Were you forced into retirement?

Youngster said:
Was your retirement of your own fruition or were you forced into it? If you were forced into it, did you come to realize it the best thing that ever happened to you?
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Forced? No.

However here were a long series of workplace changes and approaches to managing workers as well as taking on one painful Death March megaproject after another. Of course "decision makers" typically walked away with sweetheart deals with the consulting and contracting firms each time, companies that either got away scot-free or paying token penalties.

When they wanted to downsize the payroll an early retirement incentive was made available. I'd done my homework previously and so I had little preparation to do before bailing within that window of opportunity.

Companies and governmental agencies are all run very poorly and inefficiently now and there is a reason why "hoomann resources" exists to make employees miserable. Anyone else remember the time before the Ferengi took control when there was a smaller and more helpful and responsive group called "Personnel" instead?

 
When we moved south for husband's new job, there was nothing there for me to do so I essentially retired in 2007. Once DH was diagnosed with Parkinsons in 2014, the company did everything they could to ease his way and accommodate him for as long as he wanted to work. SO, the company did NOT force him into retirement but his illness did. He worked 3 more years until coming home one day to say, "I cannot do this any more." He was 61 and was able to use his Disability Insurance, saved up leave & vacation time as well as, file for Federal Disability. That helped ease us into "official retirement" (at age 65) and we moved north immediately.
 
No I was a state employee and when I was thinking about retiring they let me work one day a week from home which was something no one else got to do in an effort to keep me. I had a very specialized position that was extremely difficult to fill.

When I retired 11 years ago I got bored pretty quickly and hence my username as I started a new career teaching at the university part time. Of my 11 years of retirement I have worked 8. I am presently consulting part time.
 
I dived into it with great enthusiasm. I had been thinking about retirement since about the second day of my first job in 1965.

I had planned on working til 65 but I met a guy who was ready to take off in the RV to "see America", so off we went. I was 62 and had a pension I had been drawing since I was 58 (my late husband's). With taking social security, I was set financially.

I've never looked back.....
 
Youngster said:
Was your retirement of your own fruition or were you forced into it? If you were forced into it, did you come to realize it the best thing that ever happened to you?
Click to expand...
I took an early retirement of my own choice which I saved all my working life to be able to accomplish. It was the best thing, my goal, would not go back to work anywhere unless I couldn't afford to eat or pay my bills. I don't see that ever happening during my lifetime, thankfully.
 
Not forced. My job was going away, but I got one of those deals where the company added years to my age and years to service that equaled whatever rule allowed it. Rule of 75, I think. If I took the deal, they'd pay me to leave, I'd keep benefits and pension, and would even be eligible to collect unemployment.

All I had to do was log on, enter my employee #, and the computer would tell me where to report to my next assignment. My mama didn't raise no dumb kids. If I didn't enter my employee #, no job would appear.

That was the first retirement in 1990. It was too hard to stay idle, and I flunked retirement. If I leave this job, it'll be the fifth...maybe sixth?...retirement. No plans to leave any time soon. I love my job.
 
I wasn't forced to retire, I chose to twice. First retirement was the US Navy 23 years, retired in 1992. The military started to get too political for me. I figured in the 23 years in the Navy I've seen the world a few times. After the military I went and took a job as an over the road truck driver. I've seen the world in the military, now it was time to see the USA and Canada. I spent about 16 years driving and decided to retire from driving in 2008 with almost 3 million consecutive safe driving miles. Reason for leaving trucking, less professional drivers out there. I value my life. :)
 
Not forced. Retired at age 68, two years after the standard age of 66. The SSA totals up one's highest 35 years of cost of living adjusted FIT earnings to calculate monthly SS benefit $$$$. I'm down near the lower right end of that Bell Curve. Most people including this person make more money annually near the end of their career and so it was with this Silicon Valley hi tech worker. Over my working life, I often did not change jobs from one company to the next but rather took off extended periods between each job, sometimes for years until my bank funds dropped low enough that I had to go back to work.

Never have been $$$ goal oriented. Thus after accumulating 6 figure savings from one job, didn't work 6 years until the 2008 crash, after which I worked another 8 years to build my bank account back up. Despite living in one of the nation's most expensive large urban counties and not owning any real estate, since retiring have totally lived off my monthly SS benefit checks without having to dig into my bank accounts.
 
I was part owner of a business and we sold in 2018, I worked with the new owners for six months but I didn't feel connected to the business any longer so decided to leave. I was 57 at the time and considered pursuing something else but ended up going on disability due to some health issues.

In 2008 when I was diagnosed with my health issue I was told I had ten good years left and by 2018 when we sold the business I thought the predictions were right of track. But in truth my health has kind of rebounded, I believe getting away from the day to day stress of running a business was the best thing for me.

So I can't say retirement was "forced" onto me but I kind of limped into it and am doing very well at it.:)
 
Youngster said:
Was your retirement of your own fruition or were you forced into it? If you were forced into it, did you come to realize it the best thing that ever happened to you?
Click to expand...
The first time that I retired, I was 62. The company that I worked for was bought out by a larger firm. The new company had an overlap of two depots being near each other, mine, which I was the head honcho of, was one of them. Their criteria was more on youth than experience so it was a case of, "our man is 41, you are 62, here's some cash, off you go." It was a very generous bundle of cash, so I called it a day.

Six months later one of the directors of the original company phoned me up: "What are you doing?" He asked, "What are you offering?" I replied. He had also left with his pockets stuffed full of money and used it to start up on his own. I stayed with him for the next 15 years, until last June, when we had a little falling out. Come the end of November, he phoned me, "come and talk to me," he invited. At the beginning of December I returned to work for a second time. Not ready to call time yet.
 

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