Retirement Countdown

Here you can post stuff that is not related to Christopher Ward
User avatar
magicman
Trusted Seller
Trusted Seller
Posts: 3879
Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2009 4:45 pm
CW-watches: 2
Location: Loughton, Essex

Re: Retirement Countdown

Post by magicman »

Looked too close to 1966 ! a year that is especially hurtful right now.
I might try a countdown, as it might slow life down a bit, it's currently flying by.

I wonder how many days I should set, for the countdown of a Rolex OP coming into my local AD ?

Can't do retirement, as I've not put a plan in place, and I've got quite an easy work life to be honest, so I'll probably work through it.
That decision was finalised, off the back of 5 days isolating with the wife.

Regards Steve
Selling Tudor Pelagos 39
Bungle-ator
Senior Guru
Senior Guru
Posts: 483
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2018 2:17 pm

Re: Retirement Countdown

Post by Bungle-ator »

jkbarnes wrote: Thu Jul 15, 2021 12:41 pm
The countdown also marks something far more significant. My wife and I met online. Because of our jobs and child custody arrangements with our exes, we have not been able to live together - she’s in Maryland and I’m in Virginia. We see each other on Wednesdays and every other weekend. My retirement date also marks the date I can move up to MD, and we can be together full time….

Finally, this marks retir
For crying out loud man don't do it! :shock:
User avatar
malvern_man
Senior Forumgod
Senior Forumgod
Posts: 1218
Joined: Sun Jul 28, 2013 9:48 pm
CW-watches: 4
Location: Derbyshire, UK

Re: Retirement Countdown

Post by malvern_man »

I retired (early retirement plus voluntary severance) one year ago yesterday (14th) I can thoroughly recommend it. How I ever found time to go to work I'll never know :lol:
CWL - C60 Trident Pro ~ Orange Bezel - C60-TRI-SKCSI
CWL - C60 Trident Pro 600 ~ C60-42-AUTO-SKRT
CWL - C11 Makaira Pro 500 ~ C11-MAK-SKOSI
CWL - C11 Titanium Extreme 1000 Limited Edition ~ C11-COSC-EXT-TKV-SI
User avatar
Kip
The Administrator
The Administrator
Posts: 35171
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2007 8:45 pm
CW-watches: 150
LE-one: yes
LE-two: yes
LE-three: yes
LE-foura: yes
LE-fourb: yes
LE-five: yes
LE-six: yes
LESeven: yes
Location: New Hampshire, USA

Re: Retirement Countdown

Post by Kip »

malvern_man wrote: Thu Jul 15, 2021 10:56 pm I retired (early retirement plus voluntary severance) one year ago yesterday (14th) I can thoroughly recommend it. How I ever found time to go to work I'll never know :lol:
It is incredible how we manage to fill the time and then find there still isn't enough. :lol:
Kip

"Asylum Administrator"


Visit the CWArchives for everything CW. Historical, specs, manuals and resale. It is all there.
User avatar
nbg
Senior Forumgod
Senior Forumgod
Posts: 13151
Joined: Sun Nov 24, 2013 6:43 pm
CW-watches: 14
Location: UK

Re: Retirement Countdown

Post by nbg »

Just noticed the date. Doesn’t time fly. It was 6 years ago that I called it quits and packed in work.

Had I stayed until my normal age 60 retirement date I would have been there until 2019.

Absolutely no regrets in leaving on my own terms, at a time of my choosing, even though it involved a discount for drawing my pension early.

In my experience far too many hang on beyond their sell by date, hoping for a tap on the shoulder and a pay off.

Neil
Other watch forums of interest:
TZ-UK
User avatar
jkbarnes
Senior Forumgod
Senior Forumgod
Posts: 7852
Joined: Wed May 24, 2017 8:39 pm
CW-watches: 3
Location: Virginia, USA

Re: Retirement Countdown

Post by jkbarnes »

nbg wrote: Fri Jul 16, 2021 1:12 pm.
In my experience far too many hang on beyond their sell by date, hoping for a tap on the shoulder and a pay off.
A number of years ago a coworker with whom I was very close both personally and professionally told me she was retiring. She said she wanted to retire while she still loved what she was doing and not wait until she didn’t enjoy it any more. She could sense things were heading in that direction.

