Are you retired for good?

[Florida]

Hi everybody, I'm a regular reader of the forum and no longer in the workforce.
I am not totally convinced I am a permanant retiree since my finances may be questionable and I have over a decade for full SS benefits.
But I have a plan.

I'm interested in knowing if you consider yourself a 100% Retired Person.
That means no way will you go back to a real job.

Have you accepted retirement as your lifetime status or would working again in the future be a possibility for whatever reasons.

 

[REWahoo]

I'm interested in knowing if you consider yourself a 100% Retired Person.
That means no way will you go back to a real job.

100% card carrying Retired Person here. Barring a very serious financial setback (read "disaster"), no way would I ever go back to a job...real or unreal.

 

[Khan]

Hi everybody, I'm a regular reader of the forum and no longer in the workforce.
I am not totally convinced I am a permanant retiree since my finances may be questionable and I have over a decade for full SS benefits.
But I have a plan.

I'm interested in knowing if you consider yourself a 100% Retired Person.
That means no way will you go back to a real job.

Have you accepted retirement as your lifetime status or would working again in the future be a possibility for whatever reasons.

To quote intercst:
I'd sell a kidney before I'd go back to work.

 

[Nords]

I'm interested in knowing if you consider yourself a 100% Retired Person.
That means no way will you go back to a real job.
Have you accepted retirement as your lifetime status or would working again in the future be a possibility for whatever reasons.

It's been over five years. I ain't goin' back.

I'd much rather "accept" retirement as a lifetime status than to belatedly discover that work was my lifetime status...

As for your own answer to the work/retirement question, have you read Bob Clyatt's "Work Less, Live More"?

 

[Florida]

It's been over five years. I ain't goin' back.

I'd much rather "accept" retirement as a lifetime status than to belatedly discover that work was my lifetime status...

As for your own answer to the work/retirement question, have you read Bob Clyatt's "Work Less, Live More"?

Yes I have read Bob Clatt's book along with a few others on retirement and finances. Used Firecalc too.
No doubt the non working life suits me well especially the freedom it allows.

I would imagine the biggest factor for many on whether or not to stop working revolves around money.
If the numbers work great, if they dont well then I can make them work.

Better than going to work.

 

[Jake46]

Not Going Back

Only been retired for three weeks but can't imagine going back.

 

[unclemick]

Anybody here old enough to remember that old archeology ad(Stockbroker?) - wherein the young guy in the tent was sorting bones at the table and complaining about the pay/working conditions/pain in the butt of digging up fossils, etc - and the old phart interjects -that thanks to E.F. Hutton(or something like that) he could retire to a fun hobby/job like that.

If it ain't fun - don't do it. And remember different folks get their jollies in strange ways. I knew a knot head who bought a Bed and Breakfast in New Orleans - to keep busy in retirement. Another friend recaptured his youth - renewed his Merchant Marine ticket from his youth and went off to see the world.

I on the other hand graduated from an unemployed/layed off/slacker bum to ER(after 6 yrs got my age 55 pension) to graduate 'high class' ER when I found this forum surfing with my trusty webtv back in 03.

And watch out for that volunteer stuff - if you get toooo good at something - that can get dangerous also.

heh heh heh - 14th year of doing nothing in particular and dam proud of it. .

 

[rpow53]

Retired?

I can't go back to wkro if I wanted to. I FORGOT HOW TO SPELL THE WORD! this is somrthing I have wantd all my life, so at 54 I am offically RETIRED and having a good time.

Hello to all Bob

 

[dex]

If work is doing something you don't want to do I don't think I will go back to work. My thought is that I will do what I want to do for as long as I can.ile. After I've done what I wanted I would guess that I will slow down and want to do something to fill my time. I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[Lancelot]

ER'd and NOT going back. Too many places to see

 

[retire@40]

...I'm interested in knowing if you consider yourself a 100% Retired Person.
That means no way will you go back to a real job.

Have you accepted retirement as your lifetime status or would working again in the future be a possibility for whatever reasons.

I'm not 100% retired yet, but to answer your question, even if you believe that you will never have to work again, there is always a possibility that you may need to. And, the younger you retire, the more risk that your plan may not work out.

There are ways to minimize that risk such as...

Saving a larger amount and investing it more conservatively

Having your wife work, so you don't have to

Having a guaranteed COLAd pension

 

[CyclingInvestor]

48, retired 8 months, no pension.

I cannot imagine going back to work. It would require dividend cuts averaging at least
60% by GE / JNJ / PG / GGP / VNO etc for me to even consider it.

 

[W2R]

To quote intercst:
I'd sell a kidney before I'd go back to work.

I am still working, so I can attest to the fact that Khan and intercst have their priorities straight.

When I retire (in 2-3 years) it will be for good. I won't be tempted to go back to work once I have quit, because jobs in my occupation with a decent salary are rare. Also, I plan to move to a location at which jobs in my occupation are non-existent.

Obviously I am building safety net upon safety net into my retirement plans.

 

[Billy]

Does being retired 17 years qualify?

We just make this look easy folks......

Billy
RetireEarlyLifestyle.com

 

[donheff]

ERd at 56. Two and one half years in I am gone for good. I had a part time job for a while. I liked the work but found the responsibility a drag. Now I can't imagine working.

 

[VaCollector]

I think that I am too newly RE'd (5 weeks in & 52) and (hopefully) too smart to say that I'd NEVER go back to work......life can throw some real curve balls your way....but with THAT disclamer out of the way ~

I don't forsee having to do anything related to the work environment that I did not absolutely WANT to do....as others have stated here.....enjoying what you are doing makes all of the difference!

