I'm self employed 63 years old, so for me I can take off and leave just about anytime I want, as the only time clock is my own, my father in law was a dentist until he was 80 it was his life, not sure if I will retire because I have a had a few months off and after doing all the little projects around, and fishing as much as I wanted I got pretty bored.

I’m retired LEO. Left at 54 with 30 years in (which maxed out my retirement benefit). I haven’t regretted it once, and I don’t ever get bored. It’s been 7 1/2 years now and I’ve never been happier. I’m involved in a couple non-profits that I volunteer with, I sit on a Board for another and all that keeps me as busy as I wanna be. Maybe even a little busier some weeks!
But I understand it ain’t for everybody.

Quit at 74, loved my stimulating work but age does start to impact the cognitive abilities. Glad I knew when to throttle back, I'm busy with lots of projects but in the morning can lie in bed for 5 minutes after I wake up and enjoy my retirement.

Oh, hell no. I retired the month I turned 65, and deferred social security payments until age 70. My wife is younger and was still working.

Recently had two months off recovering from surgery. Thought I'd go stir crazy. Turns out I kind of liked it. But, not ready to drastically cut my income. Was going to work to 67 but I don't think I'm going to make it that long.

When you have your own business you can retire whenever as long as you have the money.No plans for retirement here.

Retired at 61, actually fired, couldn't stand the company after six buyouts. Their way of getting rid of the older guys. Two and a half years I still love not working. Time to relax and enjoy hobbies. Might volunteer soon. Meet new friends.

Good for you if you’re enjoying your work. But have you considered the opportunity cost of you continuing to work? What would you be doing if you were not working that would give you even greater fulfillment than what you’re getting from your work?

I’m going to tell you a story but here’s the executive summary: nobody has ever said on their deathbed that they wished they had spent more time in the office.

I think I mid 30s. I had a wheelchair bound coworker who was with the company 20 years. He also had a cookie store at a mall. He would tell me it only cost him pennies to make a cookie that people pay him a dollar.

Just about every day, he would ask me how much a million dollars would spin off in income at such and such an interest rate. I would dutifully tell him. I could tell he would then multiply the amount I just gave him by however many millions he had. He continued to ask me the same question, I would answer, and I can see the numbers spin in his head.

And then the dot com bubble burst. He stopped asking. I moved to another position in the company. I then heard he got sick. Was hospitalized. And died. He died not even getting a taste of retirement. That was a gift of learning for me. I vowed to have a goal of at least tasting retirement before I died.

I’ve been retired as of this writing for 1,500 days. That’s 4 years, 1 month, and 9 days by my reckoning. As much as I was good at my work and found fulfillment in it, I have been more fulfilled and productive in my retirement. And I got to spend that time doing stuff with my wife. That goal of retiring before my death has been achieved.

My next milestone is to have the number of days I’ve been retired to become greater than the number of days I statistically have left to live. I do keep track of that against the actuarial tables.

Retired at 55. That was 13 years ago. I just have one question for those who continue to work past when they can comfortably retire...

"Are ya nuts?!?"

A huge thanks to everyone that has responded. All responses were thoughtful and serious. This has given me a ton to think about. Rey HRH my wife is asking the same question as you posed

quote:

Good for you if you’re enjoying your work. But have you considered the opportunity cost of you continuing to work? What would you be doing if you were not working that would give you even greater fulfillment than what you’re getting from your work?

The wife and I are going out for a dinner tonight to discuss this retirement thing a bit more. I know she wants to start spending a lot more time with our kids and grand kids.

I will be in a few years and I will continue to work, but my situation is probably different than most.

I’m glad some of you guys like your vocation. I did not choose a vocation, I did what was available. From joining the Air Force to every job after, I did what I needed to in order to support my family. I admit that I make a lot of money in my current position, but I have never had a job doing what I wanted to do. I took what I could to survive and moved up over the years and never really liked it.

Due to that, I am planning on early retirement in 5 years from my current vocation. But, I plan on working in a non paid position indefinitely once I have the financial means. The idea of not having to get up every day to do something I do not like to do is what I look forward to.

I have known a few people who made their job their life and were lost when forced to retire. They had no life outside their vocation - it was everything to them. That is something I cannot fathom, I have a million things I would like to do when I retire. I cannot ever see myself getting bored, being sedentary or missing my current job.

