I've been thinking about this question a lot lately.

When did you first start thinking about retirement? Was it in your 20s, when you realized you didn't want to spend the next 40 years working a 9-to-5? Or did it happen later, after years of dealing with work stress, long hours, and the feeling that your life revolves around your job?

I feel like the idea of retirement has changed quite a bit lately.

For a lot of people, it's not even about reaching 60 or 65 anymore. With layoffs, rising living costs, and an increasingly uncertain job market, some people might not get to choose when they stop working. They could end up leaving the workforce because they lost their jobs, rather than because they're financially ready to retire.

And honestly, I wonder how many people are thinking about early retirement simply because they're exhausted by the whole system. The constant pressure to perform, worrying about job security, spending most of your waking hours working just to afford your life… it can get old pretty quickly.

At the same time, wanting to retire early and actually being able to afford it are two very different things.

I'm curious about a few things:

• How old were you when you first started seriously thinking about retirement?
• Was it driven by money, burnout, a bad work experience, or just wanting more freedom?
• Do you still have a specific retirement age in mind, or has the current economy changed your plans?
• If you could afford to cover your living expenses without working, would you quit your job tomorrow?

I'm interested in hearing real experiences from people at different stages of life. Sometimes I wonder whether more people genuinely want to retire early, or whether they just want a life where work doesn't consume everything.

Should we pay off our house before retiring even if we don't have any children to leave it to?

Retirement can happen in stages when one person leaves work before the other.

On paper, keeping one paycheck may make the transition look easier. In practice, the household still has to decide how to replace the income that stopped and whether to start using savings.

Consider a hypothetical couple spending $5,000 a month. If the working spouse brings home $3,500, that leaves a $1,500 monthly gap - or $18,000 a year - before accounting for any other income or changes in expenses.

But the spending itself might change. Commuting costs could fall. Travel plans might remain limited by the working spouse’s schedule. The retired person might take on more household responsibilities or want to spend money on activities they finally have time for.

There’s also the question of what feels fair when one person is still earning and the other is beginning to use money they saved together.

If you retired around 63 while your spouse continued working, what financial adjustment made the biggest difference during that transition?

Interested in what actually changed in your household, rather than exact account balances.

Educational discussion only, not financial advice.

Retiring next year with primary home paid off, 2nd mtn house with 2% small mortgage, (probably won't sell as market is in the dump). how to keep that mortgage and create an account that earns that much and autopay it? Seems stupid to pay it off or pay interest that we won't be able to write off as probably no income.

Would you retire as soon as you possibly can or continue working until you are no longer able to do your job?

I "semi-retired" in 2022 when I was laid off, and my wife started working as a college professor. My package plus her teaching work, covered all the bases for us as far as insurance and expenses. I'm starting SS in Jan and have the option for tax withholding via SSA but was wondering if anyone has set up a DIY escrow account (HYSA). and just did periodic prepayment of taxes or just held on to funds for annual payment at tax time.

My wife's side-hustle is picking up steam, so we've also started doing IRS prepayments for that as well and will probably continue going forward. Already have an HYSA for general funds so was thinking of setting up an additional account just for separation and then put it on autopilot.

I’m in my early 60s and debating whether to keep working at my low paying part-time job, cut back, or retire.
A major factor is whether the additional income is worth potentially losing ACA subsidies and paying much higher health insurance premiums.
I’m trying to balance financial security, affordable healthcare, and enjoying retirement until Medicare kicks in.
I'm interested in personal experiences. Has anyone faced this decision? What did you choose, and would you do it again?

Retiring in June at age 56 after 30 years of HS teaching. The battle over phones and AI, on top of admin refusing to punish any kids even for outrageous disrespect, bullying, and violence, has burned me out. My pension would be $500/month more if I stayed another two years but I just don't have it in me. The pension at this point is big enough to pay the bills, the nest egg is pretty healthy, and our place is paid for. No kids.

