For a thread not about Trump, at what age did you retire or what age do you plan to retire? If you are in the US, did you take SS at age 62 or are you putting it off for bigger payments down the road?
I plan to retire about 67 but sometimes think it should be earlier. I don’t have a ton saved for retirement so I will need all the SS I can get and be dead by mid 80’s at the latest unless I want to go back to work.
What affected your decision on timing and when to take SS?
Add to this, how have you found retirement? Is it enjoyable, what do you do everyday? I may get bored watching TV, reading and playing golf everyday. I won’t much money for travel so really not sure what I will do with all the free time. I hope the LR stays free.
Plan to retire in 9 years at 62. I’ll think about SS when it gets closer. I plan to do the “other forum” activities more, but slower including finalizing 1 in every state. Might pick up golf again, travel a bunch, Happy hour will probably be earlier :).
I think my other forum days are over as I just don’t have the energy anymore and don’t want to risk getting creamed on the streets. I moved from the location where I used to have a lot of roads to ride to a more dense area. You are taking your life in your hands to ride on the road.
The thought of having no reason at all to get out of bed or no one relying on me to get anything done for them is scary. I will most likely have to get very invovled in volunteering.
I don’t disagree on the road safety and even ended up under a truck a few years ago (my fault). Since then I do most of my training inside (and I love it). Willing to risk it a few times a year during an event. Also have to keep burning calories given my affinity for bourbon and lack of desire to buy bigger cloths.
I coached all of my sons baseball and soccer teams. That was two to five hours per day, five or six days per week.
Now, I do personal vehicle delivery for UPS during the Thanksgiving/Christmas season, study wine tasting, cocktail mixology, craps strategy, and 2nd Amendment cases, build firearms, and handyman work for friends and neighbors. I am also planning on designing and building a new 1,000 square foot garage/casino/tiki bar with a 2 bedroom and 2 bathroom ADU on top of it. Some running and cycling too.
I had planned to retire at age 65 in 2021. Got it done early because the company I worked for essentially shut down for covid. I was then able to collect unemployment until I turned 65.
We bought a motorhome in 2021 and spend several months a year traveling. I think we’ve been to about 20 national parks so far and lots of other places as well.
I haven’t done that other sport since 2011, but both my wife and I are runners who do local races. We tend to place top 3 in age group most of the time, and I’ve held numerous local age group course records. I have slowed considerably after I fractured my pelvis in a crash while running the Pikes Peak Marathon. We ride e-bikes, but I mostly just pedal and don’t even turn it on. We do maintenance and improvement projects around the house, walk our dogs daily and workout at a community fitness center.
We both collect social security, my wife has a pension and we have a good size IRA. We have no debt, house is paid for, no car loans, etc.
Retired in 2015 at age 39 with 50% DoD and 100% VA Compensation. I am also getting SSDI since my retirement date.
The only reason I applied for SSDI was because my VSO said to apply and give it a shot. It was a long shot because of 3 head injuries while operational.
I love retirement. I have good days and bad days, both dealing with my TDI residuals and depression.
I have 2 dogs that were the best thing my wife and I have done since being empty nesters. She was reluctant to get two but I was firm, I wanted two females from the same liter, a black and white and a liver and white.
I don’t watch much TV during the day, a couple sports shows in the morning and that’s about it until my wife gets home from school.
I hit the heavy bag daily for 15 minutes minimum right after I wake up. (2min on 30sec off)
I do shoot a couple times a week with some old unit mates and try to get a jump in every couple weeks.
My wife gives me a honey to do list and chip away at that at my pace. I have been catching up on a lot of fishing I missed over the years.
I spent 22yrs in the Army, spent over 60 months in Iraq/AFG/Other, I did a lot of bad things that the country asked me to do. I live and deal with it.
I’m not rich, not poor, we live well with in our means.
I ultimately eat when I want, sleep when I want, do what I want, when I want.
I am turning 50 this year, have a grandson, and finally getting my Achilles worked on.
Other than the current state of things in the country, I am fairly content.
My advice is to retire at the youngest age you can afford to. On their deathbed says no one…“If I could have just spent one more day at work” After 12 years of being retired I don’t know how I ever did one day of work.
Back in my prime triathlon days people often asked me how I found time to train and do an Ironman. My answer was always that it was just like work and it is just another day. Now I often wonder how the hell I ever trained for and did an Ironman. I actually trained up and did a 10 mile timetrial a couple years back. The whole time I was wondering how I ever used to dial up the the pain meter to ride hard like that and cruised the last half cause it was no fun.
Retired at 67. Love the life. Lots of family interaction. We are very close (physically and relationship wise) to our children and grandchildren. We live on a pristine lake so there is always something to do. No pressure. No debt, lots of investments, so no financial pressures. Eat out often. Eat whatever we want. Do whatever I want. Buy whatever I want. The wife and I have no health issues. Take no medications. I came from an impoverished background. So poor that I lived in an orphanage for several years because my father could not care for us. Lots of food insecurities which is ironic because now I choose to eat One Meal A Day and enjoy fasting for 72 hours. But now, it is my choice.
Good question, I don’t really know. I’m almost 61. A few months ago the company I worked for closed. I don’t have to go back to work, but it would make things more comfortable. My wife makes a good living and likes her work (she is meeting with congress members on Capital Hill this week).
I’m looking for an opportunity for something I want to do. Because of my career field and the size of the city I live in, there aren’t a ton of options. If something comes up, I’ll go back to work. If not we are fine on my wife’s income. If I haven’t found something by the time I hit 62, I’ll make an evaluation on SS then.
I’ve had no issue filling my time. Finished some boat projects, sold the boat and bought a different one and started a new series of boat projects. After a couple of years away, I’ve also signed up for a 1/2 other-forum event in September.
I have thought about the motorhome journey but don’t have the money and frankly don’t like the road that much. I run for fitness when I can and the dogs are a source of fun for us. I plan to get a new pair of dogs the day I retire and spend a lot of time training and enjoying them.
The ultimate question. do you pay for your kids school or make them take out loans. I have done a little of both. If my kids wanted med school at this age, it would be all on them. No way I could fund that and even think about not working.
I like the idea of grandkids. I plan to live wherever my kids settle so I can be knocking on their doors daily and very involved in my grandkids lives, like coaching their teams and taking to school etc when needed. There at every game or event they have.
