Revolvers, Retirement, Freedom...

[Gordon]

I "retired" from Army Reserves as a CWO in 86 after 21 combined years of service . In 1987 I started a business and by 91 had four employees and my wife of 18 years traded me in for a 15 year younger model. I remarried two years later and this is our 30th year of happiness . In 95 I reorganized my Business and Incorporated and took on a partner 10 years younger but an excellent financial manager and his wife did the books ! In 2018 when I hit 72 with both knees very bad from arthritis I retired selling my partner my 1/2 of business paid over 5 years . He paid me off fully this spring part of the perks of the corporate buy out was a fuel for my vehicles and life insurance premiums and cell phones +$ monthly. I found part time jobs at various ranches I used to service their aging farm tractors and gensets the first four years of retirement which supplemented me purchasing and establishing Oregon residency , but I was in agony from my RA , mostly in my knees . In 2022 I finally found a great Italian Knee surgeon in Palo Alto who I trusted enough to get complete replacements three months apart ,paid for by Veterans benefits and at Stanford ! I worked hard at Rehab and today I can walk and even run (short distances I am 76 !) and enjoying hunting again in Oregon with Sons and Grand son. I do shoot at the wonderful Merlin Oregon Sportsmen's Range facility and can shoot suppressed around my families Oregon rural properties . My health and wife's seems pretty good, we do work to maintain it best we can. I have stopped working on customers stuff since my operations and stick to my own vehicles and those of a couple of my sons and grandson , that's plenty ! I am selling down slowly my large gun collection , about half way there , the kids already got theirs except the dozen or so I intend to keep till my death. I also reload quite a bit in the basement of a son I gave my complete reloading suite to . The Democrat fuel prices are restricting my movement between Oregon and Calif where I still have a place (now I have to pay for the fuel), but between VA Pension and wife and my fully vested SS accounts we took at 70 we are ok financially , mortgages and vehicles all paid off a few years back. Life is good , may all of you be Blessed with a great retirement and accept that we all have endings that are not usually all that pleasant . Do the Best you can !

 

[Thomasss]

Retired in 2019 just before Co-vid struck. And maybe that was better since we've been babysitting ever since helping out the kids whenever we can. Right now its hard to get to the range when I can, but I am teaching the grandkids to reload. Oldest granddaughter was going to write how she helps me until mom saw what was going down on the paper. The subject changed to painting instead. LOL But next year I was told to take her to the range. Let see 'em change that subject. Girl Scouts can shoot too, ya know. heh, heh

 

[tuckerdog1]

Traffic is different on Saturday & Sunday. That's how I know it's the weekend.

 

[stonebuster]

Retirement is a far off dream for me. At age 40, I am an older millennial but may be in as good of a position as I can be in my cohort to be able to retire early enough to enjoy some things.

I don’t have kids so I have a little money saved and a little to spend. I also have a good chunk of land for hunting and shooting. I hope to enjoy that until I go.

"A good chunk of land for hunting and shooting" is something most of us retired guys would love to have. Don't be in a hurry for retirement it'll come quicker than you might think. Enjoy the journey.

 

[Armored farmer]

I'm only 59 but retirement is being mentioned more often these days.
I have three adult sons who work here with me as their only occupation. They are capable of taking the reins in the next few years. Meanwhile, the gravel and the concrete hurts my knees a little more than it used to. It's a little harder to get up after being down on the ground. I can't see bolts above my head because my neck is stiff from decades of looking back at the implements I pull.
These boys need their time in the sun, and they are at the age that I was when I took over from my dad.
My Mrs keeps our books and every other necessary note and piece of information needed to operate. It is an immense task and I frankly don't think I could do it without her. The bills, taxes, insurance, repairs, machinery payments, fuel......is incredible. She needs a break too, although I don't know who is going to do that job with any fraction of efficiency.
What will I do when I retire? The same thing I do now....drive tractors and semis and combines.....I just won't get paid!
I am going to hunt and fish and camp and do more reloading.

 

[I6turbo]

I'll be 65 in Dec and I need to be 66.6 to get full benefits.

(I want my wife to get my benefits if she outlives me, because mine are a lot higher than hers.)

Be sure you consider ALL of the aspects and ramifications of when to start drawing, especially how it impacts how much your wife can draw if she outlives you. I made myself an Excel calculator that only took into account the monthly payments to me. Just looking at it that way -- just calculating the difference between monthly payments starting at 66.5 vs. monthly payments starting at 70, you have to live to about 82 in order to break even by waiting from 66.5 to 70 to start drawing (not to mention how much more "fun" you could have if you get that $3K/month or whatever it would be from age 66.5 to 70).

My simple Excel calculator and the "mo fun" logic made it look like a no-brainer to start drawing at 66.5. However, my financial advisor showed me a more sophisticated calculator that took into account other factors that my simple Excel monthly payment calculator didn't, and the story was VERY different -- potentially a lot of benefit to waiting until 70.

Of course you really need that one piece of critical info to make the best decison: WHEN are you going to die???

 

[Pat Riot]

Of course you really need that one piece of critical info to make the best decison: WHEN are you going to die???

