# The Retirement Thread



## Belowpar (Jan 14, 2015)

I've tried the Search Engine and I'm a little surprised this thread doesn't appear to exist already?


I'll start with my own situation. If all goes according to plan around 2020 it will be time to move on from what I've been dong for 50+ hours a week for at least 35 years. That’s a big change and I've started to think about it. I'll only be 62, and at the time of writing in rude health, so I'm thinking of this as a rebirth rather than the beginning of the end. 

I've talked to many people about this but I would also value having the opinions of those on here. Most say it took me one to two years but I really enjoy it (...well they would, wouldn't they). They are mostly silent about what they found difficult. One octogenarian asked me if I enjoyed what I did and I replied in the affirmative. He then said don't be in any hurry to change it, that I was healthy and I'd be a long time retired. "You don’t want to get to where Tuesdays is the day where you go to the supermarket".

I think it could be very interesting if people share their feelings as they approach retirement and how it works out for them. Thoughts from those already retired welcome too!


Some other issues for me.
My wife plans to switch from full time work to consultancy jobs in 2 years time. This will impact on me but not sure how yet.

We are informed that grandchildren are not part or the plan. Nothing imminent at least. We'll see.

I would like to travel.
I would like to get involved in something (voluntary) away from what I've been doing. 
Not sure how you can do both of those. 

I live a VERY full life at the moment, but somehow think I'd like to spend hours just looking at the sea or birdwatching. Am I nuts?

Finally my Financial Advisor says spend money and travel when you first retire. From your 70's on you loose that desire and like to enjoy a simpler life


(Apologies to all those who wonder if they'll ever get to retire the way way the economy and age demographic are heading!)

Also maybe those who have retired might say what they'd do differently if they only known...


----------



## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

One or two thoughts from somebody who has retired (end of 2010).

When I was planning for retirement, we thought of shared hobbies or study. When I actually retired, we thought we'd take a few months to get settled before jumping into anything. In the event, I impulse bought a piano, began lessons again (after a long break), and am thoroughly enjoying myself. I got Ingélou to take up the fiddle and music has taken over our lives.

You can't always plan ahead. I had a major health crisis in 2014 and a series of tests through 2015 which spoiled quite a few plans. Don't put things off.

We live by the sea but couldn't think of just sitting looking at it. Try a bird watching holiday - even just a weekend away -and see if it suits you. It's all a matter of what fits your personality.

I know some of my retired colleagues are into voluntary work but it doesn't stop them travelling. If people want volunteers, they'll usually be willing to work around your travel plans.

As to travelling, one of the big problems for older people is getting insured so start early. Sorry to be a wet blanket, but I am always reminded of John Peel on his trip of a life time to Machu Pichu and the unfortunate outcome.

Hope some of this helps.


----------



## Dawood (Oct 11, 2015)

Belowpar said:


> I live a VERY full life at the moment, but somehow think I'd like to spend hours just looking at the sea or birdwatching. Am I nuts?


No. You are not nuts.


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

I am feeling a bit depressed now, still another 35 years too go


----------



## SarahNorthman (Nov 19, 2014)

Who knows how long it will be for me! However I seem to have put in my time for a youthful mentality and am now retiring in that aspect. Oh well.


----------



## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

I got the opportunity to retire from Shell at 55 in 2012, and as financially we are in a good position, I took it. We planned ahead, so when the day came we had a clear plan for the future: we moved within a week to our new home where we opened an art gallery. Different type of activity, different location, we found it was a perfect start of a new phase in life. We have not regretted the decision one moment.


----------



## Ilarion (May 22, 2015)

Pugg said:


> I am feeling a bit depressed now, still another 35 years too go


Hi Pugg,

35 years before pension? And here I thought you were at least 55. Why? because you have such wonderful taste in the recordings you choose to enlighten your life with. You are erudite way beyond your years on this Earth - CONGRATS!!!:tiphat::angel::clap::cheers:


----------



## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

I semi-retired at 62 (did some contract work), the rest of the way at 65. I agree with the advice to get the active things you want to do early on - before things start to fall apart.


