Enjoying Retirement

[GT3Manthey]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

Indeed. I can rarely get the ball thru the windmill, let alone into the clown's mouth.

[GT3Manthey]

Ohhh lovely takes me back great cars

[GT3Manthey]

Nice one V12 great trip by the sounds of it .
I’ve been uk the Porsche museum a few times and last time there took in the merc museum too !

Great news you’re loving retirement and who cares it was early !

I’ve been a little tied up myself recently but can now announce that we today ( finally) exchanged contracts on our house and the one we’re buying . Can’t quite believe it’s finally coming together. Completion is set for end of the month .

This leaves me with another place to sell but it’s not the priority just yet . Releasing the cash will certainly come in handy if I can reinvest it for a fixed period .

Anyhow I’m not over the line yet but we are certainly getting there .

Continue to enjoy your retirement

[GT3Manthey]

Thanks guys yes it is. Was looking a little doubtful last week as the one at the bottom of the chain was throwing her toys around over completion dates.

Once we get settled in the house i've then gotta set about selling our flat which might be a tad tricky but at that point i know i'm on the home stretch.

All debt is cleared and i'm now focussing on banking cash although having sold my last toy the wifes on about me getting a little play thing at some stage.

I have a flat closer to work so that'll be my midweek base for a period of time until i work out what i'm doing .

Never a dull moment as they say !

[GT3Manthey]

Car bon said:

I'm also just over a year into retirement & never been happier. My second summer and loving every minute - get on with it GT3

HAHA you made me chuckle then Car Bon although you are spot on .

Wont be long. Starting this thread, if nothing else, has kept me going.

I'm always one for making sure every box is ticked before i make a move , its the person i am .

Mrs GT3 is live for today but if she had her way i'd be skint or dead by now!

[GT3Manthey]

Norton850 said:

Thank you....

While i am still taking a wage from the business (consultation only) i started and have now passed to my eldest son i feel a slight fraud but at 55 yrs i want to earn and add to my pot while i still can..

Happy to be part of the club...

Sounds like you've got the best of both worlds to me.

Great stuff

[GT3Manthey]

OldSkoolRS said:

Cheers Rich. All this spraying and car work has helped get my enthusiasm back for working on the RS again in between all the music stuff. Been doing more research too working out what bits I'll need to buy. I'm planning to go to the classic car show at the NEC in November, so I might be able to start stocking up on some bits by then once I know what I'll need.

Quite pleased with the 'practice job' so far, though a little bit of rework/wet sanding a couple of defects before I spray the clear coat. Handy having an old Escort to stand it on while I'm spraying it.




Black cellulose should be a doddle after spraying this base/clear 1k stuff.

Might need a bloody good wash first though (Back before I took the front wing and nosecone off around 2012 ):

Ohhh a cheeky side pick of the RS love it OS.
Be fun watching that project come together .

Have my eye on a little classic on CC’s but will see how the bidding goes as the old cars are still fetching good money .

At least you know with the real classics they hold their money even in uncertain times.

What’s the interior of the RS like ?

[GT3Manthey]

Steve H said:

I’m 55 and I still have plenty of ambition.

Main one being getting in a position where I can retire, potter about, live the dream etc .

Plenty of better things to do than work, just got to be able to afford to do them!

I’m onside with this too .

Time with my wife and family for me is the most important part at least to start with .

Golf, exercise, better mental wellbeing and a few hobbies will do me just fine

[GT3Manthey]

OldSkoolRS said:

I guess we'll have to wait to hear what it is you've got your eye on.

I don't know how long mine will hold it's value...they've gone a bit silly really and I wonder if the age group who desire them will get to the stage they've bought enough and then the market drops a bit.

Inside is pretty good. Only a small patch of wear on the driver's seat that I will repair with some spare material I got years ago (new covers are about £500 the pair otherwise ). Other than that just a bit of a clean up and a tighten up of the stretched fabric on the back seat:








I'd replace the door cards as they've got speakers cut into them, but again these are about £500 a pair for repro ones. Maybe just a better pair of speakers instead.

I’d say that looks pretty tidy . I’d leave the speakers in place and keep the original door cards . Won’t put of a potential buyer anyway.

Point taken on the next wave of buyers. At our age it’s the car we all wanted when we were late teens so loads of nostalgia value.

I’ve been looking at 3.2 Carreras . Values have risen already which is the one consideration so maybe they are set to reverse.

