At a crossroads re continuing in work

If it was me…I’d hang on in there. A very small pension means that life may be a bit limited unless you already have a social life. Hope you feel better soon.

If you haven't done so already, it may be worth speaking to you GP to rule out medical issues for the sluggishness. Perhaps this can be treated and you can carry on working

It's a tricky decision Bea65 do you give up your job entirely and enjoy a more relaxing life or continue as it's only 16 hours a week. I'm not sure how this will impact on your pension so I would be inclined to discuss your future with an expert. I'm sure there will be extra credits available to you if you have a low income in retirement. Good luck

There are a lot of job vacancies at the moment, so I would leave and if you cannot manage or miss work then you can get another job.

Can you still top up any pension years I wonder (or is it too late?).
Have you got all the right pension years allocated to you?

If you are very tired I'd definitely see your GP.

Thinking of you. 💐

I was about your age when a blood test showed that I have pernicious anaemia. Ask for a blood test.
If it does happen to be that they will put you on a 3 month injection. Some people don’t get to 3 months ( energy) and need them X monthly, like me.

If you know what your pension will be, could you try living on that amount before you leave work to see how you will manage? If you have savings, try not to touch them, and if you don't, take something off your pension so that you can build up a 'rainy day' fund.

If you can manage then you know you can retire, but if it is a struggle you may have to work a bit longer. Alternatively, is there an option for you to cut down to 8 hours instead of 16, and split the difference?

I’m agreeing with Ddog. Have you had a proper pension forecast and will your DWP (when you get it) be the full amount?
Try adding all your bills and divide by 12 (hope you don’t think I’m patronising) and see if your income covers your expenditure - I agree though that it’s impossible to see what the future holds.
A very low income might entitle you to pension credit which would also open doors to housing and council tax allowances.

As you are financially unstable, I wouldnt be ditching the job.

But I would try and see a GP about your energy levels.

And as others suggest, see if you are entitled to extra pensions and benefits.

You don’t mention your state pension - are you not receiving it yet? You say you’re 67 and have worked over 55 years, that presumably includes part time work whilst at school?

Should have read 45+yrs 😐 yes in receipt of SP .. being in work validates- gives me a purpose and meaning.. and maybe it’s loss of energy..and confidence after fall .. yes will try and contact GP if I can muster up energy! Thank You all for your comments

MerylStreep hadn't heard of this type of anaemia...will look it up...can't get thru to GP...will have to physically go to surgery i think...but that feels like trekking up a mountain!

If you only have a small pension, even if you are careful will find yourself just managing. We are both poorly pension provisioned. In the 60's and 70's I either worked for large organisations where you had to be employed for a specific period before you could join the pension, or small companies that didn't offer a pension scheme. If you did stick it out long enough to join the scheme the pensions weren't portable as they are now which meant that your contributions stayed where they were and didn't really grow, or you got a refund of your contributions.

When I joined a large practice in 1980 I joined their scheme which turned out to be good but I only remained in their employment for 5 years.

At the same time I had a small practice of my own and my DH was self employed so we joined Equitable Life, which at that time was reckoned to be best. It had to be because all the partners had their funds with EL. And we all know what happened to EL. When that collapsed I wasn't interested in joining another scheme. In any event I knew I'd continue to work.

At 76 I still work. My vet bill's are quite high because of my diabetic dog who now has a tumour at the top of a back leg.
We do pay quite a lot for our top up insurance and I have always had top of the range varifocal lenses and am reluctant to switch to a poorer quality. Luckily I enjoy my work and I have good clients some of whom have been with me for 40 years. I am also saving every month for our older age.

So my advice is to think about what sort of life you'd like to leave during the next 5 or 10 years. Would you like to have the occasional holiday, or go to the theatre or ballet or out to eat with friends?

The prices of things I used to buy when we lived in London astound me now. Back in the 80s I bought a Mulberry shoulder bag in Liberty's sale. It was a second. A few days ago the strap broke and DH repaired it and dyed the bag and it looks almost as good as new. They no longer make that particular bag but other bags of similar size now cost in excess of £1000.00

I know what you mean about feeling validated by your work, that’s something I miss though I don’t regret retiring, however we do have good savings etc - would have been better had my pension not been with EL as Dinahmo mentions. I wouldn’t give up work without thinking very carefully about how important it is to your life, and 16 hours a week leaves you plenty of time to pursue other interests. Hopefully the doctor can get you firing on all cylinders again.

Hmm.. such a quandary...last year before the cost of living crisis hit, was looking forward to retiring ..now am in a state of anxiety as we're still in it..well not all of us...Sunak & most of government don't understand can't compute how difficult it is for the majority of people who are either on benefits or still in work after SP age....this cost of living crisis has hijacked my retirement plans...

Bea65

Hmm.. such a quandary...last year before the cost of living crisis hit, was looking forward to retiring ..now am in a state of anxiety as we're still in it..well not all of us...Sunak & most of government don't understand can't compute how difficult it is for the majority of people who are either on benefits or still in work after SP age....this cost of living crisis has hijacked my retirement plans...

What would you do with your time if you did retire fully? I ask because 16 hours a week is not very long and your salary will help you do some things that you enjoy.

Turning to your state pension - have you taen it already or deferred for a while.

taken not taen

If you can work at home and that's not too much of a challenge I would carry on. It's good to have something to take your interest for the day. In any case if you are not in great shape you would be at home most of the time.

But I think you need to see a doctor about your lack of energy. It may be your body taking longer to heal from your accident, it may be something like lack of iron, it might be thyroid etc but it definitely needs to be looked into.

Once that has been attended to you may feel a lot better. Ill health can lead to lots of difficult thinking and a low mood.

Health is everything, get to the doctors!
Money is secondary.
When you are well again you can if necessary take on work again to supplement pension if necessary there is always stuff you can do, but be please be kind to yourself and get fit again first.

Whilst I don't disagree that health is important, I'm not sure that it is always the case that 'there is always stuff that you can do' after a certain age.

My sister left her job a year ago (partly for heath-related reasons which are now resolved) and is now looking for a new role. She is well qualified, flexible and doesn't mind if a new job is full or part-time. Despite a lifetime of experience she isn't even getting interviews. Her daughter works in HR and has helped her to polish her CV, so there is nothing wrong there - it does seem that despite legislation to prevent it, her age is putting people off. She is 62 and has five years to go before her State Pension 😟.

I'm coming up to retirement age and uncertain whether I'm going to stay at work once. I get my pension. But regarding the other issue I went to the Dr's had a blood test and found out I was vitamin B12 defienct so started off with injections now I take 3 small tablets a day. So. I would go and get checked at the Dr's and don't give up work yet find out what's making you feel sluggish. I wouldn't look for another job stuck with the one you have.

I would see your GP (if you’re lucky enough to be able to!) first and get your health sorted. I was in a similar situation to you - late husband’s pension died with him so I only had my state pension. I applied for pension credits and got those then attendance allowance. I run an Airbnb now at my house which is very successful. I’m not loaded by any means but I am ok financially.

Are you eligible for state pension yet? If so you would probably be eligible for pension credit which includes other benefits too.
Also see GP about sluggishness.
Do you enjoy your job? If not then could that be contributing to that sluggish feeling! ie. Can’t be bothered!