I was able to retire at 55. I took a number of low stress jobs for about 10 more years then retired totally. Now I don't miss working anymore. From time to time I give some thought to model railroading. Its great to do things on impulse or to just enjoy reading, walking and playing with the dog.

My wife is a great companion. Cincinnati has a great library system.

Life is great.

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:

The big issue of why I see guys not wanting to retire is after being married so long, they don't want to spend 24/7 with their wife.....

Seriously, that IS a factor. Not so much in my case as I worked part time for the last 3 years (all I could find at that age...) so it was more gradual.

But for guys that work(ed) long hours, suddenly being home 24/7 can require some adjustment. The Mrs. has been doing things her way for XX years and may not find your "help" or "suggestions" particularly useful.

Tread lightly...

quote:

Originally posted by MNSIG:

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:
I plan to work until I croak.

Not sure I'll practice until I croak, but I'm no hurry to quit either. After 25 years, I feel like I'm at the top of my game and enjoy what I do. I understand that other occupations place much higher physical demands on aging bodies and being an employee instead of the boss has the potential to suck. Both are good reasons that people want to retire early.

I'm with you guys. I don't see retirement happening until into my 70s as I really have no reason to. I enjoy the hell out of my job, I'm damn good at what I do, it's not physically taxing in any way, and I only work a week on/week off schedule. Hell, I'm semi-retired already. Only problem is that the week on is 24/7 call. Otherwise, I can pretty much do what I want when I want now and still get a paycheck. Why change?

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:

quote:

Originally posted by MNSIG:

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:
I plan to work until I croak.

Not sure I'll practice until I croak, but I'm no hurry to quit either. After 25 years, I feel like I'm at the top of my game and enjoy what I do. I understand that other occupations place much higher physical demands on aging bodies and being an employee instead of the boss has the potential to suck. Both are good reasons that people want to retire early.

I'm with you guys. I don't see retirement happening until into my 70s as I really have no reason to. I enjoy the hell out of my job, I'm damn good at what I do, it's not physically taxing in any way, and I only work a week on/week off schedule. Hell, I'm semi-retired already. Only problem is that the week on is 24/7 call. Otherwise, I can pretty much do what I want when I want now and still get a paycheck. Why change?

I think that is great as well! Based on older threads, you’ve both worked hard to get to where you are and if you enjoy it, great!

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:

The big issue of why I see guys not wanting to retire is after being married so long, they don't want to spend 24/7 with their wife.....

One of the telco sites I was in, electronic tech is in his early 70s and pretty chatty - he told me the reason that he came back to work (un-retired) was he realized that he had too much time on his hands and was probably going to die early.

I expressed my surprise, he said "My wife told me if I don't get the heck out of the house she was gonna kill me!"

I'm about 14 months away from pushing the retirement button. I can't imagine how I could possibly be bored with all the unfinished projects I've accumulated. It'll probably be tough to find time for trips to the range but I feel like I'm up to the task.

My goal is 52. That’s when I can retire on my full police pension. I’m working on saving as much as I can on top.

I retired as soon as I made 59 1/2 . No regrets . Yes , my income dropped like a rock , but it's not about money . My stress level went from a 10 to a 2 . I got a part time job at my son's company for a few hours a day and I volunteer at the Food Bank every Thursday . I'm content .

I'm retiring next year. I am 49 now. We just bought a house in Tennessee. After 23 years in le in California, I cant wait!

Make sure you will have health insurance, as Medicare does not kick in until you turn 65! We're in good shape for coverage, Medicare and TriCare, thankfully we don't use it much.

A lot of pals work for local LE agencies, they have great health coverage but lose it when they retire. If a spouse has insurance thru work they're OK, but otherwise they pay a whole lot.

Yeah, this is slightly off topic, but it's a critical part of the retirement plan.

I retired from the Army at 39 with twelve years of Navy service and ten years of Army service.

I was a staff engineer and took an early retirement and severance package during a merger of corporations when I was fifty-three.

I managed a service center, customer call center, and credit & collections department. I accepted a severance package during a corporate downsizing when I was fifty-five.

I was a Realtor until I retired at fifty-eight.

I got bored and sold luxury brand cars until I retired at sixty.

I was a consultant for a law enforcement agency until I retired at sixty-five.

I am now seventy-one and volunteer at a private gun range as a range safety officer and instructor.

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
The big issue of why I see guys not wanting to retire is after being married so long, they don't want to spend 24/7 with their wife.....

