With Retirement getting closer, I look at the world differently

Janderso

Jeff Anderson
H-M Platinum Supporter
Joined
Mar 26, 2018
Messages
8,352
I am only 61 but I can see the brass ring.
As my wife and I watch our assets grow and our debts shrink, It is beginning to sink in. I am going to retire soon.
I turned 55 about a month ago so I know 65 will be here soon.
I am making plans to improve my shop. I may even build one next to the garage.
We have decided to do some traveling while we can still get around pretty good. She likes travel more than I do.
Heck, flying to London and spending a week sight seeing could pay for a nice refurbished Bridgeport. I would rather have the iron.
I will miss the paycheck but I am working on acquiring while I am still working. I may work part time down at the local hardware store for my consumable expenses.
I get to work earlier and leave earlier to make up for it :)
They still love me at the dealership but I am not as stressed out as I use to be. When I had one son in College and the other in Vocational school, stress was high.
Life is short, enjoy each day.
 
I'm in the same boat. Retirement around the corner. My colleagues keep asking me if I will be bored. Meanwhile, I don't have enough time for my hobbies and sporting activities. BTW, I think you underestimate the cost of the London trip...think new Bridgeport with CNC.
Robert
 
I'm in the same boat. Retirement around the corner. My colleagues keep asking me if I will be bored. Meanwhile, I don't have enough time for my hobbies and sporting activities. BTW, I think you underestimate the cost of the London trip...think new Bridgeport with CNC.
Robert

That would explain why she never shares the cost of the trip. She always says, “ Don’t worry about it, the trip is paid for”.
Grrrrr.
I can’t complain, my wife is a retired Assistave Technologist in Education. She is highly respected in her field and has a consulting business. She certainly has a right to do as she pleases.
 
I will miss the paycheck but I am working on acquiring while I am still working. I may work part time down at the local hardware store for my consumable expenses.
Yup, me too. Two years for sure, probably 4 to be sure of finances. Can't wait. The way I have always looked at my job has been different than many I know. There are people I know at work, and in town, who are scared or nervous about retirement, and not the MONEY end of it. I feel sorry for them. Those that have little in their lives outside of work are the ones truly disadvantaged.
I get it, I do. Many people have devoted so much of their lives to their livelihood, that they have lost track of the difference. My grandfather was a prime example. Dead at 57, to a stress related heart condition. 100 percent work related. I made a promise to myself a long time ago, to not let that happen to me.:big grin: I will not be able to tour the world on my pension, but I look forward to seeing what I can afford.
 
I'm trying to retire, but that isn't working out so well. I'm just as busy now as I was when I was working. Pesky customers just won't let go. :) Then my son retired from his job, bought more equipment & moved it into my shop and forced me to work even more. :grin:

I was looking forward to just puttering around in my shop and posting on HM, maybe someday. :rolleyes: Not to interested in traveling, I spent 20 years living on airplanes and in hotels traveling the world so I'm pretty much traveled out.
 
I love retirement so much I decided to go early at 62.
Hate traveling but love the destinations, all the unadulterated bulldust you have to go through to get anywhere takes the shine off.
In my humble opinion you need more than one hobby else its becomes samo samo and you get bored.
Two blokes retired with me, ones dead (drink) and the other lasted 6 weeks before he went back to work again. Huh!
I have no feelings of working ever again but I will be slowing down.
 
Savarin, I don’t know how it is in Australia, but here, health insurance or the lack of it is financially crippling.
I would go out in a few months at 62 also but I need to wait for Medicare and the supplemental insurance at 65.
By the time I get to 65, they may increase the age. If so, I’ll eat it for a while.
65 is my goal.
I can’t imagine getting bored in my shop but I don’t have time to spend much time tinkering.
I’ll bow to your wisdom. I’m sure my wife has plenty of ides for my retirement days.
 
I retired at 69 and that was 5 years ago. My wife, 14 years my junior, retired a few months after I did. Our health insurance premiums run over $14K a year. With six more years to go before she is eligible for Medicare, it is a major concern of ours.

As to what to do with my time, I face the same issues as many of you. One of my main reasons for wanting to retire was that, between work and home projects, I was 150% overbooked and was getting to the point where I begrudged any intrusion on my time. Retirement has eased the crunch somewhat but there is still a long list of projects demanding my time. Slowly, they are getting marked off but health is declining as well so they don't get done as quickly as they used to.

I don't regret working as long as I did. My work was satisfying and I looked forward to going into work each day. If there were any regrets, it would be that I didn't realize how quickly health would go south. We did take a six week trip to Europe in 2014. That was my last trip abroad and another isn't likely unless someone from my wife's family passes. Nowadays, a few days away is about all that I can deal with.

If the choice between earlier or later retirement was available now, I would probably opt for the former.
 
Back
Top