To ask if anyone else over 50 isn't desperate to retire

I'm a member of an organisation that fund raises for various different charities. We always fund raise for the local hospice, we have other nominated charities and always split any funds raised between local community charities as well, like food banks, dementia charities etc.

We do fun things like lunches, afternoon teas, fashion shows, beer festivals, Santa sleighs etc. Very occasionally we do bucket collections in response to natural disasters like earthquakes. We also find raise for equipment and supplies to Ukraine.

We also help out at local events.

There is a social side as well. It isn't just about fund raising.

I'm 55 and work 30 hours a week but over 2-3 days a week. I have at least 4 days of leisure each week, which is more than enough to get a good work-life balance.

My job can be demanding and stressful but I enjoy it. I am not ready to quit work and plan on working for many more years. With my job, I have the option to reduce my hours further, if I need to and that is what I will probably do before I decide to retire.

I used to work in a field where it was normal to do work Mon to Fri. I hated it and felt like all I did was work, so I can understand why people who are still doing this in their 50s have had enough.

Thats lovely. Something to get up for in the morning.

I volunteer looking after rescue dogs and I get so much joy from it.

I sometimes think I should be paying them!!!

I retired at 43! I was fortunate to be able to. I did courses, pursued hobbies, saw friends and family. I was also able to spend time with my, then, baby niece, who stayed with me a lot, we are very close. I I am 60 now, most of my friends are retiring at 60, so looking forward to holidays and pursuits with them.

I'm 56 , and if you asked me before Christmas I would have said retirement is ridiculous, I'm nowhere near that point.

6 months later I would retire tomorrow if I could. I have no ambition left career wise and will just plod on trying to move with the times in my current job.

The only thing that would accelerate my retirement is if my parents pass away, leading to a large inheritance from house sales etc.

Honestly if I could afford it I would at least go part time, I don't feel the need to work for 'spiritual' or social reasons!

I wonder what people's experiences of volunteering are? What makes it " work" for you?

I love my job and have no plans to retire. I was a SAHM for quite a few years and only went back to full time work 6 years ago, so I don't feel at all burned out yet. Plus if I did retire, I'd volunteer, and I work for a charity anyway so might as well get paid. I would like to reduce hours at some point, although I don't know if that will be possible.

Im just counting the hours til I can retire at 60! Also a nurse on a busy ward and TBH I doubt I could do this job when Im old (either physically, mentally or emotionally).
You rarely see an old nurse!!LOL😄

I'm not desperate to retire (57) but I have burn the process of winding down.
I've reduced my hours to provide the income I need, and changed my work pattern to compressed hours so that I have 5 days off one week, 6 days the next (our contracted hours are calculated on a 4 week basis).
I've structured pensions to begin kicking in at 60 so that I can reduce further with no financial implications.
I shall change my contract to Bank in due course so that I can take extended periods off work.
I'm not racing into retirement, rather pigeon-stepping.

This is exactly how I feel.

I wonder if part of it is the legacy of COVID too - it's created a busy but lonely dynamic for me. I feel like I want to do something for charity and community based now too.

I've retired at 55- so far a fab decision. I did only last 8 weeks before volunteering though 😂Nurse from age 18 - my old colleagues still insist I MUST be missing it!

I adore my job but I've worked part time and flexibly since my twenties so have a had a wonderful work life balance with lots of time to enjoy myself, take long relaxing holidays, etc (no children). I'm happy for life to continue just the way it is for the time being (early fifities).

I thought that I would miss FT work, but I do not at all !

I moved to a new location, to be nearer family
Met new friends
Travel, do hobbies, volunteer, carer, enjoy life more

I now wonder how I ever had time for FT work !

I too had friends & work colleagues sadly pass away before state retirement age

However, some of my friends are still working due to their circumstances

I am the same age as you OP and have no wish to retire whatsoever! I can't think what I'd do with all the free time as I'm a bit rubbish at being at home with nothing to do.

Other things that make me feel this way

• job is only 24 hours per week, some of the time wfh

• I have a child with 2 years to go still at University and we are giving him quite a bit of financial support

• our mortgage is nowhere near paid off

• my husband is younger than me and still working long hours in a stressful job and I wouldn't want to take the p

• there are plenty of things about working that I do like. I don't think of myself as old enough to retire!

@AppleCream

How much money you have is directly related to funds though, after tax, pension contributions and savings we living a great life on x so I've calculated what I need and adjusted for inflation, in addition likely to inherit £250k or more though obviously no guarantees due to care home cost potentially. We can still work once retired don't forget, just no more 9-5! Local pub already has offered me day shift hours

Me. I love my part time job. I have a great work life balance. I volunteer, I see friends, I have time to do my hobbies and I get paid to do something I enjoy.

My brain feels challenged and I like to keep my IT skills up to date.

Having had a child later in life means that I will have to financially support her through higher education (she can't work and study at that level due to health issues, and the masters she wants to do is very full time), so I might was well carry on earning.

I don't mind my job but hate getting up on Monday mornings, Hence procrastinating now!

Plan to retire in April 2026, I know I am very fortunate as I'm only going to be 52 but dp is older and we have substantial savings ready to cover the gap until he gets state pension and draws his workplace pension, I may work pt from time to time too as local pub as hours for me if i want them!

I'm 50. I've finally got my retirement head on and have been looking at my pension pots and seeing what's what. It looks like I will be able to afford to retire at 65 and that's what I will do. I think if the funds were there to do it at 60 I would have

Healthy life expectancy is 62.7 years.
By retiring in your 50s, at least you increase your chances of getting to enjoy some years of not having to work. Working yourself into old age and infirmity, no thanks.

I agree with @JaninaDuszejko. Unless you have a serious health condition, making decisions based on the possibility that you only have a year to live when you're in your 50s is unrealistic and may lead you to spend a long retirement in relative poverty, when you could have worked for a few more years and built up a better pension.

I think the key thing to consider is if you only had a short time to live (less than a year) would you regret not retiring earlier when you could have.

Life expectancy for a woman in her 50s is 87, that means half of us will live to at least 87, that's over 30 years. And I have colleagues who have absolutely continued working after getting a cancer diagnosis.

I think the key thing to consider is if you only had a short time to live (less than a year) would you regret not retiring earlier when you could have.

It's all well and good saying I won't retire until I am a certain age thinking you will have years afterwards but that isn't a given.

If you honestly are happy in paid employment and have no regrets if you died or ended up in ill health which limited your life then I can understand why you would continue to work.

Personally I am at the point when I am done with the 9 to 5 grind. I am therefore giving up paid work in my 50s in a few months and have no regrets. Life is too short, I no longer feel motivated in my professional work and want to get up in the morning and do what I feel like doing that day.

Once DH retires we will buy a motorhome and travel round the UK and Europe.

Yes, we want to do this too. I don't fancy doing it when I'm nearly 70. DH will retire after me, but if I'm not working it means that all our weekends can be totally free as the house and garden, laundry, shopping, etc, will be able to be kept on top of in the week. The thought of weekends just going off on your own schedule sounds like bliss to me.

I've got loads of things I want to do and work gets in the way. I always used to feel sorry for people who said their lives would be empty without work but now that it looks like I'll be working till 67 (at least) I kind of envy them. Probably better to have limited mental horizons when your financial and practical horizons are also limited.