[Torquewar]

Congrats on your decision to walk away and enjoy life. Great you have a pension and have health to move forward and have fun.
I’m very close on signing the paper to start my process. I will have a great pension but I still love my job, but my career is a young persons sport .
Good thread and its nice to see a consistent thought on letting go.

[Greg Reid]

Congratulations! I retired in 2012, caught up on some projects until 2014 and went back to work. Can't wait to retire again!
People told me that I would hate retirement but they were wrong. I love tinkering around the house and garage.... I just needed more income at the time.

[OG68]

I'd been working since I was 14 with paper routes and summer jobs, entering the Navy at 18 and I didn't want to retire. I was only 66 and had a great job with a great boss. But it got to the point that my pension wouldn't increase much more than it was so it didn't make sense to continue working.
It was hard at first to break a 29 year routine and it took three or four months for retirement to sink in. But after two and a half years I can say I'm glad I did it when I did. And it's hard to believe that I'm doing better now financially, at 2/3rds the income, then when I was working.

Now just waiting for the wife to retire in two years.

[Mike S]

I don't really miss the office personal but do miss the guys in the field, that is what I did for 30 plus years before moving in the office. I also miss the customers and other contractors that I worked for and with. I am a hands on guy and office work did not suite me. Everyone had a dry personality and owner kept telling me how to do my job. It was nice collecting a pension and paycheck for over 2 years.
Finding that You don't spend as much money. Like buying coffee and lunch everyday. I am lucky that I was a member if the IBEW for 35 years. I have a nice pension and a substantial annuity. Wife also retired and has a good pension and health care for both of us.
I have enough to keep busy for years. Between the car, garage and house. Spring will be fun. Traveling with the wife, Racing and finally have enough time to play golf as much as I want.

If I do get bored might do some side work for cash.

[Tom Vaught]

CONGRATULATIONS!

I retired 5 years ago, lowered my weight by 50 pounds in those 5 years, and work harder now then I did then (mostly going to meetings and getting prototype parts made for Boosting projects in the old days).

Today I work on different projects each day and keep moving those "Checkers" towards
the "KING ROW", that way I have some variety each week.

Tom V.

[beemergary]

Congrates But to be honest got way more done when working. Would think all day what I was going to do when I got home and did it and looked forward to the week ends to do the same. Now I just think I got all day to do it. 40 yrs. at the same place. ENJOY

[FirebirdHank]

Congrats!
I made the move 4 years ago not by choice. Medical issues and a bone marrow transplant put an end to my self-employment. I had been cutting back, no new customers, pick and choose my jobs and taking some time off for a couple of years before getting sick. I did do a few jobs for my best customers after recovery but now even that is pretty much done. I feel fine and still could do a lot of what I used to for customers but I'm enjoying where I am now. My wife got tired of going to work when I was reading the paper and drinking coffee so she retired a couple years ago as well.
We are both going to be 72 shortly and really enjoying life. Our travel plans were really shaken up this year but hopefully next summer will be a lot better. Hope to see some of you at POCI, NASSAM and other car gatherings.

[455abody]

Congrats what a good feeling that must be!!

[poncho-mike]

Congratulations for making a major milestone.

I hope I'm not that far behind you. I have always worked in private industry, no real pension to speak of. I've been diligent in saving in my 401-K plans, so I should be fine. I had planned to retire this year, but Covid came along and my employer allowed me to work from home. Some of the things I planned to do after retireing were put on hold due to Covid, so I just continued to work. I'm really hoping my employer will offer early retirement or lay off next year, which would be a gift to me. I'll be 63 1/2 next spring, so I can use COBRA insurance to bridge until I am Medicare eligible.

[bird72]

Congratulation !!!

My advice is to retread after retirement. I didn't realize how much of my self identity was wrapped up in my previous working role. It was like, what am I now? Do something you always wanted to now, and if you are OK on money, don't make that number one goal, make self happiness the goal. I don't make much money in my new role, fitness training aging folk. But I get a ton of joy with my helping people.

[TAGTOboy]

Congrats! It’s sweet to set your own schedule and agenda, assuming you have worked out all the obligations of one’s relationships. I work for my wife now.😉
I pity the fellow who has never had two hobbies; one that requires physical effort and offers personal achievement and one that is more sedentary, stimulates the mind, and gives purpose and satisfaction. That way you are more prepared for facing a time when health may fail.

