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Retiring early - share your experience! Please!

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Periodic Contributor

Retiring early - share your experience! Please!

I am planning on retiring in April 2018 when I turn 62. I have worked for the same employer for 33 years and am fortunate enough to have a decent retirement. I won't be doing a lot of travelling or buying a new car but I should be comfortable, making a little more than I am working!  I have 3 grandchildren that I really want to spend more time with before Grandma isn't "the bomb" anymore, be a little more involved in my church, and open to other things. But after just taking a week off from work, I'm afraid I will be bored.  I'm so used to having a specific purpose every day; I'm used to being surrounded by great people with lots of laughs (lots of crap too!) and great working relationships.  I am not a highly motovated person and am afraid I'll spend way too much time in front of the TV, especially in the winter months!  I really don't want to work any more.  33 years is a long time to give to one organization. It's now time for ME.  (Besides, I can't keep up with the changes in technology and all the young people around me).  My retirement is all contingent on what Trump does with health care and economy.  I have budgeted a nice monthly sum for insurance premiums but it may not be enough or change over the next three years until I can get on Medicare.  It all frightens me. I'm a single woman supporting myself.  Anyway, would love to get some feedback. Thanks.

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Yes, hold on to your stocks during a crash.  Selling them is the worst thing you can do.  I did that in 2008.  I thought I had it all figured out.  I watched the other markets before the US market opened every day.  I sold everything when the market opened since Asia amd Europe had cashed.  My broker mentioned the trade might not be emmediate.  If he told me the truth that the trade would not go through until market close I might have kept him on.  I lost hundreds of thousands so the firm could make a few thousand on me by bundling my trades until market close.  By then they had lost 90% of their value from when I sold them.  Now I do my homework and I have a pro handle my nest egg. He bails out weeks before the crash.  I just hope he can do it one more time. 

 

Institutions slowly sell off before the crash then dump early in the crash.  They usually buy back double what they sold for half the money then made at market close. That is usually the low for the crash.  They like to be heavy in cash when the market bombs.  They make money on the market no matter wich way it goes. 

 

Our SS ought to be in the market.  There will be enough funds to spend a billion managing the money making it the most powerful institution in the world.  What gets me is the same fools who oppose SS going into the market have their own nest egg in the market.  They are where the institutions make their money from.

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I wasnโ€™t too impressed with calling people who prefer their income in retirement safe vs being invested in the markets etc. I have a distant relative who is a Very Big Fish in the Markets and he oversees all the traders for one of the largest banks in the US and he says itโ€™s a Crap Shoot in a Giant Casino! Perhaps your very well off abut many arenโ€™t and I and millions of others lost our nest eggs in the 9/11 tragedy. I lost over 1 million dollars in one **bleep** day and the rest of it with the last meltdown causing the largest recession in history. I was a Victim for others folly and nearly lost my home twice!  I know you have every right to your opinion but I feel quite different from you because I paid into it all for years and now get nothing. 

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@c341535l, 1882 was a deeper recession than 2009 which was not caused by 9/11 but because the bond market collapsed.  There were too many toxic bonds on the market that all went bust.  What does you big fish relitive do?  Puts his saving in his mattress?  Well that may be the safest place for your savings.  I stay well informed financially and have a very savvy person tending my money.  He has a history of knowing when to bail the market.  That is more valuable than knowing what to buy.  Cash in a bank is not completely safe.  If our economy goes to ruin our debt will kill us so we will need to devalue the dollar a great deal.  Then stocks and realestate are the safe places. 

 

There is no such thing as a sure safe bet.

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Except.... they don't want to reap what they sow. I'm talking about all the cries for means testing. So many cry that"we" can afford to live without SS, while they are in "need" of more, so the government should take our SS away from us and give it to them, who have spent every dine as fast as they could. That is what they want to reward us with for taking financial care of ourselves and living frugally and preparing for the future. 

How does everyone like the story of Robin Hood now, where he takes from the rich and gives to the poor?

