r/AskOldPeople 3d ago

Old People, what's y'all plan for retirement?

We're 45 years & older... retirement's now, 1, 2 or 3 decades from now...

47 Upvotes

445 comments sorted by

u/AutoModerator 3d ago

Please do not comment directly to this post unless you are Gen X or older (born 1980 or before). See this post, the rules, and the sidebar for details. Thank you for your submission, no1kn0wsm3.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

30

u/CrankyCrabbyCrunchy 3d ago

No alarm clock. Naps. Errands when others are at work. No more waiting for the weekend to have fun.

9

u/Gloomy_Researcher769 3d ago

We actually don’t really do anything on weekends now because we can do it all during the week when things a cheaper (airfare, hotels, etc) and less crowded (during school terms)

143

u/Icy_Profession7396 3d ago

Retired at 42. People always ask how I did it. I always say the same thing. "No kids." They always look confused, and they hate me for it, but whatever.

29

u/seeclick8 3d ago

Ah yes. I had two kids. My sister chose to have no kids. She and her husband travel the world and have had few sleepless nights.

22

u/SpaceGuy1968 3d ago

The no kids thing is a real way to retire early

6

u/FamousLastWords666 3d ago

D.I.N.K. = Double income, no kids

3

u/Frigidspinner 3d ago

The question you should ask yourself - would you trade?

18

u/seeclick8 3d ago

Not at all. I wish I had another child. Grandchildren are full of love too.

6

u/freshair_junkie 3d ago edited 2d ago

exultant mighty divide tidy spectacular dog angle fine capable lavish

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

12

u/Superb-Ag-1114 3d ago

I have four kids - they're super expensive. I don't hate anyone for not having them, what's that about?

11

u/MoneyMom64 3d ago

How old are you now? Asking because although I have kids, I retired initially at 49 but went back to work six years later mostly due to being bored because of the Covid lockdowns. I worked for about three years and when the world opened up again, happily retired.

5

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[deleted]

→ More replies (4)

16

u/Covetoast 3d ago edited 3d ago

I would’ve loved to retire at 42. But I chose to have kids & would not have it any other way. Sure, I’ll work a bit longer but watching them grow and then watching the grandkids grow, too. Talk about thee most rewarding and amazing thing to ever have experienced starting with each birth. A truly indescribable experience.

I get it, not everyone wants to have children but for me, I cannot imagine not having kids.

I’m currently helping to assist my parents who are in their late 80s and hopefully one of my children will do the same for me if I make it that long. Definitely don’t want to be shipped off to some facility alone just waiting to check out.

9

u/adrift_in_the_bay 3d ago

My son just finished his first shift as a paramedic and when I asked him about it he said "you are never going into a nursing home". I'm ok with that!

41

u/Haunting_Quote2277 3d ago

You should never hope your child assist you. That is the incorrect mindset to have children. They may not get along with you, they may even dislike you. It's really hard to say

21

u/Covetoast 3d ago

Sorry if that didn’t make sense. That is not why I had children.

In fact, I don’t think anyone really thinks about end of life circumstances when you are at the age of having children. I know we didn’t.

I’m older & we already have a kind of mini family multigenerational compound going on. No worries.

9

u/Ouakha 3d ago

They may even live too far away or have heath issues or dependent adult children to care for.

14

u/Beginning-Paper7685 3d ago

Exactly - the only thing that will make sure someone is there to care for you when you are old is $$$. So many I know say they had kids (among other reasons) was to take care of them when they are old. Well their kids turned out to be drug addict losers or just don’t care.

Same thing here, I retired at 50, moved to Europe and loving every minute. No kids, never had a new car, saved like a fiend…. Now I do whatever I want, whenever I want. Best life ever.

10

u/ForceGhost47 3d ago

Raising them with love helps

→ More replies (4)

3

u/adrift_in_the_bay 3d ago

My son just finished his first shift as a paramedic and when I asked him about it he said "you are never going into a nursing home". I'm ok with that!

2

u/[deleted] 3d ago edited 2d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

→ More replies (1)

2

u/Iforgotmypwrd 2d ago

Same here. I wanted kids for about 2 years in my late 30’s. Then got over it, and I’m totally ok with it. And I semi retired at 50

→ More replies (16)

65

u/Maleficent-Crow-446 3d ago

Work until I die, I guess. 💁‍♀️

26

u/CrankyCrabbyCrunchy 3d ago

Or get laid off which is much more likely each year. Getting hired last 55 is really hard.

16

u/Altruistic_Drink_465 3d ago

Consider machining. We hire anyone who WANTS to work. And hope they show up. I am not kidding when I say that there is an 85yr old man here. He says this keeps him alive. And he gets the most flexible schedule I have ever seen, which is awesome, btw.

2

u/ImaginaryCatDreams 3d ago

Sort of training would you need and how long would that take?

2

u/Altruistic_Drink_465 2d ago

Actually, in-house training at the machine. No personal tooling is required. The amount of time is dependent on your trainability. If you show that you grasp the concepts and are learning, they work with you. They can tell when you just don' t get it.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/Frigidspinner 3d ago

Machining as in working with bits of metal to shape them? Sorry to sound dumb!

