Hello from WA

squashroll · Post by **squashroll** » Sun Jan 06, 2013 8:55 am

Hello all.

I'm 35 with/ government job. Unhappy(miserable?)at work. However, it pays too much to quit and eligible for a good retirement in 15 years. sorta like the "golden handcuffs" that Jacob describes.
Discovered Jacob's blog last week and I am now through chapter 5 in his book. Pretty interesting stuff. I fear that I am one of the empty consumers that he describes.
Looking forward to finding some inspiration, guidance and camaraderie here in this forum.

m741 · Post by **m741** » Sun Jan 06, 2013 6:07 pm

Welcome, squashroll!
15 years is an awful long time... you'll be 50 by then. If you want to make progress, try starting a journal here, you'll get a lot of support and it's nice knowing that people are following your journey.
Whereabouts in Washington do you live? I'm considering it as a retirement state, but living on the East coast I don't know what areas are most suitable for retirement.

blessed59 · Post by **blessed59** » Sun Jan 06, 2013 7:23 pm

Hi there. I'm a newbie also. My spouse is wearing the same golden handcuffs due to free benefits now and an additional 10 years of them after retirement once he hits 20 years. He is over the half way point. I'm thinking there is potentially a lot to learn to break the cuffs. I also found the blog a week ago and am reading the book.

JohnnyH · Post by **JohnnyH** » Sun Jan 06, 2013 9:09 pm

What m741 said... Get your savings rate as high as you can and you'll likely fund a retirement, both more lucrative and resilient, than these golden handcuffs could in less than half the time.

squashroll · Post by **squashroll** » Wed Jan 09, 2013 8:24 am

@m741

I share the puget sound area w/ about 4.5 million others

I hear Wenatchee and Gold Bar are really popular w/ the retirement crowd. I know that a certain state agency has all its senior people trying to finish their careers in Spokane, cause it too is apparently desirable. Either way stay west of the Cascades unless you like rain.

15 years is a long time...

I'm finishing the book and have just scraped the surface of this forum. so far peeps are helpful!

I dunno about an online journal. I have been keeping track of money for the last 2 weeks, appalled to see how much I actually spend! (not absurd but I had always fancied myself a spendthrift)
@blessed59

did you finish the book? do you like it? I think its interesting but also parts are hard to grasp. I'm just to chapter 7 now.
@JohnnyH

I dunno, cuffed for now... I'll have to see if I can find the motivation and desire to make any real changes. I think my other half will be less than thrilled when she discovers my new-found interest :/