What Demographic do You and Your Friends Fall into?

[ERD50]

I hang out with most anyone who will buy me a free drink. Or for that matter just drink with me.

George Thorogood:

So I caught up my pal Jack Daniel's,
And his partner Jimmy Beam
...
Just me and my pal Johnny Walker,
And his brothers Black and Red
And we drank alone, yeah,
With nobody else

-ERD50

 

[steelyman]

I hang out with most anyone who will buy me a free drink. Or for that matter just drink with me.

You can lead the er.org Rat Pack!

 

[RobbieB]

I know a lot of ER people and a lot of them are millionaires. I don't hang out with many of them much. I prefer to hanging out with people in low places more.

I had my best friend go "proper" on me. Drinkin', smokin' party time guy. Got married and suddenly became "fixed"

I dunno. I got married after he did and he got an invite to our "family" house reception which was advertised as casual and he came in with a suit and tie and his wife in a to the floor dress. Meanwhile back in reality we in jeans and tshirts carried on...

The guy worked in the family junkyard. Now known as an automotive parts recycling center.

But very very "proper" ya know...

Amazing.

 

[Helen]

I have a B.S. in business computer systems. My spouse has a B.A. in English. We retired at age 56.

Our friends are all over the map. Some are from our former jobs, some are from the backpacking and hiking group I joined, some from the gym, one is a former pet sitter of ours. It's a nice cross section based on personalities and interests.

 

[Samething]

I sometimes ponder how I travel in multiple demographics. My friends are mostly retired or semi retired professionals. A couple that are both CPAs. A retired Air Force/Charter pilot and his retired drug rep GF. A home renovator/flipper and his SAH wife. A retired advertising executive and someone that built a marine supply business. All are much wealthier than I.
Then there is family. My DF and DSM that live a comfortable life on SS x2 and a few 100k savings. A sister that lives on under 10k a year and some government assistance. And my family that lives a few hours away that all work hard and live a upper middle class lifestyle (and save nada).
And then there’s me. A recently retired tradesperson that worked 34 years at a company that had a ESOP who’s stock did very well over the years. I live in a blue collar neighborhood same house for 24 years. Very comfortable with my LBYM lifestyle. Planning a move that will raise my expenses a bit but nothing too extravagant and I can afford it.

 

[street]

RobbieB >>I like your ways and thinking. I have more fun with the improper type and I can just be me, no pretending, no trying to be someone I'm not. It doesn't matter how much money a man has. LOL

 

[gerntz]

I thought this may be interesting, from an ER perspective, where we all fall regarding general demographics, and where one's friends fall, not including family.

I was an Engineer and was pretty much hands on for over 35 years, not sure if that makes me a Blue or White Collar individual. My education Level is Masters in Engineering.

What I can say is most of our friends that we associate with now were professionals prior to ER. Here is a little cross section of some them. We have a pretty small circle of friends that we socialize with on a regular basis. Most are direct neighbors or live very close by and could be a result of where we live rather than any planning. We have lived where we do for quite a long time.

5 Star General - Retired Early - Spoke at the 2016 DNC Convention

Totally false. There hasn't been a USA 5 star general since WW2.

 

[gerntz]

George Thorogood:



-ERD50

I'm a very good friend of Mr. Maker & Basil Hayden. Talking with Mr. Maker at this very moment.

 

[gerntz]

Most of our friends are middle/upper middle/well off but not rich - & we fit right in. Can't identify with upper class but do identify with my my quite lower middle class roots & enjoy the folks I know that are there now. I have no idea how to be a snob & am turned off at the thought.

 

[pb4uski]

That has been one of the most facinating things to me about retirement.... at least in our circle of friends. No one gives much of a hoot about what you did while you were working.

When I look at my golf group it includes former painters, loggers, retired USN air boss, retired US Army senior officer, a builder, insurance claims examiner, bank president, bank CFO, a couple college CFOs, Big 4 CPA, private company chief accountant, plumber, service manager, meteorologist, county sheriff, and more.... a little bit of everything. As long as your interested in playing golf, being nice and not being too serious about it you are welcome... it doesn't matter what you used to do.

 

[Calico]

See my signature line.

