Why did you retire? (dump, blogs, married, benefit)

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by DanBev

For me as I said a long time ago.I retired after 34 years age 55,as said,was not going to trade money for life.
My pension has not changed at all in these years,it is meager,but with health ins. and medicare B and $25 for phone service paid for,me and wife,not complaining.I am close to 89.
Mt SS has almost doubled.
We have had a good life until we were forced to move back to Ct a miserable state,very regressive after living our life in Denver and 20 plus years in North FL,FL was tax free,now we flush $5000 down the toilet each year.

Sorry to hear. Why were you "forced to move back" to CT? Was it family-related issues?

[mila123]

How do you retire prior to 62 or 65? I'm not quite there yet and my property taxes alone are around $8K+ a year. I'm assuming you don't dare touch your pension/retirement early and you can't collect SSI. Unless you have a million in savings, how do you get by without a salary every month?

[Futuremauian]

Originally Posted by BijouBaby

Wow! Talk about making a clean start! I assume the girlfriend saw that coming in advance.

You're a real hero for hanging in that long under such circumstances. Yes, the pension carrot is a powerful incentive to stay.

My girlfriend was also a teacher and had ten more years to go for retirement. She now has 8 grandkids that she adores. She has also found someone new and I'm still looking (but not very hard). We remain good friends.

Meanwhile I have become close to one Hawaiian family. All seven of the kids have been students of mine and two of them (21 yr. old twins) now stay at my house. They have all become my Hanai grandkids and I am really satisfied with my life.

[dcfas]

Originally Posted by Wile E. Coyote

I am glad I am not the only Pre Retiree lurking around on CD

I’m another!

[Futuremauian]

Originally Posted by Wile E. Coyote

I am glad I am not the only Pre Retiree lurking around on CD

I lurked for years and then finally joined two years before I retired. I have really enjoyed CD. Once in a while, my posts are deleted by a moderator. When I feel it has been done unfairly, I drop out for a while, disgusted. Eventually, I always come back. It's a good source for many subjects.

[Airborneguy]

Originally Posted by mila123

How do you retire prior to 62 or 65? I'm not quite there yet and my property taxes alone are around $8K+ a year. I'm assuming you don't dare touch your pension/retirement early and you can't collect SSI. Unless you have a million in savings, how do you get by without a salary every month?

Government job with 20 and out and a sick pension.

[amil23]

I passed my prime skill level a couple of years ago and decided to leave this year if I couldn't get it back. So instead of remaining there as a has-been, I trained a couple of people to take my place and now, I don't have a job.

[HB2HSV]

Interesting today I was contacted by the head hunter of a company that I had worked for previously. The position would pay well, more than I make previously. But I know the company's "paramilitary style culture" of shut up and just say yes sir. It would be a high stress level job and more importantly it goes against my personal management style. I decided to pass it up. I realize at my age, a high stress job is not what I needed nor wanted.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by mila123

How do you retire prior to 62 or 65? I'm not quite there yet and my property taxes alone are around $8K+ a year. ..., how do you get by without a salary every month?

Where there is a will, there is a way.

My property taxes are 2x yours & I left employment pre-age 50. Single earner, low wage family. No inheritance (except parents themselves and their many bills), including lending from extended family that needed to be paid off.. 15+ yrs out, haven't touched retirement savings (yet). Maybe soon

• Get creative!
• Live inexpensively.
• Sell stuff that you probably will never need.
• Barter
• Grow a garden / glean from commercial growers
• Volunteer at food pantries and homeless shelters (also serves as a reality pill).
• 'lend' yourself income by using HELOC or margin acct.
• Find a rich uncle, or have your adult children dole out a few bucks to cover your expenses as a 'bridge-loan'
• Rent a room out to cover your taxes.... Or rent the whole joint and go live cheap where you can get cheap or subsidized HC. (International, or ACA)
• Go live with a farmer friend and help them for room and board (they often have extra homes / bunkhouses)... We do this at international boarding schools. Free room and board for a few hours / week teaching or maintenance.
• Draw down taxable deferred accts after age 59.5 but before RMDs. (Or at age 55 if you 'retired' from the company that holds your 40lk)
• Pre age 59.5 using 72t ( substantially equal payment plan)
• Get income from other activities (Real estate, collectibles, or stock trading)
• $1m in SPY last yr alone would have generated 4+ yrs of my needs.
• Since 1997... Who needs a stinkin job? ($250k / $500k tax free gains on primary residence every 24 months). A friend bought 50 view acres (for $60k) and did the $500k gain 9x by building new homes on adjacent 5acre parcels. He subbed most stuff out, because he also had a job at the time. Generally he planted a mailbox, then built the new home for $150k(cost) and sold for $650-$800k. I built 3 homes at the same time for $0.38-$0.47/SF, but for my $500k tax free gains, I bought residential / farming acreage in the path of progress and converted to commercial zoning. Plant a mailbox, start rezone, secure a future developer / buyer. Travel for 24 months while collecting mail, and while rezoning and planning occurs. Return 'home' and sell! Take a few bucks out of transaction gains for living expenses, reinvest the rest.. Rinse and repeat every 24 months. As needed

Sometimes it is tough to imagine how / why we wasted so may yrs working!
Age 16 was the right time to realize you don't need to work to save for retirement.... Just find another way to cover your lifelong expenses than as a stinkin employee!

Works for some... Not others.
Several kids in our homeschool group had this concept mastered pre age 16. As have many kids stuck at home during Covid. It gave them the freedom and opportunity to pursue income interests that can support them for life. No college / stinkin J-O-B required, or desired.

Our kids designed and built their own rural view homes as Jr Hi 'busy-work", that paid off real well for them.

Their grandfather had 3 employees by his age 14. That company is still very profitable 85 yrs later. (~150 employees and brings great value to a rural community / families/ businesses / schools).

Just Do Something . (wage employment if you MUST to subsidize your progress to your sustainable income stream)

Just don't STOP thinking of freedom!

No excuses please... (As an employer, teacher, parent.... I have heard plenty of those)

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by Futuremauian

I lurked for years and then finally joined two years before I retired. I have really enjoyed CD. Once in a while, my posts are deleted by a moderator. When I feel it has been done unfairly, I drop out for a while, disgusted. Eventually, I always come back. It's a good source for many subjects.

Don't take it personally, mods are recruited from all comers and all corners, +/-
Some last awhile, but it's thankless and many views agendas and personalities and expressions to keep in check.

Just contribute to the subject content and bring an enlightening viewpoint.

Some of the C-D contributors (and mods) retired so they can help others, and this may fill some of that need / desire. For others it is their expression that they previously had in employment / career. Others, it's a humorous way to get their daily laugh.

Why did you retire?

• Nothing better to do!
• BTDT, had enough already.
• Why work, when you are still able to play!

Chill... (Hawaiian style). Smile... Possibly we can see you from Molokai! (Had nothing better to do, was raining at home)