Aibu Retiring at 55 - 30 years of idleness?

You are enjoying your work and you have your social catch ups and friends.

Just keep contributing to your work places and being yourself.
I don't know anyone who has retired younger than 65.

I do know people who, in their fifties, are tweeking their lives to include more weekends away, meals out with their kids, time with grandchildren and more holidays.

For many people their work is not being a cog in a machine! Far from it.

My dad is 75, has health conditions that mean he can’t do many things including walking very far even aided so yeah he is sat in front of his tv in his lovely sheltered accom flat. You know what, he is still with us so if that’s how he wants to spend his last years. Who am i to tell different. There are activities downstairs in communal rooms but he doesn’t want to do knitting 😂

I should add tv doesn’t have to be mindless: he watches educational documentaries as well as sports and films.

It's not so much the retirement, it's the stopping of everything.

My PIL both retired at 55 and just... stopped. Their lives grew small and slow and they very quickly became older than they were. They've now been in the same stasis for 20 years doing absolutely nothing with the brains and the skills they once had. I totally accept that is their choice but it doesn't suit me and it just feels quite wasteful.

I would like to keep active and 'young' for as long as I can. Doesn't need to be paid work necessarily but it needs to be something satisfying and challenging.

It seems very young to me. For me if I retired at 55, I'd still have teenage children living at home. At 50 it's not unusual to still be doing the school run and still trying to get career back in track after kids.

I guess everyone's 50 looks different, and got some is the ETA of grandchildren, whilst for others it's still the era of your own children!

I am 42 and would 'retire' tomorrow if I could.
I wouldn't be volunteering.
I have plenty of ideas to fill my time and none of them are particularly community minded (why when people finally finish with work are they expected to continue working for free?🤷‍♀️ it just doesn't give me warm, fuzzy feelings at all).
I feel sorry for people that can only live a life as a cog in a machine, if work is all that keeps you interesting you really are not as interesting as you think.

Hell, I’d retire now if I could and I’m not even in my 40s.

There’s many things I’d love to do, learn and volunteer for that don’t involve me being stuck in an office 8 hours a day.

Very different situation as I was retired out due to significant disability, but I became 'retired' at 42....now that's young! I have a teachers enhanced pension & PIP so not exactly flush BUT I'm busy- I volunteer, I cross stitch, my cooking game has improved, I'm a massive advocate of life long learning & am currently learning about China under the different dynasties- because I can! I'm also raising my 15 Yr old as a single parent, and I love how I can be absolutely present for her.
I'm not going to be taking up an extreme sport any time soon and yes, it can be strange as all my wonderful friends work full time, we are all late 40s/early 50s but life is what you make it & despite some significant physical limitations I feel I have a full and worthwhile life xx

Hmmm, the humble brag…

I’m just not that busy now my children are older and I only have two high level positions and property portfolio to run…

…How on earth do people who only walk the dog and spend time with friends enjoy themselves without feeling pointless - I would be so bored…

You do you and be happy, we are clearly not all the same and feel validated (if necessary) in different ways.

My father died at 63. Assuming you will live to around 85 is arrogant.

@ForCosyLionI only posted the positives, there! What I didn't say is that the pay is piss poor!

I think doing nothing and being idle isn’t good for your mind and leads to a terrible retirement later on.

Id love to retire early and do a bunch of volunteering, study and exercise every day but alas, money…..

Should read my time NOT working really narrowed my life.

Idleness is very much underrated.

Personally I can't imagine stopping working so aibu, is 50to55 simply too young to be retiring even if the catalyst has been a windfall inheritance?

I wouldn’t make a generalisation based on your lack of imagination, though. What it comes down to is this: If you’ve nothing else you want to do with your life than work, then keep on working.

I was made redundant when I was 55 during the COVID years. I applied for a few things at the time but actually wanted to go to work and not work from home. I had a rather dependent dog who we have sadly had to recently say goodbye to. I’m applying for everything I can, I want to work but think age goes against me. I even wonder if HR think ‘She’s a bit think she hasn’t even got and GCSEs’. Obviously, O levels were the equivalent when I was at school. I found my time working really narrowed my life. There are only so many times you can rearrange the kitchen cupboards and tidy your knicker drawer.

These kind of musings are only possible when you are already in a very comfortable position. When you know you’ll be working a physically demanding role until you’re almost 70- and possibly even beyond- 30 years of frippery sounds pretty bloody good……

If you can afford to retire at 55 why not? You don't know what your future holds. My dad retired from social work at 55 through stress and died when he was 64.

I'm planning to retire at 60, in 2 years time. DH just got a diagnosis that means he probably won't be alive to retire with me, so all of our plans and savings were for nothing other than a financially secure very much unwanted widowhood for me.

I’ve several friends who ‘retired’ in their early 50’s and loved it for a few years. They slept when they wanted, woke when they wanted, exercised and socialised exactly as they required and enjoyed travel while catching up with all life admin and home requirements. They’ve all now gone back to work in either charity/passion roles or setting up new businesses. The difference is that they are in control and have balance. It’s an enjoyable place for them and I can see such a benefit. I think some are going to be very financially successful because the pressure is a fun challenge and not the stressful slog of their earlier years. Obviously they are financially sound but having fun pursuing their own ‘more’. I’m a bit younger but find it very inspiring.

OP I think you need to accept that others don’t have to live their lives to your pleasing. The “Idleness” in your title says everything we need to know about you and your character. Just stay in your lane and try to drop your sense of moral superiority, it’s an ugly trait.

Just on the cusp of retiring in my early 40s.

I have plenty to achieve and do in life - but will not do it at the expense of my freedom.

If you are independently wealthy and have enough money to never work for money again - what is it that traps you into repeating so much of your activities year after year with limited time off and a crammed life.

People are busy to be busy. The inability to imagine what you could do with your wild and precious life outside of the corporate world is so limiting.

A better question is - if you weren’t getting paid - would you still go to work? And if not then all you are is a wage slave. If you don’t need the money do something you’d happily do for free.

For all those asking about early retirement - it has to be a focus from a young age generally. I recommend a book called ‘Your Money or Your Life’. Also invest money in stocks and shares ISAs in a low cost (Vanguard / Intersctive Investor) account across tracker funds. I’ve doubled my investments in 10 years doing that.

Gosh deep condolences. That’s an incredibly hard time with so much loss. Best wishes.