early retirement - PG Music Forums

I took an early retirement at the age of 59. I’ll try to answer your questions on order:
1-no
2-no
3-no- I put my money into bonds before the stock market crashed.
4-no-it’s better than I thought. I’m teaching guitar and bass and loving it. I wish I had time to waste!
5-much better – no more stress, i.e. corporate BS – I’m doing what I love to do now – although I had a great job in research I feel a lot more useful now.
6-If you take a lump sum don’t blow it on toys – If you are under a lot of stress get out now before it kills you: I made my wife retire way early because to stress – have a hobby or two that you enjoy to do – stay physically active

If you can afford it and you have the opportunity do it. You will not regret it!

I retired at age 60 and never looked back. LIFE IS GOOD. I play golf and practice my guitar every day. I teach 5 or 6 CPR/First Aid classes a month to support my golf/travel/musical equipment addiction. Money is no longer an issue. I am fortunate to have made many lifelong friendships over the years and those friendships have made my retirement even more enjoyable. How you treat people now will become apparent when you retire. I know more than a few who have retired friendless, some deservedly so, and that, my friend, is not a good place to be.

thanks guys.. you're saying all the things I want to hear.

(anybody else?)

Probably not a fair comparison, because I get a nice pension. So finances have not been a problem for me.

I retired at Age 55, five years ago, and have enjoyed every minute of it. As someone here said - No more putting up with corporate BS results in a LOT less stress. When someone asks what I do all day, I tell them whatever I want and whenever I want. However, as it turned out, I DON'T do the activities that I thought I'd be doing. Because of a bad back, I had to give up golf completely.

If someone had told me that I'd still be happy after that, I would have thought that they were crazy. But I've substituted other, more fulfilling pursuits - namely digital photography and I've recently taken up the piano (after having not played since I was 13 or so). I should also add that I ride my bike in summer and ski in winter, to stay active.

My recommendation for someone considering retirement (early or not) are:

1. Make sure that your financial house is in order. Living with money worries will not make for a happy retirement.

2. Make sure that you have a hobby or two that will keep you busy. There's only so much daytime TV one can take. (Actually, there's almots NO daytime TV that's worth watching IMO).

3. Find something to keep you physically active as well.

If you can accomplish all 3, I say go for it. I highly recommend it!

Good Luck!

Bert

1) have you regretted leaving work early for any reason ?

Not for one second, but I did start my own company a year after I retired.

2) in retrospect would you wait longer to get a higher benefit?

No

3) has inflation done more damage to your fixed income than you expected?

No

4) do you use your retirement time the way you thought you would? Or do you just waste a lot more time now?

I 1st thought I'd play golf and fish every other day but that got boriung real quick so I started a business and of course got back to music and now play 75 – 85 gigs a year, so I keep busy and love every minute of it.

5) how would you describe the quality of life in retirement? Did you feel more useful when you worked? Or is retirement the high ol' time I imagine it to be?

Wonderful, No and even better!

6) any observations or warnings you'd make to others who are considering whether to retire early?

Everyone's mileage will vary but I say go for as soon as possible.

1 I pulled the plug at 55 (now 69), had an oportunity come along so grabed the money and ran...never looked back...at the time the job and my health were going down hill FAST!
..in hindsight it was a very good move..

After hanging out for a couple years got sick of working on the house so took a part time job for a while till that got in the way of the other stuff I wanted to do...but hey, it did pay for all my new music gear though.

2- Waited till I was 65 to get SS...only because I could thankfully

3- Inflation doesn't help at all but we're doing okay, did put my finance house in order before I quit...one of the smarter moves I've ever made

4- Just love to waste time...everydays a Saturday! I can practice music when I want, I can indulge in my other hobbies when I please (RC sailplanes, ham radio) and spend quality time with the wife...we're always going somewhere or doing something...and having FUN!

5- My quality of life without a doubt improved...with no more stress my health has improved greatly...everything seemed to get better...retirement for me was good..
Looking back I don't know how I ever got anything done when working...

6- Have a plan (but be flexable), have your finances and medical in odder and live within your means...

A very wise man once said..."Life is like a roll of toilet paper...the closer to the end you get...the faster it goes."..

Ya' just don't know how much shelve life ya' got left so make the most of it.

______________________

Rusty

I too had major early retirement offer.

