To ask if anyone else over 50 isn't desperate to retire

[LornaDuh]

I'm 61 now so have taken a look at the retirement board on here and various threads about pensions.

People stating that life is too short. They want to retire to spend time on their hobbies, and to travel and volunteer.

Anyone else not keen on the thought of retiring? I like my job, my colleagues, the structure work brings. Work makes me appreciate weekends, holidays. If I had endless leisure time I'd probably waste it on Mumsnet and napping rather than crafting and hiking in the Alps.

i am not 60 yet but it is a subject that raises its head in my office.
i dont feel the need to retire personally, in just over a year will i feel different? come this winter and driving i might feel different though

I plan to always work part time, if I can.and I am not laid off! I don't like endless leisure. I already volunteer and travel a fair bit.

I think it depends a lot on the lifestyle you have planned for your retirement. I enjoy the challenges and intellectual stimulation my job brings. But I’m still looking forward to retirement because I have lots of plans including learning new skills, travel, volunteering, trying my hand at some things I’d love to do now but lack time for between a full on full time job and 3 teens.

If you’ve not made plans for retirement apart from ‘not working’ and enjoy your job, I can see why it wouldn’t appeal

I’m only 50 but I could do my job for decades - no enforced retirement age. I feel sorry for people just desperate to give up what they’ve been doing. That is the life wasted

my plan is to end up doing less of what I do now, more of other interests. I’ve got a bit of a ‘portfolio’ life / career already. But there will still be engagement and work of sorts.

In my degree there was a course on aging. Main conclusion I can to? Always work in some way! Retiring kills

I've just turned 67 and still working. Luckily my physical working days are long behind me and I spend my days now on a computer. I had planned to retire at 70 when my wife would have retired. I went to a four-day week in January to ease off and spend more time with my wife. Unfortunately, life had different ideas.

I decided that I would do at most one more year, then retire at 68. As things stand now, I expect to be made redundant after a teams call this afternoon. I have had nothing to do for the last couple of months as the company is moving away from the work that I do. So that will push me into finally retiring.

I will take some time out before volunteering at a local hospice. I get bored too easily when I have nothing to do.

Some people can't wait to retire, some like me were more than happy to fill my days.Still managing to relax and have holidays etc.

I like my job, but I am ready for a new chapter and I want a life of more leisure than I have now. I have had the structure of work from the age of 5, so intend to do a retirement job i.e. few hours, low demand, either more fun or more purposeful and hopefully not having to worry about pay in choosing it.

I'm 64 and a secondary school teacher. I love my subject and like being with young people. I think it's kept me on my toes physically and mentally and you have to adapt. I still want to make a difference. I think I'm going to have to plan something to replace it when I retire, and I have been looking round at various things
Until then I'll carry on.

I'm 57 and run a business with my husband. At some point we'd like to sell the business probably when ds 15 finishes university (if he goes). I'm currently doing an art degree and hope to be in a position to work as an artist after we 'retire'. I am very conscious that plans can go out of the window at any age but especially as you get older so I'm also focusing on enjoying life now. The business we're in isn't very holiday friendly and doesn't pay for a lavish lifestyle but does have a lot of flexibility and free time day-to-day. I still waste too much time on Mumsnet though!

I am 64. I think, if I had plenty of money, my partner was not in a care home, and my adult children were not so dependent, I would retire and pursue other interests in a more involved way.

However, I do enjoy my work, and my pension (at 67) will not bring me more than a subsistence level existence, so I will carry on working for as long as I can.

My greatest fear is that I will become physically or cognitively unable to work before I am ready to retire, and then any retirement will be severely compromised. However, this is a risk we all take.

I see how much better my work could be done, how much money is wasted, yet I don’t want to be management so I’ll be leaving soon. I can’t stand the frustration that work brings to my life.

57, I enjoy my job and plan to retire at 65. Just back from a holiday and looking forward to getting back to the routine of work.

At the same time I have hobbies (allotment gardening and sewing) which I am looking forward to having more time for.

So I'm looking forward to retirement but not quite yet.

