Warning: this post may cause a little envy… but only a tiny bit 😏

I think we’ve gone a bit too far into taxes
and pensions now — otherwise the thread drifts away from what it was meant to be in the first place!

I've found it really informative. The more education about pensions the better! We should have a Pensions & Pottering Board.

I have to disagree that work brings fulfillment to everyone. For some people it's a way to make money, pay off the mortgage and then work less or retire, to then do what really brings them fulfillment.
I certainly don't have energy left for the things I want to do on my work days, hate getting up to an alarm, and don't enjoy being in a state of 'at work'
I found a career I like so that I could cope with working.
I have met people I like and people I don't, but I have seperate friends and family I do things with outside of work.
Pottering isn't filling time, it's spending time in any way you please.
I can see from this thread that some people's identities are totally tied up.in work, and they can't imagine a life outside it, which is fine if it makes them happy.

@Flowerofdestiny , maybe your thread title should have been “Warning: this post may cause a lot of judgement, vitriol and heated discussions on tax and pension” 😂

Some facts from this article: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/understanding-retirement-uk

• For men aged 55, 81% are in paid work, falling to 44% by age 65. For women, employment rates fall from 74% to 34% over the same ages.
• People with average levels of wealth in their late 50s and early 60s have the highest employment rates (76%) compared with the poorest fifth (46% employment rate) or the richest fifth (65%).
• 83% of people with mortgages are still in employment aged 55–65, compared to 57% of people who own outright and 52% of renters.
• Only 40% of those with a disability [aged 55–65] are employed (73% for those without a disability).
• Before state pension age, those in paid work rely on their earnings (83% of income for workers aged 60–65), and those retired rely on their private pension (58% of income for retired people aged 60–65) and, to a lesser extent, a spouse’s earnings.

@Gasbox Lovely post. Doesn't sound ridiculous at all. I had a similar experience myself and consequently don't ever want to fully retire. Definitely look at re-trainng. All the best.

😂😂😂 what are you on about?

It's all very well claiming that you are going to South Africa for three months and a multi location trip because you have imagination, but you seem to be misusing the word imagination in place of the word money (unless it's just a daydream and you're not actually paying for long haul flights and three months worth of accommodation and travel costs whilst still paying the bills for your home).

I said up thread (though of course nobody is expected to remember who said what aside from thevpne who wrote each post - I don't either) that the only way retiring very early is appealing is if you are independently wealthy.

People who don't have the means to do more travel than they did whilst working either do unpaid work which provides the same fulfilment as paid work, or they potter, which is essentially stretching out things they previously did anyway to fill more hours.

I certainly see the appeal of working less and having a good mix, but for the vast majority of people not working in their 50s leads to less money for the rest of their life (even once actually pension age, due to 15 or so fewer years of pension contributions) which is what limits their life options rather than less imagination.

I work 2 days a, week. It's due to ill health, I can't physically do anymore although previously I worked ft (same job) for 16 years. I enjoy my job and although I am exhausted after the 2 days I'm glad I can do it. My other days I read, write, do my jigsaws and other crafts, rest, shop, walk, clean, see mum/friends and potter. I absolutely love my days off and am never bored. One day a week, I do a course at my local adult ed centre which I love. So far, I've done Creative Writing and Calligraphy and currently doing Book Club. I love learning and doing something for me. I really enjoy them. I'm 52.

Thank you.

Oh wow amazing, I’m off there January for 3 mths. Enjoy! Happy to provide tips if needed. Been to SA too many times to count.

You can make them change, I’m off to South Africa for three months staying in five different places in a few weeks time. I am going to have lots of new experiences, meet up with some friends and do stimulating activities. Life is only Groundhog Day if you lack imagination and let it be.
I have relatives with little money who are doing amazing things with their time so it’s not all about wealth either.

I did up until a year ago, I'm 50 and hadn't worked for almost 20 years. Then our circumstances changed suddenly (DH's business went bump) and we hit major financial problems so now I'm working 2 cleaning jobs to make ends meet.

