Other retirement planning

Nebulous2

I'm doing my usual last minute, fly by the seat of my pants thing for retiring. I finish tomorrow, with leave until 31/3/21, then start my LGPS on 1/4/21. I'm also waiting for a house sale to go through which should also be 31/3/21. I'm in the process of recruitment for a part-time job with the NHS, but it seems to have run aground, I had forgotten how bureaucratic recruitment processes can be. 

Finances will be fine, we will have our number, with a cushion, even if the NHS role doesn't come through. 

So is there anything else I need to / should do? 

I got an email today offering me a credit card with 0% interest and a 0% transfer fee.  They have been relatively rare recently, and I have no need for one, but it started me thinking, there are some things I've taken for granted, such as the ability to borrow for nothing, that maybe disappearing. Should I be doing anything while I still can - in the next 3 weeks or so? 

In addition to losing some things there might be some I am gaining. I'm almost a year away from my bus pass - but at what point do I start looking for pensioners rates on things? Will stopping work open any new doors? 

Malthusian

The 0% card is probably worth applying for if it might come in useful - but if it won't it could be a waste of time as the credit card provider will eventually withdraw it when they notice it's not being used.

MSE has a good list of discounts available to over-60s. For non-government concessions, "over 60" seems to be the most common concession, so if you're in England and "a year away from the bus pass" means mid-60s, you should already be able to get most of them. Over 60 is also when you get free prescriptions.

TVAS

Please don't take the part time job and leave it for someone who really needs the money. 

Brenster

TVAS said:

Please don't take the part time job and leave it for someone who really needs the money. 

Bit of a shallow comment, everyone has the right to work, whether or not they can afford not to.

Nebulous2

TVAS said:

Please don't take the part time job and leave it for someone who really needs the money. 

You may have noticed they are short of nurses...... I’m looking at a bank post, plugging gaps, on less than two-thirds of the hourly rate I am on currently. I don’t think that is a threat to anyone’s career prospects.

I think by giving up my current post I’m doing my bit to leave a gap for somebody coming behind me. 

I’m not doing it for purely altruistic motives however, I’m doing it because looking over that cliff edge of a dead halt after over 40 years full-time feels quite scary and part-time is a way of easing into that. 

Nebulous2

Malthusian said:

The 0% card is probably worth applying for if it might come in useful - but if it won't it could be a waste of time as the credit card provider will eventually withdraw it when they notice it's not being used.

MSE has a good list of discounts available to over-60s. For non-government concessions, "over 60" seems to be the most common concession, so if you're in England and "a year away from the bus pass" means mid-60s, you should already be able to get most of them. Over 60 is also when you get free prescriptions.

I’ve a few cards already, with decent limits, and don’t need any more. I’ve done a bit of stoozing in the past, and  don’t have any inclination to try any more. It was quite a sobering thought though “I’ve always taken this for granted, and now it might not be there anymore. 

Im 59. I’m in Scotland - we get our bus passes at 60. It would be a bit cheeky to ask for pensioner discounts, unless companies are throwing them at me. 

Albermarle

Some events/venues discount at 60 and some don't . You have to check the small print ( and wait until we are allowed out) 

tacpot12

Don't forget to tell your motor insurer when you retire. You can change your insurance cover to Social Domestic and Pleasure cover if you don't need the car to commute to work. If you are intending to find a job and want to be able to use your car to go to interviews, you should tell your insurer that you are unemployed. This might push the premium up a bit, but you might haggle with them on the basis that you are generally driving less miles at the moment. 

When you do retire fully, don't forget to tell your home insurers that you are now at home all day and therefore less likely to be burgled.

You probably will find getting credit will not be much harder in your initial retirement, but applying now while you are still employed could make sense.  

Nebulous2

tacpot12 said:

Don't forget to tell your motor insurer when you retire. You can change your insurance cover to Social Domestic and Pleasure cover if you don't need the car to commute to work. If you are intending to find a job and want to be able to use your car to go to interviews, you should tell your insurer that you are unemployed. This might push the premium up a bit, but you might haggle with them on the basis that you are generally driving less miles at the moment. 

When you do retire fully, don't forget to tell your home insurers that you are now at home all day and therefore less likely to be burgled.

You probably will find getting credit will not be much harder in your initial retirement, but applying now while you are still employed could make sense.  

Thanks - Insurance hadn’t crossed my radar at all. I have full work use on my vehicle, and will need to use it to get to and from different venues in my new post. 

Ive interviewed, been appointed, but the ducks are not all in line to get everything I need to get a start date and that has been frustrating, so I won’t be unemployed. Disclosing where I am at to the insurer won’t do any harm.