When did you retire?

[saddlesore]

@ 66 I was forced to retire from trucking due to receiving the "full meal deal" artificial shoulders.

(tarping & transport of super sized loads in the Aircraft/Aerospace/NASA/DOD)
I had planned on working until I turned 70...but poo happens.
Play'd house husband for another 3 years until the DW retired @66.
Then sold out everything and now have been Full Timers for the last Year..

(discovered that If We do not like the weather/neighbors/fishing.. just "Turn the Key"..& a side benefit.. If the "Kids want to "Move back Home...OR...Borrow Money"....They cannot "Find Us"...

With our RV....I am now able to Stop & See every durn thing I've had to just drive on by while trucking.... (A 70 hour work week and no overtime) is expected in the trucking industry.
Do I still miss the Work? Yes I do, and I get on average 4 to 5 job offers per month... [When I get the "urge" to go back to trucking, I just spend a few days parked in the back lot of a truckstop or two.. until the feelings pass)



I realized after a few months of retirement that IF I returned to trucking I would die in the truck and never have the opportunity to go & see everything I've missed.


My Message to those who are afraid to just "Let Go" and retire is this..
"Every Day You Put Off Retiring...Is Just One Less Day You have Remaining to enjoy Retirement........

[Sandy Swede]

Retired at age 62 which was at the end of 2010. Not a single regret as my wife was diagnosed with dementia almost 3 years ago. Had we retired later, we would not have had those wonderful times together. Given her condition, this will be the last year traveling in the RV. As many here have said, you never know what lies over the time horizon. If you can afford it, do it now.

[RVThere]

I retired at 52 after building a company and selling to a private equity group. They wanted me to stay on but I said 'No Thank You' and retired on April 13, 2015. Have not had one boring day since then.

With a farm, legacy house in NJ and current residence in the FL Keys, I am on the go constantly and don't think I'd have time for a real job. Zero regrets. Plus grandkids on both sides of the country keep up moving.

The timing was good for me as youngest son was finishing college, other sons were grown and gone and wife has not worked outside the home for 25+ years.

Full disclosure, my Dad died when he was 60 and never enjoyed a retirement. I swore that day when I was 22 that I would enjoy a retirement that he never had.

[astrocamper]

63 and still planning to work another 2.5 - 3 years. Need to finish off house, trailer and truck payments before we retire. We also want to be have Medicare when we start retirement. We are both fortunate to have good jobs that we like and are still healthy.

My dad passed away in June at 17 days shy of 92. My mom is 92 in now in a skilled nursing facility. They both had pretty good heath and remained independent at their home until after they turned 90. COVID19 isolation has been rough on my mom and dad before he died. It is a little better now for my mom in a new facility with more hands on care. My in-laws are still doing fine independently at home and they are about 87. We figure we need to be ready financially for the possibility of living into our 90s.

Until we retire we try to camp about 8 times a year. Usually one or two 7-10 day trips and the rest are 4 day weekend trips.

This year has been a pain for everybody with COVID19. Lots of canceled plans and mostly short 3 night trips to do golf and astronomy. Looking forward to a more normal future in about another year.

I alway congratulate friends who retire when it is right for them and not because of forced circumstances.

[Super Thirty]

My wife took early retirement after her workplace was shut down in 2017. I continued to work for one more year and retired in 2018 at age 60. We had a lot of trips on our bucket list and have made a dent in those up until Covid hit. Travel plans are on hold until we see how things settle out from that.
No regrets. Worked as a wild land firefighter for 40 years so when the weather was nice we were busy. It’s nice to be able to enjoy the entire summer instead of bits and pieces between incidents.

[Bubba1]

I retired in 2011 at 55 after 34 years in a career I loved, the shift work however took it's toil and caused my retirement. I have been fortunate enough to find temporary or part time work when I got bored or wanted a little extra spending money.

DW retired last year. After a couple of months off she decided she wasn't quite ready to "retire" completely. She changed careers and went back to work doing something totally different and loves her new job. Said she may work till she's 66.

I continue to putter around the house occasionally doing the house husband thing. A friend has an auto parts store and needs some help. I may be in the auto parts business soon.