One of the reasons I retired at 61 is I truly didn’t believe that I would be alive at age 67 when all my benefits would be at full value. (I can’t think of the proper term)
Before leaving work I had PVC’s - Premature Ventricular Contractions. I felt my heart fluttering all the time. Since leaving I have only felt them once and my doctors do not hear them in my heartbeat any longer. Most excellent!

Since retiring I am getting around to doing things I never had time for. I am getting ready to build a Kentucky Rifle kit that I have had since December 2017. I can go to the range and take my time trying different hand loads if I don’t get done what I want done I don’t get disappointed because the next time I will have available will be days or weeks away. I can just go the next day now if I want to…after I am done fishing.

 

[Targa]

I'm only 59 but retirement is being mentioned more often these days.
I have three adult sons who work here with me as their only occupation. They are capable of taking the reins in the next few years. Meanwhile, the gravel and the concrete hurts my knees a little more than it used to. It's a little harder to get up after being down on the ground. I can't see bolts above my head because my neck is stiff from decades of looking back at the implements I pull.
These boys need their time in the sun, and they are at the age that I was when I took over from my dad.
My Mrs keeps our books and every other necessary note and piece of information needed to operate. It is an immense task and I frankly don't think I could do it without her. The bills, taxes, insurance, repairs, machinery payments, fuel......is incredible. She needs a break too, although I don't know who is going to do that job with any fraction of efficiency.
What will I do when I retire? The same thing I do now....drive tractors and semis and combines.....I just won't get paid!
I am going to hunt and fish and camp and do more reloading.

A family friend has what sounds to be a very similar operation as yours in Indiana. I try to go out and ride with him and his sons once during planting and once during harvest, I look forward to it every year. His wife also keeps the books and everything running. The technology in the machinery and the logistics involved in running the operation absolutely amazes me.

As for me and retirement, I retired from the Air National Guard in 2020 and was eligible to retire from my current job last June. The current job keeps dangling a carrot that keeps me around which is fine, I am only 50 and once I do retire from this job I am just going on to another one.

 

[Pat Riot]

After retiring I did consider taking a part time job at a gun store or maybe Bass Pro Shops, but then I would not make any money as I would be utilizing any employee discounts to bring home guns, ammo and fishing equipment in lieu of pay.

 

[Boarhunter]

No retirement in my future, and I am ok with it.

I worked 40 years in private industry, running a professional business with all the stress and effort and time that goes with that undertaking. And at 65 years old, I looked for a change. Not retirement, as I still feel a desire to remain involved and relevant. So I took a government job calling for my experience and background. I am now 69 and will fully vest in retirement when I turn 90. I don’t plan to leave, even then.

I enjoy my work; I make a difference in the community (I believe); I look forward to going to work every day; my coworkers are kindred spirits; and I am still able to visit the pistol range several times a week.

I have no reason to retire.

Life is good.

BOARHUNTER

 

[.45Coltguy]

I retired in 1998, never looked back. Speaking for myself, retirement is everything I dreamed it would be. "Free, free, free at last"! I was made for retirement. I fired my first shot on the day I shed the yoke-hit the alarm clock square in the face. If I could have, I would have retired at age eighteen.

This^^^pretty much sums up me. Retired in 2015 and never looked back. Retirement, best job I ever had! Love it!

 

[Smokin Gator]

9 years retired for me in December. Wife has a couple of years to go. We've lived pretty frugally other than my shooting hobby. But even there I reload all my ammo. Started saving for retirement early and we are in a comfortable position now.
We have 3.3 acres, some animals and large gardens that keep us busy and active. I shoot 2 or 3 matches a month and now we're also busy with grandkids activities. I can't imagine what someone could offer me that would get me back to work.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

Be sure you consider ALL of the aspects and ramifications of when to start drawing, especially how it impacts how much your wife can draw if she outlives you. I made myself an Excel calculator that only took into account the monthly payments to me. Just looking at it that way -- just calculating the difference between monthly payments starting at 66.5 vs. monthly payments starting at 70, you have to live to about 82 in order to break even by waiting from 66.5 to 70 to start drawing (not to mention how much more "fun" you could have if you get that $3K/month or whatever it would be from age 66.5 to 70).

My simple Excel calculator and the "mo fun" logic made it look like a no-brainer to start drawing at 66.5. However, my financial advisor showed me a more sophisticated calculator that took into account other factors that my simple Excel monthly payment calculator didn't, and the story was VERY different -- potentially a lot of benefit to waiting until 70.

Of course you really need that one piece of critical info to make the best decison: WHEN are you going to die???

I'll retire from this company next March, I won't draw Ss until 66 and 8 months or what ever it is. I need to get off these 12 hour days.
Not saying I won't work somewhere else but it will be part time and 8 hrs days.

 

[roval]

i retired 2 yrs ago at 55. i envy the couples that shoot together. i haven't been shooting as much as i would have thought in retirement but with primers coming back i have been shooting more and i could always shoot 22s. i thought i would be doing a lot of load development in retirement but with the primer situation i just stick to my known loads. i have to check my chrono. last time i tried using it , it didn't work. i bounce between cycling and shooting/ reloading as my hobbies. can't complain about retirement as it always beats the thought of being back at my job.

