The “I want to retire soon” thread (3 Viewers)

[Desert_Power]

Not sure if it will be a retirement or just a break for a few years, but I plan to quit this career in Feb after bonus payout. Hopefully I can find some side/part-time venture to help fund some of the more wasteful spending I get up to (sports tickets, concerts, bourbon, and fancy meals). I wanted to do this 2 Februarys ago when my son was born, but the market taking a dump made us choose to hire a nanny instead and save up more.

We’re 35 and my wife, for now, will keep working. I wish she would take the option to retire too, as I believe the numbers support it, but she is much less burnt out and has a fully remote role. Health care is also a big concern of hers and I admit the math of both of us quitting is dependent on the current healthcare legislation continuing.

 

[fruity pebbles]

So far I've gone to nights to reduce the number of hours worked. I can essentially make close to the same at 32 hours on nights as I did 40 hours on days. Nights has its own issues though. Not something I think most can do long term. It's a little better but not a whole lot. Think my longer term game plan is retire from nursing at 55-56 and do something that I like better but doesn't pay as well. Luckily I started when they still offered a pension. They axed that shortly after I started and now offer a generous 2% 403B match. I feel bad for the younger kids coming in. I couldn't imagine doing this for 30 years the way it is now

This I don't recommend. I worked nights for 11 years, and my sleep is just recovering, almost a decade later. Part of the reason I stopped was night terrors. If you haven't already looked, there's literature on the impact of overnight shift work, and it ain't pretty. There's a reason we aren't nocturnal, and regular sleep is an under appreciated component of health.

The reduced hours aren't worth the sacrifice imo. But if you're gonna try, I highly recommend doing everything else you can to remain healthy - eat right, compulsively exercise and avoid life's compensatory pleasures.

I hear you buddy. Been doing it almost two years now and it's def starting to affect me. I do them in a row and not sleeping great in between which causes me to need to "catch up" afterwards. I'm making a change starting in February. One 16 hour Friday overnight and a 12 hour Sunday day shift. Hoping this will be a better compromise. I can't do straight days during the week. The amount of people and bureaucracy, I'd be done in a month.

 

[Terminalxylem]

So far I've gone to nights to reduce the number of hours worked. I can essentially make close to the same at 32 hours on nights as I did 40 hours on days. Nights has its own issues though. Not something I think most can do long term. It's a little better but not a whole lot. Think my longer term game plan is retire from nursing at 55-56 and do something that I like better but doesn't pay as well. Luckily I started when they still offered a pension. They axed that shortly after I started and now offer a generous 2% 403B match. I feel bad for the younger kids coming in. I couldn't imagine doing this for 30 years the way it is now

This I don't recommend. I worked nights for 11 years, and my sleep is just recovering, almost a decade later. Part of the reason I stopped was night terrors. If you haven't already looked, there's literature on the impact of overnight shift work, and it ain't pretty. There's a reason we aren't nocturnal, and regular sleep is an under appreciated component of health.

The reduced hours aren't worth the sacrifice imo. But if you're gonna try, I highly recommend doing everything else you can to remain healthy - eat right, compulsively exercise and avoid life's compensatory pleasures.

Worked as a night stocker for Safeway in the 90s. Those were some WEIRD dudes. One guy had an eye patch, didn’t talk to anyone and was terrifying. Another guy shot and killed his wife’s lover in their bed. (Deemed Justified). Just oddballs all around.

Yeah, long term night workers are a different breed...

 

[fruity pebbles]

So far I've gone to nights to reduce the number of hours worked. I can essentially make close to the same at 32 hours on nights as I did 40 hours on days. Nights has its own issues though. Not something I think most can do long term. It's a little better but not a whole lot. Think my longer term game plan is retire from nursing at 55-56 and do something that I like better but doesn't pay as well. Luckily I started when they still offered a pension. They axed that shortly after I started and now offer a generous 2% 403B match. I feel bad for the younger kids coming in. I couldn't imagine doing this for 30 years the way it is now

This I don't recommend. I worked nights for 11 years, and my sleep is just recovering, almost a decade later. Part of the reason I stopped was night terrors. If you haven't already looked, there's literature on the impact of overnight shift work, and it ain't pretty. There's a reason we aren't nocturnal, and regular sleep is an under appreciated component of health.

The reduced hours aren't worth the sacrifice imo. But if you're gonna try, I highly recommend doing everything else you can to remain healthy - eat right, compulsively exercise and avoid life's compensatory pleasures.

Worked as a night stocker for Safeway in the 90s. Those were some WEIRD dudes. One guy had an eye patch, didn’t talk to anyone and was terrifying. Another guy shot and killed his wife’s lover in their bed. (Deemed Justified). Just oddballs all around.

I can assure you the hospital night staff isn't quite like that lol

 

[Terminalxylem]

So far I've gone to nights to reduce the number of hours worked. I can essentially make close to the same at 32 hours on nights as I did 40 hours on days. Nights has its own issues though. Not something I think most can do long term. It's a little better but not a whole lot. Think my longer term game plan is retire from nursing at 55-56 and do something that I like better but doesn't pay as well. Luckily I started when they still offered a pension. They axed that shortly after I started and now offer a generous 2% 403B match. I feel bad for the younger kids coming in. I couldn't imagine doing this for 30 years the way it is now

This is what I started doing 8 years ago. I do exclusively nights, work less hours, but I know it's not a healthy lifestyle to maintain long-term.

