Has anyone retired early and regretted it?

[50andup]

I'm in my 50s, have always saved into pensions/ISAs and am now in the very fortunate position of being able to afford to stop work if I want to.

I know lots of people would think - that's brilliant and be off! But I'm wondering if I'll regret retiring early? After all, if I live to 100 , that's 45ish years of effectively being on holiday!

I've got loads of friends, already volunteer and have interests I could invest more time into, but is that enough? No desire to travel the world (done that already) or any very significant plans, so wondering if I'll get bored after a bit...

Has anyone else retired early and then regretted it later?

I didn't think my job was taxing at all, but I have been very pleasantly surprised at how much more energy I have now! I genuinely feel so much more rested and refreshed every morning - having that extra hour in bed every morning (followed by a further half hour in bed with a cup of coffee) and not having to rush out to work means I can start the day calmly and feeling bright eyed and bushy tailed.

I started to think about retirement about five years ago when I realised financially my DH and I were on track to be able to retire very early.
My DH and I didn’t have many shared hobbies so we worked on that area. I got into walking and he got into swimming and going to the spa.
Also I really focused on strengthening my friendships and now have two best friends who I see once a week on a one to one basis.
I also really enjoy doing things on my own, particularly going to the cinema and popping into town and having some lunch and a mooch around.
I still care for my DM so that takes up 10 hours a week.

I didn't think my job was taxing at all, but I have been very pleasantly surprised at how much more energy I have now! I genuinely feel so much more rested and refreshed every morning

Now that I mostly WFH I have an extra hour in bed anyway.

This time last year I hadn’t a notion of retiring. However, two colleagues retired in the past year, my husband retired in June, so I am giving myself a special birthday present on my 58th birthday in June next year. I’m retiring from teaching after 37 years of it. I can’t believe how much my attitude has changed in three months. Now I’m counting down the months and have gleefully marked off my last September ever in school. (Fingers crossed!!) I’ll miss my colleagues and the children but won’t miss the paperwork, the hours of prep and the never ending cycle of new (and usually useless) “initatives”. I’m glad I’ll be going while I’m still able to do my job with energy and enthusiasm. The fact that we were on the receiving end of so much negativity in the media during the pandemic (I’m in Ireland) was the final nail in the coffin of my career, I think. I once believed hardworking, effective teachers were valued. Not any more. I’ll be taking my pension and looking forward to the next phase of my life in June ‘22 hopefully, and I’m not planning on regretting it for one second.

I'm not surprised at people retiring young from teaching . Its hard.

DM retired as planned on the dot at 60. She'd always planned to. That was a decade ago and she got a very good pension. Her last few years were working PT and she was dogged by ill health and death of my grandma and aunt.

I think I'd much rather work more PT from 60 and take sabbaticals. People tend to retire old in my profession or transition to a portfolio career of non exec, consultants and advisors.

DH plans to retire in 2 years. I have a relatively new job though which should in normal non covid times come with a lot of foreign travel. Dd will be off to Uni next year so in theory I can go for full on last blast in career terms for a few years and max my pension whilst doing a bit of wining and dining around the place. I really like my job though maybe 5 years max would be enough. I do struggle to get up in the morning these days.