I retire in 3 days!! Wife and I are off on a two month trip around the US to see friends and family then back in early Aug so I can drive the roadster to B'ville and spend the whole week this time!! Then build some funiture for the wife and do some stuff on my shop to make it a little more comfortable in the winter time so I can get started on the real project, a tank style lakester for Bonneville!! Planning to do the body from aluminum and pretty much do the complete car myself. Luck my youngest son is a great fabricator and thin so he can drive it! Rex
Left work a year ago never looking back. Every day is a Saturday has a hidden meaning that a working guy understands. When you're punching a time clock saturday is that day you dive deep into a project that can't ever be done during the work week. I have so many projects both for myself and friends (and I do know how to say NO!) that I never even think of going back to the old grind. However if I could find, haven't looked, a 8-16hr a week job that didn't require working for an asshole I'd probably do it for play money. Friend told me that to retire a guy needs 3 things, a big screen TV, a comfortable recliner and a working wife. I have all those but since I retired I don't use the first 2 as much as before. OH, yeah got a letter from my pension fund and sometime next week the money starts rolling in, guess I'll truly find out how that works.
I made a plan several years ago, it worked, I retired 10 years ago. No bills, have your house paid for and no other debt. Now I work in the shop during the cold winters on my projects and all summer I drive all over the USA in them. I am busy busy and love it. I turned 65 last month, next week I leave for CA for the LARS in my roadster for the 6th time, a three week trip, then G/Guys in Des Moines and Columbus, KKOA in Salina, KS, back to NV and onto B 'ville and a fun trip home for a couple of more weeks, onto the Deuce Reunion in TX, by that time summer will over and back to the shop! I highly recommend retirement. I love to be busy with the fun stuff, can't sit on the porch or the recliner! Playing with hot rods will keep you young. Dale
Seven years left. Then off to someplace other than California. I'm really ready to go now and have enough years on the job, but have to wait on the age. Well after waiting almost twenty years for the first promotion, I have seven years to promote as high as I can. It makes a lot of difference in the car building funds after I get out.
I have a looooonnnggg way to go...esp. with this economy. but to all the folks who are there and about there (retirement)....ENJOY IT! You all old timmers worked WAY TOO HARD to just eat meds and watch wheel of fortune! You deserve all the fruits of life! Follow those dreams, but dont forget some of the younger guys that are still eager to learn!
Next Friday at 8am when the bank opens I will have paid off everything I owe on other than the house. 17 days later I'll turn 50, my long term goal was to retire at 55. If I work it right the house will be paid for and I'll have built at least one more car or motorcycle and be ready to play till it all comes to an end.......
Been retired 8 yrs in Sep. Got lucky and pulled the plug at age 55. Best advice already given here.... Pay everything off before hand and stay busy, you'll wonder how you managed to do all the things you did while working...PS every day is Saturday...
I just retired this week at 53. I plan on finishing my current project, playing golf, selling a line of car waxes at car shows and cruise nights and doing a little bit of real work on the side to supplement my retirement. I can't believe the time is here already.
some years ago my wife and i bought land in the N Ga mountains....we built and finished our retirement home a year ago....cant see a soul on top of that mountain....we go 5 or 6 times a year....first fat check comes across my desk and we're selling the biz, everything has been paid for...debt free and bye bye rat race
I kinda retired in '99 when my wife of 26 years was diagnosed with lung cancer ,,spent the next 5 years taking her to treatments ,,after she passed away in '05 ,,i bought a '78 GMC 26 ft "Rayalle" motor home ,,sold my '55 Chevy '60's era straight axle gasser ,,kept the '27 T hot rod,,and now,,at 67 ,,i live full time in the R V ,,no house payments ,,no wants ,,no worry's ,,,just kickin' back and enjoyin' my own self ,,oh,,and cruzin' ,,but i do have a "Bucket List" ,,,,going back to Alaska for a trip,,Bonneville,,NHRA Winter Nat'ls,,,,the HAMB & AHRA Reunion Drags ,,both at MOKAN,,Florida to visit my son ,,Mass. to visit my 85 year old parents & my sister ,,Las Cruces,N Mex to visit my best friend from Jr Hi & Hi School 52 years ago ,he owns "the Adult Toy Factory" hot rod shop ,,might spend the winter there ,,much warmer than here ,,, still adding stuff to my "List" ,,,
UPS Tracking shows the handbasket has been delivered with signature confirmation. I was about 3 years out before the market crash, now its 8 years++, or maybe never now.
