Nobody's grave stone ever had" I wish I could have worked longer" for an epitaph
Mixed feelings about retirement
- Thread starter carviewsonic
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Originally Posted by Donald
I have yet to see a case where telling an employer early helps the employee. Even if you tell them early they probably will not start looking for a replacement until a month before you leave. If they found a replacement tomorrow would they hire him and have both of you on the payroll for the next year?
Retiring is not ending but starting the next chapter in life's journey.
There are some books like "Retire with a Purpose". Good reading.
Is the book called Retire with a Mission? I looked for the other one to buy on e-bay and couldn't locate it.
I have yet to see a case where telling an employer early helps the employee. Even if you tell them early they probably will not start looking for a replacement until a month before you leave. If they found a replacement tomorrow would they hire him and have both of you on the payroll for the next year?
Retiring is not ending but starting the next chapter in life's journey.
There are some books like "Retire with a Purpose". Good reading.
Is the book called Retire with a Mission? I looked for the other one to buy on e-bay and couldn't locate it.
Thanks for your responses guys, I'm appreciating your different perspectives. I guess the kidney thing and retirement was always years down the road (in my mind), and now it's almost here. The past few weeks have been a wake up call, I just need to adjust.
I should clarify a bit as to why I gave so much notice.. The construction projects I work on typically take a year or two from start to completion, with a recent one taking three years. There are a ton of details on these things, so the transition from me to my replacement will take some time. Most importantly, I have a good relationship with and trust our GM.
I should clarify a bit as to why I gave so much notice.. The construction projects I work on typically take a year or two from start to completion, with a recent one taking three years. There are a ton of details on these things, so the transition from me to my replacement will take some time. Most importantly, I have a good relationship with and trust our GM.
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Good luck on your retirement. Everyone tells me not to wish to get older but I sure would like a check every month. I have to wait until I am 66 and 2 months but I am less than 2 years out now. I hope you can find a lot of fun things to do. I know I will go fishing and hunting a lot more as well as rack up some real miles on my Corvette. I also like shooting at the gun range and I could go on and on. I would pull the plug and enjoy life to it's fullest. Good luck with whatever decision you make.
Enjoy your well deserved retirement.
Originally Posted by carviewsonic
There was a good thread started by CUJET that covered a similar topic,
guess I'm just looking for reassurance that I'm doing the right thing.
I've made my mind up. I'm retiring at the end of this year. No need to restate my health issues, other than things went bad sooner, faster and harder than I ever expected. Although I've had a bit of a reprieve lately.
Clearly, there are many things that roll into the equation. My home (and wife) is in Jupiter, FL and I had a second place in PA for the last 2 years. A nice cabin to stay at while I work up north. Imagine my surprise this week when my wife mentioned things were much better at my FL home when I was up in PA... We get along great, but she clearly likes her space. I'm starting to understand my constant presence after retirement is not going to be to her liking..... hahahahaha, oh well. I guess I now know to expect some stress on this front. That's no reason not to retire. It's incentive to find things to do that don't involve her.
I'm currently in NY, visiting my oldest and closest friend in the nursing home, he is 55 and had a hemorrhagic stroke. Boom, just like that he went from electronics engineer designing world class automation control circuitry to something less than functional. He had plans and never got the chance to do the things he wanted or to purchase the cars he dreamed of. I left his nursing home a couple hours ago, with a deep sadness inside for the loss of my friend.
So, if you are looking for reassurance that a slightly early retirement is the right thing to do, from what you've said, I'd say yes, absolutely. Those that say "ya never know what will happen" are 100% incorrect. You do know (you just don't know exactly when) , and for us older men, the chances are not good.
There was a good thread started by CUJET that covered a similar topic,
guess I'm just looking for reassurance that I'm doing the right thing.
I've made my mind up. I'm retiring at the end of this year. No need to restate my health issues, other than things went bad sooner, faster and harder than I ever expected. Although I've had a bit of a reprieve lately.