I’ve made no secrets of my growing frustration with the direction education is heading in the US. I can see the writing on the wall for teaching dinosaurs like me. I want to retire before I really don’t enjoy it anymore, like my coworker. And to be honest, having made the decision to retire as soon as I’m eligible has relieved a lot of pressure. I think it will make the last three more enjoyable.
Drew
User avatar
Kansas City Milkman
Senior Forumgod
Senior Forumgod
Posts: 2520
Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2012 11:08 pm
CW-watches: 14
Location: Surrey

Re: Retirement Countdown

Post by Kansas City Milkman »

You’re such a young ‘un JKB! I’m nearly 52 and retirement is firmly in my thoughts. However, I quite enjoy what I’m doing and I can’t afford to pack up yet. What I really want is the financial independence and doing something I really enjoy, even if it is unpaid voluntary work. Now, if I can just get shot of my mortgage……..
User avatar
jkbarnes
Senior Forumgod
Senior Forumgod
Posts: 7852
Joined: Wed May 24, 2017 8:39 pm
CW-watches: 3
Location: Virginia, USA

Re: Retirement Countdown

Post by jkbarnes »

Kansas City Milkman wrote: Fri Jul 16, 2021 2:02 pm You’re such a young ‘un JKB! I’m nearly 52 and retirement is firmly in my thoughts. However, I quite enjoy what I’m doing and I can’t afford to pack up yet. What I really want is the financial independence and doing something I really enjoy, even if it is unpaid voluntary work. Now, if I can just get shot of my mortgage……..
Luckily, I’m in a position where retiring youngish is financially possible, if not even more advantageous. I’ve actually got a pretty good pension unlike new teachers who are getting the shaft, I’ve got tons of equity in my house, my wife and I will be combining households which means a significant savings on expenses, my kids should be completely “off the payroll” by then (🤞), and my wife will still be working, so I can go on her health insurance. I intend to keep working but completely on my terms, which means something I really enjoy where the money is not a necessity but a bonus.
Drew
User avatar
Bahnstormer_vRS
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 35161
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2012 3:06 pm
CW-watches: 34
LE-three: 1
LE-foura: 1
LE-fourb: 1
LE-six: 1
Location: Hertfordshire, UK

Re: Retirement Countdown

Post by Bahnstormer_vRS »

One in the eye for you, eh? Harold Andrew. :lol: :lol:

Seriously, when I first read this thread a couple of days ago my gut reaction was;-

Way, man. You're counting down to retirement in three years! :shock: :shock: That's horrendous Get Out NOW!

Since then, with the development of the thread, and with further information on your situation, I kind of get why you're retiring in three years time, and hell 54 yrs is pretty young these days that its probably worth waiting for. Nevertheless, I still can't help feeling that, if you're counting down as you are, there's something wrong in your raison d'etre. My apologies for being blunt, as I don't wish to offend.


As we're on the subject of retirement, and I've reached the stage in life that I can claim that privileged, let me give you my two fold personal experience of getting to retirement.

Firstly that of my late wife who was a career Primary School Teacher.

Having had posts in Wiltshire and then the British Forces Education Service in Germany (teaching children of Service personnel stationed in BAOR; where we met) she was fortunate enough to get a position in the Village Primary School where my parents lived and I had returned to on leaving the Army. Maybe it helped that the Headmaster of the time was ex-BFES too. :wink:

She taught here for 25 years and, during this time, following breast cancer scaled down to working part-time (0.5 hours i.e. half time). Her Headmaster of the time (not her original one who'd moved on and up) was very sympathetic to her situation and went out of his way to rota my wife's hours in a way that suited her as much as the School.

With 25 years under her belt and retirement beckoning in about three years time, her Headmaster changed. She was by now revered and respected within the School but the new Head had plans to shake a few things up, wanting my wife to work hours that didn't suit and were stressful; this coupled with the ever changing landscape of UK Education with more and more prescriptive teaching and paperwork to follow.

My wife felt that she had had enough, made some enquiries and found that to retire immediately her pension would only be 10% less than her then (0.5) salary. This would have a negligible effect on our household income. She gave her notice immediately, ultimately being given a rousing send off by her colleagues.


Now to my situation.

As a youngster I had this notion that it would be great to retire at 55yrs, but this changed over time and I set-up my private pensions for a retirement at 60.

