Retired Early, Get Strange Looks When I Tell Others I'm Retired (kiss, friend)
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I retired at 60 and never had a problem saying I was retired - what is wrong with retiring early.
Absolutely nothing (IMO) and is something most aspire to at some point.
Those who retire earlier (say younger than 55) often get pushback from family and/or friends or even coworkers, if they are not pivoting to something else for work.
The use of the 'R' word happens to be triggering for some folks, and reactions are not always positive. The expectations in our society still hold for many, that people "must" work until at least age 60 and if they buck the accepted age, then how dare they!
Along with that comes the inevitable, "justify your time" and "how you will afford this?" Whatabout-isms are common too. "Whatabout healthcare, how will you pay for that?"
It's no one else's business, of course, but early retirees report they get those questions.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by COcheesehead
I retired at 58. I work part time at a winery and customers all the time say “you’re too young”. I then tell them all the cool things we have done recently and that a few days a month I get the chance to pour wine and shoot the sh*t with folks like you. They all usually get after that point. They then ask how I did it, especially the ones getting a little older.
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Originally Posted by springfieldva
That sounds like the job to have in retirement. Glad that you are enjoying yourself and amazing your customers all at the same time.
PT jobs can be fun!
Rick Steves (66) has a pretty good job, and just today published a "return-to-travel" comment, as he is back in Europe planning future tours.
It would be good PT job to go pour wine at all the world's many great wine regions. That would be very educational and interesting. Getting paid or free room and board would make it a nice 5-10yr quest. We lived in wine regions in Spain, Portugal, France, Switzerland, and visited many other countries staying at vineyards. Not a bad way to travel. Would love to head to South America on that type of trip. We're used to doing the farm and equipment (and livestock) tasks. Many farmers are pleased to have the help, and someone who can take-over so they can get a few days off. It's not work for us, since we can walk away from it in a few days or months, when it is time to move on.
Being home (farm) is work.... Since it must get done. In due time
Was fortunate to be in a position to retire early and comfortably at age 59.5 by choice and in great physical shape. Early on in my retirement a year or two ago when people asked what I do for a living and I replied that I am retired I got strange looks from some--as if I was lazy and/or unemployed by choice.
When asked today, I recently began telling people I'm an Equity Day Trader (I do manage a portion of my retirement portfolio, besides having it professionally managed) and Consultant (I've been approached by a couple of companies who have occasional opportunities from others willing to pay for an hour or two phone conversation with me based on my Consumer Packaged Goods and Technology background)...either way, it sounds like I'm still a productive member of society even though I am happily retired.
I have a relative who retired at 53 this past Jan. I myself too was shocked. Looks young for his age and fit too. I doubt I'll retire close to that age but he made really good money at the company he worked for.
Seems you have two types. Some who make good money and retire in their early and mid 50s and the others who work into their mid 60s because they make a ton of money being in management and executive positions. A lot of your CEOs are older guys but I guess when you make more and more money you just can't stop working.
Being he retired so young I asked him if he will ever go back to work part-time just for something to do and extra money. He said nope, never working again in his life! His wife hasn't worked for over 20 years as well.
Seems you have two types. Some who make good money and retire in their early and mid 50s and the others who work into their mid 60s because they make a ton of money being in management and executive positions. A lot of your CEOs are older guys but I guess when you make more and more money you just can't stop working.
A bifurcation among white-collar professionals occurs around age 50. Some find their careers stagnating, with little prospect of rising to the truly senior ranks. They're the ones who are prime candidates for early retirement. Others are just about to (or recently have) vaulted into the higher ranks, from which there's steady progression to the C-suite etc. These latter might still be working in their 70s.
Slightly off-topic, but as you ponder an eventual conclusion to the vacation (assuming that such is the case), to what extent would your strategy for where to settle, depend on the local perception of younger retirees, and for that matter, socio-cultural matters overall?
I think not very much for the former, but definitely for the latter. That unquantifiable concept of "good vibe". I believe one of the greatest benefits to settling into a new place in this era is how the internet has made it so much easier to meet people or discover avenues for participation in social activities. Tomorrow night we're meeting a local couple for dinner and beers here in town, I encountered the guy in a online forum talking about 80s music. Weird to think about.
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Originally Posted by ohio_peasant
Again off-topic, but I've noticed that "core" technical functions remain in C. C was the archetype of serious programming language when I took my first computer-course, in the 1980s... and so it has remained. The filigree changes, but the truly core methods endure across the decades. In my own field, the core ideas congealed in the 1930s.
Yeah it's interesting the evolution C -> C++ -> C#, although C# seems more inspired by the java generation than actual C roots. There are a few languages like Go and Swift that have come to prominence more recently that I don't really know much about.
Retired at 58. Nobody looks at me funny. They admire all my travel. What would possibly be underneath the "weird look?" Whatever it is, that would be their problem, none of my concern.
I just had a neighbor tell me tonight that he is using my FB photo posts as a blueprint for his eventual retirement. My wife and I are having too much fun not working and young enough to still do “stuff”
Technically I guess I retired twice - at 53 after 30 years in the military - chose to work a few more years to add to retirement accounts to retire permanently at 60.
When strangers ask me what I do I tell them I'm a pimp. I look a lot like Radar O'Reilly and the looks on their faces is priceless.
Ha ha! I love it! I retired officially with a pension, from a university when I was 47. Got a facelift and boob job and went on to be a very successful stripper, until my back went out at age 57. Made a fortune. No one believes me. But that's ok. I guess I can say that all my money came from dealing drugs or something. Ha ha!
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