Collecting cars does at lease give an idea on true values

[GT3Manthey]

RichB said:

It's funny, my wife and I were chatting about this in the garden only yesterday. Me having been retired for two years now and her 18 years, she asked "Is retirement what you expected?" If you think about it that's quite a difficult question to answer, I honestly can't remember what I thought retirement would be like when I was in my 20s or 30s. Yes, mortgage free, good health etc. but what I would actually do with my days.
The only answer I could give was "It's perfect." I had some good fortune but I also worked hard to make things work, when I was 16 I was asked to leave grammar school (I won't say expelled but given a good push) and I did A levels at technical college, I was invited to join an computer science A level course, the first year the college were running it, they needed eight students!
Then after 35 years in the software industry I was made redundant, so at 55 (see there is a connection) I started a business which over the following 10 years we grew and sold two years ago.
Retirement now is gardening, working on the cars in the garage, fishing with my brother, having lunch with my wife etc. that keeps me busy and now I have been asked by a publisher to write a book! That will keep me busy over the winter months too...

Great story . Funny how things suddenly play out.

I was never able thinking about retirement until around 5 years ago .
Like you my ideal is just having the time and I’ll be taking most days as they come with the structure element being golf and other exercise.

I guess the beauty of retirement is ( once you are confident you can afford it) not doing the daily grind and routine.

I’ve a few things still waiting to play out but I’ve got the first one over the line so there is light !!

[GT3Manthey]

Steve H said:

Great thread and at 54 and planning to retire soon it has been a fantastic read.

For those that have already taken retirement how do you deal with the loneliness? I mean not having the day to day contact/banter with your peers/friends? I am lucky to have a good friendship group but we are all at differing stages in our lives and so I can foresee some days where I don't see any "friends" at all and whilst this happens now I do at least have the contact with friends through work.

I know part of the answer is to join clubs/groups and keep yourself busy but ultimately this will not be for a large part of the week.

Welcome to the thread Steve.

Do you have a partner that you’ll be spending days with and can arrange things with ?

Are you keen on any sports that you’ve not had the time to get involved with you to now ?

I think some on here do some volunteering which is a good way to interact

[GT3Manthey]

Steve H said:

Thanks for the replies GT3 & Drumroll.

It is not necessarily a concern for me I am married and already have hobbies and volunteer as well as work, I was speaking to my FIL at the weekend, now he is 80 and has been retired for sometime but one thing he said to me struck a chord...he said that he misses the banter with his friends and just male company and the like.

Tricky one Steve as you clearly enjoy spending some time with colleagues.

Lots on here had enough of work and the people they worked with so pressed the button as soon as they could.

Could you go part time maybe ?

[GT3Manthey]

OldSkoolRS said:

I just had a call with Pensionwise. Of course they can't advise, but certainly helped clarify a few points for me. It was good to realise how much stuff I've picked up from here over the last year or so.

I need to make a call to my current provider to ask a few questions now, but only once I've looked through the various links I was sent after the call.

That can wait a day or two though as I've got another rehearsal tonight, then off to London tomorrow to meet up with some good friends of mine from school/early drinking days. There may be a few beers involved.

Finished the clear coats on my son's bonnet this morning, so a few days to harden before a polish and we can put it back on his car and tick that job off. Quite pleased with it as I had to knock a minor dent out of the second hand bonnet we got and then fill, prime, base coat and now clear:




Got out for a bit in the sun after the spraying just for a local walk and it was really hot and sunny, before I had to get back for the Pensionwise call.

I don't think my ambition of playing to a Glastonbury sized crowd will be realised this Friday but I gather it should be quite busy. First band on and I've been asked to join the last band on one song too: Had planned to have a good drink after my set, but I'll have to be restrained.

Enjoying retirement? I certainly am.

Good to hear OS and great job on that panel .

Im assuming you’ve not taken any of your pension so far hence just clarifying a few points with that call ?

We complete on the house this week . Seems like it’s all happens very quickly . Looks to be great timing as two houses have just been listed in the village so feeling rather fortunate!

Next job once settled in is to clear out my flat but I’m not sure listing this side of Xmas will pay dividends so it might be best to get it all ready for marketing next spring .

