I retired 7 years ago at 62 (my, how time flies!) but I did do some consulting for around 4 years after that. I was fortunate to work 37 years for a company that had "profit sharing," and each year they contributed 10% of my salary to what essentially was a 401(k) account. They also matched 50% of my contributions, which I maxed out in the last 15 years or so of employment. I was (reluctantly) in management for the last 20 years or so, and the stock options given to me paid off handsomely when our company was sold in 2007, my last year of full-time employment. So, with Social Security and our Merrill Lynch managed IRA, we are living comfortably. I am very thankful for that!

Unfortunately, since I retired, they took away profit sharing, and I am afraid the current employees will be facing a completely different picture when they retire.

(dlq Dave, I am also an only child. I can see some similarities between us, based on that!)

 

Update - most know my mother died July 1, so that is a big change for me. This is the first time in 20 years or so I've not been responsible for a family member. Estate matters are wrapping up fairly quickly. Yesterday, I did 1.5 hours of work for my company. So I guess I'll be doing a bit more there. And the +1 and I have booked some trips - Kiawah Island SC in Dec, Lafayette LA in Mar, and the Canadian Rockies in May. I'll be thinking of how I want to spend my extra time. I'm in no rush.

What's up with y'all?

 

Yesterday ended week one of retirement. Too much to catch up on to get bored. Planning a retirement party as well, and sending invitations on line means exporting files, editing, decisions etc. so even that isn't quick. I think I'm going to like retirement and I'm sure sleeping better not waking up thinking about client issues, deadlines etc. If I get bored I can always find a winery looking for retirees to pour wine. I think they are wineries best employees.

 

Stay active, do some moderate exercise and most of all enjoy it. Retired 8 years and love it.

 

In my 14th year of retirement and still enjoying it as well.

 

Only 50 wonderfull months for me....looking forward to many more.
Levi

 

Took early retirement 15 years ago and have no regrets. It gave me the freedom to do a lot of things I'd always wanted to do and didn't have the time. I enjoyed traveling with +1 when he had work-related travels, saw a lot of places, did a lot of things and went on a boat-load of S2ki adventures. About 2006 +1 was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease as many of you know, so we knew our travel time, etc. was going to be affected by his illness. He did great for several years and then began to have minor issues that prompted his retirement. Our last S2ki adventure was SF 2009 in Cape May and it was a fine and wonderful trip. After that we became serious about relocating to a warmer climate and moved to coastal South Carolina 5-1/2 years ago, a few months after Jim's retirement. It has been great and I love being near the beach and waterways so I guess it was our last big adventure. Jim has begun to have serious issues with walking, movement and other medical problems and has been unable to operate a motor vehicle for about 2 years. Our fleet of autos has been reduced to 3, one SUV, one hardtop convertible and he still has his original owner 1972 corvette that sits in the garage under a cover. Sometime in the future we'll get serious about selling it for a reasonable price as it bothers us both that it sits without being driven. My days are filled with being a caregiver, but I can think of nothing more rewarding than caring for the person you love especially since he's always upbeat and smiling. I'm glad we made the trip to Florida to visit with Dean early this year but it became obvious that long car trips would no longer be possible for +1. He had a lot of difficulty on the way home, but we're delighted that we got to have a great time with those of you who made that trip. Our daughter is a frequent visitor and helps out with many things so we're very glad she's nearby. We still go for drives in our convertible on nice days and despite our calendar being filled with physical therapy appointments, dr appointments and the like, we manage to enjoy our days. Maybe we enjoy them even more because we have such wonderful memories of fun filled times for all the years we've been married. Its a good life and its a busy life. It is a good thing that I'm independent and a take-charge kind of person as now everything is pretty much done by me or someone who answers to me. I have no time for anything or anyone who brings discord into my life and since I buckled down and learned to remove those people/things from my life it is much more enjoyable. We enjoy every minute of every day and manage to laugh a lot every day.

 

A wonderful post, Val!

 

I agree with Jim and I do miss those penquins!

 

Thanks Jim and PP. Sometimes I think about being a more frequent poster but my days are pretty full. I do visit FB as I have a lot of friends that I chat with there. We've had to stop having overnight guests as Jim can only manage an hour or so visiting. We stay very much in touch with our friends we've made in our neighborhood and there's always a lot going on with them. We still manage to have a good time but I have to plan ahead since he needs help getting dressed, etc. Instead of planning what to pack and how to pack a suitcase that'll fit in the S, I have to plan other things. I just exchanged one group of plans for another. There was an adjustment period when my emotions were all over the place (Ms P can attest to that) but I've learned to have a schedule and stay on it and not let the evil biatches and jerks of the world get me down. I also have to say that some folks have really been surprisingly sweet and kind. One of those people is Pas2k (Jerry), who still sends me nice emails, pictures of his travels and never fails to send pretty penguins. I stay in pretty constant contact with MsP and of course Grannyrod. BoltonBlue sends me updates and adorable pics of bulldogs (thanks, Jerry). Lainey and I exchange iphone pics and other things, so you guys have all been great despite my frequent absences. I also stay in touch with OhioRacer and he's been a great friend. Eric and Shelley are FB friends as well as several others. I just don't care to share a lot publicly about our lives, but decided its about time to throw it out and be done with it. Who'd have ever thought so many would stay so close for so many years?

Almost forgot my sweet little buddy, Rhonda (Xzanna of the Carolinas group) that I met through S2ki and who lives nearby. Wow, she's been a lifesaver more than once over the years. We speak and try to get together for lunch here and there.