Susan, I started working at a variety/dept. store when I was 14 - I am 58 now. I took years away from working to be with my small children, but always went back. I tried retiring ten years ago, but got bored and went back to work.

My beloved husband died in April of 2007 - I continued working until Feb. of this year - retired on valentine's day.

Do the ones that will be retiring feel they are prepared and ready? My late DH made it possible to be ready to retire - it was his suggestion that I go ahead and retire now, because I might not be blessed with a 'tomorrow'.

Are you looking forward to the days when you can do as you wish, when you wish... I am retired now for 6 months - I kept my two small grandsons in June and July - now I am packing to move to Florida, so I really haven't had any 'free' time. When I move to Florida, I will babysit my young grandchildren (love doing it!), so my time will be my own when they are in school - free to do as I please when my 'gramma' duties are fulfilled!

Do you feel secure and comfortable with your finances? With the money my DH left me, I am blessed - he made sure I can survive.

Most importantly, do you have plans for the days ahead? I will move to Florida (from Missouri - brrrrrrrr!)Sept. 1st of this year. I will assist my DIL in caring for my two grandsons. I will join the senior center and take more painting classes. I will supervise the renovation and landscaping of the yard at my new home.

Do you have talents and skills that you want to work on, or places you would like to see? I am a Master Gardener, grow lots and lots of tropicals,so I plan to start a small greenhouse business in my back yard and sell the plants to supplement my needs and wants.

My husband will be 62 in December. He also works for a University. He had a break in his work time as a government employee to do the private industry thing, but went back and he won't have his 30 years in until he is 66. He won't leave before that and is considering waiting until he is 70 if he is still in good health. I had to quit early because of my health and I take a gazillion meds so that is a big part of what motivates him to keep on keeping on. We bought a retirement house in Arizona but I am not sure that we will be young enough to take on a big move like that. Also, I think it is harder to make friends after a certain age and we have been so blessed where we are. The University where my husband works will also experience a huge brain drain as we boomers retire.

i'm a boomer, born in 52
we're both still working and we're planning to continue doing so 2.5 to 3 years (til dh is 59.5)
we've both worked since we were 14 so it will probably feel a bit strange to us
money (assuming the market doesn't totally collapse should be no problem)
i'm really the one who has wanted to retire (for 3 years now) and he keeps encouraging me to keep working
i don't mind my work (teacher-librarian) as much as i mind missing the time to do other things i want to do
by the time we retire, we'll be to out of shape to do much!!

I retired 14 months ago (how time flies!) after 34 years with my company at age 58. I do not regret my decision! I love the luxury of doing what I want when I want.

upa lazy river i love your "name"
i see you're enjoying the luxuries i'm looking forward to!

Thanks to all who posted. And a special "thank you" to upa lazy river (I too love your name). Now that I have made the decison it's hard for me to sit behind this desk everyday and think "this time next year....". I do my best to live in the "now", but it's so nice to hear someone say they have no regrets and that they are enjoying their retirement days.

I have always had such a strong work ethic and I have enjoyed every job I worked at over the years...and sometimes that naggy little voice whispers in my ear, "if you're healthy you should work as long as possible". But I have to remember that I have earned the gift of being able to retire. And since we don't know what's around the corner in the way of health issues etc., I think my decision is a good one.

So...something to look forward to for the next 318 days (but whose counting?) And I raise my glass to all of us and future "BB" (baby-boomers)....HERE'S TO NOW!!!

~Susan

Hi. I, too, will be 63 in December. I am planning to work until I am 65 because I will need medicare for my health insurance along with a supplemental. No retiree medical benefits. I have been a widow for 7 years and my financial future is a little uncertain. My husband worked for the federal government but only for a little under 10 years so there was not alot in the thrift/savings plan. Before that he worked for a small private company that ended up closing for lack of funding. I will have his social security and a small pension from where I work. I will have to depend on stock income to supplement my income and the way the market is now it makes my future a little unsure. I took 17 years off to raise our three daughters but have been working now for l8 years. Im more than ready to get away from the 5 day a week grind but I think I will want to continue to work a couple of days a week at something-don't know what-but something fun and interesting. yup-Im a BB. Satine

We are BB-er's too. I have retired from outside work although due to moving around especially during the 80's downsizing, won't have any direct income from work except SS. we worked hard to pay off our house in 15 yrs so we don't have a mortgage pymt. DH has put money in his 401K and our hope is to be able to draw from that a small bit each year over the long term.

(See my answer to okokok's retiree's where do you live and why, for more info, if you are interested)
Rhonda

Sorry for posting late, I usually frequent the garden/wildlife sections.