Clearly, there are many things that roll into the equation. My home (and wife) is in Jupiter, FL and I had a second place in PA for the last 2 years. A nice cabin to stay at while I work up north. Imagine my surprise this week when my wife mentioned things were much better at my FL home when I was up in PA... We get along great, but she clearly likes her space. I'm starting to understand my constant presence after retirement is not going to be to her liking..... hahahahaha, oh well. I guess I now know to expect some stress on this front. That's no reason not to retire. It's incentive to find things to do that don't involve her.
I'm currently in NY, visiting my oldest and closest friend in the nursing home, he is 55 and had a hemorrhagic stroke. Boom, just like that he went from electronics engineer designing world class automation control circuitry to something less than functional. He had plans and never got the chance to do the things he wanted or to purchase the cars he dreamed of. I left his nursing home a couple hours ago, with a deep sadness inside for the loss of my friend.
So, if you are looking for reassurance that a slightly early retirement is the right thing to do, from what you've said, I'd say yes, absolutely. Those that say "ya never know what will happen" are 100% incorrect. You do know (you just don't know exactly when) , and for us older men, the chances are not good.
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Tomorrow is not guaranteed and if you can afford to retire, do it, especially with your health issues. I've seen plenty of my former co-workers either not make it to retirement or died shortly after. I retired at age 50 with 25 years of government service so I get a pension, and have a TSP(kind of like a 401K). I pay the same for my medical and dental insurance as what the current employees pay. I made sure I had most everything paid off so I could afford to retire when I did and make it just on my pension. I have not touched my TSP yet, 2.5 years later.
I do miss a lot of my co-workers and where I worked, once you retire, you can't go back in for security reasons, so a bunch of us retirees meet on a pretty regular basis so we can see each other.
I had reservations about retiring and it was a little hard to adjust at first but I love it now and have not gone back to work since retiring. I find plenty to do and rarely do I get bored.
Enjoy your retirement, it's one of those things most of us work towards are entire life.
I do miss a lot of my co-workers and where I worked, once you retire, you can't go back in for security reasons, so a bunch of us retirees meet on a pretty regular basis so we can see each other.
I had reservations about retiring and it was a little hard to adjust at first but I love it now and have not gone back to work since retiring. I find plenty to do and rarely do I get bored.
Enjoy your retirement, it's one of those things most of us work towards are entire life.
"So, if you are looking for reassurance that a slightly early retirement is the right thing to do, from what you've said, I'd say yes, absolutely. Those that say "ya never know what will happen" are 100% incorrect. You do know (you just don't know exactly when) , and for us older men, the chances are not good."
Thanks Cujet, I appreciate your post.
Thanks Cujet, I appreciate your post.
Originally Posted by carviewsonic
I just told our GM that I will be retiring in about a year (I'll be 57). The company has been good to me, so I want to be fair to them. It will take a while to find a replacement, and they will need on the job training by me. It's a couple of years earlier than I had originally planned, due to an autoimmune kidney issue. That's been an issue for sixteen years now, and the news on that front hasn't been good lately. I would like to have a few years of retirement while I'm healthy enough to enjoy it, so I think I'm making the right decision.
In no particular order my mixed feelings come from:
Change in financial status (from a paycheque to a pension). We have savings but are not wealthy. My wife will retire as well, so that we can do things together.
She'll have a small pension. So we should be o.k., but it will be an adjustment. We're meeting with a retirement planning accountant soon.
I do like my job and the people I work with, but don't love it. It can be a bit stressful at times, but I suppose that's why I'm paid. I'll miss many of the guys I work with. It's kind of tough to walk away from a career that I know I'm fortunate to have.
Like a lot of guys my career has been a part of my identity, so I'll have to adjust to losing that. Not sure how I'll fill all that time, but it will be fun doing new things.
There was a good thread started by CUJET that covered a similar topic, guess I'm just looking for reassurance that I'm doing the right thing.
I guess this is what happens when you like what you do and are valued. I have no experience with that, so you're on your own, but my off the cuff is "screw them, go enjoy living!"