----------



## Belowpar (Jan 14, 2015)

Taggart said:


> One or two thoughts from somebody who has retired (end of 2010).
> 
> When I was planning for retirement, we thought of shared hobbies or study. When I actually retired, we thought we'd take a few months to get settled before jumping into anything. In the event, I impulse bought a piano, began lessons again (after a long break), and am thoroughly enjoying myself. I got Ingélou to take up the fiddle and music has taken over our lives.
> 
> ...


Thank you for this. I went out after writing my intial post and a immediately a new thought struck me and your reply confirmed it.

Did you notice how often "I" appeared in my post and how often "we" appeared in yours. Well done. Something "I" need to work on!

Someone else said to me buy the motorbike/convertible/boat/piano/whatever now. Dont wait on anything.


----------



## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Oh boy. I retired in early 2015 in my early 60s, for various reasons including health, both physical and mental. Mrs Pat works 'part-time', I.e. only about 50 hrs per week. 
My mistake, in retrospect, was not establishing a new routine immediately. It has been too easy to let days drift by. That may sound desirable, days spent reading and listening to music, but when a month has passed and I think "So what did I do in April?", I need to have an answer. Hence the revised retirement plan, starting now, to take on some completely new project, nothing to do with my former career, something that will take months of commitment. Learning to sing might be a good choice!


----------



## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

I retired about 12 years ago at the ripe old age of 56; my wife retired two years ago. The best advice I can give a person thinking of retirement is that you can't have too much money; being retired is very costly.

As for me, I'm pretty much a home person and can manage my vacant land parcels from my computer except for a few visits per year. Although I always buy low and sell high, I still could use more wealth. 

We have vacationed in Rome, Salzburg, Prague, Budapest and various cities in Switzerland (my son lives in Basel). Budapest was the best spot so far.

Overall, retirement is fantastic, but don't assume good health for the duration. Already, I've had cancer twice (beat it both times). Sleep is my big challenge. I know lots of retirees who keep the same sleep schedule they had while working; I wanted none of that. So far, I seem to prefer going to bed at 2 or 3 am, getting up around 7am to let the dogs out in the yard and going back to sleep for a couple of hours either later in the morning or mid-afternoon. Of course, appointments and other matters can screw up that pattern.


----------



## Guest (May 2, 2016)

Good thread for the Third Age.

http://www.u3a.org.uk


----------



## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

Belowpar said:


> I'll start with my own situation. If all goes according to plan around 2020 it will be time to move on from what I've been dong for *50+ hours a week* for at least 35 years.


A teacher, perhaps?

I'm in a similar position but hoping to retire at 60. The 'travel about' advice seems sensible - I hope that there are plenty of opportunities into my 70s and beyond but it seems likely that there will be more chance and more inclination to travel in the earlier years than in the later ones


----------



## Belowpar (Jan 14, 2015)

Bulldog said:


> I retired about 12 years ago at the ripe old age of 56; my wife retired two years ago. The best advice I can give a person thinking of retirement is that you can't have too much money; being retired is very costly.
> 
> ...I still could use more wealth.


Interesting. Define more?

Is anyone happy to share how they worked this out. With more time on my hands will I need more (that word again) money than I spend now? How do you work out a budget?


----------



## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

I retired five years ago and I actually wonder how I ever found time to work. My colleagues used to tease me about how I would now have time to listen to all my music and read all my books. I wish. There always seems to be something else to do. Enjoy your retirement and I would definitely agree that your health is your most important asset. Look after it.


----------



## senza sordino (Oct 20, 2013)

I will retire in 9 or 10 years, soon after I pay off my mortgage. I'll be 60. I could go longer, but that depends on my energy level. If I teach longer, my pension will be higher. I know the statistics in my profession: the earlier you stop teaching, the longer you live past retirement, the longer you teach the shorter your life span (but higher the pension).


----------



## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Belowpar said:


> Interesting. Define more?
> 
> Is anyone happy to share how they worked this out. With more time on my hands will I need more (that word again) money than I spend now? How do you work out a budget?


