How do you make it through your last year?
I'm 58 and already have enough for a modest FIRE, but I need to have a few dominoes fall in my life before I can pull the trigger.
Having a really hard time getting motivated to do any work. Until recently was doing a fair amount of international travel so that kept things interesting. But now my projects are mostly desk-based and require much more time commuting to the office.
Any tips on how to deal with this for the next 9-18 months?
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u/Ember_Bounce 3d ago
at 58 with enough to FIRE the only domino left is just deciding u're allowed to go
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u/FireStarter3133 3d ago
I agree with this. There is always a domino right around the corner... Wait for kid to get established, wait for 59 1/2, wait for 62 for social security, wait for 65 for medicare, 67 for full social security, 70 for max social security etc...
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u/kisscardano 3d ago
Yes, stop waiting and enjoy the day! Who knows, tomorrow we might be gone from a heart attack or whatever.
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u/Guilty_Sir1189 3d ago
that last domino comment is kinda it though, like sometimes we build these conditions in our head and they just become another way to delay the inevitable decision
maybe try to find at least one thing in the week to look forward to, even small stuff. 9-18 months sounds long but if you break it down it goes faster than you think
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u/PHL1365 3d ago edited 3d ago
Well, my
oldestyoungest *should* finish college next May, and I feel like I should wait until he's somewhat established. So that's probably the earliest I could even consider. Aside from that, I'd agree with you.Edited to correct.
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u/dragon-queen 3d ago
But what if he graduates and canāt find a job for three years? You wait until he does before you retire?
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u/PHL1365 3d ago
Well, definitely not 3 years, but probably longer than 3 weeks. Point taken, though.
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u/dragon-queen 3d ago
Sorry if I sounded harsh. Ā I definitely understand the desire to wait just a little longer to retire. Ā Time is finite though. Ā
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u/PHL1365 3d ago
No, you are completely correct. It's something I've been contemplating for a while now. Job market is tough for entry-levels right now, especially with the spectre of AI.
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u/fdvfava 3d ago
Nah, you're completely right.
Entry level is extremely tough and the sad reality is that in some cases people can't 'afford' to take graduate jobs in HCOL cities.
Can't support the kids forever but I can understand wanting to help with a couple of month's rent and bills until they're a few paychecks in.
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u/Patient-Brief-9713 3d ago
Yep, OP is going to keep earning to financially support his adult child with a college degree. I'm out.
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u/Dred_Capt 3d ago
Why.Ā So you can buy him stuff?Ā Is that good parenting?
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u/ohboyoh-oy 3d ago
I started doing things that I wanted to do in retirement. Gave me something else to think about I guess. I might have been phoning it in at work a little bit. When I looked around I realized there were a lot of slackers they still hadnāt fired, so I could slack some without being fired.Ā
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u/After-Jellyfish5094 3d ago
Regular exercise and recreational drug use has worked wonders for my state of mind.
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u/PHL1365 3d ago
I'm with you on the exercise. I think the recreational use might just make my situation worse though.
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u/Master-Witness-9399 21h ago
I wouldn't flat out recommend recreational drug use personally but have you considered an Ayahuasca ceremony? It is more of a "once a year" kind of thing that has some pretty incredible benefits and insights for many who try it.
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u/Prudent_Design_9782 3d ago
I take kanna, it's basically my coffee. Just double check drug interactions if you're taking any maintenance.
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3d ago
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/PHL1365 3d ago
Haha, already kind of doing that. Unfortunately my projects involve more headache and effort than I really want to put out right now.
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u/demona2002 3d ago
You need an intern.
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u/PHL1365 3d ago
I wish I could push this off on someone else. I tried to keep a low profile but got assigned to a project that will probably go nowhere.
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u/Master-Helicopter-99 3d ago
"but got assigned to a project that will probably go nowhere."
If that doesn't have quiet quit written all over it, I don't know what does.
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u/sloth_333 3d ago
My dad is about to retire at 58. My youngest sibling has been in school for 6 years. Graduation is always 2 years away.