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I couldn't agree with you more.  None of this is rocket science as long as you don't try to move your 401k out into an IRA. Yoou out to keep your money in index funds and maybe a well reguarded defensive stock fund. Moving out is actually where the opportunity for real growth is but also that is where you tend to get ripped off.  You need to know your stuff if you head out into the jungle.  Most brokers are more interested in their nest egg than yours.  It doesn't have to be that way but it is.  There are undocumented kick backs to brokerage firms and the brokers for selling many securities.  You can't sell a fund to your client unless it is approved by the brokerage firm.  How much do you want to guess only funds with kickback can be sold.  My wife was shopping for a broker for her uncle since she took over his finances.  I was hoping to find another competent and honest financial guy so we could get our information from more than one source.  I let her do all the talking and I listened and took notes.  Out of the 6 brokers we interviewed only one was looking out for us.  They were proud of their return on investment and how they positioned your investments for the maximum stability and safety.  Everything was specific and in writing.  They had their performance charts which you were given.a copy.  They were hanging them selves if they were lying. The interview was specific and technical.  Those guys left their brokerage firm and didn't bring us a long.  We were left with a 'green horn' and tried to get us to convert his large cash reserve to bonds to 'stableize our account'.  I asked why were bonds more stable than cash.  She didn't have an answer for that but continued to try to make the sale.  I asked her why this was a smart move for us.  She gave us some weak BS and I said the Fed is at 0 interest right now so it can't go lower so we can make money but you are setting us up to lose a good deal of money.  Since you can't come up with any reason why this is good for us but I can see how it is bad for us why push foer the deal?  You must stand to make a lot of money for you and your firm.  I asked he if the bonds she was selling were toxic and she didn't know.  They probably were a mix of poor risk to bad risk bonds.  That is where everyione but the client makes the most money.  We went through a few more highly reputable brokers.  They all tried tio sell us something we didn't want to buy.  None were technical or specific.  Everyone claimed they would make us rich but with no specifics or track records on paper.  Even my wife who isn't all that technical could chase them up a tree.  She got tired and went wiith our broker.  Her friend who had that honest broker got tired of that broker and looked for another.  She saw over a dozen brokers.  Few if any sounded honest to me.  Then she hit on a great saleman.  She had no info what his rate of return was or how he would position her to be safe.  He did have a low cost, like .5% of what she had to pay for a year of service.  He first tried to sell her an anuity.  These tend to pay the biggest finders fee to the broker.  My wife believed me when I said she found the biggest shark in the ocean to manage her money.  She escaped that trap but he sold her long term health insurance which she didn't need and probably a buch of bad investemnts so he could make a few hundredf grand on ther in his first month. 

 

This is all true and the realiity that unless you know what you are doing you will wind up with a pig in a poke for all your hard earned money.  I would say ignorance and being too trustful is the kiss of death for finance. I susplect most of my friends have bad investments.  Most of them have only bonds even though they have a terrible return on investment and are a poor investment.  They are not very safe either.  This century they have learned how to make a bad bond look OK.  Then you sell it rewarding the brogetrage firmaand the broker for getting you to buy thier crap bonds.  Does that sound familiar?  They are likely going to lose their life savings when the bond market goes bust like in did in 2007. You are better off on a CD or US savings bonds.

 

Too many persons love to live beyond their means and that is a real problem.  .

 

Hopefully I may have made a few of you more cautious.

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I knew at the start of my career(s) that I would neither stay with one organization nor would I reach traditional retirement age.  There was just too much traveling to do.  I had work I loved and did well, socked away what I could and have had a long-term relationship with a terrific financial management team, learned that it's easier to reduce out-go than increase income.  I retired at 49.  21 years later I've lived aboard a houseboat (4 yrs) & traveled the rivers of the U.S., lived aboard a wonderful sailboat (16 yrs) and sailed to Europe 3 times (realized that I didn't really want to sail around the world), explored England, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, Eastern Seaboard & Gulf coast of U.S.  Broken hearted when lost it in a storm & a container off a ship cracked the hull like an egg.  On the verge of buying a second river boat ... and the journey continues

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I count myself blessed that I was able to retire at age 55. I worked for the Federal Government for 36 years. I had always planned to work until I was at least 65 years old, but my job had become so stressful that when I turned 54 I told everyone at work that I was retiring on my 55th birthday. Many didn't believe me but when I reached 55 I was out of there and have not regretted for one minute my decision. Also, retiriing gave me a chance to join the greatest group of volunteers ever at AARP.

