I don’t think I’ll ever be able to retire, but if I would do it immediately if I were financially able (I’m 50). I don’t care for my job, I don’t particularly care for working, and I’m much happier when I’m in charge of my own time. I’ve always been content with myself and my thoughts, and very able to entertain myself, though.
I understand not having enough money to retire, or really loving your job * - but what I don’t understand is not retiring because you don’t want to sit at home all day. I don’t get why the only choices are traveling every day or working or sitting at home. I don’t even have any actual hobbies - but I know I won’t be sitting home every day when I retire. There will be non-exotic, inexpensive trips to visit relatives, trips to museums and other local attractions. The only way I would take another job after I retire would be if their were other benefits- like working part time as an usher at an MLB stadium or something similar.
- I once had a job I would have done for free because it was so much fun - but most jobs aren’t like that.
I think people suffer from a lack of imagination when they say that. They extrapolate from lazy weekends and think that’s what all retirement would be.
But I know that for me, my lazy weekends are the result of busy weekdays. I’m not physically exhausted come Saturday morning, but I am generally mentally worn-out. All I want to do is binge-watch mindless programming and stare into space. Going into a boring, lazy cocoon helps me to recharge.
I don’t think I’ll have a need to cocoon myself like this post retirement. What will I be “recharging” myself from?
I retired about five years ago, and I have never regretted it.
I used to like my job. It was stressful, but I was good at it, and I got a lot of positive feedback from my clients. But gradually my job evolved, and I started being given tasks I hated and had no talent for. They moved my department an additional five miles away from my home, so I was driving 40 miles each way. To avoid spending half my day on the freeway, I started working early. I am not a morning person. The last few years at work were torture. I was always in a continual fog of sleep deprivation.
I talked to a financial adviser at my credit union, and he said “You can retire now.” So, I did. A friend had a money guy she really liked. I liked him, too, and I have a decent enough income to not have many worries. Even on the days when I do “nothing” I’m not bored. I have a dog that needs to be walked so I get exercise and keep in touch with the neighbors. Why would I want to chain myself to another job with all it entails just to have a “routine?”
I retired at 59 years old. While I missed work at first, my involvement in a number of activities increased, and keep me fully occupied…or not, if I choose so.
Days are full of interesting things to do, along with the home/vehicle maintenance issues that are part of most folks lives. I would say that I am more active and engaged than many of my friends, but a couple of friends are just as busy.
Keeping mentally and physically active is very important…the folks I know who have decided to be less involved seem to enjoy their retirement significantly less.
Haven’t been bored for the last 18 years!
No, I never “didn’t want to retire.” I’ve always been lazy at heart, and never enjoyed any activity that compelled me to show up and meet some schedule. School and career were tasks I was obligated to do, and wouldn’t have done if they didn’t pay off in some way. Although there were some good times with co-workers and a few interesting projects, I’ve never enjoyed work and would prefer being at home.
I retired last year after 58 years of being forced out of bed to meet someone’s schedule and complete their assigned tasks, whether kindergarten or career. There was never a point in that entire time where I wanted to do it. If I could’ve retired at 6 years old, I’m pretty sure I’d have done so and never looked back.
As to retirement now? Already had 2 firm offers to return to work (and one tentative). All were declined. I’ve noticed when I ask other men about retirement, I get some version of how busy they are. Not me. I have no plans, no need to accomplish, and arise not knowing whether I’ll go fishing today, or play games or binge something on Netflix. I intend to live the remainder of my life similar to my childhood summer vacation – only now I have a driver’s license. 
If it works out for me to retire when my pension kicks in 5 years from now, I’m gone. If I have to I’ll work part time for the insurance, since I won’t be eligible for medicaid yet. I spend time preparing for the coming school year during the summer, but with a few exceptions that isn’t too time consuming. I’m used to having periods of time when I don’t have to do anything. I grew up in the country with no other kids around, so I learned early on how to keep myself entertained.
And even more importantly: a credit card!
Looking forward to my time in that barrel with you.
Think you mean Medicare here. Different beast from Medicaid altogether.
You’re lucky that you can do that. My weekends were always busy doing the chores I couldn’t do weekdays, and I had the advantage of a wife who worked from home and so could do some stuff. A great thing about retirement is doing chores during the week when things are less crowded. We try to avoid stores on weekends (pre-Covid - now we avoid them all the time.)
Yep, that’s what I meant.
The only reason I continue to work is for the health insurance. I work for a large, well-respected hospital system. I can have my heart-double lung transplant for a $250 co-pay. If I could find insurance with this coverage and low cos on the markett, I’d retire in a heartbeat. As it is 96 weeks til I retire. And whenever someone replies in a snarky tone “but who’s counting?” I yell, ME. I"M COUNTING.
Interesting comment about the transplant. When US visitors come to Canada and ask why the h*ll they have to pay so much for cigarettes in this country I tell them “that’s why the lung transplant is free”.
I’m not an Old Geezer (I’m about to turn 49), but my attitude about retiring changed dramatically 11 years ago: for the longest time I couldn’t imagine how I would fill my days if I wasn’t working, but in 2009 I discovered jazz – I’m a singer – and now I know exactly what I want to do after I retire. The issue, of course, is as Oredigger77 says:
Pre-COVID, I spent significant amounts on workshops and lessons (and sometimes gear), plus the cost of going to gigs/shows (to learn, to soothe my soul, and to support others), plus I’m still at the point where even when I managed to get a gig there was no guarantee I’d wind up with any profit after paying the band. Of course, I still have at least 16 more years of working a day job/saving/trying to build a following…maybe I can wind up like panache45:
I’d do that in a second if I had the financial means. What’s wrong with “lazy weekends”?
Kind of like what pullin describes - while I enjoy the social aspect of work and school and maybe even found a couple of projects interesting, there is nothing about my work I wouldn’t give up the second I won Powerball. I’m not really lazy. But at this point in my career, work is basically just a means to pay the bills. I don’t expect to or really desire to become a CEO or start my own company or whatever. I don’t want to do some bullshit “coaching” consulting pretend gig work that a lot of people with my background seem to do. I don’t really have a “dream career”. At best I have some vague ideas like “maybe I should have been an architect” (as in Frank Lloyd Wright…not the kind who design computer systems). Then again, I’m not sitting around in my spare time sketching cathedrals and office buildings.
I’ve made sure that 's not me.
I retired unexpectedly… Oh, that sounds like I got fired. No, I had a financial advisor say “Let’s see, you should retire… now.” So I did, with no warning.
I immediately thought of the guys in our Men’s Group at church who were all retired, all “busier than I ever was when I was working”.
I was pleasantly surprised that sitting on the porch with a stack of comic books and a tiki drink is enough to do. Oh, sometimes I have to wave at a neighbor, but then things get too busy.
I had a number of things I was thinking of doing after I retired, but for various reasons I’ve never gotten around to most of them. Once I got settled in my new digs in NC one of the first things I did was binge-watch (although that wasn’t a common term in 2007) Babylon 5, including all of the commentaries. I have a massive collection of DVDs and books that I had never had time for when I was working, 13 years later I still haven’t gotten through all of them.
We both retired at age 62 with zero regrets then or now. Neither of us has missed the daily grind one bit in the last 12 years.
In two months I’m 65. When I’m 67 I can receive the state pension, but I think, health permitting, I’ll go on driving a taxi, just a few days a week. Both because it is fun and to earn a bit extra money. We’ll see in 26 months.
I wouldn’t be bored but I like my job and I make great money. I get to take off an obscene amount of vacation every year. I’m 63 and I really thought about it but I just don’t see the upside of it for me at this point.