retirement done wrong.

[vash]

had a acquaintance retire in early October. he was a surly man. total "get off my lawn" type. i got along fine with him. he cherished politeness and manners. if he got that, life was simply easier for everyone.

well, he retired..LESS than a month later, we just got a group email. he died!!!

i'm betting he never got his first retirement check!

ouch. that sucks beyond words. i am bummed for him at many levels.

any stories of known "shorter retirements"? this is the record breaker that i've seen with my own eyes.

[id10t]

My dad had ALS (Lou Gherigs), but never took sick time in his 35 years at UF. Was on sick leave for 2 years, officially retired one weekend (May 1) died the next (May 8).

[Baz]

Lesson learned...you never know when your number is up.

Seize the day!

[vash]

Originally Posted by id10t

My dad had ALS (Lou Gherigs), but never took sick time in his 35 years at UF. Was on sick leave for 2 years, officially retired one weekend (May 1) died the next (May 8).

that's too bad. your poor dad. reading "Weekends with Morrie" really opened my eyes about that affliction.

yea..a friend got diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. the Department fast tracked retirement paperwork which friend just signed on time. it was hours, but i didnt count that one. just horrible.

[legion]

It's more common than you'd think. 65 was originally chosen as the "retirement age" for social security because it was the average life expectancy of a male at the time. In other words, it was designed so that roughly half the people that "paid into the system" would never see a dime and would fund the retirements of the other half that actually lived past retirement.

Another interesting statistic is that those that retire at 55 on average end up living much longer than those that retire at 65. So those that retire at 55 need to earn a lot more in their roughly 35 working years than those that retire at 65 in their roughly 45 working years.

[GH85Carrera]

My dad mentioned how he had changed the bell curve. If you look at the stats, many people die within 12 months of retirement, and lots more within 24 months.

My dad served in the USAF for 24 years an retired as a Lt. Col. at age 59. He died at age 82.

My former boss did pretty good. He retired from the FAA and, he has a three digit employee number. He owned a business as well. He received retirement from the government for many years. He ran the business as a hobby. In his words he finally took "early retirement" at age 92 and lived to age 99. He only retired because he could not find any company on the planet willing to write insurance policy for him to remain as a commercial pilot after he turned 90. He loved flying and taking photos. Can't do that without insurance as a business. He took his last flight as pilot on his 92nd birthday and then sold the company.

[flatbutt]

My maternal grandfather retired at 65 and died at 67, but he smoked two packs a day and watched TV all day long.

[Deschodt]

I see it all the time... 3 colleagues of mine retired and died withing 1 month to 1 year after retirement. It could be coincidental but those guys were not exactly world traveller / "tons of projects" types, I think the sudden drop in purpose/things to do negatively affected their health. Or it's just bad luck... That is why I plan on retiring earlier even if I get peanuts (also I think the SS$ will be gone if I wait because apparently it's an entitlement now ;-)

[Steve Carlton]

I think I'll have to work until I die, so I got that going for me.

In the 80s I knew a guy who was a fireman. He said they usually died shortly after retiring because of the health problems from all the smoke inhalation. I hope that's improved since then!

[Steve Carlton]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

My dad served in the USAF for 24 years an retired as a Lt. Col. at age 59. He died at age 82.

A couple of years ago in a coffee shop I overheard some conversation in a booth nearby. The guy was celebrating his 100th birthday and was with 3 women. He was retired USAF as well. As I left, I congratulated him and thanked him for his service. I asked him what was the secret to his longevity and he said "lots of women." Paid his check as I left. Felt good.

[Craig T]

Carpe Diem!

I have a similar example. A friend recently retired. Was diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma a few months later, then spent two months at City of Hope until he died.

Exactly why I retired earlier with less. I'd rather have a reduced budget lifestyle and more years to enjoy with my wife and grandkids without stress.

Nobody on their deathbed looks back and says..."I'm sure glad I had that *****en house, trendy watch, and drove a luxury car, but most look back and say...I wished I spent more time with family and friends and less time trying so hard to make money.

[look 171]

When I was a kid, I remember my uncle was one bitter SOB. He as a cook in the battle ship during WW2, mainly in the pacific. He came home and opened a cafe in Reseda, out in the San Fernando Valley (porn capital, for those that don't know "The Valley"). He humped and humped for 30 years and put all his kids through USC and retired. He basically sat at home for most of 6 months trying to see what the next step is in life. He died 9 months after retirement. Sucks

[pavulon]

My dad retired at age 43 and had made mom quit work in her 20's to take care of 3 kids. He died in April at age 74 in low income housing flat broke. My mom now lives with my brother. They smoked drank and gambled away every cent they ever had. Maybe that's success to some but it was really ugly to live/watch.

[mepstein]

My dad retired at 65. He’s 82. He has kept very busy with projects and other stuff. He and my stepmom just drove to Maine to visit my daughter and NC to see my son graduate college. His 93 year old first cousin is still going strong - went up in a restored P-51 mustang, so he sees no reason to slow down now.

[dad911]

My father died at 67, in 1992. Slowed down, but never really retired. Was helping me frame an addition a few weeks before his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer......

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by Craig T

Carpe Diem!

I have a similar example. A friend recently retired. Was diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma a few months later, then spent two months at City of Hope until he died.

Exactly why I retired earlier with less. I'd rather have a reduced budget lifestyle and more years to enjoy with my wife and grandkids without stress.

Nobody on their deathbed looks back and says..."I'm sure glad I had that *****en house, trendy watch, and drove a luxury car, but most look back and say...I wished I spent more time with family and friends and less time trying so hard to make money.

Right on, Craig, right on. A wise man once said "there are two ways to become rich - acquire a great deal or require very little". I whole heartedly subscribe to the latter.

My wife and I retired at 56 - actually one year later than the schedule we set when we married 33 years ago. We could have easily worked another five, ten years or more, and amassed a good deal more. Many people would. Many people do. We chose to live our lives instead. A year and a half into it, it's exceeding all of our expectations.

[tcar]

Originally Posted by vash

that's too bad. your poor dad. reading "Weekends with Morrie" really opened my eyes about that affliction.

I'm correcting the book name in case someone wants to read it...

Tuesdays with Morrie... by Mitch Albom.

...one of the landmark books for me.

[vash]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

A wise man once said "there are two ways to become rich - acquire a great deal or require very little".

that is excellent!! i am gonna drop that little nugget on my wife and pretend i made it up..gonna get lucky!!

[rrental]

My dad retired at 63. Passed away 7 months later. That year I made the decision to sell the business and have a bit more fun. Sold and "retired" at 45. The last few years we drove all over North America racing with my son, and go see my daughter back east as often as I can.

Life can be over tomorrow. Better enjoy it while we can.

[LWJ]

Chief of police in my town died the day he retired. Tragic.