One more thing:
Teach someone who wants to learn what you have learned and who enjoys your company.
Be blessed by blessing others.

[sdbob]

Congratulations. I retired in May 2019. Seems strange now getting awake, body clock or prostate, at 5am then realizing hey I can go back to sleep or start MY day. I miss some of the good people I had the priviledge to work beside. Working on projects that I enjoy.

[Jim Zeek]

Congratulations. its great being union with all the benefits. I can retire from the operating engineers in 2 more years. I'll be 55 with 35 years. don't know if i will or not because i love what i do. but it is nice to have that option and security.

[Pecosbill]

I did it in March of 2019 and I can say without hesitation that retirement is vastly UNDERrated! I have so many interests now I have no idea how I ever had time to work!

I’ll tell you what the elder statesman of our company told me when I announced my retirement: When you wake up on that first morning after you retire, something major in your life has changed. For the first time in your adult life, NO ONE is making you do anything you don’t want to do. Well, except for your wife, of course. But YOU are in charge of what you make of the rest of your days. You can lay around in the bed until noon, or you can get up, get after it, and find true satisfaction in what you accomplish. The choice is yours!

Congratulations! Now get up and get after it!

[Judge273]

I decided a few years ago and ramp it up. I took another part time job with the city I live in. Then, two years ago made me full time with benefits. Therefore, I cast off debt with a future pension. Then, my other full time self employed business started to take off after the pandemic started. Been essential and people are remodeling, building, and at 61 next week. Rather work and retire at my terms. That’s just me.

Hope retirement brings you joy and fulfillment!

[Carl S]

Originally Posted by Carl S

Lucky for you to retire with pension.

I'm one month into it, no pension, 63, retired from a 40 year career as a GM parts manager but stepped down to being a counter guy 3 days a week for the last 7 years. I spent the last 35 years at the same dealership. Great co-workers (except for one of them, wont get into that....), tremendous boss, never had to ask for a raise in 35 years.

The first 2 weeks I scrambled around trying to work hard on old car stuff, then realized if I don't do it today, I can do it tomorrow, every day is the same! I absolutely love retirement except I miss my co-workers and my customers. I worked in a small town and likely greeted about 95% of the people by first name when they walked in the door.

You're gonna love it but it certainly takes some mental adjustments, it's not simple like I thought it would be!

And an update on this 4 years later. Retired life is the best ever. I still love having every day off. Most days I spend at least a few hours in the garage, a lot of it doing stuff on my pair of 66 Canadian Pontiacs. I took on a casual part time job, on call 24/7 to guard prisoners at the local jail when the RCMP arrest someone. I can say no to any shifts I don't feel like taking. It's a win/win. I'm allowed to take my laptop to work so most times I'll spend 8-10 hours looking at old car stuff online while I watch the prisoner in the cell on a separate monitor on the desk. Working but not working and getting paid to do it!

You never know what opportunities might be waiting for you (like this one for me) until you retire and find out.

[thebuick]

I pushed my retirement off and did a little more time, I did retire in February 2024. So it’s been almost a year. Make a long story short my Mom needed me and Retiring to be there for her was priority 1. She passed in June 2024. I was lost for months without seeing her daily. As I approach my first year being retired I plan on a vacation in March. I have not had one in years . I am also getting back into the old cars. Currently looking for one Firebird GTO Lemans any big block with Ac will do lol . Tomorrow is never promised so do what you can until you can’t. I’m also thinking of a part time job like Carl 3 days a week sounds good. Enjoy the ride .

[locomotivebreath]

I don’t get people that won’t retire when they can . We just had a guy that stayed 5 years past retirement age and was nearly killed on the job ! He said he took that as a sign to hang it up - idiot .

[tempest1964]

One thing that no one will ever say. When a person is lying there, ready to die, you will never hear them say ‘God, I wish I had had worked one more day!’

[63 Pontiac]

Originally Posted by locomotivebreath

I don’t get people that won’t retire when they can . We just had a guy that stayed 5 years past retirement age and was nearly killed on the job ! He said he took that as a sign to hang it up - idiot .

It's possibly because some people's social lives are basically tied to their work life.