Aibu Retiring at 55 - 30 years of idleness?

WhoTF do you think you are trying to tell people like me what we should do with our own retirement?!

Bloody cheek 🤣😂🤣

I’m 53. I threw everything at my pension in my 20s and 30s. I built up a huge pension. If I retire at 55 my pensions is £38,000 with a lump sum of £111,000. That’s if I leave at 55 and take it. If I leave work but take my pension at 67, my pension is £47,000 in 12 years time but in the meanwhile I haven’t taken my pension for 12 years. I have a small mortgage. My lump sum will pay for solar panels on the roof, pay off what little mortgage is left and I will still be left with £50000 plus. My husband is on a pension (he took it early at 55) of similar. At 67 my pension then rises to £50,000 as I will get the state pension added in as will he. His first wife died young of cancer. My sister had stage 4 cancer at 38 recovered but now 44 and honestly what the hell, life is too short.

For me I spent years getting up at 5 am and working until midnight, the stress had huge impact on mental health, emotional health, physical health.

I love reading, knitting, my garden, my dogs and my family. I love travelling with DH and seeing my children. The longing to be up at 9 am and potter around with a cup of tea and read etc

We are very lucky but I’m doing 2 more years maximum and that’s it. My job has been all consuming and had triggered various health conditions and I’m looking forward to a rest.

Problem is you don't know how many "good years" you've got left so if you want to do challenging things (my dad walked loads of the GR routes in France with his tent in his 60's) then you need to do them when you still can. Plus, everyone thinks they'll be the one who just drops dead at 88 having run a marathon the week before after hopping of a worldwide cruise but those people are notable exactly because they are massive outliers. A friend's job involves working out what people need to live on for the rest of their lives for med neg claims and this is based on aggregated data from huge numbers of people. What people spend between 60-70 is much higher than 70-80 and by 80+ discretionary spend is negligible in most cases. They stop doing exciting things, not because they've run out of money. They either don't want to anymore or can't.

In case of aforementioned DF, he's good for his age but he's definitely not wild camping those GR routes anymore although he does still walk the dog for 90 minutes over the hills. V few people in their late 70's and early 80's have no health conditions/ niggles.

Who says you have 30 years left ? I hope you do but you could be gone tomorrow or become ill or disabled. I was retired mid 40s and a decade and a half later i am not bored. I had a huge health emergency a few years ago and was very close to dying. it came out of nowhere and with no warning signs.In the weeks and months following it i was not lying in a bed regretting not having worked longer.
If work defines you then yes maybe you will wish you had worked longer but more time with my loved ones is all i was begging the doctor for.
i have had to slow down since being ill but luckily it wont stop me.There is so much to see, so much to do and yes you can do it on a shoestring but only if you are willing to hunt for a deal and don't need insta-worthy hotels, restaurants and 1st class travel.
If you are fortunate Life is what you make it and all about what you want it to be and if you want it to be about work then that's what you do. You do you. Here is to the next 30 years for both of us 🍹

I was brought up with a father who told me only boring people get bored.
I'm retired at 55 - now 57. I'm having a ball. I volunteer 2 days, do lots of fitness and dance, see friends I didn't see before, have several hobbies and new friends.
I do have to "cut my cloth" but it's worth it.
Partner is older than me and works part-time - works for him. We've always had seperate finances (for 36 years) so no grief there.
I can't believe my identity was so wrapped up in my job previously.
My volunteering role involves regular ongoing training. I study for interest only, which is very refreshing.
We do have a 15yo, which I guess is unusual. I'm around more for him and have savings to support him in terms of education, setting up home etc. (As does DP but it pays to think independently ).
I feel so much better physically and mentally.
I have a pension which is keeping me ticking over.
I am never bored!

Its the loss of income getting in my way :-)

You are assuming they will live for another 30 years, but you have no way of knowing that! It’s their life, not yours!

Something that has stuck with me from childhood…. At secondary school, my Head of Year retired when we got to the end of Y5 (Y11 now). He was 59, and told us that statistically, if he retired now, his life expectancy was something like 20 years, but if he took another year group through and retired in 5 years time, was something like 18 months. I forget the actual numbers, but in those ball parks. It was very stark. I appreciate that healthcare has improved in the last 40 years, but I’m not sure that people’s physical and mental fitness has.

DDad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at 50; his health deteriorated very quickly and he died at 61 after many years of a very poor quality of life. My uncle died of cancer before he got to retire, and a very good friend died at 46.

Tomorrow is not a given.

I’m 55. My youngest child is 14. I plan the retire when she graduates. On the meantime, I plan to change role to one than does not require (occasional) 4.30 am starts!

Each to their own. My sister’s father in law retired at 58, he’d worked since he was 16 lived in a modest house he’d paid off. All set to enjoy his grandchildren and had a massive heart attack at 59. You don’t know what’s round the corner and if they get bored they can always do some part time work (like my dad did) or volunteer.

I am 33 and I would retire tomorrow if I could

Not everyone gets fulfilment from work/career and find a quiet, home-based life much more nourishing.
You seem a little unimaginative..

And I think a lot of people are soft retiring in 50s these days - many can’t be dealing with the technological shifts in corporate jobs

How did they have enough money to retire that young?

You just described me (apart from the gym bit). Living my best life since retiring mid 50s.

YANBU to work as long as you like but YABU to say retiring at 55 is generally a bad choice. I'm in my early 50s and I'd retire tomorrow if it was remotely an option for me. Finances unfortunately dictate that it is not, I need to try to keep working for at least another 8 years.

