After you retired?

[jbmaine]

For those that are retired, do you miss what you did?

In my case I was a mold maker, tool and die maker, machinist, for around forty years. During that time I had worked for several companies, the last for seven years.

 

My exit out of the work force was not as I would have liked. Some years ago I had back issues and ended up having surgery. Then I had foot issues and had surgery for that . My back ( for the most part) is manageable, but my foot was not. About a year and a half ago the pain started to come back, until finally I went to see the doctor. I was deemed unable to work ( I was on my feet all day) and work sent me home on temporary disability. Over the next few months I saw several doctors and tried several treatments, but nothing worked. It was finally determined I was permanently disabled, and my work days are over.

 

So, here I am, retired at 64 ( two years ahead of schedule ). For the most part my wife and I love it ( she is also has disabilities and can't work). If I stay off my feet and don't drive too far the pain is doable. And of course we love fishing during the week. Money wise we are just OK, but we'll make it.

 

However, I find I miss some things about my job. I certainly don't miss getting up to the alarm every morning, or the stupid business decisions I saw being done. But I miss using my skill and talent, all my years of experience. A normal day for me was machining precision parts and holding a tolerance of plus or minus .0001 of an inch. It was fun and I enjoyed doing it.

 

So, do you miss what you did, or did you retire and never look back.

 

                                                 Thanks

                                                   Jim

 

 

[Columbia Craw]

Boy, was this timely.  I retired about sixteen months ago.  I'll be 65 in December. I finished 25 years as a police officer/shift sergeant (my second career). I miss the people I worked along side with. I can relate, in that I have a quarter century of L/E experience and it now sits dormant. It seems like a waste. I had offers to become a trainer and an independent consultant but that required more travel than I was willing to endure. 

 

The most blaring aspect of retirement is the amount of time I have with my wife. She, nor I were used to being with each other that much. I don't miss the shift work and the shift system I worked was brutal. I don't miss the interactions with the negativeness of the people. I do miss those rare opportunities to impact a person and maybe save their lives or futures and bring some closure to problems. 

 

I think I planned well and finances are are not an issue. We live a simple life.  Family is everything. I have discovered the simple pleasure of reading. I'm a huge history buff but never had the time to read. I've read 34 books in the last 12 months and love my reading time. Gym time is also a priority. I want to remain healthy and enjoy my retirement. 

 

It's taken me a year to figure things out, deal with the financial aspect of retirement and learn to relax. I was diagnosed with PTSD a few years ago, one of the reasons I did retire. It's real. Trust me, it's real. Fishing and interaction with others is therapeutic for me.  Now if I can stop looking at every license plate tab to see if it's expired, the rest will be gravy.

 

Doug

[TOXIC]

I'll let you know after June.   I have been with the same Federal Agency for 34 years, have been prudent about stocking the retirement accounts and have a few outside investments.  I just had my Financial Planner (personal friend as well) fly in and stay with me for 3 days going over my retirement options with my wife and I.  The outcome was surprising to say the least.  I will make more in retirement than I did while working and that is a welcome relief.  We set up a plan early on and I just continued with it throughout my career and not stressing over it.  As far as missing my job......let's just say I won't.  I chose a career that puts me in highly stressful and sometimes dangerous positions and has moved me around the country a few times.  From Omaha, Nebraska, to Kansas City Missouri, to Boston, Massachusetts, then finally to Washing DC area.  From DC, I also got sent back to KC for a year and to Florida for 2 years on temporary details all the while my wife and daughter stayed behind.  I have accomplished everything I set out to do and the final personal plateau was to leave a legacy in my agency and I have done that.  My name is enshrined on a plaque that recognizes only the highest level of achievement.  To me that was more important than the pay. I'm very ready to move on to the next phase and will retire in late June or early July at the ripe old age of 62 and with the funds and health to enjoy many more years of fun travel and fishing adventures.  I have been offered a position through the Department of the Treasury to do some world wide travel as a consultant but I have not made a decision on that as of yet.  I plan on working for some of my sponsors in the fishing industry more since my schedule will be wide open.  I am in a very happy place right now and I only expect it to get better.   

