How many years do you work before retire???

[eytonxav]

I retired initially at 54, but returned to work as I was not prepared for the non-financial aspects of retirement. I finally retired at 63 and am enjoying it.

 

[razztazz]

It is almost as if I am embarrassed to retire now! I really want to get out now but society tells me I'm too young at 52.


Did any of you feel the same?

Society told me a lot of things growing up. All of them wrong or shamelessly agenda driven. I had no problem disengaging. They got their lives, I got mine.

Worked 26 yrs if you count all the way to lawn mowing, tree chopping, and all that jazz. 21 if you only count "real" jobs

 

[Lakewood90712]

I posted on this thread over 2.5 years ago, I can now afford to retire. I won't be rich but I should be able to maintain my current lifestyle with company pension and investments. I should be over the moon but to be honest I don't know how to retire. It is almost as if I am embarrassed to retire now! I really want to get out now but society tells me I'm too young at 52.


Did any of you feel the same?


Help!!

Your location is the UK ? what is "Normal" retirement age there ?

 

[MissMolly]

Not counting babysitting, shoveling snow, raking leaves or paper route as a kid, my first real job with a real paycheck was at 14. I worked at the public library after school and on Saturdays shelving books. Made .60/hr. Retired from my state employee job one month shy of my 57th birthday - on the first day I was eligible for full pension. Decided to do consulting and had my first customer within 30 days of "retirement". Four years later, still doing consulting, so I don't know if I count as retired or not. I feel retired. Only work 1/4 of the hours I used to work for the same amount of money - and I love what I am doing now. Working from home is great - and a little travel a couple of times a year when a client wants me on-site. This is my dream job. So far, 47 years working. I'd like to continue my consulting work for about 5 more years - but there is no telling when/if the work will dry up.

 

[RockyMtn]

I retired at 51. Never heard of this "Society" guy but whoever he/she is I never heard a thing from them. If I had I would have ignored them.

 

[Evergreen]

Lakewood, normal retirement age in UK is 65 for the majority, had a work colleague who got out at 60. My Dad retired at 68 after 52 years of full time work.

 

[jim584672]

2.5 years as a FT stock boy.
28 years at Megacorp.
30.5 years total, out at 49 yo.

 

[unclemick]

Not counting college ballpark 27 yrs direct(two layoffs) and 1 1/2 out of 3 as a contract engineer.

Then I became deathly allergic to work and a 'born again' ER.

Or something silly like that.

heh heh heh - 21 years in ER and counting.

 

[Senator]

I am still working, but plan on retiring at 56. I started a hourly job at 16, but worked in my aunts store at 14. It was a ice cream stand on the beach with all the benefits of being 14.

I will have 56 - 16 = 40 years of working. If you count that many of those years I have worked two jobs, maybe it is closer to 60...

 

[Rick_Head]

OK, I did 40.

 

[clifp]

17 years 6 months full time. 22 if you count time working during college.

 

[seraphim]

I posted on this thread over 2.5 years ago, I can now afford to retire. I won't be rich but I should be able to maintain my current lifestyle with company pension and investments. I should be over the moon but to be honest I don't know how to retire. It is almost as if I am embarrassed to retire now! I really want to get out now but society tells me I'm too young at 52.


Did any of you feel the same?


Help!!

Nope


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Dog]

I retired August this year at 56 with 38 years at megacorps. Originally planned to go 40, but got burned out. It seemed that everything I read the past year advocated working until 65 or 70. Seems crazy to me and had me second guessing my decision. However, no regrets so far.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

 

[ERhoosier]

I posted on this thread over 2.5 years ago, I can now afford to retire. I won't be rich but I should be able to maintain my current lifestyle with company pension and investments. I should be over the moon but to be honest I don't know how to retire. It is almost as if I am embarrassed to retire now! I really want to get out now but society tells me I'm too young at 52.


Did any of you feel the same?


Help!!

Despite impressions you might get from this forum, I think your feelings are pretty common. I have relatives and friends who retired from union Big 3 auto j#bs after 30+yrs., some who were younger than you at retirement. Most felt they hit their target '30 and out' and were happy staying 'out'. Others eventually (months-to-years) took other employment or started their own businesses. Very individual decisions.
Personally- Since you are self-sufficient (pension/investments), I think 'society' has NOTHING to say about it. It is a perk of financial independence. In a way, you're just been saving up for a long (LONG) well-deserved vacation

 

[photoguy]

I got a late start due to grad school (didn't finish until 29) and doing a coop program for undergrad which let me graduate without any debt but cost an extra year. However, I managed to retire in 12 1/2 years after that which includes 9 months on LOA.

 

[truenorth418]

Counting only full time employment since college, I worked about 23 years before retiring.


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[kenny1924]

Well, this is a great thread discussing what is the ideal age, and how does one feel doing it before the 'generalized official retirement age'. Well, we are all on the 'early' retirement forum, and hence will be thinking about 'retiring early'. US does not have an official age or an unofficial one. It is when we decide to transition from full time work to our next phase.

I call it Retirement-Career-2.0. I have defined what I am going to do based on my 'human longetivity' of 33.3 years (with a bit of luck and support from the superior being) and I could not use the word 'retirement only' since that is a LONG time.

I have worked since 1981 coming out of engineering school, and worked hard, and it is time for me to move to Retirement-Career-2.0.

Gandhi has the best definition I think of "happiness" which is what we are all seeking by giving up our careers, jobs, work-life and it is "[FONT=&quot]> Happiness is when “What I Think, What I Say, and What I Do” are in HARMONY < "
[/FONT]
These words from Gandhi is shaping my Retirement-Career-2.0 to something that allows me to wake up everyday, and be motivated from a health, mindfulness and heart-soul-harmony perspective.

I am sure I am triggered more thoughts for you, but I hope I am answering some of the points that I read in many of your responses.

Kenny

 

[Jaded salami]

I posted on this thread over 2.5 years ago, I can now afford to retire. I won't be rich but I should be able to maintain my current lifestyle with company pension and investments. I should be over the moon but to be honest I don't know how to retire. It is almost as if I am embarrassed to retire now! I really want to get out now but society tells me I'm too young at 52.


Did any of you feel the same?


Help!!

I retired in April at 52, I was embarrassed to admit to a certain group of people that I retired (mainly relatives that owe me money, that I will likely never see get paid back, once they realize that I'm not counting on it).

The reaction of friends and relatives has been envy. People will get over it.

 

[DFA]

43 years, started at 12 washing dishes at school, paper route, youth employment and more part-time jobs every year until joining USAF at 17, never unemployed until ER at 55 at the end of last year.

 

[gozer]

I started when I was 14 and only had a few month gap during college. So my social security report has 35 contiguous years of employment. Based on where I ended up and what I need to maintain my standard of living, I worked almost 10 years too long.

 

[jime444]

My total includes:
6 Years pre-college, family farm, 20-60hrs per week, seasonal, damn hard physical work
6 years college, engineering school, damn hard intellectual work and 2 degrees, so I didn't have to go back to farm, except summers
31 years in my so-called career, and about two to go
For a total of 45.
We're FIRE now, waiting/working for a pension cliff
It's been plenty and the last several years have been, at best, slow and painful. DW says good for soul; me, nope.

 

[Donzo]

total of 26 years - 23 at my career job. Thanks the heavens I was a saver, because I was done...when I was done!

 

[Car-Guy]

I had to stop an recount my work history. Let's see, while still in school I think I worked for about 7 years. Mostly part time but the last two years, it was closer to what I "thought" was full time, or about 40 hour weeks. After my school years, I worked for 2 mega corps for a total of 38+ years between them. That's where I learned very quickly that full time (40 hour work weeks) were long gone.

 

[gauss]

When I finished grad school at age 25, I worked 22 years straight, same Megacorp, until age 47 after which I have FIRED.

First one to get on board with me FIRING was DW, who's Megacorp still offers a large pension boost and retirement health care at 30 years.

For acquaintances that I meet who I reveal my retirement, I also share that both of us worked and we didn't have any kids so we are in a different situation than most. I find that this helps to diffuse the awkwardness while acknowledging the commitment that many make with child raising.

If they are inquisitive I will show them tricks like how I pay pennies on the dollar of what most people pay for cell phone service (via the likes of Ting and PagePlus) while receiving the same basic commodity.

If they continue to be inquisitive and I basically like them, I will refer them to this board.

-gauss

 

[TimSF]

23 years of full-time employment after grad school.