"More" is more than what we have. I've got a nice pension, my wife's pension is decent and a couple of land sales per year helps a lot. Still, retirement means no promotions, vacations to other countries are expensive, the number of grandchildren and great grandchildren keeps growing, renovations/repairs to the house are a huge expense and we now pay for operations on our animals. Whatever it is, you can be sure that your dollars will be leaving you in a hurry. Just last week, we paid $500 for one dog to have lab tests and steroid treatments and another $300 for the other dog's bladder infection and medications.

It's best to figure that leisure time takes more money than work time.


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

My father retired last year and he loves it, as captain on a plain he's been the world over more the one can count, me mother and he's doing all sort off hobby's. Sports, singing, and love each other deeply :tiphat:


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Ilarion said:


> Hi Pugg,
> 
> 35 years before pension? And here I thought you were at least 55. Why? because you have such wonderful taste in the recordings you choose to enlighten your life with. You are erudite way beyond your years on this Earth - CONGRATS!!!:tiphat::angel::clap::cheers:


Thanks you for your kind words.
I will past them on to my parents and godfather who lead me in the world of classical music :tiphat:


----------



## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

Belowpar said:


> Is anyone happy to share how they worked this out. With more time on my hands will I need more (that word again) money than I spend now? How do you work out a budget?


We'd been in our house about 15 years when I retired. We hadn't kept up with the maintenance - too much trouble. We also had pets which make for a messy house. So over the last few years we've had a range of work done - new windows, new carpets, new bathroom, garage repaired and re-roofed and so on. We've also had some landscaping done in the garden to reduce the amount of work needed and we'll probably have more done. All of that uses up money.

Then we have music lessons, buy instruments, accessories, sheet music, guides to musical styles, CDs etc. Again money. Any hobby will have its own costs.

We also travel more.

So yes, you will be spending more on certain things. At the same time you save on others. You don't have your work expenses - commuting, meals out, fancy clothes for work. You don't have pension contributions or National Insurance to pay.

Interestingly, I retired on roughly a 50% pension. I was making heavy additional pension contributions because I had cleared my mortgage. The net result was that I had about 18% less a month when I retired because I wasn't paying all the extras. My wife was already retired at that stage and when she got her pension a few months later we were actually better off. We've now got the time, and the money to enjoy it.


----------



## Figleaf (Jun 10, 2014)

Bulldog said:


> "More" is more than what we have. I've got a nice pension, my wife's pension is decent and a couple of land sales per year helps a lot. Still, retirement means no promotions, vacations to other countries are expensive, the number of grandchildren and great grandchildren keeps growing, renovations/repairs to the house are a huge expense and we now pay for operations on our animals. Whatever it is, you can be sure that your dollars will be leaving you in a hurry. Just last week, we paid $500 for one dog to have lab tests and steroid treatments and another $300 for the other dog's bladder infection and medications.
> 
> It's best to figure that leisure time takes more money than work time.


Your post reminds me of a blog entry I read recently on Mr Money Moustache entitled 'Great news! Dog ownership is optional!' :lol:

Seriously, it's unusual to find people claiming that it costs more to be retired than in work. Most recently retired people I've known have said the opposite, that it's a relief to be drawing a pension instead of paying into one, and that they no longer have work related expenses such as smart business clothes, rail season tickets, buying pricy ready meals because there's no time to cook, etc. Travel insurance costs more when you're old, I'll admit, but this is unusual- many things become cheaper or free when you're of retirement age. If one really wanted to boost one's income one could work past pension age while still benefiting from the financial perks available to the elderly, but since life is short, it surely makes sense to prioritise leisure time ahead of earning. Most baby boomers could afford to trim their budgets a bit without being anywhere near the sort of austere conditions their grandparents endured in retirement (and that their grandchildren will probably endure for their entire lives...)

Edit: oops, I see Taggart has made some of the same points as me, and from a position of greater experience since he is actually retired!


----------



## Wood (Feb 21, 2013)

My perspective on retirement is very different from what is being outlined on this thread. The traditional view of spending one's fittest and healthiest years working hard for long hours before retiring into relative decrepitude has always seemed somewhat perverse to me. Working for 40 years in order to pay huge amounts of interest on mortgages, or to pay large rents and to afford a fancy car every couple of years is usually the recipe for a partially wasted life.

