Well, it's finally gonna happen
 

Been working pretty steady since I was 16 years old. But, tomorrow evening when I shut it down, it will be for last time. Retirement here I come.

Now, I'll have more time to pursue my real interests. Hunting, fishing, playing golf and visiting with my 2 new grandsons.....

Been managing a team of Oracle engineers for 15 years or so now... Been in the I.T. business for 34 years... They gave me a nice going away gift this week. I will thoroughly enjoy them.

Congratulations!

Remember there’s a CHE 20 that will let you shoot a wild Bob this Fall. Do your mojo dance to give Missouri a good hatch.

Enjoy your retirement with all the gusto you can muster.... Its your turn to have fun now.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!����

Joe, I made a similar move 25 years ago. It seems like yesterday. I hope to make it another 25. 29 years herding cats, no going away gift, but I outlived most of the cats.

I'll be ready!

You’ll wonder how you ever found the time to work!!

Congratulations on your retirement- Enjoy it!





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The best thing you can do for your retirement Joe is to keep yourself in good health. Stay active and don't watch TV. Spend as much time as possible with friends and family. Not having to get on the road every morning and fight the traffic is a big benefit. I guess you heard we lost a major bridge here in Baltimore. Traffic is now a real cluster. Not my problem any longer.

Enjoy

Enjoy the future. Don't look back.

enjoy....especially the grandsons! that was a game changer for me.

Ain't that the truth!!

My advice to everyone is always do it as soon as you can and are comfortable with it. I had suffered two major heart attacks in one year during a major merger by our company. I thought about retiring then my wife was 9 years from retirement and I was only 50 and wanted to build for a long retirement. My new job was totally self directed and pretty independent, so I decided to stay until I though I was ready. I ended up staying until I was 58 and my wife reached retirement age of 55. The last three years I became obsessed with the game of "Do I have enough?" I ran simulations on Fidelity's Monte Carlo simulator until I was blue in the face. One Thursday morning in April, I stopped for breakfast then went on to work. I parked in the lot of our office, listened to the radio while I enjoyed the perfect spring morning and opened the door to go in. I sat there a minute and realized I really wanted to go fishing and I was worrying myself to death about how much future money I would be leaving to my kids instead if I had enough to enjoy the rest of my life. I went in to the office, submitted my papers and took a day's vacation to go bluegill fishing. I worked until August 1 of that year and retired the same day as my wife. We physically moved to Lexington that spring but still had our old house, which we sold that summer. We retired on the first, got up the next morning with the last of our posessions packed in a small box trailer, stopped at the realtors to close on the old house and drove out of town. Best trip we ever made.

Dean is right. I have told people continually that I have less free time than I did while working. That was 17 years ago and a huge portion of the good memories of my life are from that period. Most of the health and old age issues I have started developing began at about the time I reached normal retirement age. I am thankful every day that we made the decision when we did to be able to enjoy that early retirement period to the maximum.

Retired 4 years ago and I agree with Dean “how did I ever have time to go to work”
The other thing is that you will venture into what I call “ground hog day” every day is the same week days and week ends merge together.

The last thing that had to get use to is that for 40 plus year I was the most relevant person. Now you will be somewhat irrelevant, there won’t be lots of people waiting on your actions and decisions.

Glad to be retired enjoying every day!

I retired in Oct of 1998, had three things I was going to do, Fish more, read a book I had on the World's water supply, and hell that was so long ago I forgot the 3rd. Just enjoy every day and move, move and move more. Went thru 9/11, 2008, and still have money coming in to enjoy life.

Different strokes for different folks, although I totally wish you the best in your retirement, Joseph.

I’m 72 and cannot imagine what a day would be like without being able to go to work on the farm ….. planting, tending or harvesting. I work alongside my son and grandson everyday, and what a joy it is. Lest anyone think farming isn’t stressful, I would quickly correct you. Dig a hole in the ground and put $500K in it, cover it up, and pray for rain and good weather. Doesn’t always work out. But, I’m so thankful for every day that I am able to work and be productive that the good just far outweighs the bad.

I love my time in the field with my Parkers and Foxes and L C Smiths, but they have to take a backseat to breaking land, planting, cultivating and harvesting. God help me, I guess it’s just too imbedded in the blood.

sounds like its not work to you, so you did retire a long time ago and you just didnt know it..:)

God bless the farmer.

