Morris

Lainey you must have Lost those germs you found. That's good. Who wants to spend their first day of retirement under the weather?

Played golf today, badly. But you know what they say, worst day golfing is better than best day working.

Lainey

^
The germs are still there. Trying to make them feel unwelcome. We'll see what happens tomorrow...

boltonblue

It took me a while to find this thread but it's relevant.
I always intended just to keep working and I may but the last two years have taken a lot out of me.
The physical and psychological toll of working is getting higher.
I've gotten a lot closer to pulling the the plug of late. I've noticed I don't have the temperament I once did.
I get irritated a lot easier and while I have never suffered fools gladly, my tolerance for idiots certainly isn't trending in the right direction.
Especially when folks are deliberately obtuse.

So we've started the exercise of serious consideration. there are times when I'm ready to now.
Folded into the discussion is where we will live. I hate the idea of moving but I'm pretty sure it won't get any easier as time moves on.
Maintaining the fleet, has not gotten any cheaper or easier as well so I may have to trim a few vehicles.
In general, I am going to have to confront my delusions of what I want from life against financial realities.
it's unlikely I'll ever get the 40 acre hill top estate in the country with the 3,000 sq ft garage.
but the serious discussions have begun.

dlq04

Call it lack of ambition or a desire to live simply but I never had any desire to own a 40 acre hill top estate or a fleet of vehicles.

Morris

We purchased 62 acres in 1988, way out in the boonies, but with great views of the Napa Valley. It was dirt cheap then. Fast forward to 2015, surrounded by vineyards, selling it has funded our retirement. It did take three years to sell, with buyers comments such as “it’s too far from Starbucks”. Still looking for a fleet of vehicles, but the +1 says only one at a time.
Good luck with the decision making Jerry. Plan ahead.

dlq04

Keys to Retirement Happiness

The financial investment company Vanguard posted the advice of Michael Finke, a leading researcher in retirement planning. Michael’s study is unique because it focuses on retirement well-being from an emotional standpoint, not exclusively from a financial perspective. I don’t think many finance companies would emphasize that happiness is not measured by the size of your investment account.

His 3 keys to retirement happiness are:

Money is just a number

First, “money is just money.” During our working years, we make saving for retirement a priority. Many people focus on achieving a monetary goal, such as saving a specific dollar amount or accumulating a nest egg of a specific size. When we get there, it’s really not the money itself that makes us happy but rather how we spend the money. Essentially, money is an enabler to happiness.

If you use your money for the activities you enjoy or spend it with others, for example, you’ll be happier. Spending money on “things” isn’t necessarily an input to happiness.

Retire in good company

Second, “love the one you’re with.” Personal relationships are very important in retirement because you have more free time. During our working years, we spend many of our waking hours with co-workers, clients, customers, or patients, or on the road. A big part of our social network is tied to the workplace. When we retire, though, we have the freedom to choose with whom we spend our time.

Surprisingly, being close to friends accounts for greater happiness than living close to your kids. Couples who live within 10 miles of their children are significantly less happy. According to Michael’s findings, this is often because only 1 spouse drives the decision to move, or the couple has unrealistic expectations about living close to their grown kids.

Stay healthy to be happy

Third, “if you have your health, you have it all.” This is a factor we can’t completely control, but it can help us realize the importance of maintaining our health during our working years. Health is a key to happiness (and a blessing!) at any stage in life, but it becomes even more important in retirement.

Lainey

Good luck, Jerry. I hope you find what you are looking for. For us, not having work responsibilities brought forth a much more relaxed lifestyle.
Our grandchildren are grown and though sometimes I miss being needed or having a purpose it's all good.
We may enjoy not having responsibilities and decide to leave town after our early Christmas celebration with our son to meet up with my SC sister in MD.
Working people can't leave town whenever they want

fltsfshr

I'm sure I must have an old post in here. Here's my update.

I have retired several times. I keep coming back. Why? It's fun! I spent a lot of time flat on my back in various hospitals and in a bed chair in my house being with 2 IV's in me every 4 hours for 6 months. . It was boring. Thanks to networking and a notebook computer I found solace in work and expanded a couple hobbies into viable ventures. Windows of opportunity are all around. (Pun)

I have good friends who have retired. Some seemed to age overnight, others are having a good time enjoying their leisure. Some have come back into the work place in totally different fields and others have drawn apart and gone their own ways. It's definitely an almost imposed change of life.

Whatever you do keep happiness your goal in life.

tof

For most of us, our work environment doesn't present much in the way of physical activity. And so I found one of the great benefits of retirement is the time and the scheduling flexibility to engage in a regularly scheduled exercise program. We go to a Silver Sneakers class three times a week. The cost of the gym membership and the class is covered by our Medicare Advantage class. With hindsight it seems like a no-brainer. We have both lost weight we could afford to lose and we are seeing real improvement in flexibility, strength and balance.

Some people retire and then quickly pass on. But our experience seems to show that if you play it right, retirement can add high quality years to your life.

Good luck with your decision making process, Jerry. Whatever you decide I hope it works out really well for you and yours.

boltonblue

Exercise is high on my list of must do's. it is hard to get in any routine when work-is-a-calling.
I've really noticed the correlation between frustration levels and work and working out.
Lately work is just sucking my soul dry. It would not be a lie if I said I was within minutes of johnny paycheck retiring recently.
The first of the year be interesting since i am assuming a new role. can go either way.