What does it mean to be "retired"?

[ExFlyBoy5]

I concur with "Traineeinvestor" and say that Retirement for me is simply having the financial and personal freedom to choose. That's it, period the end.

Pretty much this. Retirement can be vastly different depending on the person. I am perfectly happy to sit at home and not do a damn thing. My DW on the other hand is always GO GO GO. We are about to depart for some Caribbean travel and I am already worn out thinking about all the stuff the DW is going to want to do. Oye..I think I need to take a nap.

 

[RunningBum]

I'm not crazy about labels, but some of you working part-time more than a few hours a year sound "semi-retired" to me. But who cares what you call it, it is whatever it is. I mean, if there was something I enjoyed that I could get paid for and more or less set my own schedule, I'd jump on it without worrying whether I could still call myself retired. Also, I think some people view retirement as leaving the career they were doing, whether or not you do something else like being a landlord or other part-time work different from your career. I can see that either way.

I don't think drudgery, enjoyment or FI really applies to the definition. If I'm retired and am bored to death with retirement, I'm still retired. And if I'm working full time at something I really enjoy and can walk away anytime I like, there's no way I can see calling that retirement.

For volunteering, I took that to mean not full time volunteering work.

I voted for volunteering ok, no paid work at all, but as I type this out I'm thinking that part-time paid work is ok, with the caveat that it's not a career extension. I worked part-time for about 2-3 years at the same job I'd had before, was FI, and definitely did not consider myself retired until I got completely out.

 

[W2R]

Like everyone I have my own personal idea of what retirement really is (as a member, not as an Admin). My definition is not meant to invalidate anyone else's definition, and it comes with no guarantees of even being correct.

When you have enough money to be able to choose working or not working, to me that is being FI (financially independent).

When you are FI *AND* you make the choice to stop working forever, to me that is retirement.

When you are retired and you decide to start "working" at a part time job that doesn't pay much of anything, just for fun and to keep your mind occupied, that is not working; that is playing.

However, if you are convinced that you are retired, then I am not going to argue it even if you are working 120 hours/week for a 6 figure salary.
**************************************************

On the other hand, I really HATE how the English language is becoming so much less precise and overly fluid due to people insisting on redefining English words whenever doing that is convenient to them. So here is a definition I just found by Googling "retirement":

re·tire·ment
rəˈtī(ə)rmənt/
noun
noun: retirement; plural noun: retirements

1. the action or fact of leaving one's job and ceasing to work.
"a man nearing retirement"

• the period of one's life after leaving one's job and ceasing to work.
  "he spent much of his retirement traveling in Europe"
• the action or fact of ceasing to play a sport competitively.

2. the withdrawal of a jury from the courtroom to decide their verdict.

(red emphasis mine)

 

[JustCurious]

On the other hand, I really HATE how the English language is becoming so much less precise and overly fluid due to people insisting on redefining English words whenever doing that is convenient to them.

Exactly. That was the point of my post and my poll. Everyone is entitled to their own view of what it means to be retired, but when different people use the same word in a conversation while attaching different meanings to that word, then the conversation is less meaningful. (I call words like that "suitcase words" because people pack whatever meaning they want into the word and that meaning may be different than the meaning you pack into the word.)

For example, someone may announce that they are retiring in the Class of 2016, but if they are defining retired as "any amount of paid work is ok so long as you want to do it and you are financially independent" then what they are really saying is that they have reached financial independence in 2016 but they may choose to continue working. I am not passing judgment as to whether that is good or bad, I think it's great if that person wants to continue working, but the point is that some people might disagree that someone who reaches FI and continues to work because they want to counts as being retired.

 

[Nemo2]

someone may announce that they are retiring in the Class of 2016,

Perhaps they are indicating that they are shy, quiet, and unassuming?

 

[Katsmeow]

I made the 4th choice. I understand each person has a different definition of it. I saw that I semi-retired in 2010. I went from working full-time to working in the office 1 day a week and doing occasional work from home. I have kept that it up in one form or another since then. In my highest paid year, I made almost $100k doing this. That year definitely didn't feel like retirement to me, although I could have quit at any time. And, in fact, I eventually went in and said I was tired of the commute (even 1 or 2 days a week) and was just going to quit entirely.

But, then I was offered the opportunity to work from home entirely. Since then I've done that (going to the office about once a year). Since then I've varied greatly in how much I do. Sometimes I average 3 or 4 hours in a month. Other times I average 20 or 30 hours in a month. The thing is that it is really up to me. I don't have to do anything. I am free to decline a project if I want to.

At this point, the amount of money is pretty trivial, but I do it more to help out colleagues than anything else From a financial standpoint, I could quit tomorrow and it would make no substantive difference.

 

[2017ish]

....

On the other hand, I really HATE how the English language is becoming so much less precise and overly fluid due to people insisting on redefining English words whenever doing that is convenient to them. ...

Yep. It is being decimated. (That one makes me grit my teeth, but english is a mongrel child of generations of bastardization. Overall, we've got a large and quite flexible toolbox--no matter how much I hate some of the common usage!)

 

[Slow But Steady]

I'm leaving my megacorp job in seven weeks. I have told folks that I would come back to consult on certain projects. I have (half-jokingly) told them that for the work that's interesting I would charge $X per hour, and for the work that I consider drudgery, I would charge $10*X.


If I decide to do some work for $X, I will still be retired, but if I ever agree to do the $10*X work, it will be back to the grind.

 

[6miths]

Retired - Being in a state where your time is truly yours. Any claims on your time are accepted by you in a fully voluntary manner, whether or not $$ are attached.

I like this. As per the definition above, I have left my high paying job and I can chose to do whatever I want with my time with no regard to whether it is paid or not. Working in the garden, fixing things around the house, helping others learn for little or no monetary reward or even doing what I used to do as a volunteer... is this 'work'? I think not (It sure doesn't feel like what used to be 'work'). Am I retired? I think so!

