If you are due to retire do you have a problem with the fact that there will be ....

[FinallyFluid]

a very last payslip.

I am retired (furloughed then redundant) and DH goes in fourteen months, we decided on a number we have hit it, we have savings, so all will be well please God, but the thought of the whole process of work and payslips coming to an end feels like a really alien despite the fact that we planned for it.

Not sure I am making any real sense.

Only me then...

I know what you mean.

When I spend money- and it's not a hobby, I'm as tight as a duck's arse 😂 (not really, but I'd never state a hobby as being 'going shopping', for instance, iykwim)- I remind myself there'll be more rolling in every month- until there isn't.

It doesn't help that our pensions are a mess. A couple are in Australia and it's proving impossible to get advice regarding accessing them without being hit with a massive tax bill, for example.

We regard ourselves as having 2 years and 2 months left to work (til DS2 finishes uni). We'll be 60 and 62.

I just don't know if we have 'enough'.

Only you

Admittedly, I wouldn't care if I never set foot in my workplace again.

I don't hate it but it has changed beyond recognition in the past 2-3 years. We used to be a tight team of supportive colleagues, all pretty much on the same page; it's now a group of randoms with cultural, language and age gulfs between us (NHS frontline), so I don't have any friends left there.

However, tbh, I fear what might happen with totally unstructured time on my hands. As it is, give me a week's A/L during lockdown, and by day 5 I'm sleeping til noon and up half the night!

I'm on maternity leave at the moment, and am really lucky with my public sector maternity pay, but I'm now in the last three months of zero pay, and I absolutely HATE it! We have plenty in savings, my DH earns enough to support us fully (just), but I cannot stand no money coming into my account. I wouldn't be surprised if I just kept working during retirement - even a small part time job just to keep funds trickling in, I think I'd feel really nervy otherwise!

Totally not your point but don't you get payslips with your pension?

I'm self employed and currently wondering when I can say no more! I'm retiring
Do I sell up or carry on? Until I can't ?

It's a worry tbf

I was just thinking pension.
You will get money in your account every month so will still have an income.
I wouldn’t care whether it was pension or a wage as long as my account was topped up every month.
I can’t wait to retire. YEARS from now... 😓

I know what you mean. It’s still about 10-15 years off, but I’ve already decided I will probably do a part time job of some sort for “treat money” over and above pension income (even though we should - fingers crossed - be quite comfortable).

It’s a big transition leaving the working world because of your age. Not surprising to hear you are having some feelings about it.

No - I can't wait for that day!!!

im due to get my state pension next year after working an extra six years, i do two part time jobs at the moment and intend to keep on working at one of them because its not as demanding as the one i will be giving up it will be weird but i dont intend to work till im in my 70s what amounts to almost full time doing two jobs

My friend has just retired due to ill health and she has said the same. The finality of that last wage slip is really daunting. She's not been in work much this year but says being home without the prospect of work is totally different than being home with a view to returning.

@Rainbows89

It’s a big transition leaving the working world because of your age. Not surprising to hear you are having some feelings about it.

I'm feeling exactly the same @FinallyFluid. The post above sums it up nicely. DH has already retired and we have saved and planned for years to have enough to live on and yet I am finding it hard to take that final step. Loads of our friends are now retired but it just feels so final to me that it is scary, particularly because there would be no going back in my current role. I'm waiting for something to happen that "nudges" me out to be honest. I'm in the public sector so change is constant and, at some point, there will be a change too far which makes the decision for me. Somehow it seems easier to wait for that and not have the pressure of making that choice

You get payslips and P60s with private pensions, so the thrill never goes away.

Thank you to those that get it, and apologies to those who think I am slightly bonkers.....

@BessMarvin

Totally not your point but don't you get payslips with your pension?

I do. After four years it feels quite alien. I honestly don’t know why they bother.

I understand as dh retired in January at 53.
He mentors/coaches four people (unpaid, volunteer role) and this has helped with the transition from full time employment.
We had also done our calculations, looked at savings etc, but it still felt odd when he finished work.

I get it! I retired in December 2019, had 2 holidays in January then end of February with the intention of working very part time (1 day a week) just as lockdown happened. It was such a weird feeling - money per se wasn’t the issue, it was how io filled my time.

I intend to work till I drop. I'll need to.

You could always take some part time work. A non-exec role or something.

I retired last year and find it very weird (and very nice!) that money goes into my bank account without me actually working in a job. I do lots of volunteering alongside my (expanding) hobbies like painting so I'm still pretty busy.

I also had to work for nearly 6 years longer than I planned to. Not happy about that.