Unlike you, I can usually get even a couple hours of sleep during shifts, and I work every other night so I can recover, and by doing this it allows me to be free most every day which is important with the kids.

I like my current schedule, but I think of 7 more years of it and, as I said above, just counting the days.

Nights started this way for me, but got way more hectic over time - currently they cross-cover upwards of 300 (with a record census over 400) patients.

Progressive jobs actually have scheduled naps for night workers, but no way that would fly in medicine.

 

[AAABatteries]

and here's a regular guy's ( @regularguy ) perspective

there's no ****ing way i'm retiring early. maybe ever. shooting for 70, but even if that i'll need to do something to keep busy. just cannot see being idle daily. i need a routine. coffee, walk the dog, watch tv seems like a recipe for early death to me.

Early death takes care of the retirement thing.

I kid but I somewhat agree with regularguy - the difference is I have hobbies and have charity type things I'd rather be doing. I definitely couldn't live like my parents - both are remarried after a divorce and all 4 don't work and basically do nothing most every day.

 

[belljr]

I feel like i would find plenty of crap to do that I want to do besides working..... sure maybe after a couple years I might feel differently.

If I could find a starter job at a golf course - I'd probably do that

 

[NutterButter]

I'm curious for the folks that are so fixated on early retirement, is it that you really dislike your job that much or is it more something in mind that your want to be doing that you can't be doing now? If the former, is there not another line of work that you can move into that you'd find more compatible to the life you'd like to live? For instance, you hate the commute which is where I was at during one point, is there not a wfh gig that maybe pays less, but give you better balance. If the latter and a lot of your free time is consumed by child responsibilities, does that change once they're no longer your day to day responsibility and you recapture that free time? Or maybe a combination of the two which was the case for me say 10 years ago. Or is it something else?

I don't love my job, or working, for that matter. I'm fortunate to have earned a decent wage and enjoy living simply, and married a woman with similar priorities, so I don't feel the need to work much longer.

Life is too short, and health span even shorter.

Yeah, if you're not finding the time to do the things you like doing or you're really not happy with work in general, then retirement would probably be best. I know I was that way at a point but I'm in a much better place now with a job that gives me a lot of flexibility and a lot more time b/c the kids are grown up. So I was wondering if maybe that applied to other folks that have tunnel vision about retirement the way I did.

 

[shuke]

Also NOOOOOOO WAAAAAY am working at Lowe’s or anywhere else.

Travel and sitting on beaches is our plan. I can’t even fathom the mentality of wanting to work to occupy my time.

My "dream" is to work at a ballpark, be one of those vendors selling beer or peanuts in the stands, but that's not an option here. But sitting on beaches doing nothing is not my idea of fun. And maybe it'll change some time but travel has never really been our thing and with 8 or so pets it's pretty difficult anyway.

That’s not a terrible idea if you love baseball.

I did this when I was 20. I think it's a terrible idea if you're 60.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Also NOOOOOOO WAAAAAY am working at Lowe’s or anywhere else.

Travel and sitting on beaches is our plan. I can’t even fathom the mentality of wanting to work to occupy my time.

My "dream" is to work at a ballpark, be one of those vendors selling beer or peanuts in the stands, but that's not an option here. But sitting on beaches doing nothing is not my idea of fun. And maybe it'll change some time but travel has never really been our thing and with 8 or so pets it's pretty difficult anyway.

That’s not a terrible idea if you love baseball.

I did this when I was 20. I think it's a terrible idea if you're 60.

Lol, why is that?


ETA - I agree but I hate baseball but curious of your reasoning.

 

[belljr]

Also NOOOOOOO WAAAAAY am working at Lowe’s or anywhere else.

Travel and sitting on beaches is our plan. I can’t even fathom the mentality of wanting to work to occupy my time.

My "dream" is to work at a ballpark, be one of those vendors selling beer or peanuts in the stands, but that's not an option here. But sitting on beaches doing nothing is not my idea of fun. And maybe it'll change some time but travel has never really been our thing and with 8 or so pets it's pretty difficult anyway.

That’s not a terrible idea if you love baseball.

I did this when I was 20. I think it's a terrible idea if you're 60.

Lol, why is that?


ETA - I agree but I hate baseball but curious of your reasoning.

Lugging those carriers up and down the steps all game is not fun, plus dealing with people - lol..... you need change? BEER is $17!?!?!? yes give me my 3 back -

 

[NutterButter]

And maybe it'll change some time but travel has never really been our thing and with 8 or so pets it's pretty difficult anyway.

That's where I want to be when I'm old and gray on a little piece of land. But yeah, tough to have that and travel at the same time so gonna do it in phases.

 

[fruity pebbles]

Also NOOOOOOO WAAAAAY am working at Lowe’s or anywhere else.

Travel and sitting on beaches is our plan. I can’t even fathom the mentality of wanting to work to occupy my time.

My "dream" is to work at a ballpark, be one of those vendors selling beer or peanuts in the stands, but that's not an option here. But sitting on beaches doing nothing is not my idea of fun. And maybe it'll change some time but travel has never really been our thing and with 8 or so pets it's pretty difficult anyway.

That’s not a terrible idea if you love baseball.

I did this when I was 20. I think it's a terrible idea if you're 60.

Lol, why is that?


ETA - I agree but I hate baseball but curious of your reasoning.

Lugging those carriers up and down the steps all game is not fun, plus dealing with people - lol..... you need change? BEER is $17!?!?!? yes give me my 3 back -

Good point. A lot more physical than it seems

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Also NOOOOOOO WAAAAAY am working at Lowe’s or anywhere else.