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@julsm5 Congratulations on realizing that your health is your wealth. 

I wish I could persuade some of my former colleagues--who are still working AND HATING it--to just let it go (work).

Money is not the issue.  A few of them make at least twice what I was making, and we all supported each other in learning and sharing informatiin about ways to maximize our 401k, Roth IRA, and other retirement savings accounts.

They are simply afraid to retire.  They do not have much of a life or an identity/sense of self worth without their careers/profession.

Whenever I occasionally see them, they are always surprised at how "happy" I am.  They have stopped asking me what do I do all day...because I always remind them that I had/have a life outside of work.

Fey Lady
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I was gaining a few pounds every year and never lost any.  I was diagnosed with diabetes and was needing my hips replaced at 50!  I made a decision to live healthier and make an effort to learn about health and diabetes.  I was lucky that my hips were going bad since I blamed both diabetes and my hips to being overweight.  The diabetes medicine helped me with weight loss.  Because I lost a significant amount of my excess weight, I never went on insulin like most did way back then.  As my Dr explained, we were in the dark ages.  We were advised to eat a high carb diet and just avoid sugar.  Now, we classify sugar as a medium risk carb. We are now supposed to avoid or cut down on high risk carbs such as some potatoes and some rice.  The total carb count is what we are supposed to watch now.  Needless to say, I am healthier now than I was 20 years ago.  I was even able to pick up some more life insurance at a bargain rate not so long ago.  It did take the forever to approve me since I let them go through my extensive health history.  Being a diabetic so long helped my case.  Since I have been very good for 15 years it was likely I wouldn't go to hell in the next 10 years that they are locked in for.  I have an insurance company betting I will live to at least 76.  I also forced myself to learn about finance.  I had just lost a small fortune in the tech bubble burst circa 2000. 

 

In almost 20 years later I am doing great in both areas thanks to knowing right from wrong.

 

There is good reason to fear retirement.  The best and truest fear is once you give up your job there will be no going back.  I have a friend who decided to retire from the federal government. He got cold feet when he was interviewing his replacement. He claimed they were all way smarter than he even though he is a mensa member. He knew I was in and out of jobs and asked me how was the job market. I told him it was worse than a nightmare. That is when he filled me in on his revelation. He told his boss he decided not to quit.

 

When you retire that is likely the last good paying job you will have unless you have skills that are in great demand.

 

You should be happy since you should have no worries. However, once you have calculated that you really donโ€™t need the job anymore, your job stress goes way down.  You can just say no when you are told to do something that has not good end.  Your boss gets caught it the trap of his own making.   I have a typical nasty commute for Washington DC but other than that my job isnโ€™t stressful. If their job is their life, why not let them be?  Remember that your job wasnโ€™t your life so what made you happy might not work for them. Even though it would be nicer to have friends you could travel with it will not be too long before some of them retire.

 

I hope that they are maxing out all their contributions to any tax-free investments. I know you stated they were but my wife who had been maxed out whenever she set up her contributions last, now can contribute more.  Anyone over 59 should be doing that. If you need the money you can just withdraw. Your friends need to find interests outside work. They may not be the one who decides when they will retire.

 

We all can take comfort in we lived a great life when the USA was at its peak. I suspect we are headed for the mother of all disasters. I believe the DOW could hit 30,000 โ€“ 40,000 within a decade. The price to earnings P/E was only been this high once and that was 1929 and it crashed shortly after that. Being so inflated so many years from its peak is bone chilling. This is a great time to be in the market. It is time to get out when people believe the market will continue to rise so there is little to no risk to gambol in the market. I remember when some financial โ€˜expertโ€™ claimed portfolio balancing was a waist of earnings. The tech market is just wide open. If persons did the opposite of that info they would not have lost their shirts like I did. Big losses are a powerful learning experiance.

