To wish I could retire at 50?

Surely if you have a few jobs, you’re not ‘retired’, you’re just working differently.

I'm fortunate that I was able to retire at 49. I received a sizeable redundancy payment which has funded me for the past 5 years. I will start to take some DC pensions next year.

I do a few jobs such as football stewarding, product testing and exam invigilating. I have learnt a new language which I am fairly fluent in. I failed miserably at school and left with no qualifications so I am sitting my GCSE in English and Maths in a few weeks.

I think anyone considering retirement before 60 needs to make sure they keep their brain and body active
I feel otherwise you are on a road to dementia which my poor mum had for 2 years until she passed away its truly awful

There's a hell of a lot more to do than golf and macrame, thank god.

That said, I am always astonished by the number of people who go from work straight to the sofa to watch tv because they are so "tired" (people like office workers, not anyone with physically demanding roles) and spend their weekend doing chores, have pj days and watching tv.

I am guessing when 30 or 40 years old don't have more energy or drive than this, retirement is not going to be a healthy affair.

I’m a pensions adviser, but I don’t want to retire. Plan to work until at least 70

I would have happily never worked a day in my life, there are too many things to do and places to explore, so of course YANBU!

But I think you have to extremely strict on not pottering around all day. COVID proved it, if it was necessary. Aging people who don't stay very active become old and struggle long before they should.

@Ted27 I agree but you need to have an imagination and ideally live somewhere where stuff ( cheap or free) goes on - I intend to join university of the 3rd age.

I am 41 and don't feel as if I'd like to retire at 50 tbh. I'd get bored and a bit lonely I think.

Dh hates his job though and I think he'd like to retire ASAP (we are early 40s)

@Monster6

There are many other places and ways to engage in lifelong learning other than the workplace.
@Itseatingmeup I really don't understand this argument that retirement means you lose cognitive ability.
What people chose to do with retirement is their choice. If they choose to vegetate and not engage with politics and the world around them, that's up to them.
I'm 60 next month, I left the civil service 2 years ago. I was treading water, not interested in anything it had to offer. I'm not retired as such, can't afford that. I'm now a full time foster carer.
I still watch the news, read books and newspapers. In the next couple of weeks I'm going to 2 book tours, I've got workshops on ASD and ADHD coming up and later in the summer things on intergenerational trauma. I look out for exhibitions and events. I learn every day.
I won't be traipsing around Europe or going on cruises because I can't afford those things.
Of course having some income level helps but I don't think you need to be wealthy to enjoy a happy retirement.

Yabu OP.

We need workers and taxpayers not 50 year olds playing golf all week or doing macrame!

I'm 62 and that feels too young to retire.

I'd 100% retire tomorrow if money was no object - I've got enough things to do around the house, books to read, etc that I would be busy from dawn till dusk and definitely wouldn't be bored!

I’m 55 and not retired. Had my kids late so still could be 8 years till the youngest finishes university - and even if I could afford to a wouldn’t see the point in being retired now.

Am hoping instead to push on to mid-60s and be better off in retirement. My parents/stepparents retired in their 50s and, honestly, it looked a bit boring. A few holidays but mainly just doing things like volunteering/U3A to get out of the house.

I retired at 49 and was apprehensive at first but so glad I did!

I think about it differently. I always wanted to be a lollipop man as they don't start work until they're 60.

I've been paying into a pension since 21 and am now 47 - nowhere near being able to comfortably retire, I'm hoping to ramp up my pension for the next 10 years and go at 57!

I think a lot of this depends on money and interests- not everyone has tons of hobbies that keep them busy or plenty of cash. to be honest if I was in the corporate world these days though I would probably feel the same what with non stop targets in many jobs and unrealistic people like something off the Apprentice, and somikar goes for many public service jobs too. luckily we work for ourselves and in an industry that in all honesty is my Hs passion - we get lots of freebies too , gigs, events, trips as part of it so happy to keep on as it stands - I’m 63 and H is 60

I'm 58. I have some friends and relatives who have retired. They stand out as they've losr cognitive ability. They aren't really up with politics or economics. After a while they seem to be wondering around, visiting European cities, alone after their dp has got bored. It's led me to believe it's not all it's cracked up to be.

i put similar in my dad’s eulogy. He retired at 50 and had 25 years of travelling around the world doing amazing things. Then a quieter 7 years as he got “elderly”.

He lived fairly frugally- didn’t care about posh cars or houses. Just enjoyed himself.
Im still working in my mid 50s, but only two days a week and for myself. I call it a wind down job!

I feel the same way. I am never bored and would easily fill my days. Work is stressful.
My mum died at 67 and no one in my family seems to live that long.

Both my parents did, I'm 57 and still working 3 days a week. I won't be able to retire until pension age or I won't be able to pay my rent

Glad to know I’m not alone in early 50s would dearly like to walk away from all the corporate bullsh.t but I had my children late so I’m stuck for a few more years gritting my teeth through the next “strategy re-launch”

I am 50, can't believe so many people already retired at this age! I still have 3 children to support through universities. I don't think we can retire for another 10 years.

How much pension and saving do you have to retire at this age??

I’m 52 and for the last year going to work has just become mind numbing, only half hour commute but the drudgery of the same old shit different day. I really like my job and don’t want to work elsewhere but gosh if I could retire tomorrow I would and I wouldn’t spend a second thinking about work

I do see the sense in this but I’m committed to staying at my current level of seniority in the same organisation to be able to retire at 60. I know early retirement can statistically lead to earlier decline but I’d be willing to risk it 😁.

I so feel the same and wish I’d been more financially astute in my 20s and 30s. We are both planning to go at 60 and putting more away for it now, but the next 11 years feel like an uphill slog.