How did/will you make your decision to retire? SIAP

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hopeandrealchange
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7:17a, 2/4/26
This is a topic I am very passionate about.

At the age of 13 I decided I was going to retire early.
Both of my Grandfathers died when I was a child. One of my Uncles stepped up and filled that role.
We spent many great years fishing on Rayburn out of an old MFG fiberglass boat that he kept afloat somehow or another. He spoke often about how when he retired he was going to buy a new bass boat.
He retired on a Friday picked up the new boat the next day and had a heart attack in that boat and died the next Wednesday. Not long before my 13th birthday.
My goal was to retire by 50.
I saw the hand writing on the wall dealing with my business partner 4 years before he twisted off. I started buying rental properties on the southside of campus at that point. My partner twisted when I was 46. I sold out to him and have never looked back. I am now in the process of selling the last two of the rentals at 65 years of age.
From 46 to now my biggest problem has been finding friends that will come out to play. Most are still working and the others are hard to get off the couch.
I would say retire as soon as possible. I don't miss any event that I am invited to involving any of my four Grands.
You never know what tomorrow brings.

Edit to add:
When people ask what I do with my time my answer is always whatever I want to and I don't start that until noon
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YouBet
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In reply to hopeandrealchange • 8:40a, 2/4/26
AG
I get the question "But what do you do all day" from people all the time.

Most of the time I proudly answer "Nothing" or "Whatever comes up that day".

Most people can't process that answer.
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jja79
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In reply to YouBet • 10:14a, 2/4/26
AG
I do something every day and have only as much "down" time as I choose to have. It takes a month or so to adjust to having control of 100% off your time.
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YouBet
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In reply to jja79 • 10:32a, 2/4/26
AG
jja79 said:
I do something every day and have only as much "down" time as I choose to have. It takes a month or so to adjust to having control of 100% off your time.

Yes, most of my non-downtime is house projects which confirms that we need a house with less upkeep so I can increase my downtime.
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Medaggie
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In reply to hopeandrealchange • 12:04p, 2/4/26
hopeandrealchange said:

From 46 to now my biggest problem has been finding friends that will come out to play.

I too have had this concern of boredom. I have friends I take trips with but 2-3 trips a year still leaves most of the year. My wife and I have a great relationship & Like to travel, but TBH I think it is healthier when we have our own hobbies.

I picked up golf 2 years ago and this really fills the hole. Golf is great because you can play with friends or it is just as enjoyable playing by yourself. I can go play 2-3 dys a week and feel productive no matter what I do the rest of the day. I think the key for me is do something productive daily so I do not feel like I am just watching the clock in boredom.
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hopeandrealchange
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In reply to Medaggie • 12:54p, 2/4/26
Medaggie said:
hopeandrealchange said:

From 46 to now my biggest problem has been finding friends that will come out to play.

I too have had this concern of boredom. I have friends I take trips with but 2-3 trips a year still leaves most of the year. My wife and I have a great relationship & Like to travel, but TBH I think it is healthier when we have our own hobbies.

I picked up golf 2 years ago and this really fills the hole. Golf is great because you can play with friends or it is just as enjoyable playing by yourself. I can go play 2-3 dys a week and feel productive no matter what I do the rest of the day. I think the key for me is do something productive daily so I do not feel like I am just watching the clock in boredom.


I have never found myself bored. If I find myself with a few free hours I always have something to do on the tractor. My tractor seat and Scag seat are where I do my best problem solving. Heck I have solved the world's problems many times.
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herewegoagain
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In reply to hopeandrealchange • 1:47p, 2/4/26
We should hang out sometime. I walked away work optional at 40 (3 years ago) and am having a blast. Tons of time with kids, lots of travel with the family, and as many opportunities as I've ever had coming my way but the difference is that I get to say "hell no" if it doesn't excite me.
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Pacifico
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8:43p, 2/4/26
AG
Retiring is a lot more complicated than I thought it would be 30 years ago.
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springagg
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8:54p, 2/4/26
IF anyone wants to play golf on Northside of Houston, let me know. I recently picked it back up and play generally during the weekday. One would say I basically retired at age 45 but really my "work" only requires few hours a week. I usually play at Windrose.
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Kool
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9:46a, 2/5/26
AG
Yesterday I had what I thought was an incredible discussion with a neurosurgeon regarding retirement.
He is just about to turn 60. Does only spine now, owns his own surgery center with a partner and they have two physiatrists working there who do blocks for them. No Medicare or Medicaid.

His wife is an anaesthesiologist. They have two girls, one is in her Dermatology residency and is engaged to another doctor, the other is in nursing school.

He has a beautiful lake house he is in the process of fixing up to put on the market. Will easily fetch over $6 million for that (same lake as Nick Saban has a house), probably more.
When I asked him about retirement, he said he has NO plans to retire so far, and that he doesn't have any significant hobbies other than travel with his wife and dining.

