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Posted: 1/27/2021 8:05:37 AM EDT
Going to a viewing today for my buddy's wife, she was only 62 and despite being financially able to do so, just wouldn't retire from a high stress job.
You are not promised tomorrow. My plan is to retire at 60 and do what I want to do. |
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I agree. If you are financially secure do what you want. If that's working fine. But if you don't like your job quit. Heck, if you NEED to work be a door greeter if it makes you happier. Forget the money.
I retired at 42. 23 years ago. Yeah, I left a lot of money on the table and sometimes wish I worked a few more years but honestly I've had a life most dream of. |
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62 and retired for a full year now.
Finances are fine. I'm wanting to go back to work , I'm getting too lazy. |
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Retired in 2019 at 59.9 years old. Don't wait. You think you are gonna live forever? Good friends wife died of ALS before she could enjoy retirement.
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We are 67/62 and retired MANY years ago. I quit "working" at 50 and finally sold out @ 55. BEST thing we ever did. Now we travel and shoot matches. Now we piddle at an outrageous rate. Now we laugh and play with the Boxerdog. Now we smell ALL the roses. Many people I knew in my business life literally died at their desks. Not us. Do I make the kind of money I did when I was working? No. Do I need that kind of money now? No. We were blessed with a conservative view with respect to our finances and it has paid off handsomely for us. Having zero debt when we retired was a key part of our plan. Wife just got a new ride. Paid cash. I can't imagine how people can even consider retiring with debt. So far for ME Medicare has been fine so far. I don't get a choice in the matter. Wife will get her SS beginning in May and she could care less about it. Just gas money for the motorhome I guess. We made enough on Shell in the last few months to live for a year. Didn't need the money but I've always been an active investor.
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Quoted: 62 and retired for a full year now. Finances are fine. I'm wanting to go back to work , I'm getting too lazy. View Quote That's what I'm worrying about as well.... financially I can retire with 60 but I already know that it will get boring pretty soon. Always an option to run your own business and do what you love to do.... (Gun store, restoring old cars, whatever it is) |
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I'm 56. I plan to retire in 6 years and sail the Carribean. I just had a friend die at age 53. Pancreatic cancer and a stroke. At least he got his boat last summer and got to spend a good bit of time on the lake. His funeral is today.
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I'm 46, could probably go in my mid-50s....but I absolutely love the hustle. I'm lucky that i like my career I guess.
Maybe my outlook will change in 10 years. I'm sorry about your friend, OP. I hope all that loved her have some comfort. |
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I just got a promotion, goes into effect Monday. Changes my retirement date from 60 to 53. Going from hourly to salary, I'm going to loose a lot of money but it bumps my retirement up a lot. The other plus is the IRS is not going to love me quite so much I guess.
A lot of guys I work with don't make it more than 5 years out of retirement before kicking the bucket. I've quit going to the funerals, its too depressing. |
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I'm 60....semi retired for the last 10 years. Working out pretty good. I'll keep the one job I like that has outstanding bennies(full health for family) and this will be the last year I even do a bit of construction. Bank enough on a couple jobs to pay the insurance for the year.
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Did she enjoy her work though?
Some people get to a point where work is what gives them the most joy in life, or at least the most meaning. If they want to die doing it, then that's fine. |
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My supervisor at my last job. Worked 37 years until he was 59. He could have retired and moved on at 52. He retired on December 31st. Died January 16th. Never even got to see his first retirement check.
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Lost too many friends who were under 55.
I decided I was done last year and bailed. Best decision ever. |
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I really think it depends on the job or your career.
My dad and his dad retired at 55, tough, high stress jobs in the oil field. My maternal grand father, worked until 6 months before he passed away (FU Monsanto) but he owned his own shop and had two guys doing all the work and his buddies would stop by during the day to hang out. So, it really wasn't work for him and it allowed him to get out the house away from my crazy grand ma for a few hours. |
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I pulled the plug at 50. Best decision I ever made. I'm literally living a second childhood and I don't have to listen to anyone, except my wife.
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55 now targeting 62 but want out so bad. Not that the work sucks but I just don't want to have to be here every day. The industry I work in is in a down trend and if they keep cutting people and funds I may be out earlier anyway. I have been tempted to go to my boss and offer to go half time so long as I can keep my benefits. I think I could financially swing it. Could probably do some consultant work to make up money if I needed to.
I think we are good financially but inflation scares me a bit. |
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Last day worked...12/16/1996 age 52. State retirement plan, social security, and investments provide income. Wife retired under similar circumstances 6 years later. Life is good.
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The tough part, of course, is not knowing how long you are going to live. If you are one of the rare few to have a pension with a COLA and perhaps medical, then sure, that helps a lot with the uncertainty, but other folks have to estimate their life expectancy (and perhaps their spouse's) when planning that date.