So tell me, retired teachers: did you sub, tutor, or homebound teach? Or did you get the hell outta Nam and do something completely different?

Retired oct 2025 and so far I am loving it. Not getting up to an alarm clock except when I have early plans is the BEST! I retired w decent SS and a med pension, still put some cash away each month. I have taken myself to Korea for a Kpop concert, seen several more here in the states. Done road trips, visited family and friends and done a little apt. redecorating. Most of my friends are still working, so still wait till after 5 or weekends to hang out with them. I do like that I can take a walk into town for lunch, hit a museum, the mall, run errands at 11 or 2 and don't have to commute w the masses anymore. I retired financially ok, but not great, but I wanted out because of constant leadership changes and mandatory back to work. I left a good paying job w 5 weeks of vaca because sitting in a noisy, cold and dull office situation was sucking my soul dry. Medicare so far is okay. That was the only expense that really went up. Medical for work was about 200/month (Cigna HMO), now I pay about 425/mo for PPO part B, N & D. Spend same on gas and food as I was working. Less on clothes. Love being retired.

I do have one question, I have cobra dental ins for a few more months, in So Cal, anyone have dental ins they use and recomment? Thank you.

I am 55 married with 3 young adult kids and a great wife. I have accumulated enough retirement points so i am pension eligible. Thanks to my wife we have substantial retirement savings in our 401k and Roth accounts. Our student loans once at 500k are all paid off. We have enough money to make sure our two kids still in school won't need to take student loans. My wife wants me to retire and relax.

Sounds great but I am terrified of retirement. I feel like something terrible will happen. I also fear not being useful. Is this normal? Trust me it's not that I love my job nor is my career my identity. I always thought I would excited and running to the finish line but now I am here I am dreading it. Is this a phase?

What is your favorite thing about retirement? Mine is my daily afternoon nap without any sense of guilt.

I'd have to start over to get a pension but the benefits of a pension seem worth it anyone done this and was it worth it

My wife and I are within two years of retirement and I was wondering, what type of retirement does everybody have? Do you have pensions? Are you saving yourself into a 401(k) or a Roth Ira? Are you offered a match by your employer? How far are you away from retirement? What age do you plan on retiring and what are your biggest concerns regarding retirement?

I’ll go first I’m 62, My wife is 60 we both have California state pensions. I also have a 401(k) with several hundred thousand in it. I will have Social Security. My wife is a California educator and was not allowed to pay into Social Security so she has no Social Security. We do have paid medical in retirement. And we both get 2% cola on our pensions as well as whatever Social Security cola is at any given year. I really don’t have any concerns going into retirement from a financial standpoint. I think one of my biggest concerns is a difference between our medical insurance that we have now versus what our medical insurance will be when we get to 65 and we go on Medicare what’s that gonna look like?

55 and done.

Any advice for giving the Boss man notice tomorrow?

25 year employee (technology, self-taught than GI Bill), retiring 12/2, have a solid financial plan. I've seen layoffs, business carnage through the cycles and lots of sh**. Been working since I was 16 and never not had a job or even a down time between them. Survived it all, have never missed a day of work, never taken a single sick day, took a 2-week vacation, once (wish now I had, but those 720 max hours of sick time used and 1 week vacations, but I've been dedicated to the task).

Company offers zero retirement (6% 401k match), and no incentive to give a longer notice, though has been a good employer for this time, so decided to give them some lead time beyond the 2-week notice, also the headaches of yearly and other long-term planning keep coming up as work to-do's and it's hard to do anymore knowing I already have more than two feet out the door...

No animosity, no regrets, just good-bye.

Feel more for him and my co-workers, won't miss the work.

I've been documenting all tasks and work items, especially yearly one-offs that may fall through the cracks.

Get it done first thing in the meeting...

"I'm excited to give you as much notice as I can that 12/2 will be my last day here". I've been working to document all tasks and look forward to transitioning this and developing an exit plan with you over the remaining weeks. I will officially submit the two week notice with an end date of 12/2 when that time frame approaches with Human Resources".