 

[.308 Norma]

We haven't got one yet, but my wife and I have been out deer hunting every day since it opened here on Tuesday this week. We'll probably just stay home tomorrow (Saturday) and go to church on Sunday because the weekend is when there will be a lot of not yet retired deer hunters in the hills.
It's really nice having the hills pretty much to ourselves when we're out deer hunting on "workdays" for most folks.
Before we retired, we had to schedule vacation days for deer hunting in the middle of the week. Now all we have to do is remember to set the alarm clock - something else we seldom do anymore.

 

[SKILCZ]

My wife and I (30 years) run our own business. We have cut back to 15 events a month and will eventually cut back more. But, until I can find a young person who is committed to learning my trade and then buying my customer list, retirement will not be happening. My customers will not hear of it!

Kevin

What trade is that?

 

[SKILCZ]

My wife is retired, but refuses to stay home while I am still working, so she started her new job just a few weeks ago, while still doing radiation therapy for her breast cancer. I have less than 6 years to go when I will take care of this beautiful girl for the rest of our lives.
Oh, and she shoots - her carry pistol is a CZ P-10M.

Sounds like you've got yourself a keeper there!

 

[balin]

My shooting has gone downhill since I retired. Eyesight is going down till I can take care of the cataracts when they get bad enough. Challenging myself to to deteriorate as slow as I can isn't as fun as it sounds. And my partner doesn't like shooting as he says it is to loud and he has never found a pistol that feels good in his paw.

 

[StrawHat]

What trade is that?

I sharpen things. Knives scissors, garden tools, kitchen tools, etc.

(see my signature line)

Kevin

 

[BRatigan]

Retired at 55, 11 years ago. Best move we ever made. Escaped Communist NY and came to freedom land. If I did go back to work, I'm sure I would say something that would piss someone, who is tender, off. Probably last a day. No worries as I left that life behind and can shoot whenever I want all year long. Works well for us. Enjoy your retirement and remember to get debt free if you are not already..

 

[0ne3]

Great post, J- Bar. Retirement is the best thing ever invented.

 

[EIB0879]

I'm semi-retired at 64. My wife is nine years younger and runs a business that we own. I walked away from the corporate world six months ago. I spend part of my time doing the accounting and admin for our business and have done some contract work also. I will probably do more contract work next year but not so much that it interferes with shooting, hunting, and fishing. Life is good.

 

[Old Hobo]

Retired. Worked 'til body gave out. Always feel like I should be doing something. Body damage = can't do what I'd like to do. Youthful energy is gone, gone, gone.

I still go to the range, but FAR less than when this body was still holding up. Taken one grandson a few times when he was visiting. Seems he's now better on the topics of firearms history and unique firearms than am I. You're old when your sons are also bald and gray. You're old when you start asking your grandkids questions. I'm still a dang good shot ... once I get my body out of bed and into motion -- that takes awhile of late. Yet, were someone breaking into my home, they'd better be right with their Creator. I eat the pain when necessary.

Sitting here at my desk. The house is mega-quiet. Heart rate 55-ish, maybe lower. The ringing in my bad ear is louder than anything else, a lot louder. Off to the den. Seems like a good enough time for that bedtime double shot of Bourbon. Maybe some cheese, real cheese, and a slice of decent bread. Got a revolver by my side (I never drink to get drunk, thus no safety issue). The dog is asleep. I too should be asleep. If I reach out into the outer spaces of my memory banks, stories, some over a half-century old, crash down into my consciousness. A cascading waterfall of remembrances. My life swirls around me like a slow-motion tornado. Flotsam and jetsam float on the sea of this sunken mind.
.

 

[I6turbo]

No retirement in my future, and I am ok with it.

I worked 40 years in private industry, running a professional business with all the stress and effort and time that goes with that undertaking. And at 65 years old, I looked for a change. Not retirement, as I still feel a desire to remain involved and relevant. So I took a government job calling for my experience and background. I am now 69 and will fully vest in retirement when I turn 90. I don’t plan to leave, even then.

I enjoy my work; I make a difference in the community (I believe); I look forward to going to work every day; my coworkers are kindred spirits; and I am still able to visit the pistol range several times a week.

I have no reason to retire.

Life is good.

BOARHUNTER

Good plan, IMO. For almost 30 years I've lived in a community where a lot of successful people have either retired, or had a second or third home. With few exceptions, the guys who came in here at about 55-60 years of age and stopped working, just played golf, went out to dinner, and lived a leisurely life tended to go down hill pretty fast. The guys who came in here still working, kept busy, challenged themselves mentally and physically, and stayed engaged at work that they mostly enjoyed, held up way better.

Those examples, plus my grandfather who worked (farmed) until he was about 85 and lived to be 98, and my father who is 92 and still working every day (farming) make me not feel so bad about the fact that I'll probably need to work at least until the day of my funeral, if not a while longer.

 

[J-Bar]

Thanks to all who responded to this thread, whether it was a "like" or a story. I never expected it to go 4 pages with 119 responses. It's nice to be among friends.