I don't know. I've worked all my life, starting very young. The idea of retiring scares me. Days off scare me. The thing I know how to do best is work.

Some mornings when I get out of bed, for a fleeting moment, I think it would be nice to be retired and sleep late, but after a cup of coffee, I generally come to my senses.

I might slow down a bit, but I'm not sure I'll ever retire.

 

I haven't worked full-time since 1987 (cruise missile flight test engineer at Edwards Air Force Base) when my daughter was born and I became a stay-at-home mom and housewife. I was married 23 years and I expected to stay that way but we learned to hate each other, I think. I have to say, my second S2000 started the downhill slide for our marriage. How dare I have an outside interest that made me happy? We divorced in 2008, with both kids in college so that's when I consider I retired from that life. Around the same time, my dad died from Alzheimer's and I inherited some money from him. Even though I was happy to settle for less than what California laws say I should have gotten in the divorce, I was financially well off to start a new life.

Started this new chapter, in my own home, alone in March 2008. I'm the boss of me and love it. I love volunteering at Saddleback Memorial Hospital, and with adoptable Petsmart cats and kittens. I get my volunteering done on Mondays and Tuesday so I have free days to go places if I want. I play with my NSX buddies on drives, and enjoy exercising with my ElliptiGO. I've always got some plans of some sort to look forward to: an NSX drive in a couple of weeks, Thanksgiving at my daughter's, a one-night early Christmas at my son's, an ElliptiGO meet in Phoenix in January. And of course there's Spring Fling in May. When I need to get some real peace I'll go to my place in Kennedy Meadows for a couple of nights and look at the stars.

I don't have any grand plans. I'd like to find a good man for a loving relationship but haven't found a compatible one. My friend Bob says I'm fiercely independent. Yep. Stubborn, too.

 

Forced retired in March. Not really doing anything right now and not sure i want to take on another job. If I choose to do something else, it will be fun, enjoyment, entertaining and I hope not because I have too. Living as cheap as I can to enjoy other things like travel and I hope another sports car. Did do a trip to Alaska after retirement, but did a lot of camping and cooking to keep cost down. Trying hard not to touch my 401K.

things have not worked out as planned, thought I would have more money in retirement, but I am doing OK.

something I believe, I guess cause I saw it too many times. You never know how long you have to live, so if you have the chance to live and do things you like or love, do it.

 

I just retired (at almost age 68) on June 30, 2014, and I have absolutely no regrets at all.

I have been filling my time with exercise classes, babysitting and spending more time with our 3 grandchildren and even watching our daughter's dog for a week, going on a 2 week vacation with my husband (goblueS2K), doing things around the house that I hadn't ever found the time for before, including decluttering, etc.

I plan to add some more exercise classes as I get in better shape, perhaps take some other craft classes, get into sewing and quilting again, do some volunteer work, etc. I don't think I will have any trouble filling my time, nor do I think I will get bored.

goblueS2K (who is almost 71) is one of those who doesn't really want to retire, and is still working full time. I had originally thought I would keep working until he retired, but I got tired of waiting.

It also looked as if my job (lab technician at Ohio State University) was going in the direction that my job was probably going to be phased out as it currently was and that perhaps I would be assigned other responsibilities instead.

The job had become more stressful in the last several years due to new management, so I decided that I would just rather retire according to my own time frame rather than wait around to see what the management might have in mind for me. I had asked several times whether my area was going to close, whether I was going to be out of a job, etc, and I just received rather vague answers, so on May 2, I told them that I was going to retire on June 30.

My boss asked why I chose June 30, and whether I would consider working past June 30. I told him that I chose June 30 because I wanted to spend more time with my family (husband, children, and grandchildren) during the summer, and that I didn't want to work past June 30.