Just mindful of reductions in CGT allowances and also a potential labour government next year so in some regards there may be little downside listing early as I may get lucky

[GT3Manthey]

OldSkoolRS said:

Cheers GT3. Modern paint, but seems to have come out well.

I've only taken my small DB pension so far which was pretty straightforward, plus my ex RN 'War pension'. As my main one is DC they could discuss it (and as recommended in the paperwork my provider sent me in anticipation of starting it). What felt good was that I understood all the points he made which I'm sure 2 years ago would have gone right over my head. I just need to find out whether I can do my planned 50/25/25 split (annuity/drawdown/TFLS) with my current provider or if not, then how I go about moving it to a provider that will and is competitive.

Good news on the house front: I accidently went back to your original post on this thread and saw the comment that you'd be retiring in 'about a year' so I know it's drawn out longer than you'd planned. Seems to be moving now though.

I don't know about CGT charges, but it's still early enough to get the flat on the market before things close down for winter I guess. More a question of how much time and energy you have to achieve that. While I'm not an estate agent I do wonder if house prices might start to drop, so I'd be keen to sell sooner rather than later myself (we're thinking similar on a place my wife owns in Spain).

Although this hasn’t come together as quickly as I’d liked the thread has certainly kept me going and continues to do so .

Things I hadn’t factored in have come into play so I’ve realised I have to deal with them one at a time and tick them off the list to move forward.

I agree with your thoughts on the housing market so was very happy to get our main home sold. Rates being where they are and a change in government means at the very least uncertainty for markets in general.

Wife is happy to have a base still in the area we are moving from just so we can make the transition gradually so I’m still working out how I ween her away from that but that will happen I’m sure.

Going to be a busy few days with thankfully the long weekend to try and settle the family into the new home and then start planning some changes to get it exactly how we want it.

We’ll get there and we are certainly a close nearer now

[GT3Manthey]

Ed Moses said:

@GT3 - good luck with the move and starting to plan the changes.

[GT3Manthey]

alscar said:

Despite the telepathy needed to work out the weather we managed yesterday to have our friendly farmer finally get our hay baled and bought down to the yard.
250 bales stacked later the barn is now full and the glow feeling of a job well done and feeling pretty knackered was there.
Quiet day today and then off to Burghley Horse Trials for 4 days.

Sounds great Alscar . Probably makes you wonder how you ever had time to work !

House move went ok. Flat out all weekend and still lots to do but we’ve certainly broken the back of it .

Wife wants to make some adjustments to the kitchen even though it was only remodelled just last November but we’d always left a provision for this .

Busy time with our daughter ahead so lots to keep us busy then I need to turn my attentions to selling our flat which might be tricky this side of Xmas.

All in all it’s been a massive success and we love the house and appears we have lovely neighbours too.

[GT3Manthey]

skeeterm5 said:

Sounds great GT.mit is always a big effort to move even if you a removals company.

At least now you can relax a bit to get things straight.

That is one more action ticked off the plan on the journey.

Tks . Lots to focus on for the rest of this year but yes it’s one major step .

[GT3Manthey]

Phil. said:

Congratulations GT3. You’ve made a few big steps towards retirement.

What’s your current preferred date for extraction from daily employment?

Largely dependent on selling my other property which I will be getting ready this year once we’ve sorted main house and got daughter settled.

All taken far longer than originally anticipated but a few bumps in the road have set us back.

I can’t see the other property selling until spring next year then I can start to make waves is the plan

[GT3Manthey]

Ed Moses said:

Good news on the house move GT3 - now some time to relax into it - even if mods are already being planned. This is major part of the plan in place.

For sure .

Mrs GT3 looking at removing a major wall in the kitchen which is a supporting arch so it’ll be a very messy job but worth it with an island fitted.

Edwardian home so solidly built . Just getting a quote in for the work.

[GT3Manthey]

Longy00000 said:

Bike is off the road awaiting an Mot and new tyre which can't be seen until Tuesday so I spent yesterday washing 3 cars and 2 wheelie bins and said motorbike.
Oh the joys

Anyway we had a new combi fitted lately so I need to build some new shelving in the airing cupboard where the old hot water cylinder was.

I'm turning into a domestic god.....maybe that's an exaggeration

At least you’re having a go .

We had 2 guys helping us move in and making good some fixtures and fittings but I just couldn’t fix it myself.

Kids want a hot tub in the garden but I’m concerned it’ll be a 5 minute wonder once the novelty wears off.