Did you retire at the right time?

[imoldernu]

30 yrs ago @age 53.
Safe and happy, and enjoying the trip into the sunset.

 

[pacergal]

Based on years worked and pension, could have retired at 54. Left at 60 for retiree health insurance. Feel like it's at the time meant to be. Healthy, happy, and enjoying life!

 

[T-Minus]

A little to late. I went at 58 should of done it around 55 year old.

Almost exactly my story. I retired at 57, could and should have at 56. Oh well...

 

[brett]

Yes. Went at 58/59. Could have gone a year earlier but waited for a golden handshake. It was worth the wait. No regrets.

 

[rkser]

Retired at 59, work was getting too stressful & my weak leg effected in an accident was bothering me also. The $ number seemed right & I pulled the trigger.

Market has been up & up since, financially it has been the right decision, but I do get lonely & bored at times thinking all my colleagues are working productively.

 

[mystang52]

Perfect time for me. Right combination of financials and emotionally certain as to timing. Had I retired earlier,there would have been doubts as to the timing so for me the actual time was spot-on.

 

[joeea]

There probably was a poll about this but I've never seen one. Did you retire at the right time, or:

Way too early
A little too early
At the right time
A little too late
Way too late

I retired 9 minutes late.

Not to be rude, but is there any value to an answer to this question here? And could anyone really provide an answer before the end of their life?

 

[Lawrencewendall]

Not sure yet. On day 51 @54. Still apprehensive about the decision.

 

[Dd852]

Retired at 52, seven years ago. Wasn’t ready psychologically to do it earlier ... no regrets at having done it.

 

[like2]

5 months into this new chapter of our lives and I could not be happier!! We both went at 55 and to this point agree it was the right decision for us!!

 

[RAE]

I retired at age 56 which was the soonest I could go to qualify for health insurance. I wish I could have retired 4 years sooner while my mother was still alive.

Same with me (actually 55 1/2 in my case).

 

[Steeler75]

Retired at 54.5 last year and seems perfect to me. Can’t imagine how I fit in w*rk all those years as I am so busy now!

Blessed to be in this position, have time to take care of family and spend more time with elderly parents. DW will retire in 3 years and DD will be in university. Life is good

 

[Bir48die]

Just right initially. Talked into six months of part time but that was during fall and winter months so no big deal plus they still let me take our warm weather trip. Ended up that first month of retirement in April was one of the best spring months ever so took several spur of the moment camping trips.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

A bit too late, but that's only obvious in retrospect. My last day in [-]jail[/-] work was three days after my 57th birthday which was a bit over two years ago. Dear Old Dad passed two weeks later, and while I always knew there was an inheritance I never counted on it in my calculations. Turned out to be a bit bigger than I thought, mainly due to the market run-up since about 2010. Add to that the further market run-up since early 2017, and my balance is up 63% since I had "enough."

All in all, I like the feeling of security we have now, and the feelings of drudgery I used to have are just fading memories.

 

[Music Lover]

I retired 9 minutes late.

Not to be rude, but is there any value to an answer to this question here? And could anyone really provide an answer before the end of their life?

Of course you can answer before the end of your life. Several people have commented over the years that they wished they had retired early. And a lot of people ask if they have enough to retire. Perspective from those who may have also wondered if they had enough and are now a few years into retirement might be helpful.

 

[REWahoo]

Yes, I retired at the right time - 5 PM local. I actually left about 3 and got away with it.

 

[timo2]

I retired when the various elements of my work environment, DW work environment, my mental environment, DW's mental environment, and our financial accounts all aligned into an event that could not be ignored. Any one or two of these were not perfect, but the combination was compelling.

 

[aja8888]

I was in the right place at the wrong time...............Hey?

 

[joeea]

Of course you can answer before the end of your life. Several people have commented over the years that they wished they had retired early.

And some of those people may run out of money later in life.

 

[CoolRich59]

A little late. I got out at 58 and figure I could have pulled the plug 2 or 3 years earlier.

 

[RetireAge50]

We both retired I guess at the perfect time for us at age 50. Not too late as we needed to wait for a pension to become fully Cola’d. Not too early either as it seems our portfolio is growing faster than we can spend it.

Having the time, health and resources to “go out and play” as an adult has been wonderful.

 

[Tiger8693]

I have not retired yet, but feel I am late....

On a serious note, DW and I just found out that her sisters husband has been diagnosed with Early Onset Dementia. Has us both re-assessing a lot of things.

And, by the way, I think this was a great question, as do apparently many others based on the number of responses!

 

[Teacher Terry]

Tiger, that’s very sad. A good friend of mine had it early also.

 

[rk911]

Yes, I retired at the right time - 5 PM local. I actually left about 3 and got away with it.

the staff threw a retirement party for me on thursday, my 55th birthday. friday was to be my last day. i came in late, turned in my keys, ID, said my final goodbyes and boogied out the door. my buddy feigned shock and dismay that i wasn’t working a full day.

 

[gerntz]

I say right because we didn't want to be spending down our assets & they've slowly increased. Peace of mind. We haven't not done anything we wanted to do.