Did you have a ''defining moment'' where you just knew you were done? (physically, move)
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yep every sunday morning......marker in hand circling numbers on a small computer printout.....some weeks I feel the rush then the subsiding.......got to work another week! I'm only 6 numbers away from retirement!
It was not a defining moment but a tipping point when my last company offered a surprise VSI (voluntary separation incentive).
I had thought of retiring a bit early to have more time doing fun things (traveling, flying, hiking etc.) with my semi-retired husband but kept pushing out the retirement date.
It was not an easy decision to walk away from a rewarding job but considering my husband's health issues in the last few years (ankle re-injury, back injury and 2 retina detachments), I decided to take the buyout.
I have been in retirement for a bit over a year. Retirement was exactly what I had envisioned with almost daily fun outdoor activities with my husband and the dog, several wonderful cross country and aboard trips, time to catch up with delayed house maintenance, downsizing, exciting searches for a relocation home etc.
My husband hurt his back again (from carrying two heavy boxes of books to the library in spite of my protest!). He had improved a bit after two months and now could slowly walk around the house without a cane. I expect that it would take at least a month or two before he can resume hiking and traveling.
Two weeks ago, we discovered several large tumors on our beloved dog's hind leg. We had thought of just let her go instead of going through surgery at her age (she is 12 years old and may have only 1-2 years left). After seeing her suffered from bleeding, we made the painful decision to have her leg amputated. I am tending her wound to make sure the infection goes away before the surgery.
So I have been very busy being therapeutic masseuse for my husband's back and leg, wound-care nurse for the dog, and taking care of all household chores by myself. I am glad that I am not working. I would have been very stressed having to juggle home and work responsibilities like I did before during my husband's previous health issues.
Spring is around the corner. I am optimistic that my husband will recover fully again. My vet daughter assured us that our 'soon-to-be-a-tripod' dog will recover quickly and be healthy again.
I miss my professional life occasionally. However, it is no way, no how that I would want to return to it again even on a very part time, consultant basis. My FIL used to discuss his life in terms of chapters. Whether it is a defining moment or a tipping point, at some point, we all come to the realization or acceptance that our work life is over, and it is time to gladly embrace retirement.
#30 post is very significant, IMO. We are not promised a tomorrow. Years ago I came to realize that time is more important than money.
You can lose time and never get it back. I wasn't going to waste any more of it.
I was planning all along to work past 70, and was thinking I'd retire at 72. That would give me more time to put some additional savings away. But about a year ago at age 69 I realized I didn't want to work in IT any more.
The trigger? Six people in my high school class dying in one year, and a friend I used to hang out with in the 60s died a few months ago. I have multiple health problems (most recently diagnosed with the beginning of macular degeneration) and I have no desire to die in the saddle doing a job that holds no intrinsic meaning for me. I went in and told them I was leaving, and they wanted me to stay on for a while and dangled a possible severance package before me. But a higher-up told me the package wasn't happening so I'm putting in my 30 day notice end of April.
I've been working at developing my private counseling practice, and will be seeing a few clients a week to supplement social security and a small pension from a previous job. That plus various hobbies and volunteer work will fill my dance card nicely -- and with activities I want to do, not have to do.
I had that DEFINING MOMENT! Could not have been clearer. However, I was retirement eligible with a reasonable pension. I had options so clarity was simple. It isn't so simple for folks who will be in a financial squeeze. My wife would have still been well fixed financially if I dropped dead. I believed if I had remained for anymore length of time, I would have dropped dead. You will know.
At some point in the last few years, I lost my passion for what I do, I realized I'm just going in and punching the clock until retirement. As I have contemplated my career and work life over the past 50 years, I did what I was supposed to do, raised a family, took care of my kids, build on my skills and parlayed my income, produced for my employers, seeing the last of our elderly parents are taken care of. I've done it, and now as I approach my 65th year, I see fewer years ahead than I have behind me. So now, it's my wife's and my time. In my case, my employer offers a phase out program, I spoke with our financial advisor, had a discussion with my wife, scheduled an appointment with HR, and signed on the dotted line with no hesitation. Only about 13 months left in this career and then................. ? But, I can't wait.
