Retirement letter delivered yesterday.

[Newroad]

I had assumed from the title this thread was about Boris

Regards, Newroad

[JohnB]

Having a manual job until you are 50 hits the body hard, but so does a lifestyle where you spend money to avoid exertion. Years of brain work allows me the luxury of 10-3 manual work a few days a week, but not when raining.

Countryside rangers love their jobs, but can never retire early as the pay is poor, and supervise ex-accountants younger than themselves.

[Urbandreamer]

I handed in my retirement letter last week. I had given them at least two years notice and succession planning is in place.

I'll be hanging up my hat next May at age 60. Just one thing that worries me. The number of retired staff who they convince to come back to work at least part time.

I suppose that I'll just have to be firm.

[ursaminortaur]

I handed in my retirement letter last week. I had given them at least two years notice and succession planning is in place.

I'll be hanging up my hat next may at age 60. Just one thing that worries me. The number of retired staff who they convince to come back to work at least part time.

I suppose that I'll just have to be firm.

Just tell them that you will only come back on contractor rates and give them some impossibly high figure - either they'll be desperate and pay it for a short while (and when you are fedup with milking them you then tell them you are raising your rates) or they will slink away quietly and never mention it again.

[monabri]

Just waiting for a comment from our Lemon Fool " BigDogat10"...

[SoBo65]

Just decided to press the 'End work' button. Will inform my awful boss next week, just need to decide when my last date will be, required to give six months notice, thinking might say end April 2023 to stagger the tax years as have some deferred bonuses to cash in then no need to draw on SIPPS in tax year 23/24.

[Snakey]

Yay! But with an awful boss, aren't you better off leaving it until the last possible minute before you tell him? He'll be on your back the whole summer... for a 30 April departure would it be better to keep shtum for now, take it easy (and make all your preparations e.g. obtain that lifetime supply of biros) in the secret knowledge that you're going, and tell him on Hallowe'en? "Trick or treat, boss? ... No, you've got to say trick."

Depending how much money's coming your way in that final pay packet, you might consider working until 31 May or even 30 June to get up to the edge of the higher rate band (and get the extra NI year if you need it). Remember you'll continue to accrue holiday each month you work.

That said, I sat on my decision for three months, left on 30 June (this was last year) which I'd worked out almost to the pound, and then promptly got so much unsolicited freelance that with hindsight I could have told them straight away and left in mid-April. As they say, no plan survives first contact with the outside world. But you have finally reached the stage of "nice problem to have, mind you" and all your options should be good ones now, even the sub-optimal.

[SoBo65]

Thanks Snakey, you make some good points. I would not be surprised by giving a longer notice period (although of course I can say it is my intention to retire in say 9 months, but only have to confirm at the six months point) is they might look make me an offer of some kind. Reason that I say this the team I lead are in a niche part of the business, in a hot sector right now, with unprecedented movements of staff and to make things more complicated apart from my 'awful' boss who is my direct manager, I have a matrix manager responsible for the global line of business and whom I get on very well, he is aware that that I am not happy at present and has suggested the potential solutions. Then of course once competitors hear about it other options may open up. Main points being I don't want a similar job, would consider something else in the sector, closer to the front line, not too bothered if lower package (for example don't need any pension as did Fixed Protection for LTA six years ago), although from what I can see the gap has reduced between senior managers and senior non managers, but equally happy to retire and better to exit as a 'good leaver'.

[Dod101]

Well done! It's a massive achievement, and you should feel proud.

I went about a year ago at 49. Took me nine months to decompress - that is to say, to get to the point where I could properly look around and relax and really enjoy the freedom of each day as it came.

Prior to that it was a weird mix of relief, disconnection, anti-climax, feeling absolutely shattered, and feeling mildly and irrationally hurt on realising that although this is the biggest bombshell moment of your life it's nobbut a minor logistical blip for them, and they are not in fact a) sorry they weren't nicer to you or b) having crisis meetings about how to convince you to stay/come back.

I say try to enjoy the series of "lasts" that are coming your way (I missed all mine as we were still WFH - my "last" Christmas do and my "last" birthday in the office were in 2019, my "last" boring meetings and team lunches were in March 2020, and I had no idea any of it would be my last), and go easy on yourself in your first few months of freedom. Don't rush to tick stuff off - that's a work mentality that you no longer need. Just chill.

A lot of what I thought I'd want/need to do, was from the perspective of sitting trapped at my desk. Unsurprisingly my plans revolved around the options I could see would open up as a result of not having to be "back" for work - therefore, primarily travel-based. It looks different now I'm here, and I will revisit my list with a critical eye before committing to anything. I may decide that I'd rather have a fortnight in Devon and a few long weekends away than spend two months in Thailand just because I said I would, or that I'm happier reading books than trying to write one. (Admittedly, I'd be a lot keener to explore the world if everything were back to normal. Still, the whole point of early retirement is that, unless you get unlucky, there is plenty of time. I wouldn't want to "see how I feel in a few years' time" about long-haul travel if I were 68, I'm sure.)

Just to say, I thought your third paragraph was really articulate and well expressed

Re that third paragraph, what you need to realise and are obviously now doing, is that you as an employee are seldom worth so much to a company that you cannot be replaced. In a slightly more sobering context, I remember very clearly driving back home the day my wife died in hospital and the whole world was carrying on as normal. I felt like shouting 'What are you all doing? My wife has just died.' I had that feeling for a few days until some wise person said to me 'That is the trouble; life literally goes on'. So when taking retirement.

Dod

[SoBo65]

Thanks for all your highly constructive comments, I told my direct manager yesterday that I intend to retire next year and will confirm the date in due course, she was not really bothered said sort it out with HR, had a chat with one of the helpful ones who clarified the position on bonuses etc, so looking like it will be effective end April 2023. Don't need to formally confirm until end of October. My other boss wants me to stay, offered me an overseas move and thinking about other options to offer, don't really see that as attractive, so looking forward to planning what I will do and may be back for suggestions from those of you that have been through it.....Thanks again.