Retirement

[2012_taco]

Congrats Jerry! Retirement day will be here sooner than you think! I retired 12-31-19, no real plans for a part time job, but I was a carpenter and then a building inspector so I have been busy with lots of projects. Some for $$ and some to help friends. Lately I did some stairs for a new house, it took me about 45 hours total. But working in a cold newly framed house in February sucked! My back hurt for 2 weeks after. Not worth it! 

As for SS, there are a ton of options but you gotta do what works for you. No one is guaranteed another day. I believe health insurance coverage is more important. I find that lately my calendar is filled with Dr appointments. 

There is a lot of good advise given here from members who have gone through it all. But in the end it's your life, chose wisely my friend and don't look back! 

Enjoy it and hopefully we will all be able to have another GTG to toast your retirement!

[hueyjazz]

I'm right there with you Jerry.  My last working day is April 19th.  I have enough PTO in the bank to take me out two and a half more months.  I could take it as a lump sum payment but tax man gets it all.  I gave work almost a year's notice I would retire then.  Only in the last month did they think I was serious. 

I even had one VP tell me they would make me still longer..  Oh really?  Not happening.  Oh, you can be a contractor.  Not happening.  Oh we'll pay you really well.  Read my lips, Not happening

We have already bought our retirement home.  Beautiful log home, 30 acres on top of a mountain, three ponds and it joins 1400 acres of State land.  Compared to how I use to have to hunt this is the Country Club.  I can get out of tree stand to take a dump on a flush toilet and back in stand inside of 20 minutes

Since Covid my wife and I have been living apart.  She's a breast cancer survivor and can work from home without issue.  To the cabin you go girl.   I have to be hands on in my job.  Our optics business is actually quite vital to fighting Covid.  Our optics go into instrumentation that detects and fight virus.   We been essential since day one and have been balls to the wall.  I get to see my wife and dogs weekends if I'm not working.

[Steuben Jerry]

1 hour ago, 2012_taco said:

As for SS, there are a ton of options but you gotta do what works for you. No one is guaranteed another day. I believe health insurance coverage is more important. I find that lately my calendar is filled with Dr appointments. 

Good advice! Luckily my wife is working two more years and health coverage is through her job. When she retires we'll both be 65 and obviously will switch to medicare. I plan on being a good house husband and having all the housework and cooking done so she can relax and we can get back to doing fun things on the weekend.

I have to say it's a daunting thing to flip the switch off on a good paycheck!

 

[hueyjazz]

Jerry

Got got same deal as you.  Wife will cover medical next few years and she can even go part time and get it.  Nice to work for hospital and university.  In benefits no less.

I too will be house-husband although she won't approve all my methods. Tool Man Grunt          I'm seeing uses for a leaf blower

BUT I'M A WAY BETTER COOK THAN HER 

I'm less worried about the continued paycheck and more worried about US just printing billions and giving it away.    Isn't this kind of what Greece almost sank the Euro with by inflating their salaries?   I worked 40 years to save what I have.  And honestly, I think it's incredibly stupid to give checks to people that don't need it.  I totally get bailing out Mom and Pops and restaurants and such. 

[Steuben Jerry]

40 minutes ago, hueyjazz said:

BUT I'M A WAY BETTER COOK THAN HER 

Haha - for a while there I thought I might be as well. She's been working from home since last year, and seeing how I'm not home for a couple of hours after she gets done, she's been cooking amazing meals. I told her I consider the bar steeply raised for me when we switch places. 

 

[hueyjazz]

Mine thinks if it drops from a box or comes via telephone it's food.

I try to eat nothing that drops from a box and I give pizza guy the wrong address fairly often  :-)

[Gobbler Chaser]

I'm 63 and have been retired for 3 yrs. Deer and Turkey seasons are so much more relaxed. If it rains all weekend, fine I just hunt during the week. However Im drinking more beer

[Elmo]

Congratulations!

[GreeneHunter]

Being retired you'll find hunting Monday thru Friday is much more relaxing !

[nyslowhand]

... or not having any guilt when the weather isn't hunter friendly. When you're working M->F, you feel an obligation to hunt regardless of if it's raining, windy, bitterly cold, snowing, etc. Not so much when you can pick & choose any day of the week to hunt.