Travel and sitting on beaches is our plan. I can’t even fathom the mentality of wanting to work to occupy my time.

My "dream" is to work at a ballpark, be one of those vendors selling beer or peanuts in the stands, but that's not an option here. But sitting on beaches doing nothing is not my idea of fun. And maybe it'll change some time but travel has never really been our thing and with 8 or so pets it's pretty difficult anyway.

That’s not a terrible idea if you love baseball.

I did this when I was 20. I think it's a terrible idea if you're 60.

Lol, why is that?


ETA - I agree but I hate baseball but curious of your reasoning.

Lugging those carriers up and down the steps all game is not fun, plus dealing with people - lol..... you need change? BEER is $17!?!?!? yes give me my 3 back -

Crap, I read it and immediately envisioned being one of those people who helps you to your seat.

Agree with Shuke.

 

[General Malaise]

and here's a regular guy's ( @regularguy ) perspective

there's no ****ing way i'm retiring early. maybe ever. shooting for 70, but even if that i'll need to do something to keep busy. just cannot see being idle daily. i need a routine. coffee, walk the dog, watch tv seems like a recipe for early death to me.

With five kids, there is no hope for retirement, so I've convinced myself that I like working and prefer a place to go to every work day. Even with retirement money available (which I probably will have even after all five kids are out of college) I want to work. I enjoy my job. Not always, there are stresses and fires to put out all the time, but I'm not bored and it's not physically draining. Plus, I adjusted my schedule a few years ago so I'm usually in around 7 and done before 2 every day. That's been a game changer.

If/when I retire from the Hedge Fund world, I'd like to work at a brew pub pouring beers and shooting the bull with people. Just something to do that keeps me busy and maybe adds a little fun money to play around with. Disc golf every day, pour some beers, manage my portfolio, cook, read, play with the dog and maybe one day watch a grandchild or two. Gosh, now that I type that out, perhaps I will embrace retirement....

 

[belljr]

Also NOOOOOOO WAAAAAY am working at Lowe’s or anywhere else.

Travel and sitting on beaches is our plan. I can’t even fathom the mentality of wanting to work to occupy my time.

My "dream" is to work at a ballpark, be one of those vendors selling beer or peanuts in the stands, but that's not an option here. But sitting on beaches doing nothing is not my idea of fun. And maybe it'll change some time but travel has never really been our thing and with 8 or so pets it's pretty difficult anyway.

That’s not a terrible idea if you love baseball.

I did this when I was 20. I think it's a terrible idea if you're 60.

Lol, why is that?


ETA - I agree but I hate baseball but curious of your reasoning.

Lugging those carriers up and down the steps all game is not fun, plus dealing with people - lol..... you need change? BEER is $17!?!?!? yes give me my 3 back -

Crap, I read it and immediately envisioned being one of those people who helps you to your seat.

Agree with Shuke.

oh there is jobs as an usher and you could work a stand..... for sure. Usher would probably be the best

 

[NutterButter]

Also NOOOOOOO WAAAAAY am working at Lowe’s or anywhere else.

Travel and sitting on beaches is our plan. I can’t even fathom the mentality of wanting to work to occupy my time.

My "dream" is to work at a ballpark, be one of those vendors selling beer or peanuts in the stands, but that's not an option here. But sitting on beaches doing nothing is not my idea of fun. And maybe it'll change some time but travel has never really been our thing and with 8 or so pets it's pretty difficult anyway.

That’s not a terrible idea if you love baseball.

I did this when I was 20. I think it's a terrible idea if you're 60.

Lol, why is that?


ETA - I agree but I hate baseball but curious of your reasoning.

Lugging those carriers up and down the steps all game is not fun, plus dealing with people - lol..... you need change? BEER is $17!?!?!? yes give me my 3 back -

Crap, I read it and immediately envisioned being one of those people who helps you to your seat.

Agree with Shuke.

oh there is jobs as an usher and your could work a stand..... for sure. Usher would probably be the best

maybe if they give me a stool to sit on. i couldn't imagine standing for 4 hours in roughly the same spot now let alone when I'm 70

 

[dino259]

Also NOOOOOOO WAAAAAY am working at Lowe’s or anywhere else.

Travel and sitting on beaches is our plan. I can’t even fathom the mentality of wanting to work to occupy my time.

My "dream" is to work at a ballpark, be one of those vendors selling beer or peanuts in the stands, but that's not an option here. But sitting on beaches doing nothing is not my idea of fun. And maybe it'll change some time but travel has never really been our thing and with 8 or so pets it's pretty difficult anyway.

That’s not a terrible idea if you love baseball.

I did this when I was 20. I think it's a terrible idea if you're 60.

Lol, why is that?


ETA - I agree but I hate baseball but curious of your reasoning.

Lugging those carriers up and down the steps all game is not fun, plus dealing with people - lol..... you need change? BEER is $17!?!?!? yes give me my 3 back -

Crap, I read it and immediately envisioned being one of those people who helps you to your seat.

Agree with Shuke.

oh there is jobs as an usher and your could work a stand..... for sure. Usher would probably be the best

maybe if they give me a stool to sit on. i couldn't imagine standing for 4 hours in roughly the same spot now let alone when I'm 70

And you don't get to watch as much of the game as you think you will.

 

[shuke]

Also NOOOOOOO WAAAAAY am working at Lowe’s or anywhere else.