....and I think that UncleMick is on to something regarding any volunteering too....if you're really good at it and show any interest at all....it seems they want you to run it .....probably how THEY got sucked in too....

 

[Moemg]

I did go back to work one day a week .Mostly because my friends convinced me I'd be bored .I 'm done with that .Except for my ebay & amazon selling and they are more a hobby than a job I'm 100% retired .

 

[Cruisinthru]

Not going back. I enjoy doing what I want to do, when I want to do it to much! Plus the money issue is taken care of......

 

[blade3colorado]

Intercst - Ironic that you mentioned Merchant Marines . . . My uncle who is in his late seventies (looks like early 50s and feels like he is in his 30s) was a construction contractor that oversaw a number of major projects in the SF bay area . . . He lost it all in the mid-90's, e.g., big beautiful house, financial assets, porsche, etc., due to IRS issues. LOL . . . Although he knew everything was going down the drain for over a year, he didn't tell his wife or anyone else. When he got the IRS letter, which indicated that they were taking possession of his house and assets and he had to be out of the house the following week, uhhh . . . let's just say that his wife wasn't a happy camper. Myself and other relatives moved his possessions out of the house into a rental and I can still hear her (his wife) voice berating him with profanity. My uncle, who had always been a "take charge guy," was useless that day, in shock from what happened. Anyway, he eventually got his **** together and went back to the Mechant Marines, for whom he had worked in his 20s. Fast forward today, he is a very happy person, albeit not retired . . . grin.

 

[tangomonster]

ER'd for almost a year at 53 and don't ever see myself going back to work. While I do worry about my money lasting for what could be forty more years, I was earning much less from my salary than from my investments, so more years of work weren't going to add much to my FI (just reduce the costs of the insurance premiums). And I don't think I would have much possibility of even returning to related work (it was a highly specialized human service, with not many local opportunities, and I wouldn't be very marketable after a year or more off---not to mention the difficulty of getting hired over 50), so it would be a McJob that would pay even less and offer even less satisfaction. No thanks! I'm with Khan---I'd be willing to sell any body part not to return.

I thought I would do volunteer work or write a book in order to remain "productive" and engaged---but now, for the first time in my life, I'm stressfree and really enjoying life. I've always been the good student and the good worker---now it's time to just kick back and be free of any demands, constraints, stress, etc.

 

[kumquat]

I've only been RE for less than 3 weeks, but I might w*rk a bit under the right circumstances. That would be a SHORT (1 month or less) contract in an interesting place, sort of a paid holiday.

 

[Goonie]

100% card carrying Retired Person here.......no way would I ever go back to a job...real or unreal.

When I retired my Union gave me an official "Retired Union Member" card....so I, too, am a 100% card carrying Retired Person!

ER'd and NOT going back. Too many places to see

We've been laying out plans for our trips through December of 2008! There are soooo many places I want to go.....but I have to pace myself!

....There are ways to minimize that risk such as...

.....Having a guaranteed COLAd pension

Even if all of the other pieces of my financial puzzle vaporize, I still have my cola'd pension supplying me with 87.5% of former salary! I think I'd be able to manage!

So, am I retired for good? Darn straight!!! Besides, I think I've already forgotten HOW to w*rk!!!

 

[CuppaJoe]

For a couple of decades between ages 28 and 48 I arranged my work so that I could take off four months a year. I remember flying back from Spain in ‘77 with only one month’s living expenses in my checking account and no job lined up. It was an insecure, highly rewarding lifestyle, but by no means retirement. During those years I enjoyed my work much much more because I (and it) never became stale. I remember some people I met on jobs who were putting in 10 years with a large company to get a pension, I guess I’m doing that now, in my way; been at the same job since 1993 and it is cool to see the KEOGH account grow as well as the IRA and taxable accounts.

But what about retirement is so very different from my day at work? I see all you guys and gals posting here, work does not stop me from doing that.... I get my errands done efficiently during the workday, order groceries on-line, etc. I’m just kidding! Give me the other side any day, in a heartbeat, as many of you say.

When I do cross that bridge into real retirement, I plan to not go back. But the statistics are interesting that so many do work in retirement. I can easily see that after a few weeks or months R&R, work isn’t as oppressive. FIREcalc and other calculators tell me I can retire soon and never look back, but the next step is to believe it and go ahead. Its not just about money.

 

[kcowan]

Does being retired 17 years qualify?

We just make this look easy folks......

Billy
RetireEarlyLifestyle.com

Hey writing books for cash must just be a paid hobby. That is one thing I might end up doing. Some internet cash game. But return to the rat race? Never!

 

[Nords]

I can easily see that after a few weeks or months R&R, work isn’t as oppressive.

*Snort*. Yeah, sure. Good luck with that.

Here's my take from just 61 months of experience. After a few weeks/months of R&R you'll find that you have absolutely zero residual tolerance for commuting, office attire, meetings, mandatory training, working lunches, performance assessments, career planning, refresher training, stretch goals, deadlines, HR, company-sponsored holiday socials, VIP tours, showing up 5x/week, working late, working weekends,... am I leaving anything out?

They were barely paying you enough to deal with that stuff when you were working. Once you've tasted the ER life, no one could pay you enough to go back!

I liked Kitty's thoughts upon hearing the exit door's cypher lock click shut behind her for the last time. At first it seemed to be shutting her out from a place where she'd spent a valuable & cherished part of her life. Upon further reflection she realized that it was just keeping her co-workers locked in...