Retire but stay healthy,this is my 11th year.money is the big plus.have something to do and get a 32,thats what i did
Yep. What time is it? Don't know, don't care. I gave my watch to my son when I retired, haven't needed one since. Go for a ride in one of the jalopies. Work on them when it's needed. Building a spare motor in between lazy spells. Lunch is when I'm hungry. Beer when I'm thirsty. "Honey will you drive me to the store tomorrow?" Yep, call me when you're ready, I'll drop you off. Call me when your're done.
Retirement???? Forget it, I'm taking my Grandfathers advice, he lived until he was 89, still had a cut physique and worked every day of his adult life. I don't want to stop going..... Don't want to sit in a chair...... I'm 63 and still working hard, love it.......feel good......planning things....building a 37 Ford PU right now.....a bit slower, but rollin hard baby.....
On Dec. 14 I will be 65. Dec 17 is my last day of work. Sat. the 18th will be my first day of working on my projects when I want to. Not when the job permits. I started paying into SS in 1959. Its time to start collecting before the cheque arrives in pesos.
Am 67--retired 3 yrs ago after working 45 years-loved my job but retirement is great--have built a few cars, done house upgrades and starting another 40 coupe this week. Several key factors are important as mentioned by some already, house paid off, no debt of any kind and a decent amount saved plus pension and SS allow wife and I to do what we want (within reason) and have no worries--it's great to do what you want when you want with no real time schedule or clock to punch.
retired 8 years ago,I was 52.While I love retirement I soon realized your income doesn't increase until SS.I left with a modest pension and no major bills,well guess what,EVERYTHING has gone UP.While I enjoy myself,I must pick and choose my trips.My modest pension is 3,500 plus amonth.Now I face the next fact,I need a newer truck.SAVE,SAVE,and SAVE more,there is no set good amount you should have.Enjoy life however rich or poor you might be.
Don't put off today what you think you'll be around to do tomorrow. It seems more and more of my friends are passing away unexpectedly at an early age after retiring. And if you decide to wait till 65 to collect SS it will take you 15 years to make up for the money you didn't get if you had taken SS at age 62. Yes, you will get 25% less, but you'll still be ahead unless you live to age 81 at which time you "break even". For the 2005, the latest data available, the life expectancy for men of all races is 75.2 years and 80.4 years for women. More interesting data here: http://www.efmoody.com/estate/lifeexpectancy.html
Will have been retired for six years this summer and lovin' it. It has always been my dream to be "forced" into early retirement and it finally came true. Spent 39 1/2 years in a stinkin' steel mill and now I can work on my 36 every day and that stinkin' steel mill sends me money every month. I highly recommend retirement as soon as you possibly can.
Well, sir, aren't you just a ray of golden sunshine!!! any other words of optimism you'd care to share with the class??? (hahaha...jus' hackin' on ya!)
I retired at age 45. Now 66. Didn't plan it that way, but it has been fun. Both parents took ill and I became a caregiver for a few years until they passed on. Some payback for putting up with me.
retirement???? There wont be SS when i get that old. So who knows when my 401k will be big enough......
I retired from Ford motor co. after 32 years, and now every day is a saturday. I have a few projects to keep me busy plus the wifes list. I am glad I got out and recommend it to everyone. Now I do what I want, life is too short.
You younger guys will have to start taking care of your future now. If you are in your 20's, you have to start putting away money now. Really. And you need to do it, no matter how tough it is. Whether it's a $100 a month or whatever it is, you must do it and do it regardless of what else you'd rather spend the money on. It's real easy to think that retirement is something that you don't have to think about "today". Don't think that way. If I can offer any sound advice to my friends on the HAMB it's this: Take care of yourself. If you can draw Social Security when you are older, it isn't, and never was intended to be, adequate for your needs. We are living longer and the drugs that allow some of us to do so are pretty expensive. If us geezers were all to quit taking our meds today, by the end of this year, there'd be a lot of vacant houses and hot rods stuck in probate. I drove a new '74 Dodge van as a work van until 1989. I hated it. Chicks hated it. My friends were driving new cars and here I had a van with no heater, a crappy radio and it the whole mess sounded like a coffee can full of bolts rolling down the street. But, I was saving money and making double house payments on my mortgage. Many times I was broke. I mean BROKE. There were times when there was no beer, no dates, no shit....it was pretty miserable in the early 1980's. But I, personally, was never miserable. I was getting an edge up on my peers as I would sit and read their postcards from expensive vacation spots.... But I had a plan, and I stuck to it. I worked two jobs for 16 years and went, sometimes, 6 weeks without a day off. IT REALLY SUCKED. I knew what it was like to be broke, but not homeless, so I was still winning the game. START NOW.....it is going to get tougher and tougher to be able to retire for you young guys, especially. I am soooooooo glad that I did what I did when I did it. There is NOTHING more important than your personal security. Now, get busy!
This is a sensible approach, but only part of the story. There's some things that you need to do when you're young becuase you might not have the health or balls to do it when you're older. Just after college, I did a 6000 mile trip in 19 days in my 56 Merc pickup. That would damn near kill me now. I spent some cash driving the wheels off my rods in the 80s and 90s. Maybe that will slow down my retirement a little, but I don't regret it at all.
No question that you do have to enjoy yourself. I remember fondly the days when nothing hurt and I could do damn near anything, anytime. I'm still surprised that I didn't kill myself on motorcycles and in "them thar" hot rods. I drove cross-country when I was 16 in a steel t-bucket and didn't think a thing about it. Today, ohhhh man....I'd have to think about that for awhile... But I'm sure glad I did it. So, yes, be young and be happy. Your old bod changes over time and I'd rather have the bumps and bruises that I still have to this day rather than having spent my 20's, 30's and 40's wrapped in bubble-wrap.
The Jalopy Journal