Plan to retire from the fed gov't next year with 41 years. I'll be 59. Hubby is 7 years younger and will continue to work (thinks he will never see a Social Security check).

Anyway, I have been planning this for years and everyone will be shocked when I finally make good. It's hard to believe that my time will be my own. I've lost 2 coworkers (one last week) that were very close to retirement and died so that helped me to make my decision. Many feds will retire within the next year or two and yes, what "brains" are left behind cannot fill the void. No amount of training can fill the historical, analytical skills 40+ years bring or committment to public service.

I have so many activities planned my days will be full with gardening, environmental issues and housework. Thankfully, I have been frugal with finances and sensible with my health. Hopefully, they will hold out for the next 30+ years to enjoy my time off.

At age 57, I'm a baby boomer. I retired this past June after 33 years in public education. Many of my collegues were shocked and wondered how I could retire. But we never ran up credit card or loan debt. So we only have the mortgage payment and that's covered. My wife, who is 55 is still teaching but now is the tech expert in her school system. No more kids and classes for her!

We had a long discussion before I decided to pull the plug. But it was the right move for me. I'm finishing up a lot of projects around the house right now. And I wouldn't change it at all!!!

I figure sometime around January I'll start getting bored and look for something to do. But right now, I get to cook for the wife when she comes home and enjoy our home. It doesn't get any better than that!

I retired on April 1 this year at age 62, after 40 years in the medical arena. I began my career first as an RN, later a nurse practitioner and for the last 25 years in R&D for various medical devices. At retirement I was VP of a medical device company. I worked extremely hard in the last 2 years, 50-60 hours/week was typical, starting a branch in Europe by myself in a country where I did not speak the language. I refused to allow myself to daydream about retirement while I counted down the days, having told my company I would do it for 2 years, no longer. My husband was retired for 5 years when this last assignment began. He was a tremendous help to me during that last stretch.

Many said that they could not imagine me retired after carrying such a heavy load for 40 years. But I am pleased that I stuck to my word and resisted pleas/expectations that I would continue after April 1 in my position. We sacrificed a lot to do what we did and missed our friends, family and especially preschool grandchildren. Seeing friends and family with life-changing health challenges contributed to my decision... I wanted to have some zip left to enjoy my retirement. Having left the working world 5 months ago, I feel that I am not using my time well... a bit of leasure travel, learning to play bridge, gardening, sewing and returning to our newly remodeled home have occupied my time. But I feel something is missing. We were always careful about money, own our home outright and are OK financially but I am thinking about aligning myself with a non-profit that does humanitarian work OUS. I think that would be satisfying and I could put to use some of the skills I accumulated over the years. Not ready to go out to pasture yet!

As for the comments above about brain drain and the voids the boomers will leave upon retirement, let's remember that none of us is indispensable. I was happy to turn my work over to a capable person and spent months grooming him to take the job. Part of our responsibility to the next generation is to pass the baton with care, paving the way for their success as others did for us.

I've just found this forum, and have been reading some of the posts here. DH and I are both "boomers" and have been retired two years now. Our first year was great, motorhome trip to family reunion in the Midwest, then to Las Vegas to meet up with friends there celebrating their anniversary. Lots of stops along the way, and took along our computers and my craft supplies and books. However, since then, DH has not wanted to do anything except kick back on the recliner and listen to oldies! Doesn't want to travel, doesn't want to play golf, doesn't want to do volunteer work, doesn't want to do repairs around the house, etc.--you get the picture. I was so used to "accomplishing" things each day, so not doing anything is hard for me--I feel like we are wasting the best years of our life. We are only 63 and no major medical problems, just his diabetes and both of us take blood pressure medications. Only thing that gets him moving is to go out to eat and maybe an occassional movie. Anyone else experienced this? Is this normal for retired men? He says he is not "depressed" and he doesn't miss work--he's just tired. So my question is this--do I keep trying to motivate him to do things or do I just leave him lying there and go find my own things to do? I'll look forward to your responses.

Luvstocraft

Luvstocraft, that's a hard one. I've been retired for 4 yrs and my DH just retired as of the end of 2009, so this is our 'honeymoon' period. We have been taking trips every couple of months - mostly local, we live in one of the world's greatest tourist destinations, the San Francisco Bay Area.

We are splurging on higher-end restaurants and really enjoying ourselves. In fact, it's surprised me that DH, who is one of the original 'cocooners' with lots of hobbies and very introverted, has said he really enjoys our travels and wants to make shorter, but more frequent trips to return to places we enjoyed the most, like Mendocino and Monterey.

