What Was Your Retirement T=0?

[audreyh1]

Ha! Two years!

The company that acquired us wanted to get rid of me but didn't want to pay my seven figure contract. The idiots decided that if they relocated me to the Paris office that I'd quit instead, letting them off the hook.

What they didn't know was that we had lived there for many years and couldn't wait to get back. After two years of a no-show job (extremely light duty...average one or two days a week) they came to their senses and paid the contract and let me go. Two great years of retirement "practice"

Wow, talk about a windfall!

 

[street]

I more retired when my wife said one day you need to retire so you have more time to do the things you want too.
So, that is what I did traded a paycheck for more time and I got the better part of that deal.

 

[pacergal]

its complicated...
I qualified for pension 6 years before I retired, but I was part of an old cohort that had an * addendum in the contract, where if you worked until age 60 and had 30 years in, your medical would be paid until age 65/medicare. All of us who qualified have now retired so the is out of the contract now--lol.
I had my 30 years at age 54, worked to 60 to pad the retirement accounts and get the medical.
But then I also went back for several years on call, so was still earning som income.
I have been completely and fully retired, with no work, since 2020, but formally retired in 2016.

 

[StillFiguringItOut]

I voted “it’s complicated” because I stopped paid employment to be available to teens in the house, 85+ DM & MIL, and younger brother diagnosed with terminal illness. Basically went from paid to unpaid labor. After the last of the three died, and I finished cancer treatment, I decided that my time was now mine and I was finally retired. Stopped paid work at 53, started retirement at 59.5. Loving life!

 

[Alan]

Option #2 for me. I was fortunate to sneak under the wire a year or 2 before the DB pension was done away with. Age plus years of service >80 meant I could retire just after my 55th birthday on a reduced DB pension.

 

[TheWizard]

Combo of #1 and #6. Last day of full-time employment was Friday, March 8, 2013.
I also wanted my 403(b) with TIAA to be a certain size along with the annuity payout rate so that I could "pensionize" a good portion of it and have a healthy retirement income.

That all came together in 2012 but I delayed things for certain reasons.

I worked part-time a bit afterwards, but not since 2016...

 

[Lorenzo]

I answered 'It's complicated" to the poll. I was (and stll am) in a career where I can throttle my workload. So over the past 10 years or so I have just worked fewer and fewer hours and met the shortall in income with more and more of my savings. Am I retired, and this work became a "retirement gig" at some point? Or will I not be retired until income from work is zero? I have no idea.

 

[Texas Proud]

I actually do not know my T=0 date...

I was working full time and was let go... did not work for a bit but then go on with a consulting company that rented out employees... did a few jobs over a year to year and a half...

Was still wanting to do some more but the main office fired all mgmt here and worked dried up... a year later they called and tried to get me to go to places that were WAY out of my way... I said no... I would do work close to me... never happened...

Sooo, I guess I could go back and see when my last paycheck was, but I still considered I was working if the right client came along... per my SS stmt I know it was in the middle of 2014 though...

BUT, BUT, BUT.... I am now a director on a water board and get a per diem... so it is a salary as I get a W-2... so does this mean I am not retired? I only put in a couple of days a month but do get calls every once in awhile asking my opinion...

 

[N02L84ER]

My final Full Time position stopped at the end of 2004. I did contract w*rk (ranged from 4 weeks/yr to 5 months/yr) from 2005 thru the beginning of 2012. I consider myself retired as of 2012 and voted 4-End of Paid W*rk.

 

[6miths]

I put end of full time but really I would have put end of having to work at all to support myself or others. I can’t really see picking end of paid work as it is not my fault if people insist on paying me for things I would do (and had done) for free. Things that I consider so low stress as to almost be a hobby.

 

[euro]

I can see that it is complicated for some, but for me it was not. The day after my last (paid) working day at Megacorp was when I was retired - 8+ years ago.

 

[old medic]

Within our retirement system, you can only retire on the 1st day of the month, so I picked Jan 1 2022. I officially resigned my position on 12/19/21 but my last day of work ended at 7AM 12/16/21 after pulling a 24-hour shift. My partner bawled like a baby when I signed off duty over the radio.
Although my hire date with the county was 7/01/90, I started my career with the hospital EMS on 1/11/87, 11 days short of 35 years.

