I retired as soon as I could for good reason. It doesn’t mean I’m lazy or does it?
 

I found out that the average life expectancy in the US is 77. I didn’t want to wait until 65 to retire so I can fully enjoy the fruits of my labor for more than just 12 years. I thought that’s a really poor ROI. My brothers 65 and 58 are still working even though they’re both successful and can retire now financially. Brother 65 prides himself on having missed so few days at work throughout his career. He didn’t take much time off at all when his only child was born even though he was entitled to it. Brother 58 said he owes it to his patients to continue working because the Kaiser system is overburdened. What about owing it to themselves and their families to spend as much time with them while still healthy?

I’m 61 now, retired for 3 years. Was I wrong to retire early? Am I just lazy or was my decision to quit work sound? Sometimes I do just sit and stare but most of the time, I’m moving and getting things done at home, vacationing and exercising. I think my brothers are built to live to work, I’m not.

you are placing a negative value on "lazy" like so what if it makes you lazy? whats bad about doing the least amount of work to enjoy your life? what would be good about doing more?

very weird capitalist brainwashing here. your value = your money, but somehow also despite playing the game, and having enough money, they will try to guilt you into even more work?

I am 63 and still working 50 hour weeks. I can retire financially but have no desire to. My mind / body just isnt ready to kick back yet. I think it is more about what you want to spend your time doing. I definitely never see me sitting on the front porch with a cooler of beer watching the world go by! To me this sounds like an early death!
All my kids are doing great, my wife and I already do what we want to do when we want to do it, so why stop working?

I'll be 69 next month and I could see working for another 8-10 no problem. I like my job and and the medical coverage, plus I have expensive hobbies :rolleyes: My dad will be 98 and my mom is 94, both still vertical and functioning, hopefully I can have a good run too:<)

I think it's a very personal decision and what works for one person may not for another. The most important thing I think when retiring early is to stay somewhat active (physically and mentally) and watch the drinking, if you are a drinker. Very easy to let that get out of control when you have zero responsibilities. My mom died suddenly and unexpectedly at 50 and her father at 60 (after having just semi-retired) - those 2 things were big motivators for me to retire early. Life is indeed short, and you never know when your time is up. That said, I have huge respect for those that love what they do and want to keep on doing it. Everyone's situation is unique.

I'm probably done the end of next year at 66 and 9 months even though I have longevity in my family with both my parents in their mid 90's in good health.

No, you're fine. Some people love what they do for work and that's fine too. I'm as busy now as when I retired, just doing a variety of things that I like. That's key.

Most folks enjoy the fruits of their labor while working as well. To assume one does only after retirement make a longer work life seem fruitless/worthless.

I am the same as your brother and was never able to take much time off...even when entitled to do so. Being entitled to do so did not get the work done. Most of us believe our presence is necessary to our employer. Especially in "one-deep" areas. Even if one was not critical to the workplace, it seems a poor idea to make this apparent to our employer. It does/could lessen our perceived value.

On the other hand, I have been almost as busy since I retired as when I worked...just doing different things. I have caught up on a lot of things that I let slide for years and have done a massive amount of physical labor (which has put me in a bit better shape physically). I seem to have more than enough money, so could have retired sooner. My problem is that my wife retired a bit younger and was well into her routine (not very active) ...so I am stuck more with fitting into her slower lifestyle that my newly retired self was not quite ready for.

My best take on this is to retire about the same time. If you have the money to meet your needs (including emergencies/the unexpected) without assistance and have plenty to keep you busy...why not?

I read an article about a study that showed that men retire expecting to be more active and to have the time to have new adventures (and to have more sex) ...while women's ideal retirement is largely to have time to relax and to spend with grandchildren...and sex is much an imposition (it was really never about time or being tired).

Greg, this is exactly what I did. Been retired for 7 years and everyday is a BUSY Saturday. The only draw back is age related and I get tired more so I can't do more. Sometimes I have to just take a day off.

The leading cause of death for men is retirement. :(
I'm still going to chance it in 4 years at 65 though.
No you are not lazy! You deserve it!

Retiring doesn't have to mean "kicking back". It is a chance to shift focus. Work can be a means to an end goal...not the purpose in life. The shift in focus is to what you want to do when you want to do it...freedom.

