Well its happened – I've (sort of retired).

[blacklion1725]

Last day at work yesterday – having been made redundant in October. For the short term my income will be my company pension which in terms of the PCSL and the annuity is way better than I thought and enough to live on for now. From the redundancy I was able to make a significant AVC in to the pension pot and get some extra PCSL out if that too. The rest of the redundancy will be taxed to pieces unfortunately. Firm have been great with me and they provided some free financial advice (similar to the Lighthouse service Dave put me on to earlier). Going to sit tight for a bit and then see how the land lies before deciding how to invest.

Weird waking up this morning though – been working since I left school and did feel a bit odd. However a mate who runs a local pub rung me for some help with this TV distribution and he paid me in beer for my efforts…..so not a bad start.

Have already realised (after half a day) I’ll need to find something else to do – but not for a few months.

I hope all my fellow pensioners on here will welcome me to their ranks ?

[JayCeeDee]

blacklion1725 wrote:

I hope all my fellow pensioners on here will welcome me to their ranks

I bid you a hearty welcome to the next stage of your life!!??? You’ll find it a lot different.

I had two practise runs at it, first when I took early redundancy from BT and went to work with /for – I’m still not really sure – the wife. That was a complete transition from employee to part boss!!

The second time was when we stopped work when the wife got ill. That was also a complete change which included selling the house to ( theoretically  because that was caught up in the financial crash, Dec ’08) go mortgage free because we were both at home, not earning, moving out to the country ( cheaper properties ) and starting over.

You know yourself, ( be very honest ) so it’s a case of recognising what will work for you and whether the risk merits the reward. Best of luck.

[blacklion1725]

Thank you Sir!

[Bob Williams]

I had to hit the ranks of the Gone But Not Forgotten in my late Fifties BL, when an old spinal injury almost made me a quadriplegic. I eventually became a self-employed designer/printer, after the worst workplace I ever knew: a County Council Disabled post: that’s even after some Army postings which had some real uniformed pigs. I eventually called it a day when I had made a decent retirement fund out of printing, with the back up of a small HMF pension which has been good for us.

At one point I considered a job at B&Q, but the 40 mile round trip to the Grimsby depot was economically silly, the small Louth store was always fully-staffed and I thought, why deprive someone of a job they need more than I do? Plus we like to get out to beaches and beauty spots whenever we feel like it, accompanied by any grandbrats going spare. Which brings me to a good point: do you have grandchildren? One of the joys of retirement we found when our 4 were young, was borrowing one or two on a School holiday and taking them to the beach for a picnic and a good play. Now even the youngest is too old and has her mates: I miss all that.

Today and in the last few weeks, my health has improved until I can get in the garden. In the last couple of days I have turned over much of it and planted 6 different roses, and I love roses! The real bonus of the garden is that SWMBO’s gardening skills are OK, but totally chaotic: she plants so much stuff in one small area. I have been busily annoying her by buggering rectifying her work. It has been an amusing pastime, ??. I have also found the tiny gap where the pesky rabbit gets in to chew our plants, and blocked it up. I had thought of borrowing next door’s daft Jack Russell bitch to catch the little barsteward, but the JR is 15 years old, half deaf and half blind.

Whatever you decide to take up your time BL, make it your own. One thing I remember my big bro saying some years ago: it costs you money to go to work. I never understood that until I stopped. You might also find, after a couple of years, that you do not have enough time to do everything you want and you may wonder  at the fact that you are busier than you were at work. Wives, I found, have a plan for when you are at home and able to carry out all those jobs that you didn’t know they had been planning.  in expectation of your presence at home. I have a mate who rings me a couple of times a month for some “help” that he does not really need. That’s my escape to an hour’s drive and a day out!

Good Luck and Good Health in your retirement.

 

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Richard]

John, (JCD?) put it very well when he said work out what works for you. So apart from a welcome from an old timer at the pensioner game, 17 years or so now, I do urge you to set yourself some sort of balanced plan. Plans can be yours to follow or change as needed,. However, no plan equals endless drift and you end up with a basket of life filled with the dross not wanted by others. Or and perhaps this happens anyway, a basket of medical issues. I will not advise you on job searching, that can be the fastest route to the black hole of depression, so just be yourself and plan to please  yourself.