[Scott F]

My situation is not much different than jbmaine. 2 years ago, when I was 61, I was on the first day of my vacation. I was unloading some fishing gear from my truck when I had a sharp pain go down my back into my leg. A few weeks later, I was in surgery for a ruptured disc in my back. I never went back to my job as a commercial food equipment service technician. I'm on social security disability now. I miss almost nothing about the job I did for 36 years. Beginning when I was about 12, I started earning my own money first as a paperboy, and a caddy, then at McDonald's, and retail stores before I got into becoming a service technician. For nearly 50 years, someone else controlled my life telling me where I had to be every day, following their rules. In the last several years, corporate demands were putting more and more pressure on me to do more and more was wearing me out. I have never been as happy in my life as I have been since I retired. Even though I have some physical limitations these days, I have enough money to get by just fine and I'm enjoying everyday. I wish I could have retired years ago.

[Mike L]

If we enjoyed what we did, I don't think any of us runs out the door screaming and hollering, give a salute, and never think about it again. 

 

We each have our reasons...

For me I was at my 6yr old grandsons first little league game when my son lived in Texas. We live in Florida and when I found out when it was I told my wife we're gonna drive the 17hrs for his game. 

After the game was over, he came running over to me with a huge smile, his bat over his shoulders and said "Papa, you gonna be at my next game?" (which was the following weekend)

I said..." No partner, Papa has to go back to work, but we'll practice everyday in your yard before we have to go" 

His expression completely change, he put his head down, didn't say a word, turned around and walked away. At that moment I had what they call a moment of clarity!...I knew it. I told Mrs Mike in the car, "That's it...I'm done"

 

That was 4 years ago. Do I miss it? Sometimes, but I miss the people more than anything. When you find yourself at 5:00 in morning leaning against the kitchen sink with a cup of cold coffee in your hand saying to youself..."Ok, now what are you gonna do" it hits home a little..

And when the people I spoke to everyday for 33yrs,  most of whom I hired and all of sudden don't call anymore because there is someone else taking my place..It kinda sets you back. 

 

Anyway, 6 months later we bought a motor home and been traveling and living full time in it ever since.  And will continue to do so until the money runs out anyway!!

 

So...Yes, I missed it, still do to some degree.. I was even lost for a while, but now I wish I would have done it 10 yrs ago. 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

 

[OCdockskipper]

I am still a decade or less from retiring, but I can clearly see that I am in the same boat (pun intended) as Scott F.  I own my own business and don't dislike what I do, but would prefer a much slower pace.  I am handy as far as most projects around the house and don't mind doing them if I can take my time.  Additionally, my oldest son just got married in August and will be having a child in May, so it is easy to see my future retirement time being divvied up between fishing, doing small projects and being a grandparent (in addition to the social interaction with friends & family).

[Tennessee Boy]

I'm gonna try to remember to reply to this thread in 1291 days.....make that 1292,  I'm going fishing on my first day of retirement.

[SDoolittle]

I retired from the Army last February. I guess I'm not actually retired because I have a new, full-time job, and I own a small business on the side. But I can tell you that after spending nearly my entire adult life traveling, training, and deploying, civilian life can seem pretty dull. Do I miss it? Not exactly. I do miss the soldiers, and I miss the adventure, but I absolutely do not miss certain aspects of Army life at all.

8 minutes ago, Mike L said:

 At that moment I had what they call a moment of clarity

 

My moment of clarity came when my son, who was 11 years old at the time, mentioned how I'm never home for his birthday. I thought long and hard about it, but I honestly couldn't remember any of his birthdays after he turned two. I had either been in the field or deployed for every single birthday since.

[Gundog]

2 hours ago, jbmaine said:

For those that are retired, do you miss what you did?

In my case I was a mold maker, tool and die maker, machinist, for around forty years. During that time I had worked for several companies, the last for seven years.

 

My exit out of the work force was not as I would have liked. Some years ago I had back issues and ended up having surgery. Then I had foot issues and had surgery for that . My back ( for the most part) is manageable, but my foot was not. About a year and a half ago the pain started to come back, until finally I went to see the doctor. I was deemed unable to work ( I was on my feet all day) and work sent me home on temporary disability. Over the next few months I saw several doctors and tried several treatments, but nothing worked. It was finally determined I was permanently disabled, and my work days are over.

