Sure is nice to have the option of doing what one pleases.

(Single folks, that is).

Someone asked a while ago whether hubbie should retire at 55.

Some of us said that if he has enough strings on his violin that he won't get bored out of his mind, if wifie can stand having him around underfoot every day, and if they have enough to live on for 50 years, including counting on the erosion of the value of their assets due to inflation - to go for it.

My ex-, for a number of years head of food service at a major hospital, thought it wise to take early retirement when there was talk of closing her institution or a similar one in a nearby city. She figured that the golden handshake would likely be preferable to accepting a severance package on closing.

Had ten years to run around having fun, including, as a citizen of the U.S., spending from Christmas till March in FL - TX.

When she, dietitian, died - ironically, of colon cancer - our kids said that in the ordinary course of things, she'd have retired about a year earlier.

And I added that she'd have been ill for more than half of that year.

Good wishes for a wonderful New Year, everyone.

Smile at every person that you meet - they'll wonder what you've been up to.

ole joyful

I do and sometimes strike up a conversation with a fellow waiting in line person. You'd be surprised how happy some of them are to share a thought with you. I think a lot of people go about just not having anyone to really talk to.

Happy New Year OJ!!

Hope your New Year brings the fulfillment of some of your good dreams - and the initiation of some new ones.

Especially that involve helping folks make their way in this world.

ole joyful

This lasted 15 yrs.without one regret,than my love,my DH passed 3yrs ago. Now i carry on untill i can join him.

Thanks for listening. Today is a hard day. My SIL died last nite in TX and because of weather I wont be able to go tell her goodbye.(funeral)

I guess i have a big case of "poor me". but gee everyone is leaving and leaving me behind.
vickie

And up here in the chilly realms - that was slow.

We had a part-barrel of molasses in our woodshed behind the house and sometimes, when the horse hay was especially dry, Dad would run some out into a pan, mix in some hot water, and spray it over the hay, to make it somewhat more palatable.

Don't remember whether I was ever accused of being that way - probably was.

We farm kids had lots of chores, cause the hired men went to war when it started, in '39 - when I was 10, and Dad had what in those days was quite a large farm. Kid brothers were younger, 7 and 5.

ole joyful

But I'm not one to sit around, so I'll sign up for master gardener certification classes and maybe get a job in a bookstore or something else low-stress and enjoyable.... and be a financial burden to my DH.

I hope that you enjoy your retirement.

Let us know if you find time hanging heavy on yuour hands - we'll likely be able to find some things for you to do.

A personal financial money management magazine here that carries no ads, is not slick and glitzy, had an article recently about a guy who retired at age 34.

He'd done so without bequests or other receipt of major outside asset, I gather.

Wrote a book, "Stop Working - Here's how *You* Can". So I guess he'll be making (a few) dollars from the sale of that (not from me, poor guy - [frugal] I borrowed a copy from the library).

He used to live in a resort on Georgian Bay (Great Lakes) but recently moved to a suburb of our capital city.

Enjoy your retirement, everyone.

ole joyful

... I think that I'd be choosing to go back to work!

ole joyful

So the investments that resulted from my earlier frugality aren't essential to provide for my daily living.

Which meant that when their value dropped by 30% or so late last year, and in rather a hurry at that, I was rather surprised at how little anxiety I felt ... as they were sort of "play money:, so to speak.

As a personal financial advisor for a number of years, I've said to many that I feel that to live paycheque to paycheque, as many do, is to be in financial handcuffs.

I want some freedom of movement: wouldn't like handcuffs at all!

When one has assets on hand, one has some financial freedom.

And as a note to young people:

When you want to buy a car and need to borrow money, if you use the car as sole collateral, the interest rate is higher, due to the hassle of repossession in case you default ... plus the vehicle may be in bad shape, resulting in a poor price.

If you have stock or mutual fund certificates to offer as at least partial collateral, that means that the lender has much less risk, and less hassle in case you default ... so interest rates are much lower.

Learn how money works: an interesting hobby ... **that_pays_well**!!

Taxes, too!!

ole joyful

Me, I love what I do, but I am tired of the "politics" - the folks who use smooth talk to cover their lack of knowledge or productivity.

I've always heard "Don't retire until you know how you will spend your time in retirement." Do you agree with that? My parents both worked until their mid-70s. I don't think I will go that long. My younger sister (59) lined up another job (same pay) before retiring! She plans to stay in her new job for five years so she can get two pensions.

I get the feeling my family focuses too much on money instead of the quality of retirement.