I have been eligible for full time work for 37 years, but I have only actually been in paid continuous full time employment for about 7 of those. I have never been a high earner, and struggled financially whilst young, but I have long had every material thing I need, and much more. I own a couple of houses, both paid for with cash. I only ever had a mortgage for five years, and it was tiny.

So retirement has no meaning for me. The amount of paid work that I do is determined by the non work aspects that are key to me at any particular time. The corollary of this is that I do not expect or wish to retire, until I become too ill or no-one wants to pay me any more.


----------



## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

Wood said:


> My perspective on retirement is very different from what is being outlined on this thread. The traditional view of spending one's fittest and healthiest years working hard for long hours before retiring into relative decrepitude has always seemed somewhat perverse to me. Working for 40 years in order to pay huge amounts of interest on mortgages, or to pay large rents and to afford a fancy car every couple of years is usually the recipe for a partially wasted life.
> 
> I have been eligible for full time work for 37 years, but I have only actually been in paid continuous full time employment for about 7 of those. I have never been a high earner, and struggled financially whilst young, but I have long had every material thing I need, and much more. I own a couple of houses, both paid for with cash. I only ever had a mortgage for five years, and it was tiny.
> 
> So retirement has no meaning for me. The amount of paid work that I do is determined by the non work aspects that are key to me at any particular time. The corollary of this is that I do not expect or wish to retire, until I become too ill or no-one wants to pay me any more.


Sounds fab! :tiphat:

The highest standard of living I ever enjoyed was when I was a university student on a full grant, living in college with all food, laundry, cleaners, television, library & even a nearby Oriental Museum - all provided for nothing. I had no car but could claim expenses for train travel at the end of term. The good news is that I realised at the time how lucky I was and I savoured the experience.

And I never really moved on or tried to amass possessions beyond what was reasonable - in my head, I am still a student. 

What I love about retirement is that I'm sharing it with my soul-mate. I've never understood that remark by wives whose husbands have just retired - 'I don't want him under my feet all day!'

But to be serious, it wouldn't work for everyone, and one important preparation for retirement must be to look at your relationships, family and other, and see how to get the best life-love arrangement.

One thing that Taggart & I didn't bargain for is that my mother has developed dementia. We are trying to keep her in her own home as long as possible, but this means we can't do the travel part of retirement unless my sister or brother can come and stay with Mum while we're away.


----------



## Guest (May 3, 2016)

@Wood
If I could ask?-
How do you get the freedom to pick your working? as in - what kind/s work and on what basis? Self employed? Cash in hand? ...


----------



## Wood (Feb 21, 2013)

Ingélou said:


> Sounds fab! :tiphat:
> 
> The highest standard of living I ever enjoyed was when I was a university student on a full grant, living in college with all food, laundry, cleaners, television, library & even a nearby Oriental Museum - all provided for nothing. I had no car but could claim expenses for train travel at the end of term. The good news is that I realised at the time how lucky I was and I savoured the experience.
> 
> ...


Yes, I think it is worth emphasising the value of indirect financial benefits of reduced working, such as what was available to us as students in the past as you state. I can see how it is not difficult for you to enjoy retirement as you both have plenty of interests, though I do think those who have lived a life of work without interests may find it quite tedious to adapt. The very fact of being on TC would mean that it doesn't apply to any of us of course.


----------



## Wood (Feb 21, 2013)

dogen said:


> @Wood
> If I could ask?-
> How do you get the freedom to pick your working? as in - what kind/s work and on what basis? Self employed? Cash in hand? ...


Most of my income has come through employment in a single profession. I have found it works best when I hold down a job for a long period and find a niche within a company rather than continually seeking promotion or maximising salary in other ways. I can then find myself in a better position to negotiate for what I want at the time, such as a three or four day week, or a 3 month sabbatical to go travelling. For the last 15 years I have had a job with basic hours of 24 per week but have worked up to 40 from time to time at the mutual convenience of myself and the company. I have also had extended holidays of 6 to 8 weeks at a time, pretty much at will.

