At what age did you retire.........

I had planned to work at least 10 more years, I really did enjoy working. The big C came along at age 66, I worked for another 15 months after diagnosis but finally gave in to the idea of retiring. Still getting used to it but so far I love it, time to do things you want to do, or not do, your choice. Life is short, enjoy what of it you have. To me, that cabin sounds pretty good.
 
I had to throw in the towel after 33 years in education for the state, was 58. I found out after giving an extra year I was losing money by working. Do work part time at the school cutting grass, my schedule, no fridays, when it gets hot I go home. This gives me some extra gun money and is currently a no stress deal.
 
I bought a couple of years of military time to retire from the police department at 39. Then I retired from the Army National Guard at 50. At 60, I will retire from the Forest Service. Then I'll be fully retired.
 
I have been working for myself most of my working life, I just turned 60 last month, man that's hard to say, I work a little now. I guess I will quit completely when my wife retires in a couple of years,,,,
 
I was forced out of my last job of 18+ years (and my career, as it turned out) right after turning 56 years old. It was not all that uncommon for the company I worked for to dump engineers in their mid-50's for cheaper recent graduates unless you had made it into company management.

After that, I started a couple part-time businesses, but the great recession and my deteriorating health situation more or less squashed that survival plan in 2009. While one company still exists on paper, I am essentially retired since late-2009 at the age (then) of 59.

No real regrets. I was not financially prepared for an early forced retirement, but I have managed to survive.
 
My wife and I both retired from a big city PD at the age of 54. We did the math and pulled the pin right after our youngest got married.
We decided to use our early retirement to have a ten-year adventure so we moved to Costa Rica until we were eligible for Medicare insurance and avoided the high Cobra medical premiums that would have eaten nearly one-third of our pension checks. We paid dimes on the dollar in Costa Rica.
We met great ex-pats from around the world, had adventures we could never have experienced back home, and managed to travel several times a year.
We moved back to the US just before turning 65 to be close to our daughter's family and help out while Major Dad was doing multiple deployments to the big sandbox with the USMC.
John Howells book, Where To Retire, is a good source for someone exploring their retirement options.:D
 
Still working, self employed at 69, but I've slowed the pace considerably from just a few years back. I call it semi-retired!
Much more selective about which jobs I take on now than years back. But I still enjoy what I'm doing so why quit and stare at the TV. My work has always been my hobby anyway.
 
After 32 years working for a regional paint manufacturer I retired one month after my 62 birthday. I worked my way up from broom pusher to district manager of their largest district. The owner of the company took great care of me and I had a good bit of money in my profit sharing so why not, time to enjoy life.

I do work eight hours a week for them still and in case of emergency, in case someone gets thrown in jail or their 8th grandmother dies. One reason I retired, I've heard every excuse.
The extra money comes in handy since I haven't taken any Social Security yet. I look at it as my ace in the hole. The amount you get grows every year so till I need it.
 
Retired at age 55 (2002) from my pipe fitters union. I had tons of overtime behind my name and the differences for me to wait till age 62 for full benefits was negated.

Around 1998 the work situation around here was slow and as I was getting older nepotism also played a big role and there was not much work for me. I really stopped working for the union in 2000 and as I had a CDL and my wife was younger and had more years to work I got a decent job delivering building supplies to about 1/2 of NYS.

Drove till late 2003 when she retired (like me early at 55) and moved to my then vacation property on a large upstate lake.
 
Old_Cop said:
I always thought hat lawyers retired the day that they passed the bar.
Click to expand...


LOL...... I've heard the same about Police officers who become "Chiefs"!!!! :D

Yesterday morning I was sitting by the pond....leaves turning, 60 degrees and as my wife says "sunshine on my face"... visitors... two deer, two turkey ( one fly over), a hawk, about a dozen turkey vultures high overhead... and one very busy kingfisher all in less than an hour.......... so quiet ........

Having my own practice for the past 12 years it's both hard and easy to retire.....thinking last night there may be a middle ground.........cutting back to a 3 1/2 or 4 day work week...............long weekends until the youngest gets out of High School in 2019.


Be 65 and reevaluate.......................
 
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Long weekends would be great till you could let go. The cabin sounds like a great place to cleanse the mind. I went out at 65 when I could get medical coverage. The last 1 1/2 yrs flew by. The wife has abt 2 yrs and can't wait. I envy all those that could do it in your 50's. Brad, go for the pease of mind, you worked a lifetime. Larry
 
Retired at age 50 after 28.5 years in LE. Just turned 60 yesterday, and life is daggone good, except that somehow along the way I missed out on becoming rich.
Guess I should've really gone into software or pharmaceuticals or something :)
 
GaryS said:
A sort of off topic question. Does anyone else still dream about the job? It was really weird for a couple of years, with vivid dreams.
Click to expand...

I still occasionally do, though not as often as when I first retired. In my dreams, I'm always late for a meeting, and I can't find the place where the meeting is being held. I don't know what that means, other than I hate being late for anything...my wife, on the other hand, thinks being on time is a mortal sin.
 
At age 47. Father in law lived with us and my wife got me to retire and kinda take care of him. He was 95. We had fun doing what he wanted for 6 years. Thought about taking a job or two after he passed but I just had too much fun. Been 23 years now
 
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