Thank you for the birthday wishes!!! Wish I was in TV.

After reading all the posts so far, are you leaning one way or the other yet ?

I'm leaning to staying part time. I know this will probably sound crazy to some/ and not to others but, working two more days takes alot of energy. It is not really 16 more hours it is more like 20 hours. It usually takes me 30-45minutes to get to work and same on the way home, plus the effort of getting ready to go to work (what to wear, etc), if I can leave at precisely the time I'm supposed to be finished with work,etc. After 5 days of that, then I/we have to clean the house, grocery shop, errands, personal things on Saturday, etc. I don't have the energy left to do the things I/we enjoy.

So then it comes back to the question of do I work full time for 2.5 years (which isn't as enjoyable) to get to TV one year earlier or do I continue doing what I do now?

I can see why that is a tough call. :undecided: The weeks when I only have to work 3 days are great for all the reasons you pointed out and the next week still comes too fast. Fortunately I have a lot of vacation time so occasionally I take Fridays off just to shorten the week and I have a nice job working with nice people. I think as we age we simply want more time for ourselves since we realize how limited time really is becoming. It seems to me that you are concluding that if you work full time you will suffer more daily (and be miserable) for 2.5 years than the one year advantage of earlier TV. Maybe more trips to TV will help you decide. :laugh:

When it comes to the bottom line, after you read all the opinions, YOU have to do what makes YOU happy ......... nobody else.......

:agree:

Your the one that has to wake-up and be happy with your decision. :)

Another item for you to investigate is when to start taking SS. Not knowing your facts I would say that the individual with the highest earnings (Your actual ages could change this) delays SS until age 70. The other spouse applies for SS at age ? and their spouse applies for the spousal benefit. If you need additional money to live on use your savings to make up what you lose in SS. The idea is that by delaying SS you are buying an inflation protected annuity for the increase in benefits. Probably the best deal around.

It's always about the money. If I work a little longer I will have more. But then again, If I don't wake up tomorrow, I won't have any. The gamble you take is your choice. So many people never live long enough to live their dreams. You just need to decide what is best for you. EVERYDAY is a gift that can be taken in an instant. Good luck and best wishes in your decision.:wave:

To that point, I worked with someone who had his "little black book," and kept track of every nickel he put into SS, and his investments for retirement. Every payday, he would make entries, and he planned to retire at age 65. Well, he never made it, and died sometime between age 64 and 65.

This was in the early 70's, prior to the 401-k becoming popular.

I agree 100%! I hate that "it's always about the money." If it wasn't about the money, the decision wouldn't be so hard. That is primarly why I posted this question on TOTV. Their are so many knowledgeable people that are giving their insights. Many people retire only to find out they didn't have enough money to retire in TV and many people wish they would have retired earlier. I guess it really comes down to how much money do really need to live a happy and fullfilling life in TV?

Think Quality of Life Today
 

Life can be much shorter than we have budgeted. Live each day to the fullest.

If you wait to have ENOUGH money, you will never retire. It's one of the hardest decisions to make, but once you make it, it's amazing how you find that you have enough money. If you were told this was your last day of life, would you have enough money? Once you make the decision stick with it and don't look back and say what if? Enjoy the free things in life and each other while you can. Best of luck to you and hubby. :wave:

That's straight to the point! As a cancer survivor I sense my hospital bed is waiting for me and it is just a matter of time before I have to get back in it. I'm all for retiring ASAP and living on whatever we have for money. You can always earn more money. You can't earn more time.

:agree:
Dirigo, and fellow Mainer, I couldn't agree more. I, too, am a cancer survivor and this darned disease sure causes us to wake up and smell the roses...NOW. I don't regret for one minute the decision to stop working and retire early. All one has to do is read the obituaries every day to realize that many of us will not make it out of our seventies. There are not enough words to express how grateful I am to have had these 13 years here in The Villages. Our first several years here were tough, financially, but we found plenty of things to do that fit within our means. I would much rather have had a retirement on a budget during those years than to have not had that time here at all.

Go to your SS office. They have data to help you make a choice.
Realize when you retire, you and your spouse will be on a fixed income, other than investments, pension, if you still have one, to supplement your income.
A good financial planner is a must. Go to a fee-based planner, since they charge per hour vs a percentage of your assets.

Health is a major issue as always. You have to have adequate health insurance since anything major can drain resources quickly.

Debt? Pay off what you can and seriously look at your long term debt, because when you retire, all things stay the same, utilities, taxes, food entertainment, etc. and your income is fixed.

Lastly, when my wife and I went to our 50th class reunions, different years, we held a moment of silence as the names of our classmates who had passed away were read. Friends who we went to school with, many from elementary to senior high school no longer with us. Sobering for the both of us, unspoken at the time, but a serious consideration as time goes by.

Do your homework, make your decisions and don't look back. Lots of life ahead......