Retirement

[Ragman]

I just turned 50 on Monday. To retire from my current job with my full pension, I need to work until I'm 59. I definitely not be tempted to stay on longer, but may try something else if I get bored. I'm hoping that I'll be able to fill my time with fishing as much as possible during summer and winter, but that might get boring if overdone as well. My Dad is currently still working on the farm at 77 years of age, though our herd of cows has dwindled to about 30 head. He's really talking lately about being just about done with them, though. Now there's a man who deserves a break!

 

[BigSteve57]

Have you hunted Africa? If not, go for at least a ten day hunt. After that, figuring out what to do will automatically resolve the doubt about retiring.

I've found there are three types of retirees.
1. Those that don't know how to do anything but work. They usually find another job and work until they're either too sick to work or dead.
2. Those that don't know how to do anything but work and have no hobbies or outside interests.
3. Those that retire and can't figure out how they had time to work.

I'm in category three.

Look at it this way, assuming you're in good health, you have a huge pile of the most valuable possession a human can own, time.

Cat 3 here. I hunted Africa before I retired.
I decided to retire at age 59. The last day for me was a Friday one day before my 59th birthday. How fitting, I thought, to wake up on one's birthday unemployed for the first time in something like 40 years. Choosing the exact date and leaving on my terms was very empowering. That weekend we had a big retirement party.

Monday morning I wake up staring the ceiling experiencing the fact that I really didn't have to be anywhere and wondering WHAT THE **** HAVE I DONE? Well I got over it. Apparently I underestimated my ability to do nothing. Well that's not really true. I took on all the rest of the household chores my wife did like cooking, cleaning and doing all the errands. I basically turned into a male version of June Cleaver who likes to shoot and hunt.

 

[Hogpatrol]

@BigSteve57 June Cleaver, that's hilarious!

 

[YancyW]

I was cruising through life at about 100 mph, owned a very successful business, but I was traveling near constantly. I had no time for much of anything other than work and hunting a couple times a year. Then in my later 30s, I was diagnosed with cancer. Then a year and a half later, it happened again. I didn't retire, but I did sell the business and I went to Africa two years later. With the good Lord willing, I will be going back every year or two for many years to come.

Earlier this year, I bought a dental practice from a very nice older dentist, I would guess he was mid 60's. He had worked in that practice for 42 years and built a fantastic business. He planned to take his wife and move to Florida to be close to some grandchildren. In between signing the contract and the closing, he had a very serious heart attack and nearly died. The man spent is entire life working his ass off and less than two month before retiring, nearly died. He told me at the closing, he wished he as cashed out a decade ago, it wouldn't made and difference in his standard of living and he would have had some good years to enjoy. I am fortunate I got a wakeup call early in life.

 

[Badger Matt]

Retired due to shoulder problems at 57 and spend a bit of time in the garden and making a few rifle stocks but knifemaking has become one of the most rewarding hobbies I could have embarked on and is full time enjoyment.

VonGruff - We just might be "twins." I plan to retire in two years at 57 as well. I'd be interested in hearing how you got into knife making, outfitted your shop, etc... I'm trying to get a local maker to let me pay to make a couple knives so I can see if I enjoy it enough to make it a retirement hobby.

I did 28 years in the military and, so far, 7 years teaching high school. Two more and I'm done. I managed to go to South Africa twice after I left the military. Planning a trip to Poland to hunt in 2020.

 

[meigsbucks]

I starting working for a soft drink manufacturing company after I got out of college. I planned on being there about 6 months, until I figured out what I wanted to do. 38 years later I retired.
I divorced my first wife in 1993. As I basically had to start over, I set two goals: Go to Africa by 55 and retire before 60. I booked my first safari when I was 55 and retired in 2016 at 59. Best thing I ever did.
My second wife retired in 2009 and was encouraging me to stick to my plan, so she’s happy. Happy wife, happy life.
I was able to go back to Africa last year and hope to get back for safari number three... I want to hunt buffalo again.

 

[nztimb]

VonGruff - We just might be "twins." I plan to retire in two years at 57 as well. I'd be interested in hearing how you got into knife making, outfitted your shop, etc... I'm trying to get a local maker to let me pay to make a couple knives so I can see if I enjoy it enough to make it a retirement hobby.
.

This is from my website
I started using knives seriously in mid 1967 when I started work on a high country station (large farm) here in New Zealand and found the generally available farm knife ill suited to the killing and butchering of farm animals I was using them for and that began my interest in proper design for this and of course the associated hunting needs.

