I have read a number of articles and books on retiring early recently. Although we have had polls on how much people like their jobs or would leave quality if they could, I thought a poll on when you expect or want to retire would be interesting. In order to retire, it implies that it is voluntary, that you feel you have sufficient financial means to do it and do not plan to take another full time position. Working part time in a new field would still make you retired unless you needed to work to make ends meet.

Besides giving your vote, maybe you could also provide some comments on what you plan to do in retirement. If you take an early retirment, you may be looking at being retired almost as long as you have worked so having a plan may be needed. Or you could just plan on a life of leisure with no real plans.

Bill Pflanz

I'm gonna say around 60 if our investments work out as they're supposed to.
Maybe later - depends on what I'm doing at the time and how much I'm enjoying it.
After that I think I'd like to spend time working in the wood shop I'll have assembled by then. Maybe work part time in a hobby shop or comic shop.
Maybe substitute teach.

I would retire (or quit) from what I'm presently doing right now if I could.

I have already reaped 2 retirements, but the financial strength of them is pretty poor.

As it looks I'll be working until I drop.

I'd like to follow Dr. Deming's example - he worked up until one week before his death at age 92. . .

What does that mean - probably after formal retirement (which is up to 67 now for Social Security) try to do some consulting / training/ teaching on the "side".

Hi Bill, current plans for retirement are about age 67, which is 12 years from now. At that point, the house should be paid off and finances in semi-reasonable shape. I'd still plan on pursuing hobbies such as blacksmithing which might help provide some spare cash, don't know if I'd try to do anything on the quality side or not. If things got boring, I'd probably look for part-time work or do some sort of volunteer work.

Not planning on retirement, (don't think I will make it that far) I have money so if I should accidently live to retirement I won't be a burden on anyone but my 2 heirs. I think I will quit working for a living in my mid 60s. And then I will work to keep from going nuts.:D

Early retirement?? To do what?

I love what I do and have just this year ventured into presenting online seminars in addition to public and private ones. Even though I do collect a pension, I will never retire.

Unless

Someone asks me something and I forgot what seminar I am presenting. Now it is time to retire.

We all might get older but NEVER get OLD!

I tried to do the opposite of Doris Day and have my birth date moved back so I could retire early but have been unsuccessful to date. :(

Friends,

I will not retire. I love my job too much. However, I will ease my work/travel schedule and take my wife to nice places where I do work. A win for the both of us.

Stijloor.

As long as I enjoy my job and the organisation I work in I think I'll be happy working for while yet. I do plan however to make sure I have time to spend with my other half and hopefully our grandchildren in our "later" years.

I must confess that I do only work part-time (just shifted from 3 days per week back up to 4 days per week) for a fantastic community development organisation so work is good :tg: Being Quality Coordinator for an organisation with a vision of "Enhancing Individuals and Enriching the Community" makes coming to work each day very easy indeed.

And just in case you think that 3-4 days a week is already qualifying me for retirement, :biglaugh: I'm also an elected local government representative (Councillor) as well, 3 years into a 4 year term which accounts for every other spare moment I have but worth every bit of it.

Look forward to reading other's views.

I planned my retirement years ago. I am semi retired right now working about 60% this year. I left a good paying full time job with a major aerospace company last year. I bought rental properties years ago when they were about $60,000 for small 4 bedrooms. Now I am selling them at the rate of one every 2 years to avoid paying tax, after they have gone up quite a bit. I still have 9 left to sell. The more I sell, the less I work. I won't retire completelym because I really like ISO auditing and consulting and the travel that comes with it.

Very good planning Tony, Andy or Sam:lol:

I don't think that I will ever be able to afford retirement :mg:
The way things are going I will just have to work till I drop, but given the financial opportunity I would stop working today.