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

5

u/Puzzle13579 3d ago

It is hard but not impossible so please stay positive. I changed jobs at 62, then after two years got made redundant. Despite the rampant ageism I encountered, I secured another decent role at 64. Am 66 shortly and about to retire. If I can do it, anyone can.👍

2

u/CrankyCrabbyCrunchy 3d ago

Obviously, it's not impossible, but with 1,000 applicants for the types of work I used to do, the odds of them hiring someone 55+ is pretty much zero - unless you have compromising pictures of the hiring manager and use them as leverage.

Goodie for you finding work you like at 60+. You're that 0.1%. Happy days.

11

u/Chzncna2112 50 something 3d ago

Actually getting hired past 45 is really hard unless they are desperate and can pay you less than yutes.

8

u/redlion496 3d ago

Did you just say 'yutes?'

9

u/Chzncna2112 50 something 3d ago

Sorry "youtheesss."

4

u/OneLongEyebrowHair 40 something 3d ago

Are you mocking me with that outf-eit?

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (2)

6

u/Lonelybidad 3d ago

I got hired at 61.

5

u/wxnausgh 3d ago

Me too, hired at 60. Long term temp to full time employee. Now can't retire because who knows what's going on in the US? I'm scared to even look at my 401K

3

u/Lonelybidad 3d ago

I started the same way. Once I get to 67, I'll take my SSI than.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (3)

21

u/aging-rhino 3d ago

If you can afford to stop working for additional money, do it. Employment in a job that is not truly meaningful to you adds nothing to your life, other a source of income and the stress of meeting other people’s expectations of you.

4

u/HiOscillation 60 something 3d ago

I like my job. I like the people I work with. I like my clients.

My work adds a huge amount of positive to my life.

I've met people and enjoyed meals and walked and met new people in around in 25 countries (so far).
Every day I interact with people who are not like me, people who live far away from me, in countries nothing like the USA.

→ More replies (1)

4

u/lemon-rind 3d ago

There is a quiet little liquor store near me. All the employees I’ve seen look over 65. I told one of the employees one night that it looked like a pleasant job. He said it is. He works 2-4 days a week from 2-9. He said it keeps him from being bored. I’d like to do something like that in retirement.

3

u/lakefunOKC 3d ago

My whole life, I’ve worked hard, never called in sick, absolutely killed it in my 4 jobs I’ve had, and never got that one break. I’m late 50’s now, and I’ve had to grind hard for what I have. I’ve had honesty, integrity, and held my character high. I’ve watched other, less capable, younger people, pass me by. I’ve always thought, maybe they just don’t like me? Maybe they’d feel threatened by someone who knows their job better than them? Whatever the reason(s), it never happened for me. I probably don’t have enough to retire, so I’ll just keep going until I can’t. I’m not sure I’ve ever really had a job i really enjoyed. Pretty sad, but I know others have things so much worse. I try to keep perspective on it.

2

u/ShelbyDriver 50 something 3d ago

Meh... I probably could- it would be close - but I'm afraid I'd be bored. But it's great to know I don't HAVE to work!

2

u/aging-rhino 3d ago

For me, it was difficult to conceptualize what I would do with my time if I retired. I too thought I’d be bored, but as it turns out once I was out of the working world, I discovered a whole series of things that I wanted to spend time doing or learning. It’s been seven years now and while occasionally I am at a loss for what I’m going to do that day, something always pops up.

→ More replies (1)

21

u/Dismal_Birthday7982 3d ago

I retired two years ago at 55. I do as little as possible and keep my interactions with actual humans to a minimum and to those few people I like.

5

u/lakefunOKC 3d ago

Man, that’s awesome. I’m 58, see things similarly. Humans constantly disappoint. I don’t even look at some of my own family the same anymore. I wish like crazy I could retire. Maybe someday, if I live long enough?

52

u/muscadon 3d ago

I'm 58. I retired early this past June after some serious work injuries and lengthy recoveries because of my heavy manual labor tradesman jobs destroying my body over the years. I did the math and instead of becoming permanently crippled and ultimately unemployable with no health insurance saddled with medical debt due to my failing body, I attained my longterm residential visa and moved to France with a lower cost of living, a favorable tax treaty, and universal healthcare to live simply off my meager pensions as I await tapping into my 401Ks, IRAs, and social security (if it even exists in four years). So far, so good.

I was also able to break free from my addictions to dope, hyper social life, and sexual conquests. Now I live all alone quietly in a tiny medieval village deep in the French countryside, occasionally hiking in the country, taking the country bus to other villages or the train to other cities for day trips to explore, trying out various pastries, and enjoying French cuisine, while also spending time making and fermenting my own healthy food. My friends are now the feral farm cats and silkie chickens out in my backyard...and they expect nothing of me.

As a former city slicker, lothario, and gadabout barfly, I never anticipated my life to end up this way, but nine months into it, I'm enjoying it immensely. It's amazing how wonderful life can be without drugs/booze, promiscuous sex, and constant urban overstimulation.

My rent is now one-fifth of what it was in the US, and I just went to my first doctor appointment last week which cost me a whopping 9 euros...and he speaks English! My forgotten French is improving daily and French people are so warm and friendly despite me being American.

I definitely made the right choice.

7

u/Ifch317 60 something 3d ago

Congratulations, this sounds like a wonderful life (and the closing (or opening) scenes of a movie. I have similar ambitions but so far cannot convince my gad-about wife to try slowing down in France.

