Beware of Retirement

[Aqua Buddha 14582]

5 minutes ago, Larry T. Spider said:

This is what I worry about most with my dad. Mom has been retired for a few years and stays busy with hobbies and minor travel. 

Your Mom will be fine.  Your dad will go to shit.  

 

[Telegraph_it 3357]

I’m going to retire and then just fly planes. Hopefully I can put enough gas money away now to last me forever. Running out would really mess up my plans.

Flying keeps the mind engaged and you need to be in shape to pass medical so that should be good enough motivation.

[Larry T. Spider 1746]

9 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Your Mom will be fine.  Your dad will go to shit.  

 

That’s the concern. Hoping to encourage him to get involved in as many things as possible.

[Scheiss Meister 8407]

My dad has gardened and raised fruit trees since I can remember.  Since his retirement about twenty years ago, that has not only fed him good, homegrown food, but has kept him active.  He's 86, so he's slowing down, but he still gets after his trees and plants.  He also uses them to exercise his mind.  For the last few years he has been grafting his trees.  He has made a Frankentree that has two or three types of plums, two types of peaches, and a limb of apricots growing from the wild plum rootstock.  He is dreaming up new combinations as I type this up, I'm sure.

I have a small place that has a lot of yaupon and McCartney rose on it.  I am clearing those out so that I can plant some fruit trees, put in a garden, and increase the number of milkweeds and other native plants.  I plan to retire in eight or nine years, get a part time job to get me up in the morning.  That, travel, and working on my place will keep me going through my retirement.

[Guest]

This thread makes sense...

I’ve basically lived at Home Depot the last two months doing some DIY remodeling in my house and since then I’ve met some really great people. Howard in Lighting and Dave in Electric are two that come to mind, but a few more. Anyway the point is, the common denominator is they all retired from a “real” job but pick up hours in a crappy retail situation to interact with people and do something. Howard worked for TI as an engineer and now tells you which light bulbs you should buy, for example. I thought they had to have mismanaged their money but turns but this thread has educated me otherwise.

[Shoxthemonkey 1977]

15 hours ago, Hefeweizen said:

I think I will not really ever retire. I will switch to hourly consulting and do 15 to 20 hours a week. I enjoy the technical problems but can't wait to be done with management. It just is a drag. My friend that opened the office with me is retiring in three years and is going to increase the number of cattle he runs.

I do think outside interests besides food and drink are key. My dad plays tennis every day and said it's not enough, so he reads, attends music events, and does lots of traveling. Obviously you have to save enough to do that but retirement as just sitting around doesn't sound good to me.

This is what I am going to do starting September 1. 

[Washpark 176]

Dad and mom have been retired 20 and 15 years respectively. First 5 -10 or so years they travelled all the time. Did the big Europe vacation, Alaska, etc.  They loved it and were able body enough to do it comfortably. Less able now but more social and have picked up hobbies. Dad does wood working and probably spends more than it cost to buy but keeps him busy while mom does gardening most days. 

They are always visiting friends and going on day trips so probably have a more lively social calendar than I do. 

Retirement doesn’t have to be an end if you stay active and find hobbies plus go out and be social. 

They constantly talk about how happy and stress free life is now at this stage and just want to enjoy it with their kids. 

Edited May 28, 2018 by Washpark

[GhostOfTomJoad 9323]

My dad was retired early by his company at 55. Huge blow to his ego (only his wife & I know the truth; he told everyone it was his choice although his job was eliminated & he was sent out with a great package plus his pension). At 73, he's just now able to admit it was a good thing as he's had almost 2 decades to travel & do things he might have missed out on.

My dad's actually a cautionary tale on what not to do, IMO. He and his wife have piles of money & should be able to enjoy things on a grand level. Unlike his parents who happily volunteered for decades, my dad & his wife see volunteering as a racket & people "just want to get things from you for free." Once they relocated from Austin to Fort Collins they built a house north of town. It's a beautiful house in a pretty area, but boring as a morgue. Dad was active for years on their HOA & took great joy in being the covenant enforcer. That is until one of his neighbors threatened to shove the tape measure up his ass that my dad had used to report that his newly planted tree was 6" too close to the sidewalk & would therefore need to be replanted. I told my dad to get a new hobby.

It's weird. They travel a lot. Not too much internationally (his wife has health issues) but they spend at least one month a year at their time share in HI. They've only got 2 or 3 states left to visit to have collected them all. They go to Vegas a couple times a year for shows. But they live in their own bubble out by a lake. Blinds are always closed. They've alienated every bit of the family that is left, including my sisters & their children. He's never even seen his 2 great-grandsons. And when he does travel the reports I get back from him are never about what they saw or the beauty of the place, it's about some horrible experience they had at the airport or some random waiter who forgot to bring them an extra napkin.

