Since I've been retired for five years now, I feel I can partially answer
your question...

The best "time to retire" phrase that I've heard is ""When you HAVE enough,
and have HAD enough" it is time to retire. This was spoken only a few weeks
ago by a neighbor who is retiring TODAY. After a successful 35 years with a
major oil company...he has, apparently, "had enough and has enough".

Don't retire unless your job is done. By done, I mean that you have
accomplished all of whatever it is that made you go to work everyday all
those years. Don't retire just because "it is the thing to do". Don't
retire because you "think you have enough"...because you will spend the next
five years worrying whether or not you actually DO have enough. I said I'd
write a book on the topic after I retired....but I'm too busy enjoying
retirement to do that!

I spent the last 20 + years of my working career as an investment broker who
worked almost exclusively with retired and retiring clients in the Houston
area. I play golf with a bunch of them weekly now. A few things that I
cautioned them about were...

1. In the first two years after retirement, you will spend MORE than you
expected to.
2. After the first few years, your spending may well slow down to the dollar
amount than you actually hoped/expected to spend.
3. You won't be bored unless you work at being bored. 99% of my clients
would tell me, one year after retirement, that "They didn't know how they
ever had time to go to work, they are so busy". There are a zillion things
out there to do, from fishing; golfing; computers; church work;
meals-on-wheels; travel; bowling; grandkids; home repairs ( ugghhh);
working on your boat ( yea! )...and on and on and on.

I guess I COULD write the book on it, I have so many stories to tell, about
successful and unsuccessful retirees. RichG





"Bill Kiene" wrote in message
...
Hi All,

I was wondering how many people here are retired?

Any words of wisdom about preparing for retirement from the older retired
crowd?

I want to retire so I can go boating more often.

--
Bill Kiene

Kiene's Fly Shop
Sacramento, CA, USA
www.kiene.com