Life and employment, as an Estate Agent, were good. I enjoyed what I did, with its great satisfaction and even the enormous frustrations. The small Company I was a Director, but not the owner, of was doing fine and we had a great, close knit, team of staff. I would happily have worked beyond 60 and for as long as I could.

At 58, we sold out to a larger Group who were on the expansion warpath and, not unexpectedly, I ended up being made redundant with a decent payoff. I could have retired then but felt I was too young to do so and promptly got a job with my local Skoda Dealer, whose cars I like and again it was a private Company with a good bunch of employees.

Two years on. I was enjoying the work but the VW Emissions debacle hit and the MD opted to scale back staffing levels with a few redundancies; one of which was me. This time I thought, OK, time to retire, for which my Pensions were set up to do; so I did.

Nine months later, a part time position came up in one of the Estate Agents in the village where I live and, as I knew the Owner and had used them a couple of times over the years, I ended up working part time three days per week. Life was good. A year later, my wife's Breast cancer came back to bite, evolving to Secondary with a prediction of it being terminal. I retired; again!

Four years on, three being on my own, and being due to receive my State Pension later this year, I have started 'work' as a Volunteer Driver for my local NHS Trust Community Transport Service, volunteering 2 to 3 days per week. It gets me out and keeps me out of trouble. :wink: :wink:


I think that's enough rambling. Good luck with whatever you end up doing Andrew.

Guy
In small proportions, we just beautie see:
And in short measures, life may perfect bee. - Ben Jonson (1572 – 1637)

Inscription on the Longitude Dial
Hatfield House, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL9 5NB, England
User avatar
jkbarnes
Senior Forumgod
Senior Forumgod
Posts: 7852
Joined: Wed May 24, 2017 8:39 pm
CW-watches: 3
Location: Virginia, USA

Re: Retirement Countdown

Post by jkbarnes »

Bahnstormer_vRS wrote: Sun Jul 18, 2021 12:14 am One in the eye for you, eh? Harold Andrew. :lol: :lol:

Seriously, when I first read this thread a couple of days ago my gut reaction was;-

Way, man. You're counting down to retirement in three years! :shock: :shock: That's horrendous Get Out NOW!

Since then, with the development of the thread, and with further information on your situation, I kind of get why you're retiring in three years time, and hell 54 yrs is pretty young these days that its probably worth waiting for. Nevertheless, I still can't help feeling that, if you're counting down as you are, there's something wrong in your raison d'etre. My apologies for being blunt, as I don't wish to offend….

Now to my situation…

I think that's enough rambling. Good luck with whatever you end up doing Andrew.

Guy
No offense taken, and thank you for sharing the backstory to your retirement. It illustrates perfectly what I think is the point of your post - be purposefully in when, why, and how one retires. Am I on the mark with that assessment? I don’t disagree with that at all, and as a matter of fact, the three years is a reflection of just that.

The three year number is not arbitrary. In three years, I will have taught for 30 years, the required service time to retire with a full pension (that’s a state pension that I did not have to contribute a thing to). If I retire with less than 30 years, there is a significant impact on my pension, so going early is not an option. Three years gets my kids through university and off the pay-roll, so to speak. Three years also gets me through the last years of my current principal. He’s not a particularly great leader, but neither is he a micromanager. I know I can close my door, do my thing, and I’ll be left alone because, like your wife, I’m “revered and respected within the school.” So when that unknown and unpredictable new principal rolls in, I’ll be rolling out!

I had actually planned on teaching an additional two years beyond the 30 so that I would qualify for an retirement program that would put a whole lot of additional money in my pocket. under the program, one retires then works 20 days a year for the school system; they continue to pay health insurance premiums and one fifth of your salary. Ironically, it’s actually a program to encourage retirement for those who have been around awhile, but it would keep me around longer because there’s a minimum age to qualify for the program. The changing nature of education, the pandemic, and the separation from my wife all compelled me to really think closely about priorities. I don’t need that extra money and decided teaching two extra years just for the money was not the best option for me.

Let me end on this. I love teaching. I love closing my door and doing my thing in the classroom with my students. It’s simply getting harder and harder to close my door and do that as more and more starts to intrude. I love teaching, but like my job less and less every year, if that makes sense. I think I can stay happy in the classroom for another three years. In fact, putting a date for retirement on the books is making it easier to enjoy the classroom by removing so many pressures. I know I’m on my way out so I will simply do what I want and ignore what is absurd!