It just doesn't fit. It's like he is hellbent on doing the opposite of what his parents did in retirement. Rather than help others & take joy in the simple things, they'd rather collect meaningless objects, isolate themselves, & just vanish.

Edited May 28, 2018 by GhostOfTomJoad

[Okie State 3816]

Dad and mom have been retired 20 and 15 years respectively. First 5 -10 or so years they travelled all the time. Did the big Europe vacation, Alaska, etc.  They loved it and were able body enough to do it comfortably. Less able now but more social and have picked up hobbies. Dad does wood working and probably spends more than it cost to buy but keeps him busy while mom does gardening most days. 
They are always visiting friends and going on day trips so probably have a more lively social calendar than I do. 
Retirement doesn’t have to be an end if you stay active and find hobbies plus go out and be social. 
They constantly talk about how happy and stress free life is now at this stage and just want to enjoy it with their kids. 

This sounds like my in-laws. They're still in the travel stage and are loving it. They are happier than ever and love spending time with the grandkids in between trips. They just flew to Costa Rica today.

[Mo Horn 8831]

I got about 10 years to go. We are planning to take the first year or two and live in Spain and use it as a base to travel Europe. Then probably come back to the U.S. and visit places here and spend time with grandkids, if our children cooperate. If they don't we'll just keep traveling until we can't do it anymore. 

[Okie State 3816]

I love doing DIY stuff so I hope to be able to either find a house to work on or have one custom built that I can slowly tweak a bit. I have a million ideas in my head, but no time to do any of them.

 

Would also like to have a car that I can tinker with.

[52-80 19147]

2 minutes ago, Okie State said:

I love doing DIY stuff so I hope to be able to either find a house to work on or have one custom built that I can slowly tweak a bit. I have a million ideas in my head, but no time to do any of them.

 

Would also like to have a car that I can tinker with.

What's your favorite Buick?

[Okie State 3816]

What's your favorite Buick?

Not really a Buick guy, but some of the Skylarks in the late 60's, early 70's are cool. I wouldn't mind an '87 Grand National either.

[Brothahorn 10087]

I worked in a stressful job for over 45 years. When I retired, I took a part -time job driving for Enterprise. It is totally without stress and look forward to going to work because I enjoy driving.
It doesn't pay shit but that doesn't matter.
 

That's a good idea. I bet you also get decent discounts, when you rent a car.

I knew a couple of retired guys who would drive/do light maintenance for Marriott. Easy job, plus you got the employee discount when traveling.

[former alkie 72]

This is a great topic, and sorry for being wordy.

In my line of work, you don’t get rich, but our retirement is kick-ass, and guaranteed by law. Guaranteed monthly income + free health insurance for life (same plan we have now).

Our retirement is “rule of 75,” so I’ve been eligible for the last 2 years.  If I retired today, my monthly income would be just a little less than I bring home now. However, my plan is to wait until summer 2024, and my monthly retirement income will triple.

Reaching eligibility was a great feeling, but way too early to leave.  I’ve had several co-workers retire upon eligibility, then are either bored or poor, and come back P/T.....definitely not my plan.

I love yardwork, so what I’d like to do is get a couple more mowers/weedeaters/blowers, and get about 10 yards - just for pocket money.

My brother and a few friends are all retiring around same age, so I hope/pray we start playing golf again, too.

Gotta stay fairly busy.....can’t stand thought of sitting around the house.

[BrickHorn 18217]

I would retire now if I could.  I figure a daily routine of exercise, guitar, reading / learning new shit, and hanging out with the wife would be more than enough to fill up my days.  Couple that with travel and visiting family, and retirement sounds pretty fucking busy.  

It would be awesome not to view every holiday weekend as an opportunity to work from home for three days.

[Armybrat 40826]

For 30 years my working life was regulated by school bells, and for the 18 years as a student prior to that career. Except for working at a tax service off & on over the early years of retirement, I refuse to go by any scheduled regimen. I'll do what I want, when I want.

I love to read, and have damn near worn my eyes out going through the Round Rock library book collections - not to mention surfing the Internet (Shaggy/Surly and numerous gun hobby boards & newspapers). It remains to be seen how much longer that activity going to last.

Just running daily errands keeps one busy, intermixed with day/overnight trips around Texas and occasional out of state travel. Walking the local hike & bike trail is another activity we do together along with season tickets at DKRTMS. Socializing with our oldfart Happy Hour group almost every Wednesday at a different bar or restaurant is another favored activity, as is attending grandkids' sports events & school functions.

