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No one wants to be a "lame duck" - as soon as you set a date things will change between you and your boss, colleagues, direct reports if you have any.
Nobody really knows my sentiments except my wife and you fine people. Once you announce a date they will overlook you for training, travel, and meaningful assignments.
You said the above in relation to my previous post.
You, yourself have some nerve, just sayin'.
Go BACK and REREAD my post: APPARENTLY, you did NOT read the line: "I DO have a small income so that takes time".
Just WHAT, pray tell, did you {miss}understand that to mean?
I'd like to see YOU work part time like I do, and deal with the constant chronic back pain I have, which will require surgery eventually. Add the chronic intense hip and knee pain, plus the shoulder pain I have, like I do. By day's end I can literally hardly move. AND I am looking for an additional part time income. WHat do you think I meant by that phrase????
Yes, I am early disabled retired, but that doesn't mean I sit around and do Nothing, neither does the OP have to do.
My calendar is also filled with many medical appts, rarely a week goes by that I DON'T have one scheduled.
I go get spinal nerve injections directly into my spine nerve canals every 8-12 weeks, once at 8 weeks, once at 12 weeks, rinse and repeat.
I have 4 prescription controlled substances to take when the pain gets unbearable beyond the injections. Nothing YET they can do, and fusing my spine is not an option to entertain now. I still need a cane. Frankly, the injections help the most for 4-6 weeks, and the prescirptions don't do much anymore. Oh, BTW, my CO-PAYS for all my meds amount to $575 a MONTH, or $7,000.00 a year OR about 25% of our gross combined income. How much are yours?
I have painful arthritis every bone/joint in my body. They can do nothing for that.
I have had 17 MAJOR surgeries in the last 10 years-all requiring {except one} that I be put out, and often have to be hospitalized for a time afterwards, and will have one on my neck to remove and replace a herniated disc, and one on my Left shoulder for impingement {to match the impingement surgery done on my Right shoulder last spring} at least this coming year. That will be surgeries 18 and 19, and another back MRI will tell if my spine is ready for a surgery that can help.
Last year, I had two tumors removed in two different surgeries from my lumbar spine, something they were hoping beyond hope would alleviate some of my chronic pain. It didn't. Because I am severely asthmatic, the second anestesiologist panicked and refused to put me under even though I have had no problems any surgery with anestesiology and just had been put under the month before by a different anestesiologist who wasn't panicked for the opposite side same tumor removal surgery, so instead I felt the surgeon cutting into me at the beginning of the operation as I was wide awake and he didn't use enough local juice.
My personal medical file is 6" thick, and that includes only the pages I am privileged to have copies of. My "cheat sheet" of all medical conditions, all medications, all past surgeries, all allergies to medications is one full 8.5x11 sheet of double sided 8 point type to cover it all.
I have specialists out the ying yang to cover most of my medical conditions that I ROUTINELY see at LEAST once a year- if not more frequently and have on "speed dial"-: I have a urologist {prostate issues leading up to cancer}; a pulmonologist due to severe asthma and chronic pneumonia; a cardiologist for my heart issues; a Psychiatrist and two therapists for my mental illness; a pain specialist for the injections; a neurosurgeon for the back and neck issues; an orthopedic surgeon to handle all other bone surgery issues; a dermatologist for chronic skin cancer issues; The Physical Therapy department team is "on call" regarding my needs post-surgeries.
This week I saw both the orthopedic surgeon and the neurosurgeon, the dentist and cardiologist, The physical therapist and one of my mental illness therapists. Next week I see both mental health therapists and the psychiatrist and my GP {regular Doctor}. SO FAR. Just two week snap shot. In addition to part time work and volunteering at the food pantry.
I have both the handicapped license plate AND the hang tag in case I am in a vehicle without handicapped plates. Doctors must certify to the state DMV for one to get either one or both.
Let's see you deal with my issues, work part time, volunteer, and do the things I manage to do every day, and lets just see how quickly you cry "UNCLE" at the end of just one month!!
I can hardly move Tonight as I am 4 weeks from this 12 week cycle for my next back spinal nerve injections {like an epidural}, and yet I am still trudging up and down the steep basement stairs, cane in one hand and laundry bag in other, doing laundry. WHen I sit to pause, I never know if I willbe able to get up again. Without my cane, I couldn't get back up again without a helping hand. I am ready for a powered lift chair, but don't want to "give up" and buy one just yet.
There is an old Native American saying that says "Grant that I not criticize {or judge} my neighbor until I have walked a mile in his moccasins"
PERHAPS you'd do well to study and memorize that phrase, AND THOROUGHLY READ posts BEFORE you open your fingers and mouth with some inane comment to something you know NOTHING about and are totally wrong on.
I DO however, wish you well,and hope you never have to go through what I do on a daily basis.
Incidentally, there's actual "early disability retirement." in which you draw a pension from your former employer, and then there's just plain SSI disability, into which you haven't paid... Not to split hairs...
No you are wrong again. There ARE those types, but There is also SSDI which is based on your past 10 years earnings and for which you must also have had at least 20 SS working credits within the past 10 years to qualify for.
I get SSDI also, and one CAN also earn up to $790 gross a month AND still collect one's SSDI. SO, yes I am "early disabled retired"and have earnings too....mostly just to pay for my meds {see previous post on your ramblings}.
