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Old 12-30-2016, 12:49 PM   #41
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This is an interesting point. In the past, the fact that retirement was mainly leisure was a given. Now the emerging theme is that you have to strive to find your "true" purpose and make a positive impact on society until your dying day. I think some of this might be a reflection of the increasing influence of idealistic millennial thinking. It holds appeal, for sure, but it's unrealistic and might become yet another social expectation to overcome (or ignore).
I went on a retirement seminar a couple years before retiring. They had the usual speakers going over the pension plan, health/aging, CPP, etc. Then they had the "life coach" speaker who asked "How many of you think you'll take up a hobby when you retire?"

Out of about 100 people, half of them raised their hands. Her response, "If you're this close to retirement and don't already have a hobby, you won't start one when you retire. All retirement gives you is more time to do the things you like, and if you like something you would already be doing it."

I think the same thing applies to charity and "making an impact". If it was important enough, then people would be doing it before they retire and not waiting until they have retired to give back. My hobby is music...I play in a few bands. Retirement has given me more time to practice, more time to jam with others, and more time to take some advanced lessons. I also golf more often due to the extra free time, and read a few more hours a week. But, other than filling in those extra hours, everything else is more or less the same as it was before I retired.
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Old 12-30-2016, 01:17 PM   #42
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I retired at 58 by choice and my DH was laid off shortly after at 53. He has worked on and off for the past 5 years. He will take a consulting project and then not work for a year or so. We each have a small pension. Some of our friends do also so were not jealous. However, as I have mentioned before we lost a couple that were 10 years older then us and were really jealous. They could have worked for the government but chose to work p.t. from home for themselves and now were not going to be able to completely retire ever. It really made them mad that we had pensions and were not working f.t. I work p.t. by choice.
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Old 12-30-2016, 01:39 PM   #43
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good article - I plan on going down as a loud and proud early retiree myself

we had a guy at our club that retired from ups in his 50s and played golf everyday; I think UPS has/had a good esop or something

one of the cheapest guys I've ever met. nice guy tho

he quit after we voted on a $5k assessment and he always made his F&B minimum to a dime
The brother of a good friend of mine started working at UPS while in college. It's the only job application he has ever filled out. He makes well over 6 figures every year and plays golf multiple times/week. He drives a semi for them on the same route 5 days/week that includes overtime (230 miles one way). He'll be 53 shortly but I have no idea if he plans on retiring early.
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Old 12-30-2016, 02:19 PM   #44
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Very early in my retirement process I knew that I would need to have a narrative ready to go regarding this. DW was still working so I definitely owed it to her to "own" the fact that I ER'd and not disguise it.

I looked at all the facts and circumstances that I saw and developed my narrative. Now I bring it out when I need too. It was time well spent in my case.

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A little bit of this for me, as well. DW and I were cruising along saving lotws of money from our combined salaries when the little non-profit I worked for decided to take a turn in a different direction. I was managing three grants that expired simultaneously the year I turned 55 and didn't really want to go in the direction the organization was headed. So DW and I ran the numbers for "maintain the current standard of living" given different work history's effect on SS, pension accrual rate, etc., and it came down to the following 3 scenarios:

A) I retire at 55 and DW at 62, or
B) DW and I both retire at 60, or
C) DW retires at 55 and I retire at 67.


Given the opportunity I had at 55, DW graciously said that I didn't need to continue.

Now, just how does one put that into a soundbite for casual conversation?
So we developed our story which basically leaves out the fact that we ran numbers and made a logical decision based on them. The summary we give is, "We could afford to have JJ retire and DW still really likes her job." Which is true, as far as it goes.

The only people who have been uncomfortable with this are some of DW's women coworkers who feel that it is just WRONG to have the male in a couple retire before the female - regardless of the finances of the situation.
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Old 12-30-2016, 02:29 PM   #45
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I went on a retirement seminar a couple years before retiring. They had the usual speakers going over the pension plan, health/aging, CPP, etc. Then they had the "life coach" speaker who asked "How many of you think you'll take up a hobby when you retire?"

Out of about 100 people, half of them raised their hands. Her response, "If you're this close to retirement and don't already have a hobby, you won't start one when you retire. All retirement gives you is more time to do the things you like, and if you like something you would already be doing it."

I think the same thing applies to charity and "making an impact". If it was important enough, then people would be doing it before they retire and not waiting until they have retired to give back. My hobby is music...I play in a few bands. Retirement has given me more time to practice, more time to jam with others, and more time to take some advanced lessons. I also golf more often due to the extra free time, and read a few more hours a week. But, other than filling in those extra hours, everything else is more or less the same as it was before I retired.
This! While working (even though I rarely worked more than a 40 hour week) I had NO time to find a group to play music with, practice, rehearse, take lessons, etc., etc. So I would do some practicing and play for my own enjoyment, but without a performance outlet, there wasn't a real incentive to develop my skills.

