Among Friends

[morganjen]

Right now it's a health condition that will pretty much dictate how long I can stay. If it gets too bad, I'll have no choice than to retire.

[pattypeep]

@hoosieroriginal Shame on the woman's dh. Of course, I'm pretty hard headed and determined, but I would just tell him that I'm done and x-xx-xx is my last day. Period. End of discussion. Ideally, having dh's support would make everything perfect, but it sounds like that won't work, so just go for it. He'll get over it.

[ScarletDove]

My retirement was not necessarily as I would have wanted or expected. I was married 29 yrs when my husband said he did not know what he wanted!  Life at 51 changed drastically. I had accumulated 15 yrs FT work at HHS, providing health coverage for entire family.  My ex-husband started a business early in our young lives; this man was self-important and what I did was not as important as his "position". I was always independent, always an issue for him.  I don't like control and he liked to control. I struggled the 1st 10 years, had a dressmaking business on the side and vested every penny into 401k offered, taking big chances with the stock investments knowing I had limited time. Paid off mortgage, no loans, no monthly pymts, continued to max out savings to 401K, and researched pension/SS payouts with time and planning. My frugality and determination paid off and retired at 71, financially set, comfortably independent and pleased. The regret is that I had to work to age 71 in order to live financially independent. The position I held was long hours, stressful and it affected my immune system. Remained single, loving every minute of life and my retirement.

[CANDLEQUEEN]

For my husband and I it will be a joint decision, I am 58 and my husband is 60. He would like to retire at 62, as he has a very physical job and he is just plain tired out.I on the other hand do not have a physical job, but have a sometimes mentally stressful job, which as I found out last year the stress nearly killed me(cardiac arrest), so I now have fewer duties and a much more relaxed job description, so I hope and pray that I can work for a while longer, and  that my husband can actually retire at 62 or shortly thereafter...We both want to be healthy and be able to enjoy our retirement when it comes, but neither of us are quite ready yet......But it will definitely be a joint decision...... 

[Vivian]

The decision to retire must belong to the individual. Of course, talking to spouse and family should be part of the process but no one should force another to retire. It's hard enough when businesses go under but if one is fortunate enough to be able to make the choice, one of the most important of life's decisions, that decision is ultimately one's own.

I took two years to decide it was time to retire. I read about all the factors I had to consider and knew that I needed to have everything in order. After all that analysis, I had one day at work in which three things happened and I suddenly realized I was ready. That decision would not have been as easy as it seemed had I not taken all those months to figure out what I needed to do. I wrote my resignation letter in five minutes and never looked back. Retirement is great!

[islandergirl]

I was planning on retiring at 68...I love my job (I am a nurse in a non-traditional nursing role now), and have ability to work from home a few days per week.  But my SO wants me to retire in 7 years, at age 62, and move with him to his beach condo in Portugal for 6 months out of the year (he is semi-retired now, and is 12 years older than me).  While it is a great offer, I don't know if I can retire that young! 

[Katcat1]

I made the decision on my own.  However, she should tell her husband she is tired of full time work.  Does she work 8 hours; cook dinner and clean the house while he sits on his ____?  

[AnikaBrodie]

I am retired and so is my DH.  When it was time to talk retirement I met with a retirement counselor for my company and was given several options and benefit packages to consider.  DH and I discussed them jointly and weighed each option carefully but the final decision was mine.  I put a lot of thought into each option but to this day I feel I made the right decision for us.     

[beckyb1012]

It will be me not just because I am not married but because it is my decision.  Since I am only 55 I fall in that range of "so close but yet so far away."  I love my job and can come and go as I need (even for hair appt.'s)  but I do find myself thinking of retiring more and more each day.  Becoming a Grandmother kind of started the pondering of sooner dates.  But I do not see it happening before 62 no matter how much I prepare each month.

[tarsmom]

I read once that there are several trigger points where couples are prone to get a divorce and retirement is the last one.  I recently took a big cut in pay to take a less stressful job and it was a huge decision.  But it was a joint one.  We discussed pros/cons.  The same is going to happen when we retire.  I am 61 and so is he.  We're both tired after a long day of work, but he does enjoy his job and I am a social person.  I think some women want to retire so they can spend more time with grandkids; that won't be happening for me as I only have one son and he is not married and lives out of state.  

I think if you have a good marriage where you talk openly about your feelings, it all works out.  

I plan to work until 65 and then I'm out.  But that's today - who knows what tomorrow will bring