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Retired at 53, Chemist in industry, stock at 47 year later at 7, 80% drop ,Think they missed ME.!!
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I retired at age 65 mainly due to family needs as my wife who can no longer drive herself needed transportation to doctor appointments and I found it harder to get time off from work for such needs as I was in competition with nearly all my co-workers. So I finally decided to stay home and applied for retirement. I was old enough to get Medicare, So a major hurdle was cleared, health insurance. I also realized that it was time to retire anyway as I was beginning to have health issues of my own. Also the workplace was changing as such that I no longer felt I belonged there. Sure I missed the public contact and my fellow co-workers. But the pressures of the job were getting increasingly difficult to adjust to. So it was a relief to retire. And a joy to stay in bed in the morning listening to the younger neighbors of ours go to work each day and not having to join them. Now I could go shopping during the weekdays instead of weekends. And I could take a day trip out of town to shop or visit. One adjustment was not having to schedule doctor's visits just on my regular day off from work. Everyday was Saturday from now on!

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2nd day of retirement at 64..not sure yet...have many "To-Do's" before, I can find my own time. Had to move on,  job was killing me stress wise. Spouse is retiring in December...maybe when we are together... this time feels more uncertain.

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@m800369d wrote:

2nd day of retirement at 64..not sure yet...have many "To-Do's" before, I can find my own time. Had to move on,  job was killing me stress wise. Spouse is retiring in December...maybe when we are together... this time feels more uncertain.


@m800369d  Best wishes to you.  Let us know how things are going!

 

 

Life's a Journey, not a Destination" Aerosmith
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I retired from the Air Force at age 44 after 25 1/2 years of service, 10 years enlisted and 15 1/2 as an officer, and have only worked about 6 1/2 years in the last 38.  There are two questions you need to answer before you retire at any age because your retirement won't be enjoyable if you don't.  The first one is, how are you going to live on a reduced income and the second is what are you going to do with all your free time.  During my working years I always set my standard of living at no more than 60% of my military pay so, in effect, I was always living on a reduced income.  My wife and I travelled extensively after I retired and my retirement was never boring.  We made two trips to Europe and two to Hawaii and several cross-country trips here in the States.  She had only been in nine states before she met me and had been in 49 states and 23 countries on three continents when she passed away in 2011.  I quit working completely at 55 1/2 and we lived on just my military retired pay from then until my Social Security and civil service retirement kicked in at age 62.     

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You make great points but sadly most of us don't get to descide.  The current job culture is all about the young not the old.  In the last great layoff in NYC over 60% of those laid off were older than 50.  Once you get out you can't get in because you are too old to hire.  I did manage to secure a job but that was mostly luck but without deturmination, perserverance and going the extra mile I would not have been at the right place and time to have the opportunity to get lucky.

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i think we get to create our own luck/destiny.

 

i know this discussion is about early retirement and everyone on the thread is probably 50+; however, i've noted after reading several posts that many folks settled or got stuck with jobs they didn't want and i have a couple of simple answers to that: (1) find a job you like; (2) reinvent yourself to find the job you like/want.

 

i had 3 career changes in my work history (USMC; Oil/Gas Exploration; IT) and i had to retool/retrain and reeducate for two of them.  i was blessed in that i enjoyed all 3 careers, for the most part.

 

i'm very happy for retiring early and leaving the 'rat race' but primarily because i was fortunate enough to plan my retirement well.  i have few regrets and one of them is that i didn't plan for retirement when i was 25 so i preach to my kids and the grandkids (and to anyone who'll listen) to get ready soon, and the more education the better.

 

i witnessed my grandparents who had to survive on their Social Security and i praise God that i don't.  all my needs are met while retired yet i continue to live under my means, i still save, and i still invest.  i wish everyone well.

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I have reinvented myself 5 times but once you hit 55, I believe your learning skills and intelligence greatly diminish.  I know your IQ is age adjusted.  The adjustment gets larger in your 60s.  Yes, an old dog can learn new tricks but the effort is immense to learn anything significant. Unless you are an exceptional being, you will not be able to train up to a more challenging position.  I am sure all of us have what it takes to be a Walmart greeter.  Is this the job change you had in mind or was it to be a neurosurgeon? If you so enjoyed your job, why did you retire so early?  I know for some of it is you could. 20 years in the military is a huge help. It is nothing you can live on well but it sure makes it easier to make a comfortable retirement with a second or even 3rd career.

 

Me, I will probably work until 70. I actually do like my job and am fortunate I am still smart enough to do the work. Most programmers age out in their 50s. The problem with programming is your mistakes rarely go unnoticed. They show up as bugs that are documented and need to be fixed. On the other hand, NO ONE EVER MESSES WITH A COMPETENT SENIOR PROGRAMMER.   That is what makes a job unbearable. You can even be politically stupid has long as you can keep your operation running smoothly. I have over 100 persons depending that I do everything correctly.

