Has Anyone Else Deferred Retirement due to COVID and is Tired of Waiting?

[SelectSys]

Right before COVID started in early 2020, I was considering of retiring and moving on with life while in good health.  Now two years later while COVID is still with us,  the risks have been diminished by knowledge, treatments,  vaccines, and possibly the mutation of the virus itself.

 

I decided over the holidays that it is silly to wait longer and I am finally pushing forward in making a change with a goal of getting out sometime this year.  Is anyone else reaching their COVID-delayed retirement limit?

 

I have a cruise planned for the fall and I certainly want to be out by then - maybe sooner if I can wrap up or transfer projects.

[Deb and Jack]

Yes, I'm in the same situation.  Was supposed to retire July 2020, had 3 cruises booked to celebrate and boom!! Covid!! Now I'm trying to get out in April almost 2 years later, I'm tired, but my boss is trying very hard to get me to stay. Money is nice but it's not everything. Good luck Debbie 

[SelectSys]

17 hours ago, Deb and Jack said:

Money is nice but it's not everything

100% in agreement.  Every day time gets more important and money less so!

[calliopecruiser]

I know of a few people who moved up their retirement because of Covid, not deferred it.  Work was harder, and combined with the risks and restrictions, they burned themselves out (or were on the risk of it) and decided to retire early.  I can't say as I blame them, either. 

[SelectSys]

On 1/9/2022 at 7:31 AM, calliopecruiser said:

I know of a few people who moved up their retirement because of Covid, not deferred it.  Work was harder, and combined with the risks and restrictions, they burned themselves out (or were on the risk of it) and decided to retire early.  I can't say as I blame them, either. 

 

I can see this argument for people in occupations where lots of contact with the public would be required - especially early on when vaccines were unavailable and treatments weren't well understood. 

 

I have been looking at the retirement decision through the lens of my "work from home" experience.

Edited January 18, 2022 by SelectSys

[calliopecruiser]

2 hours ago, SelectSys said:

I have been looking at the retirement decision through the lens of my "work from home" experience.

For some people, the "work from home" experience has not been good, and one of my friends taking early retirement has been working from home for the last 18 months.  She hates working from home, finds it much harder and more frustrating to get things done, and will be retiring in March. 

[RollingMeadows]

On 1/18/2022 at 6:16 PM, calliopecruiser said:

For some people, the "work from home" experience has not been good, and one of my friends taking early retirement has been working from home for the last 18 months.  She hates working from home, finds it much harder and more frustrating to get things done, and will be retiring in March. 

My husband worked from home in the first months of the lockdown. He also learned to despise it. He said his home is the place where he can keep work out, not invite it in to take up residence. He is retiring as soon as he reaches the age, which is in something under 500 days. Not like he's counting or anything.

[cdn_tbird]

21 hours ago, RollingMeadows said:

He is retiring as soon as he reaches the age, which is in something under 500 days. Not like he's counting or anything.

😄 Once I deduct my vacation entitlements & stat holidays, I have between 639 (If I can convince my boss to buy into my plan) and an absolute maximum 1,732 work days left. Not that I've been planning or counting for a while now. 😄

 

[SelectSys]

On 1/18/2022 at 6:16 PM, calliopecruiser said:

She hates working from home, finds it much harder and more frustrating to get things done, and will be retiring in March. 

 

On 2/16/2022 at 9:11 AM, RollingMeadows said:

My husband worked from home in the first months of the lockdown. He also learned to despise it.

 

It's clear that different people have had different reactions to the work at home.  Our company is finally planning a return for almost everyone back to the office - at least part time.

[SelectSys]

On 2/17/2022 at 6:43 AM, cdn_tbird said:

Once I deduct my vacation entitlements & stat holidays, I have between 639 (If I can convince my boss to buy into my plan) and an absolute maximum 1,732 work days left. Not that I've been planning or counting for a while now.

That's a pretty big swing!  Good luck on your negotiation!

[cdn_tbird]

41 minutes ago, SelectSys said:

That's a pretty big swing!  Good luck on your negotiation!

It's the difference between getting to 60 and then packaged out and working until 65. My problem is that I'm too good at my job so there's no incentive for my boss to package me out early. 😄

 

[SelectSys]

4 hours ago, cdn_tbird said:

It's the difference between getting to 60 and then packaged out and working until 65. My problem is that I'm too good at my job so there's no incentive for my boss to package me out early. 😄

 

I guess you could always let your performance slip and give your boss an incentive!   

 

 

Edited February 22, 2022 by SelectSys

[Ferry_Watcher]

My husband has less than 60 working day left.  We found that the pandemic workplace closures showed that we could survive being together in the same house 24/7 for long periods of time (LOL).  I was grateful that he didn't have his usual long, heavy traffic, stressful commute home at the end of his work day.  He was able to get his work done and not have to deal with office politics, or 'managing up', because everyone was working from home.

His working from home during the pandemic gave us the benefit of easing into retirement - for both of us.

[Lois R]

I retired on Dec 31st, 2019.........at that moment Covid was not in my mind.  (probably in nobody's LOL)

So December was 2 years...........I was 61 at the time.  I have had various health issues since (non Covid) and overall, I don't miss my old job 1 bit.........and that was working at the same place for 29 years! 

If you are able (financially, health, etc)........and want to retire? I say GO FOR IT👍

[shipgeeks]

I had retired from my fulltime, less rewarding job about ten years ago.  Continued my happy job, teaching, until the day of the shutdown.  I was devastated, and when the option of teaching on zoom came up, I gave it a good try, including buying new equipment.  I found I just did not like it.

So much has changed, including the ease (not) of commuting, that I will not be going back.  At the age of 78 I am officially retired, apart from doing a blog for my students.  DH is happy, we get along just fine, and now we can cruise on any date, not just during the three short breaks I used to have in a year.  Life is good!

[mlmalone3]

I teach 4th grade and the Pandemic pushed me into retirement. Education has gotten so political it is taking the fun out of it. My husband watched the stress each day over the past 2-3 years....and told me..."you are done".  I have promised to substitute for my dear friends, because our subs are few and far between due to pandemic. So....June 10, I end 24 yrs in public education! June 13 we sail to Alaska on NCL and next summer, we go on a Viking River cruise in Europe.

[RJake1]

During covid I got to work from home, no more business travel, so I delayed retirement.  I'm glad I did.  There was really no leisure travel either, so I got to earn more money while staying at home, which I would've been forced to do because of covid anyway.  I'm retiring this July (age 68) because leisure travel seems to be loosening up.  

 

If I had retired at 65, right before covid hit, I would've found myself sitting at home, bored, with far less income.

Edited May 22, 2022 by RJake1