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I have been retired for 10 years ! How long have you been retired or how long before you retire ?
William81
Member Posts: 25,336 ✭✭✭✭
I realized I rolled over my ten year anniversary this week. In my case, I really just changed careers at age 55. From living in town, oversight of court programs, on call 24/7 and lots of stress. Now I sit on a farm in the sticks. I oversee a small farming operation and I pretty much set my own schedule. When my work is completed and other chores done, my time is much more my own !! The worst part is I had to get old to get here !!
So where are you all in the process ? Did you make any big changes ?
Comments
A few more months will make 9 yrs for me
Near ten for me ...........
Not yet, at 71 my business keeps on growing. I brought in a new partner this year and hope to get her up to speed so I can retire end of this year.
I experimented with retirement in 2022. It lasted about 2 weeks and then I got bored and started working at a local bike shop. That got boring, too so I went back to software.
I'm not sure I'll ever retire.
🇺🇲 "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." - Thomas Jefferson 🇺🇲
I mostly retired 10 years ago.I still work a day or 2 a week or whenever needed.We have some good younger guys now and they just keep me around like an old hound thats always been there if needed.
Retired in 2010 from the " public" job . Since then I have done ag construction ,mechanic at an airport,,maintence at a fire dept and managed a local gun store for 2 years. Due to a multitude of health problems have done nothing for last 3 years.
3 years for me, still do side jobs I'd go crazy otherwise.
10 years this May. I turned 60 the previous April and wanted to say I retired at 59, but I stayed on to train my replacement.
The first few years we did well. Made some home improvements and helped our children and grandchildren.
Then came 2020, and things started to get tight. Prices went up and 401 shrank.
Four more years of Democrat rule, I'll be poor again.
I didn't care for it the first time.
I retired with 25 years in the Army.
My retirement party was September 13, 2001. It was a busy time and some of the high ranking guests did not show up. It seems they were busy with other things
Yes, I am old.
Old? Unless you enlisted at 50+ years old, you aren't old!
April 10th will mark 3 years for me. So far I've still worked too much and not fished near enough!
Retired Oct. '98. Pretty sure I'm old.
At the rate I am going my retirement will be dropping dead in a field after cussing at my stupid cows for whatever their current problem is.
I get that!
14 years for me. At times it seems not that long ago. Then I look in the mirror and look at an old man staring back at me. Great googly moogly , what happened.
I retired 23 years ago. at the age of 58, i have a tree farm that keeps me busy.
Retired after 42 years on the railroad in 2010 when I was 60 years old with a full pension. Thanks to president Bush I got to retire at 60 years old instead of 62.
I have always had enough to keep myself busy since I retired. I have been offered a couple jobs since retirement, but I said when I retire I was closing the books. If I had wanted to keep working I wouldn’t have retired, I was the oldest on my division, and could pick and choose any run or job I wanted.
I count my self lucky in that I had a job that I wanted to do.
Almost 18 years but then they hired me back part time as a consultant for 2 years.
Retired in 1997 at 53 and have done what I damn well please. Architectural blacksmithing and building the 1911’s. 😉
Waltermoe ,dud you work as an engineer ? My uncle and both of his sons engineered . Stretches back to seaboard coast line .
I'm on the younger end of population around here. I doubt if I'm the absolute youngest but I bet I'm close.
If I went "nuclear" and sold everything I own I could probably come close but I still have a lot to accomplish so I'll keep working, at least until my kids are done with school anyway.
And I doubt I'll ever fully retired, my teenage kids laugh at me about how I'm bored and lost at home in the winter when i can't hang out and work in my unheated shop.
7 years for me, still loving every minute. my 1st official act involved removing[with extreme prejudice] every device with a clock and alarm. between still being involved in high school athletics and establishing a fabulous arsenal for my grandkids, i stay as busy as i desire to.
I retired first time in 2009. Spent a year getting my blind Son through his final year of college and internship. Went back to work for another Federal agency for almost 13 years and 'retired' again last fall due to health issues. Part of the last 12 years was moonlighting with another agency so totaled a bit over 40 years of Federal service (not counting military).
It's darned hard to settle down into old age. I keep looking at things I should do but can't physically handle.
It has been 9 years for me working in a state correctional facility. After feeding and taking care of the cattle the last few days sometimes I wonder if I am retired. Also repaired many chainsaws recently.