I have no desire to travel - either now or in retirement. I have hobbies - not exciting ones - that I don't have the time or energy for, working full time, that I would love to be able to devote myself to. I only go away on holiday once a year - I have no trouble enjoying myself at home for the rest of my annual leave.

I fantasise about being retired, being 'off work' without a clock constantly ticking in the background reminding me that it's only three days till I go back or whatever.

"Staying interesting" - I couldn't be any less interesting than I am as a working person.

There would be some things I'd miss about work - meeting new people, the satisfaction of being able to resolve problems and transform ideas into reality, wearing professional clothes in the office and I suppose the rhythm of week/weekend - appreciating time off.

But overall, the daily stress, the constant fear of restructures and redundancy - as has happened many times, my world being blown apart by forces beyond my control, how much can hinge on what kind of line manager you have; how some senior thickie with a daft idea can fuck up the entire organisation and there's nothing you can do about it - I would love to be free of all that.

I know you think your work activities are interesting, but other people might find you talking about them quite boring.

I retired at 60 with my husband. We have travelled extensively, both volunteer (yes, on boards), do sport, look after grandchildren, do academic courses, go the matinees at the theatre, have supported elderly parents - and also walk, coffee and garden. As do most of our friends.

The freedom from work means we can listen to Radio 4 and discuss the fascinating topics (the issues with white working class girls and education yesterday was so thought provoking) and read much more extensively. We have a rule that TV never goes on before 6pm.

You do you as the saying goes but my retirement has made enough a more engaged and engaging citizen and the freedom allows me to manage my own life rather than work controlling me. Like everything in life, retirement is what you make of it.

Yep, God anything my son inherits from us, I hope he uses very wisely to have the best life he can, by wise I mean cutting down on work stress, travel, experiences I hope he spends it making him happy in whatever way he wants.

I left my weekday watch alarm on for 4 full years after retiring to remind myself that I DID NOT HAVE TO DO THIS SHIT ANY MORE.

Very cathartic. Those fucking meetings, and some twat would try and put one in at 4pm on a Friday. NO. FUCK OFF.

I loved the job it was the utter bureaucratic nut jobs that i had to work with that made it a complete nightmare.

I disagree. Once money is passed to someone else, it’s theirs to do what they want with. We won’t be inheriting, but if my children can, and want to retire early using what they inherit from us, good for them. Their inheritance wouldn’t come with strings attached and I’d want them to spend it on things that they felt benefitted them, not only on things they thought we would approve of

Each to their own, I think how boring and what a waste of a life slaving away in a high pressured role making money for someone else and getting a tiny cut of that. Defining how exciting you are by controlling a few decisions and getting to the top of some made up structure who would replace you and forget you even existed in a couple of weeks if you dropped dead! How depressing. There’s nothing more boring than someone who defines themselves by their job. You’ve only got to listen to work colleagues slagging off all their other work colleagues, talking about yet another soon to be replaced strategy, or clients who most likely would replace them at the drop of a hat - yawn.

I’ve just inherited at 50 meaning no more mortgage/debts and a bit of a buffer. The corporate life (together with its minions) can fuck the fuck off now. I’ll be spending the rest of my life doing things I love )some of them money making, others not. - some days I’ll potter in the garden, read a book. Others I’ll have a small easy job. Every single day I’ll be grateful I’ve been able to leave behind the extremely boring corporate existence and grateful I never got to the stage of defining myself by my job title 😂. Good on your acquaintances living life whilst they still can

This.

For some people "work" is not their defining feature. I cannot understand people who venerate their work persona/role to such a degree as @Scotsknowbest. But I guess it takes all sorts. Work to live/live to work.

I cannot wait to retire. If I could have afforded to at 55 I most certainly would.

The first person in my friendship group to retire were a couple aged 49/52. She gave up work to raise 4 lovely children. He was a dentist with his own practice. It was mind numbingly boring, he told me, there is only so much conversation you can have with people who have their mouths open. They have a lovely lifestyle, travel loads, read loads, exercise loads and eat & drink loads. Both are very physically fit. He more so is always learning, books, talks on cruises, courses etc. He is very intelligent. His wife is more of a sociable person eg plays bridge for the social aspect. They appear to be thoroughly enjoying their retirement and they deserve to. Very nice people, they do albeit the alcohol, take their health seriously. Both avid readers, up to date with world affairs. I consider them my closest friends and look to do similar in the next 3 years. People probably hate them, I know they don't care.

50 is maybe 20 more useful active summers, springs and autumns.
Do I want to spend my next 20 summers/springs/autumns on zoom of whatever horror tech comes next? No.
I am cashing out when I can.

I shall be retiring at 50. I don’t plan on being idle.

My husband is already retired. He isn’t idle. Far from it.

No inheritances.

This, I work with cleaners still working well into their 60s, can’t retire even if they wanted to.My dad planned to work longer but had to retire early 60s because being a tradesman took it out on his body.

I would absolutley retire early if i could but there’s no way. I’d have to scrimp and save and do nothing for years. I just don’t earn enough and the cost of living just keeps increasing. So we do the travel, the fun the days out,the concerts, the shows, the time together now. On our days off and leave.

There is no guarantee we could get to retirement ( my mum didn’t). So while i have a pension ongoing and plan to save more once the mortgage is done. We live for now too.