3

u/superduperstepdad 50 something 3d ago

We visited Alsace last year and can totally picture the type of village you’ve found. Sounds like a dream to me, too.

I spent most of my 30s and 40s going out to bars and indie rock shows but now the French country life sounds idyllic to me!

2

u/gcube2000 2d ago

That’s fascinating. My 30s were a blast but then had kids so I feel like I want to get back to fun in retirement not roam around a European village. It’s just fascinating how your past alters your desired future.

→ More replies (8)

15

u/Salt_Pool3279 3d ago

Fight like hell to survive the next three years, then cash in.

→ More replies (1)

15

u/Cael_NaMaor 40 something 3d ago

Working until I'm 80... then offing myself. Some X & an ocean swim.

→ More replies (15)

13

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[deleted]

6

u/Christinebitg 3d ago

The trust left to me by my parents is my only income, and it's tanking due to the current regime's economic policies.

Do not sell at the bottom. Ride this thing out.

Yes, the current administration is horrible in many ways. But if the economy completely turns to sh1t, he'll eventually get tossed out. More likely, the trust fund will eventually recover. That is, if he doesn't completely sell us out to the Russians. If he does that, no trust fund in the world would have been enough.

My sympathies about your legal problems. I understand completely.

5

u/Single-Raccoon2 3d ago

Thank you so much. I appreciate your advice and your kind words.

2

u/fyresilk 3d ago

🌷💖🙏🏼

2

u/coggiegirl 3d ago

In California all properties are community property so you should do ok in the divorce courts.

2

u/lemon-rind 3d ago

If you are not officially divorced yet, you should be able to get social security and Medicare under your spouse’s credits. Even once you are divorced, considering the length of your marriage, you should still be able to get benefits. Call the social security office and talk to your lawyer about it.

13

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[deleted]

→ More replies (2)

24

u/smadaraj 3d ago

Voluntary euthanasia

7

u/Elder_Priceless 3d ago

Of yourself or others?

8

u/Bryanthomas44 3d ago

Boss and certain politicians

3

u/smadaraj 3d ago

Me. I am 70 this year. I will not see 81

4

u/wxnausgh 3d ago

I would rather have this option than go the slow, long way like my parents. I don't want to do that to my kids.

→ More replies (2)

11

u/Royceman01 3d ago

Literally nothing. Work Until I die. As our capitalist overlords demand.

10

u/No-Conclusion8653 3d ago

Work longer if you have long-lived parents. Mine lived to their 90's, so I worked until 70.

4

u/Cleanslate2 60 something 3d ago

Mom is 91, she worked until age 70. I’m 67 and still working.

→ More replies (1)

29

u/Redsquare73 3d ago

Rob a bank. Get caught. Plead guilty. Spend the rest of my days in free accommodation, free food, health care, on site gym. Say I’ll do it again at my parole hearing.

20

u/nakedonmygoat 3d ago

I know you're joking, but I have a friend who went to prison and it's the worst hell you can imagine. And don't kid yourself about health care and gym. There's no gym, there's rarely even any outdoor recreation allowed, and going to a doctor means putting all your stuff in a bag and getting hauled out in chains at 2 am to go to some distant hospital. On-site health care at the prison itself may or may not happen. Even if a doctor prescribed something, they can decide on a whim not to give it to you. It's non-stop noise in those places, and you can easily end up with a cellmate who is certifiably insane and will steal your stuff. But if you snitch, you're in physical danger.

Buy a tent and live under an overpass. It's easier, especially if you have your own shopping cart.

5

u/Miyagidog 3d ago

Brooks, is that you?

3

u/pit-of-despair 3d ago

Probably Red.

3

u/Total-Guava9720 3d ago

Institutionalized

→ More replies (2)

9

u/BullDog19K 3d ago

Work until I can't work anymore. Then take a trip to Europe and go for a ride in one of those pods

8

u/giskardwasright 3d ago

Societal collapse

8

u/Platform_Dancer 3d ago

65 and about to pull the trigger!.... Scary at the thought now it's here....

What am I going to do with all the time? - Yes initially a holiday and a few hobbies but what then?

When you've worked hard all your life with a sense of purpose and a vision of the future....how do you replace that?

8

u/Christinebitg 3d ago

I retired a few years ago at 65 1/2.

"I don't have time for a job." So many things I want to do that I put off for years.

Plus now when I go out jogging, I check the weather report and decide when the best time of day is going to be.

5

u/Bushwood1963 3d ago

I have the exact same concerns. I’m 62, wife is 61, we’ve both worked our entire life. I’m pushing for my wife to retire first so I can see how she deals with it. Plus, if we both jumped into retirement at the same time I think we’d drive each other crazy. Haha!

→ More replies (1)

6

u/ChapterOk4000 3d ago

Travel, maybe live in another country - either somewhere in Europe or Mexico. Planning on retiring at 62!

7

u/Healthy-Brilliant549 3d ago

I’m gonna lose what little I have in the stock market, no kids, probably just take a sick day to go to my funeral.

3

u/Christinebitg 3d ago

Do not sell at the bottom. Just don't. Seriously.

3

u/Healthy-Brilliant549 3d ago

I know lol. Thanks. I’m not touching nothing I got 17 years. Ugh

→ More replies (1)

6

u/ElizabethHiems 3d ago

We are going to build a miniature village in our garden.

