topic Re: Retirement in Community Chat

Retirement

JFD12 — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 02:46:11 GMT

Soooo.... a question for all those in retirement! I cannnot believe that I can retire now after working so many years for my city ... I am so old! But, not really... lol... birthday next week. I started very young, young 20s.... and cannot believe I am at the point where I can retire at my highest pay. Is retirement the best? I can stay, I can leave ... my plan is to leave. What is your retirement story? 🤗

Re: Retirement

rockygems123 — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 03:12:36 GMT

@JFD12

You can retire at full pay which means no working but full pay & benefits?

Sounds great!

Re: Retirement

JFD12 — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 03:16:27 GMT

@rockygems123 Yes! I started working for my city at a young age and I can now retire at my full pension. I really cannot believe I have reached this point.

Re: Retirement

Desertdi — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 03:20:56 GMT

@JFD12 wrote:
Soooo.... a question for all those in retirement! I cannnot believe that I can retire now after working so many years for my city ... I am so old! But, not really... lol... birthday next week. I started very young, young 20s.... and cannot believe I am at the point where I can retire at my highest pay. Is retirement the best? I can stay, I can leave ... my plan is to leave. What is your retirement story? 🤗

@JFD12

My co-workers on the previous shift were always playing practical jokes on me. Sooooooo, one "last time", they packed up all my personal items in boxes and left them outside the office door.

I called maintenance, and had them take my property out to my car and LEFT THE PROPERTY.

The general manager of the company called me for WEEKS, and I never answered the phone. Amen and Hallelujah!

(I was already retirement age...and didn't NEED the job anyway.)

Re: Retirement

Mz iMac — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 03:25:43 GMT

@JFD12 I retired from the Federal Government at 50 w/full benefits & never looked back.

Me >>>>as I walked out the door & NEVER looked back.

Re: Retirement

JFD12 — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 03:27:56 GMT

@Mz iMac @Wow.... excellent! Cheers to you! ❤️

Re: Retirement

Tissyanne — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 03:32:17 GMT

i retired from the county at 58 years old with full retirement benefits. I have never looked back.

Retirement is the best ever. You can go to bed when you please, get up when you please. Be your own person.

Congratulations @JFD12 . Enjoy.

Re: Retirement

JFD12 — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 03:33:46 GMT

@Tissyanne Thank you so much! 💜

Re: Retirement

skatting44 — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 03:37:39 GMT

Enjoy while you are young and inhealth to do all you worked so long for

Re: Retirement

JFD12 — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 03:42:36 GMT

@skatting44 Thank you so much! I honestly cannot believe that I have reached this point in my life. I have never not worked... even when I had my children.

Re: Retirement

Janey2 — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 03:58:18 GMT

Being honest....unless you have activities you would love to do or maybe lots of travel retirement gets very boring after a few months. Waking up when you want and planning your day without restraints becomes nothing. How many lunches can you go to with the same people week after week? Of course you have to like your job to stay. If you find it horrible then that's not good either. After a few months of retirement I found another job. I needed stimulation I wasn't getting just staying home.

Re: Retirement

LuvSoCal — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 04:03:46 GMT

@rockygems123 wrote:
@JFD12

You can retire at full pay which means no working but full pay & benefits?

Sounds great!

@rockygems123 I think what she meant is that her pension will be based on her current salary not that she will continue to collect her full salary.

I am a retired CA state employee and after 38 yrs of service I collect 93% of the salary I was earning at time of retirement (which was the highest of my career). That is calculated on age/service credits

SS more than made up the remaining 7%. That's when I knew it was time to submit my papers.

Re: Retirement

Snooky60 — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 04:40:32 GMT

@JFD12 -best decision I ever made, to retire! I want to add to the other posters- you can do your laundry during the day, you can go food shopping during the day and all the other things you had to do at night or on the weekends. I live in Pennsylvania so I always worried about getting to work in the bad weather. Now when bad weather comes, I just roll over and go back to sleep. Congratulations. Enjoy your retirement!!!

Re: Retirement

QVCkitty1 — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 04:44:09 GMT

I retired at 62, I was frankly just tired of the whole thing. After a month off I was encouraged to work per diem ( hospital OR ) and I liked the idea of extra money if and when I wanted to work. For a few years it was apleasant was to have my cake and eat it too. When I decided to quit for good, I never looked back. Retirement is freedom.

Re: Retirement

JFD12 — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 04:46:50 GMT

@Snooky60 @Thank you so much! I have not retired just yet but I cannot imagine not working as I never have not worked! Kind of horrifying for me! I can retire so very soon and I think Imwill be in shock! Lol!

Re: Retirement

Xivambala — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 05:03:07 GMT

With the exception of 6 months, I worked from high school until I retired at 65. I'll side with those that say there is nothing like having the freedom to live life as you choose, and do as you please when you please. Unlike a prior poster, I don't need to fill my days with mindless activities to "keep busy" or occupy my time.

Everyone is different and has different needs. I've been independent and self-sufficient all my life and have enough hobbies and projects to last longer than my remaining days on this earth.

Re: Retirement

Snowpuppy — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 05:08:45 GMT

Currently struggling with that decision. I'm hoping for an early out offer this year.

Since Covid, our division has lost so many employees that it's impossible to keep up. Corp won't hire so instead they made most of us remote as an incentive.

I called a Realtor yesterday. I want to think it over before listing. No going back then.

I'm Just Tired!

Re: Retirement

bellaartiste — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 05:10:11 GMT

You will love it! My sister retired two years ago, and I am beyond jealous. She is doing everything I want to do, traveling, gardening more, baking more, seeing friends more, doing a ton with fun festivals, volunteering with food banks, and on and on.

She continues to knit with her knitting group. She has even taken classes to learn home repair, and how to bake at high altitude. I don't think she looked back for a second. She seems to have a ton of energy.

Re: Retirement

JFD12 — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 05:11:53 GMT

@Xivambala I am kind of freaking out! lol! I have never not worked!

Re: Retirement

Goodie2shoes — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 06:33:31 GMT

I retired from about 45 years as a nurse in 2016 and have not regreted a single day !! I had my share of working the day shift and the midnight shift working in a Hospital for many years then I worked for an insurance company my last 16 yrs as a work comp case manager. I was just returning from having my first knee replacement and achilles tendon repair which ended up having to be redone because the incision came open. With going through all of that and coming up on my 65 th birthday I decided to just hang it up so I handed in my notice on my first day back to work ! I have not regretted a single day. Happy Birthday and enjoy your retirement !