It's time

Just a heads up. Effective 12/31/16 I'm retiring. 2017 would've been by 39th year practicing in the CPA world. I will be 61 in 2/17. I'm physically super fit, but mentally burned out. My wife will be hanging it up sometime in 2017. She's been with a large international Corp for 36 years.

I will continue as an "internal consultant" for the staff and partners. No office hours just assisting with issues during the transition. Will have a few trust/estate administrations, but my practice has been gravitating that way the last few years. Email will be shut off shortly for me, but being handled by other folks in the firm. Cannot wait for that to happen.

Looking forward to no "mondays" and living life while there still is life.

Still visit this site every day, but not much of a contributor. Have some serious goals that involve outdoor physical activities. Have to do it while you can.

Happy Holidays to all.

Congratulations. I retired three years ago. But I found I just couldn't stop working or being productive. Just not for someone else anymore. It's nice to have the freedom, but it's also important to have goals. Look like you've got both covered.

Good for you. I hope you're happy with your decision to retire.

I tried it at the end of 2013. Traveled, got wrapped up in hobbies and volunteering. After 28 months, went back to work and couldn't be happier.

Best to you.

Good luck to you.

I too was mentally burned out in my career as a LEO and my body was complaining too.

I had been at it since I was 20 yrs old.

We always know when it's the right time to leave.

Jan. 1st of the year I retired, I had no thought about leaving.

By April 1st I had already collected my first pension check! Some say I didn't so much 'retire' but really 'quit'!

Still working, but with less stress and loving it.

Congratulations Brian, didn't realize you were such a young guy! After 4-5 years of easing into it, I finally pulled the plug for good last August when I went from active to retired status as a CPA, and sold my office. My partner rented a new office close to my old one, and gave me a desk there, but other than paying my bills and visiting with him, I find little reason to go there. Like you, I am trustee for several clients, and have the usual collection of relatives and friends I do returns for for free.

The first few years of my "retirement" didn't work out so well. I decided that I would be happy working half time, so I got rid of half of my clients. Unfortunately, Parkinson's law is true, and I ended up spending about as much time working on half the number of clients, and making half as much money. So then I got rid of all but about 10% of my original client load. This did indeed reduce the time I spent at the office, but I began to feel that I wasn't keeping up to date professionally, so I finally decided to completely retire.

Since then I have been occupied with improving my Spanish by traveling to many Spanish speaking countries and attending classes there, teaching archery, raising a border collie, doting on grandchildren (8 of them now), and traveling around the USA with my Airstream. My wife is still very active in backpacking, and is working on her second book on the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming. She backpacks almost all summer, and I join her from time to time as my other plans and 72 year-old bod will allow.

Retirement has been rewarding for me, and I guess I'm happy it wasn't sudden, as I think the shock of just walking out the door and leaving my professional life behind in one day would have been rough. I say "I guess," because we can only live one life, and really can only speculate on what alternative lives might have been.

Anyway, Brian, I hope you enjoy your retirement, and I've enjoyed being in touch with you over the years.

Thanks Dave....I have been easing into it a bit. Realized while whitewater rafting in Colorado/Utah last summer that a few days a week this coming tax season was not going to be just be a few days a week. Said screw it and announced the retirement.

It will be strange, but I'm really looking forward to it.

Congrats Brian.

Now you'll need to moderate a new " Bean Counters Retired" thread.

MB>

Hi Brian, many of my friends always told me you'll know when it's time to retire. They were right and I retired March 1st 2015 at age 62 and I've enjoyed every minute of it. I am amazed how I got anything done when I worked. Boredom has not been a problem at all in my case. Congrats on recognizing the right time for you as it is an individual decision.

Thanks to all for advice and kind words. It's still a dream. Truly cannot wait to wrap it up.

Brian, all the best. To quote Yoda, "envious I am, yes." Okay, well maybe he didn't say that but it is real. I hope life is great for you and that you don't stop growing in some manner and fashion.

Great news!

I'm hanging it up on 3/31/17.

The very best thing I ever did.

I hope it turns out the same way for you!

Great news Brian.

We aren't promised tomorrow.

Make the best of the opportunities.

thanks guys

Congrats!

I retired this past August at 61. I used to enjoy commuting daily on my RT but now I enjoy riding with "

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Retirement has been rewarding for me, and I guess I'm happy it wasn't sudden, as I think the shock of just walking out the door and leaving my professional life behind in one day would have been rough. I say "I guess," because we can only live one life, and really can only speculate on what alternative lives might have been.…

You are right to speculate that "walking out the door and leaving my professional life behind in one day would have been rough". That is what happened to me, involuntarily. After 30 plus years as a research scientist and 5 as a CEO, a Board of Directors gave me my walking papers. I spent two years in the Peace Corps and now have transitioned to semi-retired state with some consulting activities in another field as a sideline, but my professional career is over. I find I miss all the people I knew and worked with all over the world more than I miss the actual work itself.

That's great news, Brian. You may miss the pressure and regimen at first, but it goes away soon. Then, you can get busy doing all those things you didn't have time for while you worked.

Congratulations! Transition workload is a great idea.

In July 2006, while riding to Alaska to celebrate my 60th birthday, about a week out, I said to myself "Why am I working 45-50 hours a week?" I resolved to retire at the end of 2008, unless my new boss turned out to be someone for whom I would be willing to fall on a sword. He didn't.

A friend once told me that working was like riding a donkey with saddlebags. One saddlebag was being filled up with gold; the other with manure. When the donkey tipped one way or the other, or just collapsed under the load, it was time to get off.

That's great news, Brian. You may miss the pressure and regimen at first, but it goes away soon. Then, you can get busy doing all those things you didn't have time for while you worked.

December is always a very busy month, but currently, i have all the troops doing a lot of what i usually do. I've been able to do some fun work things, like impart some old school knowledge during our in-house training. I don't think i'll miss the pressure....it wore me out. I have come to realize (more than i thought) how much the clients/friends appreciated the years of service.

The worse chore left to do is clean my office out.