Travel and sitting on beaches is our plan. I can’t even fathom the mentality of wanting to work to occupy my time.

My "dream" is to work at a ballpark, be one of those vendors selling beer or peanuts in the stands, but that's not an option here. But sitting on beaches doing nothing is not my idea of fun. And maybe it'll change some time but travel has never really been our thing and with 8 or so pets it's pretty difficult anyway.

That’s not a terrible idea if you love baseball.

I did this when I was 20. I think it's a terrible idea if you're 60.

Lol, why is that?


ETA - I agree but I hate baseball but curious of your reasoning.

Hauling tubs of beer up and down stairs wouldn't be great for backs at our age, I imagine. It was strenuous back then, but of course usually worse when I was hauling 3 tubs at Bengals games. Was rough on the knees too, kneeling on concrete to pour a beer every time.

 

[belljr]

Also NOOOOOOO WAAAAAY am working at Lowe’s or anywhere else.

Travel and sitting on beaches is our plan. I can’t even fathom the mentality of wanting to work to occupy my time.

My "dream" is to work at a ballpark, be one of those vendors selling beer or peanuts in the stands, but that's not an option here. But sitting on beaches doing nothing is not my idea of fun. And maybe it'll change some time but travel has never really been our thing and with 8 or so pets it's pretty difficult anyway.

That’s not a terrible idea if you love baseball.

I did this when I was 20. I think it's a terrible idea if you're 60.

Lol, why is that?


ETA - I agree but I hate baseball but curious of your reasoning.

Hauling tubs of beer up and down stairs wouldn't be great for backs at our age, I imagine. It was strenuous back then, but of course usually worse when I was hauling 3 tubs at Bengals games. Was rough on the knees too, kneeling on concrete to pour a beer every time.

At least now in some places you just open the can and pass it -

 

[3C's]

Also NOOOOOOO WAAAAAY am working at Lowe’s or anywhere else.

Travel and sitting on beaches is our plan. I can’t even fathom the mentality of wanting to work to occupy my time.

My "dream" is to work at a ballpark, be one of those vendors selling beer or peanuts in the stands, but that's not an option here. But sitting on beaches doing nothing is not my idea of fun. And maybe it'll change some time but travel has never really been our thing and with 8 or so pets it's pretty difficult anyway.

That’s not a terrible idea if you love baseball.

I did this when I was 20. I think it's a terrible idea if you're 60.

Lol, why is that?


ETA - I agree but I hate baseball but curious of your reasoning.

Hauling tubs of beer up and down stairs wouldn't be great for backs at our age, I imagine. It was strenuous back then, but of course usually worse when I was hauling 3 tubs at Bengals games. Was rough on the knees too, kneeling on concrete to pour a beer every time.

At least now in some places you just open the can and pass it -

**** yeah! If I'm pouring your beer I'm drinking it too. And Friday I'll be unloading pallets of cat litter at the local animal shelter so obviously I'm not worried about my back.

 

[mr. furley]

Besides healthcare, the second biggest question I always get is "what do I do all day"

The common answer you will hear from early retirees is "instead of waking up asking what do I "have" to do today, you wake up and say what do I "want" to do today"

i can't get there yet. I am 54 and I have been retired for 4 months now. The best way to describe how I feel is like a tiger who has been caged in some little roadside circus and never seen grass or the sky and now I am out and able to be free, I am frozen and don't know what to do with myself.

As I approached retirement, I had all these plans to do this or that. I was going to set the world on fire with all I was going to accomplish. Now that I am here, there are days that I just sit and think or worse, sleep in until 8:30 am. There are a hundred things I could do, but don't. I have tons of hobbies (collecting Lego, a huge, huge sports card collection, I have multiple video games for my PS5 that are just sitting there unwrapped), but I just can't get the motivation to do "something". I was so used to the routine that I am unsure how to react. And then there is this overriding sense of guilt that I have when my wife still gets up a 6:00 am and is out the door by 7:00. She is providing insurance for me, and our two girls (19 & 24) and wants to work for another six years just to say she put 30 years in at her district. I want her out in 3 to 4, but we will have to figure out the insurance side of things.

Don't get me wrong, not having to get all dressed up every day and fight the traffic is something I do not miss. I have no desire to go back to the grind. I have recently started following this guy on TikTok and he talks about a lot of the things i mention above and how to address them. I feel like this week has been better. I have set little daily goals for myself and so at the end of the day, I feel a sense of accomplishment for completing these tasks. Little things like take a 30 minute walk or read for 30 minutes have really made me feel more positive. I have been doing on-line surveys and have actually made decent money doing those.

I guess the point to my whole tangent here is there is more to retirement planning than just money. You need to get a life plan and be prepared for the mental health stressors that come with it.

@Terminalxylem this here is what i'm talking about

a live, current, example of someone who retired and is kind of at sea (for now)

 

[mr. furley]

will long hours of physical activity be feasible at 70+?

Possibly, but only if you bust your a$$ to attain fitness when more able-bodied. Although physical deterioration is inevitable with age, it really helps to attain as high of a baseline as possible. You're a lot more likely to remain active longer, if you prioritize it now.