It's been bloody hard but tbh I think I'm happier now than I was doing nothing, we were never exactly rolling in money so going out and doing fun stuff with my time wasn't really an option and gradually over the years I sort of disengaged with life in the outside world and became a bit of a recluse. It sounds ridiculous but I sort of feel like a proper person again now, I earn my own money, use public transport, talk to people at work and in shops on my way home and it makes me feel part of the world again. I've also lost 2 stone and am physically fitter than I've been in years as well as having better mental health.

I wouldn't go back to doing nothing I don't think, DH is retraining so I probably could in a few months time but the idea really doesn't appeal. I'm thinking I might retrain myself when the time is right, I'd like to do something that helps people although I'm not yet sure what!

Yes. I’m almost 54 and work twenty hours a week over three days. DC off at uni or self sufficient in grad jobs. No parents or elderly IL’s to run around after. Am retiring bang on 55 with DH after 37 years nursing and god willing can please ourselves 24/7 and travel even more. We’ve had seven foreign holidays this year alone. My days at home are fab. I don’t bore easily.

So true, although I could tutor/make resources as a side hustle. I really like doing the latter. But nobody will care about what you used to do once you retire!

And you still buy things, pay council tax, road tax, vat etc etc. Weird point of view that you have to work forever to contribute.

Work to live not live to work.

It's not about talking about work but about having a much wider range of social contacts and experiences through work than if the same individual does not work. This probably only applies to people who work with other people and in the community or a large non office setting though. It's perfectly likely people doing technical or administrative stuff from their home office don't have this benefit of working.

It is true that I'm comparing people who work in healthcare and education and adjacent fields with people the same age whose lives revolve around the garden and walking the dog. I'm also particularly thinking of my mother who had a job which really gave her a broad view of life until she retired at 55, and who after a few vibrant and busy years stopped doing much, just pottered, and within a decade seemed a lot older (to talk to rather than to look at) than colleagues of mine her age...

I suspect there's a huge variety depending partly on what work the individual did before and probably more so on the settings they worked in, how fulfilling their work was and how much freedom their work gave them, and whether they could do fewer hours rather than it having to be full time or nothing.

I do think lots of people probably get a burst of enthusiasm and energy when they first early retire and wonder whether that lasts after the first years.

What would get to me would be the fact that things would never change (except for the worse with worsening health eventually) and eventually it might get very groundhog day...

Even if your pension is so small it is covered by your personal allowance, I can guarantee 'you contribute to the tax system'. The price of practically everything we buy includes 20% tax.

So even after paying income tax during a long career there is no escape.

My original post said “Can’t wait to do whatever I want and contribute zero to the tax system for a good few years!”
Obviously as my ISA’s run out I’ll need to take more from my pension and start paying UK tax again.

I agree, a few people i know who retired before 60 look so good, not tired and stressed any more, and have found time for activities that interest them, I can't wait to join them.
I hardly ever discuss work outside of work.
I talk about travel, hiking, books, films, people, random things that are happening at home, or on the news, future plans, science based interests, games etc, so much more interesting than talking about work, and I like my job.
I know few people who discuss work other than a quick, how's work, yeah ok thanks, then move on.

Financial Services Project Manager.

I was asking @Timeforabitofpeacewhy she thought it was a "nudge thread" intended to nudge the population into certain behaviours though.

I do understand why individuals make the decision, but not why any shadowy force would be trying to nudge the population to towards this pattern (unless it was with ill intent).

I was working as a nanny after many years in Childcare (running preschools, NVQ Assessing, Preschool Development Worker and Teaching Assistant).
I have an ongoing heart issue and realised at 53 that I couldn’t look after other people’s precious children with the risk of having another heart attack or stroke in front of them. I was lucky to be in the position where my husbands salary was enough.
i ended up volunteering for a hospice charity a few days a week and enjoyed my hobbies in between supporting my family with childcare including assisting with foster children.
i have finished with the hospice and due to start volunteering in a primary school with the reading scheme.

i think having less stress has helped with my health issues. Its something that runs in my family and my brother was only 53, father 58 and grandfather 50 when they died.
i turned 65 yesterday so hoping to have a few more years without the stresses of full time employment!

I'm 58 and retired from teaching at 55 and have never been happier. I volunteer at my church on Mondays and Fridays and that gives shape to my week. I have no kids and do whatever takes my fancy. I'd recommend it.