When people discover I am retired, their first comments are about how young I look. I see a look on their faces when I tell them my age. That look of how the heck you retired at 56? My immediate response is to give credit to my wonderful wife, financial planning, good health, the Teamsters, and just plain luck.

My wife has yet to retire. She is a few years younger than I am and chooses to continue her career, at least for a couple more years. Her job has the flexibility to join me whenever she wants. When I give credit to my wife, it is because she trusts me to travel, knowing that I will be safe and that I earned it. It’s like the blog’s tagline: You earned it; enjoy it!

I was very fortunate to work for a great company represented by the country’s best Teamster Joint Council and Teamster Local. Our contracts throughout the years provided an annuity that allowed me to enjoy an early retirement. I would be remiss not to mention Joint Council 42 and Local 63, both out of Southern California.

Financial planning isn’t brain surgery. The bottom line is not to overextend yourselves, live within your means, and invest in a retirement plan that meets your goal. For my younger readers, start early; even a modest investment will pay off.

Health was one of the deciding factors in my timing. I have too many friends who worked until they passed from this world, friends who sadly worked their fingers to the bone and never had a chance to enjoy the retirement they worked for.

I do understand that retiring early isn’t accessible for everyone. This is where luck comes in. Fortunately, my wife and I made plans that came together. Thanks to many people who had my back, I knock on wood every day!