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Fifty Plus (50+) Share the victories, challenges, successes and special concerns of bicyclists 50 and older. Especially useful for those entering or reentering bicycling.
View Poll Results: I am:
working full time
70
58.82%
working part time
9
7.56%
retired
40
33.61%
independently wealthy and never worked
0
0%
Voters: 119. You may not vote on this poll

Retired

Old 12-23-06, 06:23 AM
  #51  
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Only 52 with two children ages 11 & 13. NO THOUGHT OF RETIRING. Perhaps when I get old!
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Old 12-23-06, 07:19 AM
  #52  
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- retired at 41 in '97 from the nation's oldest seagoing service (not the U.S. Navy), then retired a second time almost 10 years later after writing more than two books a year...

- retirement is good, as i get to ride my bikes every day! (on track to finish up with 6,000 miles this year)
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Old 12-23-06, 07:33 AM
  #53  
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Originally Posted by will dehne
What is independently wealthy? Having enough to continue present lifestyle until you and your spouse drop dead?
YES: ALTHO LIFESTYLES ARE HIGHLY VARIABLE. Fortunately cycling doesn't have to be an exorbitantly expensive lifestyle...

Originally Posted by will dehne
Having enough to pay for deluxe retirement homes until age 100?

NOW, WOULDN'T THAT BE NICE? SINCE I'VE NEVER LIVED IN A DELUXE ANYTHING FOR MORE THAN 24-HOURS, I'M NOT SURE WHAT THAT WOULD BE LIKE...


Originally Posted by will dehne
Have enough to fix the problems of our kids who cannot seem to get their act together (no doubt because we did not raise them right)
YES: interesting last comment about 'fixing the problems of our kids'. This will not be uncommon for our generation, I don't think. There are some difficult structural problems in our economy that can make 'getting started' tougher than it was for my generation. We've also enjoyed the generosity of the previous generation ("the greatest generation"). My mother has helped with the college education costs for her grandson & I appreciate it very much. That assistance helped me keep from dipping into my own retirement.
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Old 12-23-06, 07:52 AM
  #54  
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I am 53 and will retire in June of 2007. I love my job, but I love the prospect of doing the many things I love to do every day. Finally I will be able to finish many of the home and cottage renovation projects that I have started. Actually having the time to actually finish all of the minor details. Never mind cycle, run, swim, play hockey, travel. My employer has already suggest that I work when I want to but right now I need some space from the daily structure. Opportunities galore.. "What a wonderful life".
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Old 12-23-06, 08:00 AM
  #55  
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51 and still working. In 5 years I will technically qualify for retirement from the company I've been with since '83. I'm far from financially secure, but I'm working on some sort of plan to allow me to cut the shackles and leave corporate life at that time. With one kid struggling in college, another in middle school and a substantial mound of debt, I see no way for my young wife and me to kick back and enjoy the easy life that soon. I'm on a five year mission to prepare myself for a new career after this one. Hopefully one that leaves room for lots of bike building and riding - or maybe one that includes it.
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Old 12-23-06, 07:36 PM
  #56  
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50 years old (almost 51), love what I do, and can't imagine ever wanting to retire, let alone actually doing it.
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Old 12-23-06, 08:30 PM
  #57  
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Originally Posted by centexwoody
Where are the independently wealthy? I miss seeing the top 1/2 % of the economic elite in our group...

They're bound to be lurking somewhere & just not fessing up! Come on, come on out and let the rest of us abuse you for a while...
Well I thought I would be independantly wealthy by now but my kids keep showing up and moving back in and getting in jambs and ................... As said before: People that have money really don't talk about it.

