# I Think I'm Going to Try Retirement for Now **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 1, 2019, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-im-going-to-try-retirement-for-now/836368 "2019-07-01T21:22:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2019, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-im-going-to-try-retirement-for-now/836368/1 "2019-07-01T21:22:13Z")
I was [laid off](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=864838) back in November. I worked a contract job for about six months, and now that Ivylad and I have crunched the numbers, I’m going to try retirement for a while. I would be interested in some part-time work just to keep busy, but if I do it will be local. I’m not driving 20 miles one way to work retail. Part of me feels guilty, like I should get back out there. I still have my career coach and that will reactivate next week. I put it on hold during the contract job. Our mutual funds and IRAs are humming along and I’m not old enough to tap into those yet. For now we’re going to give it a whirl on Ivylad’s disability and W/C income. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-im-going-to-try-retirement-for-now/836368/2 "2019-07-02T02:28:30Z")
Being happily retired for 3 years now, the number one thing you should do is to not feel guilty. We spend so many years on our careers, and we know lots of people still working, so we’ve been indoctrinated into thinking that anyone not busy doing good for the world is a bum - even when our jobs are just jobs. Before I retired I made a spreadsheet of all the stuff I wanted to do but never had time to do. It ranged from the trivial (finally read the inserts of all my CDs) to the gigantic (finish reading the books I have.) So congratulations and you deserve it. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-im-going-to-try-retirement-for-now/836368/3 "2019-07-02T02:40:17Z")
Go for it! If you can, you should. Retirement is one of those things where you will know when and if you are ready. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-im-going-to-try-retirement-for-now/836368/4 "2019-07-02T13:07:45Z")
Part of my concern is Ivylad’s health. If he dies before me AND before I can access my retirement, I will be in a pickle and that gap will be difficult to work into a resume. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-im-going-to-try-retirement-for-now/836368/5 "2019-07-02T13:24:06Z")
I don’t know if this will be encouraging: I retired at 57. Then I got bored. Since 2011, I’ve had 4 jobs, plus a temp seasonal gig. I expected great difficulty being hired at my age, but it never seemed to be an issue. The time between retirement and my first non-seasonal job was over a year. Then between that and the next one was over 6 months. None of the positions paid what I was making before, but none were at the same level, either. At this point, I was working to fight boredom and finance some vacations. So re-entering the workforce post-retirement is possible. Landing a dream position isn’t as likely, but if it’s a matter of paying the bills or fighting tedium, there will be options. FWIW, I’m ready to retire again at the end of this year. We’ll see how long that lasts. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-im-going-to-try-retirement-for-now/836368/6 "2019-07-02T15:50:08Z")
I semi retired several years ago…but ended up owning half a business. I work a few hours a week and make enough money to not feel like my haircuts, manicures and knitting habits are burdensome on my husband’s income, to afford to travel with him when he goes for business, and to be able to go out for dinner or drinks with friends. I do back office bookkeeping in my jammies ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-im-going-to-try-retirement-for-now/836368/7 "2019-07-02T16:07:50Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Part of my concern is Ivylad’s health. If he dies before me AND before I can access my retirement, I will be in a pickle and that gap will be difficult to work into a resume. This seems like a perfect situation for term life insurance. You have a limited timeframe in which a death would have a significant impact on your lifestyle. Get a policy which would allow you to bridge the gap. You can get a multi-year policy, but I think it might work better to get a series of single-year policies. Each year, get a policy which will cover what you’ll need if the death happened in that year. As you get closer to retirement age, the amount of coverage you need will be less. One option to access your IRA early is through [Substantially Equal Periodic Payment (SEPP)](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/sepp.asp). ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2019, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-im-going-to-try-retirement-for-now/836368/8 "2019-07-02T17:54:49Z")
Unfortunately, due to his health, he can’t get insurance. We’ve looked into that. Now, I have insurance, but he doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2019, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-im-going-to-try-retirement-for-now/836368/9 "2019-07-03T19:58:57Z")
Having wished Pullin all the best, let me also stop by here to offer you my best wishes. Just fill your days with fun, that’s all I would say. Now you have the time, use it as well as you can! j ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2019, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-im-going-to-try-retirement-for-now/836368/10 "2019-07-03T21:36:34Z")
Best wishes from me as well. I hope it’s relaxing and works out OK. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2019, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-im-going-to-try-retirement-for-now/836368/11 "2019-07-03T21:44:05Z")
I have a friend who opted into retirement at age 62. She wasn’t ready for it but the recession made finding work in her field impossible. Two years later, companies were begging for workers and so she went back to work and went through the process of un-retiring with the Social Security Administration. She worked an additional three years at full time and then two more as part-time before becoming fully retired again. She’s glad she did as it made her more financially secure and she felt better because she had a chance to pass her knowledge on to younger workers. She now refers to her first retirement as a trial she really wasn’t ready for. It worked though, because it helped her make a plan for the activities she wanted to do when she “really” retired and she is fulfilling those dreams now. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2019, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-im-going-to-try-retirement-for-now/836368/12 "2019-07-03T23:26:14Z")
retirement is fun! Enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2019, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-im-going-to-try-retirement-for-now/836368/13 "2019-07-05T14:11:11Z")
I am enjoying sleeping in. It’s only been a few days, so I haven’t completely relaxed yet.