Retired and still,working - why?

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  • wary
    wary Posts: 789 Forumite
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    I intend to retire early once my current contract expires, which will depend on how long they keep extending me for. Pretty sure I won't be bored - certainly much less bored than I am at work. I may consider doing the odd contract over the winter months, but it will be to boost my retirement income rather than to ease boredom.
  • Malthusian
    Malthusian Posts: 10,941 Forumite
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    Bootsox wrote: »
    Got a panning off one reviewer:

    I had a quick peruse of Amazon's "Look Inside" and just the use of Comic Sans in the chapter list is enough to put me off.

    The early parts of the book struck me as reasonably good advice for someone who hasn't thought about these things up till now, and I was about to admit that my prejudices were wrong. Then I skipped to the latter part of the book, and found that it turns into unashamed shilling for various retirement complexes and services around the US. ("By taking advantage of all the amenities that Towerpoint RV Retirement Resort has going for itself..." and I kid you not, this is followed by an actual column-formatted list of the "Fifty-one activities you can enjoy at Towerpoint" including "horseshoes" and "flee market". Remember, you paid for this stuff.) Avoid because if it doesn't bore you with statements of the obvious it will annoy you once you get to this point and realise you've been conned into paying for a load of adverts for things you can't even buy.

    Back on topic: I can't fathom why people retire when they don't know what they're going to do with their time instead, no matter how old they are. Being bored at work is 100x better than being bored at home.
  • Gers
    Gers Posts: 12,032 Forumite
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    I 'retired' last year aged 61 years, although perhaps 'ceased to work full time' is a better way of explaining it.

    I receive a final salary occupational pension and have no real financial worries but have returned to the job market as I felt able and willing to do some more - just not in the toxic and draining work environment I was in. Now I work part part time and can do most of it when it suits me. This year I've been offered some FE teaching again and have agreed - half a day a week!

    My time away from work is lovely, I travel abroad and in the UK and do pretty much what takes my fancy. My volunteer work is doing patient transport (rural area) and PVG forms for a local sports club, can't see myself in a charity shop or WI etc. Loving life. It's gone too soon so now it's my time!
  • BLB53
    BLB53 Posts: 1,583 Forumite
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    'retired' does not mean never do any work ever again...but for me, more that I have reached a stage where paid work is optional but not compulsory.

    I must however concede that without the previous structure of the working week, I do struggle with periods of boredom and find myself scanning these sorts of forums to engage with some like minded people who also seem to have quite a bit of spare time.
  • robin61
    robin61 Posts: 677 Forumite
    edited 7 September 2016 at 1:38PM
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    Bootsox wrote: »
    Is the book not written for the American Market?

    Got a panning off one reviewer:

    There are many more positive reviews than negative. So most seem to have enjoyed it.
    Anyway, yes it's written by an American but for me there is a lot which works in the UK.
    But you can't please all of the people all of the time. I guess life would be boring if we all liked the same things.
  • System
    System Posts: 178,094 Community Admin
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    It's a bit sad to spend such a large part of your life working, retire, and then realise you haven't actually got a real life to enjoy so go back to work again.
    It suggests an absense of hinterland :)
  • mgdavid
    mgdavid Posts: 6,705 Forumite
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    Clifford_Pope wrote: »
    It's a bit sad to spend such a large part of your life working, retire, and then realise you haven't actually got a real life to enjoy so go back to work again.
    It suggests an absense of hinterland :)

    masterful understatement !!
    The questions that get the best answers are the questions that give most detail....
  • molerat
    molerat Posts: 31,858 Forumite
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    I retired over 7 years ago at 54y 11m and have not had a single inkling to go back to work even though I have had unsolicited offers of full and part time work.
  • ex-pat_scot
    ex-pat_scot Posts: 693 Forumite
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    Malthusian wrote: »

    Back on topic: I can't fathom why people retire when they don't know what they're going to do with their time instead, no matter how old they are. Being bored at work is 100x better than being bored at home.


    I would paraphrase you as "Being paid to be bored (at work) is 100x better than paying to be bored at home".




    I love Ermine's quote at "Simple Living in Suffolk" -


    (I paraphrase)


    "the trick is to Retire TO, not Retire FROM".
  • EdSwippet
    EdSwippet Posts: 1,588 Forumite
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    Malthusian wrote: »
    ... and "flee market".
    As in, run away screaming? :-)
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