[blacklion1725]

Good advice – thanks Richard

[PlaneMan]

Good luck BL.

I know a fair few retired people, mum’s friends and a high % of the folk in the legion. Most seem to go one of 2 ways, enjoy it and live life (one way or another) or give up and get hammered several times a week.

I’;m sure you won’t go down the latter route but something to bear in mind.

[blacklion1725]

Cheers PM – I will definitely be working again – but maybe not this tax year. You are right and I’m aware of my own weaknesses (the devil makes work for idle hands is me all over), I’ve got loads to do on the house and garden, a couple of holidays scheduled with the guvnor and then I’ll be looking to work again – at least part time, hopefully nowhere near “corporate land” though. Would love it to be local and even better outdoors.

[Dave Rice]

A mate of mine in the same position who is financially secure after his 40 years in insurance and his Mrs similar for a big bank, volunteers a few days a week for a heart charity (his mum died of a heart attack). There are probably loads of small businesses out there who would benefit from your knowledge, and pay for it albeit modestly compared to your old salary. I get great satisfaction from doing this.

My 60th so we’re pushing the boat out on the holidays. The usual 5 day city break somewhere (EasyJet have some great deals), maybe Berlin this time or Amsterdam or Vienna again. Might be too hot for Lisbon or Rome . But the big one is fly to Geneva, a day there then a 1st class train journey through the alps (Italian and Swiss) to Venice for 3 days then fly home. Nice hotels, the sort we wouldn’t normally look at. It’s a customised version of this at Railbookers. 1st class was only £50 more!

You can’t take it with you.

[Bob Williams]

BL, why not try a local Garden Centre? I know a local guy who retired last year and says he loves it. As he was an Estate Agency worker, he admits to struggling at first, but now loves working there and doubles the job up with driving the boss to various farms, market gardens and other suppliers, once or twice a week. Apparently the boss lost his licence to a breathalyser and he wants the guy to carry on driving him when he gets his licence back. The bonus is that the centre does meals and all the staff eat there free.

He is the source of two of my roses. Good chap!

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[blacklion1725]

Dave, Bob – thank you both. Dave that trip looks fantastic – right up my street. I will put that on the list – I suspect Mrs BL would be keener on that trip than this August’s (already booked) romantic week in Stalingrad and Moscow ! Bob that [garden idea] is a very good shout – my only problem is that I know nowt about plants…..but its something I’d not thought of and there’s loads of those places round here.

[Bob Williams]

You don’t have to worry about knowing nowt about plants BL: the bloke I spoke about was in the same boat at first. They put him on tills and garden furniture sales, with a couple of hours here and there in the huge plant areas. Now he has learned quite a bit from others and can talk plants with the best of horticulturists.

He loves the open air part, having been an office worker most of his life after being an Army Clerk. Don’t tell Steve, but he comes from the ‘pool and is an Evertonian!

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[Tippon]

Welcome to the ranks of the work free 😀

Take the time to realise that you can do anything that you want to for a while, even if it’s just getting out of bed later and getting dressed at dinnertime, or telling someone to p*ss off, safe in the knowledge that they can’t fire you 😛

Have some fun with it 🙂

 

Richard wrote:

John, (JCD?) put it very well when he said work out what works for you. So apart from a welcome from an old timer at the pensioner game, 17 years or so now, I do urge you to set yourself some sort of balanced plan. Plans can be yours to follow or change as needed,. However, no plan equals endless drift and you end up with a basket of life filled with the dross not wanted by others. Or and perhaps this happens anyway, a basket of medical issues. I will not advise you on job searching, that can be the fastest route to the black hole of depression, so just be yourself and plan to please yourself.

I’ll second that. I’ll only disagree that job searching is the fastest way to depression. If you don’t *need* a job, keep it in the back of your mind that you can just walk away from the process, even if only temporarily. The fastest route I’ve found is not having anything planned, or not having something to do.

I’ve caught myself a few times just sitting in front of the TV all day, purely because I’ve had the day to myself and nothing specific to do. An episode of something while I have breakfast has turned into ‘that was a cliffhanger, let’s watch the conclusion’, then realising I’m out of tea and making a fresh cup near the end of the episode, then thinking I may as well watch the next one while I finish my tea etc. etc. Next thing you know, the day’s gone, and it feels like a waste. Even planning to sit in front of the telly all day feels better than that, just because it feels like I’ve actively made a choice.

