Thread: Clester's retirement story

Originally Posted by clester

I thought I would give an update. Sort of my blog? Anyway...

Its now been 2.5 years since I retired.

As for tsp, I have had some up times and some down times. Overall, it hasn't been too bad. I've been able to spend plenty of time working on a trading system that has helped me a lot. I have been withdrawing 18,000 dollars a year and my balance is down only 8,000. So I've taken out about $45,000 and balance went down $8,000. That's pretty good given that I'm retired and not adding to it but I've been underperforming the market. I expect to do even better this year and make up that $8,000. off to a good start so far.

Do you ever regret not rolling into an IRA and expanding your investments opportunities?

Originally Posted by Kaufmanrider

Do you ever regret not rolling into an IRA and expanding your investments opportunities?

Nope. I know most folks here do that or plan on doing it. Tsp is simple, has low costs, has the G fund which has no comparable fund. I wish we had more trades though. Im not crazy the govt holding my funds but i think its safe. I spend a lot of time on researching our funds. If I had unlimited options it would be a full time job to manage and trade. I may reconsider in 6.5 years when I turn 59.5 But I'm happy.

Originally Posted by clester

...If I had unlimited options it would be a full time job to manage and trade.

Hey ! You're RETIRED !!! What else do you HAVE to do ?

I totally understand your comments, though...it's easy to get sucked in to obsessing over every dollar, every day...I'm fighting that compulsion in MY retirement...I gotta learn to kick back and relax.

OTOH, I'm NOT going to buy a TSP annuity with my money

BTW...interesting to see the comments here about "teaching"...the Wife is a retired Teacher (elementary school)...she was a GREAT Teacher, but pulled the plug for many of the reasons noted here in your thread ! She LOVED her "Kids", but would never go back...kinda sad...


Stoplight...

Hey Clester. Just read your retirement story and it was like taking a trip down memory lane. I retired in January 2011 after 32 years as a CSRS employee for DOD USAF and experienced many of the same frustrations you dealt with. I too made calls, sent e-mails and pretty much heard the same excuses you did. But finally, after 10 long months, I got all my back pay and started receiving my full annuity. So in the end, after all the fustrations, retirement is great!!!

As for my TSP, I'm relatively new to the TSP Talk Forum, and have learned alot about investing since joining just a few months ago. I'll spend the next 3 years fattening up my account and waiting for my wife to retire, so we can travel and see this great country I spent so many years defending.

Enjoy your retirement. I hope it's all you wanted it to be!!!

Originally Posted by ravensfan

Hey Clester. Just read your retirement story and it was like taking a trip down memory lane. I retired in January 2011 after 32 years as a CSRS employee for DOD USAF and experienced many of the same frustrations you dealt with. I too made calls, sent e-mails and pretty much heard the same excuses you did. But finally, after 10 long months, I got all my back pay and started receiving my full annuity. So in the end, after all the fustrations, retirement is great!!!

As for my TSP, I'm relatively new to the TSP Talk Forum, and have learned alot about investing since joining just a few months ago. I'll spend the next 3 years fattening up my account and waiting for my wife to retire, so we can travel and see this great country I spent so many years defending.

Enjoy your retirement. I hope it's all you wanted it to be!!!

Glad you finally get to relax and enjoy. My wife is still working too as a 2nd grade teacher so we have summers to travel or whatever. She keeps asking when she can retire and I just smile and say "when your 65". She's just 52. But she enjoys it for the most part.

I love retirement. I can do whatever I want. When I want to do it. I've been taking college classes for fun. Well, at first I was in a M.Ed. program but finally dropped out. It was too much like work. Then I took 3 semesters of physics which was very interesting. Now I'm taking Computer programming classes because I want to write some mobile apps. I have a B.S. in computer science but it was in 1982. Computers have changed a little since then. I may go ahead and get a masters. Anyway, thats my hobby and I am loving it.

So, my advice to anyone getting ready to retire is to think about how you'll spend all that free time. After a few months of nothing you'll need a hobby.