Did you regret retiring too early?

I was medically retired at 57 and never ever regretted it. It took a year to get my health back enough so that I could enjoy life and manage my condition. My husband saw how much I was enjoying being retired that he took early retirement at 60. We spend our days doing exactly what we want and when and we are not joined at the hip so as to speak. I don't miss work one bit despite having an interesting job, I much prefer my hobbies, my couple of friends and husbands company. I have just been called to jury service and I am dreading it, it will be like two weeks of work for me by having to get up early and join the masses into the city. Give me retirement any day.

I retired at 31 when my husband's job took us to the Netherlands. I was unable to teach over there so devoted my time to learning Dutch and helping out in my children's schools. When we came back to the UK after 18 years I took a number of part-time jobs just to meet people and fill the time. My husband retired at 60 and not regretted a minute of it 15 years later!

I retired at 65 then carried on working a few days a week until I was 73! I loved every minutte of my work, I was Nursing and I still miss it, my colleagues, the responsibility, not least the extra money each month.We travel a lot these days and I love that too, but there is always a little of me wishing I still worked.Dont leave too early if you love your work.

I find this thread really fascinating! Some of us are happy as Larry and others are the total opposite! Its a proper Marmite situation!

My husband was medically retired when he was 55. The loss of income was a huge shock but we cut our cloth accordingly and survived; him enjoying life once more was more important than the money. Three years later, at the age of 54 and with health issues I opted to go part-time. I retired fully when I was 60. I enjoyed my last years of work but then walked away without any regrets. I think doing it in stages helped. I love the freedom that retirement has brought and we have carved out a good life for ourselves. We took the big hit on income early on so adjusting to living on pensions was not a big problem for us.

I intended to retire at 55 and we had ISAs, a with profits endowment and various other savings which would have meant I could do that. Gordon Brown had spent 9 years destroying the economy by then and ours savings were earning no interest and the endowment was making a loss not a profit. I worked until I was 61.5 when I got my state pension. I have two pensions and my husband has four so we live very comfortably but have lost the years when I was too scared to retire.

I "retired" at 40 , had two babies , went back to work aged 50 , loved the job , but the paperwork !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! , retired again at 60 and missed the company and chat but the AC were old enough by then for us to go visiting and then the grandchildren arrived .............

I retired 9 years ago when I was 60. DH retired 2 years later. I have never regretted it for a minute. He was apprehensive but now enjoys it. We've both done a bit of voluntary work here and there but mainly we do our own thing. We can take off somewhere at the drop of a hat without having to sort out holidays with colleagues which in my job was a real pain. After 40 odd years of getting up at the crack of dawn, we can get up when we want to. What's not to like?

I cut my hours down at 58 & kept cutting them more until I retired completely at 63 by which time I was only working one day a week.
That worked well for me as I gradually increased my social events.
My husband is younger than me by 13 years so he has a long time to go.
I love being retired - especially not having to get up early & pleasing myself.

So interesting, reading people's different experiences and perspectives. Sorry you felt like that about Labour, Lioness - we had the opposite experience. Thriving in the Labour years both personally and professionally - the Tory policies destroyed us professionally and their vindictive extension of the state pension age for 1950's women was an issue, as it has been for many. The endowment and savings issues are the same whichever Government has been in power - they're pathetically low now too.

i retired at 60 after having a heart attack wish i had gone then i had a job where there was so little to do and i was basically bored stiff i have a marvellous 10 years doing so many new things it is hard to say no i had a week day job from 13 and weekend one fro 15 so i felt it was finally time for me i am poorer but happier

ps sorry heart attack was in 2006 and was off work almost a year

I retired 3 years ago at 57 from my job as a Prep School Bursar. Never regretted it for a moment! Job was very stressful and my health and well-being was starting to suffer. I was fortunate and sad at the same time as my mother had passed away a few months earlier and the lump sum from her estate enabled me to pay off some debts and retire from work. Mortgage finished a year later! My DH is 7 years younger than me so he will be working for some years yet so we are in the happy position of living on his salary and my small pensions until my SRP kicks in at age 66. It also enabled me to look after first one then two Grandsons for 2 days a week which I love and gives my week structure and still enables me to do the things I want for the other 3 days.I still keep my hand in organising a local group of Bursars for which I receive a small remuneration and am an Inspector for ISI which I do once or twice a year. Wouldn’t change a thing (except perhaps to get my SRP at 60 as was originally promised when I started work)! Having worked constantly since the age of 18 with only 18 months off when my son was born this is my time now! I realise how fortunate I am.