Merry Christmas to all.
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Old 12-23-06, 09:01 PM
  #58  
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I took advantage of a buyout program to retire from the government at 53 after putting in 30 years. Had a second career as a commercial balloon pilot until the heavy lifting did me in and now I can cycle and golf in the summer and curl and cross-country ski in the winter! Works for me
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Old 12-23-06, 09:51 PM
  #59  
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59 here. Not sure when I'll retire. Certainly not until my late-in-life children are finished with college. I teach 10 year olds and find the interaction with them invigorating.....were I to retire tomorrow I would be down at the school putting in volunteer time for no dinero. So best to keep it up for now and stay on salary. Besides, retiring and being single doesn't sound so fun. Better to retire with a companion I suspect. If she rides, so much the better. DG, is your ex-wife available. (BTW...that was a joke, DG-- not a very good one.)
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Old 12-23-06, 10:14 PM
  #60  
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Originally Posted by CrossChain
59 here. Not sure when I'll retire. Certainly not until my late-in-life children are finished with college. I teach 10 year olds and find the interaction with them invigorating.....were I to retire tomorrow I would be down at the school putting in volunteer time for no dinero. So best to keep it up for now and stay on salary. Besides, retiring and being single doesn't sound so fun. Better to retire with a companion I suspect. If she rides, so much the better. DG, is your ex-wife available. (BTW...that was a joke, DG-- not a very good one.)
CC, fortunately for you, she's taken. I just learned (no joke!) she's become a wiccan. I mean, I always knew she was a witch, but to have it confirmed...Oh boy!

PS: No offense to the wiccans among us...
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Old 12-23-06, 10:39 PM
  #61  
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I sure hope she's still friends with you. Otherwise strange things might start happening.
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Old 12-23-06, 11:45 PM
  #62  
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Retirement? What's that?
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Old 12-23-06, 11:50 PM
  #63  
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Originally Posted by Digital Gee
CC, fortunately for you, she's taken. I just learned (no joke!) she's become a wiccan. I mean, I always knew she was a witch, but to have it confirmed...Oh boy!

PS: No offense to the wiccans among us...

LOLOLOL

Whoa, did I ever set that one up!
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Old 12-24-06, 06:08 AM
  #64  
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I dread retiring since I love my work (commercial photographer). Three more years and I plan to slow down a little.(63 now.) One common item mentioned is "putting the kids through college." It seems that it is a deterent to many wanting to retire. As a former college prof, my best students were those who put themselves through college. They missed less classes and were more motivated. My eight children all put themselves through school, some athletic, some smart, others just worked or got loans. Of course, we helped but our obstacle would I like to retire now is health insurance. My wife is only 50.
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Old 12-24-06, 02:58 PM
  #65  
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All of my children did well in college, with me footing about 80% of their total bill. There is a lot of data that suggests if parents pay all of their expenses that those students usually don't do as well.

I have worked out a pre-retirement strategy to have more time to do the things I want to do. For the past 10 years I've been "banking" a week of leave a year. We get 5.5 weeks of paid vacation every year, so I've been using 4.5 a year. Now I'm going to start drawing from the "bank." I'm planning to take 7 weeks a year off for at least the next two years. If I do this, I'll still have 7 weeks left in the bank two years from now.

This past year I took only 3 full weeks off, along with a day here and a day there. As I'm making my plans to take 7 weeks this year, it's a rush just to think about it. A week off every 7-8 weeks. Woo hoo! First up, a week in Florida in January, then a week in North Carolina at the end of March. 5 more weeks to line up.

Perhaps this year, all of the breaks will help me to be fresh when dealing with all of the personnel and budget issues that come up with being responsible for nearly 200 staff.
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Old 12-25-06, 11:44 AM
  #66  
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Congratulations, Ken Brown. You won't regret being work free.
I retired 9 yr ago at age 57 after 30 yr with a major multi-national company. I enjoyed all but the last two years when I spent most of my time downsizing my part of the organization. This was very unpleasant and after determining that I could afford to retire, I did and have not missed work for one second. In fact I feel better nowadays than I ever have.
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Old 12-26-06, 02:34 PM
  #67  
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I retired 3 years ago to ride my bicycle coast to coast. Absolutely fantastic ride. Even today I have super flashbacks of some of the ride. Now I do shorter summer tours of 1 week to 1 month. I'm never bored. on non riding days I walk to the White Rock beach and up those monster hills. In my spare time I volunteer as a speech therapist for the local stroke club. Very rewarding and lots of laughs with guys. They may be down abit however they are certainly not out
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Old 12-26-06, 03:33 PM
  #68  
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I am 47 (almost 48) and so not really a 50s person yet, but edging closer all the time...