I think about this issue a lot now. I'm close enough to do it, or probably not far, but could easily work another 10 years. That's 10 more years I am saving at peak income rate, 10 more years of delaying an annuity without a COLA (for a higher monthly payment), and 10 more years of not pulling funds out of other investments, allowing them to continue growing instead. If I knew I'd be dead in 10 years, I'd obviously retire ASAP. Probably the same for 20 years...but most folks don't like to think about their own mortality, let alone factor it into their planning. I suppose we all suspect we could be dead tomorrow but simultaneously hope to last until we are old, gray, and in a rocker on a porch, complaining about the government full time. Get off my lawn! TL;DR: Fuck if I know when I'll do it...but cheers to those who have! |
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If I cashed out the business I could CoastFIRE today and in 15 years I could be retired at 45. It does sound tempting. Go feed a machine in a factory for 15 years for $24/hr + benefits. Maybe even pick up a pension along the way. No more employee headaches or dealing with customers.
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I'm so torn over retirement... i was going to retire this month...decided to postpone it another 3.5 years.... i really want to go out... it's not been worth the headache for a very long time...
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I'd love to retire, but figure I have somewhere between 4 and 8 years to go, depending on a couple of factors.
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I functionally retired at 49. I kept working but only part time and I was able to do exactly what I wanted to do, when I generally wanted to do it.
Candidly I also made more money per year doing the PT consulting/SME work than I did in the prior 5 years, between .mil retirement and moving on to the SME work. Those 5 years, 2002-2007, were good and I had a lot of latitude to develop my own initiatives but I was averaging about 12-15 AOR trips a year which burnt me out. The Consulting work allowed me to pick all of my fights and the level of effort I put into them. Very satisfying work and I'd like to think I made a difference. I've been blessed like that. |
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I'm retiring this summer to enjoy life. It's hard walking away from what I'm getting paid but I'm willing to sacrifice money for more time. The problem is that you think you have time. You don't. Time has us. |
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I could retire now at 41 and the bills will be paid, so this thread is relevant...
It’s nice knowing that I could toss the boss a bird or two and roll, but it’s also nice knowing that the money from working is 100% toy/“oh shit!” Fund. We’re looking at upgrading our 6 acres to ~20, so I’ll hang in for a couple more years. Besides, the men in my family die at exactly 79 so there’s plenty of time |
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I would retire today if I could afford the health insurance. How are you retired guys handling the costs of insurance?
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My mom worked 49 years. Mostly she loved her job, but also she came from an era where you saved for retirement and that she did. She saved and earned a great pension. Then promptly upon retirement she was diagnosed with Stave IV cancer and proceeded to suffer for the subsequent 3 final years of her life.
Plan. Save. Live |
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I plan on hanging it up in my early 50's
I am 39 now, so I am planning on 12 to 15 years of the grind before I give it up. I suspect I will work in some capacity, probably with a side project or small business. |
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Wife will retire end of February at 60yo. My countdown clock says 1395 days before I can go at 56yo. We have been planning for it and should be fine.
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62. Retired last March. Would have stayed longer if the work was still enjoyable - it wasn't. This rates up at the top as far as best life decisions. Same advice as others, do it if you can. If you are younger, pack it away so you retire one day.
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My wife’s department chair is a big famous name in her field, and she had worked a lot longer than she needed to. Finally, last year, she decided she would retire, so she and her husband could finally spend lots of time together and enjoy retirement ... instead of her just working all the time. I’m guessing she is around 70.
Then, two months before she was set to stop working, her husband got sick and died. Now, she literally has no idea what to do, and is just continuing to work, since she’s got nothing else to do. It’s incredibly sad. |
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I've been retired for 16 years now. My only job has been gutting and renovating the 1953 house we now live in. A couple of side jobs here and there, just enough so I could make contributions to my IRA's. it has been great.
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Quoted: My wife’s department chair is a big famous name in her field, and she had worked a lot longer than she needed to. Finally, last year, she decided she would retire, so she and her husband could finally spend lots of time together and enjoy retirement ... instead of her just working all the time. I’m guessing she is around 70. Then, two months before she was set to stop working, her husband got sick and died. Now, she literally has no idea what to do, and is just continuing to work, since she’s got nothing else to do. It’s incredibly sad. View Quote That's extremely sad. |
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Quoted: Going to a viewing today for my buddy's wife, she was only 62 and despite being financially able to do so, just wouldn't retire from a high stress job. You are not promised tomorrow. My plan is to retire at 60 and do what I want to do. View Quote This is something I'm thinking strongly about right now. I just have to figure out what is the retirement sweet spot for my wife and me. She's 42, I'll be 48 in June. We have a 5 1/2 year old son. My current target is retire at age 57. However, we might be able to do it earlier. Such a frustrating process! |
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Quoted: I agree. If you are financially secure do what you want. If that's working fine. But if you don't like your job quit. Heck, if you NEED to work be a door greeter if it makes you happier. Forget the money. I retired at 42. 23 years ago. Yeah, I left a lot of money on the table and sometimes wish I worked a few more years but honestly I've had a life most dream of. View Quote Attached File Attached File |
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man this post and a lot of replies are depressing but it really makes you think. Im 32 and I want to retire now.
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This thread is depressing.
I don’t know many people that can afford to retire as early as so many of you. |
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Biggest concern is knowing if you have enough to retire "comfortably". Hard to figure that out. Its probably a bit of a gamble
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