I think some of these issues are unique to physicians, especially surgeons - you spend so much time going through training (neurosurgery was 6 years), and the grind of the job squeezes out a lot of other "life". You become a rat on a wheel, and even when there isn't any "cheese" in front of you, you just keep running because that's what you do.

He's a really nice guy. The first time I ever met him (he came in to consult during a surgery), I told him I didn't believe he was a neurosurgeon because he wasn't a complete *******. We've become collegial since then. I told him I am going to work on him to change his viewpoint. As well as my own viewpoint. Love hearing the stories.
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
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MAS444
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10:17a, 2/5/26
AG
Some people actually like their jobs and/or enjoy working. There's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes there's a sentiment in these early retirement threads that you can't enjoy your life if you're working. It's not always a zero sum game.
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YouBet
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In reply to MAS444 • 10:36a, 2/5/26
AG
MAS444 said:
Some people actually like their jobs and/or enjoy working. There's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes there's a sentiment in these early retirement threads that you can't enjoy your life if you're working. It's not always a zero sum game.


Certainly true. I think if you are the rare person that actually has a job you actually love then that is great.
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hopeandrealchange
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In reply to MAS444 • 10:49a, 2/5/26
MAS444 said:
Some people actually like their jobs and/or enjoy working. There's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes there's a sentiment in these early retirement threads that you can't enjoy your life if you're working. It's not always a zero sum game.


I respect that.
For me, I never dreamed what the absolute freedom of managing 100 % of my personal schedule could be like.
Like I mentioned previously. I don't do ANYTHING that I don't want to do. And I stay very busy doing it.
Thank you Lord for another glorious day.
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RightWingConspirator
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12:57p, 2/5/26
AG
I agree some folks are wired differently. The executive level of management of my company all could have retired 15 years ago if money was their sole concern, but here they are still working. If you love your job or a significant portion of your satisfaction comes from work, more power to you. I had designs to work another three years to get my youngest out of high school, but if I'm honest, I no longer enjoy my job and just about any other thing is preferable to sticking around too much longer. Jobs can change. Management can change. You could go from enjoying your job one day to loathing it the next. This is what happened to me.
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YouBet
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In reply to RightWingConspirator • 1:50p, 2/5/26
AG
RightWingConspirator said:
I agree some folks are wired differently. The executive level of management of my company all could have retired 15 years ago if money was their sole concern, but here they are still working. If you love your job or a significant portion of your satisfaction comes from work, more power to you. I had designs to work another three years to get my youngest out of high school, but if I'm honest, I no longer enjoy my job and just about any other thing is preferable to sticking around too much longer. Jobs can change. Management can change. You could go from enjoying your job one day to loathing it the next. This is what happened to me.


The other obvious thing going on there is that those people's entire life is defined by their exec position. That becomes who they are.

My wife started down this path but got so disenchanted near the top from the absolute dumbassery she witnessed that she bailed. And, ironically, she found that once she got there she had zero agency or power to do anything she thought she could do with her title. She felt less empowered than when she was at a lower level. Her work life became defined by the HR department which essentially ran the calendars of all the executives with their non-stop administrative and culture idiocy to the point that she couldn't effectively execute her role like she wanted. But I digress.....
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Texker
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4:51p, 2/7/26
AG
Great subject. My biggest mistake is not that I retired early, but that I retired from something not to something. I just completed the SSA benefit app Thursday.
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Pacifico
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In reply to Texker • 5:34p, 2/7/26
AG
Texker said:
Great subject. My biggest mistake is not that I retired early, but that I retired from something not to something. I just completed the SSA benefit app Thursday.

Cancel it young man. You're not ready to retire.
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jja79
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In reply to Texker • 11:02p, 2/7/26
AG
Can you explain a little more?
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Medaggie
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In reply to Kool • 11:14p, 2/7/26
Kool said:
Yesterday I had what I thought was an incredible discussion with a neurosurgeon regarding retirement.
He is just about to turn 60. Does only spine now, owns his own surgery center with a partner and they have two physiatrists working there who do blocks for them.

This is why it is so difficult for most docs to retire. Once you are in your late 40's to early 50's, you are at the peak of your success from most metrics. You have spend 10+ years of your life in college + med school + residency + fellowship + building a practice, it is hard to hang it up.

Most docs I know make 500K+ and it is hard to completely turn the faucet off after all those years of free labor. I would dare to say that most on here would be hard pressed to completely retire if they were leaving a 500K+/yr job.

Ask the same NSG if their pay was $100K/yr, I bet he would have retired many years ago.
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wessimo
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1:16p, 2/8/26
AG
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RightWingConspirator
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In reply to YouBet • 7:26a
AG
I didn't want to write that because it may apply to some folks on this thread, which isn't a thread for pissing contests. But yes, I agree with you. The euphoria some receive from being in management provides them so much utility that they stick around far longer than what their economic circumstances necessitate. It's a fix they just cannot let go. My entire career I was never in "management" per se but was more involved in managing assets and not people. My ego does not require this fix. I was always of the mindset that I'll gather the assets I need, and I'll be done once I have them.
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Hoyt Ag
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In reply to YouBet • 9:22a
AG
YouBet said:
RightWingConspirator said:
I agree some folks are wired differently. The executive level of management of my company all could have retired 15 years ago if money was their sole concern, but here they are still working. If you love your job or a significant portion of your satisfaction comes from work, more power to you. I had designs to work another three years to get my youngest out of high school, but if I'm honest, I no longer enjoy my job and just about any other thing is preferable to sticking around too much longer. Jobs can change. Management can change. You could go from enjoying your job one day to loathing it the next. This is what happened to me.


The other obvious thing going on there is that those people's entire life is defined by their exec position. That becomes who they are.

My wife started down this path but got so disenchanted near the top from the absolute dumbassery she witnessed that she bailed. And, ironically, she found that once she got there she had zero agency or power to do anything she thought she could do with her title. She felt less empowered than when she was at a lower level. Her work life became defined by the HR department which essentially ran the calendars of all the executives with their non-stop administrative and culture idiocy to the point that she couldn't effectively execute her role like she wanted. But I digress.....

Describes probably 50-60% of management level folks, IMO. Thankfully, I do not fall into that category. My job is a means to live my life and does not define me. I am so much more than my title or job. My boss on the other hand, has not taken a PTO day, aside from being sick, in 12+ years. He has no hobbies, is 64 and will work until he is dead, despite having millions in the bank, I assume. His entire life is his job. It is sad to see to be honest.
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YouBet
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In reply to Hoyt Ag • 9:34a
AG
Yeah, I never got to that point although I will say Covid of all things mentally jarred me off that path. I retired from corporate at 47 which shocked my organization because everyone assumed I would be there running stuff forever, I guess.

And then I just surprised my startup by retiring at 51 after having helped found the company three years prior. I don't want to be beholden to the man anymore. I'm stubborn that way. To be fair, I had the financial means to act on it but even then most people don't.
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Its Texas Aggies, dammit
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In reply to YouBet • 9:41a
AG
YouBet said:
Yeah, I never got to that point although I will say Covid of all things mentally jarred me off that path. I retired from corporate at 47 which shocked my organization because everyone assumed I would be there running stuff forever, I guess.

And then I just surprised my startup by retiring at 51 after having helped found the company three years prior. I don't want to be beholden to the man anymore. I'm stubborn that way. To be fair, I had the financial means to act on it but even then most people don't.


I had a colleague who had been at my company for years pass away unexpectedly a few months ago. She was good at what she did and liked by everyone. Her work was rapidly reassigned. She has now been largely forgotten.

I'm sure we all wish it were not this way. But it is. All the more reason not to sell your soul to the company store.
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LMCane
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In reply to RightWingConspirator • 9:43a
RightWingConspirator said:
I agree some folks are wired differently. The executive level of management of my company all could have retired 15 years ago if money was their sole concern, but here they are still working. If you love your job or a significant portion of your satisfaction comes from work, more power to you. I had designs to work another three years to get my youngest out of high school, but if I'm honest, I no longer enjoy my job and just about any other thing is preferable to sticking around too much longer. Jobs can change. Management can change. You could go from enjoying your job one day to loathing it the next. This is what happened to me.


some of it is not loving their job

some of it is their ego is tied in with their position as an executive

so to go from the Board Room and being the head boss- to sitting alone by yourself in a mostly empty house is too damaging to their self-worth
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LMCane
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In reply to Its Texas Aggies, dammit • 9:43a
shocked to see Ramesh Ponnuru who was the lead editor at National Review is now battling chemotherapy

used to read that guy every day in the "Corner"
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Buck Turgidson
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In reply to He Who Shall Be Unnamed • 10:15a
I've been retired about a year now. I had all the money I'd ever need and could leave a nice inheritance for each of my kids. I had followed somebody else's orders every day of my life (parent, teacher, coach, superior officer, employer) and wanted to experience true freedom. My boss started pressuring me to return to full time in the office (a 30-40 minute commute each way) after Covid wound down and I told him I would finish up my two ongoing projects and then retire. From that point to official retirement took about a year, then I was free.
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Buck Turgidson
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In reply to wessimo • 10:19a
wessimo said:

That is awesome and contains a lot of truth. Not sure I want to share it with my three high schoolers who are about to start applying to college!
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