I definitely had a trigger - actually a DOUBLE trigger. I worked in oil exploration as a geologist/geophysicist and the price oil oil collapsed from over $115 to less than $27/barrel. I instantly became pretty useless to my large integrated oil company - especially because at 58 I might not be around when the price goes up enough to make exploration profitable again. The job became very boring and unfulfilling because we went from drilling 9-10 prospects a year to 2-3 and one was operated and chosen by a partner company. The second reason was that my company was suffering huge losses and even borrowing money to pay their dividend. They hired a consulting company and between them and our management decided the payroll had to be cut by over 10,000 people out of 70 or 80,000. They were to achieve this by both forced or voluntary layoffs with a nice severance package. I had bought a pretty cottage overlooking the Caribbean 3 years earlier that I was only able to visit 3 weeks a year so the chance to live there full time made that second trigger (the buyout) pretty irresistible! The tough thing will be living from now (with age 59 in two months) on that severance and pension lump sum until I'm 62 and can get SS. I'm also trying to start a business that will be profitable to supplement ss for many years - hopefully eventually by hired employees requiring only intervention by me occasionally!
I definitely had a trigger - actually a DOUBLE trigger. I worked in oil exploration as a geologist/geophysicist and the price oil oil collapsed from over $115 to less than $27/barrel. I instantly became pretty useless to my large integrated oil company - especially because at 58 I might not be around when the price goes up enough to make exploration profitable again. The job became very boring and unfulfilling because we went from drilling 9-10 prospects a year to 2-3 and one was operated and chosen by a partner company. The second reason was that my company was suffering huge losses and even borrowing money to pay their dividend. They hired a consulting company and between them and our management decided the payroll had to be cut by over 10,000 people out of 70 or 80,000. They were to achieve this by both forced or voluntary layoffs with a nice severance package. I had bought a pretty cottage overlooking the Caribbean 3 years earlier that I was only able to visit 3 weeks a year so the chance to live there full time made that second trigger (the buyout) pretty irresistible! The tough thing will be living from now (with age 59 in two months) on that severance and pension lump sum until I'm 62 and can get SS. I'm also trying to start a business that will be profitable to supplement ss for many years - hopefully eventually by hired employees requiring only intervention by me occasionally!
Yes, the day the Suits showed up and told us that the parent company had filed Chapter 11 and our branch was closing. Fortunately, I was already 65 and said, "I guess I'm done."
... Folks ... I'm thoroughly enjoying reading about y'all's experiences - both good and bad! ...
I'm still in the work force, having been here, one way or another, since I was about 17 or so, and am looking forward with much anticipation, to becoming a full-time retiree. I'll turn 72, this year.
A couple of things strike me about our stories: 1) Many, if not most, have had a "plan" in mind, whether it was to be 'done' with your career, job, or assignment, by a certain date or age, or 2) a definite plan (and opportunity) to set-aside monies on which to live, in retirement.
I don't believe I paid a lot of attention to either of those, while I was a young(er) employee, with a Family, a mortgage, and car payments as our major expenditures.
More true to the idea that "The Road Goes On Forever...", many of my good friends, acquaintances, and hangers-on just didn't see our "maturity" racing toward us like a runaway freight train ...
It wasn't until a bankruptcy followed by being "fired" from my 2nd marriage, that I suddenly took stock of what my future might look like, and figured I'd better start laying some plans for 15 - 20 years down th' road ... If I'd be fortunate-enough to live that long.
Here we are today, having (basically) a new life, and "enough to retire on", even though now, I'm well-past-prime for retirement. If anything, maybe this can be one of "Life's Little Lessons" for those who actually need retirement goals in their lives. I don't know ... If I had it to do over ... I'd probably change a couple-three things. But, I thank The Good Lord that I was allowed to learn from my mistakes, and turn things around ...
I'm not going to regret leaving my "day job" - whether the company brings that to pass (a definingmoment), or when I make the decision. It's been a good run - albeit a rather lengthy one!
... Thanks! ... TC
Last edited by tomchard; 03-06-2017 at 03:30 PM..
Reason: ... Grammar-Grammar-Grammar ...
It's the difficulty in getting out of bed and doing the same thing over and over.
I have been grooming my predecessor - and just the other day the PTB told me to pump the brakes.... they're weren't certain she is it.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
I do have a little over 2 years left - but they will go fast. And there are projects that are coming up this year that I will need to train her or whomever. Those opportunities only come up once every two years. If she's not it? They are screwed.
I do recall it took them forever and a day to decide that I was their pick. Damn suits.
I'm staying - because I do want to see a competent successor....and want to pad my portfolio a little more... but little stuff comes up that makes me want to throw the towel in earlier.
I just need PATIENCE.
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