 

It is great to live under your means. That is what we will do. With the stock market doing crazy well and me working well past when I thought I would be retired we are accumulating more money than I ever dreamed I would have. Right now, I am working for my kids. We are leaving them in a terrible place (the US economy), so they will need the money so they will be able to retire with a roof over their heads.  Many indicators seem to suggest an economic apocalypse for the US in 5-10 years. Already, the P/E ratio is the highest it has ever been except for 1929. That it is so high and still at least 5 years from the crash is frightening, if true, so my kids will need that money. The predictions of the DOW peak range from 30,000 to 40,000. The P/E could be as high as twice that before the great depression. The higher the P/E before the crash, the greater the crash so twice that of the great depression is an economic apocalypse.

 

 

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RonMesnard:  I got my first degrees in Chemistry & Math, spent 12 years in immunological & biochemical research.  My second degree (while still working in research) was in Organizational & Management Development and spent 12 years in that field.  During all of this, I wrote & edited scientific & professional papers.

 

So, no, I was never and never expect to be a WalMart greeter.  Yes, I worked jobs that were satisfying, stimulating, and remunerative.  No, I don't agree that our IQ or ability to learn new skills diminishes over time.  Yes, I do agree that hiring companies are short-sighted in not hiring people with more perspective and experience than those straight out of school.

 

I CHOSE to retire as early as I did because I had other plans for my life.  Keeping that in mind, I worked to make it financially possible.  The real advantage I had was being the first-born of parents who expressed no limits in my abilities, going to college at a time when it was still affordable without going into the incredible debt that so many face today, and knowing early in life that living in different cultures was incredibly important to me.

 

I congratulate you on having work that you enjoy and appreciating the responsibility you have.  It sounds as if you may have gone to school at a time when tuition, books, fees, & other expenses were significantly higher than mine.  I believe you're correct that the market is very tremulous right now.  I went through the market crash of 1987, but it rebounded by 1989.  I held my breath for the entire 2 years.

 

I wish you the very best and agree with previous posters that it is crucial to know what you want to do when you retire.  It won't work successfully if the only reason you want to get out of a job is because you're chafing at it.  Again, I wish you the best.

 

 

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Mjl, you have lived as checkered a life as I have. You misunderstood me. I never thought you would become a Walmart Greeter. People who have multiple demanding careers tend not to take menial jobs. Now that I have an idea what they were I am well impressed. The leap from Chem and math to immunological & biochemical research is quite a jump. I was a bio major and a chem minor.  

I completely agree with you that if you opt to retire early you need to think it through carefully. Health and wealth are two important factors. You need to have a good plan for wat you intend to do or the rest of your life.

 

You disagree with the fact that your ability to learn diminishes over time. Why do you think the adage โ€œyou canโ€™t teach an old dog new tricksโ€ exists? It is a fact. I am a computer programmer and saw part of an algorithm to assess your IQ after taking the test. Your IQ is higher at 70 for the same test score at 20. My IQ has actually gone up over the last decade or two.  That is not because I am smarter than I was.  I know I am not.  I am a computer programmer. We are mental laborlores. Most programmers age out in their 50s. This is one profession you canโ€™t BS your way. If your code has too many bugs you are gone. I have written code in my mid 50s that I couldnโ€™t even understand it in my late 50s. If you pump iron daily your body doesnโ€™t atrophy as fast as everyone else your age. The is the same with heavy lifting mentally. I have been losing ability since about 40 but the change has been gradual. This is an advantage of retiring late. You stay younger longer because you are forced to give it all you have or face getting fired. BTWโ€ฆ crossword puzzles donโ€™t help much keeping you sharp. Taking up a new hobby does more to keep you mentally your than crossword puzzles.  

 

Several organs or structures in your brain undergo atrophy as you age and accelerates in your 50s and later. This is why seniors have senior moments. Your hippocampus shrinks over time.  This brings on dementia. Your focus and nerve speed starts degrading in your teens! That is why athletes age out. It is not that they are not strong enough to compete but their brain and body doesnโ€™t react quick enough to beat their competitors. Some gymnasts age out in their teens because they need cat like reflexes. Other types of gymnastics age out later.

