I want to retire

Gretel, I don't have an answer but I do empathise. I am almost 62 and still working while DH took a redundancy package about 12 years ago and has never worked since! He knows I want to retire but, in his case, he won't downsize from this money eating house nor will he give up cigarettes. I have reduced to 3 days a week but, despite my best efforts, end up cramming 5 days work into 3! It is getting very close to ultimatum time so maybe you should also set a deadline in your mind and stick to it!

I thought I had expensive hobbies, what on Earth can you spend £500/mth on ?

How can he afford the time for a hobby that costs £500/month?

Teetime that is exactly how DH and I feel.. You don't know what tomorrow may bring, and I actually have the little poem about gathering rosebuds. It is so true.

Thank you Teetime, that is exactly how I feel. I started saving into stakeholder pensions for our two children as soon as they became available in the hope that they may be able to retire early.

tanith, he knows how I feel and I know no one is indispensable but he wouldn't trust anyone with the financial aspects of the business. I want to enjoy life while we still can.

OK I'm going to say something that I hope wont upset people but it is an uncomfortable thing to think about. Two of my friends have been widowed this year before they and their husbands could retire and enjoy life and a third and her husband have only retired for one year and he is gravely ill. My philosophy is 'gather yea rosebuds while ye may'. I wish you all a long and happy life but we just don't know what's round the corner and if work is making you unhappy and you can afford to retire, even if you have to cut your cloth a bit I say do it- enjoy life.

Thanks eddicat78, this is what I worry about, everyone talks about needing pensions for a long retirement, but not everyone is that lucky. I don't think my husband would trust anyone else with the finances of the company. I hope that you and your husband are able to retire soon. It's difficult when other family members are involved.

Can you not employ someone to take your place as eddiecat78 says? Have you told him how you feel, I know from experience that you don't know whats round the corner and life can jump up and surprise you when you least expect it and not always in a good way.

Thank you Jane10. If I retired he would need to employ someone to deal with all the finance and admin work, probably at a higher salary than I take out of the business. I have thought about reducing down to four days but the same amount of work would still need to be done and someone needs to be there for deliveries, phone calls, emails etc as other employees are out all day.

I do sympathise gretel. We are involved in a family business and husband is desperate to retire soon but other family members are making that very difficult. In the past couple of years 4 friends of around our age have died before having chance to enjoy their retirement - it does make you think a bit.

Could you find someone to fill your role in the business so that you could take a back seat even if your husband wants to continue?

Sorry to hear this gretel. Could you possibly retire and leave him to keep working to pay for his expensive hobby?

Thank you whitewave. I just want to relax and do things that aren't work related.

It is to be highly recommended