Aibu Retiring at 55 - 30 years of idleness?

[Scotsknowbest]

So this is the thing: so many local friends have given up working in the last few years in their early to mid 50s, aibu to think what on earth are you going to do to stay interested and interesting?
I thought perhaps they would shut the house up and set off on a big trip but holidays have been more like 2 weeks in Greece instead of one.
I thought perhaps they would volunteer but that seems too restrictive for them.
I thought some might use their professional skills to join executive boards as NEDs or in advisory roles. But no.
Some have upped their golf or tennis, some are focusing on the garden (what, every day?) some walk the dog, read the paper.
I just think they will become so boring!
In contrast I caught up with 3 old school friends this evening who I see about once or twice a year. I asked them when they thought they would retire and each thought mid 60s.
Many of my friends have inherited recently and I think this has been the nudge. I have also inherited but I don't feel any different!
Just for context I am 57, work in 2 roles, one executive, board level, one professional but different area (social work) which takes me to about 4 days a week but I also run 4 properties as a landlord and have an aging dad who lives a mile away who I help with admin, appointments, organising stuff. I also have 2 grown kids the youngest at uni, 1st year. So, not as busy as when I worked and had little kids, but pretty busy in a good way. Personally I can't imagine stopping working so aibu, is 50to55 simply too young to be retiring even if the catalyst has been a windfall inheritance?

@Strumpetpumpet

Same for me. I also have the lovely bonus of having to do permanent nightshift because I need the money. I cannot envisage ever retiring and will be working until I drop.

I retired at 49. I'm now 54 and absolutely love my life. Completely stress free is very underrated! Reading, gardening, long walks, gym, learning new languages, volunteering (one day a week at the local library). There are plenty of things to occupy your day.

My dad took voluntary redundancy from a very stressful job at 52. He did consultancy work until 56. He died of cancer aged 64. This affects my mindset regarding retirement, its not guaranteed any of us will live until 80s.

I’d absolutely be with them if I could. I’d retire in a heartbeat if I could financially. Life is for living and in my book that’s easier if you’re not stuck in an office 40 hours a week.

And i bet your body is in the best shape it’s ever been. I can’t think of a better way to spend retirement but I’d add in tennis too.

Retired aged 54, living abroad for a 7 month period.£1.2m in savings and pension, not touched the pension yet. Definitely not bored, seeing the world, experiencing a new culture. Will return to the UK in the summer and then make further plans to travel, volunteer, help parents, just enjoy myself with no time pressures or work.

I think it’s fabulous to retire in your 50s if you can! Obviously out of reach for so many people, but it’s early enough to have real second stage to life. And to take a few years to find what that is. Some will take on voluntary work, or take up a second career of some sort based on their passion rather than the need to make money. Some will find a passion for gardening, dog agility, art, sport ect. And some will find that they simply enjoy a slower pace of life with time for friends and family. All enjoyed when healthy and active. I can see regretting it if you’re really short of money as that would restrict some of those choices, but not otherwise.

Nothing is permanent, maybe they’ll start volunteering / part time job / childcare in a few years when they get bored.

whats wrong with wanting to enjoy some free time while they’re fit and young, you never know whats round the corner.

Maybe they’re burnt out from juggling work / kids / health for years and want a rest.

Im much younger than them but I’ve reduced my hours by 50% because I’m burnt out and I’d rather have less money and more free time and preserve my physical and mental health.

It I inherited enough money I’d stop working fully and start to enjoy all the hobbies I’ve not had time to do as a single working parent.

My aunt and uncle retired 30 years ago in their mid fifties(with an inheritance) and have thoroughly enjoyed their retirement, they are busy almost every day socialising, travelling, church, volunteering for stuff. They have no regrets at all. However it was due to a substantial inheritance that enabled this.

But they are 20 years older! Are you saying that if they had retired later they would have escaped the inevitable decline caused by ageing?

Some people love to be permanently busy, others are happy to chill. I find that with people of all ages.

There are a lot of wealthy middle aged people near me who don’t seem to go to work. They seem to spend a lot of time washing their cars. I think I’d rather watch Bargain Hunt.

My mum didn’t get much of a retirement. She was a WASPI but ended up going slightly early due to a heart condition then shortly after that was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. I’m recovering from an aggressive breast cancer now in my 40s so DH and I are now trying to bring retirement forward a bit as we do worry we won’t get any healthy retirement time together. We will spend it pissing about, we’re ultimately quite lazy people.

My husband was a widower when we met. He'd lost his wife to cancer when they were both 38. It certainly focused his mind on what was important. I'm now 60, he's 64. We each retired at 55. We are having a wonderful time. A job is a job. If you dropped dead tomorrow there would be a period of shock ( very short i suspect) for your employers/ fellow employees followed by a period of reorganisation and a new person doing your precious job. Give it 6 months and 50% of the people in the office would have changed and the new people would have no idea you ever even existed. On their death bed very few people's wish is that they'd had one more day at work,one more meeting to go to.

I am lucky in that my background in finance and corporate governance means getting trustee jobs is fairly easy and I do 2 of those. I can also work 1-2 days week for old employer so I am semi retired. Else I enjoy just playing games or pottering around. Seeing my 80 year old parents as much as possible. Doing an online courses with dad )I also did a second degree and he is nearing the end of an open university course)
I may do a third degree in a few years

its far easier for professional people to retire early and still be what the op calls productive. I shall consider magistrate roles later but i get the impression they don’t want white middle class 50+ women as they have tons of those already.