Hardly watch any TV at all, and what little I do are programs from PBS, HGTV, History2 Channel, National Geographic, Science Channel, & the like. Once in a great while we'll watch a DVR movie. Never watch network TV sitcoms or any series. (almost never did before retirement anyway) The wife does a lot of volunteer work at her church.

Edited May 28, 2018 by Armybrat

[Parliament 14249]

You watch Fox News 24/7.   Don't lie.

[bmbmd 1027]

Couple of years ago, I made a five a.m. coffee run while vacationing on SPI.  As I was crossing Gulf boulevard with my two cups of joe, a white-haired dude came riding up the street on a chopper-style bicycle.  When he drew even, I could see that all he was wearing was a white body thong.  At that very moment, I understood retirement.  

[Kyrie Eleison 9312]

Couple of years ago, I made a five a.m. coffee run while vacationing on SPI.  As I was crossing Gulf boulevard with my two cups of joe, a white-haired dude came riding up the street on a chopper-style bicycle.  When he drew even, I could see that all he was wearing was a white body thong.  At that very moment, I understood retirement.  

don’t judge me...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TwiceHorn 31440]

4 hours ago, GhostOfTomJoad said:

My dad was retired early by his company at 55. Huge blow to his ego (only his wife & I know the truth; he told everyone it was his choice although his job was eliminated & he was sent out with a great package plus his pension). At 73, he's just now able to admit it was a good thing as he's had almost 2 decades to travel & do things he might have missed out on.

My dad's actually a cautionary tale on what not to do, IMO. He and his wife have piles of money & should be able to enjoy things on a grand level. Unlike his parents who happily volunteered for decades, my dad & his wife see volunteering as a racket & people "just want to get things from you for free." Once they relocated from Austin to Fort Collins they built a house north of town. It's a beautiful house in a pretty area, but boring as a morgue. Dad was active for years on their HOA & took great joy in being the covenant enforcer. That is until one of his neighbors threatened to shove the tape measure up his ass that my dad had used to report that his newly planted tree was 6" too close to the sidewalk & would therefore need to be replanted. I told my dad to get a new hobby.

It's weird. They travel a lot. Not too much internationally (his wife has health issues) but they spend at least one month a year at their time share in HI. They've only got 2 or 3 states left to visit to have collected them all. They go to Vegas a couple times a year for shows. But they live in their own bubble out by a lake. Blinds are always closed. They've alienated every bit of the family that is left, including my sisters & their children. He's never even seen his 2 great-grandsons. And when he does travel the reports I get back from him are never about what they saw or the beauty of the place, it's about some horrible experience they had at the airport or some random waiter who forgot to bring them an extra napkin.

It just doesn't fit. It's like he is hellbent on doing the opposite of what his parents did in retirement. Rather than help others & take joy in the simple things, they'd rather collect meaningless objects, isolate themselves, & just vanish.

No offense, but your Dad sounds like a bit of a dick.

[bluto 4915]

He said no offense so it's cool

[tbone_ 14113]

What's your favorite Buick?

65 Riviera is the correct answer.

[Johnny Sack 8397]

I am 41.  Plan on retiring from being an attorney in 10 years or so.  I have been buying up income producing properties like trailer parks.  I want to buy more and just do that and then split the year between the hill country and Colorado.

[Dbeasy 15042]

I am 41.  Plan on retiring from being an attorney in 10 years or so.  I have been buying up income producing properties like trailer parks.  I want to buy more and just do that and then split the year between the hill country and Colorado.

Aren’t those assets now at pretty high prices?

[Johnny Sack 8397]

20 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

Aren’t those assets now at pretty high prices?

Trailer parks?  Depends.  There are deals out there.  Especially when you're like me and aren't in a huge hurry.  I can buy one every couple years and get where I want to get.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

Fuck retirement. I'll practice as long as I can color inside the lines...

[Celery Man 20933]

I'm way the fuck too far out to see it how I'm sure I'll see it as I approach, but I can only imagine switching modes rather than calling it a day.

Surprised how many here are going to have pensions.

[Neonmoon 38129]

There’s very little chance I live to retirement or long thereafter. 

[hornian 5210]

1 hour ago, Johnny Sack said:

I am 41.  Plan on retiring from being an attorney in 10 years or so.  I have been buying up income producing properties like trailer parks.  I want to buy more and just do that and then split the year between the hill country and Colorado.

I want to be your protege. 

[Brothahorn 10087]

If I can give some advice to the youngsters, it would be...it's never too early to start planning. I've seen too many good men, who are still having to bust ass in their 60s, because they waited too late or made bad decisions. You don't want to be 67 years old listening to some 30 y/o asshole talk shit about something you have been doing for over 20 years. Nothing wrong with working at that age, but it should be your choice not a burden.

