was 15, retired in June (a month before I turned 54), and believe me, there's nothing boring about it! There are plenty of things to keep me busy, and we're both sick of winters and being cooped up in the house for 6 months out of the year.

And I certainly do hope to live to be 100 -- enjoying retirement every step of the way. I may look for a part-time job at Barnes and Noble after we move down -- their 30% employee discount is very attractive to someone who reads as much as I do.

[Retiredcoach]

Thirty years ago, my best friend's father took an early retirement from his blue collar job at age 52. Wanting to escape the Pennsylvania winters and to "live the good life", he and his wife took their bankroll and moved to Fort Lauderdale. Initially, all was good, and the $12000 annual pension was more than enough to sustain their modest lifestyle. Now on Social Security, he never anticipated that he would be nearly destitute at this late phase of his life.

My point is that no one can predict what impact the economy will have upon one's lifelong sustainable savings in thirty years. Quitting one's job 10-15 years early (usually at peak career earnings) would border insanity in the thinking of most prominent financial planners. Oh, one last thing, many of the reasons for moving to Florida (golf was a passion of his) either became either too expensive or too mundane, as his savings and income dwindled.

If anything is to be learned by this economic downturn is that there is no such thing as an infallible investment. What may look like a sustainable income today, may not sustain you tomorrow. I am very skeptical of those saying that they will just get another job in Florida "to keep busy", when, in reality, they may be 75 before the realization strikes them that they need a job to meet the costs of their increasing taxes and medical needs (beyond Medicare). Let's see, a 10% to 12% unemployment rate, and a Florida newbie will get a job just because he/she wants one? There is some serious shortsighted thinking.....b