 

So, here I am, retired at 64 ( two years ahead of schedule ). For the most part my wife and I love it ( she is also has disabilities and can't work). If I stay off my feet and don't drive too far the pain is doable. And of course we love fishing during the week. Money wise we are just OK, but we'll make it.

 

However, I find I miss some things about my job. I certainly don't miss getting up to the alarm every morning, or the stupid business decisions I saw being done. But I miss using my skill and talent, all my years of experience. A normal day for me was machining precision parts and holding a tolerance of plus or minus .0001 of an inch. It was fun and I enjoyed doing it.

 

So, do you miss what you did, or did you retire and never look back.

 

                                                 Thanks

                                                   Jim

 

 

 

Something similar happened to a coworker of mine and the company hired 2 young people fresh out of trade school and he mentored them for 1 year while still collecting a pay check. He spent more time sitting down than he ever had but at the end of the year, the company had 2 highly trained people to replace him. If your health allows it Jim, you might think about teaching at a local community college. You decades of experience could really help change someone's life. 

[Log Catcher]

Like Scott F I also retired from working on commercial food service equipment and freezers and coolers. My retirement started at the beginning of 2015 and I was 63. My knees were so bad I couldn't keep doing this. I miss some of the people I worked with and I have been back to see them and gone to the thanksgiving and Christmas dinners they had. I don't miss the stupidity of management and some of the decisions they made. I try to go fishing once a week during warm weather periods but the weather has really killed that this year.

[Mike L]

34 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I'm gonna try to remember to reply to this thread in 1291 days.....make that 1292,  I'm going fishing on my first day of retirement.

 

?

[TOXIC]

Not to detract from the OP but I would be interested to know how many of the young guns on this site are planning for retirement?  I can say I didn't really think about it until I got my Government job 34 years ago and discovered they would match my 5% savings with another 5%.  That's free $$ and I was smart enough to take advantage of it.  My agency has increased benefits due to the job we do and I will end up with the following sources of income in retirement.

 

1. Pension (annunity) FERS

2. TSP (Thrift Savings Plan)

3. Social Security (because of FERS and not CSRS)

4. Private Investments (inheritance re-invested)

 

This does not include any of my wife's savings/retirement accounts.  It's not that hard to set yourself up for later in life but my wife as a mortgage loan lender tells me that very, very, few of the applicants she sees have any kind of savings or retirement.  Even less for the younger generations.  It is a very scary thought that they are not setting themselves up for the future.  

 

[A-Jay]

I retired from a military career in 2007 at 47 years old.  

Seems young to some but there was quite a bit packed in to that time.

I love reading the interesting and insightful perspective of both those about  to and those who have "retired".

 As each person's situation surrounding this life event is different, mine was also somewhat complicated by my wife's health (she was medically separated from the service the same year as me at age 35 and can no longer work.)

  11 years later, here's my perspective on the whole deal.

First off, I hate the word / term "RETIREMENT" -  I'm not retired from anything until I take my last breath.  I still have a life to lead. 

  My job, my career, although I poured my heart & soul into it and loved every minute of it (as so many do with whatever their occupation may be) It never was who I am - it's what I did.  The Honor, Respect and Devotion to duty I lived in the US Coast Guard was with me when I enlisted in 1979, came with me when I separated in 28 years later and is still with me today.  Always will be.  It's served me well and I expect it will continue to do so.

 

   I always smile when folks who are currently employed by someone else, find out I can work but don't, and ask "what do you do all day ?" - My response reflects on the fact that for almost 30 years I served my Country and the communities (insert total strangers) I lived in well, while at the same time doing my very best to raise & take care of my family.

 Now - I have the distinct honor & pleasure of offering ALL my attention & Efforts to those who mean the most to me.  When was that not enough ? 

Best part may be that my previous experience has left me with "a very particular set of skills.  Skills that I have acquired over a very long career.  Skills that make me a nightmare" for the average day.   I like that.

That's my story and I'm stick'in to it. 

A-Jay

 

[SDoolittle]

6 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

Not to detract from the OP but I would be interested to know how many of the young guns on this site are planning for retirement?