I want to give up work but have the same income I have now. Sadly there's no chance. I'm a great potterer and would very happily potter about all day. However I have no idea if that would be ok if I didn't have anything else to do.

I always thought I would never retire. My DH once observed that if we won the lottery, I would still work.
2 years ago it suddenly hit me that after working for 40-odd years, I was contributing NI payments but these were not adding to my state pension.
So worked out that if we were v canny, we could live off our occupational/private pension for a few years.
Now there are not enough hours in the day, and I wonder how I did anything while working. You'll be surprised how much you can do/want to do, when unconstrained by work!

What's impacted it for me is seeing some friends who took early retirement and it seems to have aged them. This is not always the case I know, but I do wonder if it can have a psychological impact? Having a demanding job then stopping and not replacing it? That's why I want to have a retirement plan that involves still getting up in the morning, still having a focus.

I'm in no rush to retire. I enjoy my job, it's a rewarding role, I'm good at it, and have a good work / life balance

I'm 61, at university for the 2nd time and looking forward to teaching art once I graduate. One of my BFs just landed a new job as CEO for a finance company. He's also 61. So no, retirement isn't something we're considering right now. People are living longer and healthier lives than ever before so... 🤷‍♀️

Retiring doesn’t ‘kill’. Inactivity and boredom aren’t great but, like work, retirement is what you make of it. Five years into retirement from teaching all my ex colleagues tell me I look years younger and much happier - and it’s true.

My mum retired at 60 and she’s coming up 95!

I do agree it’s important to have a plan and activities but otherwise you do you. Luckily there’s no compulsion about retirement now.

I always wanted more of an option so I retired but went back on 2 days a week aged 55. I'm 59 now. It's lovely!

Now there are not enough hours in the day, and I wonder how I did anything while working. You'll be surprised how much you can do/want to do, when unconstrained by work!

Honestly, I won't!

My very fit & retired PIL fill their days with allotment and Ramblers Association, crochet club (MIL), lunchtime pint (FIL). Volunteering. Matinées at the theatre and cinema. Frequent holidays.

Nope. I love a good walk but I do plenty of walking when not at work. Crafts don't appeal. Holidays - yes, but never dread going back to work - I just book a weekend away to look forward to!

Leisure time would lose its appeal if it were day after day, week after week, year (hopefully) after year ...

I don't want to retire, although I might go part time at some point.

I'm not very self motivated, so I suspect if I didn't have the discipline of going to work I'd not do very much at all. Im not keen on travelling- I find it stressful and I'm single, so work gives me some much needed social contact.

I think if I retired I'd just spend a lot of time online and doing housework, which is a bit boring and pointless. Work gives me a structure which I struggle to establish otherwise.

I have seen that with DM and my DBs. All retired in their mid/early 50s.

Both my DBs retired at the first opportunity in their early 50s (CS final salary schemes). Both quickly became 'old men'. Eldest is the worst. He has become progressively more right wing and reactionary. He spent his whole working life waiting to retire. Now he is retired and unhappy because he doesn't have an audience for his views (except DM who just nods and says 'that's nice dear').

I'm 46 and already have plans!

But I will probably aim to retire at 65, if Ill heath doesn't get me first. Otherwise it will be earlier. In my job, most colleagues are tired by 60. We do shift work, all hours, which gets harder as you grow older.

My ExH (50) is a postal worker and it's wrecked his knees so he's leaving to do another job.

So I think it depends on the type of job. Or you try and get a role that suits you better.

I was very happy to retire. DH stayed on and retired 2 years later, 2 years after that he died of incurable cancer. I would always say do what makes you happy where you can but not even tomorrow is guaranteed so never plan on the basis that you are fit and healthy and have more time. Keep in mind too that whether or not you can continue at work is not entirely up to you. If your only outlet is your job, losing it can be more catastrophic emotionally than if you have other activity options.

I’m 50 and can’t think of anything worse than retiring. I’m planning on stepping up my career for at least the next 10 years and then have in my mind I’ll start to consider retiring at about 65. I honestly can’t think of anything worse than retiring in the foreseeable future