If you find a group activity(ies), you can establish a social network as well.

i'm in good to very good shape today and plan to continue on this path until my body no longer allows it

and by that i mean who knows what unforeseen landmines exist from natural breakdown, to accidents, surgery that may render me inactive for a period of time.

it's great to think positively about retirement and how one is just going to do all the things they dreamed of when slogging away at 40, but reality is a curveball sometimes.


the father of a good friend of mine lived the freaking high life for decades. carried his military habits to life and kept himself fit. rich as ****, no cares, **** you money. traveled, enjoyed the ladies in his life, toys, lots of hobbies, retired young. big plans to travel as a professional in his hobby.... all that blew up when his parents got sick, then he got sick, he blew through his money, his close friends died and all that zest for being active and social just died with it.

so i'd live to say i'll be doing triathlons at 73 but.. that's a long ways out.

 

[Brony]

Also NOOOOOOO WAAAAAY am working at Lowe’s or anywhere else.

Travel and sitting on beaches is our plan. I can’t even fathom the mentality of wanting to work to occupy my time.

My "dream" is to work at a ballpark, be one of those vendors selling beer or peanuts in the stands, but that's not an option here. But sitting on beaches doing nothing is not my idea of fun. And maybe it'll change some time but travel has never really been our thing and with 8 or so pets it's pretty difficult anyway.

That’s not a terrible idea if you love baseball.

I did this when I was 20. I think it's a terrible idea if you're 60.

Lol, why is that?


ETA - I agree but I hate baseball but curious of your reasoning.

Lugging those carriers up and down the steps all game is not fun, plus dealing with people - lol..... you need change? BEER is $17!?!?!? yes give me my 3 back -

Crap, I read it and immediately envisioned being one of those people who helps you to your seat.

Agree with Shuke.

oh there is jobs as an usher and you could work a stand..... for sure. Usher would probably be the best

Yeah!

 

[mr. furley]

of all the responses here it feels like 80% retired young/retiring before 60/planning to retire between 55-60, 10% planning to retire between 60-65 (early) and the remaining 10% looking at "normal" retirement age for max social security benefits, or never retiring at all

it's an interesting peek behind the curtain of how well off so many FBGs really are :$:

 

[3C's]

of all the responses here it feels like 80% retired young/retiring before 60/planning to retire between 55-60, 10% planning to retire between 60-65 (early) and the remaining 10% looking at "normal" retirement age for max social security benefits, or never retiring at all

it's an interesting peek behind the curtain of how well off so many FBGs really are :$:

reality is likely different though.

one thing it showed me is that people in healthcare are burned out. wife retired from healthcare at 55 so I believe it.

 

[belljr]

of all the responses here it feels like 80% retired young/retiring before 60/planning to retire between 55-60, 10% planning to retire between 60-65 (early) and the remaining 10% looking at "normal" retirement age for max social security benefits, or never retiring at all

it's an interesting peek behind the curtain of how well off so many FBGs really are :$:

For me I have a pretty low stress job, and work 4-10 hour days.

If things change I'd consider leaving earlier. Once my kid gets through college - I'll have about 7 years left on the house - that's probably the earliest sweet spot for me

 

[fruity pebbles]

of all the responses here it feels like 80% retired young/retiring before 60/planning to retire between 55-60, 10% planning to retire between 60-65 (early) and the remaining 10% looking at "normal" retirement age for max social security benefits, or never retiring at all

it's an interesting peek behind the curtain of how well off so many FBGs really are :$:

reality is likely different though.

one thing it showed me is that people in healthcare are burned out. wife retired from healthcare at 55 so I believe it.

I don’t want to turn this into a healthcare only thread but yes. We have had a number of surgeons leave healthcare recently. I went to school for four years. I leave……big deal. They went for 15 years in some instances and they want out. One woman paid off her student loans and opened a coffee shop, another moved to Europe, another is becoming a life coach. The ones who stay are largely miserable and miserable to be around. Covid changed a lot of things. It was bad before, it’s much worse now. Hospitals lost a lot of money and they are damned and determined to get it back. Our operating room before covid was a handful of travelers. We are now 60% travelers. That’s how many people have left in terms of nursing staff and surgical techs.

 

[fightingillini]

I am 53, but in the middle of a divorce, so retiring within the next few years is off the table. 62 is probably the earliest that I can retire.

Question for everyone......when you retire, will you get another job and do something else that you're passionate about?

 

[fruity pebbles]

I am 53, but in the middle of a divorce, so retiring within the next few years is off the table. 62 is probably the earliest that I can retire.

Question for everyone......when you retire, will you get another job and do something else that you're passionate about?

Probably. I don’t mind working, I just want to do something I look forward to.

 

[-OZ-]

when you retire, will you get another job and do something else that you're passionate about?

Yes.
My wife has the perfect quasi-retirement gig right now. Works part time at something she enjoys, fairly low stress. Volunteers a lot with our daughter for St. Jude, travels to various events like the rich eisen 40 yard dash last year, golf tournament in Memphis and Naples, and travels twice a year to speak with doctors and other medical professionals about patient care from a parent’s perspective.
I’m not sure how much longer she’ll be doing the events but she’ll keep the speaking tour as long as possible.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Question for everyone......when you retire, will you get another job and do something else that you're passionate about?

My wife and I picked up part time jobs at a local library 12 years ago.

I stayed part time (8 hours a week) but the wife enjoyed it so much she actually went back to full time just recently.

Our daughter works at the same library as well.

 

[NutterButter]

I am 53, but in the middle of a divorce, so retiring within the next few years is off the table. 62 is probably the earliest that I can retire.