Going with the title of the thread, I expected to see a poll button as "Never Retire" ;)

Since it wasnt there, I voted for > 65 years. In reality, I would never like to retire. After the employment retirement is due, I would like to pursue other areas and keep myself busy. Probably some charity / consultancy to keep the brain running :mg:

Also, would like to continue as "Elsmar Cove Moderator" :lol:

Going with the title of the thread, I expected to see a poll button as "Never Retire" ;)

Since it wasnt there, I voted for > 65 years. In reality, I would never like to retire. After the employment retirement is due, I would like to pursue other areas and keep myself busy. Probably some charity / consultancy to keep the brain running :mg:

Also, would like to continue as "Elsmar Cove Moderator" :lol:

I thought about adding a poll button for "Never Retire" but death is not considered as a viable option for retirement. In my comments, I also allowed room for "working" after retirement from your full time job in a part time role. Part time jobs keep you involved without a daily commitment. As far as being a Cove moderator, being active on blogs and other interactive internet sites has been identified as a typical way of staying involved after retirement.

The results are generally consistent with what I have been reading. Financial concerns are the primary reason for not considering early retirement. Many of the ideas for retirement are also consistent with the desire to teach, do charity work, spend time with family (especially grandchildren). Even these desires require some retirement planning. The best time to make contacts for teaching, charities, hobbies etc. is before retiring since not all are as available as you may think. Charities can require lots of time and do involve some expense which can make it difficult to do part time. Children move and visiting the grandchildren may not be as easy as driving across town. Many people who traveled a lot while working have no interest in more travel unless it is purely vacational.

Thanks for participating.

Bill Pflanz

I could never retire.......

If not doing this, then I would have to do something else. There is always something else......

My later years might not be "productive", although my boss thinks those days are here :) , but I aways got to be doing something.

My plans went down the tube last year. I have to replace the savings I used to survive these past 10+ months.
I did learn how much fun a Kindergarten Daddy/Daughter dance could be:D. Renee already has this years circled on the calendar. I never would have had time before and by the time I retired she would have been well past the Daddy-Daughter dance age.

My plans went down the tube last year. I have to replace the savings I used to survive these past 10+ months.
I did learn how much fun a Kindergarten Daddy/Daughter dance could be:D. Renee already has this years circled on the calendar. I never would have had time before and by the time I retired she would have been well past the Daddy-Daughter dance age.

Cherish those moments, Stew. It seems like only yesterday I was lying on the couch with my darling daughter on my chest. She barely reached from my chin to my belt. Now, she is out of college. She decided spending Thanksgiving with her boyfriend was more important than spending Thanksgiving with me (I'm okay with that -- it was for her to meet his family). The point is they grow up and out waaaayyyyyyy too quickly!

But she still calls herself my Supersweetheartsugarhoney. A name I gave her when she was an infant.

God Bless you and your lovely daughter.....May you always enjoy that special Father-Daughter relationship :agree1:

I planned my retirement years ago. I am semi retired right now working about 60% this year. I left a good paying full time job with a major aerospace company last year. I bought rental properties years ago when they were about $60,000 for small 4 bedrooms. Now I am selling them at the rate of one every 2 years to avoid paying tax, after they have gone up quite a bit. I still have 9 left to sell. The more I sell, the less I work. I won't retire completelym because I really like ISO auditing and consulting and the travel that comes with it.

Hmmm, any of these happen to be in the south near a nice beach?

Dave

Well I am aiming for 60.
We are planning and getting our ducks in a row.
1.) Bought a small working boatyard where we now live and have the former owner managing most of the day to day boat stuff. (Except the "Oh crap its sinking" exciting stuff at 3:00 am in a 60 mile an hour wind.)
2.) While we were living in Florida we each got our 6 pack licenses as Captains.
3.) I have begun my serious as a heart attack fishing log. Date, GPS location, time,Tide, weather, moon phase, bait, rigging and fish caught for every time we move the boat.
Quality has been very good to me and I function more as a consultant to our clients in my current capacity running the implementation and consulting services group. Consultants are the difference between kids and grandkids. I give them the benefit of every drop of knowledge and wisdom I might have, I root for them and do everything I can to support them, give them confidence and make them successful but at the end of the day I hand them back to their parents ( the company they work for). I love what I do but I am tired of being a road warrior and spending way too much time in airports and hotels.
And as I get older I realize it really and truly is 5 o'clock somewhere!
Regards,
Mary

I am tired of being a road warrior and spending way too much time in airports and hotels.
And as I get older I realize it really and truly is 5 o'clock somewhere!My motto is: "Retire. And Retire Often...."

Never.......in our life, difference age has difference state and difference needs. There is too many new things that we can't learn it in our life.

Self motivation, think positive and interest is very important that make us from bed at early of the morning moving to destination for working.

