Kido - 2012-07-09 12:57 PM
Hey, I have a sort of serious question.
How crazy is it to just sort of give up on everything and just simplify and follow a dream? Is there an age limit?
I guess I had a thought, to pick up and move to Cali. I mean, I have a decent start on my retirement funds that I could tap into to get us by for a couple years even if I don't have a job at all. Is it stupid to do that to just be happy?
I'm SO tired of Vegas but it's hard to find work here OR California, so I could go just do... Something and live on retirement. I just have to figure out what the "something" is. Then the wife can persue her dream better. I can work in a bike shop or something.
I have never been that reckless, but there seems to be something fun and exciting about it. Just packing up and going. I would keep the vegas house and rent it out. I don't want to lose THAT investment.
I'll argue for the other side. Without knowing specifics about your financial situation, is living "your dream" for a couple of years worth not being to afford the retirement that you want? Is living paycheck to paycheck, with a reduced lifestyle that you would want, and the stress that it entails, really conducive to happiness? Only you can answer that.
You have to write down what you want from life, prioritize your list, and you will know. For me personally, I am looking forward to an early retirement where I can travel, enjoy life, etc. To do that, I need to keep the grind for a few more years. Similar to A vs. B races. You don't want to put your A race at risk for a better result on a B race.
But make sure that you can live with the consequences. You don't want to do it, enjoy the next couple of years, and then regret the decision for the following 2 decades. And remember that you pay 10% plus taxes on early withdrawals of retirement funds, so they might not make it that far.