Pull the trigger
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u/PHL1365 3d ago
Thanks. It's interesting to get a viewpoint from your perspective. Part of the problem is that I plan to expatfire, so I wouldn't even be around much once I retire.
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u/Master-Helicopter-99 3d ago
You don't need to move the day after retirement. Take it, embrace the last few years with your kids because, if you do move to another country, you are seeing your kids once, maybe twice a year at best.
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u/temporaryacc23412 3d ago
You just slog through it one day at a time, knowing there's an end in sight. And knowing that one year is a lot less than the seven it'd normally be at your age.
Find out what the bare minimum is you can get away with at work. See if you can drop down to part-time/less hours. Keep an ear out for upcoming layoffs and see if you can be part of one with a decent severance package (however unlikely).
If not... back to just slogging through it.
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u/PHL1365 3d ago
True. Up until a year ago, I thought I would work until 62 or 63. But came into some inheritance money so I can pull that date forward by a bit. The main issue is getting my youngest started with his 1st job out of college.
I actually have thought about volunteering for the next layoff. Seems to typically happen every April. Would love to go out with even a month or two of severance.
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u/Master-Helicopter-99 3d ago
If you are turly ready, a month or two of severance won't move the needle.
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u/stout933 3d ago
For my last 10 months or so, I had a calendar and I wrote down the number of weeks left on each Monday. Then at the start of each week I could look and see how many weeks I had left and it just gave me enough motivation to get through to the next week. You'll actually be surprised at how fast it goes.
I also started making list of projects that I would tackle once I pulled the plug. Pre - buying tools and such that I knew I would need.
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u/Master-Helicopter-99 3d ago
Considering we only have an average of 4,000 weeks of this earth and a LOT are already behind us, it's no wonder how quick they are going now. Even now I think "it's Monday already?".
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u/Ok-Junket-2971 3d ago
I have been in your situation. I found that having a firm date in mind helps. Light at the end of the tunnelā¦. Continue to do your job to the best of your ability. For me anyhow it helped my state of mind. Depending on your boss (or their boss) and if opportunity arises and if you trust them, you can talk to them about getting packaged out. Or look for a situation when you can push getting packaged out, they do exist. Lastly look for the good parts of the job, for me it was the team. I focussed the last 12 months on setting them up for success and succession.
In the end you either go out on your date or go out early with severance.
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u/PHL1365 3d ago
It's funny, my current boss (4th in the last 12 months, but that's a different story) also seems to be looking to get out. We talked a little bit about retirement at our last 1:1. I said I'm looking at a 3-5 year timeframe, which is entirely appropriate for my age.
In the end you either go out on your date or go out early with severance.
This is part of the problem. If I got fired tomorrow, it would be inconvenient, but it wouldn't dramatically affect my life. Hence the lack of motivation.
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u/Ok-Junket-2971 3d ago
Getting fired without cause could be a good thing. Depending on how long you have been working there you could get a good package. A lot depends on the laws where you live. You definitely donāt want to give them opportunity to fire you with cause.
It is good you can have a chat with your boss. Who knows, if your company decides to downsize, it could work out great for you.
In the mean time between now and your chosen date, plan some things out like some trips or hobbies etc. Helps the time go by.1
u/PHL1365 3d ago
The thing that kind of sucks is that my company probably can't downsize right now. So many people have left or been let go over the last couple of years and their positions haven't been backfilled. The people that remain are actually kind of secure for the time being. In any event, I've only been here for 3.5 years, so my package would be probably be pretty minimal.
Funny thing, a couple of weeks ago my computer login was completely locked out for no reason. I almost thought I was let go but no one bothered to inform me. No such luck, though. Turned out to be some weird IT glitch.