Hell, I'm mad at myself because I could have been ready to retire in 4 years(50) if I had listened.

[Goredho 17397]

My retirement plan is to spend 14 hours a day posting in the Cloak Room as various socks.

[Dbeasy 15042]

If I can give some advice to the youngsters, it would be...it's never too early to start planning. I've seen too many good men, who are still having to bust ass in their 60s, because they waited too late or made bad decisions. You don't want to be 67 years old listening to some 30 y/o asshole talk shit about something you have been doing for over 20 years. Nothing wrong with working at that age, but it should be your choice not a burden.

Hell, I'm mad at myself because I could have been ready to retire in 4 years(50) if I had listened.

This x 10. There are a lot of folks whose plan is to work forever because they don’t have funds to retire. The problem with that strategy is that no one wants to hire anyone over 50, much less 60 or 65.

[Aqua Buddha 14582]

1 hour ago, Celery Man said:

I'm way the fuck too far out to see it how I'm sure I'll see it as I approach, but I can only imagine switching modes rather than calling it a day.

Surprised how many here are going to have pensions.

An unsurprising amount of them are also "small government" types.

[Aqua Buddha 14582]

12 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

This x 10. There are a lot of folks whose plan is to work forever because they don’t have funds to retire. The problem with that strategy is that no one wants to hire anyone over 50, much less 60 or 65.

That's a problem with a lot of people.  They plan to work until 65, for example, and then they get laid off at 58 and no one wants to hire a 58 year old.

Always ALWAYS try to make yourself seem younger than you are.  Always.  There is no upside to looking older.

[GhostOfTomJoad 9323]

6 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

No offense, but your Dad sounds like a bit of a dick.

None taken. Your assessment is spot on. And his wife is even worse. But that's probably for a different thread.

[GhostOfTomJoad 9323]

1 hour ago, Celery Man said:

Surprised how many here are going to have pensions.

I'm probably one of the few who has a pension from a publicly traded company (they did away with it for employees hired around 2000; I was fully vested long before then). And a matching 401(k). Mrs Ghost has worked in city & state gov't positions for her entire career & has 2 pensions coming her way down the road. 

We won't be buying a chalet in the south of France, but barring anything outside of a full economic meltdown we'll be in good shape. Very fortunate indeed.

[former alkie 72]

32 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

An unsurprising amount of them are also "small government" types.

Curious.....what jobs qualify as “small government types?”

[Nice Guy Eddie 13509]

25 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

That's a problem with a lot of people.  They plan to work until 65, for example, and then they get laid off at 58 and no one wants to hire a 58 year old.

Always ALWAYS try to make yourself seem younger than you are.  Always.  There is no upside to looking older.

Yep.  I’ve worked enough at large corporations to know that few retire on their schedule.  It happens but is more of the exception.  Usually there is some downturn and those 55+ are given packages to leave.   If you’re getting close to that age, it never hurts to have a internal network looking out for each other.

Personally I don’t see the appeal to sit at home, play golf, or fish every day.  I suppose if you were hanging out with different people every day, then it could be bearable.  But if it’s the same buddies every day, forget about it.  I would rather have a short term or part time role.   Given that so few people save for retirement I think more olds will continue working at some level.

[Aqua Buddha 14582]

35 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Yep.  I’ve worked enough at large corporations to know that few retire on their schedule.  It happens but is more of the exception.  Usually there is some downturn and those 55+ are given packages to leave.   If you’re getting close to that age, it never hurts to have a internal network looking out for each other.

Personally I don’t see the appeal to sit at home, play golf, or fish every day.  I suppose if you were hanging out with different people every day, then it could be bearable.  But if it’s the same buddies every day, forget about it.  I would rather have a short term or part time role.   Given that so few people save for retirement I think more olds will continue working at some level.

That's already happening.  Olds aren't leaving the workforce because they can't afford to.  In the interest of economic mobility, they need to start moving but they're not.  Ten years from now will be different, though.

There are numerous things you can do to shave ten years off your image.  It takes some work but it's doable.

[kmac30 416]

Don’t forget about the cost of long term care. That can really put a damper on you or your spouse’s plans.

[Aqua Buddha 14582]

39 minutes ago, former alkie said:

Curious.....what jobs qualify as “small government types?”

It's not their jobs, it's their posting history.  That, and by my personal experiences, most people ranting about "big government" are on the dole to some degree.  

[former alkie 72]

34 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

It's not their jobs, it's their posting history.  That, and by my personal experiences, most people ranting about "big government" are on the dole to some degree.  