SSI "into which you haven't paid" applies only to those who have never worked in their life, usually born with a serious childhood defect. Otherwise, those who can collect SSI usually HAVE worked in the past and paid into the taxes from which SSI payments are derived. It is not totally a "Freebie".
{People work and pay taxes for welfare programs, too, but may never collect, but for which they will qualify if meeting the requirements and suddenly NEED it. DOesn't mean it's a "freebie" like many think and one "into which you haven't paid" to get either. Only the ones who have never worked and collect for which it is "a freebie" {now at least in my state they must work for if able bodied to collect}}
Perhaps you should study thoroughly all manners of disability requirements and disabled income before you open your mouth and insert foot.
God help you should you ever become disabled.
actually, if you DO, call me, I'll walk you through it.
I'll be nice enough to do that for ya.
Just sayin'.
Seems like this thread has been hijacked, again. And have not heard from OP in a while....Maybe the topic has run it's course.
As one also contemplating retiring, in SD no less, and worrying about filling my days, this has generally been a GREAT read! I appreciate all the comments from retired folks on the subject. My guess is that this thread is usually more of a worry for Males than a Females. Regardless . . .
To continue to work or not to work, that is/was the question . . .
I would not want to retire at age 50 unless I had something I was passionate about and the money to travel extensively and to try to do some good in the world. Lots of studies show that cognitive function plummets when people stop working. I just don't think it is good to have that much spare time and no direction. It sounds like the OP has some hobbies he enjoys, but no real passion. With that being the case, I would strongly advise against retiring at age 50. I have personally seen several examples in my family of people who are in good health and when they retire things fall apart in a matter of a few years.
IMO the ideal situation is to have a job/career that you actually enjoy and to be able to scale back so you are working part time as you get older. If you don't love your job, maybe you could try to transition. That is tough when you are older, but if money is not an issue, it may be worthwhile.
Many teachers do this. I have worked with people who retire and then substitute. They love it. It's not bad because one can decide when to accept or not accept jobs and in my area a person can work almost daily if he/she chooses with none of the added responsibilities that go with working full time. It's something I would definitely consider as right now I don't plan on working full time past age 55, but subbing at one of the local elementaries wouldn't be bad.
Many teachers do this. I have worked with people who retire and then substitute. They love it. It's not bad because one can decide when to accept or not accept jobs and in my area a person can work almost daily if he/she chooses with none of the added responsibilities that go with working full time. It's something I would definitely consider as right now I don't plan on working full time past age 55, but subbing at one of the local elementaries wouldn't be bad.
There is a lot of truth in what you wrote, but much depends on the particular school district in question. In the one I retired from after 34 years as a high school teacher, substitute teachers are paid a pittance; in the 2014/2015 school year it was $120 a day and now in 2015/2016 it has been raised to $140. It's amazing to me that they can find enough subs. I suppose it's due to two factors: First, there are still a number of desperate people following the Great Recession of 2008/2009, and second, many retired teachers simply enjoy it for something to do and the money is secondary.
In the district I am talking about, there is at least considerable flexibility attaching to subbing; one can designate the school or schools for which one will accept calls, and one can designate the day or days of the week for which one will accept calls, or one can leave the default setting of all district schools and all five days of the week.
I subsittute once in a great while (as in 5 or 6 days in a school year) just because I enjoy keeping my hand in. I accept calls from three different schools (out of about 30 schools in the district) and only on Mondays and Fridays, being that I have commitments the other three days of the work week. I pretty much know which teachers have assignments that I would, or would not, enjoy taking for the day.
So yes, it can be a good thing under the right circumstances.
Last edited by Escort Rider; 01-09-2016 at 11:18 AM..
There is a lot of truth in what you wrote, but much depends on the particular school district in question. In the one I retired from after 34 years as a high school teacher, substitute teachers are paid a pittance; in the 2014/2015 school year it was $120 a day and now in 2015/2016 it has been raised to $140. It's amazing to me that they can find enough subs. I suppose it's due to two factors: First, there are still a number of desperate people following the Great Recession of 2008/2009, and second, many retired teachers simply enjoy it for something to do and the money is secondary.
In the district I am talking about, there is at least considerable flexibility attaching to subbing; one can designate the school or schools for which one will accept calls, and one can designate the day or days of the week for which one will accept calls, or one can leave the default setting of all district schools and all five days of the week.
I subsittute once in a great while (as in 5 or 6 days in a school year) just because I enjoy keeping my hand in. I accept calls from three different schools (out of about 30 schools in the district) and only on Mondays and Fridays, being that I have commitments the other three days of the work week. I pretty much know which teachers have assignments that I would, or would not, enjoy taking for the day.
So yes, it can be a good thing under the right circumstances.
At $22.20/hour for a retired teacher ours is not super great either considering our cost of living, but if the idea is to stay somewhat busy employment-wise after retirement, it's not a bad option. If you sub 8 days or so per month it at least covers the monthly healthcare premium cost for the retiree.
I believe our subs need the equivalent of ten days subbing per year to stay active on the sub system. Like you, there is a lot of flexibility as the sub can set the parameters for days, positions, schools, etc. If called you don't have to accept the job. We have 196 schools, with 139 of them being elementary. I figure we have about 9 or 10 elementary schools within a 5 mile radius of our house. You could narrow the field down to just those and have your fill of daily jobs.
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