In the future, self employment may work best. A key factor in making this work has been geographical mobility (I have moved to a place where property is cheap and I can get most enjoyment from my interests). A flexible approach has always been necessary, and of course what has worked well for me would not necessarily work for others.


----------



## Wood (Feb 21, 2013)

Belowpar said:


> Interesting. Define more?
> 
> Is anyone happy to share how they worked this out. With more time on my hands will I need more (that word again) money than I spend now? How do you work out a budget?


You might be surprised at how little money you actually need. The main thing is to have no debts, a property to live in and to be cash rich to allow for any emergency expenditure that might be required.

The starting point for your budget should be your income, which will be any part time or casual work you do, pension income, investment income and savings cashed in. From there you can work backwards from what you have available to spend in order to see what you can afford.

So it is not really a case of retirement costing more or less, but of living within whatever your means are. More time on your hands allows you to save money as well as spend more, eg having the time to cook from fresh food rather than processed muck is cheaper, enjoyable, and more healthy too!


----------



## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Wood said:


> ... having the time to cook from fresh food rather than processed muck is cheaper, enjoyable, and more healthy too!


One of the perks of retirement (and living in the centre of a city, with shops in walking distance) is that we get to do our shopping for fresh food every day instead of once a week. As a result, we throw nothing edible away - in the rare cases that we buy too much, we finish it next day.

The luxury of lots of free time (compared with a regular job) can indeed lead to increased spending, due to daytrips, holidays, picking up expensive hobbies etc. But all it takes is a bit of self control to live within your (new) economic means.


----------



## science (Oct 14, 2010)

My wife and I semi-retired in September 2015 in order to travel, and we've been traveling the US since then. We got a little SUV and some camping equipment, and we've been making our way by AirBnBs and campgrounds. 

The highlight for me so far has been the five weeks we spent in Louisiana in January and early February 2016. Olympic National Park, Saguaro National Park, and Monument Valley were also very beautiful--but Louisiana had music too. I think the highlight for my wife was Marin County, California (Point Reyes, Muir Woods, and so on). 

I hope we get to go back and spend more time in them. Two nights in Yosemite, one night in Death Valley, a few hours in the Grand Tetons... I'm really grateful for that but I'd love to have more time! Time! Time to read all the books I want to read, to hear all the music I want to hear, to learn all the things I want to learn, to go all the places I want to go. I don't mind mortality but the shortness of life makes me angry. 

We will probably keep traveling in the US until at least the fall of 2018. At that point or later, we will probably go back to full-time work for a few years (I'm 39, my wife is 41), probably in China or Southeast Asia, perhaps in the Middle East. After a few years of working in various places around the world, hopefully our savings will have grown to a point that we can totally retire. 

However, of course, all of our plans are subject to change depending on surprisingly good job offers, health problems, who knows what. 

Everyone has to figure out what they want to do because we each have different desires and different situations. The world is full of natural beauty, and there are some really wonderful places look at the sea. But human relationships are the main thing, right? I wish I could figure out how to do full-time international traveling but also have a sense of having a home somewhere with strong relationships.... I guess someone else is going to have to enjoy that life because it does not appear to be my fate. We might even wind up returning to Korea and traveling only a few months a year, just because of trying to have a home and strong relationships. Anyway, again, we all have to figure stuff like this out for ourselves.


----------



## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Taggart said:


> So yes, you will be spending more on certain things. At the same time you save on others. You don't have your work expenses - commuting, meals out, fancy clothes for work.


For better or worse, those work expenses didn't apply to my work situation. My transportation costs were negligible as I lived no more than 5 minutes from my office. Concerning lunch, I brought it from home. As for clothing, I generally wore casual as I do at home. My point is that the cost of being in the workforce is often minimal.