As mentioned above had our financial house in pretty decent order.
Got full retirement credits and health benefits. Took a 50% salary cut on
my retirement. Took the magic offer at age 51. Did a bit of very lucrative
consulting for about 2 years where 95% went into our new property, temp mobile home
then building our nice home. This ate up about 8 years of our live's.

The only time I regretted(wrong word really) was about 3 years after leaving.
Finished major project, building 40 x 80 steel Barn with unfinished shop area
in it. Took a rest, was rough work. Then I missed so much the interaction
with my former co-workers. We also miss living in town, live very rural area.

We don't have a lot of cushion $$$$ but own everything and have a good life.
Am 69 now and don't regret retiring at all.

On the financial... Had a $250,000 cash out choice. After 8 years was getting
their money. Careful on cash outs if your retirement source is stable.
No COLA's in my case, is what it is.
Another important item is good quality health centers close.
Also purchased $200,000 in extra life insurance to help my wife.
I keep on the big knives, razors locked up and have a food taster...LOL

A revocable trust for your significant other can cost few $$, but if grown
kids in equation, this helps eliminate wrinkles that can come up.

My Doctor in 1998 forced retirement on me from being a National Health Dentist in Wales. For reasons I STILL haven't discovered as the whole of the Health Service in Wales turned against me. The Health Service is now separate from that in England and will not help me gain the truth.
I was seeing that Doctor, and having counselling" because of stress with an acrimonious divorce and, topically in the UK at the moment, I was recovering from my business being washed out in a flood. He never informed me that I was to be retired but wrote in the document that retired me at 48 that I was doing atrocious work and that I was suicidal (I was not to both accounts). I discovered later that he had "witnesses" one being my sister, also a doctor,who was "helping me in the divorce" and also that my Doctor was helping her cover up a serious Malpractice or criminal act and she was deflecting instead of helping as she used me to preserve her reputation. I discovered I was fully retired when I was told by my Divorce solicitor 3 months after the event having been CONSTANTLY told I was "off sick". He had given my lump sum to my wife without my authority. MY practice and life's work were destroyed.
On that day I was rang by a psychiatrist at my Dental Practice one day and told I had to go to a psychiatric hospital and would be immediately sectioned if I refused, which I did. I rang the Governing Body/ Local Health Authority, and THEY too said I had no choice BUT to go to hospital and that THEY had taken over the running of my practice and in effect suddenly I was "off sick".....but no documents from the Pension Authority had ever arrived. I discovered that they had also suspended my license to practice because of my "mental illness".
I then made the wrong decision and agreed to go for the weekend but did not anticipate the horror of a psychiatric hospital where NOONE listens. I was FORCED to take medication and everytime I said I AM NOT suicidal I got more meds and "a high security "watch placed on me. Everybody stopped listening to me. I was told in hospital that I was to stay for weeks "until I got better" and so tried to "sign my self out" but that just started the worst 4 weeks of my life as then my every move was watched...even going to the toilet........no shoe laces, no belt, no locks on ANY door, in fact NO doors on the bathroom.
I now receive a small pension £16k for 23 years work for the National Health Service (NHS) and have a £100k debt for life I can never clear. The pensions authority say that I should NOT have had full retirement forced on me but refuse to help in trying to sort out the mess caused. As do ALL legal counsel in Wales. Politicians "seem" to be embroiled in this mess, I add allegedly, as the original Doctor gained many high posts in and out of the NHS assisted by these *******'s. Every doctor in my town tell me to forget my dental career and that I have ever been a dentist and treat me with contempt. I have left coronary heart disease written as being caused by the stress with all the above and eventually had a heart attack and a carotid coronary bypass graft but had to FIGHT to get treatment for that in 2006-8. I now have reduced usage of my left arm and find it difficult playing guitar and piano after starting both at the age of 6. I am 63 now.
I had to "cold turkey" the meds to retreive some semblance of life and this took quite a few years as the need for the drugs was horrific. I also became an alcoholic and stopping alcohol, once I realised I had a problem, was easy in comparison. Before I get flamed that is an example of typical British understatement as it was HELL.
I fight suicidal thoughts almost daily yet when I ironically ask for help from the service that should be in place to help,the Psychiatric Services, they tell me to change the way I think, change my symptoms in effect, before they will consider ANY form of help. However each "professional" then writes that I refuse treatment but thanks to technology one appt IS recorded, and listenable, and this shows I AM RIGHT!
Allegedly, there is a lot of corruption in NHS Wales which equals the scandal in the UK with the BBC and the alleged paedophile Jimmy Savile..
I had 3 burly policemen around my house a few weeks ago and they gave me 10 minutes to prove to them that I should not be sectioned after someone rang them with "concern". I showed them documents and things relaxed. They advised I saw the Fraud office who will look into my case once I have collated the reams of evidence. SO I have to go through it all again....

