The beauty of nearing retirement is...

enthusiasticsaver

cfw1994 said:

trevjl said:

I am in this quandary myself.

I enjoy my job, mostly. Enjoy the traveling, currently sat in quarantine hotel room in Thailand for 14 days, waiting to do a 12 day job ! But when in the works, although local management is mostly fine, the H&S and bull that comes down from head office is killing me.

I have crunched the numbers through cfw1994's spreadsheet a million times and I can go, but do I really really want to ???

I have always said I would go at 60 (Nov 22) but not sure I can last till then. Thinking maybe next Spring would be a good time and apparently I only have to apply to go on the !!!!!! shift, for a 3 day week. Maybe that's the way to go.

Just on your last point: I started this discussion back in Nov19 - was wondering the best time to 'step away'...I sort of felt either just at the end of a tax year or a bit either side felt right, both financially but also weather-wise....

Well, I left at the start of May, and think it was perfect 😎👍   Well, the weather has been....variable, but actually, that is one reason I *like* British weather.   I've spent enough time in California to know the constant sunshine would drive me crazy!
   
Actually, we have pretty decent March and April's, so maybe those might be better....but into May gets some salary in the new tax year which (if HRT) might lead to some tax refund later

It has been great having a decent 3 months to kick things off with, & more of summer to enjoy - we like the odd festival, so that feels like a proper break even during this cray pandemic.   Hopefully next spring won't be as locked down as this...

Enjoy the spreadsheet! 
& remember: nobody has a crystal ball on things (not you, not me, & nor do IFA/FAs, of course 😉), so keep calm, stay in control and remain flexible....that's our plan, at least....let's see how we are all doing in 10 or 20 years!

We had always planned to go at 60 but when we knew we could afford it we actually went earlier (58).  The clincher was the same as you in that I was just fed up with upper management. I left at Christmas and it was great not having to battle my way into work during the winter.  January is normally a miserable month so having some leisure time to get to grips with retirement and my new normal was good.  I used the first three months mainly just sorting out the house and getting finances in place then when the spring came I was able to get out and about.  

I think for those working full time who have the opportunity to go part time that is a good option. I was only working part time by the time I retired as I dropped hours when my husband retired from full time work (he could not go part time). 

Stubod

...horses for courses really with no simple answer.

Some people love work, some people hate work and most people somewhere between the two extremes.

A friend of mine loves his job and is struggling with the idea of quitting.

I did not like my job and was glad to go although I do miss the social interaction. I therefore chose to pack in the 5 (+) days full time working, "retired", and then went back to do a lesser job part time "on the bank" which I am happy with. Particularly as it seems to provide the benefit of both worlds, ie it gives some social interaction, no stress, I can work when I want, I can quit when i want, and it provides some "free/pin" money.

I would strongly recommend this approach to anybody who is a little unsure or having doubts about leaving work?

Wentthedaywell?

I am planning on retiring within the year. As I sign off a project that won't be started within that time I have a great sense of relief that, if something is missing or the contract isn't watertight, I won't have to deal with it.

I am still diligent, just not fretting anymore that things might come back to bite me on the bum. It's a wonderful feeling of freedom.

MallyGirl

bostonerimus said:

My point was that your work should not dominate your life so that the transition between working life and retirement is not major. I would say that it's a pity that you didn't do the things you seem to be enjoying in retirement while you were still working.

My thoughts resonate with so many others who work in IT on here. I don't hate my job but I look forward to not doing it anymore - thankfully my OH is finally coming round to the idea of retiring early. We will probably see daughter through uni which is another 5 years - I would rather it were 4 but its progress.
I did try to change my working life a while back and had a small garden design business for a while but I actually found that making it 'work' meant it spoiled my hobby. I stopped and the only garden I do now is my own - I look forward to doing more of it and not being dependant on the weather being good at weekends. I take a long lunch one day a week to go to a stretch class but would happily be there much more often to take part in other things.
I work from home so there is little personal interaction to miss. There is plenty of corporate BS.

SouthCoastBoy

Another person in IT here. Personally I can't wait to retire, with technology you are always playing catch up and as you get older the more difficult it is to stay skilled. I find it very challenging and having spent 35 years in the industry, I am very much looking forward to the day I can hang up my mouse. 

LV_426

SouthCoastBoy said:

Another person in IT here. Personally I can't wait to retire, with technology you are always playing catch up and as you get older the more difficult it is to stay skilled. I find it very challenging and having spent 35 years in the industry, I am very much looking forward to the day I can hang up my mouse. 

Spot on. Not much call for what I was doing 25 years ago these days
And with a new web framework, programming language etc coming out every year, I get fed up trying to keep pace with it.
I've noticed they have a tendency to re-invent the wheel a lot. 

Terron

I was missing the social interaction, but that was before I was made redundant. I was the last person in my team still working in the office, everyone else was working from home, or in another country. Afterwards I "downsized" to a larger but cheaper property nearer my family.

bostonerimus

MallyGirl said:

bostonerimus said:

My point was that your work should not dominate your life so that the transition between working life and retirement is not major. I would say that it's a pity that you didn't do the things you seem to be enjoying in retirement while you were still working.

My thoughts resonate with so many others who work in IT on here. I don't hate my job but I look forward to not doing it anymore - thankfully my OH is finally coming round to the idea of retiring early. We will probably see daughter through uni which is another 5 years - I would rather it were 4 but its progress.
I did try to change my working life a while back and had a small garden design business for a while but I actually found that making it 'work' meant it spoiled my hobby. I stopped and the only garden I do now is my own - I look forward to doing more of it and not being dependant on the weather being good at weekends. I take a long lunch one day a week to go to a stretch class but would happily be there much more often to take part in other things.
I work from home so there is little personal interaction to miss. There is plenty of corporate BS.

I had academic and research jobs for about 30 years which was enjoyable, but I also have lots of other interests and hobbies that I really enjoy. I've also been divorced for almost 20 years and while I have good friends I'm also very content doing things on my own. So I retired early just because I wanted to spend more time doing things other than work. I didn't stop entirely and now work part time, but fit it in around more important things like cycling, gardening and now going to the theater and cinema again.

Terron

ajfielden said:

SouthCoastBoy said:

Another person in IT here. Personally I can't wait to retire, with technology you are always playing catch up and as you get older the more difficult it is to stay skilled. I find it very challenging and having spent 35 years in the industry, I am very much looking forward to the day I can hang up my mouse. 

Spot on. Not much call for what I was doing 25 years ago these days
And with a new web framework, programming language etc coming out every year, I get fed up trying to keep pace with it.
I've noticed they have a tendency to re-invent the wheel a lot. 

Same here.

Learning a new technology that is the flavour of the year does not have a lasting effect.

Ibrahim5

We have the unlimited cinema passes. If we had bought them while working we would hardly have used them. They are good value when retired and able to go a lot. Air conditioning is good in this weather!