Enjoying Retirement
Discussion
Congratulations to all those recently retired or retiring.
I'm planning to stop working at 59 in 3.5 years time after a health scare last year.
My firm want me to work until the end of 2025, and then "as needed" for 2 years on full pay.
I'm planning to tour around Asia, Oz and NZ with my wife for a year immediately after retiring.
Our daughters both had amazing gap years doing that, whereas I've only travelled there on business.
Getting my head around not working / being well paid will be challenging.
However, I've got rental properties in a company which we'll continue to oversee with local property managers.
I'm also lucky to have a final salary pension, a SIPP etc.
I'd like to get a project car, but the priority will be seeing friends and family, playing tennis, cycling, making music, and travel.
I'm planning to stop working at 59 in 3.5 years time after a health scare last year.
My firm want me to work until the end of 2025, and then "as needed" for 2 years on full pay.
I'm planning to tour around Asia, Oz and NZ with my wife for a year immediately after retiring.
Our daughters both had amazing gap years doing that, whereas I've only travelled there on business.
Getting my head around not working / being well paid will be challenging.
However, I've got rental properties in a company which we'll continue to oversee with local property managers.
I'm also lucky to have a final salary pension, a SIPP etc.
I'd like to get a project car, but the priority will be seeing friends and family, playing tennis, cycling, making music, and travel.
I'm now starting a list... its getting quite long, probably should have retired a few years ago to get through it all... however like many here I suspect COVID had a pretty major impact. wfh and no more long distance travel it made sense to fill the coffers in a less stressful environment. Wife now planning first trip to Italy in October!
I’m 58 and currently 6 months into my 5 year plan to, if not fully retire, then get out of the rat race for something easier/less hassle/less hours.
Retirement planning is a big part of my thinking now and this thread is a great source of information, ideas, tips etc.
It’s great to see so many of you enjoying retirement and I’m looking forward to finally handing the tools back in a while, whereas I was slightly nervous about that very thought not too long ago.
Best of health and happiness to you all and, whilst not wishing my life away, I’m looking forward to joining the club in due course
Retirement planning is a big part of my thinking now and this thread is a great source of information, ideas, tips etc.
It’s great to see so many of you enjoying retirement and I’m looking forward to finally handing the tools back in a while, whereas I was slightly nervous about that very thought not too long ago.
Best of health and happiness to you all and, whilst not wishing my life away, I’m looking forward to joining the club in due course
Planning for retirement and what how you are going to fill your time is important.
Retiring when you can is also important. I’ve been retired (early) for over five years. I went to a funeral last Friday for a guy I volunteer with. We had been giving him stick for a few years to give up work and enjoy himself (he had the money) but he carried on working and died four weeks after being diagnosed with liver cancer.
Never say just one more year, do it while you can and while you can still enjoy it.
Retiring when you can is also important. I’ve been retired (early) for over five years. I went to a funeral last Friday for a guy I volunteer with. We had been giving him stick for a few years to give up work and enjoy himself (he had the money) but he carried on working and died four weeks after being diagnosed with liver cancer.
Never say just one more year, do it while you can and while you can still enjoy it.
craig1912 said:
Planning for retirement and what how you are going to fill your time is important.
Retiring when you can is also important. I’ve been retired (early) for over five years. I went to a funeral last Friday for a guy I volunteer with. We had been giving him stick for a few years to give up work and enjoy himself (he had the money) but he carried on working and died four weeks after being diagnosed with liver cancer.
Never say just one more year, do it while you can and while you can still enjoy it.
I'd say this^^^^ Retiring when you can is also important. I’ve been retired (early) for over five years. I went to a funeral last Friday for a guy I volunteer with. We had been giving him stick for a few years to give up work and enjoy himself (he had the money) but he carried on working and died four weeks after being diagnosed with liver cancer.
Never say just one more year, do it while you can and while you can still enjoy it.
Don't overthink it. You can always go back to work if it doesn't suit you. My brother did, three times.
mikeiow said:
Congrats!
Hopefully the 'weird' will develop into excitement. Do you have plans for October onwards?
We just had a fantastic IOW festival weekend - a tiny patch of rain on Friday night which let us test our new festival ponchos, but otherwise great weather!
Managed around 55k steps over the 3 days, loads of bands, some nice ales and good company. Plans afoot to get early bird tickets for next you with the family coming as well.
This week is recovery time
Impressed with the 55k - was that just your dance moves ?!Hopefully the 'weird' will develop into excitement. Do you have plans for October onwards?
We just had a fantastic IOW festival weekend - a tiny patch of rain on Friday night which let us test our new festival ponchos, but otherwise great weather!
Managed around 55k steps over the 3 days, loads of bands, some nice ales and good company. Plans afoot to get early bird tickets for next you with the family coming as well.
