Nice read 
lostgringo, i think you are crazy, NOT!
Worst thing that could happen is it doesnt work but i think that being out 1.5 years ahead of the sudden drop in your pension is good timing and planning.
Most if not all of us would agree that it takes time to see the impact of your hard work. Especially SEO
1.5 years will give you enough time to start ranking and converting!
However, be careful with SEO, just because some charge and claim to be good does not mean they are! I have seen so much bogus SEO GURUS claiming they have great rankings that it is not funny!
Best of luck to you and welcome to CAP!
later,