Retirement has definitely expanded the opportunities for my musical hobby. It has taken a couple of years, but I'm starting to see a payoff and the performance opportunities are starting to develop. The hard thing for me is to keep away from the thought, "If only I had studied music in college." I need to enjoy the moment and not reflect on the past.
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Old 12-30-2016, 03:05 PM   #46
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Her response, "If you're this close to retirement and don't already have a hobby, you won't start one when you retire. All retirement gives you is more time to do the things you like, and if you like something you would already be doing it."
That hasn't been my experience. I discovered shortly after RE that some of my previous longstanding hobbies were there only to help me de-stress from work. Once work and the related stress were behind me, my interest in those hobbies dissipated. For me, retirement pretty much cleaned the slate.
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Old 12-30-2016, 03:06 PM   #47
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This! While working (even though I rarely worked more than a 40 hour week) I had NO time to find a group to play music with, practice, rehearse, take lessons, etc., etc. So I would do some practicing and play for my own enjoyment, but without a performance outlet, there wasn't a real incentive to develop my skills.

Retirement has definitely expanded the opportunities for my musical hobby. It has taken a couple of years, but I'm starting to see a payoff and the performance opportunities are starting to develop. The hard thing for me is to keep away from the thought, "If only I had studied music in college." I need to enjoy the moment and not reflect on the past.
I have no regrets...but then again, I don't sing or write songs.

It's too hard to make money in music these days. Other than a few lucky people in my city, most musicians have to give lessons or take on other work to pay the bills. I'm happily retired and get to play music 100% on my own terms, and I wouldn't want it any other way.
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Old 12-30-2016, 03:11 PM   #48
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That hasn't been my experience. I discovered shortly after RE that some of my previous longstanding hobbies were there only to help me de-stress from work. Once work and the related stress were behind me, my interest in those hobbies dissipated. For me, retirement pretty much cleaned the slate.
Others on this site have said that their need to travel diminished once retired as that was their stress reliever, and I can understand that way of thinking. But, how many people have actually taken up a hobby that they didn't already do once they retired? I don't think that many have...
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Old 12-30-2016, 04:44 PM   #49
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This! While working (even though I rarely worked more than a 40 hour week) I had NO time to find a group to play music with, practice, rehearse, take lessons, etc., etc. So I would do some practicing and play for my own enjoyment, but without a performance outlet, there wasn't a real incentive to develop my skills.



Retirement has definitely expanded the opportunities for my musical hobby. It has taken a couple of years, but I'm starting to see a payoff and the performance opportunities are starting to develop. The hard thing for me is to keep away from the thought, "If only I had studied music in college." I need to enjoy the moment and not reflect on the past.


It is easier to find performance outlets when you retire. Two early retirees I know: one who worked for megacorp and retired at age 55. He is a good bass and guitar player and does lots of gigs, some jazz, some theater. Another is s retired band director. He plays keyboard and sax and plays loads of wedding gigs in the Poconos. I'm sure their playing has improved immensely since retirement. Once you start playing more, more opportunities to play just start showing up.
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Old 12-30-2016, 06:39 PM   #50
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Planning what to do with myself post-retirement was harder and more important than figuring out the money aspect. I followed much of the advice in "The Joy of Not Working". It was very helpful in organizing my thoughts. Has anyone else here read it?

I started talking about retirement almost a year before setting a date. The guys at work had a pool, betting on whether I would or wouldn't take the plunge. My boss wouldn't believe me until I turned in my 8 week notice. (BTW - He was laid off two weeks before my final day!) Since I retired most people are just curious.

The strangest response came from my brother-in-law. I told him the things I planned to do, a few of which might earn some money. He said "You're not really retired, then." I said "I think I get to decide what retirement means."
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Old 12-30-2016, 08:11 PM   #51
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I have no regrets...but then again, I don't sing or write songs.

It's too hard to make money in music these days. Other than a few lucky people in my city, most musicians have to give lessons or take on other work to pay the bills. I'm happily retired and get to play music 100% on my own terms, and I wouldn't want it any other way.
I guess regrets might not be exactly what I'm thinking of. In the classical music world every program has brief bios of the performers. Everyone else on stage has something like, "Graduated from So and So Conservatory and studied with Big Name Flutist. Has toured with Fancy Orchestra." It just is a little awkward to lead with "Taught High School physics. Self taught on the flute."

Actually I've projected a little better image than that, but I am still just a little self-consciousness about my lack of formal training. Unfortunately, the classical music world has a strong "where did you study/who do you know/who have you played with" strain that is probably the biggest obstacle to overcome in finding performance opportunities. But, once one gets a few gigs, you can start to get others. It's the first few that are tough.
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Old 12-30-2016, 08:15 PM   #52
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I went on a retirement seminar a couple years before retiring. They had the usual speakers going over the pension plan, health/aging, CPP, etc. Then they had the "life coach" speaker who asked "How many of you think you'll take up a hobby when you retire?"

Out of about 100 people, half of them raised their hands. Her response, "If you're this close to retirement and don't already have a hobby, you won't start one when you retire. All retirement gives you is more time to do the things you like, and if you like something you would already be doing it."
I disagree. The longer I worked, the less time and energy I had to spend on hobbies.

Once I retired, I actually developed several new ones. I spent a lot more time on some things I hadn't envisioned doing before I retired, but I enjoyed them very much.

