diff --git a/src/apex/apex.cpp b/src/apex/apex.cpp
index c5b632ea..0fee121f 100644
--- a/src/apex/apex.cpp
+++ b/src/apex/apex.cpp
@@ -1386,7 +1386,15 @@ void finalize()
     // FIRST, stop the top level timer, while the infrastructure is still
     // functioning.
     if (top_level_timer != nullptr) { stop(top_level_timer); }
-    instance->the_profiler_listener->stop_main_timer();
+    // if not done already...
+    shutdown_throttling(); // stop thread scheduler policies
+    stop_all_async_threads(); // stop OS/HW monitoring
+    // notify all listeners that we are going to stop soon
+    for (unsigned int i = 0 ; i < instance->listeners.size() ; i++) {
+        instance->listeners[i]->on_pre_shutdown();
+    }
+    //instance->the_profiler_listener->stop_main_timer();
+    /* This could take a while */
 #ifdef APEX_WITH_CUDA
     flushTrace();
 #endif
@@ -1394,9 +1402,6 @@ void finalize()
     apex_options::suspend(true);
     // now, process all output
     dump(false);
-    // if not done already...
-    shutdown_throttling();
-    stop_all_async_threads();
     exit_thread();
     if (!_measurement_stopped)
     {
diff --git a/src/apex/concurrency_handler.hpp b/src/apex/concurrency_handler.hpp
index 3a797440..4a52b241 100644
--- a/src/apex/concurrency_handler.hpp
+++ b/src/apex/concurrency_handler.hpp
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ class concurrency_handler : public handler, public event_listener {
   void on_startup(startup_event_data &data) { APEX_UNUSED(data); };
   void on_dump(dump_event_data &data);
   void on_reset(task_identifier * id);
+  void on_pre_shutdown(void) { } ;
   void on_shutdown(shutdown_event_data &data);
   void on_new_node(node_event_data &data) { APEX_UNUSED(data); };
   void on_new_thread(new_thread_event_data &data);
diff --git a/src/apex/event_listener.hpp b/src/apex/event_listener.hpp
index c21d89f7..493e5105 100644
--- a/src/apex/event_listener.hpp
+++ b/src/apex/event_listener.hpp
@@ -113,6 +113,7 @@ class event_listener
   virtual ~event_listener() {};
   // all methods in the interface that a handler has to override
   virtual void on_startup(startup_event_data &data) = 0;
+  virtual void on_pre_shutdown(void) = 0;
   virtual void on_shutdown(shutdown_event_data &data) = 0;
   virtual void on_dump(dump_event_data &data) = 0;
   virtual void on_reset(task_identifier * id) = 0;
diff --git a/src/apex/otf2_listener.cpp b/src/apex/otf2_listener.cpp
index 03e64e7d..c83fd381 100644
--- a/src/apex/otf2_listener.cpp
+++ b/src/apex/otf2_listener.cpp
@@ -108,6 +108,7 @@ namespace apex {
     };
 
     uint64_t otf2_listener::globalOffset(0);
+    uint64_t otf2_listener::saved_end_timestamp(0);
     const std::string otf2_listener::empty("");
     int otf2_listener::my_saved_node_id(0);
     int otf2_listener::my_saved_node_count(1);
@@ -773,7 +774,7 @@ namespace apex {
     void otf2_listener::write_clock_properties(void) {
         /* write the clock properties */
         uint64_t ticks_per_second = 1e9;
-        uint64_t traceLength = get_time();
+        uint64_t traceLength = saved_end_timestamp;
         OTF2_GlobalDefWriter_WriteClockProperties( global_def_writer,
             ticks_per_second, 0 /* start */, traceLength /* length */ );
     }
@@ -854,6 +855,12 @@ namespace apex {
         return;
     }
 