I haven’t worked since 32. I don’t think I’m boring or pointless because I don’t work. You have a very narrow view of life.

I'm 58. I'm retiring at 62 and counting down the months. Do I enjoy work? Yes mostly. Does it define me? No. Frankly I have had enough and one of my parents never made state pension age.
I think it's possible to create a busy post retirement life, if that's your thing.
I've have 40 years of being busy, raising 3 kids and working and now having sole responsibility for my elderly Mum.

I think everyone needs to weigh up when to retire and what income you need. The reality is the state pension is not massive, but not bad if you own a property outright. If you rent and only have state pension I think you would qualify for housing benefits. But I think this thread is thinking people who have a property mortgage free in their 50’s.

i think you have to think about the fact it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Hubby and I are mid fifties and both working in office based jobs, hybrid office and home. We have old pensions from previous jobs when younger and are thinking of claiming then now for the lump sums and extra income. I have reduced hours already. But we will stay in some work for a while. We get good annual leave of over 6 weeks and can purchase up to 2 extra weeks a year so we want the cash to enjoy travelling both as a couple and with kids and grandkids.

I’ve never understood why people think that a job is the only thing that makes someone interesting. I’ve always found it incredibly dull to be with people who (for whatever reason, including time) have nothing to talk about other than work. One of my friends did what the OP describes- went from an incredibly full on professional job to early retirement in his early 50s. I can assure you that he is a new man. He’s discovered all sorts of new interests and has gone from someone who was renowned for boring on about some corporate deal he was working on to being quite a figure of interest for the teens in my life, as he’s always been somewhere “cool” or exotic.

This, I work with cleaners still working well into their 60s, can’t retire even if they wanted to.My dad planned to work longer but had to retire early 60s because being a tradesman took it out on his body.

I would absolutley retire early if i could but there’s no way. I’d have to scrimp and save and do nothing for years. I just don’t earn enough and the cost of living just keeps increasing. So we do the travel, the fun the days out,the concerts, the shows, the time together now. On our days off and leave.

There is no guarantee we could get to retirement ( my mum didn’t). So while i have a pension ongoing and plan to save more once the mortgage is done. We live for now too.

I shall be retiring at 50. I don’t plan on being idle.

My husband is already retired. He isn’t idle. Far from it.

No inheritances.

50 is maybe 20 more useful active summers, springs and autumns.
Do I want to spend my next 20 summers/springs/autumns on zoom of whatever horror tech comes next? No.
I am cashing out when I can.

The first person in my friendship group to retire were a couple aged 49/52. She gave up work to raise 4 lovely children. He was a dentist with his own practice. It was mind numbingly boring, he told me, there is only so much conversation you can have with people who have their mouths open. They have a lovely lifestyle, travel loads, read loads, exercise loads and eat & drink loads. Both are very physically fit. He more so is always learning, books, talks on cruises, courses etc. He is very intelligent. His wife is more of a sociable person eg plays bridge for the social aspect. They appear to be thoroughly enjoying their retirement and they deserve to. Very nice people, they do albeit the alcohol, take their health seriously. Both avid readers, up to date with world affairs. I consider them my closest friends and look to do similar in the next 3 years. People probably hate them, I know they don't care.

This.

For some people "work" is not their defining feature. I cannot understand people who venerate their work persona/role to such a degree as @Scotsknowbest. But I guess it takes all sorts. Work to live/live to work.

I cannot wait to retire. If I could have afforded to at 55 I most certainly would.

Each to their own, I think how boring and what a waste of a life slaving away in a high pressured role making money for someone else and getting a tiny cut of that. Defining how exciting you are by controlling a few decisions and getting to the top of some made up structure who would replace you and forget you even existed in a couple of weeks if you dropped dead! How depressing. There’s nothing more boring than someone who defines themselves by their job. You’ve only got to listen to work colleagues slagging off all their other work colleagues, talking about yet another soon to be replaced strategy, or clients who most likely would replace them at the drop of a hat - yawn.

I’ve just inherited at 50 meaning no more mortgage/debts and a bit of a buffer. The corporate life (together with its minions) can fuck the fuck off now. I’ll be spending the rest of my life doing things I love )some of them money making, others not. - some days I’ll potter in the garden, read a book. Others I’ll have a small easy job. Every single day I’ll be grateful I’ve been able to leave behind the extremely boring corporate existence and grateful I never got to the stage of defining myself by my job title 😂. Good on your acquaintances living life whilst they still can

I disagree. Once money is passed to someone else, it’s theirs to do what they want with. We won’t be inheriting, but if my children can, and want to retire early using what they inherit from us, good for them. Their inheritance wouldn’t come with strings attached and I’d want them to spend it on things that they felt benefitted them, not only on things they thought we would approve of

I left my weekday watch alarm on for 4 full years after retiring to remind myself that I DID NOT HAVE TO DO THIS SHIT ANY MORE.

Very cathartic. Those fucking meetings, and some twat would try and put one in at 4pm on a Friday. NO. FUCK OFF.

I loved the job it was the utter bureaucratic nut jobs that i had to work with that made it a complete nightmare.