OT: I’m officially retired today!!!

[SoCalSteve]

Hi all,

I spent 35 years working on TV shows and movies. About 4 years ago, I decided to pack it in, sell my house and move to a much smaller place at the beach. Only thing is, I was 58 at the time and my retirement benefits didn’t kick in until I turned 62.

Well, I turned 62 middle of April and today I got my first pension check.

The whole thing is very surreal and pretty anti-climactic. My wife had planned on throwing me a big bash on the roof of our building. Obviously that didn’t happen. No going out to celebrate at a fancy restaurant, no friends over, nada.

But, I am blessed that I had such a great career and am staying healthy through this time. There are many silver linings in this and one of them is that my riding partner of 15 years has been working from home and has very little work. We are riding 4-5 times a week. The roads are empty and the sky is clear. Been really great!

I wish everyone, retired or not, to stay safe. We are all in this together.

Steve

[Spdntrxi]

jelly.. except for the 62 part ;). and congrats

[XXtwindad]

Zoom retirement party!

[rcnute]

Congratulations!

Ryan

[donevwil]

Wow that sounds wonderful, congratulations!!

Especially:
...We are riding 4-5 times a week. The roads are empty and the sky is clear. Been really great!...

If Paceline is good for anything it's the opportunity to live vicariously through the fortune of others.

[73Bronco]

Congrats Steve!!

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[dbnm]

Congrats!

[clyde the point]

Way to go!

[terry]

Congrats and enjoy-I love being retired.

[Tickdoc]

Oh hell yeah! Congrats and enjoy yourself!

[Seramount]

have been retired since 2016...even purchased 3 years of 'time-served' with a state agency to be able to bail early.

that move wasn't exactly cheap, but haven't regretted doing it for a second.

enjoy waking up and not having to fight traffic to go to an office, attend countless unproductive meetings, suffer thru performance reviews, etc etc.

oh, and cycling mileage has gone up from 6K/yr to 9K+/yr...

[mhespenheide]

Congratulations!

[lavi]

Bam!!!! Congrats bud!

[Louis]

Congratulations, Steve, and have fun. :hello::hello::hello:

[Bruce K]

Congrats, Steve !!

BK

[bthomas515]

Congrats! A true accomplishment and a GORGEOUS area for retirement

[wc1934]

Congrats - now you will have more time to ride those nice bikes. Best of luck!!

[old_fat_and_slow]

Congratulations Young Man !!

Enjoy your extra time to ride all those awesome bikes you have. MDR retirement must be pretty sweet.

Stay well.

[m_moses]

Congratulations. I did the same thing 4 years ago this month and it’s been great.


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[Hellgate]

Congratulations!!!

[nobuseri]

Congrats!

[madsciencenow]

Congratulations! I’m drinking a [emoji481] right now and toasting you! [emoji482] to many more healthy, enjoyable, and peaceful years!


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[joosttx]

congratulations!!!

[cinema]

congrats steve. i still have those old cycling posters i picked out from your house before you sold it. they're hanging in our home now.

[SoCalSteve]

Zoom retirement party!

We did that on the night we were supposed to have our “ actual “ retirement party. I have a hard time with Zoom with 10 other people staring at me. I’m a one on one kinda guy...:rolleyes:

[SoCalSteve]

congrats steve. i still have those old cycling posters i picked out from your house before you sold it. they're hanging in our home now.

That is so awesome! Happy you are enjoying them!

[YesNdeed]

Wonderful. Congrats, I hope you log some very memorable rides, and embrace your time.

[Bob Ross]

Definitely jealous! But good on you. Here's to many many more years doing whatever-the-fuq you want now.

[jtakeda]

What a fantastic time to shed all the work stress! congrats!

[AngryScientist]

That's great Steve. The real American dream, work hard for many years and reap the benefits. you've earned it. Cheers.

[choke]

Congrats Steve. :beer:

[vqdriver]

that's awesome steve. good for you

i actually think your timing worked out perfectly.

[ricardinho]

Congrats and all the best to you.

[gbcoupe]

Congrats!

I've been teasing my wife for the last few years that I would retire at the end of the year. Maybe next year.

Cheers!

[Ken Robb]

Congratulations Youngster!:)

[warren128]

Congratulations Steve! Enjoy your new life of leisure. :banana:

[zlin]

Congratulations! Enjoy every day.


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[echappist]

Congrats!

[roguedog]

Congrats, Steve! Welcome to real life.

[Black Dog]

Way to go! Sorry about the anticlimactic start.

[Fivethumbs]

Isn't "retirement" code for "I need a new bike?" Congrats!

