My decision to retire somewhat early at the age of 54 didn’t occur overnight. If I were to single out one event in my life that resulted in my final decision, it would clearly be my father. I witnessed over three years of steadily declining health when he came down with ALS, a dreadful, terminal disease. One of the last things he requested of me as he was losing his ability to speak was to retire as early as I can. I’m sure the reasoning for this advice was because tomorrow is not guaranteed, and certainly a desired quality of life isn’t a certainty.

Several things have contributed to this opportunity to retire in my mid 50s, including a few decades of living below our means and a loving spouse who has volunteered to continue working for a few more years. I have been blessed by good jobs over my working years and have nothing but gratitude for the companies that took care of my family and me over the last 31 years. I’m certainly looking forward to enjoying more of our most valuable asset, time.