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Woo-hoo! And every day is Saturday!

Except Sunday!

If I had unlimited funds, I suppose that retirement would be something to look forward to. Traveling the world, doing everything I've always wanted to and not having to budget it in.

But...I don't and never will.

Thankfully, I enjoy what I do and I have plenty of time off to play. So, as long as my mind is still up to snuff, I plan of working until 70ish. I'll reevaluate it then.

Retirement now, at 53, or even in a few years, doesn't interest me. I get bored easily and can't afford to jet off to a Greek island for a few weeks to relieve the boredom. So, I work, take a week off, work, take a week off, etc.... I can't complain. But I do.

Retired 5 years ago. Turned 70 two weeks ago, started a new job last week.
Can't seem to make up my mind!

The thought of people waiting until 60 and beyond before having the time and money to do the things they've always wanted to do depresses me.

After working weekends, Holidays, Birthdays, second or third shift, I retired in the summer of 2003, and later moved to a warmer climate. I've traveled cross country via motorcycle the past 10 years.

Work? Job? Nope, I don't need that shit.

My plans are to work for 2-3 more years, depending on what the wife does. Health is good, really no reason to hang it up now, going to day shift soon. Looking forward to that.

7 years retired now and no regrets. I worked for the same family owned company for 41 years and loved my job right up to when the new HR hire made my days miserable. Thank goodness I was saving and investing for retirement for years so I pulled the plug at 63. The last few years I've been fighting health issues and I'm glad I don't have a job to worry about at the same time.

Jim

I am currently 43 and aiming for financial independence at age 57. I'm not sure that I ever want to fully "retire" but I sure as hell want to have the freedom to become work optional as soon as I can.

Retired from the Sheriff's Office the first of this month. New Sheriff coming in in Januaryplanned to clean out command staff anf I'd rather go out on my terms...so...

The Mrs. and I just got back from our first ever trip in the motorhome (went to the site of the 1874 Adobe Walls batle in Texas).

She still has a contract post office and rural mail route and I'm helping out by doing the route part. I just can't run it doing code with reds and blues...

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Had that same O. R. dream.... Smile

Had a discussion about these recurrent dreams of frustration in my men’s group. Someone had read that only responsible people have such dreams. It’s a curse I guess.

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Originally posted by sjtill:

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Had that same O. R. dream.... Smile

Had a discussion about these recurrent dreams of frustration in my men’s group. Someone had read that only responsible people have such dreams. It’s a curse I guess.

I agree. I guess you don't outgrow it.

RMD

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Originally posted by rduckwor:

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:

quote:

Had that same O. R. dream.... Smile

Had a discussion about these recurrent dreams of frustration in my men’s group. Someone had read that only responsible people have such dreams. It’s a curse I guess.

I agree. I guess you don't outgrow it.

RMD

I was asked to come back for a lecture series to the incoming resident class earlier this year (retired in January), and caught my wife out of the corner of my eye across the room giving me hand signals that I interpreted as "I. Will. Kill. You." Remarkable how you develop those interpretive language skills with age and leisure time.

I retired in September 2005. 13 years ago this month. You couldn’t pay me to go back to work. The freedom to do what I want when I want is priceless.

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Originally posted by wingspar:
The freedom to do what I want when I want is priceless.

This seems to be the heart of the matter for me. I loved my job, but couldn't really keep doing it. Now, retired, I can take whatever work I want. And I do. To all the young people, plan ahead. Doing this and saving/investing made the financial question a non issue. Money wise I could have left earlier.

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Originally posted by mlazarus: To all the young people, plan ahead. Doing this and saving/investing made the financial question a non issue.

I don't think it is ever a non-issue with a self funded retirement. It's kind of like pistol magazine capacity. How much is enough? You can always come up with a scenario where your chosen number works and others where it is short. Calculate to 80? 90?? 100??? What if inflation or ROI are a couple percent off of your calculations? Any of those variables can throw your plan off by A LOT. Despite having a fairly good chunk in savings, I doubt I'll ever be truly comfortable walking away. I'll do it, but work stress is likely to be replaced to some extent by investment stress.

The problem with retirement is................

You never get a day off!!!!!!!

Been retired for a year, it doesn't suck.

I retired from a full time career in law enforcement ten years ago this last June. My how time flies! Being in my mid-50’s, I still felt the need to utilize the expertise I’d developed over the previous 34 years I’d spent involved in the criminal justice system. I obtained my private investigator’s license and have provided investigative and expert asssit to indigent defendants in criminal cases as a court appointee.

I find it just as stimulating working for the defense as I did working for “The People”, and I have no problem maintaining the standard of integrity that I was sworn to in my previous career. With my “maxed out” state retirement check and the compensation I receive from the courts, my wife and I have traveled throughout the US, Canada, South America, Europe, Scandinavia, and (earlier this year) the South Pacific.

Within the last couple of months, we’ve fled the People’s Republic of California, to the free state of Arizona. There’s still a demand for my services as an expert in CA and much of my work can be done from my our home, but I’m finding it more problematic to travel there and I’m enjoying the time I have to explore my new territory. It’s nice taking each day one at a time and not committing to as many cases. To all those who say the sacrifices made working as a LEO (time away from home, long hours, night shifts for YEARS, and lousy morale) aren’t worth the reward of a GREAT retirement after thirty or so years of crap, I’d respond that (for me) it was well worth it!

I have "retired" twice: once at age 42 from 20 years in USAF; and again in 2006 after working 26 years for a major semiconductor firm. I was right at age 69 when I retired the second time and had no desire nor need to rejoin the work force. I'd been fortunate enough to accumulate enough savings and retirement benefits that I was fairly well set financially, and I'm able to make several tourism trips every year. I'm approaching age 81 and I intend to continue traveling until my health no longer permits it. For the most part, my travels occur during the summer, because I participate in several activities that take place every week during the school year (although I do occasionally take a break from those if a really good travel deal comes up).

In the past I've made a number of fairly long auto trips, driving by myself (I never married) all over the country and into Canada. At my current age, I am less comfortable with making long auto trips alone, and last September I talked my 30-yo nephew to accompany me on a month-long 8000-mile trip. From now on, I suspect most of my travels will be packaged tours, with plane or train travel from and to my home. I do still drive, so some shorter trips may still be by auto.

Retirement is great! Enjoy it if/when you can!

flashguy

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Originally posted by MNSIG:
How much is enough?

For my wife and I that magic number is $2 mil. That should do. We'll see.