Retired?

Um, yeah, I guess so.... If you call being retired from the military, actually
"retiring". But with my teeny retirement pension from the Coast Guard, I
couldn't live off that and support my family. As it is now, it pays my
mortgage with a little change leftover. So, I stepped into the civilian world
and got a job, a whole new career, and at 42 years old, I still have a long way
to go before I retire!

Butch Ammon

My case is a bit different than most of the posters. 16 years ago, I
was hit with a severe hearing loss and being in sales, meant I had to
take the company disability package and get out. Which I did. I really
bit the bullet for the first year, but with SSA and my company
disability pay, I got along better than I had expected. The big break
is that taxes go way down. I concentrated on getting my outstanding
debts paid off. (House, car, etc) I even found room in the budget for
a small boat, my beloved 21 ft. Bayliner.....
The first year was frustrating, I had been in the work force since I
was 15 and found it hard to not get up and hit the road every morning.
But, by the time I was legally able to take a job (age 65), I no longer
wanted to give up my time. Age and infirmity has robbed me of most of
my boating/fishing companions, so I will probably give up the boat this
spring. Perhaps go to a small (15 -17) footer for fishing. Good
luck and enjoy your retirement.

Norm