RETIREMENT READY AFTER 30 YEARS OF WORKING

Allison's done all the postings in the past, so here is my first go!

This week not only marked my 46^th birthday it also marked my 30^th year of working.  I started working at 16, working 3 weeks at a fast food restaurant and then moving onto 15 ½ years at a grocery chain. 

At the time getting a job at Giant Food was nearly impossible unless you had a connection, which luckily for me I did.  During high school I worked as a bag boy, moving up to cashier and then joining their management program.  The money was good and I was making more money working part-time (35 hrs a week) than my friends that were getting out of college.  Unfortunately, the money hooked me and I never did finish that degree I started.  I worked my way up the ladder through the management program and was very content with my job until Allison and I started our family.  It was very difficult working in the grocery business and trying to spend time with the family.  Work weeks were 6 days and there was no need to even think about having a weekend or holiday off.  Finally I made the decision that I needed to spend time with my family and made my move to change jobs. The only down fall with leaving the grocery chain was the fact that I would have 30 years of service in when I turned 46 and would be eligible for full retirement with insurance benefits.

I moved to doing billing for a law firm and then into managing the billing department.  The move was a great move for me and for my family.  It allowed me to spend more time with them as well as allowing us a bit more financial stability.    Unfortunately, when I leave the law firm I will not be able to keep my insurance which means Allison and I will be looking at about $1,000 a month to be insured in the US.  This was the major factor that got us started looking at retiring to Panama. 

Allison lost both of her parents to cancer at a young age and we both have decided we should live life to its fullest while we can.   With that in mind, we started looking at various options and have spent the last several months focusing on Panama.  Anyone that knows us knows that we don’t typically jump into anything without researching the heck out of it.  That being said, the research period is moving forward with our upcoming trip to Panama and the start of downsizing our personal possessions.  Although it doesn’t appear that retirement after 30 years of work is going to happen, it does look like retirement after 32 years is doable in the great country of Panama.