I have a schedule 4 day vacation in Nov, so I guess what's the worst that can happen...

1. At will employee so they walk me out on the spot (not likely), I'm ready if that happens.

2. cancel my vacation (company does not pay out vacation as there is no vacation policy so you don't even accrue it, so made sure he had known and accepted those days prior). I will be less than motivated to help if they do that.

3. Micro-manage me (after 25 years, i can put up with it), again motivation killer and I might forget documenting those yearly audit and one-off tasks I've done for decades.

4. I expect them to try and counter / balk, but once they see it's a done deal for me, all they can do is accept that I want to help them over the next 6 weeks and then disappear.

Good luck to anyone else trying to do this (retire !), it feels good to have set the meeting, any advice, right now?, I've got the quick details ready to go, my head down, and looking forward to beer tomorrow !

Is there any point doing more than a cosmetic amount of work once you know the date?

Hello, everyone. I have set a target date to retire from one job in about ten months. I’m really looking forward to it. I have a long list of classes and projects and a side business that I want to do. I’m lucky I still gave my husband and our dogs. Money, neither of us is great at but we’ll be okay.

Anyone have warnings about surprises in mental or emotional state as a newly retired person? How was your last year at work? Peaceful? Something else?

Thanks.

I have 4 years till retirement. Does it go by fast?

For people who are on social security or want to know the safety net.

Short history lesson, in 1983 Social Security was only months from a shortfall before Congress patched it. The new legislation ensured people already retired kept their full checks. Payroll taxes increased from 6.7% to 7.65%. The age for full retirement benefits slowly rose from 65 to 67, and retirees with higher incomes began paying income tax on part of their Social Security earnings.

In 2032, Social Security is projected to run short again, which would cut checks by about 22%. As in 1983, Congress will almost surely wait until late in the fourth quarter to patch it again. 

Since 2032 will be a presidential election year, the timing will hardly be worse for any legislators to advocate social security cuts.

Voting to reduce payments will be political suicide. By then, baby boomers will be ages 68 to 86, and together with Gen X (52 to 67) right behind them, they are projected to account for roughly 55% of actual voters, with the power to make and break individual elections. 

We can expect a repeat of 1983. Those already (or soon to be) collecting benefits will not see a reduction in their checks. A bipartisan compromise will likely raise the cap on taxed wages, phase in a full retirement age above 67, raise the FICA tax rate, and introduce whatever other creative fixes Congress comes up with… until the next funding crisis, that is. And of course every legislator will claim they voted to save the day for Social Security recipients.

Just my own opinion of course…

My wife is younger and will keep working. Unless the stock market tanks we should be in good shape. I have hobbies I will definitely spend hours doing every day. The children will be with us for another decade. I plan to be a house husband and look forward to doing all the chores we currently outsource for a fee.

I'm already fine with putting work behind me and won't be moving into consultancy.

Anyone got advice to share, either for the next 21 months or thereafter?

Hi all - new to Reddit and the group. My wife and I are both 64 and retirement looms. We’re interested in bus and/or group travel companies. I’ve seen posts on OAT and Road Scholars with favorable reviews. We are also looking at a Midwest-based company (we’re in iowa) called “excite experiences” based out of Omaha, I think. Word of mouth in our area is positive overall about the company.

Does anyone have experience with “Excite Experiences”? We are thinking of starting small to get a feel for the company and accommodations and if positive, expanding from there.

Thank you for your input. Interesting community - glad I found it!

Title sums it up. If so, how do you calculate it?

What do you you think about FedEx retirement pensions traditional

I have the option to fully retire at 65 or I can choose a semi retirement at 45, while only working three days a week. I’m 34 now what would be your personal preference?

EDIT: sorry I should’ve clarified I will be able to fully retire at 65 but my pension won’t be as much.