----------



## Ilarion (May 22, 2015)

Pugg said:


> Thanks you for your kind words.
> I will past them on to my parents and godfather who lead me in the world of classical music :tiphat:


Pugg,

You are a very lucky person to have had parents who loved you so much:angel:


----------



## Guest (May 4, 2016)

I'm retiring on June 10th after 26 years of teaching English. I know I will greatly miss my students and the actual teaching, but I won't miss grading essays. On average, I grade about 1000 per year, which works out to about 300-400 hours beyond the classroom (not to mention time spent preparing lessons...). I just can't do it any longer. Now, I can devote more time to the piano, listen to more music, read books for pleasure, travel when I want--life will be good!


----------



## Belowpar (Jan 14, 2015)

Pugg said:


> I am feeling a bit depressed now, still another 35 years too go


As there's nothing wrong with where I am, I ask you if you'd care to switch?

Thanks to all who've replied. Much to think about.

Thanks also to those who've contributed who are not following the traditional work then retire route. I think I will need to be 'occupied' in some way, to have some focus...If I let myself, I can be a tremendous slouch.


----------



## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

What if I'm 27 and I already want to retire.


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

aleazk said:


> What if I'm 27 and I already want to retire.


Hoping for a very big windfall, lottery or heritage


----------



## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

aleazk said:


> What if I'm 27 and I already want to retire.


You'll just have to hope that book of yours is a major best seller - maybe with a film tie in!


----------



## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

I took the option of early retirement 10 years ago from the government contractor company I worked for. They had what's known as a rule of 75, which meant with 20 years of service and age 55 one could retire early with full pension benefits. 

I was 58 and had 25 years, or 83 points which was a much better retirement pension for me. I was losing money going to work everyday ... literally. 

I had joined a savings plan early on in that job - and also invested into my own retirement account. All along I have taken specific amounts of income and re-invested it in myself, putting away for the future. All the while working the 40 hour weeks I have been a church organist, which added to the income levels significantly. In retirement I still play in church to this day. 

I took my company pension as an accelerated plan whereby the whole thing paid out in 5 years instead of for life. We were able to pay off a house mortgage and also purchase a larger home that is much better to our liking. The company pension ended in 2011, and I had to wait 3 years until my government pension (social security) would kick in. My wife was still working full time during those three years and it was lean living at times. But we made it through. 

What I wasn't prepared for was accelerated medical care costs. Medicare would only cover half of the costs of doctor visits, prescriptions, glasses, etc. I had to take out what we call "Medigap" insurance which would pay a portion of what Medicare would not. I kept my high deductible health insurance from my previous employer so that became "tertiary" insurance picking up the remainder of the medical bills. 

All I can say is save like crazy while you are working ... the pensions don't go that far towards all of your needs. I reached the legal age for collection my social security pension from the government two years ago and presently work as a temp employee for the county recorder's office during election seasons, which for 2016 (in my region) are 4 election cycles. We work for about a month then off for a couple months. 

Get a 2nd job,perhaps as a performing musician ... some churches hire bands - the only down side is that you are tied up on the weekends, every weekend and one night a week for rehearsals maybe. 

I (we) did all the right stuff from the very beginning and now we get to reap all those benefits without any worries for the future. We still have annuity accounts in reserve that we won't need to touch for another 10 or so years, which means they continue to grow 7% per annum and makes for a better way of life later on when we might need it. 

We own our own home, we own two cars (one is 12 years old the other 10 years) and we keep up the maintenance on both so they are always very reliable. We're able to pay all of our bills when they are due and still put gas into the cars and food on the table and still manage to eat out as often as we like. 

Save, save, save ... scrimp, scrimp, scrimp ... invest in yourselves ... pay yourself first, always. You'll be glad later on that you did just that. I did and I get to enjoy life to the fullest without any money worries for the rest of my days on earth.


----------



## Johann Sebastian Bach (Dec 18, 2015)

*Go and join a choir* would be my advice to anyone approaching retirement (in fact, it's my advice to anyone who has the slightest interest in music, no matter what age they may be).

The health benefits of de-stressing through singing along with ensuring you do proper breathing and cardio-vascular exercise on a regular basis are clear. You also join a community of like-minded people (similar to TC) and have the opportunity to sing some of the world's greatest music.

I don't know how many members of TC are practising musicians (it sometimes seems that there aren't too many) but retirement is a great opportunity to *do* music, rather than to listen to it. The benefits of learning the art are incalculable.