[jimcav]

and perfect weekend weather to retire.

I have to agree with the idea of a celebratory N+1 retirement bike. And/or hope you can do some destination riding events when things are under better control

[tuxbailey]

Congratulations!

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[superbowlpats]

Congrats!:hello:

I'm just a few weeks away from retirement (29 May). Turned 60 this past Feb and after 37 years in the DoD it was time. Grandkids, house projects, volunteering and riding are my plans. its been weird with the work at home thing - not the way I expected my last few months at work to be. Now i just need to figure how to get a new FS MTB despite me telling my wife we need to be frugal with retirement looming. :confused:

[alancw3]

Steve: Congratulations! I don't know if you have this option with your union, but if I were you I would encourage you to keep your union card in some kind of an inactive state just in case you ever need it again.

[oldpotatoe]

Congratulations..retirement, with a pension, is highly recommended..:)

[SoCalSteve]

Steve: Congratulations! I don't know if you have this option with your union, but if I were you I would encourage you to keep your union card in some kind of an inactive state just in case you ever need it again.

Once a Teamster, always a Teamster. Issue is seniority. Our local union works on a grouping seniority system and once you retire, you loose your grouping status and have to start at the bottom again. Not sure how other locals do it, but ours is an outlier in that we only service the movie industry and our benefits come through a fund controlled by our industry, not the Teamsters.

Even with all that, I’m not sure I would ever walk onto a movie set again. I’ve been reading about what the “ new normal “ is going to look like when productions are allowed to start back up again and it’s not pretty at all.

Social distancing and movie/tv production do not mix well.

[oldpotatoe]

Once a Teamster, always a Teamster. Issue is seniority. Our local union works on a grouping seniority system and once you retire, you loose your grouping status and have to start at the bottom again. Not sure how other locals do it, but ours is an outlier in that we only service the movie industry and our benefits come through a fund controlled by our industry, not the Teamsters.

Even with all that, I’m not sure I would ever walk onto a movie set again. I’ve been reading about what the “ new normal “ is going to look like when productions are allowed to start back up again and it’s not pretty at all.

Social distancing and movie/tv production do not mix well.

But that will change again when there's a vaccine, yes? Today's and the next some month's 'new normal', isn't the 'new normal' post vaccine, I'm guessing.

[SoCalSteve]

But that will change again when there's a vaccine, yes? Today's and the next some month's 'new normal', isn't the 'new normal' post vaccine, I'm guessing.

I do hope you are right, Peter. But at this point, no one knows. But yeah, historically, that’s the way it works.

[Dunk]

Congratulations! Well planned.

[T-Crush]

Living the dream!

I was on a similar path until the kids education choices added a year or two to the plan. Enjoy the new digs, ride a lot and let me know when you're heading toward GMR and I'll meet you at the bottom.

[jlwdm]

Just to be clear you seem to be saying you retired four years ago. Now at 62 you received your first pension check. Correct?

I am 72 and can't seem to retire even though financially I can.

Jeff

[SoCalSteve]

Just to be clear you seem to be saying you retired four years ago. Now at 62 you received your first pension check. Correct?

I am 72 and can't seem to retire even though financially I can.

Jeff

Yeah, I haven’t worked in 4 years, living off investments ( and my lawyer wife ). I kept up all my licensing, dues, seniority, etc, if I decided to go back, I could have. At 62, I officially retired from my industry. Now I have a pension and social security thrown in. And, lost my seniority in my industry.

Even if I wanted to go back, I couldn’t. Especially now. Our industry is going to be very different. Very different.

[54ny77]

congrats!

[Web1111a]

Congratulations

[gomango]

Congrats @op. I hope you enjoy all of the years ahead of you.

FWIW I just hit 62 and was offered an early retirement package.

My optimal retirement age for my regular pension is 66, but the early retirement offered five additional years of service, five years of health benefits and six years fully funded towards my health care savings plan.

However, I still love my job. I've been told I am still performing at a "distinguished' level by my Principal.

I have to decide by next Friday.

[AngryScientist]

My optimal retirement age for my regular pension is 66, but the early retirement offered five additional years of service, five years of health benefits and six years fully funded towards my health care savings plan.


dude.

take that offer and run.

[merlinmurph]

What Angry said - do it.

I took an early retirement package 4 years ago at 62 and there is no doubt it was the right thing to do. I loved my job, too, and thought hard about it. My wife lobbied hard to retire. I took the package, we bought an RV trailer and took off. Absolutely the right decision.

Here's the thing that pushed me.