+    /* Before shutdown, take a timestamp in case the shutdown process
+     * takes a really long time, we don't want to confuse the user */
+    void otf2_listener::on_pre_shutdown(void) {
+        saved_end_timestamp = get_time();
+    }
+
     /* At shutdown, we need to reduce all the global information,
      * and write out the global definitions - strings, regions,
      * locations, communicators, groups, metrics, etc.
diff --git a/src/apex/otf2_listener.hpp b/src/apex/otf2_listener.hpp
index b3293d94..c03b44d5 100644
--- a/src/apex/otf2_listener.hpp
+++ b/src/apex/otf2_listener.hpp
@@ -40,6 +40,9 @@ namespace apex {
         /* The global offset is referenced from the get_time static function,
          * so it needs to be static itself. */
         static uint64_t globalOffset;
+        /* We take an end timestamp before shutdown, because we don't
+         * want to confuse the user with a long trace time */
+        static uint64_t saved_end_timestamp;
         /* All OTF2 callback functions have to be declared static, so that they
          * can be registered with the OTF2 library */
         static OTF2_TimeStamp get_time( void ) {
@@ -213,6 +216,7 @@ namespace apex {
         void on_dump(dump_event_data &data);
         void on_reset(task_identifier * id)
             { APEX_UNUSED(id); };
+        void on_pre_shutdown(void);
         void on_shutdown(shutdown_event_data &data);
         void on_new_node(node_event_data &data);
         void on_new_thread(new_thread_event_data &data);
diff --git a/src/apex/policy_handler.hpp b/src/apex/policy_handler.hpp
index bd438c92..82fa57eb 100644
--- a/src/apex/policy_handler.hpp
+++ b/src/apex/policy_handler.hpp
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ class policy_handler : public handler, public event_listener
     void on_dump(dump_event_data &data);
     void on_reset(task_identifier * id)
         { APEX_UNUSED(id); };
+    void on_pre_shutdown(void) {};
     void on_shutdown(shutdown_event_data &data);
     void on_new_node(node_event_data &data);
     void on_new_thread(new_thread_event_data &data);
diff --git a/src/apex/profiler_listener.cpp b/src/apex/profiler_listener.cpp
index f702e9d3..07610cd9 100644
--- a/src/apex/profiler_listener.cpp
+++ b/src/apex/profiler_listener.cpp
@@ -1755,6 +1755,10 @@ if (rc != 0) cout << "PAPI error! " << name << ": " << PAPI_strerror(rc) << endl
     }
   }
 
+  void profiler_listener::on_pre_shutdown(void) {
+    stop_main_timer();
+  }
+
   void profiler_listener::push_profiler_public(std::shared_ptr<profiler> &p) {
     push_profiler(0, p);
   }
diff --git a/src/apex/profiler_listener.hpp b/src/apex/profiler_listener.hpp
index 724f013b..50f26523 100644
--- a/src/apex/profiler_listener.hpp
+++ b/src/apex/profiler_listener.hpp
@@ -206,6 +206,7 @@ class profiler_listener : public event_listener {
   void on_startup(startup_event_data &data);
   void on_dump(dump_event_data &data);
   void on_reset(task_identifier * id);
+  void on_pre_shutdown(void);
   void on_shutdown(shutdown_event_data &data);
   void on_new_node(node_event_data &data);
   void on_new_thread(new_thread_event_data &data);
diff --git a/src/apex/tau_listener.hpp b/src/apex/tau_listener.hpp
index 7637c9be..1888c430 100644
--- a/src/apex/tau_listener.hpp
+++ b/src/apex/tau_listener.hpp
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ class tau_listener : public event_listener {
   void on_dump(dump_event_data &data);
   void on_reset(task_identifier * id)
       { APEX_UNUSED(id); };
+  void on_pre_shutdown(void) {};
   void on_shutdown(shutdown_event_data &data);
   void on_new_node(node_event_data &data);
   void on_new_thread(new_thread_event_data &data);
diff --git a/src/apex/trace_event_listener.cpp b/src/apex/trace_event_listener.cpp
index b81e6ffd..2ada5d75 100644
--- a/src/apex/trace_event_listener.cpp
+++ b/src/apex/trace_event_listener.cpp
@@ -57,6 +57,10 @@ void trace_event_listener::on_dump(dump_event_data &data) {
     return;
 }
 
+void trace_event_listener::on_pre_shutdown(void) {
+    end_trace_time();
+}
+
 void trace_event_listener::on_shutdown(shutdown_event_data &data) {
     APEX_UNUSED(data);
     if (!_terminate) {
diff --git a/src/apex/trace_event_listener.hpp b/src/apex/trace_event_listener.hpp
index f174b8b8..2b6248f5 100644
--- a/src/apex/trace_event_listener.hpp
+++ b/src/apex/trace_event_listener.hpp
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ class trace_event_listener : public event_listener {
   	void on_dump(dump_event_data &data);
   	void on_reset(task_identifier * id)
       	{ APEX_UNUSED(id); };
+  	void on_pre_shutdown(void);
   	void on_shutdown(shutdown_event_data &data);
   	void on_new_node(node_event_data &data);
   	void on_new_thread(new_thread_event_data &data);