 

Fluid intelligence peaks during adolescence. This allows the you to learn new tricks faster and easier.

 

Crystallized intelligence, peaks at 60. This relates to wisdom. You problem solve using past experiences.  This is why judges tend to be old. 

 

I went to college in the late 60s and what is now a 60k+ school was exactly 2K my first year I can remember the sticker shock when it was 2,500!  Education is all about supply and demand.  Even though tuition rose in the 60s and 70s it wasn't until the government invented student loans did the cost of college rapidly increase.

 

I wish you the best!  It sounds like you made the right choice for you.

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Well, I was forced to retire after going through multiple cancer surgeries on my nose.  The company said they had no work for me.  I was a chef in a private school.  I worked there for 20 years.  Do I miss it?  No.  I love Retirement!!!

i love that I can get up and do what ever I want, when ever I want.

I live on Social Security only.  Before my cancer surgeries, I was taking care of my husband, he has paralized on his left side, he had 152 strokes, no kidding.

He had heart surgery, then later he passed away.

  when you think to retire, have something to do, whether it's reading, writing( my passion), working out at a gym with people you enjoy.  Always look on the bright side.  Look for things to brighten up your day- a walk outside even if it's around the block, discover birds, flowers, do puzzles, keep motivated.

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I retired from public school education/administration in 1997 at age 47!  Back then, in New Mexico, full retirement was possible after 25 years of service.  I did 26 years!  I followed my dream to move to a small mountain town in Colorado.  I wanted to supplement my retirement income, so I went to work in retail and also worked for a non-profit for a couple of years.  But the powerful call of teaching was still strong.  I wasn't really "finished" with my career in education!  So I went back to my life-long-love: being in a school building!  I worked several years as an elementary school principal in Colorado, while drawing NM retirement.  I think they call it "double-dipping".  I changed school districts and worked as an English as a second language teacher for school-age learners as well as for adults! While teaching adults in the evenings, I was a substitute teacher at our local high school.  My previous years' experience had all been in elementary school.  I fell in love all over again-this time with high school students and the world of high school education.  It also gave me an opportunity to bond with my new daughter-in-law, who was beginning her career as a high school English teacher.   It took me a lot of soul-searching and doubting before I finally came to the decision that the school building would still stand with or without me, so I finally retired from all of my education jobs/loves at age 66.  Now I spend my time keeping up with my grandchildren, traveling-and still learning-with my husband.  I've rekindled my art skills and am seeking certification in a drawing technique called "Zentangle"  Once certified, I hope to begin teaching again!  This go-round should be at a little less frenzied pace as the title indicates: ZEN-tangle!

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I retired at 60 but not by original plan. Due to recent benefits changes that mandated I retire or face losing healthcare in retirement. Working over 41 years on the job, along with well placed investments, created a portfolio that I was not really not paying that much attention to as far as being able to retire early. Once I was given an ultimatum of healthcare or not, it was discovered that, yes, we could do this!

 

Besides a pension at 60, investments, and an additional Soc Sec benefit at 62, this would allow us the freedom to indeed retire. Once tasting retirement (3 years now) it is so so nice. We now can travel, enjoy hobbies, take relaxing walks which we thoroughly enjoy. We now prepare to visit our college student studying abroad in Paris, France. A big reason for our postion comes from good investments early (for college) and spending wisely.

 

I personally have always loved stopping and enjoying time with family. Twice during my working career I took lesser paying postions which allowed me to have more time at home. The alternative would have been out of town travel, and/or longer work hours. Though a consistent employee who could have earned much more, what I learned from taking lesser pay was how to manage home on less. Very much to my surprise, it got me out of the rat race early.

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I'm 69, professional divorced male and I retired 7+ years ago before I turned 62.  I had considered to work until 65-66 but I was in a rut at work and the upper echelon did not want to promote me further since I was already able to retire at will, and so I did.

 

My exit was not out of petulance. I chose to leave after 25 years as a Senior Systems Analyst and Project Manager, plus I bought 5 years of retirement because of my USMC military service.  My retirement was pre-planned, and 5 years before I retired I executed a debt-free plan that I achieved in 4 years which included upgrading my homestead and retiring all debt.

