OldSchool

Loving retirement life in Florida!!!!!!!!

I retired early last year at age 50 after 30 years in the Federal Gov't.. My Wife retired three years ago after 32 years. We had a plan, stuck with it (making much less money than we could have in private industry) and now it's paying off with a good pension and relatively cheap health care for the rest of our lives....although our fees and deductibles did rise significantly this year due to dingdongcare.

I was worried that I would get bored....NOT THE CASE!!!!!! I play in a golf league on Wednesdays, play tennis at least three days a week, go fishing and crabbing a lot and do an azzload of boating. We also joined Golds Gym ($10 a month!!!) and hit that a few times a week. Add to that going out to lunches and dinners with friends....and I'm much more busy that I was when I was working! With not spending 2-3 hours a day commuting and sitting at my desk for 10 hours a day, I've lost 25 pounds.

While we are not flying around on a private plane and traveling the world, If we can stay healthy (God willing), it's a wonderful life and I wouldn't change a thing!!

kreed

iTrader: (2)

Great to hear your doing so well there in sunny FLA Craig! Hey, check out the video in the general discussion forum: Low Altitude VS Clifford.... your (our) old boat is in it and it looks great as usual. Happy New Year BTW....

Wildman_grafix

^^^^^ that's how I would be but not a chance to retire.

Funny we have a lot of friends and people around that are retired but not one of them is doing it on what I would call their own money.

Meaning all have a pension PLUS their savings. Not bashing just something I have noticed. I never worked for a company with a pension plan.

At least I should say most have a pension, more do then don't.

I would love to be retired but the only way is if I wait till I am 75!

Wildman1

I like all the responses. This why I started the thread. Watching Bat Masterson now on Encore channel,wife out shopping. Need our away time from each other so she doesn't drive me crazy. LOL

Interceptor

My wife and I retired in May 2008 and we moved to Traverse City that summer.
I'm on the board of a non-profit that renovates historic structures in a national park.
Walk dogs at the local animal shelter
Play softball in summer, hockey and ice boat in winter
mountain bike, X/C ski
volunteer with the local trails groups
volunteer at the local museum winters

My wife :
downhill skis
races bikes
x/c skis
open water swims
marathon runner
volunteers at a number of womens resource groups and sshelters
and
We travel to Mexico twice each winter and Utah in October for week vacations

Bobthebuilder

LOL. I guess my love of everything offshore is well documented here. Even before my semi retirement a priority was to spent lots of time on the water. While I quit building 6 or 7 years ago we still develop our land and sell lots to other builders which allows me lots of free time. I think it's important to maintain some business or other interests to keep ones mind sharp. I doubt that I will ever fully retire.
Bob

Jupiter Sunsation

I think your idea that more people have pension vs. not is definitely skewed by which area of the country they are from. Virginia/DC has lots of govt employees, factory areas will have lots of union guys collecting and then cops/firemen/utitlity workers/teachers are nationwide. The pensions in places like FL are non-existent unless you are one of the previous listed occupations.

44MTI

I took it that he is referring to the people he knows, not the genteral population

44MTI

Not that I'll ever be able to retire. But how much monthly household income have most of the retirees planned for. And is it adequate.

Jupiter Sunsation

gotcha......found this on google:
Between 1990 and 2010, the share of America’s private-sector employees in traditional pension plans fell by nearly half, from 42 to 22 percent. Just about exactly 50 percent of private-sector workers now sit in 401(k)-type arrangements. - See more at: http://toomuchonline.org/remember-wh....23GYjU9o.dpuf