I made my first knives after losing a store bought knife that I had had to reshape to better suit its intended useage and from then on I made all my own knives gradually perfecting the designs over the years till I started to make them for sale a year or two ago.

There is a very important correlation between good knife design and comfortable and safe use and after many trial knives over the years I believe these designs will make using them comfortable in hand which in turn allows for safe, accurate knife work.

I started with the most basic of tools and built my 2x72 belt grinder and a couple of forges and gradually added time saving tooling. I was self taught but now there are excellent knife making forums with very helpfull members that are more than willing to help the new maker into the addiction. I will PM you a link

 

[Rob404]

I'm still working a 40 hour week at 75 as a Chef at a private College I get the summers off which helps to heal the old bones and spend my time at the local Gun club. With arthritis getting a little worse every year I know the end of my career is close and then I'll go kicking and screaming into retirement

 

[edward]

How many of you are retired? What age did you hang it up? I recently sold out my compaies to Private Equity and am having second thoughts about retirement -- this forum helps as does some other projects, but I dont think I am ready to hang it all up -- I'm 52 and feel like there's more to do.

yeah,get to africa and do some hunting,youll love it.my wife and i started late, 62 for me and only went 5 times,wanted three more trips at least but age and health issues put a stop to that,anyway planed one hunt but the bug hit and it was any time we could make it.best of luck to you.wish id retired at 52.

 

[Longwalker]

I'm very fortunate to have retired at 53, and have enjoyed the opportunities to travel and explore very much since then! I'm managing to keep quite busy, just not at regular work. I do keep some farm land as a side activity. A summer bush camp at a Northern British Columbia wilderness lake, our Saskatchewan hunting camp for fall, and international travel for the winter and spring seasons offer plenty of productive activities. As long as our health holds out my wife and I will do active travel - we backpacked the Way of St. James, - el Camino de Santiago in Spain three times over the last 6 years, about 1,900 Km in all. Met pilgrims from 56 other countries last time. A wonderful way to expand your horizons and cultural awareness. Of course there are lots of hunting spots in Africa that need attention, so far a trip to the Zambezi region of Namibia in October is in the works, and New Zealand will be our destination next February. Life is good!

 

[Tra3]

I’m glad to be reading this thread. At age 43 retirement seems a long way off. I am reminded of the importance of getting in adventures now, and making sure to cherish the time I have with my dad (74 yrs!). It seems like retirement is a question of (1) how much is enough? and (2) what do you really love doing?

 

[kevin masters]

I am 47 and have messed up my retirement plans of dying young,lol. My next retirement plan is the lottery, lmao.
I might not ever fully retire, but my kids aint getting nothing. we have been very blessed to travel and hunt as much as I have.
Plan on doing a lot more!!!

 

[sierraone]

Retired from the Army Guard and Reserve at 43, a city P.D. at 46, then worked as an international police contractor for the State Dept for the next 13 out of 2o years. 66 now so not likely to work any more. Been to Africa twice, hope to go one more time, maybe to Canada to hunt and Alaska to fish. Learning how to fly fish again, I knew 30 years ago, since we have lots of trout in Arkansas. And taking grand kids to woods or lake every chance I get.

 

[CAustin]

Been working since I was 16 and I’m 58 now. Been with this one company almost 29 years and they have done right by me. I have enjoyed the run but many days headed to the airport to catch another plane, sitting on one right now, I wonder why I’m still doing it. The answer usually is so I can afford to go to Africa again. Been six times and have three of the Big Five and four of the dangerous six. Plan on making that four of five and five of six. Took my son twice and he enjoyed the heck out of both adventures.
But the grind is not so much fun anymore and I am seriously looking at calling it quits. I have a date set and a count down clock on my iPad just have to see if I have the courage to actually do it because I’m one of those guys who has only known work really.
The wife is an educator and she says she will retire a couple of years after me but I don’t think she will. She loves the school house too much and all those 560 children she thinks of as her own. We both know we will want something to do but just not sure what that is yet.
Whatever I do in retirement I don’t want (IT) to interfere with me going hunting whenever I get the notion. I have my deer club and camp down in Arkansas that I joined and bought into back in 2000 so I look forward to enjoying that a lot more than I do now.

