How many of us are retired or semi retired

[Stardrifter_WA]

Originally Posted by ballaratdragons

Forced retirement due to work injuries.

I have worked my guts out and enjoyed it my whole life (often 6 days a week), then decided to have a change and got injured in the 1st year there

and I get soooo bored some days.
And I hate doing all the physio.

I really look forward to going back to work some day.

Don't lose hope Ken. I know how it feels, having had half my body broken, literally. I was serious injured quite a few years ago and it took 8 years to recovery. Through a lot of hard work and tears, I made it back again, despite what the doctors said. If you want to make it back...you will. There is always something out there that you could do; you just have to look hard to find it. Nothing comes easily, but it will come if you look hard enough.

Best of luck with your recovery.

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Originally Posted by TrevorW

Hope you do Ken

Originally Posted by Stardrifter_WA

Don't lose hope Ken. I know how it feels, having had half my body broken, literally. I was serious injured quite a few years ago and it took 8 years to recovery. Through a lot of hard work and tears, I made it back again, despite what the doctors said. If you want to make it back...you will. There is always something out there that you could do; you just have to look hard to find it. Nothing comes easily, but it will come if you look hard enough.

Best of luck with your recovery.

Thanks Trevor and Peter.

3 years already passed, hopefully I'm on the improve
I tore the Tendons off both elbows and they won't re-attach, but they are slowly getting better.
I tried part-time work but it did more damage than good

Oh well, this thread needs to continue on its way.

Next

[Saturnine (Jeff)]

I would say of myself , that I'm under employed. Since redundancy 3 years ago have not been able to find a full time job, seems like if your over 60, employers don't think your a good long time prospect . Still have 3 kids at school as well and a mortgage so life could be better.
Did I mention that I'm a tradesman,. that are supposedly in short supply. Would love to be able to retire at 65 and concentrate on astro and golf and surfing but the super nest egg is not growing like it was supposed to due to above circumstances.

Jeff

[DavidU (Dave)]

With our improving income my wife and I can now retire at 123 instead of 128 a few years ago
I don't think I could handle retirement as I would get bored quickly.
I work 6 to 7 days a week often more than 60 hours.

[Poita (Peter)]

Originally Posted by Stardrifter_WA

Yeah, it does pay reasonably well. I found this job in the hidden job market. It was never advertised. Just got lucky, although it was calculated luck, just kept my name and resume out there in the places that I would have liked to work in...finally, it paid off.

Found most of my work in the hidden job market, over the years. Many jobs just don't get advertised. Usually get filled internally, via friends or people who walk off the street.

Absolutely, most jobs I have had have been a result of me approaching employers directly, even though no job was advertised. Didn't always get me work straight away, but often within a couple of months.
I have done a lot of hiring in my time, and few people realise that people *hate* the rigmarole of advertising, interviewing and hiring someone. You would nearly always take someone internally, was recommended or who approached you if they were fairly suitable. I only ever got one job from a want ad, the rest have been from the direct approach.

I have at least another 20 years working ahead of me though if I live that long. I've had cancer twice now, burned my face off once, screwed up my hand, had various internal bits removed, but I'm like an old timex...
It will take me that long just to pay of the HECS debt I am currently amassing ;^) and the youngest is only 5 and may well be living with me life-long, so I reckon I'll keep working until no-one wants me anymore

[Barrykgerdes]

I got my first job by answering an ad in the paper. After that the positions I obtained were by direct application or offer.

I was told very early that the secret was to find what you liked to do and then get some one to pay you to do it.

I loved playing with radio and electronics and became quite good at it but never thought of working at it until I was approached by one of my "Ham" mates who suggested I try to get a job where he worked in the navy radio workshop. After a year procrastinating I took up his offer.

Never looked back.

Planned my retirement at 55 and worked towards it on the old CSS scheme. It paid off. I am now retired with a lovely indexed pension paid for by all you lucky tax payers!

Barry

[lacad01 (Adam)]

Yeah I wish also , too far off to think about it. Often working 6 days a week and odd hours due to working with colleagues located in various time zones.

[ZeroID (Brent)]

Divorce, redundant, recessions .... I've got about 2.5 years to go then I starve.

In reality I remarried and we're doing alright but first marriage cost me my super and my house cos my ex had nothing and took all mine. before that I'd already lost best part of $250,000 + to the previous couple of recessions, '91 and '97ish. So called 'Investment Mortgage Funds"

Then got made redundant nearly 2 years ago, but got my 'job' back by being picked up by the company my role was outsourced to. Great ! except I lost $25,000 p.a. in the deal. And my medical coverage, parking, bonuses, car allowance, everything ....
And my chances of finding anything if I leave here is about zilch, over 60, over the hill.

Just as well the redundancy and company super ( restarted after my divorce 10 years ago ) paid off the mortgage but now I've got almost no super funds built up. had to join the new Govt one but it has a long way to go to be any use.
I'll end up working till about 70 I guess, might be able to afford to eat till 75 then ...