Pat you ask about early retirement and this is just part of MY story. I visit PG Music to get away from all this **** so will stay away from here until this topic has disappeared from the front page and then I hope I will resist the temptation to look for it and read it!
I have written hundreds of songs about being forced to be a mental patient and so will now post them soon for all to hear.
THANK YOU Band in a Box for keeping me alive, Mr Gannon you do not realise how much I NEED your program.

I will have a quick squint round the Showcase and then be off for a few weeks.

Alyn

Thanks for sharing Alyn and keep up with the music....love it!

Pete

Pat - I'm a little younger than most guys here, but I 'retired' (actually left)from a career in Software Quality Assurance to go back to school and become an Occupational Therapist. I was lucky to have support from my wife, and financial freedom from the obligations (and joys, unfortunately) of having children.

Working in Software Quality Assurance, I often felt very unappreciated due to the nature of the job. At best, I would find software bugs that would delay shipment of the product, or for which developers would say "that won't happen...it's too risky to make that change...the customer won't mind...that will push the release date (as if it was my fault for finding the bug 'too late').

I often felt like a 'resentfully' hired 'cost center' rather than a valued employee helping the company to succeed - IMHO,such is the end product of extreme capitalism, and I don't believe that companies should make employees feel that way - either incidentally or intentionally.

That said, as an Occupational Therapist, I still feel like a ....resentfully hired cost center for which my employers' goal is ultimately to reduce cost or eliminate (IMHO, such is the effect of extreme capitalism).

But now I do have lots of job satisfaction inherent to the nature of the job - I'm helping children that primarily have developmental disabilities increase their participation and access to their education in school. Parents of these children are extremely appreciative, as well as teachers and the children themselves (not all children, but most).

I had to take a pretty big pay cut and loss of net worth to achieve this career change.
Money and financial independence is ABSOLUTELY first and foremost to any decision. That's why I did what I did for almost 20 years. But you'll probably learn that you may very well be able to happily survive on less money, once you decide to do it. (But like we spoke of in a different post - go on a music toy buying spree before you attempt to consider living on reduced income ; )

But what did I get for it ? The opportunity to feel value in my day-to-day job, the opportunity to enjoy greater portions of my day-to-day job, the chance to meet and collaborate with lots of new people instead of stay behind a computer in isolation all day, additional 'free' time to pursue my hobbies (music) and (virtually) meet all the great guys on this forum, the opportunity to reduce my commute time and use it more productively.

I am forever indebted to my wife, Silvia, for helping me discover, supporting, and enabling me to achieve this change. Thanks Silvia.

In the UK now there is no such thing as “early” Retirement. You don't HAVE to retire at 65, 67,68 or whatever age it moves up to next. I guess the Goverment want you to work until you drop down dead at your desk / workplace to avoid paying you your Pension dues. I worked in the “Blue Light” manufacturing industry and got out after the London Olympics. I had previously told my Company that I would work on for a couple of years so they could do some clever Succession Planning and get a replacement in who I could work into my Job, so I could ease out. A year in and they had done precisely nothing..The 6 months prior to the Olympics were utter Madness (from a Blue Light POV) and I was burning up 12 hours a day, 6 days a week to hit the ever-changing targets. But – hit them we (my wonderful, dedicated Team) did.
After all the Fuss had died down, my wife said to me “you know ,if you carry on at this rate, you won't get a Retirement. You'll have worked yourself to Death.” I thought about that a lot and in the end decided that she was right and retired September last.
Best thing, next to marrying “Beloved” that I ever did.
1) I dont miss the Workload at all, although I DO miss the Team I had – the cameraderie, the strength of all pulling together and getting the job done, the laughs, of which there were, happily plenty.
2) If I'd waited longer, the benefit wouldnt have been worthwhile IMO and I would have been X years nearer slipping off this Mortal Coil.
3) Inflation is a factor I have to consider. BUT – there are so many fewer Outgoings these days.
Lifestylewise we are actually better off than we were when I was working and I was on a damned sight higher salary than the Pensions will ever be, Go figure it yourself – I can't!!!
4) No time to waste time! Since I retired we have been so busy that I'm thinking about going back to work to take it easy! Lol !
5) Quality of Life is better, no doubt. OK, you can't splash out cash without too much thought any more on “nice to haves” and pay back from your monthly salary – these things now have to be Planned. I often felt “Used” rather than “Useful” at work and now I feel Fulfilled. On balance Retirement IS the “high ole' time” - for us anyway. That description will differ from person to person but for us – You Betcha.
6) I guess we miss the Money. Our budget is HALF that of when I was working. Make sure that you are DEBT FREE at Retirement or it will suck out all your money. Make sure you have your Interests / Hobbies. Mine are my music and trying to fathom this darned BIAB/RB (lol), spoiling our very young grand children and doing things to the house and around the house that I was always promising to and never achieved. Now Beloved KNOWS what I meant when I said I was no good at DIY!!

