Vacation, yes. To live no! Too long out of the home country - going on 27 years next June. Would be hard to re-integrate, and then my wife is, as you know, American. So its much easier to stay here when home is now.
How was your first year of retirement?
- Thread starter nortac
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I assumed so, Rudy. It would be very expensive to move the horses to Germany.
Yes , it would be.....And not to forget, all my friends are here now, just two older brothers left in the Heimatland.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Germany. Berlin, Dresden and a lot of time in Zittau, across the border from Bogatynia, Poland.
Terrible. A forced circumstance, compounded by having a partner who wanted to keep working so travel and moving house were not options, my family are also thousands of miles away so I couldn't make myself useful in that direction.
I thought about a new job but going from having a high salary and an exciting management job to a very small salary was just not going to happen.
I thought about a new job but going from having a high salary and an exciting management job to a very small salary was just not going to happen.
Was true for a LOT of people in that "Greatest Generation"....
My health forced me to retire. Looking back, I honestly don't think I would ever have retired. I loved being a nurse; it was WAY too much my life, but honestly, I don't know how or if I could have done it differently. Not and be as good at it as I had to be.
Cutting hair was easy to give up. No life and death to deal with, hence no adrenaline required, lol.
The first 18 months to 2 years I hated everything and everyone and everyday of retirement. Money wasn't the issue; it was between my ears.
I think if my health had held out I would have always found an excuse to keep werkin'. But my wife and I are enjoying being able to travel. So long story short: in order for ME to enjoy retirement I HAD to go out like I did.
Lol: DO NOT BE LIKE ME!
I turn 66 and 4 months in December and that is the second decision point in my pre-retirement journey. That's when I'm eligible for the U.S. Government's Social Security Benefit Program. The first was determined by if the company I work for was awarded the DoD contract I current support. If it didn't, I wasn't going to follow it to the next contractor. A moot point. We got the contract. Three more years of work...should I choose.
And that's where I'm at. Thinking about retiring. Soon. I don't think for a second I'll regret retiring. I'm just scared by all the uncertainty.
And that's where I'm at. Thinking about retiring. Soon. I don't think for a second I'll regret retiring. I'm just scared by all the uncertainty.
After the first six months, I thought retirement was wonderful. I was relaxed, did what I wanted, and adjusted well. At the one year point, I realized that retirement was better than I had thought at six months. After ten years, I have forgotten that I ever worked at all. One really overlooked benefit of retirement is that you can go out to dinner early in the week when the restaurants aren't crowded and it is easy to get a reservation. If you like to travel, you can get better airfares by leaving on a Tuesday and returning on a weekday. You avoid the crowds at the airport, often get better hotel rates, and usually have more options on where to go.
In addition, you never worry about being late for a meeting, or having to rush to get somewhere. If you are stuck at a traffic light...so what? There's always time to go for a walk. You don't have to take off work because some repairman is coming between 10 and 4. Life is good. You just have to stay healthy.
In addition, you never worry about being late for a meeting, or having to rush to get somewhere. If you are stuck at a traffic light...so what? There's always time to go for a walk. You don't have to take off work because some repairman is coming between 10 and 4. Life is good. You just have to stay healthy.
It's a little nerve wracking for sure, but like anything new, it's just a matter of getting used to the new routine.
My advice to anyone contemplating it... Retire as SOON as you are financially able to do so.
You can always find something to keep you busy, but you can never get back the time you wished you had taken.
One additional point: retirement can be scary. The first month without a paycheck will keep you up at night no matter how much money you have. Shortly after I retired I went into my local bank to get a new credit card. As I was going through the application online with the branch manager (who knew me pretty well as a customer), the manager asked me my yearly income. I thought for a minute and finally said “I guess it must be zero.” He laughed at me. I thought of my former paycheck as my income, never thinking about interest, dividends, increases in stocks, etc.
I finally said that I had no idea at all. He told me to make something up for him to put on the application. So I did. I still don’t know the answer, but it helped me to realize that my paycheck wasn’t my income. The RMD+SS is not my income. I now think about my “budget”, which is simply whatever I decide we can afford to spend in a given year. I use a version of the 4% rule…YMMV.
I finally said that I had no idea at all. He told me to make something up for him to put on the application. So I did. I still don’t know the answer, but it helped me to realize that my paycheck wasn’t my income. The RMD+SS is not my income. I now think about my “budget”, which is simply whatever I decide we can afford to spend in a given year. I use a version of the 4% rule…YMMV.
Yes, this is good advice.
Not everyone will miss a paycheck. Many of us have a defined retirement plan.
I hope to do just that one of these days.
I was going to ask “how do you ork a cow?”
I was going to ask “how do you ork a cow?”
I retired and traveled for 8 months straight. It was a good decompression. I needed that unwinding. Now, I do what I want, when I want, go where I want for as long as I want. Stay home if I want, as long as I want.
Everyone lives and transitions differently, but you’ll figure out what’s right for you. It’s not as scary as anyone expects it to be in my experience
Everyone lives and transitions differently, but you’ll figure out what’s right for you. It’s not as scary as anyone expects it to be in my experience
I retired from teaching in 2011. I was lucky enough to find a part time teaching position with the local youth orchestra 1 1/2 days a week with no meetings and no stress - just lessons.
I have hobbies and a few forums to keep me busy. Here's the thing - you get to do anything you darn well feel like doing. But you do have to do something. The day starts and the hours lay before you with all their possibilities, but you need to fill them with something that brings you some joy.
If you don't have enough hobbies/interests you can always volunteer small chunks of your available time.
Enjoy the journey.
I have hobbies and a few forums to keep me busy. Here's the thing - you get to do anything you darn well feel like doing. But you do have to do something. The day starts and the hours lay before you with all their possibilities, but you need to fill them with something that brings you some joy.
If you don't have enough hobbies/interests you can always volunteer small chunks of your available time.
Enjoy the journey.
I was forced to retire after a bad accident and a change in politics. My first year I was laid up in the bed or in physiotherapy. I didn't just sit around, though. I got off of the drugs as fast as I could, argueing with the doctor that I wanted off of those pain killers. I was always too active. So, not able to do all of the things I used to do, I started writing books. That has kept me really busy and I enjoy it. Then, I turned shaving into a more expensive hobby, I mean, I have been wet shaving since 1969 or so, then into those stupid multiblade abominations. I went back to DE razors. I have lots of razors. But, then I discovered brushes, soaps, and straight razors! I am deep in this mire, now, and can't get myself out of it. Hahaha!
Frequently in my dreams whilst sleeping at night, I would be still at work trying to sought out insurmountable problems? What a relieve to me when I woke up and realized I was now retired !
I did 20 some odd years in the Navy and used to have those dreams.
My second career at an engineering company was for 24 years.
About 10 years in to my second career, I started having dreams where situations and people were all intertwined between my military and civilian job.
It took a good year after my final retirement before that tapered off!
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