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Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,690 posts, read 57,994,855 times
Reputation: 46171
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A skillset to compliment future interests and potential income is always a good thing to pack in your toolbox.
For me it is tile-setting and stonework (bit back breaking but very satisfying and low capital investment, and LOTS of work available.... and I use that skill all the time.
And I keep a placard in the RV... Will work for used veggie oil (free fuel)
Basically, due to:
- "Rightsizing"
- The race to the bottom
- The jobless recovery (and subsequent labor arbitrage)
- The ever diluted US dollar
- etc
work completely sucks. As we get older, the suckiness gets harder and harder to accept. I can completely relate to the OP.
You don't want to work? Why?
Do you honestly feel burned out at 26?
Do you feel there's too much pressure to achieve, and you can't take the pressure?
I only ask because being so much older, I need helping understanding....
At 54 I can see someone who has worked for 30 years wanting to retire.....
But at 26, it could be seen as laziness, entitlement, or like someone who just doesn't want to work long enough to pay dues long enough to earn the ability to retire. I'm not accusing you of those things, and I know that's my 'old head bias' talking...... which is why I'm asking.
I also know that just as I may not understand why someone at 26 would want to 'retire,' someone older than me who worked until 75.....may not get why I want to retire at 54.
Heh! When I was 26, I "knew" I was going to take a $1B start up into IPO, conquer the world, etc. Of course that was back in the 80s, when it was still possible to have pretty raging success working hard on developing real stuff. These days, if you are not the next Zuckerberg, options are limited. In my case, although I had grand plans at 26, by 36 things had calmed down a bit, by 46 I knew I'd be in long grind. Now past 50, ugh.
I had 32 yrs in and missed retirement benefits by 6 wks, been beating the bushes for HC ever since, But I have survived (so far) hence I am working for HC for a terminally ill spouse, BUT working for my original company, So...next golden parachute (Oct 2014), I will get a 'bridge' HC for 24 months, and I get 7 weeks paid vacation for when I have to leave the Thailand 'resort'.
Please don't take offense to this and maybe I'm confused but you say you missed retirement benefits by SIX WEEKS???!!!
Unless you were fired or something, if you left of your own choosing IMO this seems very careless & cavalier on your part....there is no job on earth where someone couldn't stick it out for six more weeks with the tradeoff/payoff being retirement health benefits.
Again...maybe you were let go or laid off (would be kinda strange since you had 32 years in) but anyone could mail it in for that short amount of time in order to get the bennies.
Otherwise.....lots of great advice & info here!
As a recent retiree I have friends offering to get me a job.....but all of them tie me to a schedule/shift work and after 30+ years of that I've had enough. I am VERY fortunate to have access to a part time job of 24-32 hrs a week. The biggest advantage is I CAN PICK AND CHOOSE IF/WHEN I WANT TO WORK!!! - Is there anything better than that???!!
So I still enjoy the fabulous freedom of retirement and doing what I want, when I want.....they call me and say they have openings on say Mon., Weds., Thurs. and I can say "I'll take Mon. & Thurs. but I'm fishing on Weds. so no thanks". It is such a great situation to be in as it breaks up my time and leaves me other free time of my choosing to do as I please. Believe me...I am not gloating here just expressing how fortunate I know I am that I have a situation that 99% of retirees probably don't have.
As others have posted, I get the "what do you do all day" & "aren't you bored?" and the ever popular "what are you going to do now that your retired?.....you can't just sit around all day!?". The jealously/envy is subtle but it's there....I've come to see that most people want me to work because THEY have to work.....however, I've always lived within my means so I can live the life I want....if anyone takes ANYTHING away from everything that has been posted here, THAT is the key!
^^^ I believe his division was eliminated and everyone was pinked slipped.
The uncle of my neighbor worked on the Alaska pipeline... he was 6 weeks short too... turned out to be a pattern of letting people go to avoid the lifetime payouts.
He stayed on his own dime for almost a year applying to anything that came up from ditch digging to heavy equipment operator which is what he did... no luck... as soon as they ran his name and social... job denied.
It may be hard to believe corporate America works like this.
My own experience is somewhat similar... when I was asked to come to work for a large nationwide affiliated Hospital I decided it was worth taking a pay cut for the 401k match, profit sharing, stock plan, etc... back then it took 7 years to be vested... when my division was spun off I lost 60% of the money in my account because I was not vested... not a darn thing I could do.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,690 posts, read 57,994,855 times
Reputation: 46171
you missed retirement benefits by SIX WEEKS???!!!
I Left on a buy-out with a fixed date at age 49 (Retirement minimum age was 55), job was gonna be GONE., I was Burnt out.
6 weeks later and on my 50th BD... the company offered a new Early Retirement program for those age 50+. Too soon of a departure on my end. I took many weeks vacation with me, so could have easily lasted 6 weeks, but... I didn't have a crystal ball, and was given 5 minutes notice to take the perks and run, or to stay and get laid off (no benefits / no free College).
i like what i do and even though i went part time i can see doing this for quite a while .
i can take all the time off i want , work any days i want and have the best of both worlds.
if you like what you do you will never work a day in your life.
i like the challenge of designing new types of control panels for pumps,fans and factory automation and i love the excitment of winning big orders. i don't think that competitive drive ever goes away .
i like teaching the new minds in our company and i like learning new technology myself so i can pass it on to the new minds we hire.
i guess i am lucky in finding something i like along with a job flexible enough to let me work when i want or take off for extended trips whenever i want.
I Left on a buy-out with a fixed date at age 49 (Retirement minimum age was 55), job was gonna be GONE., I was Burnt out.
6 weeks later and on my 50th BD... the company offered a new Early Retirement program for those age 50+. Too soon of a departure on my end. I took many weeks vacation with me, so could have easily lasted 6 weeks, but... I didn't have a crystal ball, and was given 5 minutes notice to take the perks and run, or to stay and get laid off (no benefits / no free College).
Sound like the company made buyouts .....ALSO KNOWING that Early Retirement Program for 50+ was coming. They hooked people with the buyout....so they'd take that and be gone before the 50+ offer.
Unless there's an explanation otherwise....I can't belive the company didn't know they were going to offer the 50+ retirement plan. Some times they like to say "enough people didn't take the buyout so we decided to make the second offer." But I believe that company knew full well that second offer was coming...the WORKERS just didn't know.
But as was said you can only go with the info you have.....
Quote:
i can take all the time off i want , work any days i want and have the best of both worlds.
Sound like the company made buyouts .....ALSO KNOWING that Early Retirement Program for 50+ was coming. They hooked people with the buyout....so they'd take that and be gone before the 50+ offer.
Unless there's an explanation otherwise....I can't belive the company didn't know they were going to offer the 50+ retirement plan. Some times they like to say "enough people didn't take the buyout so we decided to make the second offer." But I believe that company knew full well that second offer was coming...the WORKERS just didn't know.
Agreed....that's what I thought after he clarified it. Sounds like just another scumbag corp.
I only wonder if there could be any legal avenue to pursue (at the time, not now) that the employer either withheld such info and/or coerced people to leave "or else" and then changed it up after they bamboozled enough people to leave.
It's stories like this that people need to be aware of to show, proof positive, not to make your job your life or sacrifice your home life for work. With most employers (esp. corporations) when they are over & done with you there is no loyalty or appreciation.
Just curious what field of medicine the OP is in. You mentioned patients, so I assume medical. Has the job changed recently for you, or is it you are tired of the same ol same ol?
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