It's official: I'm retired...
 

I posted something on this a month or so ago and got a lot of helpful advice; thought I'd update:
I'd planned to work another couple of years, until I turn 65, but I'm a newspaper columnist, and you've read what's happening to that business. The company offered buyouts to "pioneer employees" (translation: People at the top of the pay scale)--two weeks' pay and full benefits for every year of service. In my case it came to about 14 months of pay for two weeks' work, or stay two more years for two years' pay, but with no guarantee my job wouldn't change or that I'd get anything at all if there are further layoffs (almost certain, IMO).
I agonized over it for a couple of weeks (I really did like the job), but finally decided it made no sense not to take it. Cleaned out my desk last week, had the going-away party Friday and in 14 hours, at 8 a.m. Monday, I will not be at my desk for the first time (not counting vacations) since 1978.
A spell of 75-degree weather would be nice, but it think we're going to miss it by about 40 degrees....

I'm really happy for you!! I have a lot of friends at work who have taken similar packages and have never looked back. Congratulations!

Congratulations, Velo Dog. Seems like absolutely the right decision.

Congratulations on your retirement!

Forget about the temperature and get out there and ride to celebrate:)

Congratulations, Velo Dog!!! Sounds like you made the right decision. You're gonna have a blast! And you should be proud of putting in that many years in a job you love. Any thought of moving your column to a blog? :)

Working until you were 63 was long enough! I agree that it sounds like the retirement option was the best one available to you.

I've had 8 employees retire out of my department over the last 10 years. All of them are loving it.

Welcome to retirement Velo Dog. It's a tough job but somebody's gotta do it.:)

Congratulations on your retirement. If you're like the rest of us, you'll wonder how you ever found the time to go to work.

I met a guy who took an early retirement offer just yesterday. I'll never forget what he said to me:

"Welcome to Walmart! Is that a return?"

No, seriously, best wishes in retirement!

TCS

Yep ------ congratulations. I'd say you worked long and hard and now you can reward yourself with a rest. Although I understand many folks have more to manage during retirement. Either way enjoy yourself.
Cheers ----- Lp

Congratulations -- I'll be just a few months behind you. BTW, do you work at one of the Detroit papers? There was a rash of columnist and feature-writer retirements announced there within the last few days.

Congratulations. Just don't tell any Canadians how great retirement is. I need lots of people to keep working and paying into the Canada Pension Plan, so I can keep benefiting.

Congratulations on your retirement and I guarantee, you'll like it.

Welcome to the club...I pulled the trigger a few weeks ago, but my wife took a package a few years ago but had problems with the transition and went back to work...her new target date is 2010.

Tell me if she's nuts...As a senior executive (meaning older), she accepted a package at 53...full salary/benefits for two years, at 55 she received a tax free termination package of 2 weeks/year (she had over 30 years), a pension of about 50% of her final salary, full health, dental, prescription, etc group family benefits for life, $50K prepaid life insurance, and an employee discount (retail company) for life....and in 5 years she qualifies for early Canada Pension Plan benefits.

...and she couldn't stay at home...she's back at corporate, making more than before, plus gets her pension

I'm scouting locations in Spain to rent..it would be nice to do it together

jeez

Congratulations on your retirement. I look forward to joining you soon. :)

I'm with ya, Velo Dog. Today's my first day of retirement from 35 yrs of teaching. Feels real good. Its nice not having to go out on a day like this.

Smart move. I'm jealous.

Retirements got to be the best, it IS going to be me someday!

Congratulations. A well deserve retirement after many long years of spending time behind a desk. Good luck and enjoy more time you can have on the saddle.

Congratulations and here's wishing you many miles and many smiles!!!

Congratulations....it won't be long before you are saying two things to your friends: #1.. "I don't know why I waited so long to retire and #2.. "I don't know how I ever had the time to go to work everyday because I am just too busy now to ever find that time.

Give yourself a fair amount of time to really settle into your life's new routine. It is nornal to have an adjustment periode...the best part of that, is that it is super fun to finally have the time to comfortably experience all the opportunities that you choose. The 'settling in' will happen natually in time. Enjoy the process and your health every day.

Bill J.

I always claim that had I known how wonderful retirement would be, I would have retired at 21.

:roflmao: I love it to.

If you get bored, you can always do some free-lance writing . . .
Been retired 13 years and am not bored yet . . .
Enjoy!

Quit talking so fondly about retirement. I'm tired of hearing about it. I'm sure it must actually suck big time. I'm positive there are major problems. You are all lying. It's a plot. You're just saying all this stuff to sucker more people into retirement. It's the end of life. It's horrible, I'm certain of it. There can't be any redeeming qualities. It must be just a big club of losers looking for company. There's no way this is going to work out. How can you go off and leave me here still working. What am I going to do now. Wait, don't leave me here.

I'm getting lonely ;-|

Congratulations, I retired last December after 42 years of Government service, 21 years USN and 21 Years State law enfocement. Now I can't figure out how I ever had time to go to work before, ENJOY

You can always trot out the urban legend that people die within 1-2 years of retiring.

Welcome to the Dark Side. Three years plus for me. Everything is perfect.

Don't worry, dbg. I'll be here working for another year.....maybe:rolleyes: