Perhaps we should work longer?

[toofrugalformycat]

If my work had been more rewarding (economically, emotionally, or societally), and not so hard on my health, and I had no goals outside my office, then I should have continued working.
It depends on the person and the job.

[Khan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by toofrugalformycat If my work had been more rewarding (economically, emotionally, or societally), and not so hard on my health, and I had no goals outside my office, then I should have continued working. It depends on the person and the job.

The money was nice. The job wasn't too bad; then they made me a manager.

[haha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack Despite reaching FI, some of us need a purpose and some structure. Chasing around a golf ball, watching 8 hours of TV and/or drinking excessively will get old pretty quickly for some of us..

Which one of these things doesn't belong with the other two?

I would say golf, which is an extremely difficult and endlessly fascinating game which IMO is in every way different from drinking too much or watching TV.

If I had kept it up when I was young instead of quitting, I'd likely be living a different life now.

Ha

[Khan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack Despite reaching FI, some of us need a purpose and some structure. Chasing around a golf ball, watching 8 hours of TV and/or drinking excessively will get old pretty quickly for some of us.

You don't have to do any of the above. You can set up your own structure to whatever degree you want.

Quote:

...More power to anyone who wants 100% leisure when they reach FI, but it's not appealing to everyone...

100% leisure?

Who does your shopping, cooking, laundry, cleaning, gardening, mowing...

What do you think folks do all day?

[Dawg52]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack More power to anyone who wants 100% leisure when they reach FI, but it's not appealing to everyone...

Thats true. To each their own.

[CyclingInvestor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack Despite reaching FI, some of us need a purpose and some structure. Chasing around a golf ball, watching 8 hours of TV and/or drinking excessively will get old pretty quickly for some of us.

That does sound kind of boring. However, spending more time with your dogs (or kids), travelling
to new places, hiking in new mountains, cycling in new regions is a definite improvement over 10
hours / day of commuting and working.

[Zoocat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CyclingInvestor That does sound kind of boring. However, spending more time with your dogs (or kids), travelling to new places, hiking in new mountains, cycling in new regions is a definite improvement over 10 hours / day of commuting and working.

Definitely, although I have to say that in my observation most people live the same kinds of lives in retirement that they lived while working. For example, if spending time with your family was really important to you, then you did that while working, as much as you could. If you enjoyed cycling, hiking, physical activites outdoors then you tried to do so while you were working.

If you had difficulty spending time alone or dealing with unstructured time and had to always be busy, then you will likely still have the same problem in retirement. Changing to a completely new lifestyle doesn't often happen in retirement. And, more important, values don't change that much either.

[youbet]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack drinking excessively will get old pretty quickly for some of us.

Really? Now, I don't get that........ :confused:

[Marquette]

I've got thousands of dollars of camera equipment that needs to get used more. I don't see how I could possibly have time to take up golf or drinking if I'm too busy running away from bears in the woods.

[megacorp-firee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JustCurious Working one extra year increases retirement income by 9% per year, and working five extra years increases retirement income by 56% per year. Working longer may also reduce the federal deficit, and improve emotional well being and physical health. Should People Work Longer, and Will They?

My BS meter is tilting!
Propaganda from the other side.
This seems to be one of those 'feel good' articles that rationalizes for the minions that can't retire because of their spendthrift habits that it is ok to work longer.
The danger is that those of us on this board that are on the fence will actually buy into this drival. Plan and implement, I say.

They should GET THEIR OWN FORUM! They can call it WUUD (Work Until U Die) Forum.
They can give each other tips on how to suffer through their bad bosses, stress .... etc.

[growing_older]

I'm confused by the tinfoil hat comments. Aren't tinfoil hats supposed to prevent aliens from reading your thoughts? Was there some other connotation about whether those thoughts reflect accepted tenets? Please explain.

[megacorp-firee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by growing_older I'm confused by the tinfoil hat comments. Aren't tinfoil hats supposed to prevent aliens from reading your thoughts? Was there some other connotation about whether those thoughts reflect accepted tenets? Please explain.

Could it be that tin hats connote a certain amount of paranoia (like the aliens are reading my thoughts?') and that is what posters are referring to when they cite 'tin hatters'?

[growing_older]

I guess that makes a kind of sense. I've never heard the expression used that way elsewhere. Luckily, I had my own tinfoil hat off, so I learned something new.

In an old house I used to own, the previous owners told me they had added "insulation" to the attic, but when I looked I found what they had really done was put a layer of aluminum foil between the joists and under the floor. I always wondered what they were insulating.

[Spanky]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Khan The money was nice. The job wasn't too bad; then they made me a manager.

It's ironic that most of the younger engineers that I meet are aspired to be managers. They say the technical track is so slow to move up.

[UncleHoney]

Quote:

Originally Posted by growing_older I'm confused by the tinfoil hat comments. Aren't tinfoil hats supposed to prevent aliens from reading your thoughts? Was there some other connotation about whether those thoughts reflect accepted tenets? Please explain.

Ladies, if I'm elected president...........The next time I catch that !#%&* messing around I going to have his cigar shortened to about this long.

[megacorp-firee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by toofrugalformycat If my work had been more rewarding (economically, emotionally, or societally), and not so hard on my health, and I had no goals outside my office, then I should have continued working. It depends on the person and the job.

hmmmm looks like we hijacked this thread...
IMO I FI does not necessarily mean you have to RE. It just means you can RE if you want to. Most on this board profess to 'want to'. However, I do see a lot of apprehension, IMO due to FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt). This forum has been instrumental in helping me (and I REALLY didn't need much) nudge over the line.

