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I retired in December 2019 aged 60. It was a bit weird for a while but I have no idea how much of that was down to retirement and how much down to lockdown. I started a PhD when I retired which keeps me occupied and my brain ticking over so I'm very happy with my decision.
Gosh ,do envy you guys as I enter my first year apprenticeship
good luck TBG, you always struck me as a very decent chap and you deserve to be free of the constraints of this bastard system, any regrets you may currently be harbouring are just due to psychological conditioning..
..fly TBG, fly awayyyyyy..
Jesus, I was only being whimsical. I have hardly been in a concentration camp during my working life.
I'm glad to see that you are still around and I will never forget that fleeting meeting with you outside the Romilly.
I still can't find my wallet though........
I had to take early retirement in 2004 at the age of 50 to look after my disabled wife .
Only realised last year when my daughter started her OU course that I am now entitled to a student loan to pay for the degree so I enrolled on a History and Politics BA with the OU last October. A few problems with my wife's health meant that I had to defer and start again in February but I have now just completed my first four assignments and will be submitting the fifth sometime in the next couple of days. The final assignment is due by early September. and I will probably start the next module in January/February.
It is quite hard work but if you are organised it is not too bad. Having been out of work for so long I have found concentrating hard but I have got better as the year has gone on.
You have actually got 16 years to do the degree ( if I take that long I will be 83!!) although I want to do mine in six by doing one module a year. You can do two a year if you think you can and get the degree in three years.
I would thoroughly recommend it, it certainly keeps the mind active.
Just seen this post. Congratulations TBG! Well deserved free time.
I get told by clients that it's a strange feeling. Having something to retire TO is as important as having something to retire FROM.
Maybe the egg stained string vest is your thing maybe not!
Couple of (non financial!) tips that I've picked up by those who I think have done it well are:
- have a structure for your ideal week (ie your timetable) - obviously just doing things that you want to be doing!
- don't rush into anything. There are so many potential calls on your time, volunteering, hobbies, socialising, looking after grand-children, that some people can feel more under pressure than when they were working.
Howdy, RSD. Your having come to this thread late (and there's really no excuse for that, old fruit ) you may not have read that I do indeed have a timetable. Different types of physical exercises in the mornings and intellectual pursuits in the afternoons (improving my German and Spanish and re-starting Welsh): that's when I am not walking with friends and/or leading group walks, attending gigs and City games etc. I have evening classes to continue (and I may start one up myself) and I shall be travelling domestically and further afield. I have no progeny (having decided to spare humanity my contribution to the gene pool) nor partner so my time is my own. I dropped down to being part-time four years ago (oddly, for beneficial financial reasons) so it's hardly a big transition in reality.
Now where's that vest....