Bold leap into retirement

pterri

Cobbler_tone said:

pterri said:

Lots of projects with deliverables beyond 2025 “yeah, that’s fine” I have to leave now or I’m in the !!!!!! 

If I hear anyone say 'deliverable', 'control the controllable' or 'move the needle', it pushes me one step further forward to jacking it in. I must have cared like that once.

“Let’s take this off line” translate “shut up, you idiot!” (I’ve been both the giver and receiver of that) 

LHW99

pterri said:

Cobbler_tone said:

pterri said:

Lots of projects with deliverables beyond 2025 “yeah, that’s fine” I have to leave now or I’m in the !!!!!! 

If I hear anyone say 'deliverable', 'control the controllable' or 'move the needle', it pushes me one step further forward to jacking it in. I must have cared like that once.

“Let’s take this off line” translate “shut up, you idiot!” (I’ve been both the giver and receiver of that) 

Used to be something (tongue in cheek) called Bu11-S* bingo. We maybe need new extended cards 

Cobbler_tone

I’ll take things offline if I need to do a deep dive.

BestnamesRgone

Just catching up on the thread. I took redundancy at the end of the year, perfect timing for me as had just hit the big 60, 20 years with the company and my youngest finishing uni this year. In the last few months I had some really mixed feelings, some days I seriously questioned if I wanted to leave, other days I couldn’t wait to get out! 

3 and a bit weeks later I’m loving the freedom and haven’t regretted going at all. I’ve been able to catch up with several friends I’ve not seen for ages, booked a couple of theatre trips and am planning a couple of city breaks for later in the year. 

Yankee24

I was made redundant in October,  but had a new job by November….   A 1 year contract technically, but the job holder isn’t coming back….   It was only personal pride that made me prove a point and land a job..my husband had big tracks of unemployment when we were raising a family.  I took voluntary redundancy after 24 years at age 49, since I could take my final salary at 50, with little impact.  I then did 6 years at another company, made redundant with ok payoff, then this job.  Good job, but damn, I don’t care anymore at age 56.  I am done.  We are in the process of trying to move, downsize/up price into London and my husband logically said, well, wait till we move, then You can use your salary for renovations and then quit.  Logical.  But the market is slow.  It’s been a year with 2 offers falling thru.  It’s January.  I hate it.     I just need to buckle down. 

pensionpawn

Fortunately since turning 55 I can retire at any time, and having reduced my hours at work almost three years ago, my management knows that I only turn up because I want to and not because I have to. Any stress I had at work evaporated and work / life balance is the best it's ever been. I still enjoy my job, even though (like everyone else) the bureaucracy, and working with muppets (not my immediate colleagues) is increasingly insufferable.

My first goal was to keep going until my youngest finished university, which was summer 2023. That came and went with a new target of Spring 2024. Still enjoying the job so that came and went. The latest target of January 2025 (ten years service and £100 bonus, woohoo) has just gone so now it's January 2026, or June 2026 when I would be 60. My point being, keep going if you still enjoy it and as others have said, take the time to explore what you want to retire to. Part time working is good for this and I joke with my colleagues when I return to work that I don't really have time for the day job.

My wife is fully retired and she springs into action if she sees me relaxing lol. I don't have a huge pot compared to most on here, and I will still have a mortgage for some time, however with all other debts gone and the adult kids in their own homes we don't need a huge retirement income. Around £29k tax free should be enough for us as our solar panels pay our energy bills and we've completed all the big house renovations over the last 10 years. We will also save around £2400pa running / commuting costs to work by selling my car when I fully retire.

So, as others have said, it's not a bold leap for me but rather a gentle descent onto the runway. One reason for the runway extending more than anticipated is the possibility of redundancy reoccurring, which would be the icing on the cake, however I'm always just one bad day / week from retirement!

None of us are getting any younger so make sure that every day makes you happy, whether still at work or just chilling at home amongst the ones you love.

barnstar2077

To offset some of the recent horror stories, I know a chap in his fifties who was told it was 85% certain he had cancer.  He waited months for the surgery and after testing the growth he has just had the news that it wasn't cancer after all and he should make a full recovery.  I can't imagine what those months must have been like for him, but to say he is very happy now is an understatement! 

cloud_dog

LHW99 said:

pterri said:

Cobbler_tone said:

pterri said:

Lots of projects with deliverables beyond 2025 “yeah, that’s fine” I have to leave now or I’m in the !!!!!! 

If I hear anyone say 'deliverable', 'control the controllable' or 'move the needle', it pushes me one step further forward to jacking it in. I must have cared like that once.

“Let’s take this off line” translate “shut up, you idiot!” (I’ve been both the giver and receiver of that) 

Used to be something (tongue in cheek) called Bu11-S* bingo. We maybe need new extended cards 

I like to run it up the flag pole and see who salutes 😁

cloud_dog

So, we have agreed on Friday 28 March as my last day.

michaels

cloud_dog said:

So, we have agreed on Friday 28 March as my last day.

Congratulations - although I am now jealous as I have until 11th April....