I count myself as enormously fortunate in terms of retirement. As a conductor, no-one will tell me an age at which I must retire (but it will eventually become apparent). The workouts I get several times each week at rehearsals and concerts keeps me (a 65-year-old) fairly fit physically and mentally, leaving me plenty of time to enjoy a large lapful of grandchildren.


----------



## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

Shoot, I'm just a little shaver compared to some of you guys, but I do have a perspective on this thing of retirement that you could find entertaining. Reading from Wood, Taggart, Krumm, and a host of other folks who have endeared themselves to me over the years (maybe not directly, but most assuredly through their warm countenance) has fertilized a wealth of questions and answers in me. I find myself thinking of different attitudes towards wealth from region to region, people's life goals, the way you all talk of your family, and the picture is overall pragmatic and uplifting.

Well, here's my take: I landed my dream job. Basically since I was a young teen I wanted to write in some academic field or another. Education wise I didn't exactly have a set up as sweet as Ingelou's, it was more of a scratching and clawing process in which I assiduously worked to educate myself to the critical standards out there while working all sorts of manual labor jobs, oftentimes 60+ hours a week and still finding some scant time to read.

Higher education institutions just weren't in the cards for a kid from the wrong side of the tracks. I'm not trying to relate my life story, though, suffice it to say that squeezing your way into academia through alternate channels is a frustrating and lengthy struggle. Now I collect enough from my publications that I can exclusively work on my research. Financially things are pretty thin, but aside from music I've never had expensive interests beyond hoarding books.

It was hard enough getting to the point that I'm at, and I never expect to retire. I have a few longtime friends, and some family members, but no spouse or progeny (never had either). My career is the love of my life. Asking me to retire from studying and writing on history and philosophy is like asking me to give up classical music. I already live like a retiree, what with the fixed income, setting your own clock, etc. So you could say I'm retired, and then you could say I'll work frantically until I can't any more.


----------



## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Also, in terms of healthcare costs, move to another country. There is just no reason to pay the costs of healthcare in the USA. Until Americans wise up to the situation, it's not going to get better. Cross a border, and it gets better.


----------



## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

science said:


> Also, in terms of healthcare costs, move to another country. There is just no reason to pay the costs of healthcare in the USA. Until Americans wise up to the situation, it's not going to get better. Cross a border, and it gets better.


Oh, we're wide awake about the situation ... at least most of us, but yes, until we, as an entire nation, storm Washington DC and vote ALL the cretins out of office things are not going to change ... and that is not going to happen, unfortunately.

Sure, I'd love to move to another country ... I can receive my government pension anywhere in the world, but I have family here, and this is where my roots are. My wife also has a decision in the matter and she desires to stay put, and out of my love and devotion for this very special gal in my life, we will remain in the US and slug it out as best as we can.

As I said in another thread, we are in a comfortable stage financially ... we have no income worries and have most of the medical covered through various insurance policies.

Kh


----------



## Wood (Feb 21, 2013)

science said:


> Everyone has to figure out what they want to do because we each have different desires and different situations. The world is full of natural beauty, and there are some really wonderful places look at the sea. But human relationships are the main thing, right? I wish I could figure out how to do full-time international traveling but also have a sense of having a home somewhere with strong relationships.... I guess someone else is going to have to enjoy that life because it does not appear to be my fate. We might even wind up returning to Korea and traveling only a few months a year, just because of trying to have a home and strong relationships. Anyway, again, we all have to figure stuff like this out for ourselves.


Science, your life sounds great.

My way of dealing with your dilemma was to get a home in one of the areas in which I enjoyed travelling the most, and putting roots down there. This has then been a base for both exploring the local area and for longer term travel to global destinations. I'm living in the Scottish Highlands, and soon it will be rural France. Being able to hike, run, cycle and motorbike in the local mountains & having a short working week made my whole life feel like a holiday, and travelling at a snail's pace, such as walking, is as enjoyable a way to travel as any. Supplementing this with extended vacations in hot countries during the winter gave me something close to the perfect work / leisure balance that was acheivable.


----------

