Not really early retirement, except...

[Tycho]

I retired at age 69, which is early for many of my friends who plan to work into their 80's. I didn't want to continue the mandatory level of work required. There was no opportunity to go part time without still having to work nights and weekends.
I loved just about every day or work and I have loved every day of retirement. I haven't been bored for a second, with plenty of hobbies and other interests to fill my time. I do want to use my assets to maximum benefit since my parents lived to 93 and 96, so I may have a long time to be retired. I look forward to the education I will get on these forums.

 

[NgineER]

Welcome! Glad to have you here!

 

[Koolau]

Welcome to the Forum. Please tell us more about yourself if you're comfortable doing so.

We look forward to your comments and contributions.

 

[wdwwildbill]

Welcome... I'm going to be a late FIRE too due to a few reasons Guess we are FIRL

 

[rembrandt]

When someone works into their 80's, there is no retirement. They just go into God's waiting room.

 

[Dtail]

When someone works into their 80's, there is no retirement. They just go into God's waiting room.

Otherwise known as Florida.

 

[Dtail]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[TheWizard]

Otherwise known as Florida.

Good one...

 

[street]

Welcome!!

 

[TheWizard]

Tell us more about your work that you enjoyed quite a bit.
Point being: quite a few folks are the opposite and can't wait to escape from their job...

 

[Tycho]

I was a diagnostic radiologist, specializing in musculoskeletal systems and interventional radiology over the course of 39 years. I got to play detective all day long, taking the clinical history, the lab results and the images in to account in order to come up with a diagnosis. Hopefully more of a Columbo than a Clouseau. I was never bored! However, "to everything there is a season.." and, although I would like to think I was as good at 69 as at 30, If my mind slipped I could harm or kill someone so I retired before that could happen. I actually, in hindsight, wish I had retired earlier because retirement is so much fun.
Other professionals may make errors usually without such serious harm and can therefore continue to work to older ages without that downside. I have many attorney friends, for instance, who continue to work much later in life and do an excellent job.

 

[pacergal]

Welcome to the forum and to retirement!
Interesting career.

Look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[wrigley]

I retired at age 69, which is early for many of my friends who plan to work into their 80's. I didn't want to continue the mandatory level of work required. There was no opportunity to go part time without still having to work nights and weekends.
I loved just about every day or work and I have loved every day of retirement. I haven't been bored for a second, with plenty of hobbies and other interests to fill my time. I do want to use my assets to maximum benefit since my parents lived to 93 and 96, so I may have a long time to be retired. I look forward to the education I will get on these forums.

65 in March and still working.

 

[38Chevy454]

Welcome to the forum. Even if you were on the later side of retirement age, being retired is still great.

 

[Koolau]

I actually, in hindsight, wish I had retired earlier because retirement is so much fun.

We see a lot of such hindsight here on the Forum.

I had actually wanted to stay longer doing what I was doing at the time at Megacorp, but they told me I had to change assignments. I was unwilling to do that so I retired "early."

SO glad you could join us.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

Welcome aboard!

 

[MarieIG]

Welcome to the ER forum Tycho. It's great to hear that you went from a career you loved to a retirement that you love!

 

[mebden]

I was a diagnostic radiologist, specializing in musculoskeletal systems and interventional radiology over the course of 39 years. I got to play detective all day long, taking the clinical history, the lab results and the images in to account in order to come up with a diagnosis. Hopefully more of a Columbo than a Clouseau. I was never bored! However, "to everything there is a season.." and, although I would like to think I was as good at 69 as at 30, If my mind slipped I could harm or kill someone so I retired before that could happen. I actually, in hindsight, wish I had retired earlier because retirement is so much fun.
Other professionals may make errors usually without such serious harm and can therefore continue to work to older ages without that downside. I have many attorney friends, for instance, who continue to work much later in life and do an excellent job.

Hey Tycho, I'm glad you liked your job but finally decided to pull the plug, but me seeing all these people I hear that work into their 70's & 80's like a lot of Football coaches. I still try to grasp why work till your incapable of doing anything or even possibly dying soon after. On my end I watched my father work till 64 as he never thought he could survive off his small retirement he had and when he did finally retire my mom only lasted 1 year and passed away unexpectedly so my parents never got to enjoy much of a retirement life together and after mom's death my dad slowly died of a missing partner. He made it till 72 but really didn't do much those last years and when he died, he had plenty of money to retire when he was 62 and didn't so this is why I get confused why people want to work till there old. I thought the whole part of life was to work to enjoy retirement. I also seen lots of people I know never see a penny from SS and never even make it to retire so thats why I'm done with the Rat Race LOL

 

[Diogenes]

Hey Tycho, I'm glad you liked your job but finally decided to pull the plug, but me seeing all these people I hear that work into their 70's & 80's like a lot of Football coaches. I still try to grasp why work till your incapable of doing anything or even possibly dying soon after. ...

Another example is college professors. It's very common to see folks in their 80s and occasionally even their 90s. Many go "emeritus" at around 75, but some keep teaching. The expectation is to never retire, but to gradually attenuate workload. We commonly hear how Prof. So-and-So is scheduled to give a retrospective lecture next Tuesday. He's 96. But then, he dies over the weekend, maybe collapsing in his golf cart, or at dinner in a Michelin-starred restaurant. Lecture gets cancelled. The understanding is that So-and-So did what he loved, and wouldn't want it any other way. As observers, we may well differ. When is monomaniacal pursuit genuine devotion, and when, a lack of creativity?

 

[Lewis Clark]

Another example is college professors. It's very common to see folks in their 80s and occasionally even their 90s. Many go "emeritus" at around 75, but some keep teaching. The expectation is to never retire, but to gradually attenuate workload. We commonly hear how Prof. So-and-So is scheduled to give a retrospective lecture next Tuesday. He's 96. But then, he dies over the weekend, maybe collapsing in his golf cart, or at dinner in a Michelin-starred restaurant. Lecture gets cancelled. The understanding is that So-and-So did what he loved, and wouldn't want it any other way. As observers, we may well differ. When is monomaniacal pursuit genuine devotion, and when, a lack of creativity?

That should be for each of us to determine for ourselves.

One common these on this board is that retirement gives us the opportunity to do whatever we want to do. If coaching or teaching (or anything else) is what they most enjoy doing, then why not continue to do it? Why should they care what observers think? And why should observers be judging what anyone chooses to do with their time?

Some of these folks may continue to work because they need the income, but not all of them. Warren Buffet doesn't need income but I'm sure he enjoys what he does ... or he would be doing something else.

 

[Dtail]

Lots of different reasons to decide when to retire including the Megacorp deciding for you. Yes, many doctors, lawyers, professors seem to work into their later years. One working for themselves appears to be one reason, while over time the Corp grinds one down.
Retired at 57 and would have gone earlier if I knew what I do now. I did however love my career.

 

[Flieger]

I was a diagnostic radiologist, specializing in musculoskeletal systems and interventional radiology over the course of 39 years. I got to play detective all day long, taking the clinical history, the lab results and the images in to account in order to come up with a diagnosis. Hopefully more of a Columbo than a Clouseau. I was never bored! However, "to everything there is a season.." and, although I would like to think I was as good at 69 as at 30, If my mind slipped I could harm or kill someone so I retired before that could happen. I actually, in hindsight, wish I had retired earlier because retirement is so much fun.
Other professionals may make errors usually without such serious harm and can therefore continue to work to older ages without that downside. I have many attorney friends, for instance, who continue to work much later in life and do an excellent job.

I love radiologists!

Flieger