Introduction

Not Quite Retired

I’m in that group of baby boomers that are just not quite retired yet. In my case I’m only 59 (too early to stay home) and I’m still working (am finding more work now than I could 10 years ago). So I’m working and happy with it.

However, I’m also finding more excuses to sit back and take it easy.

I’d like to hear what others in this predicament have to say about working versus retiring. I’m also going to comment on politicians, merchants, banks and just about anyone else who seems to take delight in screwing with seniors. Always interested to hear what experiences others have had dealing with these people.

I’d like to think that we’re not lemmings, running off to the cliff where we’ll just follow the crowd and leap off into oblivion. We’re the boomers; we are the generation that learned to question authority. And we shouldn’t go blindly into the night.

Today’s thoughts:

I'm Still Working…
At what point do we start to slow down? I’ve wondered about this for some time as I’ve watched others go through the gradual drift into retirement. I’ve watched some people count down the days to retirement, just chafing at the bit to run from the office on that last day, tossing their work over the shoulder to some other poor soul. “Free at last to live my life” they yell as they head off into the sunset.

I’ve watched others as they are dragged out the door, kicking and screaming as they claw at desks, doorways and co-workers trying to stop the inevitable. I remember one of my team members was sat down by the CFO and told “I want to know when you’re retiring; I’ve a new person starting in your position in 2 weeks…” That’s quite alarming, rude and I wondered why there was no lawsuit filed.

So, how do you know when it’s time to retire? Is it at that point where I can’t find any work? In my field that’s rather doubtful. I’ve been working as a project manager for a while. This is typically a contract position (bring one of us in for a project, let us execute then watch us walk out the door when done). There are a lot of employers who would call me in for a short stint to handle a specific project then send me on my way when done. I figure that I can keep this up for another 10 years or so.

Do I decide to call it quits when I no longer feel like driving into the office in the morning? I doubt that as well. I telecommute. On those days where I just don’t have the desire to go in I can work from the house. More than once I’ve worked at home on a nice day, sitting with laptop and phone out in the back yard, under a pine tree. Not to stressful.

Do I call it a day when I have an idiot boss? Nope, I just go find another contract.
Ahh, is it the day when my wife decides that it would be good for me to stay home with her? Nope. Been married 40+ years; don’t need to spend extra time with her at this stage of the game.

So how do you know when it’s time? I’d like to hear what others have faced? If you’re retired, what triggered the decision? (Oh, if you’re one of those who decided to call it a day when you cashed in your pre-IPO stock purchases, don’t bother responding. Getting a few million in the bank account would convince me it’s time to go).

For those who have retired in lieu of finding a new job, did you decide to retire because you just could not find a new job? I’d like to know.

Closing Thoughts
Not much else to say today. This weekend I’m going to try to take in a movie and will probably find that the discounts for seniors are somewhat restrictive there as well. Wait until I start in on Senior Centers and their programs….