What was the reason that made you retire?

[BeeCucumber]

I work part time and I will soon reach state pension age and I can retire - but I’m not sure if I want to. As there is no requirement to officially retire at 66, I wonder how did you know when it was the time to leave?

Loved the job, but management were crap.. staff werent being replaced so workload increased dramatically... bailed at 66.
Loving my life... answer to no-one...... do exactly what I like when I like.... please no-one but me!
Okay financially.. not great but okay... will survive, just make cuts as and when I have to...

I'm going in the next month or so . I wanted to stay until 60 but company have just announced new centralised job roles for some staff . I looked at my choices and thought just no I don't want one of them . None appeal so I'm going to resign , well retire .
I may look to do something part time but depends how I get on retired , if I find a structure of things I enjoy and my days don't stretch endlessly ahead I may just not work anymore .

Redundancy

Ill health has lowered my ability to look for new work and so I kind of chose to live on the ££ I had.

Ageism at work. I worked for a Corporate who were keen to see you leave by the time you are 55. I survived until I was 58. Last ten years I had managers who were best part of 15-20 years younger and often earning less than you and very resentful.

I no longer needed the money and preferred my time to be my own.

Although I'm not technically retired as not old enough yet. Just, not working and not looking for work I guess.

I was shattered after working my arse off through covid.

we lived in a small rural community where homes were very difficult to sell.
there was a tiny boom in the market and we sold our home.
we had always planned to retire elsewhere and both of us were of early retirement age.
once in the new city, we couldn't find similar jobs and didn't need extra income.

I am 66 and still working for the NHS. I enjoy my job, my team and think it keeps my mind active. As my job evolves, I do still enjoy the challenge. But I am only working 2/3 days a week now.

I retired at 58 which was just over a year after my DH retired at the same age and 8 years earlier than our normal retirement date. Two considerations for both of us. First was affordability in that we had worked out what we needed every month in income to support us until all our pensions paid out and secondly in that we had both reached a point in our careers where our jobs were no longer enjoyable and we were not wanting to work any more.

Increased workload
lazy colleagues
nasty management.

I enjoyed my job as a senior teacher but still retired as soon as my pension kicked in at age 60. I was not dependent on the State Pension having saved a decent amount once my mortgage was paid off and I knew that I could easily live off my work pensions and investments. So I retire because my attitude was why work if I don’t need to!

I have not regretted that decision.

I semi-retired when Brexit made my main consultancy role infinitely more difficult. Worked part time for 5 years, then just ran out of fucks to give. Retired a year ago and am a cliche retiree - loving life and finding it hard to imagine how I had time to go to work. I’ve reached state retirement age and have a reasonable private pension.

DH is still working nearly FT, doesn’t hit state retirement for a few years yet but will retire early in a couple of years.

When I was expected to work for free I reminded my employer of the modern day slavery act

OP, if you are happy with your current situation and you'd like to keep going, then just don't retire. It might even be better to phase out (so dropping hours over time) untill you no longer work.

But in your situation I wouldn't change a thing just yet. In fact I hope to be in your position when I get to that age. I think that with parttime hours I might be able to work longer too. I also expect that I would enjoy just working 2 or 3 days per week and be able to keep that up unless I see some serious decline in my abilities.

My main job is me, self employed. I'll retire when I have a hip replacement, my clients will have to replace me and I probably won't get the work back

I retired at 63. Book keeper, started making mistakes and dealing with banks, HMRC etc made my blood pressure soar.

lol 😂😂

Trying to convince myself that I’m a very young retired person rather than off work from ill health.
So not a choice as such.

But before that choice was taken away, I had a job I loved and was fulfilling. Retiring was when being at work was more effort/stress than what I got back from it.

DH was made redundant and we are empty nesters that want to travel and make the most of being in good health - you never know what’s round the corner. I liked working though so would happily have continued for a bit longer.

My husband had Alzheimer's as well as a terminal lung disease, and it was getting difficult to leave him alone safely. That was 18 months before I could collect my State Pension so I got Carers Allowance which was an absolute pittance. I didn't return to work after he died as I was receiving my pension and was very, very traumatised by his final few months.

I loved my job and worked three years past my official retirement age, but retired just before the first DGC arrived so that I could be a hands on Nanny. Ten years and five DGC later I've never regretted it.

Ridiculous workload and toxic stress. Retired from teaching last year at 55. Best decision I've ever made. Doing some part time casual work now to top up my pension. Perfect!

Losing friends and family members in their 50s and early 60s, job ended and being forced into unsuitable role, sick of the commute and got to a point where we could both afford it at 56 and 57. Zero regrets, been on 4/5 holidays a year except covid year and now look after our grandson 2 days

Haven’t retired yet, but I am retiring early in two years time at 62.

I simply want to enjoy life. I’ve worked for the last 40 years so it’l be time to take life easier.

Another motive for me to go earlier, my predecessor retired in 2007 at the age of 68. I’m sure they could have retired way before then but they enjoyed the job so much. Unfortunately, not long after they retired, they were diagnosed with cancer which advanced very quickly and died in the summer of 2008, a year after retiring!