Who could comfortably retire, but keep working

[Autonomous]

I did thirty years with the USPS. In that time I watched about two dozen coworkers work well past their retirement, claiming there was nothing for them to do.Each of these people held up the advancement of junior coworkers by staying on. They did a disservice to the USPS, coworkers, their families, their customers and themselves.

Leave ASAP and enjoy what time you have left.

Preach it!
During downturns we'd have young guys with families furloughed while guys that could have retired 5 or 10 years ago stayed on.
The old hangers on always had an excuse; I work another year I get $30 month more retirement, etc.
When my turn came, I used all my vacation and personal leave to get to that date. Then I worked an extra day because you have to work one day in the next month after you can go.
On my last day I did all my work but may have flaunted a rule or two in front of everyone...

 

[Huskerguy]

I have retired a total of 4 times and one finally stuck 4 years ago. I worked in schools as a teacher and later an administrator. I never made much money in the early years but have a decent state pension. My SS goes into savings each month.

I was one that never thought I would quit working. I loved helping kids and started a private school. When I finally pulled the trigger and quit for good instead of inching closer each time, the only regret I have is not doing it sooner!

I keep very busy and you will too. I build all sorts of things for our church and there is plenty to do around my own home but I don't get all that excited about getting it all done.

So my advice is work if that is really what you want to do but the flip side is you may also like the freedom of not working but won't know if you don't try.

BTW, we have a couple of rental properties as well and I wish I would have purchased several more many years ago. I was too busy running schools to work or manage them at the time. Life is full of would of and could and should ofs.

 

[Golddollar]

So my advice is work if that is really what you want to do but the flip side is you may also like the freedom of not working but won't know if you don't try.

BTW, we have a couple of rental properties as well and I wish I would have purchased several more many years ago. I was too busy running schools to work or manage them at the time. Life is full of would of and could and should ofs.

I'm certainly enjoying being able to go to the range in the middle of the day in the middle of the week.

I took early retirement for a combination of reasons. I guess I could have tried to keep working until I hit full retirement age to get a bigger Social Security check each month.

But in the interim, I could have died in a wreck on the Baltimore Beltway.

Or the health problems I was exhibiting when I retired could have caught up to me, to do who knows what.

Or I could have gotten laid off or fired when the mortgage foreclosure moratorium was enacted.

It would not be unreasonable to think that I could have died while working during that extended time and not collected a dime of Social Security.

But, here I am retired for 8 1/2 years, happier and healthier, and have a new calendar with 6 Saturdays and 1 Sunday every week.

 

[BC38]

I have what every man wants, according to a 80's comedy/romance movie, no wife, no kids, no mortgage...

FWIW, and IMO, the 1980's comedy movies got most of it all wrong.

Other than the "no mortgage" part, the rest of that sounds REALLY lonely to me. Not even close to what I want for myself.

I no longer have a mortgage, but I am VERY thankful to have the 'wife and kids' - or in my case, a wife and one surviving kid.

JMO, and as always, YMMV.

 

[tops]

On my last day at work I took a couple of long breaks and a long lunch and didn't have time to do work. I wasn't there the next day to get chewed out. Larry

 

[kozmic]

I started my business in 1990 and turned 65 in February. A couple years ago I told my financial planner I looked forward to working until 70 or beyond, but the last 2 years have really kicked my butt.
More rules and regulations that get in the way. A tighter market. Inability to find and retain competent help. Supply issues. Higher interest rates and costs...etc., etc., etc. I'm getting burnt out. If I could just do my job I would be fine. In a lot of ways that ship has sailed. Of course as all of those things have reared their ugly heads it has decreases the value of my business.
I have however begun to do things for myself like; take off Fridays in the summer, work shorter days, travel more and accept invitations to fish, golf, go to concerts and enjoy life a bit more.
I didn't actually answer the OP's original question. Truth is, we're OK financially and if conditions were better, I'd happily continue to work until it stopped being fun or our health changed. As it is today I will just keep plugging away. Let's see what November holds. That will definitely be a deciding factor.

 

[zeke]

Congrats, you earned the right to follow your own path. Do what makes ya happy.

The older i get, the more things i used to do. And work is one of them. It was retire or disability, and chose to retire. Am not worried about being productive, and am more worried about reducing stress and living longer.

 

[NYlakesider]

I started my business in 1990 and turned 65 in February. A couple years ago I told my financial planner I looked forward to working until 70 or beyond, but the last 2 years have really kicked my butt.
More rules and regulations that get in the way. A tighter market. Inability to find and retain competent help. Supply issues. Higher interest rates and costs...etc., etc., etc. I'm getting burnt out. If I could just do my job I would be fine. In a lot of ways that ship has sailed. Of course as all of those things have reared their ugly heads it has decreases the value of my business.
I have however begun to do things for myself like; take off Fridays in the summer, work shorter days, travel more and accept invitations to fish, golf, go to concerts and enjoy life a bit more.
I didn't actually answer the OP's original question. Truth is, we're OK financially and if conditions were better, I'd happily continue to work until it stopped being fun or our health changed. As it is today I will just keep plugging away. Let's see what November holds. That will definitely be a deciding factor.

I most certainly understand you, and know you will make the right decision

Be well, Dave

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

I’m 65 and we have several rent houses and other funds so retirement wouldn’t be much of an issue, but I can’t really picture myself not working. I own my own business and like what I do and I can pretty much take off whenever I want. I just don’t know what I would do if I was retired. We travel a lot and take a lot of vacations but after a week, I’m always ready to come home and do something productive. I do get tired a little more quickly than I used to, but sometimes I’ll go home early and rest. I’m just not interested in the TV, Internet, news, most sports, gossip, or keeping up with current events in Hollywood. I don’t want to do crafts or gardening or volunteer work, if I’m going to work, I’d rather do construction projects and make a lot more money. It’s a business I know. Any other guys out there that choose to work full-time, even though they don’t have to?

What you describe does not sound as much like work as it does profit puttering. You are doing what you like, making money from it and can set your own hours. Why quit doing it? Sounds like a win-win to me. Kinda sounds like the selective law practice I am doing right now. If I want to do something I do it. If I don't want to do it-I'll refer it out. I could ramp it up if I wanted to-there is a lot of stuff I could do, but I decided that life is too short to put up with a-hole clients. I've started doing a lot of cut rate work for poor people and have found it quite gratifying. I will not do it for free, but make them pay something as it helps keep the dignity in it.
Thought about buying a trailer and a zero turn and cutting grass for a part time, but I think the local grass cutting "mafia" would pay me a visit as that is a pretty cutthroat business around here!
Also thought about being an internet influencer but can't figure out how to make money doing it.

 

[LVSteve]

I find it interesting the number of posts where people say they have retired because changes in the workplace made it untenable. The continual "more and faster" attitude in business fails to take into account that humans still only have one brain, one pair of hands, and the day is still only 24 hours long. Of those 24 hours, these 'limited' humans require 7 hours of sleep, time to eat, and time to wash enough to make themselves socially acceptable. These things are fixed, and no amount of Microsoft Project, PowerPoint, pressure from investors, or corporate suitage will change them.