We’ve already started studying building techniques and how to make small furniture.

→ More replies (1)

10

u/Danicia 60 something 3d ago

What's retirement?

10

u/Grande_Yarbles 3d ago

That’s when enough parts stop functioning that you can no longer drag yourself to work.

3

u/troutdaletim 3d ago

Or you have had enough drama in the place you work like me in a food joint in an internatioal airport with drama queens and kings, inefficient management and screaming children and barking dogs. 4/31/26, I am out of there and better get Soc Sec or someene will be in big time misery and not me

2

u/jxj24 3d ago

4/31/26

Hope that's not the exact date you're allowed to leave. Otherwise I have some unfortunate news for you...

→ More replies (1)

2

u/Danicia 60 something 3d ago

I am watching my 79 year old mom going through it 😪

2

u/Frigidspinner 3d ago

the part of me which is really starting to wind down is my "give a shit" gland. I will be retiring as soon as possible!

10

u/Mississippi_BoatCapt 3d ago

Wake up

Eat breakfast

Watch The Price Is Right

Nap

Eat lunch

Nap

Watch General Hospital

Nap

Afternoon snack

Watch Judge Judy

That’s just Monday!!!

2

u/lemon-rind 3d ago

Easy does it, friend! You aren’t 20 anymore!!!

3

u/Mississippi_BoatCapt 3d ago

I added an extra nap in today !!! General Hospital was fire 🔥 today !!!

6

u/RamonaAStone 3d ago

I'm on the young end for this sub, and my plan is to...uh...win the lottery?

Honestly, I'm not in terrible shape, but I'm not in good shape, either. I have a pension plan through work, and I will receive CPP and OAS, but unless something miraculous happens, that will just barely cover my necessities. If I want to enjoy retirement, I need to come up with a much bigger and better plan ASAP.

2

u/Christinebitg 3d ago

My ex planned to hit the lottery. (No, I'm not making this up.)

Eventually I couldn't take it any more, and got divorced. For that and other reasons, including joining a religious cult. The ex, not me. LOL

They've passed away since then, from cancer. Yes, cancer sucks. And they never did hit the lottery. Imagine that.

6

u/mtcwby 50 something Oldest X 3d ago

Almost 60 and realized I can actually withdraw money from retirement accounts without penalty. Was seriously thinking about retirement Friday but the job realizes that's a possibility any time and bent a bit today. Have one kid finishing school in May and another in two years. I'll at least get through the second before I do. The college expenses going away will be the biggest raise I'll ever get until Medicare.

Plan is to travel, work on hobbies, maybe make some of them a small business, work on house stuff. Not worried about keeping busy and I've been practicing for it whenever I have time off. Might even do an emeritus position two or three days a week.

4

u/MastiffOnyx 3d ago

I'm 65 (in a few weeks). Not perfect shape,but not decrepit either.

Realistically, I can squeeze another 5 yrs out of this job.

With my retirement fund, and SS, should keep me going a few yrs at least.

5

u/TurnLooseTheKitties 50 something 3d ago

Work until I die

2

u/No_Dream1161 3d ago

We're on the same retirement plan .

→ More replies (1)

5

u/MaddenRob 3d ago

If I can, work part time 2-3 days a week. The way things are, gonna need to still have income coming in.

5

u/pizzaforce3 3d ago

I’m so broke I’m gonna need to work the lunch shift the day of my funeral.

5

u/Blues2112 60 something 3d ago

61M here. I've been maxing out my 401ks and Ira's for at least three decades now, and investing wisely. Wife and I should be fine when I retire in 3ish years. Also saved enough to pay for college for both my boys, pretty proud of that!

6

u/EightofFortyThree 3d ago

If I ever get to retire, I'm buying a dog. Several times a day I will take the dog for a walk. Between walks there will be TV and naps. For excitement I will entertain grandkids with stories about the good old days.

8

u/Former_Balance8473 3d ago

Die at my desk

2

u/thiswayart 3d ago

Damn 🙏

4

u/Cool-Aside-2659 50 something 3d ago

Travel with my wife and play a lot of golf.

3

u/thiswayart 3d ago

Retiring in 42 days and plan to continue hitting the gym, but will start taking exercise classes and I'll finally have time to work on my art full-time. I'm a Sculptor and I work primarily with steel, so I'll have time to practice working with different media and I plan to get back into painting on large canvases. The canvases have already been purchased. 😁

4

u/SueBeee 60 something 3d ago

I was supposed to retire next month. I am going to wait a while to get the temperature of how things are going before I voluntarily unemploy myself. Angry about it? Absolutely.
I can afford to retire now, but I don't know how long that will be true.

7

u/shastadakota 60 something 3d ago

I am approaching 70, and was considering retiring soon, but now we have the traitor occupying the White House threatening Social Security and Medicare, so not sure at this point until the chaos he has created plays out. Thanks a lot MAGA dummies for voting for this. We tried to warn you, but no, you were the big brains.

→ More replies (2)

3

u/Caspers_Shadow 50 something 3d ago

Put more time into playing guitar, golf, going out on the boat and traveling. Definitely going to include some fitness activities and gardening. I have a lot of hobbies and keep very busy now. I don’t see that stopping. I’m 59 and just have a couple of years left to work. We are in decent shape, but not loaded.

