TiHabanero

About 10 or so years ago I called myself semi-retired when I started working from home. It felt that way so that is how my mind interpreted it. Still worked 50+ hours a week, but they were really good hours!
Been up most of the night thinking about the interview I have today for something I have never done before that sounds low key, low stress, and just plain enjoyable and at 25-30 hours a week there will be a reason to get up every day. Nervous about not working all the time, but excited about not working all the time. New horizon on the way.

ropetwitch

What matter most is you love what will you be doing. As they say, learn to live your life while earning. Besides, opportunities do knock when you have nothing to do since your mind will be busy on thinking of something to do thus, making you a business minded person. Believe me, I've been there

Welshboy

I've been semi-retired for nearly 3 years now (at age 57) and couldn't be happier. I'm still working 31.5 hours per week but it's only over 3 days and it really suits me - especially as I commute on those 3 days. Part of my happiness has been moving from a quite stressful managerial & sales role to a job with almost no stress at all. I was due to finish at the end of September but my contract has been extended through to the end of March 2022 which might then be the start of my proper retirement. We'll see.

tkamd73 

To each there own, some people need to work, be it for financial or personal well being. My only hard goal for retirement was, to never work again, so far so good.
Tim

Dudelsack 

I’m semiretired but I could live with doing nothing at all.

Biker395 

I'm looking at semi-retirement too. In my case, it would be leaving a partnership and doing work on a piece-part basis. That way, I can work as much or as little as I like.

I'm still trying to get my head around it. I'm told I could retire outright, but I am really unsure that is what I want or that it is good for me (I am fundamentally lazy need a reason to get off my arse every day). What would I do with all that time? A friend of mine retired in April, sold his house, bought an RV, and has been road tripping with his wife ever since. Oy, would I love to do that (well, I think so)! I really admire people for making major decisions like that. I mean ... sell your house and live out of an RV on a more or less permanent basis? Last night I asked him if he had any insight about his decision. His response:

"My “someday” is today but I am realizing my todays are less than my somedays so I should have retired earlier!"

I have heard the SAME thing from virtually everyone I know that has retired ... shoulda done it earlier.

So yea. I'm thinking ... some work now and then. Certainly some bike riding ... probably some every day. I haven't done any real surfing in years, and I used to love it. It would be nice to pick up that habit again. I love taking pix. Some are even good enough to sell at art shows ... not that I could make a living at it , but it would be fun, and I don't have to make a living anymore. And travel? My SO is all for that. She lives to travel. And she is probably cutting back to 4 days a week fairly soon.

The biggest part of this is realizing how OLD I am. My daughter recently got married, and her new husband and her picked Elton John's "Your Song" for their first dance. I thought ... what an interesting and great choice, but that is a song for OUR generation. Then I tried putting the years in perspective. That song was popular 50 years ago. So essentially, choosing that song would have been like me choosing to do our first dance to something from the Great Depression(!), which to me is ancient history.

I agree with the Dylan Thomasses out there ... I acknowledge my age, but I will succumb to it kicking and screaming.

deacon mark

Well I retired at 57 3 years ago from my civil job. I am still a permanent Deacon in the Catholic Church so I have that but it requires not specific hours and they vary week to week. I do some sub teaching during school year but I don't want ever go back to having to be somewhere 8-4 daily. That was fine for 34 years but now I just want to be pretty open to do things as I see. I have could have been a mechanic at the LBS but when they needed 3 days a week 10-6 it took me no time to say no way. One thing I also do is repair guitars and that is hit or miss but I like that work. I also am jazz guitarist but as they say when you are jazz musician you starve in a matter of weeks.

John E

Semi-retirement makes a lot of sense for many of us.

For five years I have been pursuing a mostly fully time encore career of teaching graduate and upper division courses at university, plus consulting, after 4 years in data science and 35 in semiconductors. I am teaching summer school right now and enjoying a light workload. For the coming academic year, I am currently scheduled for a teaching load of just over half-time, which sounds appealing to me. The administration is hell-bent on "Return to Learn," but I am pushing back fairly hard, because I really enjoy teaching, attending meetings, and conducting office hours by remote. Our university is a leader in high speed telecommunications technology, purports to be green and works to be carbon neutral, and has a chronic shortage of everything from classroom space to parking space, so one would think "Zoom to the rescue" would be a logical response.

DiabloScott

I quit my job of 27 years and went part time with a new company three years ago. 62 years old now. Work is interesting and different. Workload varies, but even if I only get 10 hours a week I cover my expenses and don't need to take an IRA distribution or start tapping Social Security so it's working great. It's pretty nice to know that you don't NEED the job. I'll keep working part time until the boss pisses me off or something... probably won't even give 2-weeks notice.

If I can keep it up until I'm 67 and get the full SS benefit, I'll throw in the towel.

OldRailfan

What you lack is enough hobbies to sustain you for the rest of your days!

I have enough of them that there's never a dull moment and if there is I just take it easy. As in do absolutely nothing, other than watch the world go by. Mind you we live in the perfect location for that.

