This was an interesting older discussion thread.
My attitudes about work and retirement can be summed up as follows:
- Work is always "just work" and as such is a necessary evil.
- Given that, being born independently wealthy is the ultimate.
- When imagining what they would have done had they been born independently weathly, I suspect that very few would honestly say that they still would have spent a lifetime showing up to do the job that they did.
- I've always assumed that the decision on "when to retire" was obvious ... retire as soon as one was financially able to no longer require the pay from their work.
- I can think of dozens of things I would have liked to have done with my life rather than report to the job that I had for over 30 years ... even though "my job" was actually a "career" directly related to the type of education that I chose.
- Work was not "my life". What I did after work, on weekends, and vacations was my life.
- I've always believed that one should work in order to live instead of living so that they can work.
Given the above ideas, while I was working myself and my DW made a whole bunch of lifestyle decisions and choices so as to ensure a rich and rewarding life when finally able to live the ultimate way .... "in retirement".