This week is recovery time
I was watching on TV the highlights - thought the Projidy set was amazing !
craig1912 said:
Planning for retirement and what how you are going to fill your time is important.
Retiring when you can is also important. I’ve been retired (early) for over five years. I went to a funeral last Friday for a guy I volunteer with. We had been giving him stick for a few years to give up work and enjoy himself (he had the money) but he carried on working and died four weeks after being diagnosed with liver cancer.
Never say just one more year, do it while you can and while you can still enjoy it.
Wise words. Retiring when you can is also important. I’ve been retired (early) for over five years. I went to a funeral last Friday for a guy I volunteer with. We had been giving him stick for a few years to give up work and enjoy himself (he had the money) but he carried on working and died four weeks after being diagnosed with liver cancer.
Never say just one more year, do it while you can and while you can still enjoy it.
What is also important is remembering that one of the true benefits and joys of retirement is the freedom and flexibility it gives you so don’t allocate all your time in advance !
Stu-nph26 said:
Has anyone on this thread retired really early? I'm hoping to be in a position to retire at 45 (now 39) people keep telling me I'll be bored and miss work but I can't can't have the freedom to do as I please
Some people do get bored and struggle without the interaction of colleagues. I've never understood it personally as I have a lot of hobbies and interests and plenty on my to do list to keep me occupied but then I work from home full time, and I'm used to my own company. I enjoyed working life up until about 40 and then I was ready to retire then. I'm 50 on Friday and planning on retiring at 60 but the thought of another 10 years spending my time on things other than my family, friends and hobbies is dragging me down. alscar said:
mikeiow said:
Congrats!
Hopefully the 'weird' will develop into excitement. Do you have plans for October onwards?
We just had a fantastic IOW festival weekend - a tiny patch of rain on Friday night which let us test our new festival ponchos, but otherwise great weather!
Managed around 55k steps over the 3 days, loads of bands, some nice ales and good company. Plans afoot to get early bird tickets for next you with the family coming as well.
This week is recovery time
Impressed with the 55k - was that just your dance moves ?!Hopefully the 'weird' will develop into excitement. Do you have plans for October onwards?
We just had a fantastic IOW festival weekend - a tiny patch of rain on Friday night which let us test our new festival ponchos, but otherwise great weather!
Managed around 55k steps over the 3 days, loads of bands, some nice ales and good company. Plans afoot to get early bird tickets for next you with the family coming as well.
This week is recovery time
I was watching on TV the highlights - thought the Projidy set was amazing !
Oh yeah, swinging some lairy moves on the grass!
We park about 2km away & hike in & out, so that adds a chunk (might camp next year for various reasons!).
We weren't so keen on Prodigy...or the Darkness, who were a bit comedy old school rock - each to their own though, they were certainly belting them out.
Top ones for us were Crowded House, Pet Shop Boys, Tom Meighan.
Keene were decent, as was Johnny Marr, Blossoms & Simple Minds. Green Day cracked through about 40 tracks in their 2 hours.
Toyah & Robert Fripp were superb (again - they were there last year too!).
I liked some of the more quirky ones - Mary Wallopers, Beatbox Collective, Mr B the Gentleman Rhymer...but the winner for me was Baron Fortitude, a local Victorian Rapper - sample here for your enjoyment . very entertaining!
Latitude coming up in a few weeks....need the body to recover more first!
I think it helps to do early gradually, i'm at the stage where i just provide holiday cover now for a colleague or two, which in practice is a couple of days a month. Straight into the fire with live projects.
Certainly not going to miss it.
On other hand i recently saw a private consultant who is totally minted and in his 70s. It's clear he still loves it. Average retirement age in his speciality is something like 56.
Would love to have a job like that, some of it is my fault for not finding it, but on other hand you play the cards you are dealt
Certainly not going to miss it.
On other hand i recently saw a private consultant who is totally minted and in his 70s. It's clear he still loves it. Average retirement age in his speciality is something like 56.
Would love to have a job like that, some of it is my fault for not finding it, but on other hand you play the cards you are dealt
mikeiow said:
Heh heh heh!
Oh yeah, swinging some lairy moves on the grass!
We park about 2km away & hike in & out, so that adds a chunk (might camp next year for various reasons!).
We weren't so keen on Prodigy...or the Darkness, who were a bit comedy old school rock - each to their own though, they were certainly belting them out.
Top ones for us were Crowded House, Pet Shop Boys, Tom Meighan.
Keene were decent, as was Johnny Marr, Blossoms & Simple Minds. Green Day cracked through about 40 tracks in their 2 hours.
Toyah & Robert Fripp were superb (again - they were there last year too!).
I liked some of the more quirky ones - Mary Wallopers, Beatbox Collective, Mr B the Gentleman Rhymer...but the winner for me was Baron Fortitude, a local Victorian Rapper - sample here for your enjoyment . very entertaining!