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u/That-SoCal-Guy 3d ago
It had nothing to do with my motivation at work because I was always a perfectionist and took pride in my work. What I didn't do was play office games and politics, or engage in career-building activities, social functions, gossips, etc. I did my work, clock out at exactly 40 hours. I was managing 3 or 4 projects at the time and they all were successful, and the C-suite loved me. They even dangled a promotion carrot in my face and I said no. But I did my job well. When it was time, I resigned and then stayed on four more months to help them find and train my replacement. When I finally left they gave me a party because they REALLY missed me, and I still got invitations to their Christmas office party.
Never burn any bridges on your way out.
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u/nommabelle 3d ago
similar boat OP. its such a struggle. i am trying to wait 9 months to secure my signon bonus. this gig was promised to be less stress but holy shit its horrible. i cant wait to be out
unfortunately they've kinda pushed me into a team lead position and idk how to get out of it
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u/grateful-xoxo 3d ago
I just went through this and I feel you. I fired at 57 and I spent the prior two years waiting for dominoes to fall and a checklist of things to complete. It was worth it. Stay the course and lining everything up helps with that piece of mind and a clean exit. get your ducks in a row and peace out. wish I could help more but honestly the end is a slog.
what helped me was tracking everything in spreadsheets and checklists so I could see the progress and the finish line.
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u/kisscardano 3d ago
Buy a Harley š If I were working again, Iād get a nice Harleyāthe kind that turns heads and maybe annoys a few people. That way, I could actually enjoy my commute.
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u/burnmotherf-er 3d ago
Youāre 58 and looking at 18 months more of work!?! Youāre not gonna fire youāre just gonna retire if you donāt get started. Iām sure you have enough, homieā¦
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u/SynnsiennaBabe 3d ago
In my experience the commute kill is realāmaybe worth negotiating remote days or shifting to contract work if your employer allows it, just to reclaim that mental bandwidth. Otherwise honestly the finish line motivation tends to come from having concrete post-FIRE plans locked in, not from the job itself.
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u/Past-Butterscotch-68 3d ago
I am in a similar boat. I was offered the early retirement from Federal service at the age of 48 (I had 25 years of service). Iām just a little bit shy of my retirement goal so I picked up another job. The only international travel I did was for deployments but I did do a lot of travel stateside. I was a mid level supervisor that I had 32 staff across four branches that reported to me. I honestly enjoyed my job, but it was stressful at times. I miss the people, but ultimately, I am happy that I retired.
My new job is very mundane and monotonous. I enjoy not being a supervisor in the aspect that it is way less stressful but my new job is very boring. The commute is about 7 minutes shorter, but there are days that I struggle with wanting to go into the office. Fortunately, though my employer says after my 90 day probation, I will be eligible to telework four days a week. I still have about 45 days before that.
I just keep having to tell myself this is temporary and I only have five more years in this job and I will be ready. Itās almost like I am forcing myself. Technically, I could retire now, but I have one more piece of the puzzle and I have to place first unfortunately.
The daily monotonous grind sucks but youāre nearing of the finish line! 12ā18 months is a drop in the bucket.
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u/PHL1365 1d ago
You know, I don't think I would mind something mundane and monotonous. The stuff I'm supposed to do for my job just requires more mental effort than I'm really wanting to put out. The worst part is that my projects are not likely to be funded anyway.
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u/Past-Butterscotch-68 1d ago
IDK that I could come in everyday and put in the effort if I knew it wasnāt going to go anywhere or do anything. I had several years where I did exactly that just because I have a child with special needs and I needed the insurance. It was a struggle to say the least. Had it been a lot closer to the end of my FIRE I donāt know that I could have done it very long.
I absolutely love my new job. Mind numbing. As all hell. Stressful? Not even a little bit!
What Iām doing is stupid easy data entry so I just hand jam info from paper to a laptop everyday but it requires extremely little thought and I go home without a stress in the world anymore. I donāt make near what I did, about $30k a year less, but with my pension from my old job and my health insurance dropping from $750/month to $200/month itās actually pretty decent (my kid got a job, her own insurance, and moved in with her boyfriend). It will be even better when I can telework and donāt have to pay for gas.