 

[Cobra9777]

For me, it simply means that I quit work after achieving FI and have no intention of seeking employment ever again unless it's just something I decide to do for fun in my spare time... which is highly unlikely.

 

[old woman]

To me it means quitting work and not depending on someone else to support me. I retired twice before I was 25 once to be a housewife and once cashed out retirement and quit job then decided to go to college full time. I was married to a man who didn't want me to work and didn't actually intend to work but hard to say you are retired at 22 and broke. I started working again in 1974-2014 then retired again. This time, FI, SS, Medicare, tossed all old copies of resume, not keeping up with current issues so probably couldn't get hired again if I tried. If I work for money ever again it will be pocket change but I don't see wanting to do that.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I retired completely in 2012 for about 7 months. Then I was asked to teach a course at the university which is something I had never done. My career was not in teaching at all. It is online and I am totally free to work on it when I want, etc. It never interferes with my schedule, vacations, etc. I consider myself semi-retired. This has really been an unexpected joy to be doing this. so fun!

 

[harley]

the action or fact of leaving one's job and ceasing to work.

The action or fact of leaving one's job and ceasing to get paid. I work my butt off around the house and garden, plus my DD's house.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I really HATE how the English language is becoming so much less precise and overly fluid due to people insisting on redefining English words whenever doing that is convenient to them. So here is a definition I just found by Googling "retirement":
(red emphasis mine)

So I take it that you don't like the new and improved meaning of LITERALLY?

...used for emphasis or to express strong feeling while not being literally true.


Amazing, huh?

Literally | Definition of Literally by Merriam-Webster

 

[FUEGO]

I think people often use "retired" colloquially to mean the Webster's definition "leaving one's job and ceasing to get paid" even when they pick up another kind of work post-retirement. Everyone knows a retired police/firefighter/military guy/gal in their 40's or 50's that does some PI work, odd jobs, landscaping, woodworking, etc, right? Nothing full time, not always that well paid, sometimes just puttering around a shop or a business to pass the time and have folks to BS with.

They might say "I'm retired" and that means "I'm retired [from my former full time career]".

 

[FUEGO]

So I take it that you don't like the new and improved meaning of LITERALLY?

...used for emphasis or to express strong feeling while not being literally true.


Amazing, huh?

Literally | Definition of Literally by Merriam-Webster

I can't stand it. People literally use it all the time. The misuse annoys me so much that I'm literally dying.

 

[harley]

I can't stand it. People literally use it all the time. The misuse annoys me so much that I'm literally dying.

 

[nap470]

I define retirement as not having to be at the same place, at the same time, for the same amount of time, each day. Unfortunately, I am still stuck in the OMY mentality...

 

[Focus]

They might say "I'm retired" and that means "I'm retired [from my former full time career]".

That's me. I consider myself retired because I left a long career in one field and know I'll never go back, and I don't have to do anything else if I don't want to. This is usually how I phrase it: "I retired from a 30-year career as a __________ of ___________, and now I'm [insert latest interest here]."

Nearly two years in, I'm actively exploring other "jobs." This is a time to experiment and try things out. We have only one life, so for me sampling other vocations is fun and interesting.

That said, I can't imagine launching a full-fledged second career. How could I, when I have these requirements?

1. 10 hours a week max (per "job").
2. Must be very satisfying and enjoyable.
3. No early mornings.
4. Full independence; no supervisor, politics or BS.
5. Conveniently located.

Yep, I'm retired.

 

[JustCurious]

I think people often use "retired" colloquially to mean the Webster's definition "leaving one's job and ceasing to get paid" even when they pick up another kind of work post-retirement. Everyone knows a retired police/firefighter/military guy/gal in their 40's or 50's that does some PI work, odd jobs, landscaping, woodworking, etc, right? Nothing full time, not always that well paid, sometimes just puttering around a shop or a business to pass the time and have folks to BS with.

They might say "I'm retired" and that means "I'm retired [from my former full time career]".

That's true, but there is a difference between saying "I retired from [former full time job] in 2011..." as compared to saying "I am retired." In the former case, I would not assume that the person is not working because they could have gone back to work at another job, whereas in the latter case I would (perhaps foolishly) assume that they are not working.

I know people who retired from one public sector job and then started working at another job (public or private) within days or weeks.

 

[Dash man]

'Retired', to me, is being unencumbered by the drudgery of employment.....gainful or otherwise.

+1


Enjoying life!

 

[MRG]

Retirement means I can enjoy doing what I want, when I want. Or I can be "Lazy" and it's not a problem.

https://youtu.be/hNZPNv0Df9c

I've had this playing in my head since I originally read this thread.

 

[Loving Life]

I consider myself retired. I retired at 56 being FI. I took about a year and did some traveling. I got an offer to spend time in Dubai - setting up a department and training them to do there work. (What I did for most of my working life for a Mega company) - I am now working on my 3, 2 year contract this time in SE Asia. I am now 62, finishing up my last contract (at least for now), I am retire, yep - I do the job because its interesting and I get to spend time in Great Locations. I get 6 weeks vacation, about 20-30 national holidays (They change throughout the year), they pay me very well. I go in and set up the group, train them, and then leave- Am I retired, YEP, but I do love the work, the locations and the interaction with the young people.

 

[Music Lover]

I retired from full time work in a government office, but still get paid for the occasional music gig. However, since music is my hobby I consider myself fully retired with the good fortune to occasionally get paid for a hobby that I enjoy.

 

[petershk]

I'm not sure what it means but the last month of not having to think about work,checking email, going to meeting and working on side project sure is nice.

If retire means doing that forever vs doing it temporarily that seems like a good thing.

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