Question for everyone......when you retire, will you get another job and do something else that you're passionate about?

gonna be interesting b/c i'd only want to do something part time and not for the entire year either since i intend on snowbirding if i'm still living in a cold climate. not sure if there are retail jobs that would be cool with that. also depends on grandparenting opportunities. could see myself either doing something like habitat for humanity since i love home improvement or something with animals.

 

[mr. furley]

of all the responses here it feels like 80% retired young/retiring before 60/planning to retire between 55-60, 10% planning to retire between 60-65 (early) and the remaining 10% looking at "normal" retirement age for max social security benefits, or never retiring at all

it's an interesting peek behind the curtain of how well off so many FBGs really are :$:

reality is likely different though.

one thing it showed me is that people in healthcare are burned out. wife retired from healthcare at 55 so I believe it.

this makes me wonder how many people retired from their long-time career, because of burnout, having achieved pension status, etc. then switched paths and continued working but consider themselves as having retired?

like, if one were to ask my dad he'd say he retired a few years ago. but he still works full time doing something else + works a part-time job for social interaction. so he's technically retirement age and stopped doing what he had been doing.. in his mind he's retired....but he's still working.

 

[Gally]

Also NOOOOOOO WAAAAAY am working at Lowe’s or anywhere else.

Travel and sitting on beaches is our plan. I can’t even fathom the mentality of wanting to work to occupy my time.

My "dream" is to work at a ballpark, be one of those vendors selling beer or peanuts in the stands, but that's not an option here. But sitting on beaches doing nothing is not my idea of fun. And maybe it'll change some time but travel has never really been our thing and with 8 or so pets it's pretty difficult anyway.

That’s not a terrible idea if you love baseball.

I did this when I was 20. I think it's a terrible idea if you're 60.

Lol, why is that?


ETA - I agree but I hate baseball but curious of your reasoning.

Lugging those carriers up and down the steps all game is not fun, plus dealing with people - lol..... you need change? BEER is $17!?!?!? yes give me my 3 back -

Crap, I read it and immediately envisioned being one of those people who helps you to your seat.

Agree with Shuke.

oh there is jobs as an usher and your could work a stand..... for sure. Usher would probably be the best

maybe if they give me a stool to sit on. i couldn't imagine standing for 4 hours in roughly the same spot now let alone when I'm 70

Talk to George. He will get you a rocking chair.

 

[Terminalxylem]

Besides healthcare, the second biggest question I always get is "what do I do all day"

The common answer you will hear from early retirees is "instead of waking up asking what do I "have" to do today, you wake up and say what do I "want" to do today"

i can't get there yet. I am 54 and I have been retired for 4 months now. The best way to describe how I feel is like a tiger who has been caged in some little roadside circus and never seen grass or the sky and now I am out and able to be free, I am frozen and don't know what to do with myself.

As I approached retirement, I had all these plans to do this or that. I was going to set the world on fire with all I was going to accomplish. Now that I am here, there are days that I just sit and think or worse, sleep in until 8:30 am. There are a hundred things I could do, but don't. I have tons of hobbies (collecting Lego, a huge, huge sports card collection, I have multiple video games for my PS5 that are just sitting there unwrapped), but I just can't get the motivation to do "something". I was so used to the routine that I am unsure how to react. And then there is this overriding sense of guilt that I have when my wife still gets up a 6:00 am and is out the door by 7:00. She is providing insurance for me, and our two girls (19 & 24) and wants to work for another six years just to say she put 30 years in at her district. I want her out in 3 to 4, but we will have to figure out the insurance side of things.

Don't get me wrong, not having to get all dressed up every day and fight the traffic is something I do not miss. I have no desire to go back to the grind. I have recently started following this guy on TikTok and he talks about a lot of the things i mention above and how to address them. I feel like this week has been better. I have set little daily goals for myself and so at the end of the day, I feel a sense of accomplishment for completing these tasks. Little things like take a 30 minute walk or read for 30 minutes have really made me feel more positive. I have been doing on-line surveys and have actually made decent money doing those.

I guess the point to my whole tangent here is there is more to retirement planning than just money. You need to get a life plan and be prepared for the mental health stressors that come with it.

@Terminalxylem this here is what i'm talking about

a live, current, example of someone who retired and is kind of at sea (for now)

Yeah, I'm sure it happens.

Maybe I'm just easily enrtertained, but it helps if you have active hobbies that get you out of the house. And I also think non-work habits need to be engrained before you retire.

 

[belljr]

Man I'm wired differently - I can't think of anything I want to do less than getup and go to work..... I hate that routine of a 5:30 alarm, hate dialing into meetings, the work itself is ok but it's a slog to get out of bed some days....... maybe after a year I get bored but I can't imagine needing that routine as a civilian. I may end up weighing 500 pounds but I'll enjoy it

 

[NutterButter]

Man I'm wired differently - I can't think of anything I want to do less than getup and go to work..... I hate that routine of a 5:30 alarm, hate dialing into meetings, the work itself is ok but it's a slog to get out of bed some days....... maybe after a year I get bored but I can't imagine needing that routine as a civilian. I may end up weighing 500 pounds but I'll enjoy it

Aka sick days. Cough cough.

 

[Terminalxylem]

will long hours of physical activity be feasible at 70+?

Possibly, but only if you bust your a$$ to attain fitness when more able-bodied. Although physical deterioration is inevitable with age, it really helps to attain as high of a baseline as possible. You're a lot more likely to remain active longer, if you prioritize it now.

