# Old Geezers: Did you go through a "I don't want to retire" phase? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 14, 2020, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-geezers-did-you-go-through-a-i-dont-want-to-retire-phase/918107 "2020-08-14T17:01:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![urbanredneck2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/5f8ce5/32.png) [@urbanredneck2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urbanredneck2)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-geezers-did-you-go-through-a-i-dont-want-to-retire-phase/918107/82 "2020-10-13T11:07:53Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > > [@urbanredneck2](#): > > > > Do you still do research or write articles? > > As my post was just above this, I assume you are asking me. I’m writing a PhD level text book (probably for the rest of my life). It will be available on line but never be published in hard copy as that (1) is a pain and (2) will mean I’m finished. > > I’m still working at a much slower pace on some research. A textbook? Can I ask some questions? If it is a “textbook” I assume its meant for the classroom. Does it include questions at the end of a chapter? Are there tests and questions at the end of a unit (several chapters)? Is there a “Teacher’s Edition”? ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-geezers-did-you-go-through-a-i-dont-want-to-retire-phase/918107/83 "2020-10-13T16:13:02Z")
My plan for years was to retire on Boeing’s 100th Anniversary in 2016. This plan took a major hit thanks to my now ex running up thousands of dollars worth of bills when we split. I got through all that and just retired 4 years later than I planned. Boeing’s problems and the Covid mess helped push me out the door. Today is day 12 of being retired and I am loving it. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-geezers-did-you-go-through-a-i-dont-want-to-retire-phase/918107/84 "2020-10-13T17:25:43Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > Today is day 12 of being retired and I am loving it. Oh, I’m so happy for you! I retired suddenly, and thought I’d struggle with the lack of money and productivity. But you know how you suddenly discover you have an aptitude for a new skill? Mine is sitting on the porch (with a dog and a book and a beer). I had a friend who, like you, had to put off his retirement. He was counting on his tech stocks for funding, and as it turned out, 2008 wasn’t the best timing. So he spent an extra five years working, and amassing a huge stack of books next to his recliner. The day he retired, he sat down and picked up the top book… and did nothing else for six months. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-geezers-did-you-go-through-a-i-dont-want-to-retire-phase/918107/85 "2020-10-14T05:59:34Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > > [@jtur88](#): > > > > …and headed straight for South America > > Geographic arbitrage? Or is it somewhere you wanted to live anyway? I wanted to travel as soon as I was no longer constrained by a punch clock ---
**Author:** ![bumble\_ardee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc348/32.png) [@bumble\_ardee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bumble_ardee)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2020, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-geezers-did-you-go-through-a-i-dont-want-to-retire-phase/918107/86 "2020-10-16T02:45:38Z")
Is there anyone here as unlucky as I who’s with a company that sets mandatory retirement at 55? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2020, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-geezers-did-you-go-through-a-i-dont-want-to-retire-phase/918107/87 "2020-10-16T05:34:30Z")
I’m 56, I’ve been retired for almost five months. Fuck work. I always wanted to retire as soon as possible and I did. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2020, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-geezers-did-you-go-through-a-i-dont-want-to-retire-phase/918107/88 "2020-10-16T13:35:26Z")
> [@bumble\_ardee](#): > > Is there anyone here as unlucky as I who’s with a company that sets mandatory retirement at 55? I’m curious, what is your company’s product or service? > [@hajario](#): > > I’m 56, I’ve been retired for almost five months. Fuck work. I always wanted to retire as soon as possible and I did. Eight months here. Fuck work indeed. We need to be working towards a society where everyone can work as little as possible to keep the wheels turning. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2020, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-geezers-did-you-go-through-a-i-dont-want-to-retire-phase/918107/89 "2020-10-16T16:27:59Z")
I’m stuck with statutory retirement at 65. Would vastly have preferred 55. Along with a pay and promotion scheme to make that work. Being expected to make a full living in just 30 years based on what everybody else can earn over 50 needs some compensation planning. ---
