How many of you are retired or thinking about it.

[Orange]

The trouble with retiring early is that if you've got a money purchase scheme the fund will have taken a hammering of late. Add to that falling annuity rates, lower interest rates on other savings and yet inflation actually increasing and it makes it more and more difficult. Oh and unless you were born before 1953 don't think you'll be picking up your state pension as early as 65 either. Any youngsters around - you may have to wait until 70 - or possibly not even qualify for one at all.

 

[ComedyPilot]

Threads like this pee me off, so I just do an ostrich......................fffluuummppff

 

[videoman]

I took voluntary redundancy five years ago at the age of 47 and moved to Tenerife for two and a half years. Moved back here and always try to keep busy, cycling, walking (completed the C2C walking in July) and do property maintenance work for other people when it suits me. No way would I ever going back to working full time for someone else.

 

[Archie_tect]

I have a plan. Retire in 8 years and be supported by my children... I reckon they owe me around £260,000 by now.

 

[Blue]

I took that 'too good to refuse retirement package' 6 years ago. I worked part time as a consultant for 4 years, then went 100% idle. I have never regreted a single moment. A working salary which would be nice, could never equate to the quality of life I now enjoy.

 

[Keith Oates]

When it comes I hope to enjoy it, until then I'm happy with what I'm doing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Ashtrayhead]

I retired a couple of years ago aged 51 and am in receipt of a police pension, but my lump sum didn't cover the outstanding mortgage plus maintenance, plus paying towards putting my son through university. So I've had 2 years off work and had some nice holidays, bought two bikes, new kitchen, first ever decent car and still got a bit tucked away but it's time to look for another job to cover the mortgage and assorted bills. I'm hoping my driving certificates will look good on any cv I submit!
One of the big bonuses for me is not having to set the alarm anymore (I've had the same alarm clock since 1979!) but in a strange way I miss the quiet early morning commutes into work and the even quieter ones on the rare occasion when I would be off home early at 2am on a night shift. But I'm still a night owl...hence this post at 4:40am!

 

[asterix]

They booted me out of in 2005 along with 150 of my colleagues. The good thing was that I'd just passed the age when I could take early retirement as well as the redundancy payout. The bad thing was the drop in income which hasn't been nearly as hard as I thought it might be. No world cruises for me though, since then I have learned all sorts of building skills including plastering which is very good for fitness. I do work for others as a favour but am now getting offers of filthy lucre which I'm thinking might be less enjoyable.

 

[Headgardener]

Just over 8 years until I can retire from the NHS for me but probably another 7 years before I can pick up my state pension so I will probably stay with the NHS unless something differnt comes up.

 

[yello]

A working salary which would be nice, could never equate to the quality of life I now enjoy.

That's how I feel too. It is difficult to make the adjustment to not having a regular income and watch the savings reduce. It goes against everything that's been ingrained into you over the years.

It does mean you become more circumspect about expenditure because it's just money out, not to be replaced. You have to make what you've got last, in our case at least until pensions kick in. It does mean we don't have the lives we used to have in London, where we'd eat out a couple of times a week and enjoy weekends away. It's definitely a trade off.

Not having the steady income does mean we've had to forego those things. We genuinely don't miss them though. They were things to balance out the banality and subservience of working 9 to 5 (and the rest!) They were the trinkets that made you think it was worth it. Address the real problem, the problem of hating what you do for most of your waking life, and those trinkets are no longer needed. As I said earlier, it seems now like a no-brainer. No way would I swap back.

 

[Milemuncher]

I have a plan. Retire in 8 years and be supported by my children... I reckon they owe me around £260,000 by now.

Huh! I wish you luck! If like mine they will be lined up signing the cheques as the squadrons of pink pigs fly overhead.

 

[cyberknight]

I would retire tomorrow if i could ..........

Unfortunately the current recession meant i had to start a mortgage from scratch , downsizing to clear debt from nearly 2 years of short time and now we are expecting mini CK#2 anytime .

I am 44 next year so i have a mortgage that finishes 1 month after i am 65 and children who realistically will be sponging off with me for the foreseeable future the way the housing and job market seems to be going .

Looks like i am working till i keel over .

 

[addictfreak]

Well hopefully three and a half years to go for me, unless I decided to hang around in which case it will be five and a half years. Just depends how the land lies. Mrs AF has a while longer to do, much to her disgust. So I cant see me being allowed to relax totally, so I have another job (part time) already lined up which should keep her off my back.
But ultimately the plan is to buy a motor home and do europe, cycling as I go.

 

[Mozzy]

I've always fancied the MH malarkey. Just never been brave enough to part with reserves. Once gone it's gone, and they are so humongously expensive. Domestic shower/tap/bath pump decided to have a hissy fit today and being retired meant I could just potter round to find a suitable replacement. No pressure, just a plod really. Not quite done, I need a check valve to fit on this one, and didn't know till I fitted it. Off for a trip tomoz then. Bike maybe, but heavy rain and mahoosive winds forecast here; could be the motor car I reckon.

Funny thing is (and they came out of the blue), I have been asked twice to consider taking a position; one as an employee, and the other on a five year contracted consultancy basis. I did think about it .... all of three seconds, and came to the same conclusion. Life is just too short, you never know what is round the corner, and did I really want to be working with Muppets again? A resounding NO bellowed pretty loudly.

Don't get me wrong, it is tight at times; especially as I have another six years to go until OAP and small private pensions kick in. Aldi's do well out of us; and I am always looking at ways to save a few bob. Being mortgage free for quite some years now is the bonus though; it makes a huge difference. It is amazing what bargains exist if you have the time and inclination to look. We save pounds each and every week. No, I wouldn't' go back to work if you paid me

 

[MattHB]

I've been thinking for ages that I'd like to retire.. Then I remember I'm only 37