ksdaddy Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 51 calendar days to go, 37 work days, if I don't take any time off. I have like 30 days annual leave but they will buy whatever is left, so I'm just planning on taking a day here and there. I got notice today that my Social Security has been approved. I also have federal retirement, which isn't a huge amount. I opted to take a 10% reduction on that and my wife will get 50% monthly if I kick off. She doesn't "need" it because she makes a considerable amount more than I do and has a good retirement check waiting when she retires in 5 years, but I would rather take a short hit now and know she will have extra money to travel or help the kids out if I'm not around. I also have a Thrift Savings Plan but I haven't dared look at it in the past couple months. Even though I stepped away from the high roller table (stock market) several months ago and put everything in the G Fund, I'm betting I lost 20-25%. Best to not look. If I don't need it, I'll leave it alone and hope it stabilizes. My agency wants me to come back under a program for retired fed workers. I have agreed as much as I can agree at this exact point in time, but it's only going to be like one day a week (my choice). I'm somewhat of an archivist and I have a knack for tracking down historical information about farms in the local area, and this will help with Farm Bill compliance issues. I spent July 4th doing light carpentry and playing guitar. 20 minutes on one, 20 minutes on the other, repeat. Did some ebay too. It was a mellow day, the clocks meant nothing, I called the shots. You have no idea what this next chapter means to me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 Congratulations on achieving something I'll never enjoy, as I planned stupidly from 7th grade on. Ahhh, so what?! Does this self-indulgence explain why you didn't kill the Joey Chestnuts discussion? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 Retirement is vastly underrated. rct 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted July 7, 2022 Author Share Posted July 7, 2022 13 minutes ago, jedzep said: Congratulations on achieving something I'll never enjoy, as I planned stupidly from 7th grade on. Ahhh, so what?! Does this self-indulgence explain why you didn't kill the Joey Chestnuts discussion? I did kill it. I held off but it was needed. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 24 minutes ago, rct said: Retirement is vastly underrated. rct Nope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 18 minutes ago, ksdaddy said: I did kill it. I held off but it was needed. It was going okay until the one guy mentioned the shooting and the Orange Messiah. That does it every time. Congrats in 51 days. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 Good for you man. We're shooting for next year some time. Every day gets a bit more tedious at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 Congrats KSD!!! I had put in for my retirement in August of 2021 as I reached my 30 year tenure. ......................................... However, I was called into a surprise meeting and my direct report and my bosses boss flew in from Kenosha to meet with me and talked me out of it all. They basically offered a 25% wage increase and a $25,000 cash signing agreement to stay on for another six years.... That would put me at 63 years old when I will retire....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Scales Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 Congratulations! I got to the official starting line just last week myself. This time last year I realised I’d been a paid rat for 30 years and (with my wife’s blessing) decided I’d work until early this year then use up leave until July 1 (new tax year here in Oz), at which point I had been I’d have been selling my precious time alive for 31 years and the death clock suggested I had 31 left - a nice symmetry! Since I haven’t really worked for 6 months now I can say from my perspective it is great - I’ll do some new (right brain!) things certainly but not things that require too much commitment - after 30 years to wake up and know your time is largely your own is awesome - family members say I’ve changed already…less anxious or something. Again, congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tx-ogre Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 Congrats on your upcoming retirement. I retired from the federal gubamint back at the end of 2011 and have never had any regrets I highly recommend retirement to everyone. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted July 8, 2022 Share Posted July 8, 2022 Congratulations in advance, they tell me the trick is to stay busy with your interests. Don't you have like 300 Ovations or something? You could restring one per day for starters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted July 8, 2022 Author Share Posted July 8, 2022 I had 66. Sold them all. There was one, a 1983 prototype that went to TN or KY and I hunted it down a year later and bought it back. No regrets reclaiming that one, and also no regrets getting rid of the rest. I have lots of home improvement stuff to do, and little projects I’ve kicked down the road… like grafting the back half of the frame on my ‘82 F150 as a start, plus rehabbing a 1952 Chevy farm truck, tinkering on a hopeless 1962 Rambler station wagon, and replacing all the gears in a ‘43 Farmall. There are more projects I’ve forgotten. I haven’t built an instrument since 2009 so maybe I’ll build something. I need to live to 120. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted July 8, 2022 Share Posted July 8, 2022 (edited) Why does one man need 66 plastic back guitars? I had one in the 80's and I hated it. Edited July 8, 2022 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimt Posted July 8, 2022 Share Posted July 8, 2022 Congrats on the retirement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted July 8, 2022 Share Posted July 8, 2022 (edited) I've had a couple Ovations and still have the first one I bought in 1970. Edited July 8, 2022 by Dave F 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted July 8, 2022 Share Posted July 8, 2022 Best wishes for the retirement. Doe's your employer offer any courses/info/advice about retirement? Mine did, though as I went quickly via voluntary redundancy, I didn't get this first hand. It's not all finance, its also about managing time, being active & avoiding tramlines. I love my retirement! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted July 8, 2022 Share Posted July 8, 2022 Congrats. I retired in February, haven't missed work a bit. I have more than I can do with property and such, have done some gigging and jams or I might watch tv all day in the a/c if it's 100 degrees. My choice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grog Posted July 8, 2022 Share Posted July 8, 2022 Congrats!! I retired over five years ago, highly recommended!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanHenry Posted July 8, 2022 Share Posted July 8, 2022 Congratulations, You've earned it, assuming you've worked all your life 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted July 8, 2022 Share Posted July 8, 2022 I've been retired for 10 years, after 38 behind a desk, half of which also behind a computer. (Ironically, I sit on one now...). I tried volunteer work at the city zoo - and at a 'horse rescue ranch right out of the gate.... both high on my list. Zoo got old after a year due to volunteers being treated like chattel, - Horses after 4 years - 20 miles each way got to be too much. And only the horses appreciated it. I am amazed at how I keep busy now, still. I wonder how I got 'personal stuff' done when I was away 9-10 hours a day. I'd seriously consider not considering staying at work in a part time role - if you want to really feel Liberated. But - I know people who feel the exact opposite. My brother in law is collecting 2 pensions: US military and CDC and now is transferring to a full time job at another Federal Agency although he's 67. He would drive his wife crazy if he stayed home. She'd go find a full time job somewhere. ANYWHERE ! So, it's important to consider how your family feels about your pending release from prison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitefang Posted July 8, 2022 Share Posted July 8, 2022 I worked for General Motors, but went on sick leave with a venous issue 4 1/2 years before my "30 and out" target year of 2001. Could have gone back in early '99 with restrictions but there were no jobs available at the plant where those restrictions could be respected. All those jobs were taken up by nephews, girlfriends and those with higher seniority. So I signed my papers and retired with an official retirement date of 1/2/2000. Was only 49 at the time, and learned that many who retired long before me are out there clogging up the roadways with long forgotten driving skills and holding things up at stores arguing with the cashiers over the price of a head of lettuce. But I was thankful for them as they gave me a purpose to my retirement. Like doing my best to NEVER turn into one of them! Only drawback was that a medical retirement pension is lower(but not really by too much) than if I could have stayed for the entire 30. Plus a medical retirement, added to a SS disability stipend means there's NO allowance for, like regular pensioners, to take on part time work to augment the pension and SS income. But for the most part I fully enjoy being retired. Only adjustment I needed to make was making sure I can separate the weekdays from the weekends since everyday is like a Saturday used to be when on the job. So good luck and have an enjoyable retirement. Whitefang 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted July 8, 2022 Share Posted July 8, 2022 3 minutes ago, Whitefang said: I worked for General Motors, but went on sick leave with a venous issue 4 1/2 years before my "30 and out" target year of 2001. Could have gone back in early '99 with restrictions but there were no jobs available at the plant where those restrictions could be respected. All those jobs were taken up by nephews, girlfriends and those with higher seniority. So I signed my papers and retired with an official retirement date of 1/2/2000. Was only 49 at the time, and learned that many who retired long before me are out there clogging up the roadways with long forgotten driving skills and holding things up at stores arguing with the cashiers over the price of a head of lettuce. But I was thankful for them as they gave me a purpose to my retirement. Like doing my best to NEVER turn into one of them! Only drawback was that a medical retirement pension is lower(but not really by too much) than if I could have stayed for the entire 30. Plus a medical retirement, added to a SS disability stipend means there's NO allowance for, like regular pensioners, to take on part time work to augment the pension and SS income. But for the most part I fully enjoy being retired. Only adjustment I needed to make was making sure I can separate the weekdays from the weekends since everyday is like a Saturday used to be when on the job. So good luck and have an enjoyable retirement. Whitefang HAH ! Everyday is Saturday ! That has been my mantra for years now. I figure out what day it is by trying to remember what I watched on TV the previous night. Can't see the day/date on my watch on the rare occasions I wear it. And it's great - don't have to cringe when Monday rolls around ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted July 8, 2022 Author Share Posted July 8, 2022 5 minutes ago, fortyearspickn said: I wonder how I got 'personal stuff' done when I was away 9-10 hours a day. When I was a young man, I would come home from work, have relations with my wife, go tear the transmission out of a Buick, drink a 6 pack, and eat half a pizza, all by 11 pm. Now I drum my fingers and spend an hour wondering if I should start mowing the lawn with what gas I have or drive to town to get some. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted July 8, 2022 Share Posted July 8, 2022 2 minutes ago, ksdaddy said: When I was a young man, I would come home from work, have relations with my wife, go tear the transmission out of a Buick, drink a 6 pack, and eat half a pizza, all by 11 pm. Now I drum my fingers and spend an hour wondering if I should start mowing the lawn with what gas I have or drive to town to get some. EXACTLY ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinch Posted July 8, 2022 Share Posted July 8, 2022 58 minutes ago, ksdaddy said: When I was a young man, I would come home from work, have relations with my wife, go tear the transmission out of a Buick, drink a 6 pack, and eat half a pizza, all by 11 pm. Now I drum my fingers and spend an hour wondering if I should start mowing the lawn with what gas I have or drive to town to get some. I still do that, but regret it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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