Family pic taken Thanksgiving Day, 2022. Me, my son, and his two sons.

https://www.jpgbox.com/jpg/72518_800x600.jpg

Stan I have had pretty much the same situation. Had a landscape business for about 45 years and worked with both sons as they grew up and the older and i have partnered for the last 30 years. All of my grandchildren have worked with us over the years and no greater joy is there in life. I never had a day i did not look forward to going to work. Said only the grim reaper could retire me.
But he fooled me with just enough health issues to stop me from working more than an hour here and there.
I wish you a long and healthy life and know how you enjoy it.

I retired at age 50, 24 years ago. I observed a number of top executives drop dead before 65. It's not for everyone unless you have a plan to fill in from the work life. I lost my wife of 52 years and am so glad we had many good years without work together

I love peanut butter.

:rotf::rotf::rotf:





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I truly get it Craig. Kathy and I were married for 52 years as well.

It ain't easy...





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A good friend retired very comfortably years ago at 27 years old. He came out of retirement at 30 and went on to start dozens of businesses and is now a merger/acquisition consultant-still working part time at 70 years old. He told me that more people working their asses off for retirement die going up the mountain than coming down the mountain. I asked him then why he's still working. His answer was, "This isn't work to me, it's damn fun!" :rotf:

Congratulations Joe, sounds like some of my retirement plans. Im about 6 months away myself!

Since January 2020 l have only been working two days per week,but last week told them I was hanging it up June 30, 2026 when my malpractice insurance expires, so that's nine months advance notice. I'll be 72 then.Taking off next week for three weeks in the UP grouse hunting with my 3 setters and best friend, hopefully back up in December, and then ten days in South Dakota in January.

My wife and I retired on the same day when I was 58 (17 years ago). Best decision we ever made.

I have been planning to retire on January 2, 2026 after 28+years with the Tennessee Dept of Correction. Some days I think it's the right decision, some days I think I should work the extra year and a half until I'm 63. I will make my final decision in a month or so.

My father worked for the federal government for thirty years . He retired when he was 56 and lived to a decent age of 84 . He told me several years before he retired that the guys he worked with designed a program on longevity of retired people that worked in the same area as themselves (this was during the age of the monster IBM punch card computers) . He said most of them waited until 70+ to retire and subsequently passed in 4 or so years , he also pointed out that most of these folks were wrapped up in their work and no other hobbies so when they retired they didn’t know what to do . My pop however always had projects at home as well as going around accumulating antiquities . Hence he had plenty other avenues to keep him as involved as he wished to be and he lasted 28 years after retirement. If not for Parkinson’s I suspect he could’ve made it well into his 90’s .

I retired at 52 years of age and never ever missed not going to work. I'm 82, married for almost 62 years and we found lots to do without a "formal" job,

retirement
 

My brother told me several years ago that he was going to retire at 70. And I said; oh really? How long do you think you're going to live past that. Well, that was something he had never thought about. So, at 65 he was out of there.
Since then he's been to Africa, Europe and all over the US in their motor home.
Once you do it you're thinking what the heck was I waiting for.

When I first started in my career, an old head told me that he had done some research on longevity in our field. I was told that the life expectancy of a career employee (twenty years or more) in our field, in our town, was fifty-eight. The average life expectancy of a career employee (again, twenty years or more) in our field, in our town, after retirement, was five years. I have retired. My wife says she will work until she is eighty, with or without me.

Congratulations. I wish you the best.

My last job before the Army was managing National Capital Skeet and Trap Club, a great Washington, D.C. area gun club. My career after the Army was 29 1/2 years. After my retirement from that "career" I never worked a day unless it was in a fine gun store. I have been retired almost as long as my career. The Lovely Linda followed me in retirement a few years later. I am not as talented or ambitious as many of my friends, but I may be happier with my decision as I enter my ninth decade of good health, bird dogs, and outdoor living.

Good for you Bill

I’m in the twilight years of my career. It’s nice finally being in this situation and knowing I don’t HAVE to be at work for much longer. I’m so much more relaxed knowing I probably have, at most, three years until retirement and could just walk out the door today if I wanted to.

Ivan, "twilight"??? You are just starting to have fun!!

Joe,

Think of everything you’ll miss. Come to think of it, i retired 9 years ago and can’t think of anything i missed! Have a great time!!

Ken

Don't look back

I retired from managing a Business Jet Service Center at age 55. That was 13 years ago.
Started a small Pecan company before I retired which involves about 8 hours a week during the busy season.
The rest of the time I enjoy being a Papa to my grandchildren, collect guns, hunt, traveling, helping friends and family, as well as honey do's.
My wife Pat retired as an RN 2 years ago at 65 but still works at a Surgery center 6 to 12 hours a week as this keeps her license current and enjoys the camaraderie at her work.
Life is good I have never looked back. Only wished I could slow down the clock some.