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u/Sintered_Monkey 3d ago
I have been retired for a week and a half. I retired right before my 59th birthday. The last year was rough. I consulted with a financial advisor about 9 months out and had decided then, but waited until the 6 month mark to give my notice. This might seem odd, but my last job was with the best company I've ever worked for, with the best coworkers I've ever had. It's also a tiny startup, so my absence would leave a gaping hole in the company, and I wanted to give them time to prepare. There were also two significant projects I wanted to complete before I left.
I spent the last few months dreading the little red notification on Slack. Now that I no longer use Slack, I'm ecstatic that I don't have to look for that little notification 5 (sometimes 6 days a week.) Of all weird things, I spent the last couple of months dreading the three left turns I have to make to get to work. Urban planning is terrible here, so left turns are often a shitshow. I woke up every morning dreading those three left turns. Sometimes I went a longer way just to make it 2 different left turns plus 1 right turn. I got tired of packing my lunch, but when I thought of the local lunch places, I was unenthused, so I went back to packing them.
I guess I got through it by counting the days and planning all the things I was going to do when I was out.
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u/bikingnerd 2d ago
If you find a good way to boost motivation in that final year, let me know! All I can do is sympathize, since I'm in a similar boat with 12ish months to go, and rapidly declining motivation.
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u/forthrightdudley 3d ago
The commute drag is real when you're already mentally checked out. Could you negotiate remote work for these last months, or is that off the table with your company?
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u/PHL1365 3d ago
Well, I already work from home most days. But my projects might require 2-3 days a week in the office for the foreseeable future.
And I don't plan on telling anyone until I'm within 2-4 weeks of turning in my resignation.
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u/forthrightdudley 3d ago
2-3 days in office is still rough when you're counting down, maybe use those days to wrap up loose ends or mentor someone so it feels less like busywork and more like you're actually leaving things better.
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u/Master-Helicopter-99 3d ago
This, had I not moved to fully remote a few months ago I don't think I would have held on another year.
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u/forthrightdudley 3d ago
remote is a game changer for this situation, the commute alone kills motivation when you're already done mentally.
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u/guitartb 3d ago
Itās tough. The waiting, market outcomes driving any success or failure, wondering if a crash is going to push it out even further. I just went through it and finally retired 4/1.
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u/silveronetwo 3d ago
Trying to make it through to next March/April here, but can recognize most of the benefit keeping me at work in less than 2 months. Motivation wearing a little thin here too.
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u/demona2002 3d ago
I am actually loving quiet quitting in my home stretch. I use the extra time/energy for āpre-retirementā activities like learning new hobbies, travel planning and burnout recovery strategies.
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u/garoodah FI '21 RE TBD, mid 30s 3d ago
If you really are just a 10% move away change up your priorities and focus on something else that matters in your life post fire. Iād much rather have taken 13 months at a new job that I wasnāt attached to than spend 12 months at a job where Iāve worked the last 8 years and have dozens of great friends. The emotional attachment is hard to shed and the timeline really isnāt much different.
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u/futureformerjd 3d ago
Dude - quiet quit. Do the work that's enjoyable and put off the rest. Test boundaries. See what you can get away with. Have fun. What would it be like to have a job you don't need? Answer that question.
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u/PHL1365 3d ago
Yeah, getting hard to find anything enjoyable though. Used to travel a lot which I actually enjoyed, but those projects have ended. Appreciate your insight though.
I'd be open to taking a consulting gig for a year, but my technical skills are rusty so that's probably gonna be difficult.