It takes time and energy to explore options for things to do. When you are working, so much time is just spent dealing with everyday living chores outside of work that you have little time left to experiment and develop interests. We didn't have children. I can't imagine how working parents have time to develop other interests unless they have strict 40 hour weeks and no business travel.
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Old 12-30-2016, 08:17 PM   #53
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Others on this site have said that their need to travel diminished once retired as that was their stress reliever, and I can understand that way of thinking. But, how many people have actually taken up a hobby that they didn't already do once they retired? I don't think that many have...
I did - several.
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Old 12-30-2016, 08:24 PM   #54
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That hasn't been my experience. I discovered shortly after RE that some of my previous longstanding hobbies were there only to help me de-stress from work. Once work and the related stress were behind me, my interest in those hobbies dissipated. For me, retirement pretty much cleaned the slate.
Yep - exactly. I ended up doing completely different things than I expected.

It turned out that the first six months were mostly about experimentation. I'm really glad I gave myself permission to do that, even though it was more stumbling into the process than anything. After six months it became really clear to me that certain things were much more exciting that others and pulled me in a couple of very unexpected directions. Priorities changed completely. And I let go of a lot of old expectations and assumptions and let go of a lot of prior activities to make way for the new stuff.
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Old 12-30-2016, 11:36 PM   #55
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I disagree. The longer I worked, the less time and energy I had to spend on hobbies. Once I retired, I actually developed several new ones. I spent a lot more time on some things I hadn't envisioned doing before I retired, but I enjoyed them very much. It takes time and energy to explore options for things to do. When you are working, so much time is just spent dealing with everyday living chores outside of work that you have little time left to experiment and develop interests.
and . . . .

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Yep - exactly. I ended up doing completely different things than I expected
Hi Audrey, would you mind sharing some examples of what you found? I'm on OMY and could use some encouragement!! While working I find it very hard to explore new areas of interest due to limited free time. I am very capable of entertaining myself when I do manage to get time off of work so I am hopeful this will translate into a rich and fulfilling retirement, full of time to engage in new hobbies and interests.

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Old 12-31-2016, 01:48 AM   #56
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I disagree. The longer I worked, the less time and energy I had to spend on hobbies.

Once I retired, I actually developed several new ones. I spent a lot more time on some things I hadn't envisioned doing before I retired, but I enjoyed them very much.

It takes time and energy to explore options for things to do. When you are working, so much time is just spent dealing with everyday living chores outside of work that you have little time left to experiment and develop interests. We didn't have children. I can't imagine how working parents have time to develop other interests unless they have strict 40 hour weeks and no business travel.
I agree with all this. We did have kids and there was just very little free time to be had between us between work, overtime, commuting, housework, errands and kids in sports, clubs and school activities. We have a lot more time for clubs and hobbies now. For me it was always a time issue, not a lack of interest in developing new hobbies.
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Old 12-31-2016, 07:52 AM   #57
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It's interesting how things change with time.

Does anybody remember how all the modern mechanization of work was supposed to give us the 32 hour work week, with a three day weekend every week, and all for the same pay?
Oh YES!
Dad was a loomfixer in a textile mill, worked the night shift, and probably 60 to hours/week. Around the year 1942, he took me to the mill, to show me an eighteen foot lace loom, that had been brought over to RI, from England. It had a belt driven pulley that drove a rope loop, with knots, that connected to different parts of the loom, to trigger mechanical changes that previously required two persons to attend while the loom was operating.

Like it was yesterday, I can hear him say: "Bobby, in a few years this will change our life... We'll all be able to get the same work done, but I'll only have to work 30 hours a week, and I'll be able to spend all my extra time, with you".

Don't ever remember the word "robotics", or "technology", or "advances". Just that it would free up our lives for the important things.
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Old 12-31-2016, 08:19 AM   #58
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I took up downhill skiing and biking (both road and mountain) when I retired. Hadn't done any of that prior to retirement.
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Old 12-31-2016, 08:21 AM   #59
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Well, I stand corrected

It seems that plenty of people took up hobbies once they retired.
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Old 12-31-2016, 08:42 AM   #60
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I disagree. The longer I worked, the less time and energy I had to spend on hobbies.

Once I retired, I actually developed several new ones. I spent a lot more time on some things I hadn't envisioned doing before I retired, but I enjoyed them very much.

It takes time and energy to explore options for things to do. When you are working, so much time is just spent dealing with everyday living chores outside of work that you have little time left to experiment and develop interests. We didn't have children. I can't imagine how working parents have time to develop other interests unless they have strict 40 hour weeks and no business travel.
I agree, Audrey. When I first switched from working full-time to part-time back in 2001, I already had two things lined up I wanted to do but couldn't when I was working FT. For one activity (volunteer work), I had saved its application form I received 6 months earlier, then applied in the first month of my PT work era. The other required no application. I did some quick research in the first few weeks to find out which nights I could rejoin this activity I had not done in 13 years. I still do both things today. When I ERed in 2008, I was able to expand one activity wile the other one became easier to schedule.
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