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Have you retired yet or are you planning to any time soon?

With no set age to retire in this country, the choice of when to stop working and retire is left up to the individual in most cases. Have you retired yet? Or are you planning to retire soon?


These are some of the reasons you may be considering retiring:


You don’t like the work you do

It is getting physically too much

You are always tired or mentally stressed

The cost and frustration of the daily commute

You don’t feel your efforts are appreciated/have been overlooked

You feel that you are underpaid for what you do

Your skills are not being used fully

You want to enjoy more leisure time

You want to spend more time with family

You want to engage in other interests/hobbies/sports/travel.


What are your thoughts?


Created By on 27/09/2012

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Jan Morley
1st Oct 2012 13:35:30
1
Thanks for voting!
Why does everyone think that because you are over 50 that you are automatically considering retirement?
Personally I have no intention of retiring (health permitting) and have joked that they will probably cart me out of work feet first.
I have lots of friends at work and I have lots of interesting conversations and exchanges of views. I feel that work offers me a more interesting outlook on life and makes me appreciate my husband and family more.
If working to a ripe old age is good enough for the Royal family then it's good enough for me too!
vegasbound
8th Mar 2017 18:43:28
0
Thanks for voting!
We are selling our home in TN and are going to rent a home in Las Vegas and we are wondering the best way to handle residency. I know it's more expensive for car tags and insurance in the Vegas area and I am wondering if anybody else is in the same situation and has advice.
Thanks
MorrisandDoris
19th Jun 2016 00:26:20 (Last activity: 29th Jun 2016 19:40:26)
0
Thanks for voting!
My wife and I retired when we both reached State Pension age we then sold our house and moved from the Midlands to the Dorset coast. Both of us have always wanted to retire by the sea, that was 5 years ago now and we are still enjoying life by the sea.
Plenty to see and do down here gets very busy in the summer season but thats to be expected, taken up photography, really never fancied playing golf .
We are both glad we made the decision to retire when we did, we have reasonable good health at the moment but you never know how long , so our advice for anybody just retired or close to retirement age is to plan it and do it as soon as you possible can and do whatever you chose.
Response from elkiton made on 29th Jun 2016 19:40:26
Totally agree, whilst it is not always possible, and with the retirement age creeping up it becomes more difficult, setting a life goal to retire a few years early is definitely the way to go. We did this, and had a few "short" years until OAPensions kicked in but we managed with me doing odd jobs, keyholding of villas for absent owners etc.
TonyE
Silversights
9th Apr 2016 12:32:34
0
Thanks for voting!
I have just turned 63 and can now retire and claim my state pension and my works pension. i have only worked 2 days a week so my money will be very little difference to me working. I have done a busy job with on call etc for several days a week so am looking forward to more me time. I must admit I am a little apprehensive but hope that I will fill my time with the things I want to do and meeting friends etc for coffee and days out. If i get a little bored i might look at voluntary work.
Mo5
3rd Nov 2015 16:49:23
1
Thanks for voting!
I am 61 and work full time as a Civil Servant. I cannot afford to retire until I am 66. As I don't own my house I intend to buy a second hand houseboat at that point and hopefully the dog and cats and I will retire onto that. Only 58 months to go!
elkiton
17th Oct 2015 23:24:24
1
Thanks for voting!
Retirement, a word with all the wrong connotations !
Conjurers up a bunch of knackered old dodderers waiting for St Peter to blow the trumpet and hand out tickets for the Pearly Gates Show!

Shame we don't have a good sounding word for "Life without the chore of daily work".

Its fabulous, at 60 fell in love and got married again, this time without the burden of raising children, sold up the house, bought a truck and drove to a new home overseas, live the life of Reilly !
Now at 68 we have done the ex-pat thing again and moved (lock stock and barrel) to a different country.

Not enough time in the day to do it all, am now a rock drummer in a country band, live near Prague in a huge rented house I could never afford the like of in UK, we go touring Europe in a folding camper, concerts in Vienna, weekends in Munich, meet other expat friends as and when, build and fly model aircraft, mend electronic stuff that breaks.....how on earth would I cope with all this and a job?

Retirement is what you make it, but three things are important,
a) a loving partner or a good relationship,
b) reasonably good health,
c) financial stability
d) a sense of adventure and an open mind....
and that doesn't mean you need more then a few thousand in the bank.
If you are sitting in a "paid for" house because somebody once said you have to own bricks and mortar, sell the damn thing and use the money to live your last days out in style.

Retirement should be immense fun, go buy the Harley you dreamed of and live a little !

TonyE
Retired-in-Prague.
Nebka
15th Sep 2015 02:14:27
0
Thanks for voting!
I worked for 23 years in sinner City school but left at 57 as I did not like what teaching had become. I found a part time teaching job in a private school which I absolutely loved but my mother died and my husband was diagnosed with cancer so I handed in my notice. I fear I made a terrible decision as I find retirement a little dull as I cannot live it the way I had dreamt it would be and I fear for the future! So if people are thinking about retiring, they should very carefully think before they jump!
jimbob
24th Dec 2014 17:55:38
0
Thanks for voting!
Silversurfers Editor said

With no set age to retire in this country, the choice of when to stop working and retire is left up to the individual in most cases. Have you retired yet? Or are you planning to retire soon?

