The OPT-outer: Part One

A few years back having gone through a particularly rough patch at my job, the fantasy of escaping my work forever began to give rise in me. Was it possible? Could I OPT-out? After all, I’d been working towards that end since the late 90’s. By the way, I define OPTing-out as the choice to leave my job because I am able to cover all my expenses with earnings from savings and investments.

Seeking financial enlightenment, I frequented various websites of well-known financial institutions and earnestly used their retirement calculators. I completed upwards of 5 or more. Astonishingly, each calculator asked me to provide different personal financial data. Not surprisingly, the results were mixed. This left me with more questions than answers and dizzy with uncertainty.

I decided to take on the challenge of answering my own financial questions. The truth had to exist somewhere in the numbers. I just needed to see all my data splayed out in front of me.

So I created my own retirement spreadsheet and named it the OPT-outer. It was a year long labor of love and it changed me.

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An honest and accurate analysis of my numbers led to a much deeper understanding of my life. The OPT-outer helped to reveal who I am and where I’m headed. What a relief and a comfort to have that awareness.

Part 2 of the OPT-outer talks about how you can begin your own OPT-outer experience.