Well, I received paperwork that my retirement date is November 2026. 
I feel good about my finances after retirement, but it made me wonder what I am going to DO after I retire. I guess I should start planning for that as well! Anyone else planning, or not, for after retirement?
Have you thought about playing with cars?
In reply to Ojala: Just got my award for 15 years of service. If I stay 30 for full retirement, my date will be January 2028, provided the state of florida still has a pension plan by then 
Starting in the fall the last of my four kids starts school five days a week. I'll go from full time stay at home dading to having 7 hours a day to myself. After talking it over with my wife, I will probably not be seeking employment. I'm looking at it like retirement. I've got to rebuild the garage and finish drywall in the house and gut the kitchen. I think I'll be able to stay busy. If I get bored I'll start buying cars. The real question is whether or not I'll he able to survive when my wife retires and mucks up my quiet time.
Canada just raised the retirement age, for people born 1957 (or so) and later to 67. I'm pretty sure I will die at work...
Streetwiseguy wrote: Canada just raised the retirement age, for people born 1957 (or so) and later to 67. I'm pretty sure I will die at work...
x2
In a weird way last night I was thinking about volunteering at the local hospital that was recently built. I might start now hanging around the front desk acting all crabby.
My earliest date of unreduced pension is April 30 2027. I will be 60 then. I won't be retiring.
I'm still hoping on the lottery.
Not really. I put away ~25% of my income, and spend about $5.00 a month on lottery tickets, but that comes out of my entertainment budget. Seeing as I'm still single w/o kids, I have no idea when I'm going to retire. If marriage and kids happen as planned, and my career follows close to the path I hope it does, I should be able to retire by 65 worst case, and 50 best case. But that is still 27 years off, which is good because there is nothing in that plan that is solid.
While I'd like to not go to the same job, 5-days/week, for 8-hours/day, I don't think I ever want to "retire".
That said, I'm looking for a set of diversified options that will generate income, combined with an attempt to monetize activities I already enjoy.
Examples: We have a house we no longer live in, but we're upside down on the mortgage, so it will be turned into a rental. We live above our 115-year old store building downtown now, and I rent part of the space to the town barber. I've always had a thing for junk, so now I buy and sell. I do computer repair and related work on the side as well. I even started carrying Amsoil and other automotive products recently, and hope to sell some at events.
I only recent started a position with a 401k, and realistically at my age there's no way I can depend on it alone. Though we also have an Esop too. I do have a small pension from a job 8-years ago. And my wife has her retirement, though it won't be that large either.
On the other hand, except for the house, we've worked our way out of debt, and intend to keep it that way.
In reply to Streetwiseguy:
67 is the MAX retirement age. You don't have to wait until then.
My year is 2017. I will be 55.
My original plan was to walk away at 55, and continue with my part time business at home. The more I think about it, the more I wonder if I'll be able to walk away from a good paycheque that easily. I'm rethinking it now, and may work 4 months during the winter, and take the rest of the year off. If I can't get in with a few of the contractors I know, there are temp services for trades people that pay fairly well, and a few local farmers might want some help.
I plan to race motocross and hare scrambles every possible weekend in the summer, and camp and canoe on the weeks/weekends when there are no races.
It's on my mind a lot these days.
I know there is a guy who went into porn after a long military career
I've been retired for some time It can get boring at times
Playing with cars helps.
I was doing OK with the 401k, but I raided it to buy the house when I got laid off. Judging by the look on the interviewers' faces when they see how old I am, I may already be retired, and just not know it yet. Oh, well..at least I'm not homeless.
If all goes well I will be able to leave transit in 2030 at 55 with 30 years of service.
iceracer wrote: I've been retired for some time It can get boring at times Playing with cars helps.
recently retired ... haven't gotten bored yet ...
wbjones wrote:iceracer wrote: I've been retired for some time It can get boring at times Playing with cars helps.recently retired ... haven't gotten bored yet ...
If his age is correct he's been retired for a while. Like 20 years.
I hope I feel up to ice racing at 83, not that we have any ice.
Zomby Woof wrote: In reply to Streetwiseguy: 67 is the MAX retirement age. You don't have to wait until then. My year is 2017. I will be 55.
You must have an actual pension plan, as opposed to fending for yourself. Government pension can be started at 60, but the payment goes down, so you can only afford cheap cat food, instead of the good stuff.
That's actually part of my retirement plan- eat just a little bit of cat food every day, so when I have to start eating it, it won't come as such a shock.
I have a small plan from the company I'm with now, but will not start collecting from it until 65, or CPP until I'm 60. I max the RRSP every year, and put the tax return in my TFSA.
Good idea on the cat food.
Best laid plans of mice and men?
At 43, I figure I'll be working for at least another 20 year's... Which is kinda depressing. If all goes well, I'll start putting 20% into my 401k in a couple of years. Most of the major toys will be bought and paid for. My house will be renovated and updated. And I'll have my Woodworking shop built. If I'm really lucky, I'll be able retire early and supplement my income building furniture while playing with my cars, bikes and guitars.
At least that's the plan...
Crap, at fiddy fo' I still have about 13 years of fun and frivolity ahead. 
I got my 401 out of the goofy plans it was in, then rolled it all into one self directed IRA that so far is the little engine that could, as long as I can keep my fingers out of it I should come out OK.
But what will I do with my time? Probably land a part time job somewhere with no responsibility 
and play with cars a lot. Work on the house. If all goes well, ride a big honkin' dualsport to the Arctic Circle and down into Mexico, ride around the States, just generally goof off. Damn, I can't wait.
According to these guys (http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/ and http://earlyretirementextreme.com/), we could all retire now, or at least very soon, should we choose to live accordingly.
If Mrs Woof wasn't a serial traveler, I'd be able to retire last year.
So explain to me what a 401 or 401k is.
We have RRSP's. Registered retirement savings plan. You are can contribute up to 18% of your income, then you use it as a deduction on your income tax. It grows tax free, but is taxed as income when you withdraw it. We also have TFSA. Tax free savings account. You can save $5k/yr and it grows tax free (as an investment). You pay no tax on it at all, but is not a tax deduction. The amount is cumulative.
wiki isn't always the first choice for info ... but in this case it gets the point across
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/401(k)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individual_retirement_account
Heroin. E36 M3 must be fun right???
RRSP's are very similar to 401k's, I'd say. 401's are pre tax money that goes in an account that has stringent restrictions on how money can be pulled out before retirement.
401's have tax advantages for employers, too. I'm not up on the exact mechanisms but when an employer contributes (called a 'match') it has positive tax ramifications for them. 401's are generally administered through an investment company hired by the employer. Sometimes the fund families are limited, meaning so are your options if one starts to go sour and that was my big gripe with both of my 401's.
IRA's can be pre or post tax (post is known as a Roth, that might be a close approximation of the TFSA) and in many cases, such as mine, I choose the fund family and can move it as I see fit. I can even move it to an entirely different company if I see fit. But, since I rolled a pre tax 401 over, it's in an IRA which has much the same restrictions on withdrawal of the money and will have much the same tax ramifications at withdrawal time.
About that part time job... maybe I can be a stand in for Ron Jeremy.
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