What I want for my retirement...
 

My own career over the past 45 years has been a series
of 7-10 year episodes of "career suicides",
a little bit like the proverbial "7-year itch" in marriage.

Now, I've been retired for a little more than 7 years,
and am having some of same those feelings of wanting something new.
I know... just living is better than the alternative.
But I'm wondering what others think about what they really want for their own retirement.

What ideas or wishes or plans do you have for your retirement?

I think the ideal would be to work half-time - either 20 hours per week, or two weeks out of the each month, or six months out of the year.

If I'm ever able to retire I'd spend all my time gardening and doing wet process (traditional photography) or working a 9-5 job.

As someone who has always worked freelance, a regular paycheck would be relaxing and much like retirement, I guess. Plus, I'd have no compunctions telling my boss to stuff it.

Maybe I would start a pizza place. That might be fun for about a year or two.

I will never retire.

I may feel older when I'm 70, but I don't ever want to stop doing what I'm doing. I can't imagine retiring.

I know the feeling you're talking about Lampy. I always have that need for wholesale change, which turns out to be okay now that the "ideal" of two-way company loyalty is dead. I'm going to keep at what I'm doing right now for the foreseeable future and see if I can't reprogram myself. For retirement, I still think a part-time gig plus the farm is best. I've watched my Dad go from workaholic to sweeping the church steps and I know I'll need to be more balanced. I don't know if I can but I'm going to try. If our bodies hold up Pete and I have a lot of physical stuff we'd like to return to in semi-retirement like bike touring, mountaineering, and camping. I'll probably have to build another timber-frame at some point as well... thanks for the question, it focuses the mind a bit.

That's because you got plenty of air when you were born. (can't find the link)

I am planning to sell everything I own and move into a camper and become a snowbird.

It's much cheaper to live that way and more fun too!

I may take an occasional part time job to cover an expense that I otherwise cannot afford but generally, I've driven enough for one lifetime.

I wouldn't mind doing some volunteer work somewhere, not much...just keep my hand in helping people.

I'd love a shop like my dad's: he puts out some lovely furniture, fixes up old things for people. He has a TV and a fridge and every kind of woodworking thing imaginable.

I'd love to just putter, make things. It sounds silly, but I'd love to just solder a bunch of stuff...in the manner of the high-reliability intricate soldering I used to do for defense contractors. I like making stuff.

And read. And swim. And ride horses. And bicycle. And canoe.

I really just need a log home in the woods (with all the amenities, of course.)

This will all require winning the lottery. My PERS trumps a bunch of the SS I paid into for years. I just don't want more lean times. Worry-free, would be lovely.

Wow. She solders too!

The last of the renaissance women.

When the revolution comes, I'll be valuable in so many ways I'll be indispensible. There isn't much I haven't done or couldn't do. :)

But does she do KKK Welding?

I like what you did thar. :biggrin:

All i need is my rocking chair and a Pocket full of rocket flares !!!

During my retirement I intend to keep several aquariums. If I have any limber left in my fingers, I shall have a music keyboard to plunk things out. I may foster dogs that need adoption. I will cook fine dinners that take a lot of preparation time.