Still working full-time at 72.

I retired from a Colorado Sheriff's Office in 2018 and quickly took up a couple of contract rural mail routes. That sucked. A lot.

When we moved to Oklahoma in '21 I got on as a jailer in the tiny (14 bed) county jail. It's certainly different but for me, it's a great retirement job. Decent pay and the county covers the total insurance costs. I also went through the Reserve Academy at the Undersheriff's suggestion, though I have no ambitions toward doing Patrol at my age (I was too-long retired by six months to fit Oklahoma's reciprocity requirement).

I think it helps me to be here as I have a handle on the law enforcement activities, got to know all the cops and crooks in our new county and I get to tell war stories to the young guys, and that's important to an old man.

I am well beyond retirement age and own my own business. I do not see voluntary retirement in my future. Of course when you get to a certain age anything can happen.

I retired from the Military in 2017, at 42. Decided not to go back to work, haven't looked back. I did own my own business for a few years after retirement, but I was a FFL, so not really much of a job, more fun.

Wife retired from the Military in 2022 at 46. I thought she would go stir crazy and want to find a job. She hasn't looked back either.

We have countless projects around the house, work on stuff together, work on our own projects, work on my guns, work on my cars, homeschool our daughter, travel as much as we can.

Read stories all the time about today's military and work environments. I couldn't imagine working just for the "fun" of it. Loved the Military, so did my wife, but neither one of us give it a second thought at this point in our lives.

There's just too much to see and do out there.

My father's whole identity was his work. He was good at what he did, made a bunch of money. When he couldn't work any more, it made him a bitter, angry, old man since his whole identity was tied up in it. He didn't know what to do with himself since he couldn't physically work any more.

Work after we had the ability to retire? Heck no, not for us.

[/QUOTE]
The wife and I are going out for a dinner tonight to discuss this retirement thing a bit more. I know she wants to start spending a lot more time with our kids and grand kids.[/QUOTE]

This is the only reason you need to retire because tomorrow is not promised and we all have more days behind us than in front of us. When you're working you're missing out on time spent with family and time is one thing that can never be replaced. A guy I worked with loved working but finally retired an two years later he died never having had the opportunity to really enjoy his retirement.

I've got about 12 more years before I can retire, so admittedly the question isn't aimed at me.

That said, my thinking is this: I like what I do, a lot, and probably would continue doing it on a part-time basis if the organization wanted me to. A fair number of the team at work are retirees, and it works well.

I'm a little envious some days -- these guys roll in for a couple of hours, a day or two a week, and do a little of the work-from-home thing. Beyond that, they've got time to spend with family, dogs, and fishing. Sounds like a good plan to me.

I became eligible May 1st to retire and get paid for the rest of my life and wife’s if I go before her.
I am 41 so not sure if you consider that retirement age or not.

If something lucrative comes along at this point I’ll likely take it. If not I will do 4 more doing what I am doing now and move onto something else full time and use my pension to cash flow private High School and College (maybe) for 3 boys.
Then live and save off the full time salary. After the last is out of college or I have enough in the bank to fully cash flow, then I’ll likely do something part time.

I am 41 and eligible to retire (not sure that is considered retirement age), looking at 12 more years of full time work just to overly pad our accounts with some funds.

I am at retirement age, according to my financial planner. But, it seems early to me, even though he assures me that we can make it.

Do I still enjoy engineering work? Sure. But, after 40 years on the job, I have this year seen how being retired would actually be enjoyable.

I think I would continue to work, if it was a job with real public service, even at my early retirement age.

quote:

Originally posted by calugo:

...The challenge of retirement is finding worthwhile activities to replace work. The last thing you can do in retirement is nothing...

What he said. Whenever you retire, keep busy! I loved my job but retired at 66. We're doing lots of traveling (just got back from another Viking river cruise), I shoot every couple weeks, and there's plenty of other stuff to keep me busy.

I worked full time until I was 75. Don't regret it one bit. I owned my owned business and enjoyed getting up every morning and going to work. The best part of my job was the getting to interact with the people. It was not hard work but the industry was changing so decided it was time to sell and spend time doing something else. Don't regret working that long....I do miss the people.

I am enjoying my retirement.....my wife not so much. I'm a little too much under foot.