Retirement, is it a good thing? (1 Viewer)

[Dorwyn]

Retirement is great - as long as it lasts.

The longer it lasts, the better!

 

[MC 55 FUN]

Retired @ 55 two years ago & loving every day of it

 

[Spidey]

We are planning on retiring early in a couple of years (at 55/56) when our youngest finishes school. Private pensions will have kicked in and we plan to down size. Can't wait

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[Lenny HB]

Original plan was to retire at 60, I have been semi retired since I was 58 due to the company I did most of my work for went bump. That worked out well as I built up the online sales I was doing as a side line and got a fair bit of contract work.
Mijhan carried on working about 25 hours a week as half our retirement fund got wiped out when Lloyd's shares collapsed (Mijhan worked for Lloyds) she final retired April last year and I just do the odd bit of contract work if we are around, only done 6 days so far this years plenty as far as I'm concerned.
Really wished we had retired at 60 as we don't seem to have enough time now to fit every thing we want to do in.
Never been so busy going to wear ourselfs out enjoying ourselfs.

 

[Clarky]

Retirement is great.
Retired at 55 from a fairly stressful job. When chaps doing the same job are having breakdowns and are half your age it seems like it's time to get out.
I intended to start working my way along all the book shelves in our sitting room but I rarely have time to sit down with a book.

Soon after retirement, 16 years ago, I got involved in a couple of large projects with our Parish Council. After we moved to Suffolk a new neighbour and I started a local history project which meant we produced a book and I built a website for the society as well as running meetings. I also got involved as a volunteer with Vulcan to the Sky which meant travelling around the country to airshows.
Its been a busy few years and I've done things I never thought possible.
I think the secret for those that miss work is to get involved and keep busy. Sitting at home watching daytime TV will rot your brain before Alzheimer's gets it.

Richard.

 

[Speve]

Took early retirement at 60 in 2012 the missus still worked part time for a while but now she is retired as well we love it, less work and more of it!
We are only on this planet for a short time so we live it to the full our advice is: do it as early as you can you won't regret the decision.

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[Popeye]

Well I retired about four years ago and I retired completely last year.

I have a different job now; I have a job getting up in the morning and I'm loving it. We've been away from home since the week before Stratford and we loved Misterton and Scotland and the lakes and next week York and Home for a few weeks then on the near continent when the kids go back to school for the Twin Lakes Meet and more then home for a bit to help @Debs with her New Forest Halloween Rally, then I think @Armytwowheels has some plans for us in Germany or Italy or some bloody-where.

Retire and wonder how you ever found time for work........

 

[ambulancekidd]

I think the retirement age is being problematic to various governments as the health & longevity of people increases.
However there in lies a potential problem, its alright retiring at 67 or older if you drive a desk or do a job whereby being fit isn't a major requirement, but let me give you a scenario. Your upstairs in your home & asleep when the smoke alarm goes off. You stumble to the door to find the hallway thick with acrid smoke & its obvious that a large fire has broken out downstairs. You grab your mobile phone, dial 999 for the firefighters & are reassured by the 66yr call taker. Still an unpleasant & potentially lethal problem but, the firefighters are on their way. After what seems like an eternity the fire engine arrives at the door. You see them leap into action & very soon a ladder pops up at your bedroom window. Now at the top of the ladder a ruddy faced wheezing 66 or even 67yr old firefighter pops up "don't worry he wheezes, your safe now" he says. Me personally, I would worry, a lot.

Now this is why firefighters & the police paid 12% of they're working wages into a pension fund that allowed them to retire at an earlier age that most other workers. Paramedics can be similarly affected, carrying out CPR (resuscitation) is a truly exhausting process & I'd suggest that its not even a practice that a 64yr old should be expected to do, no matter how fit they are. Now remember that this same paramedic & their workmate still has to get you downstairs, into the ambulance & possibly keep CPR up to you arrive inside the local (if Labour or Tory governments haven't moved your local A & E unit away) hospital, whereby a handover must take place.
This rather neatly brings me back to the original call handler (remember her/him?). Its horses for courses.
I don't pretend to know the answer to these problems but, I'm very happy to be retired now.

 

[Melvin]

I have retired this week ,but have been working part time 2 days a week for the last couple of years which I think is a great way to slow down .

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[klaatu]

I'm taking early retirement next month, at 57. We won't have a lot of money, but then the kinds of things we like to do don't cost a lot (e.g. walking all day in a forest) so I'm sure we'll be fine. I would rather retire now poor and do the things we want to do, than retire in 10 years relatively well off and perhaps not be well enough to do anything - we both have ongoing health issues.

Steve

 

[big map]

I'm 49 and I don't want to retire anytime soon. I have so much more that I want to achieve. I have reached the top of the tree in the organisation I work for, so now I have the vision and freedom to make a difference.

 

[JJ]

The people at the last place I used to turn up to and "work" have seen the light.

Now they pay me to keep away...

JJ

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[tonyidle]

Retired 18 years ago at 50. Wifey worked on for a couple of years waiting to be made redundant - which she was.

I could have happily retired at 25 and occupied myself for the rest of my days.

 

[Langtoftlad]

...couple of years waiting to be made redundant - which she was

I've just discovered if I had hung on for another 9 months I would have been eligible for redundancy .
But surprisingly, I'm reasonably sanguine about missing out on the cash... Think I must realise there's more to life than money... like sanity .

 

[PP Bear]

I could retire now at 55 and claim my full military pension and it's a healthy one at that, but I'm just not ready to give it up just yet.

The queen doesn't pay me to bayonet her enemies any more, even when I deploy on operations, but pays me to train and instruct soldiers instead and I'm good at it, even if I say so myself.