DW and I both grew up in economically disadvantaged situations in inner city Chicago and attended Chicago Pubic Schools (and have lived to tell the tale). I did mostly factory work all my life, much on night shift. Sometimes union, sometimes not. DW worked on an assembly line and later was a school teacher. Our friends have callused hands and kind hearts.

This made me smile.

 

[DrRoy]

About all of my friends are professionals from former w**k, plus one impoverished photographer. Most of my wife's friends are former bank tellers (where she w**ked).

 

[Dtail]

Our friends are a mix of blue collar/white collar with a fairly wide range of professions.
Although I don't have a friend from my former Wall Street profession.
It all works in the end. No one is stuck up.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I think if one moved when they retired, assuming it was some distance from their original home, then their "current" friends demographic will reflect the location one moved to, which the underlying point of my OP, even though I did not make that clear.

When Wo#king, our circle of friends reflected our wo#k and location combined. Of course we still have our childhood friends etc., they are quite diverse, but in our case we rarely see them as we have lived in a few countries since then. However, when wo#king, our circle of friends were Engineers and other similar professionals, plus the neighbors we socialized with.

Ever since we ER'd, and moved to our current location, our "newer" circle of friends exclusively reflects the location where we live now. When we ER'd and moved we knew no one in our new location. However, after 13+ years our circle is quite robust.

From a Political perspective, it is all over the map, makes for interesting good hearted discussions.

 

[Nemo2]

.....and moved to our current location, our "newer" circle of friends exclusively reflects the location where we live now.

Since you moved to Florida, can they be classified as "Fair Weather Friends"?

 

[T-Minus]

Diplomat - ER? Or Normal retirement
Law Enforcement - Retired and consulting
Internist - ER
Psychologist - Still on treadmill (considering ER)
IT Business Owner - Still on treadmill
Cardiologist - Still on treadmill
Teacher/Professor - Normal retirement
Pilot - Normal retirement
Teacher - Still on treadmill
Medical Executive - ER
IT Manager - Still on treadmill (considering ER)
Naval Officer - Normal retirement, consulting part time
City Manager - ER
Judge - Still on treadmill
ADA - ER
General contractor - Normal retirement

 

[harley]

Next gen problem.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Since you moved to Florida, can they be classified as "Fair Weather Friends"?

Depends, what time of year, they could also be a windy bunch.

 

[kcowan]

Having been retired for 17 years, most of my friends are also retired and what they used to do is no longer a subject. And has very little relevance. But our remaining friends NOTB are mostly former workmates and other good friends from outside work.

 

[JoeWras]

This thread is weird. Maybe we should start a "Real Retirees of the Early Type" TV show.

 

[Katiek]

I'm realizing that you all have a lot more friends than I do.

 

[Bigdawg]

I'm realizing that you all have a lot more friends than I do.

What are these "friends" you speak of?

 

[W2R]

I'm realizing that you all have a lot more friends than I do.

What are these "friends" you speak of?

Friends? Hmm, I really don't have any friends except for F. I don't really have the time for them. I keep thinking I should make the time and fit some friends into my life somehow, so that if anything happens to F (heaven forbid!) I would not be entirely alone. But I haven't done that yet.

Well, there are people at the gym that I have known for over a decade, and value and appreciate a lot, but we only see each other at the gym. I even know the names of a half dozen or so of them although I don't have any idea of what they do or did for a living.

I think the life of a retired INTJ like me tends to be quite different from the average retiree's life. We introverts just seem to choose more "alone time" instead of parties or otherwise socializing with friends I guess.

OK, so if F is my only friend, then I can say that 100% of my friends are brilliant, cultured, civilized, articulate, handsome, modest retired engineers with a B.S. degree in engineering and amazing past career accomplishments, who love ham radio and otherwise fit into the "Renaissance Man" category as far as wide ranging areas of interest and expertise. As for me, I'm a retired PhD scientist with broad interests as well.

 

[NW-Bound]

I'm realizing that you all have a lot more friends than I do.

What are these "friends" you speak of?

Friends? I don't need no stinkin' friends.

Well, I actually still have two real friends. We met face to face maybe once a year or every two years, and exchanged emails perhaps once a year. Of course, we used to be a lot closer. We go back more than 40 years.

Acquaintances, I have a few more, whom I see more often than as described above.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I would be lost without my friends. All of your eggs should never be in one basket)