I wasn’t trying to be an ass with my question.....I just get a little thin-skinned sometimes.

After 27 years, have had a few self-proclaimed “victim of the system” types call me “government man,” and crap like that.

My bad

[Celery Man 20933]

2 hours ago, Brothahorn said:

If I can give some advice to the youngsters, it would be...it's never too early to start planning. I've seen too many good men, who are still having to bust ass in their 60s, because they waited too late or made bad decisions. You don't want to be 67 years old listening to some 30 y/o asshole talk shit about something you have been doing for over 20 years. Nothing wrong with working at that age, but it should be your choice not a burden.

Hell, I'm mad at myself because I could have been ready to retire in 4 years(50) if I had listened.

Kind of a jag from the topic, but to expound on this a bit - it's amazing how the more money you make bring home, the more your lifestyle finds a way to eke out bit by bit.  And so, if you're starting out and not making a ton and thinking "when I make $x, I'll be able to start saving" and then never really get there.  I imagine it's much more difficult to begin to play catchup when you "make enough money" than to just start from the beginning (automatically, aggressively) and enjoy the pressure release that raises and promotions bring as they come.

[Larry T. Spider 1746]

18 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

Kind of a jag from the topic, but to expound on this a bit - it's amazing how the more money you make bring home, the more your lifestyle finds a way to eke out bit by bit.  And so, if you're starting out and not making a ton and thinking "when I make $x, I'll be able to start saving" and then never really get there.  I imagine it's much more difficult to begin to play catchup when you "make enough money" than to just start from the beginning (automatically, aggressively) and enjoy the pressure release that raises and promotions bring as they come.

It’s called lifestyle creep. Very common and hard to fight against. I know guys that want to save but have big spending spouses. They hide raises so that they can invest the money and retire some day. Seems like a sad existence to live that way.

[Okie State 3816]

I'm honestly not sure why so many young people don't start saving from the very beginning. Just pick an aggressive percentage from day one, set it and forget it.

[Larry T. Spider 1746]

1 minute ago, Okie State said:

I'm honestly not sure why so many young people don't start saving from the very beginning. Just pick an aggressive percentage from day one, set it and forget it.

Priorities for young people have always skewed towards the present. However, this current generation has more student loans and live in urban areas with high rent. Hard to put much away.

[Okie State 3816]

Priorities for young people have always skewed towards the present. However, this current generation has more student loans and live in urban areas with high rent. Hard to put much away.

I guess so. Most of the people I know could afford it, but they just didn't bother. If you never see the money in your check it's a lot easier to get in the habit of saving. I'm only 33, but I'm glad I took that advice at the age of 21.

[Stoogey 219]

On 5/27/2018 at 9:16 PM, Aqua Buddha said:

.... obsessed with the Weather Channel Fox News and believe whatever fucking nonsense they she saw on the Internet.

After my dad passed away, my brothers and sisters and I found my mom a nice apartment in a seniors' complex. Sometimes I dread the twice a week visits and plan them around football or baseball games and pick up a pizza or sandwiches to keep her busy. When did she go from being Mary Tyler Moore to Crazy Lady? 

The worst was when she got a letter stating that for a charge, a locating company could find her lost stocks and bank accounts. No, the company was researching stocks which hadn't had any trading activity for years and dormant accounts. The scam artists were claiming finder's fees to locate stocks we already knew she owns. It has been four years and this subject still comes up. There was her first car accident in seventy years in the grocery store parking lot. I don't even want to call it a fender bender as it was so minor. The cop recommended a series of tests and doctor's exams to determine if she was capable of driving. She passed with a breeze but still feels he was biased against elderly people. Or the time she took her one year old car in to the dealership for an oil change - she puts on less than 1000 miles annually but already had the oil changed two or three times no matter what I told her -  and the grease monkey forgot to add new oil destroying the engine. Then there are Fox News discussion, internet topics and goings on at the complex. Mostly lunches or afternoon parties which she does not attend.

[RayDog 682]

I am 56 and have been retired over 2 years since Abbott ordered my firing. It is the best thing that happened to me and I wish I did it 5 years earlier.

I fuck 4 or 5, 18 to 24 year girls a week and know guys who do 10+. I write a book a year and shorter papers in between. I eat good food and have expat friends I hang out with. I have traveled some and hope to travel more, but the Philippines is home now.

I highly recommend that if you are single or divorced  and have at least  $2000 a month for the rest of your life, retire now  and start living it up.

Some guys I know have fucking as their main hobby. Some golf, some play poker or trade stocks. There are MCs everywhere if you like the biker culture. Pick something you enjoy and stop working for someone else.