Don't love the company but love our job....... you will find difference in your life.:rolleyes:

Don't love the company but love our job....... you will find difference in your life.:rolleyes:

Great quotation, Yew Jin :applause:

Well, if my son becomes the 'rockstar' he has the capability to become, or I find a rich woman, then retirement might be possible. However, although finances will dictate when I retire, I too really enjoy my work (yes, I know I'm just about to change jobs) and without that I'm not sure what I'd do............

'Most Covers Never Retire, they kept logging in'

I got out on the 28th of September. (age 62). I would like to get back some of what I have been paying into the system for 45 years. I have moved to Washington State and started fishing. Gee I wonder if I can get paid to fish when I choose to go?:cool:

Let's see:

I go fishing at least twice a week after work.(Our factory is 200 yards from the Intracostal Waterway)

I have weekends off to explore the Everglades, rivers and whatever else catches my fancy.

Most of my best friends are people I work with.

I can take off any time I want to go hunting.

Nope- I don't think I will retire any time soon.

Doug

Let's see:

I go fishing at least twice a week after work.(Our factory is 200 yards from the Intracostal Waterway)

I have weekends off to explore the Everglades, rivers and whatever else catches my fancy.

Most of my best friends are people I work with.

I can take off any time I want to go hunting.

Nope- I don't think I will retire any time soon.

Doug

Hello Doug,

You've got it made! You have the BEST of all worlds...:applause:
A lucky man you are....

Stijloor.

I retire every night!!

And every morning I bounce back to work,with recharged energy.

If you are talking about retirement from work,no way,not me.:nope:

I am too young for that.(62 yrs. young).Ha Ha Ha :biglaugh:

Seriously,I would prefer to drop dead while working.

And I am not voting on the poll,since the NEVER button is mysteriously missing. :magic:

/Umang

Retirement isn't in my vocabulary.

But then I don't really work, either. I just get paid for helping people with management/quality issues.

And the payment isn't just monetary. There's a lot of satisfaction...

Let's see:

I go fishing at least twice a week after work.(Our factory is 200 yards from the Intracostal Waterway)

I have weekends off to explore the Everglades, rivers and whatever else catches my fancy.

Most of my best friends are people I work with.

I can take off any time I want to go hunting.

Nope- I don't think I will retire any time soon.

Doug

Doug,
I am with you! I just moved back to NY from Florida. I am right on the water here and I try to fish a tide a day when I am not on the road. I schedule meetings and calls around the seven minutes it takes to get our boat to the inlet!
It keeps me reasonably sane to do the other things I need to do every day!
Tight Lines!
Mary

Doug,
I am with you! I just moved back to NY from Florida. I am right on the water here and I try to fish a tide a day when I am not on the road. I schedule meetings and calls around the seven minutes it takes to get our boat to the inlet!
It keeps me reasonably sane to do the other things I need to do every day!
Tight Lines!
Mary

I am looking to go the other way around. I used to live in Boynton Beach and fished every day. As soon as I retire here in Ohio I will head back to Florida. I have 14 grands and 5 great grands who, believe it or not, I have never taken fishing. God willing, I will soon fix that.

Dave

Doug,
I am with you! I just moved back to NY from Florida. I am right on the water here and I try to fish a tide a day when I am not on the road. I schedule meetings and calls around the seven minutes it takes to get our boat to the inlet!
It keeps me reasonably sane to do the other things I need to do every day!
Tight Lines!
Mary

I have only one question Mary, WHY? Why move back to NY? I hope someone is paying you huge bucks to work back up north. :)

Doug

The title clearly states 'Retiring Early or Never'.

Early has been broken in to age groups,but NEVER is conspiciously missing.

I have hinted about this in my earlier post too,which perhaps didn't catch the attention of the moderator.So I re-iterate to add the NEVER button to get a logical conclusion of the poll.

Regards

/Umang

The title clearly states 'Retiring Early or Never'.

Early has been broken in to age groups,but NEVER is conspiciously missing.

I have hinted about this in my earlier post too,which perhaps didn't catch the attention of the moderator.So I re-iterate to add the NEVER button to get a logical conclusion of the poll.