Quote:

My Doctor in 1998 forced retirement on me from being a National Health Dentist in Wales. For reasons I STILL haven't discovered as the whole of the Health Service in Wales turned against me. The Health Service is now separate from that in England and will not help me gain the truth.
I was seeing that Doctor, and having counselling" because of stress with an acrimonious divorce and, topically in the UK at the moment, I was recovering from my business being washed out in a flood. He never informed me that I was to be retired but wrote in the document that retired me at 48 that I was doing atrocious work and that I was suicidal (I was not to both accounts). I discovered later that he had "witnesses" one being my sister, also a doctor,who was "helping me in the divorce" and also that my Doctor was helping her cover up a serious Malpractice or criminal act and she was deflecting instead of helping as she used me to preserve her reputation. I discovered I was fully retired when I was told by my Divorce solicitor 3 months after the event having been CONSTANTLY told I was "off sick". He had given my lump sum to my wife without my authority. MY practice and life's work were destroyed.
On that day I was rang by a psychiatrist at my Dental Practice one day and told I had to go to a psychiatric hospital and would be immediately sectioned if I refused, which I did. I rang the Governing Body/ Local Health Authority, and THEY too said I had no choice BUT to go to hospital and that THEY had taken over the running of my practice and in effect suddenly I was "off sick".....but no documents from the Pension Authority had ever arrived. I discovered that they had also suspended my license to practice because of my "mental illness".
I then made the wrong decision and agreed to go for the weekend but did not anticipate the horror of a psychiatric hospital where NOONE listens. I was FORCED to take medication and everytime I said I AM NOT suicidal I got more meds and "a high security "watch placed on me. Everybody stopped listening to me. I was told in hospital that I was to stay for weeks "until I got better" and so tried to "sign my self out" but that just started the worst 4 weeks of my life as then my every move was watched...even going to the toilet........no shoe laces, no belt, no locks on ANY door, in fact NO doors on the bathroom.
I now receive a small pension £16k for 23 years work for the National Health Service (NHS) and have a £100k debt for life I can never clear. The pensions authority say that I should NOT have had full retirement forced on me but refuse to help in trying to sort out the mess caused. As do ALL legal counsel in Wales. Politicians "seem" to be embroiled in this mess, I add allegedly, as the original Doctor gained many high posts in and out of the NHS assisted by these *******'s. Every doctor in my town tell me to forget my dental career and that I have ever been a dentist and treat me with contempt. I have left coronary heart disease written as being caused by the stress with all the above and eventually had a heart attack and a carotid coronary bypass graft but had to FIGHT to get treatment for that in 2006-8. I now have reduced usage of my left arm and find it difficult playing guitar and piano after starting both at the age of 6. I am 63 now.
I had to "cold turkey" the meds to retreive some semblance of life and this took quite a few years as the need for the drugs was horrific. I also became an alcoholic and stopping alcohol, once I realised I had a problem, was easy in comparison. Before I get flamed that is an example of typical British understatement as it was HELL.
I fight suicidal thoughts almost daily yet when I ironically ask for help from the service that should be in place to help,the Psychiatric Services, they tell me to change the way I think, change my symptoms in effect, before they will consider ANY form of help. However each "professional" then writes that I refuse treatment but thanks to technology one appt IS recorded, and listenable, and this shows I AM RIGHT!
Allegedly, there is a lot of corruption in NHS Wales which equals the scandal in the UK with the BBC and the alleged paedophile Jimmy Savile..
I had 3 burly policemen around my house a few weeks ago and they gave me 10 minutes to prove to them that I should not be sectioned after someone rang them with "concern". I showed them documents and things relaxed. They advised I saw the Fraud office who will look into my case once I have collated the reams of evidence. SO I have to go through it all again....