 

[jollystomper]

Although my last day of work was the end of June, I had so many personal family obligations to deal with in July and August that, until they were completed my mid-August, I did not truly feel retired. Once they were completed, and I was able to wake up and realize I could now choose what I wanted to do that day, and for the rest of the week and month, I finally felt retired .

 

[Texas Proud]

I can see that it is complicated for some, but for me it was not. The day after my last (paid) working day at Megacorp was when I was retired - 8+ years ago.

Yea, I think that part of it is that a number of people chose to retire and did all the paperwork etc. to retire... so have an exact day...

Others, like me, kinda had it pushed on them either slowly (me) are more quickly... so I only know the year I retired.. or at least stopped getting a paycheck... it is different than when I actually decided that I did not need to work anymore... but do not know that date either LOL...

 

[CardsFan]

BUT, BUT, BUT.... I am now a director on a water board and get a per diem... so it is a salary as I get a W-2... so does this mean I am not retired? I only put in a couple of days a month but do get calls every once in awhile asking my opinion...

We here officially pronounce you retired. You basically have a volunteer job position that compensates you for your aggravation.

 

[CO-guy]

... it is different than when I actually decided that I did not need to work anymore... but do not know that date either LOL...

That's another great question, because it had a huge effect on how I approached my relationship with my employer. Not sure of the date, but when I saw how close I was, I stopped doing anything beyond the bare minimum.

Since upper management had decided that I was the person they could depend on, I became unavailable for most things and often undependable when I was available. It took management a few years to realize that I had indeed checked out, and by that time I had hit my FI number.

 

[OldShooter]

December 23, 2002 when I walked out of the closing on my partner's and my business sale. 56YO

 

[scrabbler1]

I chose #4. But I also chose #5, too, because that was the company stock (windfall) payout which coincided with my ER. I was waiting for it to reach a certain amount before I could ER (along with the other pieces falling into place).

 

[Zona]

I chose #4 - my last consulting contract ended in early 2018, and DH ERd in 2021. I did not really consider myself fully ERd until we were both done w*rking, and living fully off of the portfolio.

 

[Tom52]

For me retirement starts when the paycheck ends. I do not consider people retired if they are still working part time, or consulting for a paycheck, or doing their dream job only when they feel like it because they are financially independent. If you are getting paid you are not retired.

 

[RetiredHappy]

For me retirement starts when the paycheck ends. I do not consider people retired if they are still working part time, or consulting for a paycheck, or doing their dream job only when they feel like it because they are financially independent. If you are getting paid you are not retired.

+1

 

[pb4uski]

End of paid work IMO. I downshifted from full-time to 50% time to have more family tiand travel less, but I still considered myself as working, just working less.

 

[NeilDH]

I voted #1 and #6. I stopped full-time work last Oct. 11, but the buyout severance ended on March 24. In any case, when I took the buyout at 53, and my wife at 51, we didn't use the R word, but others did for us. And I didn't even realize #6 until I had time to really crunch the numbers and pleasantly surprise myself. I still have trouble admitting the R word at my age, so this poll is really interesting. And I suppose what we call ourselves doesn't matter (despite people always asking us). The facts are these: we left the FT job, we don't regret it, we don't want a new FT job, I'm looking into little side work, we do have some family obligations (older relatives), we're not feeling much pressure (even as we get used to this). This discussion board is helping me realize I'm FIRE, actually. But the world can call us what they will.

 

[martyp]

I have two dates. December 17, 2010 which was my last day at work and March 1, 2011 which was my last official day on the payroll. I nominally chose my 55th birthday, February 27th, as my retirement date but rounded up to March 1st. In between December and March I burned mostly accumulated vacation days.

So I’ve not worked for approximately 13 years, 8 months, 1 week.

 

[bonvoyage]

I had a very clean end to work. I retired on September 30 2020 so my retirement began on October 1 2020. I have not worked even a minute for pay since then Its almost exactly 4 years since I retired and am thoroughly enjoying not working - I now wish I had retired even sooner.