Now That You Happily Retired Do You Have Any Regrets Looking Back?

hiraeth2018

Member
Location
Oregon
I retired at 62 1/2 years (I will turn 66 in Jan) on widow's benefits. Becoming caught in the Obama Healthcare system was a nightmare. I was very relieved when Medicare kicked in. I should have waited until 65-66 because of this but just couldn't take my job any longer. Lesson learned but happier now.
 

I was nudged out of the rat race at age 51 and have no regrets.

I'm thankful that I was given a push, I would not have been brave enough to retire at that age on my own.

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we rarely regret the things we do as much as we regret the things we didn't do .

A lot of truth in that statement.

I'm working on my 27th year of retirement and haven't found one (of these years) that we haven't enjoyed - -some more, some less. Enough money to keep you afloat and good health are the keys. If you are fortunate enough to have those and aren't caught up in some dysfunctional family situation you should be "golden"!!!
 
I've had my fair share of ups and downs through the years, but managed to work through/around them. I suppose I could have made some better financial decisions, but we've managed to have enough to live comfortably, and be able to have some fun at the casinos, etc. The One thing I regret was selling my 1965 Buick Rivera...those things are becoming quite collectable, and pricey. At this stage in our lives, staying fit and healthy is probably our biggest priority. Even though I had a real good job, and enjoyed working, I wouldn't want to go back into that rat-race for twice the pay.
 
I retired at 66 1/2 for Soc. Sec. reasons. I don't miss work because now all time is mine and we can never say that before retirement. Today I was looking for a certain business and was driving around an industrial park looking for it. I saw several open garage type doors with employees visible and for a split second I missed being an employee but it soon passed. I loved working and did every day of my life but I worked to retire and that was part of the plan for all of my working life. I took one job I grew to dislike because the company was irresponsible and frankly careless so I quit. Example, one employee was killed there due to lack of safety equipment and they covered it up so the media would not converge on them. That would be my only regret.
 
No regrets, been retired for two years now and I still pinch myself (only once a day now)! Sometimes if I feel a little bored, which is not very often, I just think back to the mind numbing meetings, politics, deadlines, etc, and I am instantly cured. It has exceeded my expectations and I just love the freedom!
 
No regrets, been retired for two years now and I still pinch myself (only once a day now)! Sometimes if I feel a little bored, which is not very often, I just think back to the mind numbing meetings, politics, deadlines, etc, and I am instantly cured. It has exceeded my expectations and I just love the freedom!


Getyoung, I myself have not had time to feel bored... finally have enough time to spend on my garden projects and thankfully it shows it now. My days are filled with a 6 year old's idea of what I need to do with her so there are times I miss being around adults. But then again the people at work sometimes acted like 6 year olds themselves now that I think about it. I do miss work friends but they were never close friends. Definitely don't miss being told how to do my job... in fact I have not heard one person say that they missed going in to work!
 
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I never retired because I have been self-employed most of my life. I changed professions, occasionally, but I'm always ready to work in any of my past gigs, if the spirit so moves me. I'll keep working, here and there, until I'm unable to move. I regret not buying DELL, at $7/share (from a local boy who would soon hit it big), in the very beginning, when I had a chance to. Had I bought a thousand shares, pre-splits, and sold at $108, I would have made over a million. Oh well.
 
I technically retired three years ago but continue to do contract work periodically. I love this time of life (I'm soon to be 63). I have clearer perspective, more reasonable expectations, greater forgiveness, deeper appreciation and more peace of mind the older I get. I savor each day, I notice the little details now, I put almost no emphasis on purchased things but treasure things made by hand from the heart. I dropped out of the work rat race, gave up materialism a long time ago and prefer quality over quantity.
 


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