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They kept begging me to return as a consultant and they met my terms so I worked several contracts at 20 hours per week. Bottom line: I loved it.
But now, at 71, I'm done.
No regrets.
Kudos. I only retired twice But I am only 63, just went back to full time. But I WFH and my work is mostly mental so no hard core physical labor is involved. My challenge is to get up once a while to stretch and take a break. My plan is to work till 70 and even start a side business if all things go well and my health holds up.
OP - IIRC, you work for the government as a civilian employee. Being a government employee is one of easiest jobs of all. You can milk your current job (don't know what you do, but nevertheless) for 2 years without putting forth much effort. It will take them 2 years just to fire you anyway (unless you surf porn on work computer or falsify your time charging, or pi$$ off the current Biden administration ).
I retired with a to-do list of chores and projects that I thought would take most of a year. It took 90 days -- and then I found part-time work. I did that for 7 years.
What did you do? (and why, financial reasons, personal?)
-- What age did you COMPLETELY retire?
-- Did you never stop working, just cut back from full-time to part-time?
-- How long was your break between complete retirement and retiring to either full- or part-time work?
-- Why did you go back to work?
My FRA is 67, and my plan is either:
-- COMPLETE retirement at 65 (live off pension and retirement accounts, until Soc Sec. at age 70.)
(I might take Soc Sec at FRA 67, don't know yet. Either way there's a delay of years between when I stop working start collecting Soc. Sec....either 4 -- or 5 years.)
-- OR at 65 cut back from full-time to part time work maybe one more year (live off pension and retirement accounts, until Soc Sec. at age 70.)
(To me if you're working AT ALL you're not retired. But that's just my definition.)
Take SS at 67. Because this is what people don't tend to know: according to SS/Medicare, approx 10,000 men and women turn 65 every day (in The US). HALF of them are already retired due to chronic illness and/or severe injury; and they won't ever completely recover. Yikes, right?
At 65 I still felt young. But 70 -- not so much. I am now 72 and starting to feel my age. And my doctor keeps telling me that I am in MUCH better shape than the vast majority of 70-year-olds he sees. I find that a bit scary. LOL
I am SO glad I retired at 57. OH -- I retired, went back to work FT six months later, and I worked FT, at various jobs, for the next three years. I fully retired at 61-62. And I haven't worked since.
I cannot stress it enough: if you do nothing else in retirement, make sure you exercise at least 5 days days a week and for at least 30 minutes. Alternate between cardio and weight-bearing exercises. Exercise will keep you young. It will also help tremendously with sleep AND 'mood'.
Not long ago, some doctor said, "Self care takes time. And the older we get, the more time it takes." Oh, it was a doctor featured in AARP. He was right. And that's what I do now -- I take good care of myself. I'd love to volunteer when COVID is calmed down -- but only 1-2 days a week, and only 4 hours a day. Before I retired, I was a 'professional volunteer' for approx 20 years. Retirement is MY time FOR ME.
I retired at age 62. When I was 65 a friend approached me about going to work in his big box office supply store. They had a new thing on repairing computers and he needed me to help start it up. Pay was crap but I made my own hours and I was left alone. I stayed at it for about 5 years, which surprised me, until I relocated. They were all over me to go to work at one of their local stores but I said no thanks. I am fully retired now.
I retired at 57, and bought a small ranch. Lots of stuff to keep me busy, but this spring I got offered curatorship of a small museum. Only 3 days a week, the pay basically just covers my gas, but I love it!
It's the dream job I always wanted, and having a pension and investments to live on, I can have my job and not worry about covering expenses.
I thought about doing the "absolutely nothing" retirement, and since I mostly raise hay on the ranch for sale, except for a couple weeks of hard work cutting, bailing, picking bales and stacking, the rest of the year I just watch grass grow.
I've got a lot of hobbies and other work that I do, I've always wanted a ranch and love working it, but the museum is a labor of love since I've always been an enthusiastic if not degreed historian/archeologist/paleontologist, so this job is really a dream position for me.
Retirement is for making you enjoy life again after selling your soul for so many years of drudgery, so this is my reward and I'm very happy with it.
I retired in 2011 at 57. I did some seasonal work in my field (natural resources) and some volunteer work. That ended abruptly when, while doing creel census, I encountered a dead guy. I called 911 and reported the murder. The perp was walking back to town and a campground host picked him up and met the police. I decided that was enough of that.
I played in a rock band until our drummer died of pancreatic cancer. Now I putter around. I converted a garage into a music studio, built lawn furniture, and puttered around doing projects and fishing. Life is good!
What did you do? (and why, financial reasons, personal?)
-- What age did you COMPLETELY retire?
-- Did you never stop working, just cut back from full-time to part-time?
-- How long was your break between complete retirement and retiring to either full- or part-time work?
-- Why did you go back to work?
My FRA is 67, and my plan is either:
-- COMPLETE retirement at 65 (live off pension and retirement accounts, until Soc Sec. at age 70.)
(I might take Soc Sec at FRA 67, don't know yet. Either way there's a delay of years between when I stop working start collecting Soc. Sec....either 4 -- or 5 years.)
-- OR at 65 cut back from full-time to part time work maybe one more year (live off pension and retirement accounts, until Soc Sec. at age 70.)
(To me if you're working AT ALL you're not retired. But that's just my definition.)
Retired at age 57, Jun 1 1994. Haven’t hit a lick since.
Retired less than a month after turned 60 in early 2018, DW retired about 2 months after she turned 60 in mid 2019 (2 mo gave an extra year of pension) - no need for either of us to go back to work.
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But I am only 63, just went back to full time. But I WFH and my work is mostly mental so no hard core physical labor is involved. My challenge is to get up once a while to stretch and take a break. My plan is to work till 70 and even start a side business if all things go well and my health holds up.
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