If you find a group activity(ies), you can establish a social network as well.

i'm in good to very good shape today and plan to continue on this path until my body no longer allows it

and by that i mean who knows what unforeseen landmines exist from natural breakdown, to accidents, surgery that may render me inactive for a period of time.

it's great to think positively about retirement and how one is just going to do all the things they dreamed of when slogging away at 40, but reality is a curveball sometimes.


the father of a good friend of mine lived the freaking high life for decades. carried his military habits to life and kept himself fit. rich as ****, no cares, **** you money. traveled, enjoyed the ladies in his life, toys, lots of hobbies, retired young. big plans to travel as a professional in his hobby.... all that blew up when his parents got sick, then he got sick, he blew through his money, his close friends died and all that zest for being active and social just died with it.

so i'd live to say i'll be doing triathlons at 73 but.. that's a long ways out.

I know there aren't any guarantees.

Still, I'd rather move in that direction earlier, and take a chance retirement doesn't work out, than spin my wheels a few more years, for fear of boredom.

Actually, the lack of guaranteed health/happiness is exactly why I consider retiring early.

I guess the other option is find a job I like better, which I've considered as well. But if I prefer my hobbies, and have enough of a nest egg, why squander time while able-bodied?

 

[belljr]

Man I'm wired differently - I can't think of anything I want to do less than getup and go to work..... I hate that routine of a 5:30 alarm, hate dialing into meetings, the work itself is ok but it's a slog to get out of bed some days....... maybe after a year I get bored but I can't imagine needing that routine as a civilian. I may end up weighing 500 pounds but I'll enjoy it

Aka sick days. Cough cough.

Sure but after the 4th consecutive one they start questioning things ....

 

[Terminalxylem]

I am 53, but in the middle of a divorce, so retiring within the next few years is off the table. 62 is probably the earliest that I can retire.

Question for everyone......when you retire, will you get another job and do something else that you're passionate about?

Probably not. I'd rather volunteer in medicine, or teaching, and remove the monetary component from the equation (at least partially).

 

[Poke_4_Life]

I'm only 47, but the wife is a bit older. I think about retirement most Mondays. And any time I have to travel for work.

Wife and I have both been in our respective roles, at different companies, for over 10 years with no plans to change. I hit 10 years this year, which qualifies me for retirement health insurance.

Barring unforeseen expenses, we're on track to retire in our early 60's. We also have the possibility of some decent inheritance from both sets of parents, although we are not relying on that for planning purposes and we both hope our parents live many more years and spend all their retirement funds.

I make a decent amount more than the wife, so I can see her retiring in 5+ years, particularly as her parents' health is deteriorating a bit and neither of them should be driving to their various Dr. appointments. Once she retires, it's going to make it really hard for me to want to keep working.

Thanks for this topic. It is something I think about way too much, considering I plan to work another 15ish years.

 

[NutterButter]

Man I'm wired differently - I can't think of anything I want to do less than getup and go to work..... I hate that routine of a 5:30 alarm, hate dialing into meetings, the work itself is ok but it's a slog to get out of bed some days....... maybe after a year I get bored but I can't imagine needing that routine as a civilian. I may end up weighing 500 pounds but I'll enjoy it

Aka sick days. Cough cough.

Sure but after the 4th consecutive one they start questioning things ....

Ha. Well since you're at the point where you were gonna retire anyways, might as well find out. Whats the worst they can do; fire you?

 

[Atomic Punk]

Interesting timing, as I just attended a retirement/pension session from my work. I’m 53 and plan on pulling the pin this spring after 33 years with the Canadian federal government. My pension is ~ 70% of my salary and indexed for inflation, so I am very fortunate and can definitely make it work. I’ve had quite a few colleagues retire the last few years and all say the same thing: a) retire a early as you possibly can, life is short, b) have a plan/purpose - retirement is not an extended holiday and shouldn’t be treated as such.

Despite really enjoying my work, it is just becoming too much and I have grown tired of the weight of my position. My plan is to retire in the spring, enjoy the summer and then sign a casual contract (90 days in the calendar year) with my same department. I’ll do this for a few years, while travelling more and enjoying time with my new granddaughter. I also plan on sitting on a board or two to provide my experience to some local groups that could use it.

Between this and enjoying more time with my friends and elderly parents, and on a few hobbies, I think I‘ll love it even more than I think!

 

[Judge Smails]

Great thread. I have gone back and forth on retirement several times. I'm 61 and my wife is 59 (she's doesn't work outside the home, so it's more of a healthcare insurance factor). My original plan that I set up 5 years ago with my financial planner was to target 62 for retirement. Started getting jealous with several friends retired (all in public service, firemen, water and power, etc). Dreamed of playing golf at the club at 10am, going to the gym when it's not crowded, steam room, etc. Read, volunteer and more. Have flip flopped several times on 2nd homes (glad I haven't bought yet as appealing locations have changed) and am pretty solid that I want to spend a month or two in Mexico a year (in So Cal, love Cabo, Loreto and other cities in Baja). Much of those plans are still in place, but I guess my feelings about work isn't where I thought it would be. 5 years ago I couldn't wait to retire. Now? I have a pretty sweet gig here. I start early and am done by 2pm with 99% of my team on the East Coast. Can get out for an afternoon of golf whenever I want. Head to the gym. CEO is cool with me since our business is delivering. It's rewarding. And the cash is great. That's the hard part - the money in your peak earning years is so so hard to walk away from since it funds so much in addition to retirement. With cash coming in you don't hesitate going to any restaurant, attend any concerts, vacation, etc. And I haven't waited until retirement to travel. Have traveled extensively and usually take at least 1 big trip a year in addition to the Cabo type getaways. Did Ireland this year, Greece on tap for next year, etc. Bottom line - the $ from working is nice to fund those trips, vs pulling from retirement savings.

