Please retire as soon as you can.........seriously.

[maebrown]

I'm sixty and my coworkers often ask when I plan on retiring. I tell them I retired from the time I was 17 until I was 40 which is kind of true because I spent my time surfing, fishing, and traveling. I worked and supported my family, but we goofed off as often as possible. In my late thirties I went back to college, graduated, and started teaching school at 43. It worked out well and I intend to work until I'm 63 and call it a career. I like the idea of a travel trailer and a few years on the road.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I can retire right now, I am 55 and have over 30years of teaching. But I love teaching get 18 sick days a year, get summers and winter and spring and fall break. I live in Hawaii and can fish for bonefish and trevally every day of the year. I guide and travel and get to go offshore all the time for free with friends. Like tomorrow we are going after some of the big 200+lb ahi around. Do I need to retire, no, but I am lucky where I live and what I do. Glad you are enjoying life Bill, I think that is the bottom line. Mems.

You don't need to retire.......you got it made.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I'm sixty and my coworkers often ask when I plan on retiring. I tell them I retired from the time I was 17 until I was 40 which is kind of true because I spent my time surfing, fishing, and traveling. I worked and supported my family, but we goofed off as often as possible. In my late thirties I went back to college, graduated, and started teaching school at 43. It worked out well and I intend to work until I'm 63 and call it a career. I like the idea of a travel trailer and a few years on the road.

You have already done it right.....I am trying to reach those who have just worked too much.

**School teachers and fire fighters are some of a fly shops best customers because they get blocks of time off.

[lynnwhite44]

I concur with Bill, get out as soon as you can. I've worked for the State for 25 years, I'm 51 and I plan on retiring at 55. While working for the State my salary has taken a big hit. In my field, people who work in the private sector make at least 3 times as much as we do in State service. I decided job security, pension and a 9 to 5 job was more important than making the big bucks and a hectic work schedule in the private sector. With my State job I was able coach my girls in softball, soccer and basketball and I stayed home with them when they were sick. My pension is not a windfall, it will be less that $3000 a month. I could increase my pension by working more years but I have decided against that. If I die while still working my wife doesn't get any pension or health care.
My dad died at 54 running in the Bridge to Bridge run in 1996, 100 feet from the finish line, massive heart attack. His father died at 49, heart attack. My 2 older brothers have each had heart attacks, not fatal.
And on a final note, my good fishing buddy, high school classmate and head guide out of Ketchum/Sun Valley Dave, whom I've posted about on this site, started getting twitches in his hands and feeling general fatigue and muscle weakness a year ago. He was just diagnosed with ALS(Lou Gerhigs Disease). I fished with him and his wife on the Deschutes in the fall of 2013 and now Dave is in a wheel chair and dieing. Horrible disease.

Life is short. Fish when you can.

[BillB]

I retired 6 years ago after 38 years instructing middle school math, coordinating math and training mathematics teachers. I have never looked back! My wife, who lived and breathed education and received many awards for her expertise, was hesitant to retire and kept one foot in the door consulting and substituting, hasn't stepped into a classroom is 3 years! We often hear "don't you miss it?" Unequivocally, no! My response is often, "We are like a couple of kids with a pay check!" Busy? Indeed! Lov'in it!

[Rick J]

A few things changed in my life within the last 2 years that made me re-look at my life choices. I have been with the same company for 39 years and love my work but early on I negotiated extra vacation rather than a pay raise and I have always fished and done other things I love as much as I can. But I have decided to pull the plug at the end of this year.

I plan to sell everything, buy a truck and trailer(28-30 foot range) and follow the fish and live in trailer parks. I have spent quite a bit of time researching places and likely will head north to Oregon/Wash in the winter chasing steel. Likely out of the Olympic Peninsula much of the time.

I have been a dedicated Trout Unlimited member for many years and this year was appointed as CA representative for the recently launched TU Wild Steelhead Initiative. The main guy heading this up is John McMillan (Bill's son) who lives up in that area and I will have more time to really focus on how we can help the fish!!!

That being said - I get to fish full time and will head over to Idaho and Montana and wherever happens to draw me in the late spring and summer to chase my second passion - spring creek trout though any trout will do!

I am lucky at my age to pretty much have my health in tact (minus a bad back, aches and pains and miscellaneous ailments) but I am on no medications that slow me down. And I have a couple of very close friends also pretty much in retirement mode who can join me at least for short durations though they are still tied to a home

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Great Rick.....

You have fished a lot already but I think what you are planning is so cool.

You could let us know "roughly" where you are from time to time.

I hope you live to be 100.......

.

[JAWallace]

Great thread, and something that's been troubling me for some time.

I'm in the commercial real estate business and have always build properties to hold with retirement in mind. Around 2009 I kind of stopped working because there was no point. We struggled through the tough times, came out fine, and last year I decided I would keep on just looking out for the properties and fishing more. And, I did. About one to two work days a week and I felt guilty every minute of it. Or, at least some of the minutes.

Late last year i was offered a nice consulting contract and took it, and it was a great decision. It's the first time I could really be objective about working because I don't need the money,but love what I do and I've come around to the conclusion I'll never quit. I certainly don't have to put in the 12-15 hour days like before, and I can travel as much as life allows as my wife is still working, but I think semi-retirement is the best I can do. I love creating incomes here and there and love making deals. It's addicting and I'm an addict. I love fishing and travel too but a balance is what is working for me.

[esummers]

I've kind of had forced "retirement" put upon as me as I was laid off from my corporate job about a month ago. I'm 42. Luckily, I've lived WAY below my means during my 20 years in the corporate grind. Quite frankly, I hated the job and the politics associated with it. I'm single, no kids, so I have enough to cover my expenses for the foreseeable future. My loose plan is to travel to Michigan to fish in April/May and then Montana/Idaho for June/July/August, hike the John Muir Trail in September and return to Montana in for late September-October.

I'm struggling right now with the decision to buy a small van/rv and then getting rid of my place in Fair Oaks. I love this area, but it seems silly to keep it considering my travel plans. I plan to return to work in a year or two or three...depending on how things go. My goal will be to find work that I truly enjoy when the time comes. Maybe something will present itself on my travels...maybe not. Is having a huge gap in my resume a risk? Maybe...but the opportunity to do some ACTIVE things I love while I'm young and in good health is too appealing. I played by the rules for 20 years and got tossed out on my ass after 11 years without even a Thank You. I figure I've earned the right to do some long term traveling. I feel alive again....which has to be a good thing Kind of scary, kind of fun all at the same time

[johnsquires]

Esummers, when you finish your extended vacation, maybe you could open a fly shop in the East Bay.