Hi from Vancouver

[Nuiloa]

Hi all,

I'm happy to have found this site - so many great ideas and fun posts!

I'm from Vancouver BC and am planning to retire next year. I'm a little anxious about it - I'm terrified of becoming a couch potato, particularly since I can only take so much of the Maury "you're my baby daddy" type shows.

I've been kicking around an idea of semi-retirement. Work 2 weeks every month and use the next 2 weeks to travel (I have about 150 trips on my 'bucket list'). I would take January, July and August off and work the rest of the year half-time. I would take my pension and then go back as a consultant, which would actually net me about 15% more income.

Has anyone ever tried that? I'd love some feedback about how it worked (or didn't) for you.

 

[RockyMtn]

Hi Nuiloa,

Welcome to the forum!

I Fire'd in July 09 at age 51 and then signed a consulting deal with my former company. I'm technically considered full time/part time and am paid a salary/retainer/whaterver you want to call it. I still receive health benefits, 401k match, pension contributions, etc.

I am not required to work x hours per week but am generally available when they need me for specific projects/questions/help. Sometimes I won't even hear from them for a month or two!

After two one year agreements I am about to sign a two year deal as it has worked quite well for both parties. For me the agreement provided some $$$ coming in which has allowed me to stay away from my retirement funds, avoid the need to puchase private health insurance and will now get me to age 55 where I will receive retiree health benefits. They also allow me to accept other outside projects as long as they aren't considered competitive to the company.

The company loves the deal and so do I. After all you can only play so much golf and travel to so many places!

 

[braumeister]

I'm terrified of becoming a couch potato

Welcome aboard. I can't answer the specific question you asked, but the comment above concerns me a little.

Don't you have hobbies and other interests that motivate you? If not, then I would strongly suggest developing a few. Otherwise, retirement could actually be problematic.

 

[Moemg]

Welcome , I was in Vancouver last week . It is a beautiful city . I retired three years ago & took a part time job ( one or two days a week ) in the same field I had retired from . I did not enjoy it . I felt like I really hadn't retired just cut hours . I then started selling on ebay on a part time basis . This keeps me busy and helps boost my travel & grandson's education fund .

 

[Nuiloa]

Thanks for your responses. To answer one question - yes, I do have hobbies. I'm a professional Polynesian dancer and teacher and I do some geocaching - and I love camping and swimming. I guess my big fear is that I'll have 10 extra hours a day, 5 days a week to fill up. It's a scary prospect.

 

[Aiming_4_55]

Welcome to the forum.

Your semi-retirement option sounds very interesting and could ease your transition. If it doesn't work, you can always go back fulltime and try again later. Or, if it works so well, try full retirement.

 

[Bestwifeever]

A professional Polynesian dancer and teacher sounds cool--does professional mean that is what you are retiring from?

 

[Earl E Retyre]

I have considered a similar idea, Nuiloa. That is, semi-retiring ... consulting 3-6 months out of the year and traveling the majority of the rest of the year. If you do decide to go this route - please keep us posted on how it all goes.

 

[obgyn65]

Welcome, Nuiloa.

 

[kcowan]

I was semi-retired in Vancouver in 1997. Doing random contract work. Eventually took a contract job full time at a local firm (recruited through Ernst & Young). Did that for 5 years and then really retired. Currently living in Mexico and Vancouver in the summer, except for trips to Europe every September for the month.

I recommend that you create your bucket list and then try to plan it out. You will probably find that it takes much of the time. One of the things on our list was exploring the PNW.
-Olympic Peninsula
-San Juans
-Gulf Islands
-Vancouver Island
-Trails on Cypress, Grouse and Seymour
-Pt Moody and the lands north of IOL
-Harrison Lake
-Burnaby Lake
-Steveston and the SW Richmond area including the dikes
-the Okanagan and Shushwap
-Whistler and Pemberton

After exploring all these areas, we eventually found our ties to Vancouver had dropped (through deaths of relatives), and then we began moving farther afield.

 

[vicente solano]

Don't you have hobbies and other interests that motivate you? If not, then I would strongly suggest developing a few. Otherwise, retirement could actually be problematic.

That´s been my problem, Brau. I´m your regular "lackadaisical" guy. Hey, there is a nice word for the thread!

 

[toofrugalformycat]

I've been kicking around an idea of semi-retirement.

Has anyone ever tried that? I'd love some feedback about how it worked (or didn't) for you.

I quit and traveled for a year with the expectation I would have to work full time when I came back (mid life crisis). But when I came back, my investments had done great without me, so I could take a job share, six months on, six months off. When I decided my time was worth more than what they were paying me, I quit and never looked back.
Your arrangement sounds wonderful if you can manage it, IMHO. You can ease into retirement. I found there was a transition period, and for me, the job share helped.

 

[Nuiloa]

Polynesian dance

A professional Polynesian dancer and teacher sounds cool--does professional mean that is what you are retiring from?

Hi,

Nope - Polynesian dancing is what I do for fun - been at it for 25 years. We perform mostly in BC, although we've done shows throughout Canada and also in Japan, Vegas, Hawaii, the Cook Islands, Tahiti, and in Europe. Our next venture is a cruise ship gig in September.

If you have to have a hobby, pick one that involves exotic travel. That's my motto

I don't think I'll ever retire from dance. Some of our dancers are in their late 80s and still going strong. Fun!

Nui

 

[Nuiloa]

I recommend that you create your bucket list and then try to plan it out.

Lol - my bucket list, from # 1 to 100, starts with "Go To...." If I live to be 150, I won't hit every place on the list.

I've seen a lot of the PNW just from the dancing and from geocaching. It is beautiful up here, but I realllllly need to see some sunshine soon.

Nui