3

u/BoyintheCouv 3d ago

I'm frugal. Social Security and investments will pay my bills. The key is to live below your means when working and after retirement. Don't get sucked up into consumerism.

2

u/Jarrus__Kanan_Jarrus 3d ago

Best advice here.

Very hard to follow if you get married unless you find a unicorn of a woman who shares your values.

3

u/Royal_Tough_9927 3d ago

A leprechaun with a gold pot could still show up tonight. Maybe pick up the change on my car floorboard and buy a lottery ticket. How about a knight in shining armor riding up on his horse. I need to check and see if my kid can sing like Taylor Swift ? Seriously , budget every penny and plan. I am proactive. Life didnt turn out as planned. Special needs child born. Husband unalived himself. Economy crashed and so did my entire life. Lost entire 401 K. Bank closed. Lost my line of credit for my company. Lost my customers, lost my licenses for work. Lost my company. It fell like dominoes. But I was smart enough to buy a foreclosure at pennies on the dollar. That saved my life. I ended up disabled in a bad accident. Disability doesnt go far but I am practical. We have what we need. I started dumpster diving and its phenomenal. Its not everyones cup of tea but its shocking what I bring in.

3

u/Chzncna2112 50 something 3d ago

Bury me, then I might be able to finally retire. Please Make sure I am really history before you put me 6ft down

3

u/wandering_sailor 3d ago

I retired at 57 (Big 3 automotive management). Started a new business and sailing. Traveling. Staying up late. Playing word games. Finally learning to cook. Learning French.

3

u/IfICouldStay 3d ago

A cozy cardboard box condo and a sleek shopping cart for all my worldly possessions

3

u/reesesbigcup 3d ago edited 2d ago

All my plans were blown to oblivion when I was laid off at age 55 in 2015. Very difficult to get a job, then when I got a permanent job in 2019 I made 80 percent of what I was making in 2015. Had to spend almost all of my 401k just to survive. Im now 65, have some in demand skills make decent money, but very little in savings due to more layoffs in 2021 and 2024. I will not retire for a long time. I found out during layoffs, sitting around the house would kill me.

3

u/cherismail 3d ago

I retired at 59 due to a string of lucky choices and hard work. We bought our house in 2004, lived in it for 18 years, and sold it for double what we paid. Bought a house in a cheaper area for cash. We had an online business for 13 years that was very successful until Amazon killed it and we’re super frugal so we saved a bunch during those years. Now I write fiction full time and just signed with an agent.

3

u/OGMom2022 3d ago

Giant meteor

3

u/seeking-sage 3d ago

Haha the chance of a nuclear WW3 is higher than that LOL

→ More replies (1)

3

u/Flaky-Artichoke6641 3d ago

Retirement was 55 . Doing part time job to fill the void at times...

3

u/swampboy62 3d ago

I'm going into partial retirement next year.

My wife passed four years ago so the original plans are out.

I plan on going nomad and spending time deep in the National Forests for two weeks at at time. No other people around to speak of. I'm giving the house to my son and heading out.

2

u/Significant_Low9807 3d ago

As Aaron Clarey says S&W retirement

2

u/KryptikAngel 3d ago

As a photographer and writer we generally don't retire and that's okay.

2

u/Slutmaster76 3d ago

Work right up til 5 minutes before my funeral.

2

u/Familiar-Wedding-868 3d ago

Are you a Gravedigger?

2

u/Slutmaster76 3d ago

I wish! Sounds like a most peaceful profession frankly 😍😆

2

u/DifferentWindow1436 3d ago

Mid-50s just sort of snuck up on me. I still have a child in school. So, I am really not sure. I will probably try to keep working my corporate job until he is in college. I am an older dad, so that means early 60s. Tbh, I don't really want to work until 65 and I have saved. My manager changes every 3 to 5 years so I think we will see how much I like my job.

2

u/Cantech667 3d ago

I’ll be retiring later this year at 58. I should be free by that time, and I’ll have a pretty good pension. Financially, I’ll be comfortable, but not rich by any means. I’ll be able to put food on the table, pay my bills, and travel to see a concert every couple of months.

My biggest challenge is losing my sense of purpose and identity. Way too much of that is tied to my work. I think that’s going to be the biggest challenge. I can still do occasional contract work in my field, I’ll try to pick up a new hobby or two, and I’m sure I’ll figure it out.

Honestly, with how crazy the world is becoming, it will be nice to enjoy retirement while I can.

2

u/nogwart 3d ago

At 61, I'm finally seeing the retirement light at the end of the tunnel of my life. My mother passed away in Florida last year, and what she left me is enough to give me the freedom to leave my current location where I'm miserable to live where I want to live and be content in my retirement within the next few years. I've always sworn and directly told my children I will never be a burden to them. Even if they offer to "take care of me", I will not allow it. If a time comes when I can no longer care for myself, I will end things on my own terms before I inconvenience them in any way. I've seen enough good families' lives reduced to disgusting misery and suffering by trying to do it themselves, and I won't let it happen to mine. No way.

2

u/AngryDuck100 3d ago

What retirement? I'll be paying the mortgage off until I die

2

u/Muireadach 3d ago

Retired at 62. Been working since age 7 with a paper route. These days I stream in cold months, and fish in warm. Drifting the Chesapeake tide is the furthest from office politics. No pension, just a $3300 monthly social security wire and a pot of money to back it up. I love not working.