I still work, probably 70+ hours a week. Own 3 companies. I love working. What I managed to do is arrange it so I get paid to do what I would probably do anyway. For example, I will go out and meet with people out on the fincas to show them around. I end up riding horses. One of the workers tack them up and clean them up afterwards. But this is work.

I spend time reading about the tropics, wood, forest, biology, etc. Again, this is my job, but if it wasn't I would probably still do it.

I also spend time doing business deals - again, I enjoy it, doesn't feel like work. I have experiences and write about them for our website - they draws people, it doesn't feel like work.

I guess if I was really working I might plan on retiring, but until people figure out I am not working... I guess I will keep doing it.
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Old 12-27-06, 05:18 PM
  #69  
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Will be retiring this Friday at 11:30 PST 21 years military service and 21 years State of Califorina Service
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Old 12-27-06, 05:25 PM
  #70  
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I'm 52, and hoping to retire in 4 years, but more than likely it will be 6 years. At 58, I'm eligible for company paid Health Insurance until Medicare kicks in...
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Old 12-27-06, 07:06 PM
  #71  
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I'll be 62 next month, but I won'tt qualify for Medicare until 66, and I have a daughter still in college, so for now I'm planning to stick it out until then. My company's offering buyouts to some longtime employees (got 28 years Tuesday), but I've heard they want to keep me, and in any case the money's not enough to tempt me seriously.
One possible spoiler: My wife's written a series of young adult novels, 24 books, that are doing better than we'd expected (help a geezer--check 'em out at www.phantomstallion.com and buy a couple of hundred copies for everybody you know...).
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Old 12-27-06, 07:51 PM
  #72  
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If I had known about these books 3-4 years ago, I would have purchased some. I have a daughter who loves horses, but she is now 14 with a 16-17 yr old reading level. As your wife's books are targeted at 9-12 yr olds, I don't know if she would find them interesting. Maybe I'll try one.

I have to be careful what I say about horses. To me they look like long-legged, long-necked cows. I grew up next to a farm that had horses, but they've never looked pretty to me. If I say anything negative about them within earshot of my daughter, she gets mad at me.
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Old 12-27-06, 08:41 PM
  #73  
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I retired in 2002 at the age of 44. I stayed retired for almost 2 years and then went back to work to preserve my sanity. Retirement is over-rated. You need co-workers to go drinking with.
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Old 12-27-06, 09:08 PM
  #74  
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I'll be 62 next month, but I won'tt qualify for Medicare until 66...
You qualify for Social Security at 62, with reduced benefits. You'll have to wait until 66 for full benefits. But...regardless of the age at which you choose to start receiving Social Security benefits, you qualify for Medicare at age 65.

Last edited by deraltekluge; 12-27-06 at 09:13 PM.
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Old 12-27-06, 09:14 PM
  #75  
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Originally Posted by deraltekluge
You qualify for Social Security at 62, with reduced benefits. You'll have to wait until 66 for full benefits. But...regardless of the age at which you start receiving Social Security benefits, you qualify for Medicare at age 65.
Not exactly. You have to be getting SS benefits to qualify for medicare. IOW, you can't get medicare before you get SS benefits.

I tried to get MC without taking my SS benefits 2 years ago - no way!

So, you can't wait to get you SS benefits at age 72 and take MCare at 66. They won't allow that. Very strange.
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