Retirement - is it great?

[Fitz505 21]

That's just selfish. I remember when I had to pull out a man from a lake a little outside Minsk in -32 degrees celsius. I did not simply pour myself another coffee or vodka. This is stupid!

  Don't want to go off topic, but, how can you possibly compare pulling a drowning man out of a lake in the winter with someone digging their car out of the snow. I hardly think she was going to die from hypothermia, seeing how she was 15 feet from her front door, not to mention she is in her 20's, with a husband and I'm 67 years old. Hell, the guy across the street who was digging his car out was laughing at her and when she saw him, she started laughing.

     Jeez, that was supposed to be a humorous post.

[Ron Attwood 3,465]

That's just selfish. I remember when I had to pull out a man from a lake a little outside Minsk in -32 degrees celsius. I did not simply pour myself another coffee or vodka. This is stupid!

Lighten up. He was kidding. :rolleyes:

I'm very lucky and I acknowledge that. House is paid for as is the car (which will see us out) enough money to do pretty much what we want. The only thing is we've done most of what we want/wanted to do so, no unfulfilled dreams except getting a plane and learning to fly it! 

Apart from my wife insisting we go for a 50 minute walk every day come s**t or shine! :rolleyes: Retirement is good. No, I'm not feeling smug about it, I realise we are lucky.

[MarkW 1,491]

I am still a number of years away from retirement but I am thinking about what I want to do when that time comes.  One thing for sure is that I want to fly some sort of sim, really hope by then we have something fantastic to work with.  In the meantime, need to save and stay healthy!

[Tushka 0]

I understood... everything paid for, only thing left is relaxation. I'm well over 20-30 years from pensioneer, and if I even lived that long. Hopefully, one day it will be as good to be pensioneer here as it's there. As young, we always must work the hardest and hard.

 

And I now know it was joke, just at first, it sounded a bit strange...

[Smoky942 1]

I retired almost seven years ago after working for the best employer in the UK for the last 26yrs. I drove an articulated truck with a specialized semi trailer working an average 8hrs on the early shift, and usually around 6hrs on the afternoon shift. Even though the truck grossed out at 25 tons, the boss insisted on getting big engined 40 ton tractor units (said it was to make our job easier, less gear changing),a very generous fixed salary, which went in my bank whether I was at work .. or not, AND a brand new company car every three years, with all running costs paid by the company. This, and the fact that my second, much younger wife is still earning good money, allowed us to get money in the bank and pay off the house. That, I think is one of the crucial points in whether you enjoy retirement ... financial peace of mind. I've never felt bored for a single moment. My wife did say I was getting out of condition (oh, not tonight sweetheart, I have a headache)so I reluctently agreed to her suggestion to get a dog. Glad I did, she's fabulous (Italian Spinone)and we now roam farmland for hours at a time. I absolutely love retirement, and I know I'm a very lucky man. There is a downside though. Every time I look in the mirror, I think ... "Bloody hell ..whatever happened to that young lad that used to look back."

[ctiger 49]

Before I retired, which was at 54, I did very little planning, except to get the wife's approval for my early retirement.  I stayed retired for over a year, then I started getting bored.  Fortunately a firm asked me to help in a consultant project for 6 months.  Those 6 months lasted 14 years.  This was a blessing because I did not plan properly during my first retirement even though I was essentially out of debt, I did not store up a good nest egg to enjoy retirement. The key IMO is to make sure you are financially set.  I can now say things have been just fantastic but would have been a disaster the first time.

 

Now to your first question, I would suggest pick out a few books on retirement.  They were helpful my second time around.  Also from what I have read a lot depends on whether you have an "A" personality or a "B" personality.  My understanding an "A" has a more difficult time in adjusting than a "B".  I am a "B" which means I am an easy going kinda guy.  I have no problem in just reading a good book or going to the beach and do nothing but get sun burned  My wife is an "A" so she is wanting to do something all the time.  Actually it is a good match between us. 

 

My plan for second retirement was just to sleep late, watch old movies, eat out, and stay home when it was cold and snowing out side.  Not really, although we do that sometimes.  We travel, see grandkids in other states, golf if I don't oversleep for a 7am Tee time, read, enjoy visiting AVSIM and respond to posts like this one, and the hardest time is trying to fly a big tube plane in AVSIM.  I still can't land a plane properly even with all the help on this forum.  I guess that is what happens when you retire, you can't understand the manuals as the old brain starts to go dormant. (lol).