 

[thi9elsp]

Several personal situations drove me to retire as soon as I felt comfortable (no debt, financial plan showing funds to mid-90's our fathers are both late 80's):

1) Mom died at 59 of colon cancer
2) Two friends died at 67 - one after 10 years of retirement and the other after less than a year of retirement
3) 3 weeks before Ann and I got married in 2003 I was diagnosed with skin cancer - after 2 weeks in the hospital it was a wake up call (I'm cancer free and it is the type that shouldn't return - I feel very fortunate) and I went on my first 'exotic hunt' - black bear in Alaska
4) had worked 40 years with the last 20 as a consultant traveling 40+ weeks out of the year.

So, I retired June 30, 2018 at the age of 58. I accepted a part-time job with a friend but on my terms: 20 hours max per week and no more than 1 or 2 weeks travel every 3 months. The company I'm working for is 'for profit' but has a software solution to improve connections between donors, charities and those needing help - probably my first and only project where I feel a give back. I saw your post and realized I've been semi-retired for almost a year. I don't know where the time has gone. Working part-time on my terms is helping me transition - I've covered our kitchen renovation and a trip to Europe this fall without dipping into savings .

We have no pensions - all of our retirement will come from our IRA Rollovers (from 401ks) so that rate of return uncertainty keeps me thinking I'll work through the end of this year part-time and re-evaluate for next year. I've hunted Zimbabwe in 2011, New Zealand in 2015 and Mozambique in 2016 along with elk and pronghorn in Wyoming with my brothers in between.

While Ann and I have our health and are willing to put up with the long travel we are focusing on trips across the world. At some point we expect that we won't want to deal with the long flights, etc. and then we plan to focus on traveling in the U.S. I am getting engaged in local groups I didn't have the time / energy to do before - Coast Conservation Association local chapter, our church, etc.

Bottom line: embrace the fact that you worked hard, saved, 'did it right' and now have a chance to define what the next chapter of your life means to you and then go after it just as you did with your work.

 

[Countrylife]

I retired at 57.
In the 2 years leading up to that, several of my friends died and some of them at work. I wanted to be sure I actually had a retirement so I ran the numbers and determined that 57 would work. It took me about 3 years to adjust to being retired, but I'm in category 3 and haven't figured out how I ever had time to work. Since I retired (my wife retired 2 months later) I resided our barn and spent 4 months traveling in an RV around the county and Canada.

We ended up moving to Texas and bought some acreage. We built our own cabin and lived in it for a couple years before we had our house built. We've traveled in the US a bunch and we've made an around the world trip and as part of that hunted in New Zealand and Namibia. Later this year we'll be hunting in Spain. We've gotten involved with the church and are working on plans to travel as missionaries in the near future. (No reason mission trips and hunts can't be combined.)

 

[edward]

Been working since I was 16 and I’m 58 now. Been with this one company almost 29 years and they have done right by me. I have enjoyed the run but many days headed to the airport to catch another plane, sitting on one right now, I wonder why I’m still doing it. The answer usually is so I can afford to go to Africa again. Been six times and have three of the Big Five and four of the dangerous six. Plan on making that four of five and five of six. Took my son twice and he enjoyed the heck out of both adventures.
But the grind is not so much fun anymore and I am seriously looking at calling it quits. I have a date set and a count down clock on my iPad just have to see if I have the courage to actually do it because I’m one of those guys who has only known work really.
The wife is an educator and she says she will retire a couple of years after me but I don’t think she will. She loves the school house too much and all those 560 children she thinks of as her own. We both know we will want something to do but just not sure what that is yet.
Whatever I do in retirement I don’t want (IT) to interfere with me going hunting whenever I get the notion. I have my deer club and camp down in Arkansas that I joined and bought into back in 2000 so I look forward to enjoying that a lot more than I do now.

come on charlie,wall-mart sells big balls,buy a pair and retire,youll love it.

 

[JimP]

I retired at 55 and never looked back.

I have enough hobbies and other things to keep me occupied 10 days a week. I took my first and only trip to Africa when I was 61 and turned 62 there. I also went on a grizzly hunt in British Colombia when I was 59. This doesn't count all the fishing trips and other hunts that I have been on.

 

[Nyati]

I retired at 63 and have enough hobbies and interests to keep me busy all day.

Been to SA six times, plan to go again in September, and hunt Roe Deer in Spain.

 

[Mort Hill]

I have 6 weeks of vacation, a wife that thinks roughing it is the Marriott without breakfast included, and I love what I do. I just keep working to stay young and pay for Africa. If I ever wake up and dread going to work, I will give 2 weeks notice and never look back.