Traveling is a lot of work and organizing, though - well, I'm a former Exec Assistant, so that's what I did for a living! I can't go anywhere without hotel and restaurant reservations, LOL! All DH has to do is pack his suitcase and throw it in the car, and everything's done for him (no wonder he doesn't mind traveling, I wouldn't either if someone did all the work for me).

But I'd have to say, if he decides he doesn't want to do things someday, I'll just go out and do them on my own anyway. Life is too short, and who wants a lot of regrets as memories? Besides, although we love doing things together, we have always done some things separately, either alone or with friends that belong more to one spouse than the other. I've even traveled with others, leaving DH behind when he was working, and enjoyed myself just fine.

So I vote for just going out and finding things to do that you enjoy. My MIL lives with us, and she and her DH had so many plans for retirement that just fell apart when he died. Now she sits at home and lives in the past, unable to make herself generate any interest in her present (single) life or face her future with imagination and joy.

It's a very sad way to live, especially since she could easily live another 20 years. She might be content with a life wrapped around TV and PC mah-jongg games by herself, but I wouldn't want my life to be three years worth of that, let alone three decades (her DH died 10 yrs ago).

First thing make an appointment with a doctor for him. Go with him only to make certain that you are on the privacy sheet so if you notice anything wrong you can talk to his doctors. He may be tired because he never moves but there are several things that kick in about retirement time such as low thyroid or his diabetes needs ajusting. It would be different if the two of you did nothing at first. I told my husband and friends that the only thing I had planned for my first year of retirement was to sleep as long and as often as I could. Now in second year I am lacking energy to do things because I got so out of shape. The out of shape will be where your husband will be unless he moves out of his chair. My hubby has an enlarged heart and afib because they think a virus. Some of the areas of the southwest have various fungi that can cause lungs not to function well. You should use any method you can think of to have him checked out. Then go and do things on your own. Best of luck getting back to your full life.

Thanks for responding Jkom51 and Maifleur. I did some checking online for all of DH's medications and several of them list tiredness as a side effect. So I called the doctor to question a couple of them, and the nurse said she would have the doctor review the meds for interactions or possible substitutes for possible worst offenders. Got his next appointment moved up to Tuesday and I plan to go along to get him to discuss things with the doctor. The two times I've talked to his doctor, he's just said that DH has to tell him if he has any problems.

I've gone off for lunch/shopping with some friends recently and while it is so good for me to get out with other people, I feel a bit guilty leaving him home alone.

I'm not expecting to do something everyday, but minor repairs, short excursions, and getting out with others just seems much more fun and interesting than vegging on the couch most of the day!

There are other things going on too, some personality changes and forgetfulness, and doing "repetitive" things that have me concerned as well, so I'll discuss those with the doctor too. Hopefully, we can find solutions that will let him find ways to enjoy these leisure years he's worked so hard for!

Luvstocraft

My husband and I are both Boomers, born in 46 and 52. Makes us 58 and 64 today. We both enjoy sleeping in, going out for coffee or meals, no stress from traffic. Every day is a weekend. If you say meet me at 11 next Tuesday morning , I'm available. More time for hobbies, reading, movies, etc. Volunteer if you are one of those "People who need people." There are all sorts of organizations looking for volunteers-hospitals, schools, libraries, animal rescues. All you need is time.

I've retired a couple of times and it just didn't take. I worked at a big company for 18 years and left when my husband retired from the same company. Went to Florida for 5 years and then back to Ohio. Starting working again at a store selling sewing machines and then for a group of eye doctors. Just retired again at 60 and wondering about the economics of that. Had to get my own health insurance for the first time and that really hurt. Expensive doesn't even start to explain whats going on here.

2.5 yrs to go til i can retire, i`ll be 55 at that time. always hated woking, i`ve managed to amass 1.2 mil. for retirement plus my wifes pension. she retired at 52 when they did away ith her job.payed my mortgage off 10 yrs ago, never had kids, no debts. cant wait to call it quits!

It seems that some of us are retired but many are not quite there yet. A couple of tips from my own experience:

- DO a budget. Even if you're terrible at that kind of thing (I am and we are). You need a good idea of what your real outgo is and what you are spending month to month on your personal 'splurges', which we all have. Accept that housing is an expense you will always have, whether you rent or own a home. Property taxes go up, water heaters go out, roofs leak, cars die of old age. Always assume you're going to live long enough to encounter major expenses of some sort.

- ALLOW for inflation. Never mind the CPI, you know how prices increase and new taxes are passed that hit your pocketbook even if they never get included in the official statistics.