Pat you ask about early retirement and this is just part of MY story. I visit PG Music to get away from all this **** so will stay away from here until this topic has disappeared from the front page and then I hope I will resist the temptation to look for it and read it!
I have written hundreds of songs about being forced to be a mental patient and so will now post them soon for all to hear.
THANK YOU Band in a Box for keeping me alive, Mr Gannon you do not realise how much I NEED your program.

I will have a quick squint round the Showcase and then be off for a few weeks.

Alyn

Well that settles that. I'm officially glad that the U.S. seperated from England.

Sixchannel,

your story sounds a lot like mine. Add to it the fact that my place of employment is almost exclusively manned by people who are within two years of retirement, and no effort has been made to bring in young people to learn their jobs. The exodus of job knowledge that is about to happen is going to put enormous extra stress on whoever remains, especially salaried people like me who are ultimately responsible for meeting the company's goals. It makes me angry to think of all the 12 and 16 hour days I worked during the last 5 years of my wife's life. Now she's gone, and I can't roll back the clock to spend that time with her.

"Fool me once, shame on you... fool me twice, shame on me. " I don't want to repeat the unwise use of time I have left. There's no doubt in my mind that if I stay at work, the time they expect me to put in will increase exponentially, and if I allow it, the job will consume every breath that remains in me.

But I'm an idea person. I like to observe life and form ideas about what should work. I am eager to test my ideas about what I believe will be an increase in opportunities to play live music as the baby boomers retire. When they had too much time on their hands as young people, they filled it with live music. I think they will do the same with the retirement time on their hands. ALL of the live music I've attended in the past year has been overwhelmingly attended by boomers, which supports my theory enough that I am willing to take the next step.

So in a sense I don't see this as retirement as much as I see it as changing jobs from something that's slowly killing me to something that I enjoy.

Pat, there is a fabulous opportunity to keep your mind active in a volunteer organization called SCORE (Service Corps Of Retired Executives) where I have volunteered a few times. It allows you to keep your hand in, so to speak.

I also volunteer to demonstrate synthesized speech devices (Dynavox) to hospitals and the VA. So much so that I have had to decline many opportunities to travel regionally. It has gotten too physically demanding.

My religion teaches volunteerism and, worldwide, has spent nearly 2 billion hours in volunteer work in 2012 alone.

speaking of retirement, here's something I'd really like to see:

Some old-timer who has a farm and can't keep it up anymore should turn it into a retirement commune.

People who want to "buy in" could sell their homes and put the money in the commune's collective fund. Everybody in the commune would be expected to work on the farm, planting, harvesting, repairing, chopping wood, milking cows etc.

It would be especially cool if the commune catered specifically to retired musicians, and the barn was used to host live music open to the public (which would also help to support the commune)

If the farm happened to be on the blue Ridge Parkway, it would probably become a tourist attraction

When the final heart attack comes, I'd rather have it while chopping firewood or baling hay than while wasting away in front of a TV in a room that smells like bleach and urine.

I left at 54, 30 years as a firefighter. I was 'behind' a guy who was 3 yrs. my junior and the Chief Training Officer. He was unbearable. It's funny, I hadn't seen him in years and ran into him at the grocery store just this morning. Now there is a man who ostracized his family, co-workers, and friends. A true misogynist, only thing he's got is a bigger pension that I. He took 2 months a year off so I'd have to budget and do his job, but he never said a word, I'd be called to a budget submission, nothing done, and then he dumped on me later. I walked out, and management was a afraid of my going after them so they promoted me for the last 6 months and I rode out on a desk.

Still I've got a great pension, a wonderful family, and regrettably too many friends who are dying early. It's a speed bump right now, my wife is a Senior Manager and up to be a Corporate Director soon, with 7 wks vacation a year and nice bonuses.

But all the cash in the world is superfluous. I did have charge of the forensic darkroom and loved photography, no corpses please. So I've gone back into that in a big way, bought a rusty pickup truck for the dog and I, and wish my wife didn't work almost every day, and from 6:30 to 6:30 most days. (It's almost noon on Sunday and there she is again.)

