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I was working a post-retirement job to help a long-time friend at his charter air service, and one day saw this from him:
... And it just got worse. Fella had over 23k flight hrs, was a great pilot but had many demons too. Not long after this letter, the vice president of the company went over-drive with his continuing disrespect toward me, and on one day having had enough, I got right in his face and called him "a F^&(*ing punk", which had me shown the door. In retrospect it was a gradual change even before I got there, where at one time his company was flying around big-time CEO's, congress/senator people, celebrities, etc, to losing his planes, huge hangars, aircraft service and repair shops and other bankrupting behavior.
I look back and I should have done it sooner. I knew the guy was hurting, so took minimum wage ($7.25/hr) back in 2014 to help him, and got really taken advantage of doing FAR more than I should have for the pay and responsibility, such as: Towing many multi-million $$$ aircraft around the field, doing heavy truck and equipment repair and service, aircraft refueling from two tanker trucks in all outdoor weather, hell I even did aircraft servicing, helping with the disassembly of landing gear, igniter checks, aircraft assembly, guest check-ins and ground transportation arrangements. Never missed a day of work, even when I was sick or injured. Oh well, I leaned my lesson and have not worked another job since in my retirement.
Was anyone's planned retirement suddenly triggered -- or at least greatly accelerated -- by a particular event or an upheaval in the workplace that you just weren't able to roll with? I can tell, with changes in mine, that I'm about to hit that wall and am beginning to fantasize about just walking out. It would benefit me financially to hang in there a bit longer to fully maximize my pension package, but I'm under no obligation to and think it's time to run a cost/benefit analysis. That is, more money in the monthly check versus months of what is beginning to feel like torture. Economics aside, it would feel so liberating and empowering to just pull the plug with no warning. The last job is the one job you can quit without repercussions. Who's done that? Share your story.
Not me. My financial plans are set. I’m not about to do anything to screw that up. I simply don’t care that much about office policy and politics anymore. I’m good!
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by otterhere
Any regrets now that you're living more happily but with less money than you otherwise would have? Maybe it's not even a choice once you reach that point, though. Once you're done, you're done.
Don't do anything that will cause regrets...
On Leaving a LT employment / previously GOOD job with long term relationships (in company and with suppliers / ex-coworkers / officials)
(FIRST - before flaming out)
Take a 'clean' break (to clear your mind for the correct decision)
Think it through +/-
Make an exit plan that suits YOU (and you will be a 'hero', not a loser)
Exit when it makes sense to YOUR past, present and future: (Consider reading Die Broke... about emotionally quitting your job but stay put (or leaving if that is the better plan)
Paid Vacation was nice As were many other perks
Chances are slim they will force you out. Make the remaining days, months, yrs pass by on YOUR terms.
On Retirement success (QoL)
Tons of great things to do that can be a better use of your time than employment
No shortage of benefits (except HC)
Freedom for choice each moment
Can engage in the lives / progress / assistance of others
Can improve your own situation
Many great job offers pop up AFTER retirement (Freedom from employment)
Risks:
Burning bridges
Aging (health and attitude)
CHANGE (big change from 'planned days' to freedom (+/-))
Second Thoughts... Cannot 'recreate' a great job that you found to be a temporary PITA and left prematurely.
When it is right, you will know it, feel it, and execute it.
Probably not singing Johnny Paycheck...
BTDT, not smart, not gallant, not a good way to be 'set-free' (if it was truly a good job), unnecessary lasting effects (definitely not worth the 'moment-of-freedom' feeling)
Not intended to be applied to a crummy job, abusive boss, dirt bag situation.
think about it
ACT appropriate to your value set / historical service.
I did that. My main Adult Job that I had for 20+ yrs. I was so fed up I couldn't wait to leave. After that to supplement my pension I worked at a smaller job for a while. Between the knobs I had to worth with and the mental defectives I had to work for, one day I just went in at 8:00am and quit. My shift didn't start till 2:30 pm. We were already short handed and I don't know if HR told the supervisor or he found at at 2:30 but I didn't care. If I screwed things up for them, hurray for me.
I did that. My main Adult Job that I had for 20+ yrs. I was so fed up I couldn't wait to leave. After that to supplement my pension I worked at a smaller job for a while. Between the knobs I had to worth with and the mental defectives I had to work for, one day I just went in at 8:00am and quit. My shift didn't start till 2:30 pm. We were already short handed and I don't know if HR told the supervisor or he found at at 2:30 but I didn't care. If I screwed things up for them, hurray for me.
Right? I'm entertaining fantasies of walking out right before the busy season, and good luck to them. This is so unlike traditionally (hyper) responsible and professional me.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Being 67 and vested in a pension system, when asked I tell people "I'm one bad day away from retirement." While I say that tongue in cheek, I really could but barring that bad day I'll stay to 70. I'm enjoying the work, and have several projects in progress that I'd like to see through. I also enjoy hiring and training and lately there has been a lot of turnover with the "employee's market" and good people being poached away. Just in the last 2 months I've interviewed and hired 4 people, only one was a retirement. The rest were promoted or left for more money elsewhere. I also like my work hours 6:00-2:30 which makes for an easy commute, and if that were changed,
Right? I'm entertaining fantasies of walking out right before the busy season, and good luck to them. This is so unlike traditionally (hyper) responsible and professional me.
Ha yes. One regret I have from all those years working is giving a damn so much. If I had it to do over again I wouldn't care so much or work so hard. It seems to work for other people ha ha
I’d bet 90% of the time people who retire a little earlier than otherwise anticipated do so because they are fed up with (mis)management. Eventually it just gets to you.
If you have enough saved, then leave. If not, just hold on a little and you will be the real “winner”.
I retired from my first career due to a major change at work, but more as an opportunity rather than a protest.
My employer announced in early 2012 that effective June of that year we would be able to take our Pensions as a Lump Sum upon retirement. Lump sums had been a rumored possibility for years but were not included as an option in the Employee Handbook of Benefits.
June arrives, lump sums are made available, employees can learn the value of their personal lump sum from a web site, and a second change is announced. All existing pension accounts were immediately frozen! No matter how much longer you worked for the company, your pension would never increase. I was 56 years old with a potential 9 years of employment remaining so this news pretty much sucked.
As part of the pension plan freezing the company match/company contribution to every employee's 401(k) plan would be sweetened. Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick but impossible to determine if it would better or worse than having our pensions continue to grow.
One of my co-workers who had already indicated he would be retiring confided in me that his contacts in HR told him to wait till October to retire. He didn't know why they made this recommendation, but they were adamant about it. I had already run my Lump Sum value past our Financial Planner who told me it would work for us if I decided to retire.
October arrives and the interest rate specified by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, which must be used to calculate Lump Sum distributions, drops by over a point and my Lump Sum amount jumps by nearly 20%! So I ran the new number past our FP and his exact words were "Roger, why are you even asking me this question?"
I immediately announced by planned retirement date and started looking for a second career for my final working years. Some work place changes provide an opportunity for something better.
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As were many other perks