- PRACTICE living on your retirement income. Don't assume your expenses will go down in retirement. That isn't automatic. Our expenses went up drastically in the first year, when we traveled extensively around the West. There were new casual clothes and shoes to buy, travel accessories we hadn't needed before, and a lot of very happy poor people got our expensive work clothes from free donations. We didn't even get a write-off: the standard deduction was bigger than our charitable totals.

- ANALYZE the biggest risks to you NOT achieving your retirement goals. Is your health impaired? Does your family medical history send up red flag warnings? Have you budgeted for long term care costs? Is your home suitable for universal access, or would a broken leg make it impossible for you to manage by yourself for three months?

Do you have sufficient retirement savings? Pensions or annuities? Social Security and Medicare eligibility assured? Did you work for any company long enough to be fully vested - because if you did, they should have sent you a letter at age 50 telling you how much you'll receive in a monthly annuity they purchased on your behalf, for which you are eligible at age 65....but they have to be able to FIND you to send you the letter.

- MAKE new friends. Boomers are really the first generation to have defined themselves by their work, and to have made most of their friends in the workplace, not from community or church affiliations. It has been shown the happiest elderly are the ones who not only retain good social ties, but who develop new ones to replace old friends that move away or die.

- IMAGINE worst-case scenarios. The Boomers I know who retired (or meant to) and got into financial troubles, didn't stress-test their assumptions. Playing ostrich with your retirement planning almost guarantees life will slap you in the face with a wake-up call at some point! Everyone has risks in their daily lives. It's your retirement, and therefore your responsibility, to figure out how to mitigate some of those risks. You can't eliminate all risk, but you CAN, and should, research how to lessen the bigger risks.

For example, our biggest risk was the death/disability of a spouse. Being in our late 50's at retirement meant a sizable financial hit if one of us died or was disabled by serious illness/injury. Therefore, we mitigated that risk as best we could, in several different ways. Anticipating things going wrong means you will feel better prepared and more able to cope, if something does go wrong. Like being aware of the "Exit" signs in a theatre or on a plane, having a mental plan is very reassuring.

Hi! I don't mean to interrupt the conversation, but I am a student at Weber State University and I am working on my senior thesis. I am trying to understand the reasoning behind Baby Boomers' low senior center attendance. For my research I created a survey at this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PYNTW2R
and I have really been struggling to find Baby Boomers that will take it. It only takes 5 minutes, maybe less, and I promise it's for a great cause! I have applied to be a senior center director at our local senior center and I think I can take what I learn from this study and apply it to the job (if I get it....fingers crossed :). I think it is very important to be flexible and make sure senior centers fit the needs of both Baby Boomers and their parents so that everyone receives the great benefits senior centers have to offer. I would really appreciate it if you would be willing to take my survey! Thank you so much!
-Kari W.

KHerforst...
I took your survey. I'm surprised you asked such questions for those who are ONLY 65. I've been involved with my Senior Center since the age of 55! Senior Games (just finished the swimming portion which I do), Senior Follies, the yearly Arts Festival, etc. I work full time (and part time) and still manage time to deal with the Senior Center. I can't participate during the day in the "clubs", book club, photography club, go to watch a movie, etc. but I'm still involved. We are very fortunate to have on of the best Senior Centers in the State of N.C.
But it does take a lot of work from the mgmt to get FUNDING and grants for all the projects they do and the areas they help folks with. Tax Assistance, S.H.I.P. (assistance with understanding medicare), and of course, they have a LOT of volunteers to answer phones, help w. projects, etc.
Here's my Senior Center:
http://www.cabarruscounty.us/government/departments/aging/senior-centers/Pages/default.aspx

"Baby Boomers and their parents"....alas, my parents have been dead for years.

Another "Baby Boomer" here! I'm 63...will have been retired a year, in June. No regrets!

Retirement is what you make of it. Baby boomers have been the trend setters and we are setting the standard for retirement. It is a perfect time to reinvent ourselves and do all the things we thought we would like to try. We are more focused on staying active and healthy than previous generations. Most boomers expect to live long lives and still look for new challenges. When I left my career I felt a huge, huge weight off my shoulders. I have never missed working. I am fortunate that we have no debts except for a small house payment, so we did not choose to find other jobs. I retired at 62 and DH retired at 66. God willing, we have a lot of years left to enjoy the fruits of our labors.

I'm 58 years old and a baby boomer I just retired a few months ago and I'm as happy as can be we paid off our House about five years ago and have one car and no debt at all these deliberate decisions enabled us to retire in our 50s