In another thread, I posted the beauty of being retired in Sun City; this one is the other side of the coin. As mentioned in the retired in SC thread, there is a boatload of articles about seniors working later in life. Many of those articles say people are working because they want to, not because they have to. I find that odd, only because there are so many other things to do with your time, especially in Sun City. We were fortunate, we left the rat race at 55. Never looked back, but we knew what we were coming to in Sun City and perhaps that was the catalyst. The idea of retiring and doing nothing would be terrifying. With that said, I got a card from the broker at the reality company we bought our house from. She wanted to know if we were happy with our realtor and our experiences with them. Easy answer, yes, but it was the third question that threw me: have you ever considered being a realtor? Damn, on a whim I said yes. The question becomes for me and for you? Would you really go back to work if you didn't have to? I'm not talking lottery win rich, but if you are comfortable, are all those articles true that continually tell us we can't feel fulfilled unless we are still out there punching a time clock till we are 80 years young?
I work for the government. I plan on retiring around 60. I am 55 next month. I do not plan to work after I retire. I do plan on doing volunteer work when I am living in Sun City.
There are pros and cons to waiting to collect Social Security. I didn't wait. My husband did the math (degree in banking & finance) and said it was best to take SS as soon as possible. I worked several years after taking it and at this point I am ahead of the game. I think the amount of food stamps, unemployment, and other freebies should be reduced.
Well said gang...Sun City is a destination for relaxation. So much so one of the early advertisements created a word for it: "Relaction"
You did say "go back to work" so, my comment doesn't fit. Never say never. I realize I am experiencing extreme burnout, so my immediate answer is "NO, once I get out, I'm staying out". But who knows, I may find something I absolutely love to do and someone willing to pay me to do it. Give me 6 months to decompress and get the hang of my new reality, then a few more months to do absolutely nothing just because I can. After that, who knows, I might start training for that Senior Olympic career I always said I would have...the sport I excel in is out there, I just have to find it.
NO! I did have to work a bit longer because of the cost of health insurance but now I'd rather do without a few extras and commit to volunteering hours when possible. There are so many organizations that in the past were considered "volunteer" that now have paid positions. Many people figure why volunteer when they could be earning money at the same time. I no longer want to be tied to regular work hours and rules.
Yup, it's yet another thing that makes Sun City special; the opportunity to volunteer in the place of work is truly amazing. And as we know, there's a million choices in SC. The best part of volunteering is when you aren't happy there you can sing "take this job and shove it" all the way out the door. Actually what happens is people just don't come back and then you start to wonder, are they dead? Morbid eh?
