Are you still a working stiff or retired ?

[2nstonge]

I don't think I'll ever really retire, the honey-do list drives me crazy - almost as crazy as sitting in a chair and staring at the trees. Gotta be doing something.

Spent 20+ years in hi-tech in the Boston area and when the company got sold (read: we got canned) a couple of years ago I sold out and moved to VT to be closer to the future bride. No traffic, no hassles, no bosses...more than make my own way now doing handyman and home improvement stuff. Working twice as hard for half the money and couldn't be happier. I even get to use the tractor in my work; tilling, trenching, gravel drive repairs...a bit of everything.

Where there's a will, there's a way.

-Norm

 

[Turbys_1700]

Worked 12 years in the furniture industry...
I now teach and do administrative work at a local community college...
I need 12 more years in the system to retire...
So that's my goal...
Retire at 60 with 25 years in the state retirement system...
My wife works in industry and hopefully we both can retire at the same age...
With my son in college it's gonna take 12 years to pay college loans...
I don't know whether to laugh or cry...

 

[3RRL]

How about this...I'm a 56 yr old retired working stiff. Semi-retired I guess. I was/am a plastic injection mold maker and used to own a very large tool room. Sold that when I was 46 and retired. Then opened another mold making shop with my sons...should have stayed retired the 1st time. Then sold that in 2003 and retired again. Now I still do a little out of my garage shop....can't stay away from it! Mostly have tractor parts in it now though. I guess you could say I got stiffed when working towards my retirement???

 

[dancer]

Retired -- sort of...
Have had a long career in what is now called Information Technology, or just "computers" and the things they will do and the problems they will help solve. Still get called every so often to "figure things out" for somebody or another, mostly in security and risk analysis. A tree farm offers some financial security and my considerably-younger wife still works. We'll both quit working when our nest empties in about three years as my stepdaughter will graduate from high school and move to the next stage in her life.

 

[masscity]

Just turned 60. Wasn't going to retire until my 62nd birthday, but things happen. USAF 4 years. When I got out moved to Detroit area and worked in residential construction as a crane operator IUOE 324. Recession hit this area 1981, getting a divorce so I moved to SF bay area, silicon valley. Worked for a company that built IC wafer inspection machines. Started as an assembler and ended up as a manager. 1990 moved back to the Detroit area to work as a crane operator again. Health problems and I've been on disabilty since January 06, just waiting for my Union disabilty pension to start. I will be moving to our 140 farm in the UP of Michigan in the next few weeks. That's where my B7100 is and we also have a Ford 9n.

 

[Doc_Bob]

We have little interest in travel - just like a nice home together.

My feelings exactly, home is the best place to be.
Bob

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Still doing the 9 to 5 thing. (actually 5 to 2:30) I'm at retirement age in 3 years but would like to stay in the line up a while longer. I've always liked my job and the company I work for. In the last few years, that job has become even more enjoyable. Last year, at the insistance of my wife and my doctor, I slowed way up on the farming. Not sure why, because I'm busier now than I was then. I still have 45 acres to tend, and a growing list of tractors to restore.

Part of me would like to retire. My father worked until 4 days before he died. (at age 85) He never did stop to "smell the roses". Another part of me says that's the reason he lived so long in the first place. I've seen all too many folks stop what was once an active life style and be gone from this earth in a year or less. I suppose I'll keep plugging away until I can't make the bell for the next round.

 

[Egon]

I'm just wondering what the word "Retired" really means.

Does it refer to an income source without showing up for for work?
Is it actually not working?
Can it be a change in vocation?
Is it a change which involves living on a lesser income?

Or, is it some combination of the above?

I "Retired" in Sept./98 from a large oil company. Since then we have relocated to the East Coast. I did the moving. We have a lake side acerage/Farm but live in town.

Since supposedly retiring I've never worked so hard in my life. The Farm required some attention as it had sat idle for 50 years. It now produces an excellent yearly rock crop. I've put about 1300 hours on my little Kubota working on the access road, lakeside camping site, cultivating and clearing some trees, cutting down and moving trees, and moving/splitting many a large rock. Throw in a few new trails also.

Now the question is; did I retire or change vocation to one with no pay and an ogre for a Boss?

 

[Youare]

To work or not to work is not the question. I always thought that being retired meant that yesterday you got tired and today your're tired again. Like many of you life without doing something physical is not really life.

I'm 8 years from being able to collect Social Security. I have been involved with manufacturing engineering for the past 25 years working for two different companies, one for 27 years and the other for the past 8. Over the years I have done rubber and plastic molding, physical vapor deposition, electrical discharge maching, tool and die work/ mold making, traditional machine shop work and some CNC.

I have always enjoyed my work, but I do look forward to the day I can spend more of my time working on my projects, although I hear the pay is not as good. I can not envision not working and hope I have the health to continue as long as I am on this planet.

Randy

 

[lrunge]

Early career as carpenter/cabinet maker (fathers business), trained as electrician in Navy, learned electronics self study. Decided all that was to hard work and went back to school for degrees and spent 25 years with IBM in various positions and cities. Early "retired" from IBM in a special "downsizing" offer. Started and had marketing and consulting business for 5 years and sold it. Also remodeled homes and built cabinets and furniture on the side. Went to work for the guy who bought the marketing company and helped him roll out another high tech company 7 years ago and have been managing it ever since. Just turned 60 and would like to "retire" from a steady paycheck in the next 2-3 years and continue building custom cabinets and furniture. Remodeling is getting more difficult as I get older. My wife says I'm a workaholic as I can't sit still until I'm too tired to move and that I'll never just "retire".