Am I unreasonable to wish I could ‘retire’ at 60?

I have found the whole system now to be very unfair. Instead of retiring at 60 with a state pension it is 67 currently and who knows it may be changed again. Part time work is a good idea if you want to do that. Forget any help from the benefit system as it doesn't exist in my experience. I hope you can find a way to retire and still manage financially. Life is for living and happiness is so important.

I took early retirement: I can truthfully say that I am much, much happier. Far less stressed and enjoying my life. I have enough to keep me occupied, but don't have to do anything that I don't want to do.

I don’t want to retire, I do 3 days a week and value the contact with others, cash is useful and I have plenty of time to do things I like, a pretty good balance for me.

I am almost in your boat. 56 this year and at times, I am exhausted with full time work. I've just worked a weekend and am shattered.

I am also hoping to reduce my hours from 50+ to about 25 a week in the next year. Not sure I can afford it, but I can't work at this level for much longer.

I've not worked for close to 8 years. One year on sick pay, then full ill health retirement. So I was 58 when left work. Financially I do find it very wearing although I also know there are many much worse off. My total annual income amounts to £16,000. That likely sounds fine but I own my house and there is the upgrading and maintenance costs etc. I would not retire to look after my grandchildren, but that is because my caring role in life has gone on much too long. I get my state pension in 2 years. So many interests I would like to try but cannot afford - maybe one day I will draw and paint, write and make jewellery etc I do appreciate the pace of my life these days, my time with my dog and contact with family and friends.

I retired just before my 60th.I had intended to carry on for at least another 3 years ,due to the longer wait for state pension ,but running my own very physical job I was just exhausted.
I haven't regretted it for one moment.DH still works but was fully supportive of my decision,And even in a pandemic I can honestly say I'm never bored and sleep better than I have in years.But I spend hours walking our dogs,doing the garden and also have belping an elderly parent and grandchildren to keep me busy.Caring for them was another reason why less money but more time has been right for me.All the best.

I have also cared for a close relative for many years. When it all got too much (grandchildren and my own ill health) I reduced my hours at work. That enabled me to claim Carers Allowance and, because I am claiming that, I am also entitled to a reduction on my Council Tax.
It's now a much better balance. I never wanted to give up work completely but, sometimes, I felt like I was almost on my knees.

I would have loved to retire at 60 and receive a state pension.
I was made redundant at 57 and despite applying for and attending many interviews I have been unsuccessful in getting a job beyond the odd temp job.
At now 63, I have found that as soon as I walk into an interview, despite being friendly and smiley, the look on the interviewer's face just tells me I have no hope before they have even asked the first question - especially when the interviewers mutter amongst themselves behind their papers (that has happened more than once) . I think ageism is alive and well and the reason is given as "I wouldn't fit in with the team/ we want someone that we can train into the job/ we need someone that will be with the company for several years/ don't think you will cope with the speed that we work at"
Stick with the job - if you do decide to retire, you may well find that if you change your mind and it may well be hard to find another job that is above minimum wage!

I would LOVE to retire but unfortunately despite the fact that I will get the state pension next year, I still have a child in education and will need to go on earning to support him (mental health problems when he was younger meant his school education was severely affected and he's still quite fragile now...)

At the moment I hope at least to reduce my hours when I do get the pension, but otherwise I will be keeping my nose to the grindstone for a few more years yet .

Do it! I wish you the very best ❤️ ?

I have been forced into retirement due to going deaf at 60 but would have worked as long as I could as a registered nurse till 66. I have nhs pension not bad . Now I can go swimming every day walk my dogs looking into sewing classes and joins the WI . Life is to short enjoy life while you can especially with the pandemic taking so meany life’s around the world.

No, you are not unreasaonable. Yes, you father's death has something to do, a great deal actually, with your feeling older and more tired, and with your realisation that we all have to die.

I have been there and done that, and I am truly sorry for your loss. (realise I perhaps don't sound all that sympathetic, but I am),

DH and I knew for most of our working lives that we would retire at 67 - by the time I was that age, retirement age had been increased, so I was not entitled to my pension until I was 69. Dh being four years younger than me has still not reached the new retirement age. Worse - they changed the rules for early retirement without notifiying those who like him and paid into it. So no early retirement at all, no pension before he is 69 in four years' time. No work for a man his age, either - no-one wants the over 60s, so we are living on my pension alone.

I sometimes doubt DH will ever reach "retirement age" as they keep moving the goal-posts.

Glad we can manage on my pension. My advice is: don't work a minute longer than the time where is is no longer fun.

Living on a shoe-string is preferable to dragging yourself to work every day. I have done that too, so I know what hell it is.

Go for it. Life is short. You can always pick up a bit of part time work - I did one/two days cleaning when I felt my finances were low. It’s tough having to wait til we are 67 for our state pension. Like you I’m divorced and have no personal pension so speak of. Whatever you decide enjoy and be happy x

If you are sure you can manage financially, I'd say go for it. I retired at 59 and never regretted it.

Thistlelass

I've not worked for close to 8 years. One year on sick pay, then full ill health retirement. So I was 58 when left work. Financially I do find it very wearing although I also know there are many much worse off. My total annual income amounts to £16,000. That likely sounds fine but I own my house and there is the upgrading and maintenance costs etc. I would not retire to look after my grandchildren, but that is because my caring role in life has gone on much too long. I get my state pension in 2 years. So many interests I would like to try but cannot afford - maybe one day I will draw and paint, write and make jewellery etc I do appreciate the pace of my life these days, my time with my dog and contact with family and friends.