**Author:** ![bumble\_ardee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc348/32.png) [@bumble\_ardee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bumble_ardee)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2020, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-geezers-did-you-go-through-a-i-dont-want-to-retire-phase/918107/90 "2020-10-18T23:35:38Z")
Banking, in Asia ---
**Author:** ![TXRebel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6de8d8/32.png) [@TXRebel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TXRebel)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2022, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-geezers-did-you-go-through-a-i-dont-want-to-retire-phase/918107/91 "2022-11-29T17:17:17Z")
I could retire I just don’t want to. My plan is to go to 70. I take a lot of long weekends and get plenty of vacation so really why would I? ---
**Author:** ![TXRebel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6de8d8/32.png) [@TXRebel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TXRebel)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2022, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-geezers-did-you-go-through-a-i-dont-want-to-retire-phase/918107/92 "2022-11-29T17:23:32Z")
I’m old and I still have a ton of hobbies. Plus I volunteer a lot of hours. There is old and there is old. My Dad was old at 50. At almost 66 I skydived this year. Work is a part of my life and I like it. At 70 I think I will leave it and do other things with my volunteer work that I haven’t had the time for. It’s not scary at all. I will just miss the routine and the people but I will be able to deal with that easily. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2022, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-geezers-did-you-go-through-a-i-dont-want-to-retire-phase/918107/93 "2022-11-29T19:51:09Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I am greatly anticipating retirement, which should happen in about two years. I love the patient care aspect of my job (I’m a primary care physician), but the associated bureaucracy involved in doing that job has become more and more burdensome over time. I’m more of a data entry specialist than a physician these days and I’m sick of it. > > I may come back after officially retiring as a high priced consultant, or not. We’ll see. I’ve got lots of other things I like to do, including hobbies I’ve let lie fallow because work has kept me too busy. I’m reflecting on my old post now that this zombie has risen. I wrote that well over 2 years ago, I’ve now been retired for nearly 5 months, and I have absolutely no regrets. I gave too much of myself in my job. NOT to my patients; to them I gave my best, without regret. But giving to the bureaucracy, the hierarchy, the administration is what burned me out. I carried a dysfunctional system on my back for over a decade, to my detriment. And it didn’t fix the system, it just reduced their inclination to make necessary changes. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2022, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-geezers-did-you-go-through-a-i-dont-want-to-retire-phase/918107/94 "2022-11-29T20:54:58Z")
I’m 62. The only reason I don’t retire is my job pays considerably more than I’d make when retired, and they recently renegotiated our contract such that we have considerably more flexibility in terms of hours. I only have to put in 80 hours of my choosing every 2 weeks, and can work up to 12 hrs on any day. So, if I wanted, I could work 4-day weeks. I can work at home most days - but I go into the office (which is 6 mins from home) 2x/week - generally Wednesdays and Thursdays. I get generous leave which I can take whenever my workload permits. So we can take long weekends whenever we wish - our preferred length vacation. And we have the money t spend on them! The ONLY downside is that I have to schedule 6 months out - I just submitted my April 23 schedule. But that is pretty minor once you are used to it. If I want, I can take the entire month of May off - I just need to make up that amount of work over the rest of the year. But if I commit to something next April, I can’t take that day off. > [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I gave too much of myself in my job. Finally - not sure how to put this - but I’ve figured out how to be less invested in my work, such that it does not cause me stress. Many aspects of my work - and the people I encounter/work with - are extremely frustrating. But they are never going to change, so the one thing I COULD change was my attitude. So, as it is, this is very sustainable. Each year I keep working is another year I add to and keep from drawing down investments. I’m able to engage in my hobbies - golf, biking, playing music - pretty much as much as I wish. