I certainly will.
Always worked at physically demanding jobs so looking forward to putting the feet up when I reach 66
Yeah. It was such an issue on the doorsteps about the pension age going up , that they shelved any increase after 66 years in 2020 election .
Why are you even arguing with people in this thread if as you say yourself you have no tooth in the game?
Come back to this thread in 25 years time.
I was thinking about this today, again, after meeting someone, I would hazard a guess and say the majority of men mid-50s married with children today, the children are 20/25 could be finished college or apprenticeship, and self-supporting.
Men married, mid-50s, or early 50s, with children in the future, the children are in primary school, the children will need support from parents right up untill the parents retire, maybe after retirement in some cases.
If the war drags on we will see a lot of forced early retirements, if it happens you embrace it, kick back and relax.
While to go…….but I would not know what to do.
Have been thinking of this lately and we have decided to try retire before 60. 20 years to go so now is the time to get our house in order. Max. out the pension contributions etc. in order to avail of compounding to reach our goals.
You have time to make a plan, best to use it.
my plan is to write when i get to 60 , which is in 3 yrs time.
I couldn't imagine retiring now as I wouldn’t now what to do with my time, thats why I'm starting the planning and thinking now.
I will be disappointed with myself if i end up taking a part time consultancy role or job .
When i retire , i want to retire, no daily schedules , loads of travel when i get bored, no getting up at stupid o clock to go to Dublin and long commutes home on the same day etc.
Don't forget to live your life now.
November was my date, already have google searches for camper van, boat and aircraft. The latter two probably fall in the rent don’t buy category, but who knows.
But then out of nowhere i got approached to take a new dream job, different city, different type of work, but crazy money and no retirement age mandated by law. Now I’m in a quandary.
Poor cratur
Go ahead with the plan.
I retired from the Garda at 54 (13 years ago this November). I had never expected that I would retire so young but after 31 years in that job (the last 15 as a sergeant) you just get burned out and as they say I got out at the right time - just before things really went downhill in that organisation for employee's.
I had seen guys stay until their last possible day and for some it was a traumatic and difficult experience - and in some cases in short time - fatal. By retiring on a date I decided I was controlling the situation rather than having to comply with some mandated date or birthday. I did fear retirement though given I lived for that job but to my surprise it was a relief and I have quite enjoyed myself for the past 13 years. The one thing I do miss though is when I hear people talking about what their plans are for their weekend or their days off because when your retired every day is a weekend day. I used to really enjoy my days off but towards the end a "day off" was not that great with constant phone calls from work or having to attend court etc.
Genuine question, if you’re on a day off, do you have to answer the phone ?
No
Switch the thing off and check it occasionally.
If it's something urgent they'll leave a message.
Yep, i guess that life is a bitch :)
But why is retirement the be all and end all?
It depends on what you want to do with the rest of your live… I retired at 55, it does not mean I stopped working, it just means I do stuff that I'm interested in and don't have to care about the money. I have worked on a couple of economics projects for the UN and one for the Ukraine in recent times and I am enjoying it. More times I just take off and travel for a few months or just sit around and do nothing.
It's not, obviously it's a choice.
But the other poster has already decided on a date and was making plans when they became tempted to stay on by an offer.
My advice was to go ahead and enjoy the planned retirement.
There are numerous reasons why some people can't, or dont want to retire; a number have nothing but work in their lives, or they dont want to be around their partner full-time, and as people in general aren't fond of self-reflection, they tend to frame the issues more acceptably… They have to stay in work for financial reasons or something similar, when that's not the case at all.
As a 67 year old retiree I can say one thing to consider for those thinking about when to retire,that you may not be that person you are planning for in your 50s.
I get the financial imperative to be as well funded as possible but that is only half the story.Chances are you will be much more conservative in your sixties ,less mobile,more cautious with potentially medical challenges you were'nt expecting.
For example I lost my nerve for driving abroad having done it all my life,still hanging in there on IT associated with travel but it gets more difficult.
So yes financial security is important but don't presume you will up for what you've planned if you leave it too late.
Well this may seem a bit callous and uncaring and not for everyone but my opinion is that if you do retire then RETIRE. Put the job behind you and move on end of - at least that's what I did.
But for years after retiring I used to have these frequent vivid dreams when I would knowingly despite being retired, having collected my gratuity and on pension simply show up for work in full uniform and work away as if nothing happened. Just another day at the office. The detail was quite amazing - working on cases - reading reports etc all the while worried somebody was going to call me out and order me out of the station. It's only in the last few years those dreams have stopped after I decided (in my dream) that I was retiring for real this time from my dream career.
Strange the way the mind works.
You sound like a friend of mine's father. Only he had dementia and started wanting to go work, 10 years after retiring. It sounds funny, but it became a serious problem.
That's a really interesting post. Almost everyone presumes they will still be doing what they do when they retire, even more so if its something like long-distance cycling or similar.
I read a really interesting article about the rise of the 50-year-old hipster and the cool grandad, the permanent middle, or something like that. It's called. I know a few women whos partner won't take part in the bowel screening. I wonder if not being able to see themselves in that space is a factor?
I’m not sure how I feel about retirement.
I am saving for it and plan for the future but…
I have a disabled child who will never support himself independently. Best case is that he would live in a supported setting but there does not seem to be many options for people like him and a lot of parents are carers until they die. So the free and easy lifestyle and travelling doesn’t feel like it will be possible for me. Probably the best plan is to be prudent with money but make sure we are enjoying life now too.
I'm retiring just before my 65th birthday next year - I can't wait. Funnily enough I don't see myself as nearly 65 - in my head I'm about 40. I refuse to class myself as "elderly" and won't get the free travel card either! My husband who retired at 57 nearly 13 years ago says I'm mad - why would I pay for travel when I can get it for nothing. I think its admitting to my age!
I get annoyed too when it's assumed that anyone over 55 is technologically illiterate
My only advice, without knowing any details. If there are no relations who going to dedicate their life to caring for you son. Get him into an suitable residential institution, while you still can. 'The system' defaults to 'care in the community' and 'independent living'. When the parents die. I have seen this leading to good, polite and well brought up lads wandering the streets, getting into trouble and deteriorating over a few years. The system may provid accommodation and if lucky a visit for the district nurse from time to time, but often this is not enough. They really should be in an institution where they looked after, given a structured day and maybe work at a job. However, this is no longer PC, as we have done a total flip from putting everyone with any sort of issue into an institution.
My biggest fear now about old age (the retirement thing is done and dusted) is losing the driving licence. I know it's going to happen eventually like it did my Dad which devastated him and he was not even a car nut like me. But I think I am more accepting of aging and its inevitable drawbacks than he was so I am sure I will rig some wheelchair up with an engine or turn off the speed limiter on my electric invalid mobile or something.
I too get frustrated when people ask rather patronisingly - are you able to use the internet and do you know your eircode etc. 🙄
Your projecting on to others that they will have the stereotypes you have of older people, why would you not take the free travel pass can you explain ? What's the We have gone to Wexford on the Train stayed in a fancy hotel had a ball. I know others who have gong to Killarney and Galway the train is part of the adventure.
Im hoping for self driving cars to be up and running.