Have you thought of joining U3a in your area. This could be a cheaper way of you being able to take up interests that you currently find too expensive. My yearly subscription to u3a is currently £15 a year and they have all the interest groups you mention and more. They hope to reopen in July but have been meeting up on Zoom during the pandemic.

MrsEBear. I loved my job and worked on until I was 67 thinking it would be nice to have a little nest egg when I finally retire, also I was worried about being bored.
I've never had a moment to be bored since my retirement 2 years ago but my retirement coincided with my husband not being well enough (or willing enough) to go on holiday or even for days out. Given that time over again I would definitely chose to retire at 60.

I would do what deep down you really want to do. I retired at 65 as I couldn't take anymore. I am now 66 and wish I had just retired at 60. Now I am unable to do all the things I planned to do because of covid and my husbands deteriorating health and his "fear" of going anywhere for any length of time because of covid. I feel robbed to be honest. So do what makes you happy but I certainly carried on working for far too long.

Absolutely go for it. Life is so short. I retired at 61 a few months after my husband had taken early retirement. Having worked most of my life and a spell of being a single parent, I have loved the freedom to pursue hobbies and not have the stress of work. We hadn't planned to move house, but a few years ago our daughter asked us to consider moving nearer to her. We successfully have moved about half an hour a way - a completely different type of house and area. We now look after our darling grandson twice a week and I see my daughter a lot more as she only works part time. These retirement years are going so quickly - I would retire and make the most of your time. I think the death of a beloved parent puts things in perspective.

I took early retirement, as soon as i could. There was a redundancy scheme on offer which I got, and I could also claim my occupational pension immediately. (Rules have now changed ?)
So although my income was halved and I had to wait a few years for my state pension to kick in, we found we weren't much worse off, if at all. Dh worked a few more years but retired soon after 60.
It was costing me quite a lot to actually go to work with train fares, (commuted into London) lunches, higher tax rate, bored lunchtime spending on makeup and accessories, taxis, coffees etc etc.
I have not regretted it for a single second, it was a stressful job and I was fast approaching burnout. And what's wrong with being idle? At least some of the time.☺️

I retired at 69 after losing 2 siblings within 4 weeks of each other. 16 months on I regret retiring.

I’m FURIOUS about having to continue to work onto 66 years, I’m 62 and still working full time AND still paying full NI contributions ! I would have loved to have retired at 60, 6 years leap in one go seems such a lot and in the great scheme of things we were not given a huge amount of notice !!!!

Millie22

I have found the whole system now to be very unfair. Instead of retiring at 60 with a state pension it is 67 currently and who knows it may be changed again. Part time work is a good idea if you want to do that. Forget any help from the benefit system as it doesn't exist in my experience. I hope you can find a way to retire and still manage financially. Life is for living and happiness is so important.

Millie22 I completely agree !

MrsEbear

If you can afford it, go with your heart and I wish you every happiness

My father worked until 65, and had a heart attack three weeks later. He survived another 8 years before the second one took him. I concluded that getting away from work earlier was a good idea.

In early 1982 sensational news ran round the office building in which I worked. Within a few months, anyone over 55 would be able to take a large wodge of cash and retire. Most eligible folk found it worth their while. I think it became known as the Maggie Thatcher Award. As I was early 30s, I extrapolated this to mean I might get the same offer at 50.

That award had perished long before I was 50, but I still retired at 55, and Deb and I moved to France. 4 years later she was disabled in a car crash. 4 years after that she died of cancer. We had at least had a few years of living the life, while we were still young and fit.

Getting out early and living the life you choose is a lot better than being flogged until you are worn out, and having a less-comfy retirement. If the sums add up - do it.

I just wish I could envisage retiring at all!
I have no pension to speak of, I didn't get any kind of financial settlement from my divorce ten years ago and he's probably spent his pension by now. I didn't even know I was divorced until after the event. I had no money for a solicitor.
I got some support voluntarily for the first seven years but then he said he'd lost his job and couldn't pay me anything any more. (Coincided with youngest DD leaving uni and coming to live with me, ostensibly to save for a deposit on a house but now she's paying half the bills so not able to save much and if she leaves, I'll have to find somewhere else. Rented, I don't own my home) He is, however, according to the children, always, "away with work"
I have worked full time for the last eight years (took me a while to get back into the job market as I'd been a SAHM for the previous 16 years, did various volunteer, P/T, temp roles to gain current experience for the first two years after the divorce, took anything and everything I was offered) but as I was over 50 with a very dated CV I have only been able to obtain low paid admin roles and nobody is interested in training or promoting someone this old, I don't care what the anti discrimination laws say.
Luckily, although I earn only a few pence an hour over minimum wage, my employer is one that won't force me to retire as long as I can do my job and keep my record clean. (A colleague is just retiring, of her own volition at age 73, I'm currently 61). I don't like my job much though, it is very mundane, anyone could do it really. I don't feel stretched or stimulated, just sit at a computer all day logging data really.
I have a degree and am quite intelligent. The thought of spending the next 10+ years doing this just to keep a roof over my head is really very depressing. Especially as, once my DD leaves, I'll only be able to afford to rent a one bedroomed flat in one of the nearby towns. I'm a country girl at heart and I'll so miss my little house in a quiet village and my bit of garden! I rely on it to keep me sane as I haven't money for holidays or travel or even a hobby really. Everything just costs so much!