To Retire or Not Retire — and How

Photo by James Hose Jr on Unsplash

I am young to be retired. Maybe too young?

I hadn’t planned to retire early, but as I hit my early 50s, a confluence of circumstances is pushing me in that direction: my work is challenging and is entering a frustrating phase; financially, we’re well off, and we don’t really need more years of salaried income; and my wife decided to retire about a year ago and is keen for me to join the party.

I had not thought I would be the early retirement type. While I’ve always stressed work-life balance, work has always been important. I’ve habitually put in a lot of hours, and a significant part of my socializing is with people who work in the same field. Virtually none of my peers — many of whom are older than me — are considering retiring.

So the two big questions going through my mind are: (i) Is retirement the right choice at this stage, and (ii) if it is, what will I do with all this free time?

First, is retirement the right choice?

I won’t bore you with details, but the answer is a qualified yes. My wife is fully retired and ready for us to travel more and get into some hobbies we haven’t had time for in the past. As a couple, we are ridiculously close and do almost everything together. It’s hard to imagine her with all this free time on her hands and my inability to lean into that.