And 20% pay cut. Which isn't all that much anyway. Hard to give up cush gig. Don't have to work much. Just be here to wipe a few runny noses, and do damage control as needed. Takes some focus to not let new generation annoy me. Not all I'm sure, but in a world of working with computer jockeys, they seem to be mostly arrogant idiots. Suspect they are dregs of the new generation. Not good enough to get good job, and therefore attempt to cover up their inferiority complex. Wednesdays off works well. Monday and Thursday at cush desk job lets achy body recover from physical work on Sat/Sun/Wed. Only downside is Wednesday's crap is saved for me to deal with on Thursday. Seriously cuts into my Thurs screwoff time. (which I had to implement after previous boss cut wage twice before he sold business). Don't need to travel much. Rather hang home and enjoy time puttering in shop and yard. Simple life.
I'm a Parts Manager for a New Car Dealer..... been doing this type of work since I was in High School back in the 70's pushing a mop. I'm 50 now with no plans to retire! Love my job and can hardly wait to get to work everyday. That may change in another 10 or 15 years, but for now I'm doing what I love and wouldn't change it for anything! So we will see what happens in the future.... but this is my retirement.
If you like your job and your health holds out keep at it. Tough to impossible to get back in the game.
Sorry to say, but your friend sounds like an idiot....(well, maybe not the working wife thing) But sitting in front of the box sounds like a death penalty in my book! Be alive while you are! "Carpe deim!!" 10 more or so years before I get my chance. I just hope you guys leave something behind in the SS system so I can hopefully retire someday too!
I'm at least 6 and possibly 9 years away. A lot of it depends on how the economy and my company go. I'm ready when my finances get in order. Charlie, I'm planning to spend a lot of time in my shop and I will take my time to work on whatever is tripping my trigger at the time. Also, I want to drive my cars more and see America. There are lots of places I've been but there are more that I've not seen yet. I hope all goes the way you plan it. A vintage COE motor home sounds like a cool idea!
AND Larry M. is retiring next month ,Dale. Now if we can get Phil L. to retire soon, maybe the east coast guys (including me and Bill ) can follow you around the country. Glenn
Wanted to retire at 40. Finally did it at 50. I live in a dump but have a shop with every tool I ever wanted from a tig to a crank grinder. I heat with waste oil. I don't owe anything on anything, its all paid for. I live cheap.
I've been retired 3 1/2 years now and like Frank it took me just a couple of days to "adjust" to it. I loved my job but I could never go back. Working is WAY over rated.
I'm in the first month of my retirement. I've seen the entire internet............some twice.....others more........I have spent on the average, 4 hours everyday at the garage working on my car, so far, so good........wish I had done this before now !!!
This thread really makes me wish that I'd paid attention to a family member after I graduated from University who told me to get a job with the Federal Government. Instead I spent more money on school, worked my ass off and now at 40, I have zero years of pensionable service other than the basic Canada Pension plan. Now I'm watching teachers, police officers and Government employees around me retire with full penions between 50-55 earning 60-70% of their pay. Dumm, dumm, dumm. At this rate, I'll be lucky to retire at 70. So if I can get enough $$ together, I'd love to move out of the Toronto area ASAP, build a house in a smaller town with a decent heated/AC shop to build a couple of projects ('49-51 Ford convertible, '55-56 Olds or Buick kustoms). Since the weather up here sucks in the winter, I'll be looking to winter in the south in AZ, TX or GA for a few months.
I have 2-1/2 years to go. Hoping to walk away at 55 so I still have time to have some fun. My dad died just months before retirement and I promised myself I wouldn't work myself to death, so far so good. The wife will continue to work (home office, telecomutes) and I will be out back in the garage or out at the race shop. Can't wait! SPark
Let's see I retired from the Army in 1980. Worked for the Saudi-arabian National Guard for a year, then the Army invited me to come back to work for them as a civilian. Did that for 23 years and retired again in 2004. I obtained professional status as a retiree and today was my first day working for a national car reantal company moving cars from one place to another. Today I rode down to Yuma picked up a car and drove it to Kingman and rode back to Lake Havasu. Got 10 hours in. Not sure exactly what my retirement plans are. But I'll think of something.
dam you guys that are retired are killing me, i have 5 more years to go dont think im going to make it. 57 now trying to go to 62 or it sucks!
The Jalopy Journal