 

Bumpy, come on down to TN where the weather is a little warmer, no state income tax, personal property tax and reasonable cost of living.

 

Regards and good luck ,

[simmerhead 885]

I've allready started slowing down. I'm just 40, but knew before I left University that I wanted to retire early and have planned my finances accordingly. I'm thinking about working for 10-15 more years, then spend most of my time in my cabin drinking good wines, reading, listening to Bach and hiking in the woods. I don't like to have plans. Living to me is getting up in the morning with nothing to do. I might spend the day thinking about doing something, but usually end up letting others do all the doing.

 

Anyway, good luck and may you have many healthy years in retirement!

[LeeL 272]

Living is getting up in the morning with nothing to do....I like that

[fppilot 4,371]

Its great, but would never have been in this position without long term advance planning, and execution. Especially the financial savings and investment aspect of the plan.  My acre sized half wooded property keeps me busy and physically active.  So much so that I get little simulator time logged from May to late October.  Corporate life took me to virtually all corners of the USA, and most places in between.  We retired and relocated to be back near our grown kids and grandkids.  We now live in a relaxed semi-rural area with a lot to do nearby around the Chesapeake Bay, Washington, DC, Baltimore, and Philadelphia.  i.e. we are out of the chaos but near a lot of activities.

[pete_auau 1,158]

Planning to improve my golf handicap

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

Can you advise if I should grow a beard or goatee?

 

Beard - it is lower maintenance and if you change your mind you can always turn it into a goatee

[Noel 4,499]

Living is getting up in the morning with nothing to do....I like that

Good for you, and this is exactly what our cherished dog and cat friends do!   They sleep a lot, are perpetually overjoyed to be alive, live in the present, and at least the dogs never tire of seeing you!  Perhaps if more of us woke up feeling very good about being alive, tacitly satisfied with their lot, in no hurry to do things that aren't required to move forward, it might be possible to have a more relaxed life w/o feeling the need to go back to 'work.'  This mindset also reduces economic activity--and arguably that is not all bad.  We, as a species, are overrunning the planet's carrying capacity at breakneck speed right now.  Slowing this down is not all bad.   If you personally have enough material security to get thru your retirement years, why not avoid going back to work, unless it's on a voluntary basis, and give that currency over to younger folks who are trying to find work?  Right now we are churning out young folks w/ advanced degrees w/ college debt and no job certainty.   Find a creative endeavor, including music, golf, studying history, sports or any other economically low impact endeavor. 

[jtwhite 36]

I retired two years ago after 32 years in the editorial department of one newspaper. Profession went downhill after recession, all old friends, colleagues and mentors had either retired, died, been laid off or move to other professions. If I applied any of the rules or guidelines I'd learned about newspapering, it didnt mean I was listened to, just that I was old. Finally decided to give it up; my partner retired on same day (she was a teacher left behind by the focus on technology) and we share a home. I have absolutely no debt, few bills, no car or house payment, kids are grown and I have my health and a youthful outlook (I'm 62).

I sometimes think of going back to work, to some other line of work (I just couldnt edit another piece of hack writing) but just dont want to get back into the grind.

I have plenty of hobbies, we get to travel some and I have three wonderful grandchildren to dote on.

Flightsimming is one my hobbies, but Im beyond spending too much time or money doing it anymore.

So, at this moment and given that so many in the world have so little, I am very, very thankful that I have what I need, am able to avoid most of those things I just want and can help my children and my friends when need be.

That's it ... a simple life in a nutshell.

[fppilot 4,371]

 

 

I retired two years ago after 32 years in the editorial department of one newspaper. Profession went downhill after recession

 

Man do I understand that.  Our local papers here around eastern Maryland are obviously editing only with a spell-checker.  It is literally amazing how many gaffs now lie within the papers as distributed.  Even in headlines.  Sadly incredible.

 

Or maybe since I am now retired I read the paper more closely?????  Nope!

[Christopher Low 5,353]

I would love the opportunity to retire right now. I really don't understand why anyone would want to work if they didn't have to. I would be quite happy on my flight simulator, going for long walks in the countryside, visiting family members, playing golf etc. A damn sight more enjoyable and rewarding than sitting in an office all day.