Seriously, that IS a factor. Not so much in my case as I worked part time for the last 3 years (all I could find at that age...) so it was more gradual.

Eh... *shrug* We haven't found it a problem, but we each have our own interests. Where they converge: Great. Where they do not: Also great. We see more of each other than we used to, but not so much so as we're getting on each others' nerves.

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
But for guys that work(ed) long hours, suddenly being home 24/7 can require some adjustment. The Mrs. has been doing things her way for XX years and may not find your "help" or "suggestions" particularly useful.

Tread lightly...

That works both ways.

When I retired it seemed only right that she got to retire, as well. So I took over many of the more mundane tasks she used to do that don't require much in the way of skill. (None at all, actually.) Vacuuming, dusting, litter box cleanup duty. Stuff like that.

Now she's from Europe, where cannister vacuums rule. So she's always bought cannister vacuums. I grew up with uprights, which are more common/traditional here in the U.S. So when I took over that job, I tried working with what worked for her. Hated it. So now I'm getting it done with a Shark upright. Two or three times she's started up with "If you were using a cannister..." Finally I said "This is my job, now. Please let me do it in the way I like to do it." She finally conceded that, if I'm going to be expected to do it, I ought to be left alone to do it in the way that suits me best.

I don't dust the way she does, either. But she did concede there were advantages to the way I do it, too.

We're happy, and still love one another six months into retirement, so...

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund:
Make sure you will have health insurance, as Medicare does not kick in until you turn 65! We're in good shape for coverage, Medicare and TriCare, thankfully we don't use it much.

A lot of pals work for local LE agencies, they have great health coverage but lose it when they retire. If a spouse has insurance thru work they're OK, but otherwise they pay a whole lot.

Yeah, this is slightly off topic, but it's a critical part of the retirement plan.

It is a valid point. I have some plans and options for that as well. Ultimately, my goal is 55 but it may be closer to 59 1/2.

The wife and I are planning for that as well.

I retired a couple years ago at 64 and love it. Not having to do anything particular at any particular time is something I love. Staying up late and sleeping late is no problem. Going to the range on weekdays is a big plus. Stress level went way down as did BP. I married a you girl who is only 60 now and will be probably working another 6 years and that is how I get my health insurance. I won't withdraw from my IRAs until I have too. I don't get bored as there is always something to do, if I want to, and take as long as I want to. Going to get a performance car probably next spring and trying to decide what to get and researching that now. Been a long time since I had a nice car for myself and looking forward to it.

One month to go for me.

While I doubt I'll be bored, my view is "so what?" It's our retirement and if we feel like being bored, it's because we feel like being bored.

A retiree from my outfit went "cold turkey." 30 years of shift work, TDYs, call-outs, and the like... to 24/7 with his wife.

I called his "hard line" a few months after he retired (cell number was acting up.) Wife answered. No, he wasn't home... but "Dennis, you've GOT to get him the <expletive> out of here. He's driving me <expletive> crazy." This from a Sunday-school teacher. Apparently he was being very... helpful in her home-based business.

Two weeks later, she tells him they're going our for dinner. Just them. Nice restaurant, dressed up, good bottle of wine. Time for a "grown-up" talk. Summary? He's getting a job. Or a volunteer gig. Or a hobby, a time-consuming hobby. Or a freakin' girlfriend on the side. She didn't care which, but his ass was getting out from underfoot a few days a week.

Apparently. semi-retirement suits them BOTH better.

quote:

Originally posted by DennisM:
A retiree from my outfit went "cold turkey." 30 years of shift work, TDYs, call-outs, and the like... to 24/7 with his wife...

My already retired pals made it very clear that I when I retired it was essential to give my wife space or stay out of her way, whichever worked better. She had been fully retired for about five years before I retired and had the house to herself every weekday.

Between the shootin' range and other activities, I've stayed out of Mrs. Sigmund's way the past year, except when we're on vacation together. So far it's worked.

I get bored often. A nap usually fixed it

quote:

Originally posted by grumpy1 Stress level went way down as did BP.

Lower BP is something I'd appreciate. Mine is typically 20 points higher at work than on a day off. Not that anything bad is happening there, just the nature of the business. Obviously, my overall fitness and cardiovascular health don't change on a daily basis to account for the difference.

I get 6% each paycheck put away. im in my 20's so is that a good amount to be saving in a 401? I also get retirement after five on my currant job, close to full after 20 years.