My aha moment came when I was still w*rking and took one of my 1st 3 week vacations. I had so many things I wanted to see, do, experience, ...etc. that I found my w*rk getting in the way of life.

But for others who are really enjoying their w*rk then have at it. No one says you HAVE to RE. In my eperience, I have found 2 distinct types that want to continue to be wage slaves (sorry ... my cynical editorial view). The 1st are generally Drs and Dentists and PhD's of all sorts (business professionals as well as educators) ... those who have devoted the 1st 30-35 years of their lives to learning. The 2nd are those who don't seem to have an exit plan. In otherwords, they haven't a clue as to what they would do ... other than drink, play golf, watch HBO ...
IMO, the 2nd group should do some soul searching ... if they really don't have anything to drive them in their RE, then don't do it.
i.e. NO Plan = Don't RE

I know that this is too simplistic, ... but I'm retired now ... and that's all the deep thought I wish to devote to this right now (one of the beauties of retirement ... I get to do what I want to). Later, ... I have to go and meet a friend for lunch.

[megacorp-firee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spanky It's ironic that most of the younger engineers that I meet are aspired to be managers. They say the technical track is so slow to move up.

I think that they would also like their chance at calling the shots. But it's sad but true, ... most places you have to get on the managerial track to get ahead.

[CyclingInvestor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by megacorp-firee I think that they would also like their chance at calling the shots. But it's sad but true, ... most places you have to get on the managerial track to get ahead.

You can still do OK on the technical track. I remained a bottom level peon progammer employee my
entire 27 year career in aerospace and finance. I retired in 2006 at 48 making $135k, more than many
of my friends in low to middle management, althoug less than a couple in middle management and
marketing, while working a consistent 40 hours / week.

[TargaDave]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack Despite reaching FI, some of us need a purpose and some structure. Chasing around a golf ball, watching 8 hours of TV and/or drinking excessively will get old pretty quickly for some of us. But I will go from a good paying job that I'm tired of to a job that makes me want to jump out of bed in the morning and pays whatever one day. And if/when that job becomes a drag, I'll go on to whatever appeals to me then. At least one person's view of FI, that I suspect works for a portion of the ER crowd FWIW. More power to anyone who wants 100% leisure when they reach FI, but it's not appealing to everyone...

Midpack, one thing you'll learn about this board, the dominant posters here might vary over time but they are clearly more anti work-for-pay biased (just the nature of the beast). The semi-ER or FI types that show up here fequently leave or just fade more in the background after getting overwhelmed a few times. Just my take on things.

Don't worry you're not alone. Speaking of which, I did a fun little painting gig as a little semi-ER test last month, took 7 days and paid $4,500 after expenses. It was an absolute blast and didn't crimp the rest of my life at all. Should mention I've been self employed much of my career so maybe I just see things a little differently.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by UncleHoney I fully support the basic premise of the report. I'm in full agreement that all suckers workers should stay on the job till they drop. Just put in a good hard day and pay those taxes and help keep SS afloat.

Quote:

Originally Posted by megacorp-firee My BS meter is tilting! Propaganda from the other side. This seems to be one of those 'feel good' articles that rationalizes for the minions that can't retire because of their spendthrift habits that it is ok to work longer. The danger is that those of us on this board that are on the fence will actually buy into this drival. Plan and implement, I say. They should GET THEIR OWN FORUM! They can call it WUUD (Work Until U Die) Forum. They can give each other tips on how to suffer through their bad bosses, stress .... etc.

That's usually the first set of thoughts that roll through my head, too.

The next thing I'd like to do is set these studies' authors up with a year of "95%" success income and let them do whatever they want. 365 days later I'll call them up, tell them that they need to go back to work for a few more years to pad the nest egg, and see what their response may be...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack Despite reaching FI, some of us need a purpose and some structure. Chasing around a golf ball, watching 8 hours of TV and/or drinking excessively will get old pretty quickly for some of us. But I will go from a good paying job that I'm tired of to a job that makes me want to jump out of bed in the morning and pays whatever one day. And if/when that job becomes a drag, I'll go on to whatever appeals to me then. At least one person's view of FI, that I suspect works for a portion of the ER crowd FWIW. More power to anyone who wants 100% leisure when they reach FI, but it's not appealing to everyone...

A couple of thoughts while I'm waiting for the 800mg of ibuprofen to kick in after my day of "100% leisure":
- If you're the kind of person who wants to jump out of bed in the morning and go to work, then perhaps you're a self-starter with creativity & motivation. If that's the case, do you ever wonder what it would be like to be responsible for your own entertainment, instead of becoming responsible for yet another business commitment?
- Could you find things that you'd rather be doing instead of depending on the office environment for your stimulation, let alone having a supervisor/boss?
- Have you ever tried to design your ideal life without chaining yourself to a cubicle or a corner office? What's your thought on books like Ernie Zelinski's "How to Retire Happy, Wild, & Free" or the new "What Color Is Your Parachute For Retirement"?

I'm only asking because this weekend marks the sixth year since I started my terminal leave, and I can't imagine going back to the typical office environment. Having been in both situations, I think that some people stick with the workplace because they don't have to work as hard as they'd have to work if they were their own taskmasters. I know that some days I have nobody to blame but myself for the things I've tried to do...