I just told our GM that I will be retiring in about a year (I'll be 57). The company has been good to me, so I want to be fair to them. It will take a while to find a replacement, and they will need on the job training by me. It's a couple of years earlier than I had originally planned, due to an autoimmune kidney issue. That's been an issue for sixteen years now, and the news on that front hasn't been good lately. I would like to have a few years of retirement while I'm healthy enough to enjoy it, so I think I'm making the right decision.
In no particular order my mixed feelings come from:
Change in financial status (from a paycheque to a pension). We have savings but are not wealthy. My wife will retire as well, so that we can do things together.
She'll have a small pension. So we should be o.k., but it will be an adjustment. We're meeting with a retirement planning accountant soon.
I do like my job and the people I work with, but don't love it. It can be a bit stressful at times, but I suppose that's why I'm paid. I'll miss many of the guys I work with. It's kind of tough to walk away from a career that I know I'm fortunate to have.
Like a lot of guys my career has been a part of my identity, so I'll have to adjust to losing that. Not sure how I'll fill all that time, but it will be fun doing new things.
There was a good thread started by CUJET that covered a similar topic, guess I'm just looking for reassurance that I'm doing the right thing.
I guess this is what happens when you like what you do and are valued. I have no experience with that, so you're on your own, but my off the cuff is "screw them, go enjoy living!"
I've taken these discussions to heart the past few years. I've incorporated retirement/appreciation/awareness type activities into my current lifestyle so I sort of (a bit) have some/best of both worlds. I continue activities I am passionate about on both fronts. If things were to change for the worse dramatically, I would have very few regrets. Again, I have a very unusual situation and like one poster stated above, I sometimes have to pinch myself to appreciate that I am getting paid to do this.
This has been a great thread. It's important in these discussions to remember that everyone's situation is different. I wish you the best, carviewsonic. Maybe consider retiring with the option of remaining a consultant to your workplace for a year or two.
This has been a great thread. It's important in these discussions to remember that everyone's situation is different. I wish you the best, carviewsonic. Maybe consider retiring with the option of remaining a consultant to your workplace for a year or two.
Can`t ad much,so many good comments. been retired 19 years, went from working crazy hours with 24/7 on call duty every fourth day to nothing. Wife is retired also and we do what we want when we want. Two of my co-workers died of glioblastomers possibly from the PCB`s and asbestos we were exposed to early in our employment. Served on a few boards in town but now down to one, its hard for community's to find volunteers.
Retire and enjoy life! I suffered a pay cut but taxes and expenses are lower too. You will love it!
Wife and I are in our 70s and retired.
Minimal pension income - we live comfortably beneath our means.
Love it !
Minimal pension income - we live comfortably beneath our means.
Love it !
Retired this past Nov. wife retired in Sept. i'm 66 and she's 62, living comfortably with 4 pension incomes. Still getting used to not working and having a lot of free time on my hands. We do love getting in the car and drive with no particular place to go, cold weather is keeping us indoors, can't wait for spring.
wtd,
Great post.
I agree to enjoy your retirement and don't look back.
Great post.
I agree to enjoy your retirement and don't look back.
I got my retirement forced on me as I fell from ladder. One Surgery down at least 2 to go but fear of not walking is real. Since this wife had a stroke so a blessing in disguise. I was only 50 at the time and main profession was auto tech. I guess you can say that I keep doctor busy LOL
All seriousness if there is medical condition that would get worse then retirement is in order just enjoy before to late.
All seriousness if there is medical condition that would get worse then retirement is in order just enjoy before to late.
The only issue I have with retirement is the amount of time it takes to start receiving income from pension accounts. I have just recently found out that it takes a couple of months after I retire before I'll start receiving retirement income. It's a good thing I will have a substantial amount of savings at the time of my retirement as I'm going to need it. For those of you contemplating retirement, I STRONGLY recommend that you look into every aspect of your pensions to find out how long you will have to wait to start receiving benefits. If you don't have enough money saved up to hold you over for a few months, you may be in for a rude awakening...
Some are forced into retirement even though they want to stay.
A one hospital I was at they gave a guy with 33 years notice his job was not part of the new Corporate restructuring plan.
A one hospital I was at they gave a guy with 33 years notice his job was not part of the new Corporate restructuring plan.
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