Biker395 

Oh trust me. I am a serial hobbist. Cycling, surfing, skiing, photography, writing, audio ... there has always been some thing that got me going. And I haven't given any of them up. I just do them when I can. I'm pretty sure I could find ways to entertain myself. It just seems so .... hedonistic. lol

Dudelsack 

It’s the old work ethic which may be dying a slow death.

There are two types of people: those that divide everything into stages, and those that don’t. To wit, these are the stages I’ve gone through.

1. “I’m not working and that is just, well, wrong.” Lasted about a month.

2. Massive hedonism. Unlimited ice cream. Unlimited casual sex with total strangers (not really, I just tossed that in there for effect}, Sleeping until 10AM. Doing just enough work not to feel guilty about it. Lasted about 10 months.

3. Facing what I should be doing with the rest of my life. Getting into group activities. Going to church. Writing my answer to Dante’s Inferno and Pale Fire. Turning programmers into giant bugs. Stuff like that.

Next is concluding that I ought to cut the ties with my line of work altogether for pretty straightforward reasons. I ponder doing part time in some completely unrelated field, but I AM pretty lazy.

big john

I retired 2 years ago @65. I don't have much, no IRA, no property, no rich relatives. I worked for 50 years, that was enough. It got to the point where I was depressed because I couldn't figure out how to get out of it. When I finally realized I could survive on SS I was relieved. It's tough, Mrs. John and I split the rent and I break even each month, so that's enough. If my landlord decides to sell or kick us out we're screwed, but for now I don't have to go to work, and that's huge.

iowa mark

Last year at 68 I called it quits and signed up for S/S. Stopped just like I stopped cigarettes years ago. I've had several offers to work on other peoples projects for pay and have turned them all down. I now take care of lots of the house work as my wife still works (and will until she drops, I think), ride the bike almost every day and rotate through the several hobbies. I don't have to be any place at any certain time, I can have lunch with who ever is around at that time and if my 96 year old mother needs another carton of chocolate ice cream, I'm the guy. Everything is payed for at this moment and except for that bridgeport mill I've always wanted , I have all the tools. This is about the time that semi comes from my blind side and they roll the credits. The thing is I knew it was going to be like this and those that say they are surprised with retirement are fooling themselves. It has always been your life and you make or adjust to the rules every day. Think I'll stay up tonight and watch an old film nior movie on youtube. Its raining now and the trails will be wet in the morning.

OldRailfan

Well that last part will do you in.

BTW it isn't "entertainment", it boils down to doing exactly what you would like to do whenever you feel like doing whatever.
Keeps me busy while having fun.
I remember the day one of my buddies told me: "We're getting too soon old and too late smart"! He was at least 35 years older than me, 50 years ago.

OldRailfan

If you have the space, those machines are out there and some at bargain prices.

delbiker1 

I consider myself semi-retired, I drive a school bus. My usual route is a special needs, not that many pick ups, but quite a few miles. I average about 4 hrs. a day, 20 hours per week. Last year was a difficult year due to the pandemic and all the changes, sometimes on a daily basis. I was strongly considering not going back this coming school year, and still may not depending on the latest covid surge. I keep doing it because it gets me out of the house, I like the interaction with kids, parents and teachers, at least, most of the time, the hours fit in well with the rest of my day. I really like having the financial options the income gives me. I don't like dealing with the traffic and every year that gets worse. There will come a day when I decide it is not worth doing anymore, I just plain do not want to do it anymore, or I cannot do it for some reason, then I will be fully retired. There are a lot of bored, unhappy retired people out there, I don't want to be one of them.

PeteHski

What’s the difference between working part time and semi-retirement? Is it just that you are old?

Welshboy

To me, semi-retirement is a stepping stone between full-time employment and full retirement.

Dudelsack 

I thought they were synonyms.

Biker395 

Uh. Yes.

Biker395 

Knowing what you did for a living, I dunno how you lasted that long. I couldn't do it.

big john

There is a guy older than I am by about 2.5 years and he is still there! He's miserable most of the time and seems to hate his job more than most of us. He's financially much better off than most of the guys I worked with and yet he won't retire. I asked him about it years ago and all he could say is he was afraid he would get bored.
Granted, he does mostly electrical work but still busts his ass and he works long hours, a lot of 6 day weeks and even comes in on Sunday when he has stuff to do.

I think he is the most extreme example of a workaholic that I've met. I've only known one other dealer mechanic who worked past 65 and he retired @68 when his pay dropped 15 or 20k. He was also very well off and actually started riding mountain bikes in his 60s. I've seen him on the trail out at Sycamore Canyon. Nice guy.

Skullo 

I recommend full retirement while you are still alive. I retired at age 53 in 2004. I don’t get bored very often.
I know I was very fortunate to do this. Partly hard work and partly the right set of circumstances.

tkamd73 

I’ve probably posted this somewhere else on this forum, and if I knew who said it first I’d give them credit, but no one on there deathbed says “ gee I wish I went to work one more day”
Tim