Warning: this post may cause a little envy… but only a tiny bit 😏

[Flowerofdestiny]

Does anyone in their 50s actually exist who does nothing all day?

I feel a bit silly asking this, but I’ve been wondering…

Does anyone in their 50s exist whose kids are grown, who doesn’t work full-time, and literally has days completely free of obligations?

I’m genuinely curious: is it as boring as it sounds, or actually a little paradise?

I feel a bit nosy for asking, but I’d love honest answers 😅

So you'll have a monthly income of less than £1047.50 then? Anymore than that would be taxable

If it's in your ISA it's not taxable.

I’m ashamed of the government that gives all the multi million and billion pound companies and individuals massive tax breaks.

Yep.
55 semi retired... plenty of time and money to fulfil my hobbies or generally toss it off.
Its fucking brilliant.
ETA... still paying 40% tax so Im not worrying about potholes....

I don't know why people who are working are talking about what they do with their free time.

That's not what the thread is about.

I'm kind of like that at the moment but I'm ill a lot so I'm not happy. I'm in limbo at the moment though because I'm about to move house unless it falls through at the last minute.

I'm planning to do dog boarding when I move so that I will be able to continue my life of pottering and I'm hoping my health will improve. So I'll be taking the dogs on days out, painting, gardening etc. I'm also planning to start going to church and hopefully being involved with that community. I sound like an old lady!

I don't feel ashamed about not contributing to society by paying tax. I've lived most of my life with undiagnosed autism and not received any help...hence the stress-induced illness. I've raised two autistic DS's, one of whom is a high achiever. But that's by-the-by... I don't feel I owe society anything. If I lived in a Scandinavian country or Bhutan I would probably feel differently. Anyway, I don't believe people's primary motivation for working is the contribute to society - they're working for money for themselves and just pretending to be altruistic.

Are people really ever 'free' of their children?

On a day to day basis yes. I certainly don't need to arrange my life round them these days. Same as my friends

Part of me would love to retire at 50, but so many people I know that retired young and are now in their 70s just seem so much older than those who still work or those who worked up to mid 60s. Given average life expectancy of around 82 years - that would be over 30 years not working! I've seen too many people just slow right down, and hear them talking about how busy they are because they went to the shops and had lunch with a friend.

Sure are, now my two are grown adults I have never felt so free.

I'm 5O and an unpaid carer to severely disabled son.
I stay at home but work 24/7.
Does that count?

You can take whatever you like out of savings, ISAs etc without paying tax on it

My paid income is c£24k (usual income tax), I then draw dividends of c£15k from my business (dividend tax) and top up any spending from my savings - zero tax on that. I don't need to draw my pension yet, so I am still putting more in there each year for tax efficiency. If my business makes enough money, I try to put in c£10k pa, and through my employed job my pension contributions are about £2k pa.

I took early retirement in my 50s from my very stressful and full-on job because I didn't want to die in harness, so to speak, and I thought that was a real possibility if I continued into my 60s.
I got an immediate occupational pension, also a decent redundancy payment from my employer (there was a general redundancy offer going so I took it.)
I was burning out and had had enough.
DH retired when he hit 60 and I don't think either of us has regretted it for a second.
Actually life was still quite full on as my late Mum had dementia and needed a lot of care but she went into a nursing home after a few years so that made it a bit easier. And being retired we had the time to visit most days.
These days I swim, DH gardens, we keep up with old friends and colleagues, go away quite a lot and enjoy life very much.

I stopped work 6 years ago when I was 55 and we moved 200 miles from our previous home, just a few months before Covid.

I fill my days with various things; walking, taking care of our home, generally potting about and we do GC care weekly and during school holidays. I also visit my DM every 6 weeks or so for a few days at a time and now DH is retired, we have days out together, sometimes just lunch or a coffee out whilst shopping, we go on city breaks or a longer holiday. I read a lot and watch a bit of telly.

Financially, we’re in a very fortunate position, no mortgage, running our home isn’t too expensive, we have investments and my DH’s pension easily provides for us both, although I have a comfortable amount of savings for my personal expenses.

you can’t tax plan your pension if it is a good company pension, (defined benefit), or at least you would be very foolish to take your money out and rely on stocks and shares.
I retired at 55 and still pay lots of tax.

Both DH's DB and DSis did practically nothing for a long time before they were 50 - didn't work, DCs were grown or almost there, didn't help with their DPs. Not exactly sure what they did with their time but were always "too busy".

I can’t edit my post but reading it back, my life sounds quite boring and I won’t deny that on occasion I do get a bit bored but I do manage to fill my days.

I meet friends for coffee or lunch, have a weekly class I go to and in the summer, I enjoy spending time in my garden.

I don’t get state pension for another 6 years but I can access my work pension sooner than that, should I need to.

Me and I'm 54.

I'm totally with you (but I knew lots of people would tip up to tell you you were mad).

Not particularly because of the tax system but because I hate being bored. I can't think of anything worse than retirement.

TBF I think most people (including me) are "tipping up" because how they wrote it was really judgemental

Everyone pays taxes whether they're working or not. The things you buy every day don't suddenly become VAT-free when you retire, you know. You pay plenty of tax every time you buy most things. Most people pay council tax, car tax etc, and various other taxes, duties and fees for public services.

I also find it a bit odd that people think they wouldn't have a 'purpose' if they didn't work. Surely there must be other things in your life that make your existence worthwhile? Family? Lovers? Hobbies? Just the general joy of living?

I don't work. I've got a degree and I feel useful because I'm home for my autistic teen who needs me. I read and learn much more than I would do working (depends on the job ofcourse but generally speaking). Do you think everyone who works has a degree? Or that their work is intellectually stimulating? I used to be a social worker which did give me a sense of purpose but it was also heartbreaking.

Hello fellow carer. Mine is 15 but I can't see any changes in the future. I try to reframe things in my mind thinking about all the time I have got instead of money:)

But there are so many things to do except working!!! As my mum used to say: only boring people get bored!

@arcticpandas

But there are so many things to do except working!!! As my mum used to say: only boring people get bored!

With respect the "only boring people get bored" is patronising, simplistic nonsense. It's very easy to be bored for reasons beyond your control: feeling trapped due to circumstances such as an unstimulating job, neurodiversity, an unsatisfactory marriage or partnership, living in an area which doesn't provide much stimulation, lack of friends, lack of money. All the needlework and volunteering in the world won't change a feeling of emptiness if your world doesn't feel right.

There certainly are many things to do except working and all power to people who find good things to do in retirement.

But I love working. My work is not perfect but overall working provides a focus, a social element to my day, great friendships, keeps me plugged and keeps me learning.

It's very unfashionable on Mumsnet to enjoy working: people usually are quick to tell you you must be a corporate automaton with no life if you like your job but I don't care. I would far rather work than be retired.