It was a Friday on the last day we had to sign the doc to take early retirement. I hadn't slept well all week with the anxiety. I was having breakfast at our kitchen table reading the Boston Globe newspaper online. On the first page was an obit for a friend of a friend who had died of cancer. She was a wonderful, vivacious woman, life-long learner, great family, who died too early, even in her 60s. That did it, I'm signing.

I slept like a baby that night.

Good luck with your decision.

[Ken Robb]

RE: "I love my job but have been offered a wonderful early retirement package". How about taking the package and then doing similar work as a consultant for big bucks or a volunteer for no bucks? Think how enjoyable either of those might be where you are free to do things "your way"?

[SoCalSteve]

Congrats @op. I hope you enjoy all of the years ahead of you.

FWIW I just hit 62 and was offered an early retirement package.

My optimal retirement age for my regular pension is 66, but the early retirement offered five additional years of service, five years of health benefits and six years fully funded towards my health care savings plan.

However, I still love my job. I've been told I am still performing at a "distinguished' level by my Principal.

I have to decide by next Friday.

I see both sides to this as I know many people in my industry who are past retirement age, but continue to work. Why? Because they are scared of retirement. I was never scared of it. Too many things to keep me occupied during the day. I am never bored.

Cycling, running errands, grocery shopping for my wife and myself, cooking meals, photography, reading the news, lunch with friends, afternoon retirement naps, Netflix documentaries and the list goes on and on.

Was not a tough decision for me, is for others. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

Best...:)

[gomango]

dude.

take that offer and run.

I'll likely counter offer on the insurance portion and see if they bite.

Show me the $$$$. :)

Of importance, my wife carries full coverage insurance for the family and that includes our 21 and 23 year olds.

My wife is seven years younger and the additional insurance has almost lost its necessity.

She is not planning on an early retirement, so we are covered.

[gomango]

I see both sides to this as I know many people in my industry who are past retirement age, but continue to work. Why? Because they are scared of retirement. I was never scared of it. Too many things to keep me occupied during the day. I am never bored.

Cycling, running errands, grocery shopping for my wife and myself, cooking meals, photography, reading the news, lunch with friends, afternoon retirement naps, Netflix documentaries and the list goes on and on.

Was not a tough decision for me, is for others. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

Best...:)

Thanks.

Yes, I have hobbies and interests that will keep me plenty engaged.

For instance, I'm back into fly fishing and those that do it know that it can border on an obsession.

[Ozz]

Once a Teamster, always a Teamster. ...
My sister works for the Western Conference of Teamster's pension benefits plan....I think she still does....she is retiring any day now as well. Only place she has worked since she graduated from college....(side note: Arnie Weinmeister came to her wedding)

Good chance she handled some of your paperwork at some point.....

Congratulations!

[SoCalSteve]

My sister works for the Western Conference of Teamster's pension benefits plan....I think she still does....she is retiring any day now as well. Only place she has worked since she graduated from college....(side note: Arnie Weinmeister came to her wedding)

Good chance she handled some of your paperwork at some point.....

Congratulations!

Thank you!

We are considered Teamster lite. All our benefits come through something called Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plan, not through the Teamsters. Our local only services movies, commercials and tv shows.

So no, she would not have handled my paperwork.

[4151zero]

Congrats!

[teleguy57]

First, congrats to @SoCalSteve; sound like things are working out as you had hoped and life is good.

To @gomango, I worked out an early retirement package after 35 years with the same org, left a month before I turned 57. Now turning 66 this week, and I have never looked back.

I found lots of opportunities to use my skills in consulting and really have had people coming to me vs having to do business development. And in the last year I've started scaling that back.

Lots of volunteer work for me using my skills at the regional/national level, and time for grandkids (before we can't see them here for a while). Having something to go to, vs just bailing, has been the key to happiness for most folks I know.

Health insurance is a big deal; sounds like that's covered pretty well from what you've written. And the package you described sounds like it pretty much keeps you whole financially, although you do give up the earnings for the next 4 years and what that would do to retirement benefits. But while financials are a big part of it, what's more important is how you define yourself and what brings you joy and a sense of purpose.

Big decision, but IME I haven't run across someone who had an offer presented, took it, and then regretted it.



The deal wasCongrats @op. I hope you enjoy all of the years ahead of you.

FWIW I just hit 62 and was offered an early retirement package.

My optimal retirement age for my regular pension is 66, but the early retirement offered five additional years of service, five years of health benefits and six years fully funded towards my health care savings plan.

However, I still love my job. I've been told I am still performing at a "distinguished' level by my Principal.

I have to decide by next Friday.