Better go buy another lotto ticket ... probably the best bet.

[PCH (Paul)]

Since it's a government requirement that we contribute to super schemes in the first place (and I'm not saying that's a bad idea!), they should be bloody well capital guaranteed by the government.

There are too many stories like Brent's where the super fund manager has lost all or much of a person's fund. And all that happens at these times is that we get these jerks coming on TV (probably paid government stooges) telling us how "super is a long term thing, and now would be a bad time to cash out your super". Yeah, why pull it out now when it's only worth half, - why not wait until they've lost it all! It does happen. And the fund managers always take their commission annually whether your fund has gone up or down in value. Parasites.

A few years ago, I started an insurance policy with a guy who also sold super - thouigh not to me. A couple of years later (2008 - resources boom peak) when my annual statement came through, guess what? They'd included by mistake, the front sheet of some other poor saps SF investment details. This guy had invested $200k, and after one year, the wonderful guys from the SF managers had turned it into just $120k. That is shameful, - and that was in BOOM times !! God alone knows how they perform in less bountiful economic times.

We have a SMSF, - right from when we first started in business yonks ago. And the factory that we used to work from in our business is our superfund. It's fully paid for itself years ago, and the rent since then has paid for other residential properties that also form part of the SF. I wouldn't go with a government super scheme for all the tea in China.

Rant over

[TrevorW]

I agree we should be able to manage our own super money, I lost over $30k of the value in the last GFC

[Poita (Peter)]

You can manage your own super, and it has been that way for a while.
Talk to a financial advisor if you need help setting it up.Most Government Super funds have performed exceptionally well (REST for instance), but all investments carry risk.

Originally Posted by TrevorW

I agree we should be able to manage our own super money, I lost over $30k of the value in the last GFC

[TrevorW]

What I meant by manage is take the money in my super fund and invest it how I see fit (not be tied to a superfund) along with my 9% EFS

Cheers

[bmitchell82 (Brendan)]

mmmm well im a fair way from retirement possibly 30-40 years by the time i get to retirement age the goal posts possibly would have moved 5 times........ to the govts advantage!

[TrevorW]

Yeah I feel sorry for this and future generations unless something drastic happens you will be working until your 80.

Look at Greece, full pension at 55 put them in the poo

[bojan]

Originally Posted by TrevorW

Yeah I feel sorry for this and future generations unless something drastic happens you will be working until your 80.

Look at Greece, full pension at 55 put them in the poo

They are in the poo because of other things.. pension was supposed to be earned and sustainable, why it wasn't, that is the question...
The answers that will follow from others will always be full of political dogma and bias, depending of who is answering (applies to this one as well )

[TrevorW]

Bojan I didn't think for one moment that was the sole reason for their financial crisis

The expected lifespan of baby boomers is 83 years so if I retire at 67 I'd expect a pension for some 16 years

No doubt in the future the lifespan will signifcantly improve and I would hope that most people would not start work until they are at least 20-25 not like many of us who started when we were 15.

50 years of working for someone else and taking a lot of ****e from people is enough in my opinion.

However the way things are going I think I'll have to work part time in retirement to survive unless of course I win Lotto between now and then

[Jen]

I have a long way to go before that retirement day comes for me dam it unless i win lotto
But i do actually love my job

[Kevnool (Kev)]

Originally Posted by Jen

I have a long way to go before that retirement day comes for me dam it unless i win lotto
But i do actually love my job

So Jen if i walk past your office one day and pop in again will you still be in that same building ???

Now sorry i got off track but in my position i,m the same as Jen.Not sure in the loving part of it though. Another name change now as we are roads and maritime sevices.

Cheers Kev.

[Jen]

Originally Posted by Kevnool

So Jen if i walk past your office one day and pop in again will you still be in that same building ???

Now sorry i got off track but in my position i,m the same as Jen.Not sure in the loving part of it though. Another name change now as we are roads and maritime sevices.

Cheers Kev.

hehe yep i will be in the same building LOL

[ZeroID (Brent)]

I used to love my job, had challenges and rewards but after the redundant, get your own job back thing now I'm just a remote desk jockey doing as I'm told. Used to manage $500,000 projects, now doing the job of some wet behind the ears kid just out of PC school.
And they wonder why I spend so much time designing and building astro gear at work. I think Stellarium is always running on one of my work PCs.

Gave this some more thought after my original posting though. After some of the stories on here I can't complain too much. At least I have most of my health, give or take a few niggles and can do most of the things I want to do and generally have the resources financially to fund them. Own the house, got a couple of fast cars and a wine\beer\whisky cellar and eat well. Enough friends and a passion for still doing stuff including astro, photography, hiking etc. I guess there is always a feeling of not quite getting to where you wanted to be at the end of your working life but on the other hand I have done lots of other **** ! .... and still ready to do some more.

Ah, bring it on !! ....