I can qualify for full retirement from my state job in 3 years and 360 days. And I'll be 57.

Or... I can enter "phased retirement" - I retire, but keep working my job for up to 8 years (or one bad day). I keep earning my regular paycheck, any one-time bonuses in lieu of raises we get, salary adjustments, etc just like I do now. But... my retirement pay is also being paid out into a investment account, which I can access as a lump sum when I really do quit for real.

My other option would be to stay completely out of any state employment for a full year, and then I could become a regular employee again.

Planning on doing the phased retirement thing, figure 3 or 4 years will give me enough to pay off house, restore 356, maybe buy a boat, and put a hunk of cash in the bank. Since my youngest will be just entering college when I hit my 30 years, just keeping working will get her a mostly paid for college degree (yay employee dependent only scholarships!)

I retired at 50. After 3 years I bought a small wholesale business and worked it part time for 7 years. Retired a 2nd time and have led a life of leisure for the last 11 years.

Sometimes I am definitely lazy.

I retired 6-1/2 years ago (70 now). I split my time between my place in CA, my place in FL and traveling in my RV. Going to Finland and Iceland soon. I forget why I ever bothered to work!

Perfectly sensible decision to me, better to retire too early and go back to work, than to retire too late and wish you'd have done it earlier

I did the die before you retire thing, the experience made me realise how much I enjoy working instead of making me find ways to retire early

I have a retirement plan, aim to work full-time for another 4yrs until I'm 60, then work part-time or full-time for few months of the year as long as the work is interesting and people still want my help

To maintain my quest for exploring, I plan to travel, combination of longhaul trips, overland driving/camping and city breaks. Aim is to see 100 countries before I stop travelling

To keep me physically fit I plan to do healthy outdoor activities all year round

To keep my brain and skills base fit, I plan on restoring my Porsche 930 and build a Lancia Stratos replica

To keep my reactions sharp I plan to scare myself $hitless driving mountain passes and throwing myself down mountains on my snowboard

Porch sitting while drinking beer, golf and watching TV can wait until I'm nearly dead and have lost the will to live

My old boss, in his words "took early retirement at age 92" and he sold the company, took his last flight as pilot in command on his 92nd birthday. He only retired because there in no insurance company on the planet that will sell insurance for someone over 90 to shoot photos from an airplane for money. One must be a commercial pilot to fly and photograph, and no one would insure him.

He was a pilot in the US Army Air Corp and one day received a new uniform and suddenly was in the Air Force. He also worked at the CAA before it became the FAA. He was a C-47 instructor during the Korean war. He had mega thousands of flying hours, and never one incident or off runway landing.

He shot his first aerials in 1947. He was 99 and kissed his wife goodnight, and walked upstairs to goo to bed. She found him dead when she finished a movie. He was super sharp and in good health and sprint.

Not lazy at all, believe it or not some of us don’t necessarily like our jobs but due it for the family. Did my Soc Sec break even calc yesterday. The extra money after I hit 78 ain’t worth giving up 3 years in corporate.

One thing retiring earlier can do for you - make it possible to do a job you'd really like to do that wouldn't normally pay well enough for you to consider, especially as a part time gig. Teaching a class or two as an adjunct for $2500 per course per term is no way to earn a living, but it is a great way to earn beer/boat/car parts money in a few hours per week. Personally, I'd love to work in a gun shop or bait/tackle place a day or two per week - but no way could I afford to do it for the $15/hr I'd be making. With retirement income (plus maybe SS at some point), it becomes a potential reality....

I retired at 62 because I could. Those who are rich think I'm poor, and those who are poor think I'm rich, so I recon I'm neither. What I am is extremely blessed. Everyday is a Saturday, and every month I somehow manage to pay my bills. I'm truly living the dream, or at least my dream.

My parents lived to 94 and 97. I honestly expect to make it past 100 given continued medical advances.

Regarding the money issue...

I retired in 2014 at age 60.
I was mostly worried about over-spending my savings and wishing I had worked longer.

To avoid bad spending trends, I made a journal of my assets each month....cash, stocks, bank and EJ holdings. (no real estate included)

Each month for the first couple years the total stayed almost level. In the last few years, it has increased each year without working or any income. (10% higher now)
I spend money freely and do what I want every day.


At age 71, I am more concerned about spending it down and not leaving a mil in the bank. :)