I feel for the young people now as my son for example is a teacher in Virginia and they have no retirement. Good thing he is tight as he puts a lot in a 401k. Just about all employee retirement accounts are no more. Our politicians want to take social security from them also.
It's 17 years and 20 days today. Retired a month before I turned 60 just so I could say I retired at 59. That's when I sold my little earplug business. Kept writing for a while but when magazines stopped using freelance work, I stopped that, too.
Golfed and fished a lot until my back injury a year ago. Can still manage to get my boat out, but no more golf. Keep my mind active but the body is letting me down.
Still working hoping to retire in about 4 years at 58
Im 50. If I had a fire sale on my business, I could retire but the job pays the mortgages and so I plan to stay in the game until I’m 60 then drop the mic.
I asked for and got an early retirement in 2009, I could no longer support CEO's that screwed over every other employee in a major IT company, Worked part-time at a couple of technical colleges for the first year, then was asked back as an independent consultant to work part-time for the previous employer, got paid twice what I was making when I was fulltime with only instructing and developing course work about 1/3 the time I used to put in.. That lasted for about 5 years then started to dwindle down the last 6 or so following years until I was able to add SS retirement to the company retirement and officially quit working for money since I would just end up paying it back to the government. I'll be 65 in about 16 days and hopefully will never have to work for money again, but with the folks with have in Government I guess we shouldn't say never again with the cost of things going up....
I could no longer support CEO's that screwed over every other employee in a major IT company
That is almost exactly why I tried to quit in 2022. Managers and executives with no sense of ethics or morality. Really glad I found the company I'm with now, though. They don't suffer from the money at all costs mentality.
I'm targeting 60 years old to make my next attempt at retirement.
🇺🇲 "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." - Thomas Jefferson 🇺🇲
@pulsarnc , No I was a switchman, brakeman, then became a conductor. Started when I was 18 years old on the CB&Q, Chicago Burlington Quincy RR, then it became the BN, Burlington Northern RR, and when they merged with the Santa Fe it became the BNSF.
1 year 11 months to go can't wait to get out of there. I will probably have to find something else to do when I leave there
I'll never get to retire. I may have the funds to do so, but I'm built for "work"....so, even if I cannot do what I am doing right now forever....some kind of work will be involved until I am just totally unable to do anything.
I "retired" under PERS 1, from a state job in 1992, at age 51, after 30 years and one heart attack. Retirement was permitted at any age after 30 years, and I quit the first day I could. I worked in law enforcement support roles, landscape, and sold frozen food for many years after, mostly full-time. After state employment, I have to say I liked and respected my bosses, and was well treated. Retired under Social Security in 2002. Finally,officially retired in 2010, after working 5 years in the parts department for a small equipment dealer. This was one of the largest Stihl dealers in the country. Best boss I ever had. His kids now run the business. It's amazing that the most rewarding and enjoyable part of my life began after retirement from my real career.
i can go january 2025 . let the countdown begin . . .
I totally understand that. It's not about the money, it's about the doing. 😊
🇺🇲 "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." - Thomas Jefferson 🇺🇲
All very true ! I have watched several of my friends retire and die within a few years. They quit working, settled into a chair and watched TV or found a bar stool.. They pretty much had no reason to get up and get moving. I knew I was ready for the change and as I have lots of interests like hunting, fishing, shooting and photography to name a few, I always knew I would never be bored unless I wanted to be !
A person has to have a reason to get out of bed. Things to keep them interested, growing as a person and feeling like they are useful and accomplishing something worthwhile. Otherwise they seem to just wither away.
Has been a year for me. I am still struggling with not working.
I was a little lost the first 6 months or so....I retired in the winter time and it was a bad winter that kept me inside. I had to focus on some of the parts of my life that gave some structure. Working out, Daily prayer/meditation/study time. Lining up time with friends and family to do things and stay connected. Serving at my church and other community activities.
The key for me was making sure I had something to do everyday, a reason to get up and get going. Something to find satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment.. I hope you find a way to enjoy your retirement !!!!
Still working, I should have retired 2 years ago but Disney asked me to stay on so I did. I will have to slow down my spending before I retire. I think I will give it some serious thought about retirement sometime this year or next.