To ask if you think you'll flourish or flounder in retirement

[The3rdMrsdeWinter]

Potentially 25+ years of setting your own agenda without the routine of work.

How do you think you (and your DH/DP if you have one) will cope?

What an interesting thread.

I'm coming up to 60 and have recently stepped down to a calmer job and three days a week. My two 'rest days' are fantastic. I get such a sense of achievement doing the garden, proper cooking and getting our lives in order. Honestly, after a full time challenging career I'm just pleased to have clean sheets on the bed.

DP is three years older and a bit work obsessed. He will struggle with having free time. I think when we both fully retire we will have to have a mixture of 'joint' days and 'alone' days. Frankly, I don't want him following me around all day like a puppy, as lovely as he is.

Approaching 50, have a lovely house, and a flat I rent out... contributing to my pension over the next 10 years

Kids 16 &7 yrs old, so much university to add to but I feel I'm on track to have a nice retirement..
mum currently in a care home, I'm trying to make provisions so my kids don't have to go through what I went through with my mother
Will written, POA sorted 😀

I hope I will flourish. I'm on my own so no DP but lots of friends. I have plans to do an Art foundation with my oldest friend and to continue to volunteer as a trustee on charity boards. Plus walking and travel. I have a reasonable pension but I am worried about living frugally - I'm quite good at spending money. And it's well known that people under estimate how long they will live.

DH & I would ideally retire when he's 60 so I'll be 58. I'm more keen to work less earlier so that we can actually do more travelling - more than the one or two weeks' leave at a time that we take at the moment. We should have seen our youngest DC through university by then so I want to spend more time & money travelling whilst we're still physically healthy and have the inclination. I want to tour NZ in a campervan and travel through South America and take our time in doing so.

I'll be lucky if I make it to 65, never mind retirement.

Dh and I are 61 and have no plans to retire at the moment. I love my job and he has his own business. I'm proud that I recently took on a promotion at work and really don't feel 60 ish. I work 4 days so already have a weekday to indulge myself if I wish. Our youngest is still at school so we have a few more years as parents of a dependent child.

I would like to travel more once we are not tied to school holidays but it's not clear where things are going re travelling freely at the moment. Also lockdown has made me question how much I enjoy my DH's company to be honest, so being together for weeks travelling isn't so alluring. Maybe some group travelling.

We have a garden we can't keep on top of, and I do enjoy gardening from time to time, but I know it would never be a passion. I like to get out of the house and see people.

Probably do a lot more walking, take up more exercise classes. Dh has a sport he could do daily but it's not my thing. I'd like to see friends and family more, and possibly go for girly holidays/ weekends, but that's not something I would want to do daily.

I suspect I would volunteer at something as I do like a weekly routine and the chance to meet new people.

I love reading but lockdown has killed my concentration a bit, hopefully that will pick up. I also used to enjoy language classes so might pick that up again.

I don't dread retirement but I'm not eager to embrace it yet. Some friends are already retired, but others who planned to when they turned 60 have postponed it due to lockdown.

Flourish as long as I have reasonable health. Plenty of ideas as to what I will do, be involved in and where I will travel.

I'm 52 and I really can't wait. Will probably do 10 or so years and then go. Good pension (NHS) only one child who will be independent by then. Mortgage paid off in 4 years. I am looking forward to doing more exercise, gardening, spending more time with DH doing things (days out, walking, cinema, theatre, holidays). Hopefully we will both be fit and well 🤞

There’s so much to do and anyone who thinks otherwise lacks imagination

Oooo er!

StepMIL retired at 52, keeps busy, lots of hobbies but it has aged her.

In my sixties now, I'm preparing for retirement. Love my job so will stay as long as they will have me and am taking a belated interest in healthy living, good food and gentle exercise. I've taken up some interests but so far none of them give me the scope and excitement of work, which I know I shall miss.