I do sometimes miss my old job and some of the people I worked with. But I have no regrets about my early retirement, especially now that I have my health issues under control. We travel when we can and sometimes when we want to. Life is good

Mike H

[Samdon]

I just this morning began setting the final stage for retirement #1 at the decrepit age of 43. All things going to plan; I'll walk out the door of the building in which I presently sit on 26 September 2020 for the final time. Reading all of your accounts has made me feel much better about the decision. It has been an extremely stressful endeavor for me precipitated by a few hard earned wins earlier in life and a few downright painful occurrences as of late. Life is precious, life is short. I'm a big believer in that old adage now.

I've built a business that's at its peak value right this very minute. If I wait in the least; that could change by forces completely outside my control. So, I must take the opportunity and move on.

How much do we actually need to live fully? Apparently, not as much as I've thought most of my adult life. I still have little ones..... four of them between the ages of 2 and 12. They are all set up for education and a good start in life once out of school. Plus, I can no longer stomach missing their school events, sporting events, the whole lot of it. Working 60 hours a week and on call 25/7/365 is not healthy, to boot. It just seems like the right thing to do and I may never be presented with the opportunity currently on my plate again.

While I won't have to do anything; I have always been completely unable to exist in an idle state. So, I intend to do what I/We want to do. If it makes money...fine. It it costs money...also fine. My 12 year old is currently studying the history of Eastern Europe. What better than a cruise down the Rhine? That, and the countless number of other similar things that would help educate my children beyond books. Dust off that old Alfa in the garage and go historic sportscar racing? Yes, please. I'll have to fight my wife for the seat, though Start an annual tradition of going the the LeMans 24? Absoultely. Invest in friends' businesses and act as a consultant?Probably. The possibilities are endless. That's why I call it retirement #1. I know full well I cannot sit still.

[creativepart]

I sold my business and fully retired in 2018 at 68.

As a self-employed person for 30+ years I had to pay massive health insurance costs until Medicare rescued me at 65.

Private insurance, even bad private health insurance, will cost you $12,000 or more per person as you get close to age 65.

[Jyrocharlie]

I retired at 63 in 2011. I could afford it. The company I worked at had been bought out by Brazil and I hated it.

[JDT]

I've read everyone of the posts. Very interesting and entertaining.

Retirement is an intensely personal decision. Almost ranks up there with marriage. So much of it is attitude and patience with yourself. I had to learn how to be retired as when I retired it was the first time I had not had some sort of gainful employment since I was 12 years old and got a paper route. It took me about a year to clear my head and start enjoying the freedom. I really missed the interactions with some really good work friends for quite a while. Ironically, now when I run in to some of them at Walmart I have to duck down another isle because I can't remember their name.

My wife joined me 3 years after I retired and she was an immediate convert. We have been all over this country and have thoroughly enjoyed our time together. I'm pretty sure she would not agree 100% of the time but it seems our marriage is much stronger now. Planning financially is huge as it allowed us to create some adventures. We are in good health for 72/68 year old's and hope to continue to build memories for as long as possible.

[ByeTheWay]

I retired in 2000 at age 53. I don't know how I had time to work.

[Samdon]

creativepart, you bring up a very important and painful part of retirement before the "gubmint" prescribed age. Private health insurance is the last remaining issue I find myself dealing with. I don't play politics but this is something that must change. Not getting into specifics; I can say that for my family of six healthy souls; the monthly obligation falls far too close to the monthly, 30 year mortgage payment on a $500,000 home. Don't do the math on that, please. It's no wonder why so few people are able to manage it. It's insane. They literally want us to "work" until we drop and while I understand the unspoken reasoning behind this; the penalty for bucking the system is a bit steep in my humble opinion.

[Jkjavelin]

I had always figured on working til 65. Then, when I was 60, in 2015, I unexpectedly had quadruple heart bypass surgery. After that I decided to retire earlier than 65, maybe around 63. Guys at work would ask me what would I do when I'm retired and I didn't have an answer.
The next year we were at Glacier National Park, staying in lodges, when we started thinking about camping again, so during the next winter we bought a new 5th wheel and truck as a pre-retirement gift.
I was getting tired of the Rat Race at work, and my financial advisor agreed that we were in good shape, so I retired February 21, 2018, a few months before I hit 63.
5 days later we hit the road from Milwaukee to the Texas gulf coast, then east along the gulf.

Absolutely, no regrets!!
This Friday will be the 5th anniversary of my surgery.
JK

[waterman480]

I changed jobs at 65. Left the marine industry, bought an RV and now I'm an RV repair specialist - whether I want to be or not.