 

I worked over 50 years, starting at the age of 10, and I still glad I left the 'rat race' to give me more time to my hobbies and 'boy toys' as I see fit.  Being financially stable (3 perpetual income streams plus an annuity from my investment portfolio) gives me the freedom to enjoy life while still healthy and 'young' as I push into my 70's and 80's...

 

As a retiree I have no work-related stressors and I get to smell the flowers everyday while remaining active by traveling, exercising and enjoying several hobbies (golf; boating & fishing; road trips; photo shoots with cameras and/or drone; cross-country motorcycle rides; cruise vacations, etc) and still avail myself to spend time with my kids and my grandkids too.

 

I thank God daily for all my blessings and the opportunity to enjoy each day, hassle-free.  I learned to live under my means in my adult life and I continue to do so in my senior years, always having a financial 'cushion' for life's inadvertent mishaps.  I do believe that there are no bad days, and that it rains on the just and the unjust.

 

My advice to my children and grandchildren is to enjoy life daily but also plan for their turn at retirement so they can continue life with the same standard of living:  live for today and tomorrow too.  Enjoy life on 80% of your gross and save 20% for your tomorrows, and may there be many.

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Honored Social Butterfly


@uechapa wrote:

>>

My advice to my children and grandchildren is to enjoy life daily but also plan for their turn at retirement so they can continue life with the same standard of living:  live for today and tomorrow too.  Enjoy life on 80% of your gross and save 20% for your tomorrows, and may there be many.


Congratulations on achieving a very successful retirement. As you said, that doesn't just happen. It takes planning and work but is worthwhile! I am pretty close to that last day! ๐Ÿ˜€

Life's a Journey, not a Destination" Aerosmith
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Regular Contributor

explain 'respected' social butterfly, please...  ๐Ÿ™‚

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I retired 2 years early.

 

I watched my mother deteriorate in a nursing home, I couldn't watch it anymore. So, financially able, i retired and brought her into my home where she could die in peace, with dignity. She lived just 2 months but she listened to Frank Sinatra, Big Bands and the Beatles. She had root beer floats for breakfast when she wanted it, grilled cheese and tomato soup, popsicles, ice cream, coffee with quadtriple cream, and her favorite Coca Cola one after the other. She was clean and happy. I sleep better today because I think I helped her when she couldn't help herself. 

 

These days I have a wonderful circle of active friends, serve on the board of 2 local non profits one of which focuses on seniors. While a senior myself, I can still advocate for seniors and I intend to keep doing so. 

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Honored Social Butterfly


am54885493 wrote:

I retired 2 years early.

 

I watched my mother deteriorate in a nursing home, I couldn't watch it anymore. So, financially able, i retired and brought her into my home where she could die in peace, with dignity. She lived just 2 months but she listened to Frank Sinatra, Big Bands and the Beatles. She had root beer floats for breakfast when she wanted it, grilled cheese and tomato soup, popsicles, ice cream, coffee with quadtriple cream, and her favorite Coca Cola one after the other. She was clean and happy. I sleep better today because I think I helped her when she couldn't help herself. 

 

These days I have a wonderful circle of active friends, serve on the board of 2 local non profits one of which focuses on seniors. While a senior myself, I can still advocate for seniors and I intend to keep doing so. 


Sounds like you did a wonderful job! โค๏ธ

 

Life's a Journey, not a Destination" Aerosmith
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To am5488... You were able to do a wonderful thing. Too many of us are haunted by 20/20 hindsight. My grandmother suffered from diabetes. My mother would hide all the goodies whenever my grandmother would babysit us. My mother said if she would have known a week ahead when my when my grandmother would have passed on, she would have hidden nothing; at that point, it would have been too late to hurt her and it would have given her one final pleasure that she missed. I think my Mom was right and I feel bad she carried that regret. 

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Good for you and your mom!!! 

It sounds like she had a happy ending in this world. I love that you gave her all kinds of treats she requested. I am a social worker in a nursing home and I struggle with the nurses regarding "healthy food".  My mantra is green beans are not going to save them, let them have treats. You are a remarkable person and helped your mom enjoy her final chapter.

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