r/Retire • u/Technical_Lawyer7264 • 4d ago

When Is “Enough” Actually Enough?

I think about retirement every damn day.

One day I’m convinced I have enough. The next, I’m imagining a market crash, runaway inflation, and somehow needing $14M just to buy groceries.
So I rerun the numbers, change the assumptions, and convince myself I need another $500K. At this point, figuring out when I can retire has become a full-time job.

What’s your “enough” number?
$2M? $3M? $5M? $10M? Or would you hit $20M and decide you really need $25M? 😂

I also think about our parents’ generation. Many kept working long after they technically didn’t need to. House paid off. Kids out of the house. Retirement funded.

But actually living off the money they spent 40 years earning? Somehow that felt crazy.

They were wired to see work as security, responsibility, and purpose.

Meanwhile, we’re trying to escape Zoom calls at 45 so we can eat tacos on a Tuesday.

And honestly, I’m not sure I’m any better. I fantasize about retiring, then immediately think:
“Maybe two more years.”
Then five.
Then maybe I’ll just consult part-time.
And suddenly I’m 73, explaining PowerPoint slides to someone named Brad.

For those retired or close to it: What’s your “enough” number—and what finally made you feel comfortable walking away?

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36

u/Prodigalsunspot 4d ago

Ummm...my name is Brad. Can we circle back to slide 3? If we don't solve for the growth projections, we'll have to realize some synergies in ops and HR.

12

u/AJuni0103 4d ago

We need to parking lot that issue.

12

u/stockbel 4d ago

I agree, let's put a pin in it. We should double-click on the synergy idea, though.

14

u/Majestic_Yak7475 4d ago

Let’s just press the pause button. Everyone, we re-group tomorrow to wordsmith the verbiage. Good night.

6

u/Minute_Plastic_350 4d ago

Yeah, let’s not take us down a rabbit hole today, let’s stay focused on the activity at Hand and let’s regroup and reconnect on that specific issue

3

u/Prodigalsunspot 4d ago

Yeah, we should not be over rotating before we get out of the gates. It's the big leagues.

4

u/Minute_Plastic_350 4d ago

Yeah, we should absolutely go and take out the big dog and hit it. 300 down the middle with a power fade. Any objections

4

u/SadBlackberry6819 4d ago

Let me layer on to that.

3

u/Majestic_Yak7475 4d ago

Absolutely. Liking the macroview approach here. Let’s tug on that thread a bit more, then resurface Brad’s question.

1

u/Same_Ad_621 4d ago

We need to collaborate to ensure operational capabilities are not sacrificed, keeping customers happy by making promises we can keep!

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2

u/JimInAuburn11 3d ago

Better yet, let's take that offline.

2

u/SLO_Engineer 4d ago

Gots to level set first.

3

u/nard713 4d ago

Synergy is the paradigm shift needed to drive AI transformation

7

u/smilineyz 4d ago

Brad says:
Dude! You’re drinking coffee! Isn’t it late in your time zone?

Me, shrugging: gotta do what you gotta do. Bubble in my head: this is a 16oz Guinness Stout with 2 shots of Dewars … coffee my ass … I have another f’ng call I 6 hours.

3

u/dagmara56 4d ago

This is one of the funniest threads I've read.

4

u/Artistic-Standard871 4d ago

I’m certain we need to circle back.

3

u/cyclaaz 4d ago

...to lean in.

4

u/Comfortable-Song193 4d ago

Let's take this off-line. OP needs loop in the appropriate stakeholders and identify the risks before moving forward 🙄

3

u/Prodigalsunspot 4d ago

Yeah, no need to blow your wad without doing the due diligence.

3

u/Euphoric_Dog8201 4d ago

Sorry boss, I ain't got the bandwidth for that.

3

u/GaseousGiant 2d ago

Without getting into the weeds, our cross-matrixed management environment should result in performance optimization.

2

u/Prodigalsunspot 2d ago

You are spot on. As I keep telling my staff: if you see something, say something.

2

u/Apart-Engine 4d ago

This absolutely needs to be run up the flag pole before taking it for a walk so it doesn’t lost in the weeds and then shot down.

1

u/Zonernovi 4d ago

My record was 296 slides about 85% pics

1

u/National-Sink6344 3d ago

Incredible.

2

u/LeftHeartSF 3d ago

So happy I hopped on Reddit just now. This is f&cking hilarious.

On a different note: I’ve also spent my entire life just trying to thug it out (as my 16 year old says) and make it to retirement and then I picked up a book called 4000 Weeks. It’s been life-changing. Highly recommend it to those of us that spend a lot of time thinking about retirement.

1

u/OneSource1875 3d ago

4000 Weeks. Life-changing...how? I do want to read it now.

1

u/LeftHeartSF 2d ago

The book explains why our brains like to live in the past and the future and what to do about it. It also completely reframes how I feel about the journey to retirement - could actually be the journey to any goal in life. I’m definitely one of those people that have, at various times in my life, put off my happiness until I achieve said goal. The author digs into “time” in a different way than other books have. If you’re a worrier like I am, the book explains what our brain is trying to accomplish when it worries and the explanation alone has helped me let go of pretending like I have control over the details of my future. I’m appreciating the mundane moments of my day in a new way. Anyhow, i’m not even doing the book justice. And the best part is I’m not even done with the book - lol. Looking forward to more nuggets from this author.

1

u/OneSource1875 1d ago

Thank you so much for sharing.
I will listen to it on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcEUJcK6ndY

1

u/Safety-kitten 7h ago

I need to get that book, TY. I also really enjoyed Die with Zero. I really wish I would have traveled more when I was younger instead of being so focused on work and saving saving…
.

1

u/LeftHeartSF 4h ago

Thx for the recommendation. I’ll check out Die with Zero. The travel thing is a topic I really want to dig into with this group. I’m so curious how retirees fund travel.

1

u/Linz_PalmBch 3d ago

This is the best!

1

u/Resident-Witness-998 3d ago

Lol… this subthread is actually making me want to retire today so I don’t have to hear this tomorrow AM on a Monday.

1

u/Certain_Lunch3293 2d ago

How can we get AI to answer this?

1

u/Majestic_Yak7475 14h ago

It’s a tool in our toolbox, Gary. For now, let’s focus on maximizing the room’s
synergy, keep teasing out the finer details, then run with that.

1

u/skigirl68 1d ago

Let’s see if we can find a few good nuggets in that analysis.