Big family meal here today, 10 people, prime rib, fancy salads, and I'll bake rolls and bread too.

My Mom and Dad are 86, and my Mom gets out every Sunday to come here with my Dad. I can only give back for all they did.

Going to England and France in May, my youngest lives in Canterbury, and we will take them to France with us for a week. (Her 'beau', husband, what ever.

And in 3 weeks a week in the sun in Cuba. 3 Days in Havana. Nice cars!

Every day extra is a bonus. Still playing the organ/keyboards for Masonic meetings, but some stuff I'd like to do is on hold, too many disabilities.

I'm now 63, getting extra cash from the Canada Pension, another boost at 65.
My wife's parents own a big chunk of land 60 feet from a huge diamond drill hole with 10 years ago was called 'marginally viable open pit mine'. They would need the 'family' land. My kids may end up with quite the bonus.

My oldest lives close by, PHd in Anthropology, good for lots of discussions.
My 2nd Son is in Toronto, corporate job with Interac banking.
My 3rd Son is close by, he's a manager in a large call centre.

What I really need to do is divest myself of this big old house soon. 4 rooms I never use unless my grandson is over for the night.

The property management I was doing after retirement has slowed down. I still run one big building for a company from Niagara, but it's no work to speak of anymore, but does throw in some 'fun money'.

Every person is different. I know people who love work so much nothing else counts much. My wife is not like that, but the growth level of her company keeps them expanding, but not fast enough to keep people trained. Adding 10 fitness clubs a month over the last 20 months is taking a toll on her, she does all the management for the income side. Some may remember I owned that company, (the computerized management of fitness club members), and they still run my software for banking. I sold out in '96, and could have been well off, but my firefighting job seemed more important than programming.

You might say I sold my wife with the business. But we Skype back and forth most days.

I'm looking forward to spring, enough snow for me!

My grandson is almost 4, and to walk 3 blocks to the nature trail yesterday took an hour. I forgot that a 4 yr. old has to climb every 'mountain', flop on every pile of snow, eat some, yell "Look Papa John I'm on the mountain now!" while standing on the 4 foot pile of snow the plow pushed up. On to the next one. You can smile a lot then. And when he stood at the foot of out bed on Saturday morning at 6 a.m. with the dog, and the 2 of them ended up getting under the covers to discuss dinosaurs, why dogs sniff, what the squirrels eat and how nuts might taste, why birds don't fly up side down, and other good stuff, hey, all is well.

I think I need to write a time table and peel some spuds now, but heck the dog is sleeping on my foot, the birds are fighting at the feeder out the window, and I have emails to reply to soon.

All said, I audited another University music course this fall, and have applied to study French and History at the local university, another thing to keep my mind working hard and make me forget the crazy neuropathy that came with chemo.

Keep well, and find good stuff every day, smile, and hit the dissenters with your cane! Or threaten...;)

I was aghast at that museum of 'American Music' on the parkway. We were there this fall, 'leaf peeping' according to the locals. Nice weather. But that building was a knock off of some Federal Gov't type, not AT ALL like I'd hoped. I wanted your thing, a barn, and have some people come.

Building Codes would say (in Canada I know the US ones are close), that over 150 people in the place, fire alarm req'd.

Over x number of feet, you need a sprinkler system, water supply, standpipes, and on it goes. Dry pipe system, it freezes in the winter. Wood burning, are you kidding?? Staff bathrooms, handicapped bathrooms, and on it goes. Every 30 people = one WC. (Water Closet=toilet, urinal etc.)

It would make you sigh and throw up your hands. Sit on a bale of hay, and have music, great. I love it. But beware what you wish.

Great idea, sorry I threw frozen water on it.

I'll buy in though...pretend we are stupid. What codes???

I just figured it out. Take the side off the barn. Performers inside, something to reflect the sound out, bales of hay arranged in a amphitheatre. A trough out back for the men. Some moonshine for the band, we need an empty jug anyway.

Don Gaynor is in charge of the button that makes the music go round and round. And come out here.

Great Comments...but as for me, my four wives did me in and I didn't really
have a well-planned ending to September Song.
Altho I'm single now and live in "stress-free" Cyrstal River, Fl., a far cry
from my Chi-Town existence for over 70 yrs.
I've managed to keep my head above water and my bait below, fishing in nearby
Rivers, and the Gulf..with my 17' Alumamum Canoe. Life is good, eh??