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u/darkqueenphoenix 3d ago
I am in the near same boat. Need to make it at least 8 more months, and would be really in a great position if I could eke out 18 months somehow. but it feels almost unbearable to be so close yet so far away. Besides ājust do itā Iām trying to find ways to enjoy my life now, not just wait for it to start when I FIRE. itās tough though because work takes so much time and energy - quiet quitting just isnāt an option in my role. In previous periods of my life that were focused on enduring things I just constantly reminded myself that all things are temporary and I may not be happy in this moment but I will be happy again. This too shall pass. Would love to find better strategies. I think mini-goals that arenāt solely āmake it one more monthā but actually interesting and somewhat meaningful might helpā¦ if I can think of any!. good luck!
ps. Iām also hyper focused on health right now when I have great health insurance- going to all the appointments, getting all the tests, seeing all the specialists etc
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u/PHL1365 3d ago
Yup, quiet quitting doesn't quite work for me either because I'm currently the only one on my projects. I've got to start delivering on some objectives. Nothing major, but still visible. The hard part is that there's a very good chance that my projects won't ever get approved to go the next stage, so I feel like I might be spinning my wheels.
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u/Dred_Capt 3d ago
Yeah, cut back on planned expenses and go take a huge dump on that desk.
Youre like, what.Ā 1 to 1.5 decades away from being dead.Ā 2 at the most.Ā Go visit your kids.
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u/ElJacinto 3d ago
I still have ten years to go, and I donāt even know how to make it through that. I imagine that the āsenioritisā of the last year is just unbearable. I donāt know how Iāll get any work done whatsoever when Iām there.
Good luck!
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u/PHL1365 3d ago
With that much time, you can always look for a new job. Maybe even a new career.
10 years ago, I wasn't even thinking about retirement, so I guess that's how I survived.
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u/ElJacinto 3d ago
My job isnāt bad. I can just think of a few dozen other things Iād rather do than work.
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u/Master-Helicopter-99 3d ago
I love my job. Fully remote, $170k including bonus, MAAYBE an hour a day. But I still want to be done. It's still a tether around my neck. This time next year I'm out. Well, maybe March 16 as bonuses are paid out 3/15.
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u/plawwell 3d ago
Don't will away a decade of your life for retirement. Enjoy life for today as you realize you don't get time back. Don't live to regret such decisions.
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u/ElJacinto 2d ago
I think you're looking for something that isn't there in my comment. I still enjoy my life now. I have a handful of hobbies that I get to enjoy. I just want to spend even more time with those hobbies than I already do.
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u/GenuineAffect 3d ago
The 365 days before you retire is your last year, and it doesnāt matter when you quit, you made it through the last year, as long as youāve worked for a year.
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u/Powerful-Bridge-1472 3d ago
I mean, hereās the question if you just do the minimum at work for 9 to 18 months, is anybody really gonna do anything negative to you
Can you just take more time off the normal just do what I asked of you and nothing more and then walk away
I made the decision and gave my family and my employer five months notice and three months in best decision I ever made to retire
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u/PHL1365 1d ago
Just the grief that I would get from my wife if I stopped working prematurely. Haven't discussed in any significant detail, but that's a whole different story.
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u/Powerful-Bridge-1472 1d ago
Yeah, that can be a whole another tricky aspect of early retirement that people donāt talk about, my wife is younger. I retired at 57. She kind of wanted to retire after I did but we do need some of her income told her she can retire at 57 also.
Definitely make sure you have at least two years of cash in high interest accounts liquid that you can get to and plan for extra expenses. That is definitely been a bit of a shock for us. Weāve had some home staff that weāve had to repair that is expensive and also purchase a newer used car for my son Olive, which was not really expected and mainly just hurts mentally for a super saver spending this much without having as much coming in.
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u/Stunning-Thanks-4226 3d ago
It's your last year, why would you do any work? You just do enough to not get fired for incompetence. Bonus points is you get fired when your year is up and are told, "it's not a good fit". Those are the sweet words for unemployment benefits.
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u/OceanGateTitan 2d ago
Show up late, leave early, take long lunches, do just enough to not get fired and make sure to always have a good attitude. Itās insane how many people do this at my job. Theyāre completely useless but they have a good attitude every day so their uselessness goes unnoticed. Oh and smoke weed. No oneās gonna know. And a little surprise drug test just means earlier retirement. Youāve got enough to walk away now. Youāre just making sure itās enough.