It’s funny how a post I started as a laugh because of the actual countdown has become such a serious discussion!
Drew
Bungle-ator
Senior Guru
Senior Guru
Posts: 483
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2018 2:17 pm

Re: Retirement Countdown

Post by Bungle-ator »

My retirement is so far away it would just be fantasy for me to do a countdown. It's probably at least 17 years away and maybe as far as 28. Far too many variables :?
User avatar
Bahnstormer_vRS
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 35161
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2012 3:06 pm
CW-watches: 34
LE-three: 1
LE-foura: 1
LE-fourb: 1
LE-six: 1
Location: Hertfordshire, UK

Re: Retirement Countdown

Post by Bahnstormer_vRS »

^^^ @jkbarnes - thanks for your further deliberations Andrew, which clearly show that you have got this well and truly thought out (as one might have anticipated).

Your three years to go countdown is running for good reason and, that you have decided to opt out of the roll-on two years plus program, sounds to be the absolute best option for your circumstances.

You, I'm sure, will have so much to look forward to and keep you busy.


Now.

With your History Teacher's hat on. What is the next notable date you can set yourself as a mini-countdown? 409AD Roman occupation of Britain ends or is there a date in the 800/900s?

Guy

Sent from my Xperia 5 using Tapatalk





In small proportions, we just beautie see:
And in short measures, life may perfect bee. - Ben Jonson (1572 – 1637)

Inscription on the Longitude Dial
Hatfield House, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL9 5NB, England
User avatar
Amor Vincit Omnia
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 33793
Joined: Sat Jun 11, 2011 7:34 pm
CW-watches: 4
Location: Norfolk, UK

Re: Retirement Countdown

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

Bahnstormer_vRS wrote: Sun Jul 18, 2021 8:23 am With your History Teacher's hat on. What is the next notable date you can set yourself as a mini-countdown? 409AD Roman occupation of Britain ends or is there a date in the 800/900s?
I suggest the Great Schism of 1054. When the Western (RC) and Eastern (Orthodox) churches finally and irreconcilably split. Huge implications for the whole history of Central and E. Europe and the Balkans especially.

The 11th Century was a fascinating period. There was a LOT of muscle-flexing, especially but not exclusively by the Normans, which led eventually to a lot of upheaval in the mediaeval world. It was the end of the "Dark Ages" - and by the end of the century the Crusades had begun.
Steve
Linguist; retired teacher; pilgrim; apprentice travel writer

Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time


Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. (Max Ehrmann)
JAFO
Senior Forumgod
Senior Forumgod
Posts: 4490
Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2020 3:59 pm

Re: Retirement Countdown

Post by JAFO »

jkbarnes wrote: Thu Jul 15, 2021 4:25 pm
JAFO wrote: Thu Jul 15, 2021 2:28 pm I thought it was a bit like Andy Dufresne taking years to carve his tunnel out of Shawshank. You seemed very keen on the escape. :D
:lol: :lol: :lol:

You know, I’ve never seen The Shawshank Redemption, and at this point, I’ve decided to make a point of not seeing it. I fully understand the reference, though.
Andrew, don't not watch this amazing film on my account. It's such a wonderful life affirming film. For many it's the best film they have ever seen. There's many films I rewatch whenever it's on the TV, and this is one of them. (despite the fact I could just pull it out of my extensive library of movies), When it's on TV it's more of a shared experience.

It's based in a short story of Steven King, and I do think films based on short stories often make better films than novels. You have to edit a full length novel to make a film, whereas you can embellish a short story.
User avatar
Amor Vincit Omnia
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 33793
Joined: Sat Jun 11, 2011 7:34 pm
CW-watches: 4
Location: Norfolk, UK

Re: Retirement Countdown

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

JAFO wrote: Sun Jul 18, 2021 9:01 am It's such a wonderful life affirming film. For many it's the best film they have ever seen.
It’s a fantastic film. Probably doesn’t squeeze into my top 10 but I have certainly watched it several times, and Morgan Freeman is simply outstanding.
Steve
Linguist; retired teacher; pilgrim; apprentice travel writer

Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time


Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. (Max Ehrmann)
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post