Then, he asked me whether I would consider working part time, starting in the fall. I told him that I wasn't thinking that far in the future. (There is a rule at OSU that retirees must not be reemployed as a returning retiree for at least 2 months after retiring. I had originally thought that I might work part time after I retired, but I had pretty much decided that I didn't want to continue working in that department after I retired, because of the new management, and now I don't think I will ever return working full time or even part time at OSU at all.)

We are lucky in that we both have pensions (mine is a public pension, and goblueS2K's is a private pension). goblueS2K also collects social security. We both have very good 401 plans which we have contributed to at the maximum rate for a very long time. So, we are in very good financial shape, I would say.

Not sure what goblueS2K's plans are about retirement. In discussing it with him, I have a feeling that he will likely retire within a few years, or I suppose it is even possible that his job could be downsized within a few years, too.

Oh...I think that come this spring I will probably be spending even more time with grandchildren. Our family is going to grow again, this time by two at a time...twins due the middle of April!

 

Sounds like you have a lot of energy, Sue. I would not want to work until age 68 or 71.

 

And she has pensions and maxed out 401Ks. Very rare these days. I have 30 years in at the same place, but they did away with pensions 20 years ago.

Sounds like Sue doesn't need to work for the money. Maybe it is time for volunteering somewhere on her terms.

 

Yes, I consider us very lucky that we both have pensions. I worked at OSU for almost 31 years. Plus, I worked in another state job many many years ago, so I was able to purchase 5 years out of state credit from that job. So, I retired with almost 36 years of credit into the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System.

Plus, I am lucky in that my spouse, goblueS2K still wants to work.

Yes, I will likely start doing some volunteer work, besides the "volunteer work" of helping out with our grandchildren, soon to be 5 grandchildren!

I like working with children and I am going to look into volunteering at the local elementary school or perhaps at our church's day care center, or the preschool where our daughter works.

 

Sue, I'm happy retirement is working out for you!

Twin grandchildren expected? Who is having twins? That's great!

I know about "volunteer" work with the grandkids. I'm working full time and still "volunteer" quite a bit of time. Tonight my grandson is sleeping over as his Mom and Dad have early starts at work tomorrow, so I will take him to his school bus.

If I need to fill some time in retirement (when I get there), I'd consider some volunteer work. I did some in an "English as a Second Language" class years ago, and I got more than I gave.

Rick is planning to work until 66, I'm hoping to get out around the same time, but will have to figure that one out due to that health insurance issue.

I would also be open to part time job that I enjoyed, I don't think I'd have an issue working a couple days of week. The older they get, the more $ we seem to spend on grandkids.

 

my dad passed at 88.. however.. he worked pretty much til 85'ish everyday.. either at my store or my brothers and he would want to be in there elbow deep, rather then sitting around.. He retired from his military in 1977, ( 41 yrs )he returned back to his hometown area.. an couldn't sit still, went off an became city manager cause he saw work that needed to be done an felt he could do that.. did that (10 yrs )and retired again.. that's when he began hanging out at our places... bout( 17 yrs )started with morning coffee... was brilliant times if i may say.. so.. no idea what i'm gonna do.. but.. stop work.. No.. retire from one field an start another.. done it before..

 

Sue, not too many people in your situation REALIZE how fortunate they are! I was chatting recently with a good friend who is a retired USN commander; then worked as a college facilities director....so he has two pensions + social security (and a wife with a community college pension). No mortgage, 2 Mercedes and a vintage Triumph! He was complaining about how "unknown" his finances were....

I was like as I explained to him that I had NO pension and Kathy gets $396/month from her church job! Yes, we get SS benefits close to the max, but that's still not enough to live on. Talk about "unknown" and anxiety....we could be eating cat food if I mismanage our substantial investment portfolio.

About that "substantial portfolio": Like dlq04 and others who have posted above, we have always (since marriage!) lived on LESS than our income and maxed out our IRA/401-k plans....as well as funding Roth IRA's ever since they were started. I also give a lot of credit to Vanguard and a couple other no-load mutual fund cos.