I retired at 43 when we sold our business, and haven’t regretted it for an instant. I did a 6 year degree course, we travelled widely and I had more time to spend with my dogs and my garden. Go for it!

I retired from teaching in my late 60s as I'd had enough of the stress, but worked part time in adult ed till I was 60 (which was much more enjoyable.) I love being retired and never regretted it. But DH was a bit at a loose end at first when he retired and took on a part time job which took up more and more of his time. When he finally retired from that he got involved in lots of committees and took up various interests. We both keep busy with various activities but it is all voluntary which makes a huge difference. We are lucky in that he has a decent pension (mine is rubbish) so we are able to live comfortably if we are careful (at least for the moment!)

I hadn’t been back to work since my 28 year old son was born, due to my ex husband’s old fashioned idea that a woman’s place is in the home. When our marriage broke up 5 years ago he mockingly challenged me to try and get a job at 61.

After numerous failed job applications (sickening for me as in my youth I got every job I applied for) eventually I got a temp job at a hospital and was then offered a permanent position.

It was a lovely small department and the work was very interesting. I only worked Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday so had a lovely long weekend. The pay was good and it paid my rent without touching my capital. I planned to retire at 70 and therefore put the majority of my equity of half the marital home into a long term bond as I know what I’m like with money.

The hospital had a new complicated computer system put in which meant we had more work than we could cope with. That and with the added pressure put on us to meet targets etc I decided to retire last year aged 65 as did my job share colleague.

Since then I feel I have no purpose in life, no reason to get up in the morning and became depressed, as all my money was tied up and I couldn’t buy a property. Now my rent is cutting into the capital I have available.

I am now on antidepressants. My GP told me how many pensioners become depressed after they retire. Things are different for you though as you’re younger, married and have more money available to enjoy life.

So I say, life’s too short - go for it and retire early!

Just to add to my earlier post the ex colleagues I still see all say I look so much better and less tired now I have retired. It makes me wonder what I looked like then but tells me I made the right decision to go (at just before I was 60).
Generally I think you just know when the time is right. Good luck in whatever you decide.

Retired at 57, 2 years ago and love it. My work with the NHS was literally killing me so I left at the first opportunity. Life is wonderful, I have time for family, hobbies, holidays, my life is now back in control and I'm off the antidepressants! If you are lucky enough to be able to retire then do it. Good luck.

Retirement was forced upon me when I lost my contracting job in I.T. during the downturn in 2010. I applied for jobs after a couple of years when the worst was but by then I was 57 and have never worked again. Really peed off as I won’t get state pension for another 3 years at 66.

Not at all - I was dismissed on capability grounds after a long period of sick leave from the age of 52. We syruggled while I was waiting for my pension but I got my life back. I pity people who think work is essential to feel self-worth.

35inmyhead..... I wish you all the best & hope you make the right decision for you & have a long & happy life, enjoy..

It's swings and roundabouts, isn't it? I sometimes miss the social interaction (am a loner at heart) but I certainly don't miss the pressure of the dead lines and the unreasonable behaviour of those colleagues who should have been cooperative instead. I remind myself of those annoyances from time to time. On balance I like doing my own thing.

This has been an interesting subject and reading the posts it seems a lot of people think differently about the best time to retire.
I think having a choice is the main thing and that is often down to peoples financial situations.
It is not good when people are forced to retire or are made redundant when they really enjoy their jobs, but as a member of WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) it is also not very good when your State Pension Age has been moved by up to 6 years to in my case to age 66 and you cannot afford to retire earlier (especially if your health is suffering)
Personally I think life is short my sister died last year age 67 and you should do what makes you happiest.

I retired from employment at 48. Best thing I ever did. I had no pension so I turned a hobby into a profitable business, working from home doing something I really enjoyed and choosing my hours to suit me. It didn't feel like work because I enjoyed it so much. That kept me occupied for the next ten years. It was only when DH retired I decided to close the business to have more time together in the summer months. I was still only 57.

A friend of mine is 75 and still working full time. Her husband is retired and they are very comfortable financially, yet she is always complaining about being overworked and having no time to relax. Her husband was recently diagnosed with a heart condition and I asked if she was planning to retire now, 'Oh no, she said, I'd be bored stiff spending all day with him' DH and I really enjoy each others company and treasure each day we have. I just hope my friend doesn't one day wish they had spent more time together.

I will not see 70 again and still can’t retire , have gone part time though