If I retire at 62 I'll be paying my own insurance for 3 years and my wife for 5. But not huge in the big scheme of things. House will be paid off at 64 (can pay it off now but 2.75% loan), college tuitions and weddings are done. Just seeding college funds for grandkids left, though I do have a house down payment matching program set up with my kids which makes working for at least one more year probable. No debt and financial advisor says I'm 99% set running Monte Carlo simulations. If we sell our company as planned in 2024 that may be my time to cash and walk, but if not I may be up for one more run. My only rule is I won't work for a holes at my age and won't stay in a stressful environment. I've had one widow maker already and don't want to roll the dice again.

Man - you guys talking retiring in your 30's, 40' and early 50's - I don't know how you do it. Especially if you have kids. Granted I live in high cost California, but still. That's making retirement money last a looooong time.

One note of caution - I've had friends take sabbaticals or retire in their mid 50's. Never changed their lifestyle, spent like drunken sailors for about 5 years traveling. One who everyone thought was wealthy ended up borrowing significant money from several friends to make ends meet. Another had to go back to work.

We'll see. 2024 will likely be the year I decide.

 

[skol asylum]

Turning 50 in a month. Wife is a little younger at 46. I would love to retire ASAP. I also want financial stability when I do so. We've never really done any traveling and I'd love to do at least a small bit of that. Realistically it's going to be a while. Have one that just started college and another 9th grade so we are looking at 8 years of school payments at a minimum. Really depends on what the stock market does and if our current jobs remain stable. We make decent money, maybe not FBG level, but are not great at budgeting. That's something I really need to start working on now because as someone upthread mentioned I don't want to live a stressful retirement where I'm worrying about spending down too quickly. We also both WFH so that helps a lot in continuing the same job day after day and year after year. I could see potentially moving in the next few years and continuing to work the same jobs. Maybe find the area we want to retire to and get a jump on that aspect of it. That also depends on the housing market and interest rates. Bought at the low and have some nice equity and a current low 15 year rate of 2.5% so hard to see moving out of that.

 

[Atomic Punk]

Other tips from the seminar today:
* Know yourself and know your limitations
* Invest in your health and wellbeing
* Spend time with people younger than yourself (I think @Terminalxylem mentioned this as well)
* Emphasized purpose at least a dozen times and said a lack of purpose was the downfall of most retirees

 

[tri-man 47]

On one hand, I'm doing this wrong: I'm 68 and still working as an accounting professor. On the other hand, I had gone back for my doctorate twelve years ago, which allowed me to switch from an admin position and adjunct teaching to a full-time teaching gig, which has been incredibly satisfying. Otherwise, the last ten years or so would have been torture. I didn't want to regret not taking that shot and not making a quality-of-life change for the last stretch of my career ( @ProstheticRGK ). And the coming spring term will be my last for FT work. The plan was to retire, but I've already been approached about a half-time teaching position at a nearby school I respect a lot as well as by a colleague at a prestigious B1G school in the area about some adjunct teaching for them (with excellent $).

So looking forward to slowing down the pace and enjoying more flexibility and free time come summer. My wife and I are two miles from a large community college with a great schedule of concerts and shows and a full slate of athletics to watch and enjoy. Add in the local library and lots of running locations, and I'm all set. Switching to Medicare in January; will try to hold off on SS next fall so it can climb a little higher each month.

 

[gianmarco]

Turning 50 in a month. Wife is a little younger at 46. I would love to retire ASAP. I also want financial stability when I do so. We've never really done any traveling and I'd love to do at least a small bit of that. Realistically it's going to be a while. Have one that just started college and another 9th grade so we are looking at 8 years of school payments at a minimum. Really depends on what the stock market does and if our current jobs remain stable. We make decent money, maybe not FBG level, but are not great at budgeting. That's something I really need to start working on now because as someone upthread mentioned I don't want to live a stressful retirement where I'm worrying about spending down too quickly. We also both WFH so that helps a lot in continuing the same job day after day and year after year. I could see potentially moving in the next few years and continuing to work the same jobs. Maybe find the area we want to retire to and get a jump on that aspect of it. That also depends on the housing market and interest rates. Bought at the low and have some nice equity and a current low 15 year rate of 2.5% so hard to see moving out of that.

Might want to hold off on those TVs then.

 

[Terminalxylem]

Other tips from the seminar today:
* Know yourself and know your limitations
* Invest in your health and wellbeing
* Spend time with people younger than yourself (I think @Terminalxylem mentioned this as well)
* Emphasized purpose at least a dozen times and said a lack of purpose was the downfall of most retirees

So many people sacrifice health for their job. Be it physical or emotional stress, or just time taken away from developing personal well-being, the results are the same: accumulation of weight, bad habits and medical problems in middle age. Too many worry about paying for health insurance, rather than focusing on optimizing their health. Time and functionality, not money, are our most precious resources.

To be clear, I‘m not talking about those living paycheck-to-paycheck, even though most of what I said still applies. A simple life with purpose, including a commitment to a healthy lifestyle, always trumps the “finer” things.

And yeah, young people are great, especially as activity partners. As long as you can avoid injury, by keeping ego in check, they always push you more than middle-aged peers. They complain at lot less, too.