I'll chime in on this one since, as I mentioned before, I'm not actually 100% retired. I'm 44 years old, and I'm drawing a pension from the Army. I also receive VA Disability Compensation (90%). I'm currently working as a State employee. I most likely won't work long enough to receive full retirement benefits from the State, but I will receive a partial retirement. My wife, on the other hand, has been a State employee for many years, and she will receive full retirement. Also, between Tricare for Retirees, the VA Hospital, and the Indian Hospital nearby (I'm a tribal member of the Cherokee Nation), health insurance is not a major concern for me.

 

Army Pension + VA Disability + Partial State Pension + Wife's Full State Pension = Easy retirement.  

[12poundbass]

7 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

Not to detract from the OP but I would be interested to know how many of the young guns on this site are planning for retirement?  I can say I didn't really think about it until I got my Government job 34 years ago and discovered they would match my 5% savings with another 5%.  That's free $$ and I was smart enough to take advantage of it.  My agency has increased benefits due to the job we do and I will end up with the following sources of income in retirement.

 

1. Pension (annunity) FERS

2. TSP (Thrift Savings Plan)

3. Social Security (because of FERS and not CSRS)

4. Private Investments (inheritance re-invested)

 

This does not include any of my wife's savings/retirement accounts.  It's not that hard to set yourself up for later in life but my wife as a mortgage loan lender tells me that very, very, few of the applicants she sees have any kind of savings or retirement.  Even less for the younger generations.  It is a very scary thought that they are not setting themselves up for the future.  

 

I'll be completely honest and say I have no retirement plan set up yet and it scares the hell out of me. In my twenties I/we were irresponsible with our money and had the can't take it with you when you go mindset. Then pile on the credit cards (I got my first one ever at 30) and it became a deep hole. We weren't completely irresponsible all our bills were paid and we were paying down our house.

 

We recently sold our house and made just over a six figure profit. With that we paid off all our debts, bought a much needed second vehicle (I have a company truck which is how we've made it with one forever) and still have a ton left for a nice down payment for a house. The down payment money could put us in the extremely nice house category, but we've been humbled by our poor decisions in our twenties so were not going huge and extravagant, but small and quaint. Our son is 8, he's our one and only, so we're looking long term after he's out of the house, kind of house. 

 

So at 35 I'm currently debt free (until we find a house) and it's a great feeling, and I'm glad we've been given a second chance. We're going to focus on retirement now. My company doesn't contribute squat so I can't count on that, but I'm going to enroll in it because it's something. My wife is soul searching for her career. We've been fortunate because my income basically pays for everything but a tiny bit so when she finds her new career that's extra money we can use to catch up on the retirement. 

[jbmaine]

4 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Best part may be that my previous experience has left me with "a very particular set of skills.  Skills that I have acquired over a very long career.  Skills that make me a nightmare" for the average day.   I like that.

That's my story and I'm stick'in to it. 

A-Jay, Thank you for your service. It's nice to see you putting your search and rescue experience to good use, searching for and rescuing all these giant bass you keep showing us.?

[A-Jay]

Just now, jbmaine said:

A-Jay, Thank you for your service. It's nice to see you putting your search and rescue experience to good use, searching for and rescuing all these giant bass you keep showing us.?

You're Welcome 

and

A-Jay

  

[Gundog]

50 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

Not to detract from the OP but I would be interested to know how many of the young guns on this site are planning for retirement?  I can say I didn't really think about it until I got my Government job 34 years ago and discovered they would match my 5% savings with another 5%.  That's free $$ and I was smart enough to take advantage of it.  My agency has increased benefits due to the job we do and I will end up with the following sources of income in retirement.

 

1. Pension (annunity) FERS

2. TSP (Thrift Savings Plan)

3. Social Security (because of FERS and not CSRS)

4. Private Investments (inheritance re-invested)

  

 

You forgot #5. Lottery 

[jbmaine]

1 hour ago, Gundog said:

 

Something similar happened to a coworker of mine and the company hired 2 young people fresh out of trade school and he mentored them for 1 year while still collecting a pay check. He spent more time sitting down than he ever had but at the end of the year, the company had 2 highly trained people to replace him. If your health allows it Jim, you might think about teaching at a local community college. You decades of experience could really help change someone's life. 

