Planning to retire.... finally
 

11/1/20 is my date I have in my head (one more tax season that ends on 10/15/20). I have discussed it with my wife and she's all happy about it. We did the math and we're fine. Now I just have to tell my boss. I don't know how it will go down. We're a small office and I'm there for over 30 years, so there's a lot of experience I'm taking with me.

How did you handle it with your long time employer?

If you've given 30 years, there shouldn't be anything to worry about.

I'm assuming the relationship is very good or you wouldn't have stayed that long.;)

Just tell him it's time to do some of the things you've always wanted to and you'd like to do them while you still can.

If that's not enough, it's not your issue if he or she doesn't understand.

Many congratulations, Barry....

Awesome Barry! I'm still staring down about 8-9 more years...

Sooooo what's going to be your retirement guitar purchase?! ;) (I already have mine planned...)

Funny you should mention that, :D

I was discussing this with my wife tonight. I'd like to see about a cedar over walnut Furch GA. Not sure which grade of instrument I would get. It doesn't have to have a lot of bling. Initially I was thinking the Yellow series, but I might get away with a lower model. A cutaway is a must and no electronics if I can get it. The company is going the Taylor route it seems and the electronics are standard now. A good used one without electronics might be for me.

I've been self-employed for 10 years after working 20+ years in a law firm. My retirement "plan", started a year or two ago, is to scale down to between ¼ and ½ time and at some point simply stop. I could stop now, but the income is just too alluring to do that yet.

I would tell the boss I'm retiring 30 days from my expected out date. Any sooner even great jobs, with great bosses can get a bit tension filled.

10/31/20 I'm going to beat you by a day:D

I wasn't self-employed, but I spent the last 10+ years in a small law office as a paralegal. I was mostly looking up supporting cases and writing complaints and motions and oppositions, which I rather enjoyed. I took a major load off my boss, so he wanted me to stay on and was OK when I said I needed to cut back to 3 days a week for the last few years. I was waiting, waiting for a major payoff in a case that went on for 10 years where I'd finally get a decent bonus, then that was it. Boss pleaded for me to stay on. Nope, sorry!

Can't do that. Although the work is a big mix of tax/accounting/common sense, the big battle with bringing in someone new is adaption to the work flow and client familiarity.

That is wonderful that you are retiring next year. You will never look back. Retirement is great!

Congrats on retirement
I have seen a few G orange and red models pass through the classifieds over the last year or so, all at amazing prices. Though, the walnut and cedar combo might be a bit more elusive, unless ordered.

Good luck on your search.

Congratulations! It must feel great to have that date locked in. My wife and I are hoping to retire quite early, but it all depends how things go financially over the next couple of years. If we play our cards right (and there's no economic collapse), then late 2021 could be my year (and 2023 for her).

I admire your mind set in this. Give him a little more than reasonable notice, offer to help with selecting/interviewing your replacement, and offer to have him/her "sit next to Nellie" a British term (?) which means training up your replacement, and maybe manage it so that you start reducing your hours, so the "last day" and first month of retirement aren't such terrible shocks - I know it can be for many.

for me, I left a 20 year career at 45 which was a terrible shock and the start of a pretty terrible period of unemployment but some time later I got another position in a very different (government funded) organisation for seven years until they made me "redundant" partly because I was earning too much and mainly because the politically driven ethos was changing away from service quality to making up statistics.

I was quickly "headhunted" by a business partner (Local government) who very similar project manager for a few months until the funding was reduced and couldn't afford my salary. I took over the project and ran it self employed, working progressively less until the last year, I worked totally at home from 9 a.m. to 1.p.m then simply switched off the computer and phones, so at the end - it was simply a matter of starting my leisure day a few hours earlier - albeit a couple of years earlier than planned.

Other friends felt that the "act" of retirement was like falling off a cliff edge.

So, a soft "glide" path, might be better for your employer, your replacement and you.

About the only insight you give concerning the relationship you have with your employer is that you've worked there 30 years. One would think they have seen this coming. The bottom line in an employer employee agreement is that payment is issued and received for work that benefits the employer by the employee. Once you give notice you become one of them and are no longer on of us. It's an underlying sentiment even if it isn't blatant. The time you spend between giving notice and getting out the door will be odd. Working towards projects or assignments for next month when you won't be involved and don't have any control or buy in takes it's toll. The kumbaya moments pass and become old. For everyone. Retiring is good for you but they are not retiring. You essentially become a visitor and like fish they stink after awhile. I assume your replacement, if you are involved with them, will want you out of their way after a time. At least they should. I took a buy out when I retired and ended up working for three months before actually leaving. In the end the company and whoever takes your place have to deal with it on their own. Whatever happens when you are not involved any longer has nothing to do with you. Move on. Try to not involve your past work life in your future talking points. That would be a has been. No one much cares who or what you used to be. Move into your new life. Enjoy!