Its funny you say that but I know 2 people who earn in excess of £3m a year in the city and wont even dream of retiring. They want to carry on for the next 20years at least.
If you work in job that you hate, as soon as you can afford to do so..
If you love your job or have your own business and you enjoy what you are doing, and you are still fit and able, why would you ever want to retire?
I think some people seem to thrive on work and, after the initial holiday-like rejuvenation, seem to go downhill quickly after they retire. Maybe feeling useless, not being surrounded by supportive work colleagues all day and not having a sense of purpose after a lifetime of work takes its toll? I know someone in their 70's who came back to work for this reason.
My mum was ready to retire when she reached 60, but my dad wasn't ready when he reached 65.
But you need to have some form of income.I can't touch my work pension till 65 and the OAP is now 67(and no doubt increase before then if I ever get there).
I have only worked 20 hours a week for the past few years.It was a short term fix after being made redundant,but soon got use to the lower income with the benefit of extra free time and would now never willingly go back to full time hours,so I feel I am in "partial" retirement" now.
I quite enjoy my job but have lots of things on my bucket list so I intend to retire in about 3 years when i'm 55. Bored??? You must be joking, i'm going to enjoy every minute!!
If you have some discipline about you - and a dream - then it is entirely dependent on how early you can afford to chase rainbows. If your job defines you completely - stick at it.
Retirement? Forget it...I can't see myself not wanting to keep on working in 30 years time. It's not so much about the money, but more that I love what I do, and as it is, I can't sit still. I hate this idea of "relaxing" and taking it easy.
I'd say that the ideal retirement age is "whenever the hell you feel like it".
Absolutely spot on. Personally, I could cheerfully never work another shift again, and I'm only in my forties. I know some people need to work to give their lives some kind of structure, but that's never been the case with me.
I retired at fifty seven and, whilst I don't miss the job, I do miss my former colleagues and the camaraderie. With my wife at work everyday I find life boring and lonely.
At the moment you can't take income from a Pension until you reach 55, so that is my minimum age at the moment. However, I can see myself carrying on for longer than that,
I'm hoping to have enough tucked away to retire at 60 (in 7 years time). I have thought about not retiring completely and just easing off to working a couple of days a week as I too would miss the social interaction at work
I retired at fifty seven and, whilst I don't miss the job, I do miss my former colleagues and the camaraderie. With my wife at work everyday I find life boring and lonely.
This is what I worry about.
I would hate to think that my work defined me, but I haven't really got many outside interests and my colleagues have become my closest friends.
I also hate being off work on my own, so my wife would have to retire, too.
People who complain they would have nothing to do or would get bored really do need to get a life.
Have you retired yourself yet?
I effectively 'retired' at age 42 (in that I haven't worked since, not properly anyway). I can confirm that there are a few issues with finding things to do, with feeling like I'm making no contribution, missing the drive you get when working on projects with a deadline or even sorting out problems, the sense of achievement with it's done, talking to colleagues and clients, (and also getting paid for it. But I'd quite willingly work for nothing now!)
Yes you can do what you want for as long as you want, but it's not so much fun that way. (So reading a good book is an enjoyable way to pass that one hour on the train, less so if it's the only thing you've got to do that day. And when you finish the book by the middle of the afternoon; then what?)
You also find the world moves on, with a lot of things going on in the workplace that you don't know about since you left ten or fifteen years before. More importantly, you no longer have an identity; instead of being identified by your job, and being involved in something important, you're a nobody.
Rare Groove
Posts: 406 
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People who complain they would have nothing to do or would get bored really do need to get a life.
Edit:
Seems Soulboy and I were typing at roughly the same time. He put it so much more succinctly than I could ever have done.
So don't leave it to late if you can.
Its funny you say that but I know 2 people who earn in excess of £3m a year in the city and wont even dream of retiring. They want to carry on for the next 20years at least.
If you work in job that you hate, as soon as you can afford to do so..
If you love your job or have your own business and you enjoy what you are doing, and you are still fit and able, why would you ever want to retire?
I think some people seem to thrive on work and, after the initial holiday-like rejuvenation, seem to go downhill quickly after they retire. Maybe feeling useless, not being surrounded by supportive work colleagues all day and not having a sense of purpose after a lifetime of work takes its toll? I know someone in their 70's who came back to work for this reason.
My mum was ready to retire when she reached 60, but my dad wasn't ready when he reached 65.
50 sounds good to me too!
But you need to have some form of income.I can't touch my work pension till 65 and the OAP is now 67(and no doubt increase before then if I ever get there).
I have only worked 20 hours a week for the past few years.It was a short term fix after being made redundant,but soon got use to the lower income with the benefit of extra free time and would now never willingly go back to full time hours,so I feel I am in "partial" retirement" now.
Family business?
Just being nosey, sorry.
I'd say that the ideal retirement age is "whenever the hell you feel like it".
Absolutely spot on. Personally, I could cheerfully never work another shift again, and I'm only in my forties. I know some people need to work to give their lives some kind of structure, but that's never been the case with me.
Did the house prices go up on Endor after the Death Star was destroyed?
Property is the biggest earner.
Especially tree houses and a 3PO unit adds extra value.
I would hate to think that my work defined me, but I haven't really got many outside interests and my colleagues have become my closest friends.
I also hate being off work on my own, so my wife would have to retire, too.
Have you retired yourself yet?
I effectively 'retired' at age 42 (in that I haven't worked since, not properly anyway). I can confirm that there are a few issues with finding things to do, with feeling like I'm making no contribution, missing the drive you get when working on projects with a deadline or even sorting out problems, the sense of achievement with it's done, talking to colleagues and clients, (and also getting paid for it. But I'd quite willingly work for nothing now!)
Yes you can do what you want for as long as you want, but it's not so much fun that way. (So reading a good book is an enjoyable way to pass that one hour on the train, less so if it's the only thing you've got to do that day. And when you finish the book by the middle of the afternoon; then what?)
You also find the world moves on, with a lot of things going on in the workplace that you don't know about since you left ten or fifteen years before. More importantly, you no longer have an identity; instead of being identified by your job, and being involved in something important, you're a nobody.