There are plenty of volunteer places who would be very welcoming. Sadly committee meetings just throw up the contrast to work. So much attention paid to being careful around people feelings, taking ages to talk everything through, dealing very tactfully with pushing even a tiny amount of change through and always always knowing that any increase in cost however worthwhile will not be given serious consideration.

This compares very unfavourably to work where I am given 'impossible' things to do and expected to get them done regardless. Much more exciting and of course not always so comfortable ...

This is the point in my life where the fifteen year age gap with DH becomes ever more noticeable. We have had a very good life together but I notice the differences becoming ever more of a consideration.

Great excuse to keep working and providing private health care.

I have lots of interests and hobbies, I’m studying, painting, writing, involved in animal rescue and various charities. I don’t actually have time for it all every week

I think I'll flourish. Lost my job during covid but managed to keep myself busy despite strict lockdowns. Financially stable so no money worries.

We will be retiring at 52 and 55 respectively (I will retire when DH does) We plan to spend the first year travelling then we will enjoy pottering. We both have small businesses on the side of our full time work so we will do a bit more of that. We both have lots of hobbies.

My retirement plan involves tennis, gardening, cake business

And we will very likely rejoin Rotary

Im 48 now a while off. Im not sure how I feel. My poor dad had a terrible stroke so got robbed of that. I think I enjoy a calmer pace life not running round. Maybe more mid week breaks. My husb thinks you would need a hobby or u crack up!! Kids teens

I think I will flourish but I will gradually enter retirement. I plan to retire from my current role by 50 at the latest which will be around the time my youngest starts secondary. I hope to then do 10 years or so of non exec roles, much less time intensive so will be able to do other stuff alongside. After that hopefully I’ll continue working in something not for profit.

I often feel at the moment that I don’t have much time to give back and spend in the community so I very much hope to be able to do that when I retire.

Also, I realised on maternity leave I do need some structure and am happier when I have something specific to do.

A good pension is the key, here, I think.
If you have one then you're very lucky.
My husband has been retired for over a year now and is waiting for me to stop( in the next few months.)
We have loads of plans and I can't wait. He's 61 and I'm 57.

I work to live and can’t imagine being bored without it. I would like to scale down gradually though. I’m in a chorus with loads of retired women with amazing active lives. They are an inspiration to me. I hope to still be singing and sea swimming. I may finally get around to gardening and hopefully can help my DC with childcare if I’m fortunate to become a grandmother. Then there is yoga, R4,U3A, gossiping with friends over a cuppa. I feel I’m missing out on opportunities now through having to work.

I am just coming up to retirement. I love my job and have always found it very satisfying. Don't have to retire yet but have reached my quota of years to get the full work pension so opted to go as want to enjoy other things while l am healthy. I find Covid has ruined my plans a bit as a lot of things l enjoy are not on or gone online which l hate so l get a bit anxious thinking l won't know what to do with myself. Disappointed travel is off the cards as l was looking forward to that. But hopefully things will return to some normality soon and l can get on with things.

I'm proud that I recently took on a promotion at work and really don't feel 60 ish

Well done @SGBK4682 - maybe this is what 60ish feels like!

You don’t need huge amounts of money when retired as long as no debts. Most retired couples I know have between £1500 £2k a month coming in between them and have great lives.

What an interesting thread. I would like to think that we would flourish. We live abroad, have always been very self sufficient as a family and DH and I are very close. But we also have a lot of space both physically and metaphorically to do our own thing. We had our dc late and they will still be at uni when we retire.
I just hope our health allows us to do all the things we plan to - nothing grandiose - living where we do, it's very accessible without spending much money. My dm was dead and buried no time after her long awaited retirement began, so I live life in the present.

I hope to flourish. We're saving hard for it now (we're 37)

Our plan is to travel as much as we can and downsize way before we have to.

I love to crochet and intend to spend a good chunk of each day doing that.

I'm looking forward to some real nice quality time with DH. I've always had this image of us sat in comfy chairs, me crocheting, him reading the paper, just enjoying being us

Flounder as I love being busy with work and a routine

We dont have any pension, probably too late to start now as too expensive