I'm a diabetic and heart patient (pacemaker now), thanks to the VA in Florida,
I'm still pretty spry for my age...the new battery is just hummin' me along the trail.
Still gig with my keyboards/guitars/synths and I'll be 79 on Feb. 22nd.

Feelin' oh so good about taking the leap from stockbroker to gunrunner/musician!

God Bless All....especially PG Music, for the many years of enjoyment!!!

Solid!! Potato Salad!!

similar ideas (except for the commune part):

http://suncrestgardensfarm.com/pizza/live-music/

http://local.yahoo.com/info-44944126-live-music-down-on-the-farm-morrisville

http://sweetwater-organic.org/sunday-market/live-music-series/

http://www.cottonwoodcreekfarm.net/5.html

http://whodatfestival.com/

http://www.oldmillingtonwinery.com/live_music.htm

http://www.caprockwinery.com/index.cfm?m...b9-fbc1fb71cb83

seems like there's a growing trend in mixing live music with farms, wineries, parks and other outdoor places where there is ample room to park a lot of cars and spread out blankets.

This is further evidence that live music is alive and well, it just isn't in beer joints as much as it was when the boomers were in their 20s. Now its at all the places where boomers go NOW.

I'm tellin' all us old farts, we need to ride this wave before it crests ( but I predict it will continue to swell for the remainder of our lives, as more and more boomers retire and start looking for things to do)

"seems like there's a growing trend .."

I hope that was intentional 'cause it was funny

Quote:

"seems like there's a growing trend .."

I hope that was intentional 'cause it was funny

it wasn't intentional, it was just stupid. (My trademark) <--also redundant

much like saying: "corrupt politician"
(that's redundant... you already SAID he was a politician...)

or "bad cat"

more:
http://grammar.about.com/od/words/a/redundancies.htm

but in this case there is some validity to combining the two words.
a TREND indicates movement in a specific direction, but does not imply the speed of movement
a GROWING TREND is picking up speed as it goes (and that's the point I hoped to make)

Pat,

Good luck on your retirement. My wife will be retiring at the end of the year. I would call it an early retirement as I will be 55 and she a little less. We are fortunate to have worked for an excellent company for 30+ years apiece and have the means to check out early. Having not reached that goal line quite yet, I cannot answer your questions but I am very excited and confident about our retirement years. Our decision is mostly driven by "life is short". We share many of the same interests and will be sure to fill our time.
AND I have already reserved at least 2 hours of time in the studio to practice, record, etc!!

Well Pat, for me retirement came early out of necessity. I am now alone without my wife, family or friends and find it quite crappy.
I'd get a job if something was available that was interesting.I'd rather watch TV then work at WM

Quote:

....Our decision is mostly driven by "life is short"....

I would second this. I retired 5 years ago, and those years just flew by! Each passing day seems to pass faster as well. Combine that phenomenon with increasingly not being able to do things (physically) that you used to, and you begin to realize that time is shorter than you think. Enjoy the things you love to do while you can still do them.

If you have the opportunity to retire early, and have the financial means to do so, GO FOR IT!

I'll chime in....
Many good suggestions have been offered above so no further comments on that.

I retired on 12/26/10 and have no regrets/reservations about my decision.
I was just short of 64 at that time.

I worked to live....not lived to work.
After doing the math, knowing that I could get hit by a bus tomorrow and that the government will be changing things (read: screwing it up) I decided I could do it.
I love not having to live up to anyone's work expectations anymore.
My time is my own and I have music as my creative therapy.

That said, I'm on my wife's (she's only 54) insurance policy, had SS deduct the 99$ monthly Medicare payment (doctor said to do it) and I have VA benefits as a third source which I've used on occasion.

In fact, I wrote a song on that very day of my retirement called:
"I've Got Time (I've Just Retired)" (Key of C# @ 136 bpm).

It's my very first BIAB generated tune which I just finished about a week ago but I'm not totally pleased with my lead vocal quite yet.

Should I muster some courage I may post on soundclick later.
I think the retirees here could relate to the lyrics.
Pre-hook being:
"I'm out of the trenches and gave up the grind.
Got lots of time 'cause I've just retired"

As stated above...'la vida es muy corte'.

Well...that's my take on it.
Happy Retirement to us.

Carry on....