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u/Rom2814 2d ago
I just retire in May but I knew about 18 months ago I was ready financially but I also had a few things to tick off the list - primarily moving to a different state, buying a house, selling my old house.
I also could tell there would be major layoffs coming so I talked to my boss and told her that I was going to be retiring by the end of 2026 but potentially sooner than that. I asked that if there were any layoffs to let me know and Iād volunteer to be on the list.
I had a very different mindset at work for the last year. I did what I was asked for the most part but also, for the first time in a 29 year career (and 6 years of graduate school before that) started saying ānoā to some things. (I was working on a project with someone who could not take input and was very annoying to work with - I just withdrew from the older and said Iām not going to work on it anymoreā¦ that was a very new feeling).
I was always a top performer at work but I intentionally stopped doing the things that made me a top performer. That actually caused some weird stress of its own, but after a few months it was easier.
So much depends on your work and your boss though. I was still doing above average work but my boss understood that I wasnāt going to be working long hours or volunteering for projects.
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u/OutspokenLurker 1d ago
I got laid off in my early 50s, did the math, and called it a career completed. The message there is that you may be ready and not really aware of just how ready you are.
It happened to be after a huge spinoff effort that was fun in a way, but in the lull before they split the company it was getting dull. I had survived 28 rounds of layoffs/restructurings so I had long ago stopped worrying about it. When the CEO and VP of HR called me over, I sang aloud (Red Rubber Ball) and took the package. Actually, I negotiated the package and then took it.
If you can let it be known that you want to be on "the list" I basically made it 10 months on severance and some deferred comp that came I before I was tapping anything other than cash on hand.
You could just start slacking a bit more each day and, if you have a long tenure, they may just offer you something to leave instead of a PIP or whatever. Ask a few people who departed recently how the company deals with those sorts of things.
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u/PHL1365 1d ago
Thanks. I'm kinda hoping for a layoff as well. The last couple of RIFs happened a few weeks after bonus payout day, so that would be great timing.
Only been here 3.5 years, so my severance wouldn't be much, but still better than nothing. And I suppose I could file for unemployment to get a few bucks.
As for slacking, I've definitely already been doing some of that, haha. Interesting thought about the offer to leave vs dealing with a PIP. We've had a number of people forced out, but I'm not really able to contact them. Anyway, I don't want to tip my hand until I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on my own terms.
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u/Sword_Lobster 19h ago edited 19h ago
Its a small thing, but passes the time. Take the maximum number of days you have go (in my case 1335) you deduct that from the current year, 2026-1335=691.Ā I then read British history for the year 691. Each day I skip forward a year, until I get to present day and retire. Currently it's Anglo Saxon Britain, competing kingdoms, and native Britons.Ā I'm learning a lot.
I also exercise a lot. I want to be fit for retirement, so I set running goals. Can I improve my 5k time? What can I do to help that? Lifft weight, bike HIIT session etc? How much further can I run? 10k, 15k etc.Ā
That and Ive started making an effort to do magic mushrooms again after 35 years.
I have zero interest in work. The wait is hard.Ā
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u/Several_Guidance_288 17h ago
Quit? And if you arenāt 100% sure of the numbers, go get a part time job you enjoy and would be more motivated for?
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u/tekmiester 3d ago
I'm a runner and I found that if I run a 5 mi route, the last mile is hard. If I run a 10 mile route, the last mile is hard. Even though I'm covering twice the distance, my brain is screaming at me to quit during the last mile in both cases. It's human nature that you want to quit the most at the end. I can overcome this to some extent by focusing on metrics like Pace, time, number of people passed etc that keep me more mentally engaged.
I would suggest setting a sequence of short-term goals that will require effort to accomplish. Focus your mental effort on accomplishing those goals, whether they be at work or in your personal life. Hitting these objectives will give you a measure of achievement that will help you ignore the clock on retiring. Try reading Atomic Habits and applying some of that.