Latitude coming up in a few weeks....need the body to recover more first!
Difficult to ever see the Pet Shop Boys contributing to this thread. Oh yeah, swinging some lairy moves on the grass!
We park about 2km away & hike in & out, so that adds a chunk (might camp next year for various reasons!).
We weren't so keen on Prodigy...or the Darkness, who were a bit comedy old school rock - each to their own though, they were certainly belting them out.
Top ones for us were Crowded House, Pet Shop Boys, Tom Meighan.
Keene were decent, as was Johnny Marr, Blossoms & Simple Minds. Green Day cracked through about 40 tracks in their 2 hours.
Toyah & Robert Fripp were superb (again - they were there last year too!).
I liked some of the more quirky ones - Mary Wallopers, Beatbox Collective, Mr B the Gentleman Rhymer...but the winner for me was Baron Fortitude, a local Victorian Rapper - sample here for your enjoyment . very entertaining!
Latitude coming up in a few weeks....need the body to recover more first!
Marr was given a couple of tracks on the highlight programme but could have happily listened to his full set.
I will save the Baron for later.
Th3 D0n said:
I’m 58 and currently 6 months into my 5 year plan to, if not fully retire, then get out of the rat race for something easier/less hassle/less hours.
I'm 58 next Monday, so theoretically another 24 months to go before calling it a day at age 60. I have to give 6 months notice, and by then will have been in the same role/company for 23 years.The law here requires the actual leaving date to be the end of a calendar month[1], in this case the month of my birthday. Thus I cannot taken my company pension[2] until 01.08.2026, and would usually work until 31.07.2026.
However, the temptation to give my notice in December 2025, forgo the next July's pay, make my last day June 30th, and then start retirement on my birthday the next day, might just all be too much to resist
[1] Unless you're sacked for gross misconduct, where you're out on the spot and paid up to that day only, plus any holiday due.
[2] 50-50 annuity and capital withdrawal.
Mr Magooagain said:
PositronicRay said:
Mr Magooagain said:
@MrMagooagain - that looks a fine way to spend your time - did you dig holes for the uprights & concrete (or postcrete?) them in, or are they mostly bashed down with a power or hand tool?
I can see the gate and big one are concreted.
The wife helped with a fair few bashing them down with a post basher weighing in at around forty(40) kilograms.The posts are in about 55 cms leaving 1.3 metres to work with.
You can see it here on the last post we put in yesterday. I’ve done a lot of it over the years but it’s hard going now.
But I’m happy that I can still do it and will continue.
It’s now all finished with a tensioned strand of barbed wire four (4) inches above the sheep fencing.
You're a lucky man, my wife would certainly not be up for weilding a basher that size! Nor would I come to that.I can see the gate and big one are concreted.
The wife helped with a fair few bashing them down with a post basher weighing in at around forty(40) kilograms.The posts are in about 55 cms leaving 1.3 metres to work with.
You can see it here on the last post we put in yesterday. I’ve done a lot of it over the years but it’s hard going now.
But I’m happy that I can still do it and will continue.
It’s now all finished with a tensioned strand of barbed wire four (4) inches above the sheep fencing.
I consider myself extremely lucky to have have her. She won’t be retiring for another four(4) years unfortunately as we both profit from staying in the French system until 67 years of age. So she carries on being a coach driver which she loves doing.
I’m 66 so claiming my uk state pension and will carry on my business in name only until 67. Where I will then be entitled to a partial French pension also.
Happy Jim said:
I don’t have 90 to do, but probably at least half that in the next year. Is it one of these?https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/15048920144
toon10 said:
Stu-nph26 said:
Has anyone on this thread retired really early? I'm hoping to be in a position to retire at 45 (now 39) people keep telling me I'll be bored and miss work but I can't can't have the freedom to do as I please
Some people do get bored and struggle without the interaction of colleagues. I've never understood it personally as I have a lot of hobbies and interests and plenty on my to do list to keep me occupied but then I work from home full time, and I'm used to my own company. I enjoyed working life up until about 40 and then I was ready to retire then. I'm 50 on Friday and planning on retiring at 60 but the thought of another 10 years spending my time on things other than my family, friends and hobbies is dragging me down. Happy Jim said:
Nice tool that. I had looked into buying one but my posts are split chestnut and I couldn’t find a thumper with a big enough head to go over the posts. If it hadn’t been hay making time my local neighbour farmer would have bashed em in with his tractor mounted knocker.Chestnut or Acacia split posts are what’s used here and those round ones would look a tad out of place around here.
Michael_B said:
Happy Jim said:
I don’t have 90 to do, but probably at least half that in the next year. Is it one of these?https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/15048920144
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