These are some of the reasons you may be considering retiring:

You don't like the work you do
It is getting physically too much
You are always tired or mentally stressed
The cost and frustration of the daily commute
You don't feel your efforts are appreciated/have been overlooked
You feel that you are underpaid for what you do
Your skills are not being used fully
You want to enjoy more leisure time
You want to spend more time with family
You want to engage in other interests/hobbies/sports/travel.

What are your thoughts?


I am a painter and Decorator and have just over one year to go before I retire, I an also semi retired I work when the work is there and not if its not, I would like to do a hobby when I retire to build a model railway, some would say that’s boring but it the Electronics and everything else involved in doing this I just need the space, so I think I will have to build a shed first to put it in, are there any other modellers out there if so please come and say hello always open for a chat
grandma
2nd Feb 2013 16:35:26
1
Thanks for voting!
I retired in 1991 the day before I was 65 and now have no yen to look for another job!!!!!
My working life was great and my retirement equally so. Now in my 22nd year of retirement I am still finding new things to so. Like so many things, retirement is a very personal thing but I actually don't think taking the age limits away the government has done our young people any favours nor giving business owners much choice when the slower pace takes over in some ( certainly not all) willing but less able employees.
Polly
8th Jan 2013 15:05:51
0
Thanks for voting!
Hi, I retired March 2012 but decided I would like to do 2 days so that's what I did, I can honestly say I think I've got the best of both worlds. Me and hubby became members of the National Trust (its paid for its self over and over again) and we go all over the place, we take picnic's and have a wonderful time 🙂
[email protected]
10th Oct 2012 21:50:19
1
Thanks for voting!
I retired/made redundant at the age of 54 and never looked back. As I had children at Uni and a mortgage, I took a variety of part time jobs, to keep me busy and help out with my finances.

I was a chauffeur/handyman for a millionaire, I was the maintenance and odd job man for a private gym, I was a rep for Mars Ice Cream, I demonstrated voice operated software for PCs, and other things.

What I really liked was being able to turn down a job if I didn't like it, and not have to put up with any rubbish.

I have really enjoyed being able to spend more time with my wife and family.

Keith Rider
[email protected]
10th Oct 2012 21:40:45
0
Thanks for voting!
Silverhairs said

With no set age to retire in this country, the choice of when to stop working and retire is left up to the individual in most cases. Have you retired yet? Or are you planning to retire soon?

These are some of the reasons you may be considering retiring:

You don't like the work you do
It is getting physically too much
You are always tired or mentally stressed
The cost and frustration of the daily commute
You don't feel your efforts are appreciated/have been overlooked
You feel that you are underpaid for what you do
Your skills are not being used fully
You want to enjoy more leisure time
You want to spend more time with family
You want to engage in other interests/hobbies/sports/travel.

What are your thoughts?

0
Thanks for voting!
Hello there ... we would love to hear from you again ... be very interested in any blogs or short stories you would like to share with us. If you send them to [email protected] I will happily read them with a view to publishing them, if you would like? 🙂
opelaccent
8th Oct 2012 15:54:39
0
Thanks for voting!
I retired in 2003 with ill health. it came under the COPD banner. and was told make the next 5 years count as after that you will more bad days than good.. I found that caravanning was a great way of getting plenty of fresh air so much so I became an Holiday site assistant with the Camping and caravanning club. I live in a motor home and my health as stayed still. I have not become an invalid. But I must admit I don't do stairs or hills and only walk very short distances. I am enjoying my retirement I have found the computer a wonderful tool so I write blogs and short stories. They say if you remember the sixties you were not there well I am living proof I can remember the sixies and write many short stories of what happened to me some with tongue in cheek.
As for Mrs opelaccent she enjoys the open air life that we both love.
You no doubt will here from me in the next few days. 😎
cyberhen
4th Oct 2012 20:16:07
1
Thanks for voting!
I retired at 52 but soon got bored and felt useless, so now I'm back at work in a totally different kind of job and just got promoted!
PeterC
2nd Oct 2012 05:57:03
0
Thanks for voting!
I retired once and didn't like it. Went back to work and thoroughly enjoying myself. I often wondered what getting 50 years service in Nursing felt like. In a couple of years I will find out. I have no intention at all of 'permanently' retiring until I have to. 😎
leicestersing
29th Sep 2012 15:56:07
1
Thanks for voting!
I have just turned 55, and I get annoyed when people ask if I have retired, as I will not get my Statutory pension until I am 66, which is frustrating, as my husband is older than me & will get the benefits earlier. I have taken redunancy from local government, but I found a more rewarding role 5 years ago as a part time hospitral chaplain. So i will have a period of 11+ years of being an in betweeny- too young for benefits, but too old for other employment. at least I now have a better work/life balance, filling in with voluntary work on bereavement, with refugees and asylum seekers, and walking/cycling groups.

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