Me and my DH are talking about having kids in the next few years, and I am not planning to go back to work after that.
However, I have a degree in accounting, I have been working since I was 16 and just can't imagine myself not bringing in some kind of income, so I might look into doing some kind of light bookeeping for small businesses.
Does that count as a "retierement"? I've always thought that as long i don't have 9-5 working for the Great Corporate America, I am not exactly "working"
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Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 10,537
Honestly, who cares? One of the nice things about saving and LBYM is that you have more time and resources available to please yourself. My DW quit before we had kids and set up a small business in her field that she continues with today. Its a nice way for her to stay active in her field, make a small amount of money, and have a little adult contact that doesn't involve play dates. Laurence's DW is doing something similar.
...so I might look into doing some kind of light bookeeping for small businesses.
Does that count as a "retierement"?* I've always thought that as long i don't have 9-5 working for the Great Corporate America, I am not exactly "working"
At best it's semi-retirement.
__________________ No man is free who is not master of himself. --- Epictetus Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think). --- Guy Lombardo
I've always thought that as long i don't have 9-5 working for the Great Corporate America, I am not exactly "working"
What do the gurus on here think?
See what Uncle Sam, or Social Security thinks. Isn't that the ultimate yardstick? Gonna contribute to SS?
A lot of the weekend days, I work harder entertaining the kid than weekdays at the office.
People told me a kid would be hard work, but I had no idea how much work. I think that's what Ron is hinting at too.
-CC
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"There's those thinkin' more or less, less is more, but if less is more, how you keepin' score?
It means for every point you make, your level drops. Kinda like you're startin' from the top..." "Society" - Eddie Vedder
As a parent of two children, I do not think kids are hard work. This is especially true when they start to go to school. This is especially true when you teach them to take care of themselves. They are not pets and can become quite independent after 20 years or so.
my brother's wife doesn't work. she raises his three kids, keeps the 3,200 sf house clean and helps care for my mom with alzheimer's.
i don't think of her as retired. i think of her as an illegal immigrant.
__________________ "off with their heads"~~dr. joseph-ignace guillotin
"life should begin with age and its privileges and accumulations, and end with youth and its capacity to splendidly enjoy such advantages."~~mark twain - letter to edward kimmitt 1901
Honestly, who cares?* One of the nice things about saving and LBYM is that you have more time and resources available to please yourself.* My DW quit before we had kids and set up a small business in her field that she continues with today.* Its a nice way for her to stay active in her field, make a small amount of money, and have a little adult contact that doesn't involve play dates.* Laurence's DW is doing something similar.
Ditto, I'm not interested in meeting some technical definition of retired!
I think that the situation that Brewer's spouse and my spouse now experience has really opened my eyes. Sure, she's working part time (15-20 a week), but she is working strictly from home, enjoying the interaction, and yesterday took my daughter to the beach! I'm starting to think semi-ER is the route for me, too!
Good point. I like ESRBob's book but it doens't apply to me, I want a clean break from work into retirement. But part time work would work for a lot of people and this sounds like a very good case. And you get to tell your friends you are retired, a stay at home Mom or working as you choose.
You may like the income and you may like the social/work contact. Under ideal conditions you could have flexible hours as well. Certainly worth exploring.
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“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The
other is as though everything is a miracle.” - Albert Einstein
If you're asking "What work should I do?" then let me vent a pet peeve.
If you're an accountant, do you know how to do non-profits & their tax returns? When I volunteered as Treasurer of a very very small 501(c)3 ($35K annual revenue), no full-time self-respecting money-grubbing accountant would touch such a tiny organization. It was actually easier to learn the accounting & taxes than it was to find & supervise someone for the $400-$500 we'd be able to pay. If you're only looking to do a couple hours a month and a couple workdays around tax time (especially with 501(c)3 flexible fiscal years & filing extensions) you'd help a lot of volunteers sleep better at night.
Have you considered small-business or non-profit consulting? A neighbor of ours helps organizations set themselves up, organize their books, and deal with tax issues. She only works with them once or twice a year for a straight hourly rate. It would also be very easy for Peachtree or Quickbooks users at small businesses to swap files with you.
And most of your work-related spending would either be a business expense or a charitable donation...
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* For more info see "About Me" in my profile.
that's a really interesting suggestion, thank you. I've never done none-profit accounting, but I do know the basics, so don't think it would be too hard to learn.
As appealing as it might sound to some - the idea of complete retirment, I just can't picture not doing something that relates to my field.
my brother's wife doesn't work. she raises his three kids, keeps the 3,200 sf house clean and helps care for my mom with alzheimer's.
i don't think of her as retired. i think of her as an illegal immigrant.
You're an artist and funny.*
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Do not rely on the information provided--my posts are not to be taken as legal advice. Needless to say you must consult with your legal representative. I am not responsible for errors. If I offended you with cya I apologize. If I did not, I tried.
yeah, mom used to say i'm funny. but then she'd say: "but looks aren't everything."
(and actually i thought of that immigrant thing from reading your last post)
__________________ "off with their heads"~~dr. joseph-ignace guillotin
"life should begin with age and its privileges and accumulations, and end with youth and its capacity to splendidly enjoy such advantages."~~mark twain - letter to edward kimmitt 1901
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Losing my whump
Posts: 22,526
I can say with some authority that "lazy" and "not working" are not associate in any way with my "retirement". A few days I've looked at the wife and said I was considering going back to work as sitting behind a desk and talking to people on the phone was way easier than this.
CONSIDERING. For a second.
Maybe the OP could do tax work? Busy for a month or two a year, probably bring in some good change, sit back the rest of the year?
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Many an optimist has become rich by buying out a pessimist
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Losing my whump
Posts: 22,526
Retirement is exactly what each person decides it means to them.
Otherwise, you'd have to sit like a lump in one place, on feeding tubes, to avoid the definition of "work"
"Something that one is doing, making, or performing, especially as an occupation or undertaking; a duty or task"
"Something that has been produced or accomplished through the effort, activity, or agency of a person or thing"
Even occasionally learning about and managing investments is "work".
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Many an optimist has become rich by buying out a pessimist
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