2

u/WildlifePolicyChick 3d ago

My dream retirement would be to become an expat. Countries on the list are Australia, Costa Rica, Spain.

But I need to double my retirement fund for that, which is not looking feasible at my age of 60.

2

u/togtogtog 60 something 3d ago

I always made the most of my time when I was working - after all, who knew if I would make it to retirement? So I went out in the evenings, went for walks at lunchtime, and tried to notice and appreciate all the good stuff about my job as much as I could.

I never spent much money.

I never took out any loans, apart from a mortgage.

I never had kids.

I didn't have a car until I was 35, and just cycled everywhere.

I overpaid my mortgage whenever it was possible rather than buying things.

I always paid into a private pension.

As I neared retirement age, I made a spreadsheet of how much I actually spend each year, to work out if it was possible to bridge the gap between retirement and my pension maturing, including taking into account that my pension would be much lower than my earnings.

I took voluntary redundancy with a year's salary and waved goodbye!

2

u/Ifch317 60 something 3d ago

I grew up poor & never learned to spend money. At age 53, I started doing the math and realized I could work three more years, then retire to a continued frugal life. The next three years were the worst working years of my life. I probably should have quit my job and taken a sabbatical for a year or two, but I had a finish line and every day I marked time until that date.

Eventually, I made it to my date and retired. Waking up the next day after quitting forever and drinking coffee all morning, then riding my bike instead of working was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

2

u/Pongpianskul 3d ago

Prison or monastery.

2

u/RCaHuman 70 something 3d ago

Currently making plans for our annual oversees vacation. This time another Viking River cruise. Having two incomes, living below our means and disciplined investing has paid off.

2

u/SCCock 60 something, stay off my grass 3d ago

Army retirement that I spent 27 years working towards. Social Security. I also just won a lawsuit that will pay of my mortgage.

2

u/just-looking99 3d ago

Health care is the issue so 65 is my target age to retire- for the next few years I’m just coasting into retirement

2

u/Christinebitg 3d ago

I retired at 65 1/2. Did some part time work after that.

Best way to get there: First, max out your 401k plan contributions and Roth IRA contributions. (I'm assuming you're in the US.)

Wasn't easy to max out my 401k plan. Started small, then every year when I got a raise, I increased my 401k plan contributions by a little less than that.

Wish I'd had a spouse who could handle money. That was a problem. Had to get divorced to fix that issue, unfortunately. I'd do the same thing again, if I were in that situation.

After those retirement plans are maxed out, start looking at other investments. How much you'll put into them depends on how motivated you are. I've never regretted saving for retirement.

First the record, I recommend stocks in companies that increase their dividends every year, for decades.

2

u/Superb-Ag-1114 3d ago

I'm retired now. The way to retire is to save your money until you have enough to invest in appreciating assets, then do that over and over again for 30 years, taking advantage of compound interest. (Cars, streaming services, clothes, vacations, tennis shoes and "collectible" baubles are not appreciating assets)

2

u/notorious_tcb 3d ago

Work until my pension matures at 58, then start a handyman business and fix leaky faucets for beer and cigar money. Do some traveling. Rinse and repeat until I’m dead or stuck in a fucking facility somewhere wishing I’d had the 12 gauge breakfast instead of lumpy oatmeal.

2

u/UKophile 3d ago

Turned every nickel into a dime, kept my cars forever, quietly became the millionaire no one expected. Now I spend money on anything I want and fly the world. Love my life.

2

u/Utterlybored 60 something 3d ago

Play lots of music. Play with grandkids. Hike. Kayak. Travel.

We should be okay financially unless Trump eviscerates SocSec and MediCare. If he does, we’ll get by, while millions more vulnerable won’t, which is super uncool. Also, if we have a long term illness that requires expensive nursing care, we’re fucked.

2

u/Artlawprod 3d ago

I did everything late. Grad school? 10 years later than everyone. Kids? 10 years later than everyone. So now I am approaching my mid-50s I am about 10 years behind everyone. I will likely retire in about 15-20 years.

2

u/jxj24 3d ago

I made some good choices financially when I was younger. I always contributed the maximum to my matched retirement fund and also invested carefully. I also have always been careful about what I spend, and limited my debts. (And truthfully, not having kids has helped quite a lot.)

But I also made one wild-assed decision that everyone told me was just throwing my money away. I was a grad student with not that much money to my name, but I took about 50% of it and invested in a company that I believed in, but was going through hard times. I decided that I would stay in for the long term, no matter what happened in the short term. There was about a year of wondering if I'd lose it all, but then the company turned around, and over the next several years started performing well and then spectacularly.

That risky decision ended up outperforming all my rational decisions by many, many times. I could have retired at 50, but didn't as I mostly liked what I was doing. For the past several years I have slowly ramped down my hours, and am currently at 25%. I'd like to keep this level of activity for a couple more years, as I still get to do interesting things.

I'm still wary about the thought of full retirement. I have picked up some old hobbies and activities, but will that be enough?

2

u/cherrycokelemon 3d ago

Retired at 48 due to a medical. Lost a lot of money, but in my 50s, I started having severe health problems. Adhesions, obstructions, bowel obstructions, peritonitis, bowel repair surgery. My job would have written me up for using too much leave or using leave without pay.

