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my wife and I were having a vigorous discussion about what constitutes retirement. Our conversation was based in a previous thread where someone posted an article about a couple who "retired" in their early 30's. I just have a hard time with the idea that someone can "retire" from something when they haven't even done for a decade. To me, it cheapens the accomplishments of people who have dedicated their entire adult life to a particular profession or activity.
Based on our subsequent discussion, we relied how hard it is to nail down an exact definition of retirement. Is it retirement when a woman chooses to stop working to stay at home with her children? Is it retirement when a person completes 20 years in the military and then starts another career? Is is retirement when a 62 yo stops working and takes a part-time job (or volunteers full time)? Is it retirement when someone "comes into money" at age 30 and no longer needs to work? I don't know. What is retirement to you?
This ends up being a sidebar discussion/debate/argument in several threads. There are official definitions in context, like retiring from the military and receiving a pension, but I think you were right to ask
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What is retirement to you?
Because it is different things to different people. Some will insist that if you still work part time, you aren't retired. They can really only decide for themselves.
For me it will mean stepping away from my full time job and starting to withdraw funds from my savings to pay bills. I will probably be 63 or more years old. I might work a little more to get some "mad money" but if I do it will be totally on my terms.
Retirement is most often considered the 'fraternity' of folks who worked long careers and then permanently left the workforce. This applies equally to early or later retirees and older workers who are downsized and do not go back to work.
However, in our society, 'labels' are attached willy-nilly to almost anything, to give them an air of legitimacy. Two euphemisms that come to mind are "entitlements" and "retired" applied to those who are simply unemployed or not working. Those who simply don't work or have never really worked and claim to be "retired" ... are like lazy bears who sleep all the time and claim to be 'hibernating.
As you pointed out, there are a number of others who don't really seem to fit the "Retired" category: those independently wealthy enough to not work beyond a young age (ie; ballplayers, actors, inventors, inheritances), those who 'milk' the system rather than work, stay-at-home wives who never worked and perhaps part-time workers who are actually only 'semi-retired.'
At the end of the day, I guess it really doesn't matter what one calls themselves, since 'few things are really as they seem' anyway.
I just have a hard time with the idea that someone can "retire" from something when they haven't even done for a decade. To me, it cheapens the accomplishments of people who have dedicated their entire adult life to a particular profession or activity.
Jealousy is unbecoming.
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Originally Posted by dmills
What is retirement to you?
Doing what you want to do, instead of doing what you have to do.
Doing whatever you wish to do, or not, however much of it you wish to do whenever you choose to do it without having to answer to anyone but yourself and the law unless, of course, you're married.
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Originally Posted by jim9251
Oh and no one is trying to kill me.
After the military and law enforcement I second this.
Seeing as how the US didn't have much in the way of retirement in its early days the question would seem to be somewhat late to the party. Since the end of WWll Americans have enjoyed a system wherein the older workers are sent off to enjoy their last years of life doing what they please with younger workers then filling in the empty slots.
Retirement is the stopping of work coupled with the ability to live without that compensation that we normally associate with labor. It really doesn't matter at what age this takes place----some are truly fortunate enough to be young, and retired..
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What is Retirement?