Regards

/Umang

This was mentioned in my post (http://elsmar.com/Forums/showpost.php?p=224620&postcount=14)

This was mentioned in my post (http://elsmar.com/Forums/showpost.php?p=224620&postcount=14)

Yes,yes.You were the first to point out this lacuna in your post.And today I have seen and voted on the 'Never' button.But will the others get a second chance,since they were unable to vote on 'Never' button despite their wont.
Without that the poll results will not be realistic.

/Umang :D

Yes,yes.You were the first to point out this lacuna in your post.And today I have seen and voted on the 'Never' button.But will the others get a second chance,since they were unable to vote on 'Never' button despite their wont.
Without that the poll results will not be realistic.

/Umang :D

I think a lot of people thought as yourself and wouldn't cast a vote because the category wasn't listed. If I thought I would never retire, I would simply not vote if there were no "never". I don't think I would be swayed into a vote for a retirement age if I never intended to retire.

Nobody should need a second chance as those who will never retire wouldn't have chosen an age at which they would retire. I think the poll results are still valid.

Dave

Big Thanks to the moderator for adding the Never button. I would have done it myself if I would have known it was to cause so much controversy (not that we lack in that area at the Cove). By the way, my original poll message did not count working part time or doing charitable work as working. Retirement meant from full time employment.

A few thoughts on the issue of never retiring. My original intent was not only to do the poll but to get some comments on planning for retirement. The plan to never retire is now an option. It does have some risk in making that choice. What if you lose your job and you are older than 60? Finding a job is not easy and even harder for older workers especially those who can't or won't be flexible on pay, work, location, position etc. Are you assuming the best and not planning for anything else? If you cannot find another job, you better have a good financial plan and give some thought to life without full time employment just in case.

Assuming that a large percentage of people may want to work until they die, I wonder what the effect on social security, pensions, medicare, etc. will be. We may be solving the financial problem that everyone seems to be predicting.

Bill Pflanz

At this time I do not see retirement as a viable part of my life. I could win a big lottery:lol: and then still work less and maybe not have the worries. No at this time I feel that working as long as possible is my only means of survival, with medical and ever increasing cost, even a millionaire would have to work. Now only billionaires can be close to safe.

If one loves what they do why would you retire to doing something else? :D. Never...what is that saying I don't work to live I live for my work...

If one loves what they do why would you retire to doing something else? :D. Never...what is that saying I don't work to live I live for my work...

Bad health can force you to retire to doing nothing.

sorry folks, but i this is what i envision my future will be: retiring early.. actually im still young and single, so right now im pushing my butt to work hard and at some point when i have saved money, i could start a small business based from my interest... this is one of my ultimate goals: retiring at age of 35..

i want to enjoy life at a very young age.. i dont want to regret that i've spent so much time at the office compared to the time i have spent at home, where i should have seen my children grow, seen their school's presentation, and spent quality time with my husband etc.

i respect your opinions but maybe mine is different :cool:

sorry folks, but i this is what i envision my future will be: retiring early.. actually im still young and single, so right now im pushing my butt to work hard and at some point when i have saved money, i could start a small business based from my interest... this is one of my ultimate goals: retiring at age of 35..

i want to enjoy life at a very young age.. i dont want to regret that i've spent so much time at the office compared to the time i have spent at home, where i should have seen my children grow, seen their school's presentation, and spent quality time with my husband etc.

i respect your opinions but maybe mine is different :cool:FWIW:
Operating a small business is often MORE time consuming than working any job. The job of top boss (whether in a giant corporation or a small one-person business) also includes the time spent thinking and strategizing about the business. Most folks who see the boss leave the building early have no clue of the work-related activity he does away from the office or plant. Lunch with a potential lender to negotiate a big loan for capital equipment or to provide bridge financing to ramp up for a big order from a major customer is till work and often more stressful than just standing at a machine or sitting at a computer terminal, regardless of how fancy the restaurant.

Typical small business owner/operators work upwards of fifty to eighty hours a week; it's not just the time spent at a desk or machine, but the time spent in ALL activities of being an owner or top manager.

Hi Wes,

thank you for your comments.. i'll keep that in mind..
so maybe i have to plan something better in order for me to retire early without getting into financial difficulties and be happy on my retirement..
:)

I'm guessing never with the way our economy is :( Either that or my husband will be working forever :lmao: