I retired a few months ago after years of talking and planning it.

It's a big change.

Enjoy it.

Keep Busy. Do things you enjoy. Sitting still is the worst thing for retirees.

lee wrote on Nov 26^th, 2023 at 3:49pm:

Keep Busy. Do things you enjoy. Sitting still is the worst thing for retirees.

Yep.

I have a customer who at 92, does a 2km ocean swim every single day. Rain or shine, summer or winter. The guy is more agile than many 50 yr olds.  And he has never needed glasses so part of it is genetic.

John Smith wrote on Nov 26^th, 2023 at 3:53pm:

lee wrote on Nov 26th, 2023 at 3:49pm: Keep Busy. Do things you enjoy. Sitting still is the worst thing for retirees. Yep. I have a customer who at 92, does a 2km ocean swim every single day. Rain or shine, summer or winter. The guy is more agile than many 50 yr olds.  And he has never needed glasses so part of it is genetic.

Although he does have stubbed toes and a flat nose.

MeisterEckhart wrote on Nov 26^th, 2023 at 3:55pm:

John Smith wrote on Nov 26th, 2023 at 3:53pm: lee wrote on Nov 26th, 2023 at 3:49pm: Keep Busy. Do things you enjoy. Sitting still is the worst thing for retirees. Yep. I have a customer who at 92, does a 2km ocean swim every single day. Rain or shine, summer or winter. The guy is more agile than many 50 yr olds.  And he has never needed glasses so part of it is genetic. Although he does have stubbed toes and a flat nose.

I guessed he was in his mid 60s when I first saw him .

lee wrote on Nov 26^th, 2023 at 3:49pm:

Keep Busy. Do things you enjoy. Sitting still is the worst thing for retirees.

Keep sprint cycling.

Thanks all.
Years ago a friend said you need at least 4 different interests when you retire. I agree with him.

I really enjoy what I am doing. I am still learning to slow down.
It could easily turn bad if I had not enough 'to do'.
There are many 'traps' to fall into, I am wary what I do or not. Keeping into good habits.
I don't have to do 'all things', not rushed to  travel to do home renos. 
A difficult thing to do is to 'just be'.
Am liking having the time/space to do things to my own satisfaction.
It is on the back of my mind to take up art again.

Sprintcyclist wrote on Nov 26^th, 2023 at 1:33pm:

I retired a few months ago after years of talking and planning it. It's a big change.

A bloke across the road from me retired  a few years, keeps busy but missed working so he got his heavy vehicle licence and now drives buses (Sydney metro blue ones) 3 shifts a week and loves it. He's a money bags so he's not doing it because he needs the cash but enjoys saying GOOD MORNING  500 times a day.

Get out and travel while you're still mobile. See some places for yourself, preferably off the beaten track. We ended up driving around Europe this time last year (plus some fast trains). My favourite experience was the Christmas market in Luxembourg one night in December. It had a real village atmosphere to it, probably because all the French, Belgian and German workers had gone home for the day. Locals outnumbered tourists by about 20:1. Glühwein is one way to avoid feeling cold.

sprint

human beings need to be continually challenged or they are screwed
once there are no problems to solve, it would be very easy to succumb to death anxiety
and nihilism.

even young people can become deeply hopeless if we dont apply the evolutionary blowtorch.

you have to now apply the blowtorch to yourself

you need a project that has an ongoing frame

bush fire brigade, masters athletics, bush regeneration, animal welfare can keep you occupied forever.

grandkids are the obvious one that provide never ending challenge


the worst thing would be to try to seek out stimulation like golf, sitting by the pool, endless pokies or watching netflix.  eating tasty foods, durping around at the doctors being a hypochrondriac.

you need to find something hard, so your mind thinks its important for you to stick around.
solving problems staves off dementia

I retired (as in finished work) at the end of June 2019 but I will finally consider myself officially retired when I start getting the age pension next August.

Then it will be time to put my feet up and really relax.

:)

Thanks all for the positive thoughts.



Carl D wrote on Nov 26^th, 2023 at 6:46pm:

I retired (as in finished work) at the end of June 2019 but I will finally consider myself officially retired when I start getting the age pension next August. Then it will be time to put my feet up and really relax. :)

Yes, I retired early too. Am 62 years later this month, was nice to retire early. We are not rich but are comfortable.
My choice was to work longer to be 'more' comfortable or have more time for me.
We have old cars, no debts and like the simple things in life. 
eg, we are going to the beach for a 6:45 am swim tomorrow morn

Carl D wrote on Nov 26^th, 2023 at 6:46pm:

I retired (as in finished work) at the end of June 2019 but I will finally consider myself officially retired when I start getting the age pension next August. Then it will be time to put my feet up and really relax. :)

relaxing is what we do at the end of a hard session of grinding it out

someone who bounces out of bed with the aim of immediately relaxing, will be dead very quickly

the brain would see no reason to keep such a limpet alive

never relax, sprint , unless you have earnt it

even if you are 90 in a nursing home, do 1000 steps up and down the corridoor before you "relax"

you MUST have a challenge

or you will sink into despair

aquascoot wrote on Nov 26^th, 2023 at 7:04pm:

Carl D wrote on Nov 26th, 2023 at 6:46pm: I retired (as in finished work) at the end of June 2019 but I will finally consider myself officially retired when I start getting the age pension next August. Then it will be time to put my feet up and really relax. :) relaxing is what we do at the end of a hard session of grinding it out someone who bounces out of bed with the aim of immediately relaxing, will be dead very quickly the brain would see no reason to keep such a limpet alive never relax, sprint , unless you have earnt it even if you are 90 in a nursing home, do 1000 steps up and down the corridoor before you "relax" you MUST have a challenge or you will sink into despair

My neighbour who became a bussie is close to 70, recons navigating one of those big blue beasts thru the narrow Eastern Suburb streets, dodging the Cayenne driving house wives is the best brain training ever.

Take up a hobby

Go overseas and volunteer for an NGO for 6 months.
Maybe go to Laos and help dig up some UXOs.

Visit here - don't live here.

ASFA says a single retiree needs a balance of $595,000 at age 67 to achieve a “comfortable” lifestyle income of $50,981 using a combination of their nest egg and age pension payments.

A couple requires $690,000 combined to achieve a comfortable income of $71,724 per year – but has the benefit of two super balances to reach it.


Assuming no rent or mortgage costs.

Frank wrote on Nov 28^th, 2023 at 5:35pm:

ASFA says a single retiree needs a balance of $595,000 at age 67 to achieve a “comfortable” lifestyle income of $50,981 using a combination of their nest egg and age pension payments. A couple requires $690,000 combined to achieve a comfortable income of $71,724 per year – but has the benefit of two super balances to reach it. Assuming no rent or mortgage costs.

Australia’s biggest super funds have been put on notice about misleading consumers, and not a moment too soon.

A surprise fine handed out to the industry fund, Hesta, over potentially misleading marketing of its investment returns comes as the sector is under pressure to come clean on how it achieves and presents returns.

Hesta, which is focused on the healthcare sector, has been penalised by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission for ‘‘statements that may have misled consumers’’ concerning its balanced growth fund. Balanced funds are the most popular among Australian consumers and also the source of ongoing controversy inside the sector.

Hesta had advertised the fund’s returns over a 10-year period – but failed to point out which 10-year period. ASIC says consumers may have ‘‘assumed the fund was performing better than it was’’.

Specifically, Hesta said its balanced growth option “returned 8.87 per cent average returns pa over the past 10 years”, but ASIC pointed out the average return for the 10-year period at the time of the advertisements was lower, ranging from 8.01 to 8.51 per cent.

Hesta’s infringement notice is an embarrassment to the fund – though the accompanying fine of $48,600 hardly matters to an ­operation with $74bn under ­management.
...

Under existing ASIC guidance a balanced fund is a “fund that invests across a mix of asset classes like cash, fixed interest investments, property and shares, to achieve medium-to-long term capital growth and a reasonable level of income”.

In other words, big funds are free to design their ‘‘balanced’’ funds just about any way they wish as long as they satisfy a criterion badly lacking detail. This is the biggest issue in how super fund returns are presented. How the outcomes are advertised is actually a secondary issue.


Invest in oil, gas, electricity,  armaments and munitions, grain, nuclear and aviation technology.