Bob from Wisconsin

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wi bob
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Feb 17, 2019 12:22 pm

Bob from Wisconsin

Post by wi bob »

Hi all, been reading for a while now and this is my first post. I'm 47 and just FIRED three months ago. I was able to get a little "walking away money" from my old employer and used my status as a veteran to get on VA healthcare. I believe my assets will cover my costs, and I can always work part-time and make a little extra but I'm honestly feeling really "weird" about not going to a job and thinking about working full-time again. If I do, I can (at least) be choosy about what I take and not worry about how much I will make. Maybe negotiate some extra time off if I accept a lower salary. If I do work full-time again, it won't be for too long, and I will use that time to be more mentally prepared to enjoy a true early retirement.

Bob

wolf
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Re: Bob from Wisconsin

Post by wolf »

Welcome Bob! And congrats to FIRE!

wi bob
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Feb 17, 2019 12:22 pm

Re: Bob from Wisconsin

Post by wi bob »

Hi, I have 50% custody of a 10-year-old daughter so I will stay here for now. I've been seriously looking at Johnson City, TN to move to in about 9 or 10-years. I've visited a few times. I love that the climate is mild but they have four distinct seasons. The mountains and TVA lakes are beautiful and the cost of living is very low. Also, since I will be on VA health, I need to live by a city with a VA hospital, and Johnson City has a great one. I'll only be a day's drive from my daughter, but I really have mixed feelings about being far from her (but who knows where she will live as an adults...).

suomalainen
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Joined: Sat Oct 18, 2014 12:49 pm

Re: Bob from Wisconsin

Post by suomalainen »

wi bob wrote:
Sun Feb 17, 2019 1:25 pm
but I'm honestly feeling really "weird" about not going to a job and thinking about working full-time again.
Hi bob. Can you expound on this a bit more? Like there’s a recent thread about non-financial benefits about a full-time job and I’m curious about your take on the question.

IlliniDave
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Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2014 7:46 pm

Re: Bob from Wisconsin

Post by IlliniDave »

Welcome and congrats on taking the FIRE leap. I lived for 9 years in the Tri-Cities area of Tennessee. I was pretty happy there.

wi bob
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Feb 17, 2019 12:22 pm

Re: Bob from Wisconsin

Post by wi bob »

I started "retirement" at the start of Winter, so the timing wasn't ideal. After so many years of getting out of bed, showering and dressing and going to work, it became easy and very routine. My daughter (with school), friends and significant other are all on the regular Monday through Friday schedule so I just feel a little out of alignment with the rest of the people in my life. I also started feeling a bit lazy because I've been slow to dive into all the 'projects' that I intended to accomplish in the first few months of retirement. I think the best thing for me to do at this point is to find a job that I actually like. FI allows me to do that without concern for a certain income. Now that i've had a bit of a trial period I will work for a year or two or three and be more prepared to be fully retired when the time comes. If I again end up in a job I don't like, I'll be gone. Freedom!

wi bob
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Feb 17, 2019 12:22 pm

Re: Bob from Wisconsin

Post by wi bob »

IlliniDave, thanks for your response. Any further thoughts on the Tri-Cities? Property taxes seem really low compared to WI, especially if you are out of Johnson City limits. Did you go to any of the nearby lakes? Any specific things you didn't like about the area? I'm eager to learn more about life there.

prognastat
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Re: Bob from Wisconsin

Post by prognastat »

Welcome to the forums and congrats on achieving FIRE.

IlliniDave
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Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2014 7:46 pm

Re: Bob from Wisconsin

Post by IlliniDave »

Hmm, well regarding lakes, Watauga and Holston have under-exploited natural populations of walleye (at least that was the case 20 years ago, maybe people there are fishing for them now), but are known as smallmouth lakes. The Holston river has some big brown trout in it. The Watauga River is also good for trout fishing. Boone Lake is warmer, stripers and bass, mainly largemouth and much less pretty than the others. More developed shoreline and people engaged in water sports. In 9 years I got one mosquito bite despite the amount of time I spent in the woods and near water. The Nolichucky has some whitewater rafting/kayaking. Lots of opportunities for hiking and camping.

I remember cost of living being really low. There used to be no state income tax, but they did tax individual's dividends and capital gains. Not sure about "retirement" income. The overall area is about a half million people, but there aren't a lot of big city amenities. People are generally friendly, crime didn't seem to be a big problem.

The one thing I didn't like is that being in the mountains they would occasionally get large snow storms (not bad in-and-of-itself), but because the roads are all windy and hilly, and they're not much good at clearing snow, a person could wind up homebound for a few days. Not a huge problem for a retired person though and it's a once every few years event, not a regular thing. One thing I did especially like regarding the weather is that even when it would get very hot in the summer, it almost always cooled off well at night.

wi bob
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Joined: Sun Feb 17, 2019 12:22 pm

Re: Bob from Wisconsin

Post by wi bob »

Wow, sounds perfect. Can't wait to get there.

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