It does keep running through my mind as I'd go full time in the motorhome for as long as I possibly could and then opt for the narrowboat and slow my life down again. My brothers (1 ex Navy, 1 ex RAF, but I don't hold it against them) say retire and enjoy it, but not yet.

It may well be that it's forced upon me, but we'll see in the next 18 months. It's all I've known having joined as a young whipper snapper in 1978, rose through the ranks until queenie commissioned me, then a spell at Sandhurst and out the other side and years as an officer.

It's encouraging to hear that so many enjoy it and hopefully so will I one day, but hopefully not just yet

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[mustaphapint]

We both put in our resignations to take early retirement (from the same company) just over 2 years ago. I was 60 and my wife a couple of years younger. They asked me to stay on for a bit longer on a part time basis working remotely. In that time we've had a 2 month trip touring Italy in our 2CV, spent weeks in Europe on motorbikes, spent long periods at our house in France and had 2 long 2 month trips in the motorhome to Spain and Scotland. I've now got my marching orders from the end of September and the good news is I get a redundancy payout. The extra money while I've still been earning has meant we could be a bit more extravagant on our trips and I haven't had to touch my pension yet. So in our case it's working out well since we have time to travel together on longer trips and we can (just about) afford it. I wouldn't want to be in a situation where one of us is still tied to work and the other retired.

 

[funflair]

Well I reckon it beats working, especially if you can get paid for doing it or not. The down side is you are available for all the looking after elderly family member duties.

Martin

 

[GaryW]

This time in 6 weeks we will both be retired. Me at 54 and Karen 48. Worked hard all our lives to be able to retire early.
We downsized 2 years ago and moved to the coast ready for retirement and now it's almost here We can't wait.
We have booked a one way channel tunnel ticket 4 days after we retire and let's see where we end up.

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[Detnor]

Retired at 55 and enjoying each day. I bought a watch with the day on it as I soon lost track of time. Weekends and bank holidays are no longer special but we set off on trips without a return ticket. Fortunate to enjoy work but can live without it, very nicely thank you.
Norman

 

[Candapack]

Retired at 55 and enjoying each day. I bought a watch with the day on it as I soon lost track of time. Weekends and bank holidays are no longer special but we set off on trips without a return ticket. Fortunate to enjoy work but can live without it, very nicely thank you.
Norman

Actually, weekends and bank holidays are special, but for a different reason. Now we're retired, we can avoid going anywhere at these times, and wait until it's much quieter.

 

[laird of Dunstan]

I plan to be semi retired in 12 months time,i think id like to do a bit of work now and then,short term contracts perhaps,Kes plans to work a few days a week from the MH,we both would like to travel.
Today i was working at an NHS clinic ,as i stood in reception a nurse came out and asked if anyone was for the Knee clinic,about 20 people then stood up,most were assisted and then they hobbled of to the treatment room ,i noticed a few of them with large fresh looking scars on their knees ,that underlined my determination to retire early whilst i till have my health

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[Allanm]

Mrs A retired at the beginning of 2013, me half way through
Don't miss work a bit but still wonder how we ever had the time to waste 40 hours of our week working.
Still a good few years befor we get our state pensions and bus passes though.

 

[big map]

I'm 49 and I don't want to retire anytime soon. I have so much more that I want to achieve. I have reached the top of the tree in the organisation I work for, so now I have the vision and freedom to make a difference.

Thank you @Speve your like means a lot to me.

 

[Big Nick]

I can take early retirement in 2 years at 50 or hang on to 52 for more money!!
TBH I'm favouring going early and saying sod it to the extra few quid, life can be too short

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[B-well]

Retired x3 years now, miss some aspects in social work and the banter with colleagues but loving retirement. Have a small job working with an estate agency, maintenance work.
But having the freedom to choose what and when i do is a breath of fresh air.

 

[DBK]

I could retire now at 55 and claim my full military pension and it's a healthy one at that, but I'm just not ready to give it up just yet.

The queen doesn't pay me to bayonet her enemies any more, even when I deploy on operations, but pays me to train and instruct soldiers instead and I'm good at it, even if I say so myself.

It does keep running through my mind as I'd go full time in the motorhome for as long as I possibly could and then opt for the narrowboat and slow my life down again. My brothers (1 ex Navy, 1 ex RAF, but I don't hold it against them) say retire and enjoy it, but not yet.

It may well be that it's forced upon me, but we'll see in the next 18 months. It's all I've known having joined as a young whipper snapper in 1978, rose through the ranks until queenie commissioned me, then a spell at Sandhurst and out the other side and years as an officer.

It's encouraging to hear that so many enjoy it and hopefully so will I one day, but hopefully not just yet

I did leave at 55 but could have done a couple of more years but the job was moving to Abbey Wood in Bristol and the thought of commuting to there every day through the horrendous traffic was enough to make me leave! If you're enjoying the job, stay with it.

 

[scotzsue]

Love retirement, sometimes wonder how I found time to work, as I seem pretty busy with the stuff i do now some of which I did on top of my full time job. Do get a lot more travelling in though
Worked till retirement age, but cut hours a few months before I left. Neither of my parents lived till retirement so see every day as a bonus.

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[Scout]

good thread, very interesting posts...

food for thought for thoses of us in funny situations

 

[WillH]

Retired at 51, 12 years ago, through ill-health so could claim my full pension. Health improved dramatically without the pressure of work. Not looked back and far to busy to actually work now, and health not a problem but manageable.

 

[Speve]

@big map You know I've been there and loved it, but got the the age where I needed to get out and enjoy the other side of life before I pop my clogs.
Good luck with your work I know you'll do a good job but try not to leave it to late before you retire you never know what's around the corner.
I'm loving it still got loads to do and still keep in touch with Bobby.

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