Several of my friends and relatives are retiring in the next couple of years. Two of them have announced their retirement dates in 2023. I wish them good health and prosperity in retirement. They worked all of their lives, and they have a lot to look forward to.

I don’t see myself retiring anytime soon. Retirement is a personal choice, and everyone gets to (or should get to) decide when they retire. Retiring is not a permanent decision (it is possible to come out of retirement), but it isn’t easy to do.

I think there are two big categories of planning for retirement:

1) Financial and healthcare planning
2) Activity planning

In my next essay, I will write a bit about Financial Planning. I am not a certified financial planner. But I have been saving for retirement for 34 years, and Theresa has been saving longer than that. I think we will have enough money for retirement. (Although I admit that I have never heard anyone say “I saved too much for retirement”.)

The other big category is Activity Planning. How am I going to fill 168 hours a week if I am not working? I guess I will sleep 8 hours/night, but that still leaves 112 hours/week. I don’t have a plan for that right now.

Friends ask me “why don’t you travel in retirement?” I already travel a lot. I’ve been to 42 countries, a total of (about) 120 times. I’ve been to six continents, and Antarctica is on the radar. So I will travel to all 7 continents. But after about 10-14 days away from home, I start to miss my home surroundings. I don’t think I would like to leave home for 3-6 months. That doesn’t seem like a good fit for me.

My reality is that I have enough time for exercise and hobbies and travel without retiring. Also (and this is important)-I really enjoy what I do. I own my own business, I make good money, and I think I make an important contribution to my profession. So my plan is to not retire, at least not anytime soon.

But I will be financially ready for retirement, whenever it happens. More about that in my next essay.

Hal