Can you do your current job until 68?

[CrystalVision]

Me and DH are trying to work out plans for the future. I'm 44, he's 48. I'm high up in an office based professional role (think Head of HR) and he's a builder. I'm trying to get to a Director position as I think I'll be better protected against younger (cheaper) whippersnappers doing my job but I feel like this will be completely exhausting in even 15 years time, never mind 25. It's even worse for DH as building is a young persons game (his words). The reason we're worrying is that we've recently moved and to afford it, the term is currently running til we're 73. Obviously we're trying to overpay and will reduce the term when the five year rate ends, but it's got us worried that we won't be able to work at the same rate we do now when we start to approach retirement. Two kids (4&6) so at the point we might be looking to drop hours, we'll be part funding university! Are we the only ones in this position??

But I don’t think it works like that. We have finally retired, but for the last few years have been working part time, gradually slowing down. When your children have left home and are self sufficient and your mortgage is paid off you don’t need to earn so much. I know some people will still be paying their mortgage but inflation will mean these payments will not be so much in real terms.

I’m 58 and retiring next August. I could probably do a few more years in the job but there is no way I would stick around till I am 68.
I started working in my profession back in 1987. 37 years will be enough. I’m a strong believer that we work our younger years to enjoy life to the max.

Don’t get me wrong. My life won’t be watching This Morning or Loose Women every day but I’m gonna go out and do what I want to do, go on extended holidays and out of school holiday season.

Primary teacher. No chance. I've paid into an AVC since I was 20, so hopefully that will make up for all my part time years when the dc were young. They are adults now and I'm full time and on the SLT. I'm 50 and on a good day I plan to retire at 60 and then tutor or pick up another part time job, or maybe some supply. On a bad cay, like now, I plan to leave before the next inspection as we are due it any time and is making the job so much worse than it should be.

Yes, I think so. Currently band 7 in the NHS, although my line of work (not management) means I’m not run ragged for 12 hours. I do have to assess patients and maintain a great deal of concentration and precision, which will potentially become more challenging, but the flipside is many more years experience.

Physically yes, mentally I'm not sure. I'm just about to move from a job I find extremely stressful (possibly because I'm just not very well suited to it) to a more senior one that I think will actually be less stressful, in the same industry but a different field. I'm in my 40s and hoping that what I'm moving into will be an area I want to stay in for the next 20 or so years, even if I eventually reduce my hours.

I have thought about alternatives. I have a friend who trained as a beautician later in life and had a spare bedroom she turned into her salon, and did things like waxing, facials and nails that weren't too physically strenuous until she finally retired at nearly 70 a couple of years ago. I would quite like to do something like that.

Definitely not, I'm 45 and have been teaching for 23 years. I'm finding starting the new academic year harder each year

I'm fine once we're a few weeks in and I've established myself with them but every lesson is getting to be a bit of a grind.

I'm in a college rather than a school now which means less sanctions. I'm firm but fair but the phone addictions of many students is grating and I get irritated much faster now

I reckon I've got 3 years left in me.

I probably could but hoping I won't have to! I have a part time office job. Some big events but think I could still do them if healthy at 68, just might come home earlier.

If I remain healthy, there’s no reason why not. But I intend to take partial retirement at 60 and work part time.

I'm in my late 50s and fully intend to keep going into my 60s. My line manager is in her 70s and very good.
As for you DH - he could think about doing something like "Handy man" when he's older, he has the skills, they get paid pretty well and can pick and choose their work

I have an office job and I can’t see myself doing this till retirement. I will slow down and can’t keep up with the change. Besides I will never be able to get to director level and I will be replaced by younger workers.

I’m similar age as the OP when I have my children. So I will be paying university too. Only good thing is we have less years left on the mortgage.

I recently had repair work done on some windows. The 2 men, who came from a recommendation, were both in their late 70s. They were happy and seemed to enjoy working. They did a good job.

I have good pensions, nhs and teachers pension but they’re both tied to state pension age. I think I can take them earlier but it drops them significantly if I do. 🤷‍♀️. I have a very small other pension which lays out at 55yo, will be worth about 2k a year.

I hope so as I will need all the pension I can get. It’s possible as it’s an office based job and wfh 3 days a week but who knows. Colleague has just had a stroke age 56 so realistically no one can predict how life will pan out.

I'm in a desk based job, so I could physically carry on till 67, if the RSI in my wrists lets me! I'd rather retire even just a few years earlier and check my work's 'retirement illustrator' regularly, wondering how little I could get by on. In 5 years the youngest DC will have left secondary education, so we could move somewhere cheaper.

I doubt it! Nicu nurse and on my feet for 12/13 a night with very little breaks! I'm 30 hours a week now I hope to drop to 24 at least as I get older (I'm 41!)

I definitely could, but to be honest I'm not sure my job will exist by the time I'm post 60... I work in cash handling/banking, and the way things are going, cash will become pretty much non existent in my field over the next decade or two. Even if cash transactions still exist in my line of work, it will at least have decreased to the point, they will not need me present for the hours I currently do. It will be minimal working hours, and even then, I can see the majority of the manual work being taking over by cash handling machines/computers/safes, which are already being used in plenty of other settings. Sad times, as I love my job, and I do it extremely well, but if a computer can do it quicker, cheaper, with the added bonus of no chance of human error, I can see why that would be the preferable option.

Yes, I can do mine as long as I chose to, even after retirement age. I am a self-employed interpreter, so I plan to keep doing my job - but picking and choosing the assignments I take to earn extra money on top of whatever pension I have by then.

The mortgage should be paid a few years before I reach retirement age though.

Yes. I have a low paid office job and will be doing it until state retirement age.
People on high paying jobs tend to retire early anyway.

I run marketing for a small company, am currently 60, and could possibly carry on until 67. However I was diagnosed with BC two years ago and although I have managed to keep working through, it was a strain.

Thankfully I can retire at 63, when my ds leaves school & maybe goes to uni, and my mortgage will be paid. It will be a relief to know it's all finished.

Four more years full time so will be 61 when I go part time then plan on finishing at 63. The USS pension has just got downgraded so I think why should I bother staying on? I may look for a day a week doing something else just to help me ease into things.

I am self employed no mortgage and work 3 days a week. I have no private pension so was planning to continue until 70 really then drop to two days a week. I am 60 soon.

I don't think I can. I'm 56 and a secondary teacher. I'll need to last til 65 but that's as much as I'll be able to deal with I think.

You should definitely be able to, your DH would be questionable.

I jumped ship from my old role (clinician with long pt facing shifts/hours) to an admin desk role. High level, and 2IC for Director so still long hours but the desk job aspect and flexibility with a decent wfh ratio makes all the difference, and while ‘stressful’ a world of difference to pt facing and very doable in my 60’s. I’ve been asked about future plans as my manager is retiring so they knew who they could/could not look at and absolutely no reason I couldn’t work to mid 70’s unless I have a sudden decline in health. It also helps that the travel aspect of the role has been greatly diminished due to online meetings, so now only one international meeting per year and a few local that require flights/time away. If it required frequent travel, particularly international I wouldn’t be keen to stay so long in the chair though.

It’s likely you would have DH retire prior to yourself, nothing saying you need to retire at the same point. DH and I will retire separately as we will both go until we drop basically which would be extremely unlikely at same time😁.

I intend to be like that.
As a manual worker I think once I stop I will lack the discipline to keep active so I intend that work will provide me the discipline as long as I am able.
Also, I will also be skint when I retire.