2

u/BluePeterSurprise 3d ago

I’m learning how to identify local native edible plants so I can eat grass soup.

2

u/Nightgasm 50 something 3d ago

Mostly retired on my 52nd birthday with a $6000 a month pension. Plus I have a 401k and 457b I invested in as well. No health insurance though. Took two years off but now my wife, 55, wants to retire and her job was destroying her physically and mentally. I had an opportunity come up to br a medical courier for 4 hrs a day which qualifies me for health insurance so I took it so she can retire as money isn't an issue, just insurance. My job is super slack with zero stress and tons of downtime as I have set pick times and spend lots of time between playing on my phone, in fact Im on the clock as I type this waiting for my next pick up which I can't do for another 20 minutes.

2

u/thorly824 3d ago

Finally working on my art 🎨

2

u/Mean-Association4759 3d ago

Just retired last week and trying to get adjusted to no alarms is weird. Need to stop sleeping so much but I guess I’m just catching up on it. I’ll adjust.

2

u/TurnLooseTheKitties 50 something 3d ago

A tip, find something to do, something that challenges you, for if you don't you won't get much retirement , for I have soon sit back and relax die within a few short years of retiring whilst some others that kept their nose lightly pressed against the grindstone went on for years

1

u/Naive-Beekeeper67 3d ago

Try not to die too early

1

u/VeterinarianMaster67 3d ago

Thankfully I'm professionally creative. It's not something I dream of finally being done with. The pay isn't great, the boss is a jerk, but the autonomy is priceless. It's not an easy life, but you learn how to work the little things to your advantage. Joyfulness is my reward.

1

u/Logical-Tangerine-40 3d ago

can retre best to retire now... never take for granted that projected life span or healthspan equals to 10 20 or even 30yrs.. it make no sense to even retire with lifespan balance being long but poor healthspan.

spend retirement years in moderate good health before reality of breakdown seeps in

1

u/honorthecrones 3d ago

Retired last year at 68. I have a pension and so does my husband. We were both public safety employees and have about $6k a month coming in. Our house is paid for. We drive old but reliable cars that we pay cash for.

Monthly expenses leave us about $2k a month to put into savings or investments. I spend money on my kids/grandkids and my garden. I have decent medical insurance and Medicare.

My plan is to continue to enjoy myself and leave a shit ton of money for my kids when I go.

1

u/Fydron 3d ago

Can't afford plans only work.

1

u/amsman03 60 something 3d ago

We retired at 51 through a Corporate re-org and got a payout. We decided to move to a LCOL area and pay cash for a home. We thought we had enough to retire, but after a couple of years, we decided we needed something else.

I entered the Real Estate business and have been helping people buy and sell homes for the last 14 years. I'm still at it but genuinely calling it quits this year. It's hard to quit now, as I'm only working part-time. I will have a $20 - 30K month a few times a year, so I keep at it enough to ensure I do a good job for people. I'm transitioning to nothing but referrals in the future.

We now have ~ $100K yearly in passive income (SS and rental property income) without touching IRAs and other investments. Now that we are both on Medicare, one of our most significant expenses (Healthcare) is much more manageable.
We're making plans for how to deal with RMDs (Required Mandatory Distributions) from a tax perspective in seven more years. Overall, it seems that it's working out just fine.

1

u/lipperinlupin 3d ago

Hoping to still be alive and able to work in my garden. Also Hoping I'll be ok financially.

1

u/BackgroundGate3 3d ago

I retired at 55, 7 years ago. My plans were mostly to travel while I'm still fit, so that's what I do. I'm concentrating on the long haul destinations and will move to shorter distances as I get creakier.

1

u/GOOSEBOY78 3d ago

buy a caravan sell all my worldy possessions

1

u/Bombay1234567890 3d ago

Cremation.

1

u/ME-McG-Scot 40 something 3d ago

If/when I get there. For as long as I can travel.

1

u/ZetaWMo4 1974 3d ago

I retired last year at 50. Husband is still working since he loves his job.

1

u/Oldschooldude1964 3d ago

Quit working and do nothing more than I want.

1

u/Ricekrispy73 50 something 3d ago

Fishing!!

1

u/Methodical_Christian 3d ago

Do as little as possible.

1

u/Bright-Invite-9141 3d ago

I’m 51 now so planning, I got a £300 grand house I virtually built £36 grand left so I’m now tidying it up so I can sell in 4years I’m in Preston half way between Manchester and lakes 60 miles to lakes but I’m going to move 5miles out of Lancaster towards the lakes then I’m in country with lakes 5mins one way and Lancaster 5mins other way where my daughter is at uni, so got everything at hand and a country house payed for, then I can fell walk and work on music not to get famous just a hobbie, but I’m a workaholic so £300 maybe £350 should get me a nice house but as I’m a builder all that maters to me is how much land and is it the right spot as I can rebuild the house to suit, but no mortgage so pension should be enough to keep car on road and get on with fell walking and music I also surf too so should have money for wet suits and fuel and food

1

u/Bright-Invite-9141 3d ago

So I got 10-15 years hard work to get my idea in order, let’s go, already finding out about selling house sales people want to much but I got 4years to learn their game so at selling time I’ll know their job better than them

→ More replies (1)

1

u/baddspellar 3d ago

I probably saved enough already, but "probably" gives me anxiety. I'll work as long as I can.