What I’m trying to say, probably clumsily, is a little bit of effort makes your free time a lot more interesting. Even something like ‘if the weather’s nice on Friday I’ll go to the beach, otherwise I’ll start on the odd jobs at home’ can be enough to break up the boredom.

Enjoy yourself ?

[blacklion1725]

Thank You Tippon – I’m definitely someone who needs to know what he’s doing in advance. I’m going try and set myself jobs in advance – today is already taken care of. Casual spending is another thing I’ll need to be aware of – and I’ve also got stacks of stuff to list and sell (and probably a load more to sort and take to Charity or dump).

Bob – thanks – I will definitely keep that as a “possible” – I think in a few months a few days/part time would suit me fine. Have a mate a couple of years in front of me who works 3 nights a week stacking shelves – just for pin money and to keep himself out of mischief – he’s as happy as Larry.

[The Duke]

Congrats it’s seems and goodluck.not really got any advice on retirement. Got a few years yet to go.

Enjoy.

[Ed P]

I was made redundant at 60. Tbh I was completely burned out having spent the best part of the previous 15 years in airliners going from place to place over most of Africa, mainland Asia and the Middle East. Jet-setting is definitely a young persons job. As a result I vowed to pretty much eliminate air travel and turned down the consultancies I was offered. Instead I took the volunteer path and finished up being just as busy as I was in full time occupation – but without all the jet-lag!

One word of advice re-volunteering, avoid being Secretary or Treasurer for an organization, as you will finish up being almost solely responsible for getting anything done – 95% of the population just sit back on their nether ends and criticise. The Committee will welcome you with open arms as sometimes such jobs are thankless but very difficult to find anyone mug enough to step in to replace you.

Make the most of your retirement you and your wife have some golden years ahead. Just count your blessings you were not hit with it when you were 50, as that hits both with lack of prospects and lack of income but all the financial burdens. I have genuine sympathy for anyone in that position.

[blacklion1725]

Thanks Ed – I’m (just) 53 so definitely not treating this as the end of work, hopefully just the end of anything to do with corporate life (although work did hint at going back as a contractor in 6 months). I’ve really had enough of offices and desks and trains/tubes. Also the boss works full time so she would not be impressed if I twiddle me thumbs permanently!

On volunteering there may be some voluntary stuff I ‘ll do with one of the West Ham supporter’s groups, but for now I’m planning to avoid work till the end of August at least and possibly this whole tax year.That will let me get a load of work done on the house and garden and a couple of holidays. Saying that if something great dropped out of the sky that could all change.

Cheers for the advice all – lots of things I hadn’t thought about.

[Richard]

That is a good plan, flexible yet with a number of good outcomes. Returning briefly to my comment about job searching being a fast route to depression, clearly you would not be averse to a suitable offer at some point, that is good, pressing to get something ASAP is what I was thinking about. I left work at 56, the company was clearly failing and my main drive for a while had been to protect and build up my pension. It was a relief to leave and I saved a fortune in travel costs.

[Bob Williams]

BL if you want a “wind down” holiday, take a River Cruise. There is nothing more relaxing than a nice cabin on a good ship, watching the river go by, stopping in a different port every day, travelling overnight. Rhine, Danube, whatever, entertainment every night, great food, good booze. I always wake up as we travel overnight, sit on the balcony with the french windows open. watching the moonlight or starlight on the water as SWMBO snores softly in the comfy bed! Sea cruises are not our thing: thousands of people on a massive ship? No thanks!

When the Thought Police arrive at your door, think -
I'm out.

[blacklion1725]

Thanks Bob – the “main” holiday is booked – a romantic tour of Stalingrad (Volgograd) and Moscow for the lucky lady.

I’ve always fancied a river cruise though and she is very open to the idea. It is definitely one for the future. Only things that put me off is (i) too many people in too small a place and (ii) dress codes (I’m a scruffy b@stard). If I can find one that accept oiks (but not too many) then I’m there!

There are Volga cruises which look very nice but I know I won’t get her back to Russia again (well not for a good while anyway!).

[Author]

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