I haven’t written an article in so long that my typing speed has slowed down. It’s not a problem if you don’t have to write for your dinner, but I had Mavis Beacon pace that’s now more like Mavis MaGoo.
It’s alright. Blogging for the sake of the blog was never the end goal here. When you’ve retired from Corporate America, there are lots of other activities to keep you occupied.
For me, the short list includes:
- Side gigs
- Pickleball and gym time
- Family time
- Home improvement
- Getting caught up in the stock market (!!!)
Side Gigs: How to Keep the Newly Retired Productive and Engaged
Side gigs are the activities I get paid for that I find rewarding and where I’m the boss. Yes, I have customers as a part-time handyman, Airbnb host, and landlord, but they don’t micro-manage me and play office politics. That’d just be weird. (Though some of my handyman clients do like to stand and watch me make magic with tools…)
I hadn’t planned on becoming a handyman after leaving my corporate life, but I am glad it happened. I’ve traded long-term ambiguity, emails, and silly meetings for short-term tangible wins. I’m not waking up at 3 am, worried about a presentation that doesn’t matter in the end. Oh, and I get paid about as much per hour, minus the payroll taxes.
Keeping Active and Social Are VITAL In Retirement
Surviving these four long years we find ourselves in requires a healthy dose of stoicism and PICKLEBALL. I hadn’t planned on this sport becoming a key staple in my weekly routine, but thanks to my wife, I have found an activity I love, despite the chronic Achilles strain on my heels.
Gym time got added to the routine last fall. Now that I’m in my 50s, it’s more important than ever to keep challenging my muscles and heart rate. Yes, we have a home gym and a Peloton bike, but the social rewards of two classes per week are worth the added expense.
Gym membership is not something I’d have jumped into during my career years while saving for early retirement. Besides, I got plenty of social time in Cubicle Land. But when you’ve retired early, you need to make new social connections to thrive.
You Can’t Win Back Time – And It’s Family Time That Matters Most
Family time has been essential. Two kids and divergent sports schedules keep us on our toes. Even though we ascribe to a more free-range kids program, we push for them to take on at least one sport per season to learn some teamwork and discipline. It’s a work in progress, but I’m super proud of the level-headed competitors we’re raising.
The most important family time that’s been freed up is the time I’ve been able to spend with my mom, helping her through the loss of our step-dad back in January. It’s been a difficult time as “Grandpa” was the epitome of stoicism and a rock in our family.
He never let on that the cancer was winning. If I had been stuck in the rat race this year, I don’t know how I would have found the time for all the things the loss of a loved one requires.
Early Retirement Means Home Work Time
Home improvement includes all those daunting tasks you know you need to tackle: Finding the right paint color, getting the paint on a brush, and then trying not to swear when you pull off fresh strips of said paint when removing trim tape. At least I can swear when the kids are at school…
I would add that landscaping and gardening are nice ambitions too, but it’s hard to keep up with that mission. On the plus side, the kids are finally big enough to mow the lawn, so I guess I’m technically retired from that job, too, now (at least for another 6 or so years).
Playing With the Stock Market
Number 5 on the list is just plain nuts. I am supposed to be the guy who preaches S&P index funds all day, every day. Well, I still do! During those career years, these are the best 401K options for growth with low fees (VOO, VTI, etc.)
However, once you retire early, there are the “gap years” to resolve. These are the 5, 10, 15, or more years between your 40s and age 59.5. It’s when you approach 60 that you can finally (without some trickery) access your 401K funds.
We make enough cash flow from our rentals, my wife’s gigs, and my handyman gig that we can move through these gap years without worry, even if the amount of cash from a fancy corporate paycheck is no longer streaming in every few weeks.
I’m still learning the investment racket seemingly every day and with every twitch of the tariff wand. Was it wise to buy a large stack of UNH at ~$400/share? Time will tell. I tend to think that was a good “tariff-proofing” for the IRA.
The biggest dance in our portfolio has been getting the mix of dividends just right in the brokerage bucket. Dividends can help to replace some missing cash flow after the good ol’ paycheck goes away. I’ve had to make quite a few trades while limiting capital gains taxes to find the best mix of SCHD, QQQI, SPYI, and other dividend kings.
Did I make a little profit during the “Liberation Day” madness a few months back? Yes, but the kicker is those gains are short-term, and I don’t dare sell now unless I want the tax headache.
What Does a Successful Early Retirement Strategy Look Like to You?
I miss writing for this blog. I miss even more the interactions with fellow bloggers in comments, forums, etc. I simply haven’t made it a priority to keep up with the community, as I didn’t set out to make the community itself a goal of my early retirement pursuit. And that’s okay, I think.
Maybe I’ll find more reasons to keep posting here, but it won’t be because I’m trying to hold myself accountable to an early retirement goal. That goal, thankfully, and humbly, has been met.
Writing can be rewarding just as much as mounting a TV to a wall or installing a microwave, so maybe when I injure my back at the gym or the weather gets ugly, I can come back to this neat little space and spin some more of this lifestyle web.