Thank you, I've thought about it. I left work rather suddenly and felt bad I left them in the lurch. Not to toot my own horn, but I was the " go to" guy on several jobs we did. I got a couple of phone calls from guys at work basically calling to say " I got assigned to do this job you always did, I've been playing around with it for a couple of days and I'm stumped. HOW THE HECK DID YOU DO THIS!". I spent several hours on the phone walking them thru it, but I offered to come in for a few hours to help them get going. However, as I was on disability, I was told my presence would be a liability for the company.

 I've sold some of my tools to a gentleman who runs a community hobby machine shop. He has asked me to come teach a couple of classes. Travel time is an issue for me but I'm thinking about it.

[volzfan59]

I'm retired law enforcement. I don't miss it even a little bit. I miss my guys and gals, but I do not miss the work or the sacrifice. I'm down to one blood pressure pill and one stomach pill per day.

[Sam]

Jim, I plan to be carried out feet first.

 

I love what I do, although it can be challenging and stressful at times.

 

I had my right knee replaced and had to stay home for six weeks. Drove myself, and my wife, crazy.

 

If I don't have a challenge I get depressed and moody. So I need to continue to work as an independent and impartial insurance consultant and continue to try to screw the insurance companies before they screw my clients.

 

Like today. I found a possible answer to a serious problem one of my clients has regarding their December 1st group health renewal. Why the agent failed to obtain the same information and solution as I did is a mystery to me. But it looks like the company can continue offering group health benefits into 2019.

 

It is things like this that make me feel that I am still making a positive difference for my clients.

 

And I have the time to go fishing during the week, too.

 

 

[Ratherbfishing]

I'll be eligible for a pension and insurance in less than 6 months.  Would prefer to remain "gainfully employed" (because I'm too lazy to look) but I don't much care for what I do so will probably "retire" at the first opportunity.  I have some investments and I don't owe on much (other than what the government takes) so it isn't so much finances as boredom that concerns me. I'm too young to not being doing something and being bored will suck the life out of me.  I've considered shuttling rental cars around or, perhaps, driving a dealer courtesy van back and forth to fill up some of my time (and to make some more income) but we'll see.

[Way north bass guy]

Being a month away from my 39th birthday, and self employed, I know I’m not retiring any time soon. But I will say, as the fourth generation in my family to work in this business ( stonemason), I do enjoy my work ( most days anyway). I’ve actually worked on some properties where my dad, grandfather, and great grandfather have all worked, something that not a lot of people can say. My dad ran his own business until he was 62, then retired after some back and heart issues. He’s been very active, healthy and happy ever since and no plans to slow down with his enjoyment of retiring. He didn’t have much in the way of retirement savings but he and my mom are doing well and happy as ever. 

I don't plan to work until I can’t physically do it any more, so I’ve been saving and investing some for a while now. My wife has a decent job with our school board and will have a pretty good pension at a fairly early age so I’d like to “shut er down” around the same time as her, so we can enjoy some good years as a healthy ( hopefully), couple. 

I’d say to anyone, no matter what your age is to start saving. It’s not too late to start saving. Every little bit helps, and it all adds up. If you’ve worked hard most of your adult life, you should deserve to enjoy some good years later without having to sacrifice how you live. 

[Jig Man]

When I turned 50 I was offered 75% of my retirement and 1/2 of a years pay to take early retirement.  I loved my job and had spent 10 years building it up but the people above me in the chain of command weren't my kind of folks so I jumped all over it and left.  I sometimes miss the work that I did but not the people in the building.

 

Since then I had a "dog and pony show" for a while teaching people how to relate to their kids.  Then I worked as a sales manager for a boat dealership.  Now I fish and supervise my farm.

[Russ E]

I am 55 years old.

previously I had a long hour, high stress job.

Finances made it possible to retire at 53 years old. I jumped at the oppurtunity I contracted part time with the company for a year. Training their new hires. then I was out.

Don't regret it for a minute. I have fished more this last 2 years, than I have in the previous 20 years.

Kansas city has plenty of things for the wife and I to do when I am not fishing.

 

spent most of my life in a factory. Don't plan on ever going back.