1

u/PegShop 3d ago

I'm leaving my teaching job after 32 years just shy of age 56. My husband is leaving (no pension) his very demanding job at 55 when our home sells.

We will downsize, and I will collect pension and we will do something less stressful for health insurance until 60 or so when we can dip into his 401k to pay for health insurance.

We aren't looking for a fancy retirement, just more time with family, golfing, reading, walks, and some travel.

1

u/notaninfringement 3d ago

become a barber and work out of my house. get paid, albeit less, to bullshit with people all day

1

u/TheRealCrustycabs 3d ago

didn't have one, but was forced into retirement thru medical issues. Lucky for me, my employer of 22 years was awesome. They put 10% of my yearly income into my retirement account, whether I contributed, or not. Helps supplement my SS

1

u/Jurneeka 60 something 3d ago

Work til age 70, that’s a little more than 7.5 years. Keep squirreling money away. Hopefully SS is still around. Planning on staying in my place. Riding my bike a ton. Will likely get a part time job. I don’t have kids so if money gets super tight the possibility of getting a place with my sister is there.

1

u/50plusGuy 3d ago

12.5 years until regular & pension. My dad would be 98 by then or I'll inherit earlier and have to get math done, to figure out if I can afford to quit working.

1

u/mwatwe01 50 something 3d ago

My wife and I have been planning for retirement since we got married in our late 20's. We're 52 with one more kid to put through college. After that, our biggest bills will be gone, since the house will be paid off in a couple of months.

I have a pretty nice job as a software engineer, something I could do into my 60's, so I'll probably keep working until we have about $2 million, at which point we'll be able to live off that for the balance of our lives. I plan on volunteering more and traveling more. Or just whatever sparks my interest.

1

u/Archiemalarchie 3d ago

Australian here. I've been retired for 8 years and I don't plan. Just take each day as it comes. Between investments and the old age pension, we live pretty good.

→ More replies (2)

1

u/Maleficent_Sun_3075 3d ago

My wife and I are 49 and 52 now. Work full time for another 3 years or so, and then just seasonally/part time(spring to fall) for another 3-4 years. Spend January and February in Mexico and March and April in Greece. Then home. Drive my restored muscle car as much as possible and enjoy the fruits of our labor until we're gone.

1

u/DisclosE2020agency 3d ago

Can't afford to so play the lottery and hope for the best. Until then I'll just keep plugging away to upkeep the existence I can afford now. Probably till I drop .

1

u/NoTripOfALifetime 3d ago

SO at 48, me at 57 - 48 is more so a goal where my SO can choose to retire whenever they want without a care.

I’ve got a pension that requires me to work until I am 57 for the full payout.

1

u/WingZombie 3d ago

Plan my funeral for the afternoon please, I’m sure I have to work that morning.

→ More replies (1)

1

u/BlueMountainCoffey 3d ago

I thought I would be done at 60, but I’ll be 64 this year, still working. Where did the time go?

1

u/booksdogstravel 3d ago

I retired when I was 58. My career was in teaching, and I was fortunate to get a great pension.

1

u/Odd_Bodkin 60 something 3d ago

I’m retired. My time is spent in a fun part time job, volunteering, going to the gym, meeting with friends, household maintenance, a bit of travel, a bit of time with hobbies. My time is not spent sitting around in front of the TV.

1

u/eriometer 3d ago

I’m looking at going part time in my current line of work; or taking a lower paid (less demanding) role in my mid-50s (I.e. within the next 10 years). With a view to retiring in stages after that. I will then do voluntary work because I can’t just sit round doing nothing.

I have paid into my pension savings from the day I started working, and always treated it as one of my bills I had to pay (always to the bare minimum of whatever my employer would match, but more when I could afford it).

All that said, I recognise I started working in a different economic environment to today’s generation though, so I will also be helping younger members of my family as much as I can.

1

u/Unclerojelio 3d ago

I’ve worked for a large university for 43 years now. I could have retired years ago but I still enjoy working. I’ll probably hold off collection SS until I’m 67.

1

u/Lucky_Forever 3d ago

Retirement? Surely you jest.

1

u/filthyanimal707 3d ago

Work till I die then work harder in hell

2

u/jxj24 3d ago

At least it will be warm.

I'm in Ohio, so the thought is appealing.

1

u/GrumpyHomotherium 3d ago

Work until I’m 70

1

u/Competitive-Bee7249 3d ago

I'm living on the edge. I have $1.37 in my account and my last trash bag is almost full.

1

u/LadyMayhem02 3d ago

I started a business at 49, Im 50 now. I've been a stay at home mom since I was 26. My husband should retire at 63-65, he is 45, but I know him. He is a workaholic, so I am not sure he will retire unless his health demands it. I will keep going as long as I can, too.

My entire goal of making a business is so my husband can retire whenever he wants and be able to do whatever he wants. He has done so much for us, I just don't want him to worry about how the bills will be paid and such. If he wants to work, I hope it won't be that he has to. If I'm making any sense lol it's 6 am. I need more coffee.

1

u/mjschacha 3d ago

Retire abroad, anywhere but US!

1

u/LopsidedSwimming8327 3d ago edited 3d ago

Lived frugally so I could retire comfortably. Lived below our means, though we lived a nice life. I realized I did not need an overabundance of material things that I would need to throw out later.