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2022, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-geezers-did-you-go-through-a-i-dont-want-to-retire-phase/918107/95 "2022-11-29T21:03:16Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I carried a dysfunctional system on my back for over a decade, to my detriment. And it didn’t fix the system, it just reduced their inclination to make necessary changes. I’m glad you have been able to lay down this burden. I suspect that the ones who would have suffered, had you not done this, would have been your patients. The system and those running it would not have suffered one iota. Nor would the system have changed or improved. If these suspicions are correct, then the extra you were giving was also for your patients, in spite of the system, the bureaucracy, and the administration. It shouldn’t have been necessary, but you did the needful, and I salute you for it. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2022, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-geezers-did-you-go-through-a-i-dont-want-to-retire-phase/918107/96 "2022-11-29T21:10:04Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Finally - not sure how to put this - but I’ve figured out how to be less invested in my work, such that it does not cause me stress. Many aspects of my work - and the people I encounter/work with - are extremely frustrating. But they are never going to change, so the one thing I COULD change was my attitude. This. Although the esteemed **QtM** was a senior manager whereas you (I think) and I are worker bees. Fancy worker bees doing fancy work, but worker bees nevertheless. Which makes taking the “Do my job, my whole job, and nothing but my job” attitude practically achievable. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2022, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-geezers-did-you-go-through-a-i-dont-want-to-retire-phase/918107/97 "2022-11-29T22:15:11Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > ou (I think) and I are worker bees. Just making them widgets. A judge on the 7th Circuit (Posner - what an asshole!) once compared persons in my position to “chicken deboners” Kinda thing that really makes you proud! ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2022, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-geezers-did-you-go-through-a-i-dont-want-to-retire-phase/918107/98 "2022-11-29T22:36:40Z")
I haven’t yet begun to geez. My attitude has been, “I want my SS ASAP. Gimme, gimme, gimme!” ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2022, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-geezers-did-you-go-through-a-i-dont-want-to-retire-phase/918107/99 "2022-11-29T22:40:43Z")
I’m 66 and about five months away from retiring, and at times I feel like I can’t even wait that long, as I’m tired of the commute and of sitting at a desk for eight hours a day. And then I switch to feeling a bit panicky, because I haven’t been not working since 1976 or so. A lot of my social interaction comes through work and after I retire my world is going to narrow down considerably. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2022, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-geezers-did-you-go-through-a-i-dont-want-to-retire-phase/918107/100 "2022-11-29T23:02:32Z")
My first paying job was in 1979 when I was 15. My first professional job after grad school was in 1990. I retired in 2020. Every moment of my career was geared towards retiring as soon as possible ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2022, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-geezers-did-you-go-through-a-i-dont-want-to-retire-phase/918107/101 "2022-11-30T00:51:19Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > So, as it is, this is very sustainable. Well, there is sustainable and there is sustainable. Not to be too morbid, but every year you get older is another year where you can quite suddenly drop dead from something. A veritable smorgasboard of potential somethings, undiagnosed or diagnosed too late to make a difference. I knew a pretty healthy and active guy in his fifties who went from flu-like symptoms to dead of pancreatic cancer in approximately two weeks. And the odds just get worse year after year as [your shit gradually gets fucked up](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efl0G4SUdiM) through simple senescence or the baneful sun (or any of a million things you eat, drink or breathe) inflicting some random mutation on your cells. We’re all slowly rolling down hill to oblivion. Jeez, that IS morbid, isn’t it? 😃 It’s just at a certain point you gotta say screw this: > [@Dinsdale](#): > > Each year I keep working is another year I add to and keep from drawing down investments. and concentrate on this: > [@Dinsdale](#): > > I’m able to engage in my hobbies - golf, biking, playing music - pretty much as much as I wish. As long as that balance is working for you, that’s great. You just gotta get yourself to the mindset where you are at ease with pulling the trigger and just going with box #2 when you think that balance is starting to fray. Because IMHO more people wait too long as opposed to jumping too early. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-geezers-did-you-go-through-a-i-dont-want-to-retire-phase/918107.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-geezers-did-you-go-through-a-i-dont-want-to-retire-phase/918107.md?page=6)