Well it's almost official

[Kevin54]

I am retired. I had a meeting yesterday morning at the SS Office and everything was approved. All I need now is an Award Letter and I can get my retirement benefits from my shop. It's a hell of a way to have to retire though by losing use of an arm. Money will be a little tighter but the wife and I should fair alright. Just a few loose ends to tie up like insurance, rolling over my 401K, and setting up some auto withdrawals for some monthly bills. I guess from now on in, I won't have to set an alarm clock. I guess I'm just kind of torn between being happy and going to miss what I have done all my life at working in Tool & Die.

[Falcon67]

Retirement is certainly a two edge sword. Make the best of it - if you're anything like the guys in my family, you'll just be busier now that when you had a job.

[-Brent-]

I can feel the confliction throughout your post. It does suck to go out that way but the optimist in me says there are way worse ways to go out.

Perhaps there's something you can do to supplement your retirement in which you'll find some enjoyment? I certainly hope so.

[Kevin54]

I'm kind of hoping to pick up a Bridgeport mill. Something to tinker around on at my own pace. I have a few things I can do to keep busy but the bad thing is that most things take two arms to do. I can compensate for most though and I have momma to help me out if I need some help. It's just going to take some getting used to. The worst thing is, I don't know how not to work if that makes sense. I've worked all my life, so now I have to reprogram myself to learn how to enjoy things in life.

[NASTYZEN]

Kevin, get a small CnC like a Tormach or something. There quite reasonable.
Go browse the CNC Zone. If that wont keep you busy.....You can operate them with an arm tied behind your back.
Congrat's on your retirement.

[bestatv]

Just be careful.When some guys retire,they end up fighting with the wife all the time.At work,you have co-workers to commiserate with,when that doesn't exist anymore,it is real easy to take out your frustrations on your spouse.
Anyhow,welcome to a new chapter of life.

[truckman5000]

Hope you can have fun at some hobby, and make money at it.
Being in pain with one good arm dose suck. To do hobbies, we like doing.

Im a plumber and i busted up my hand, so "i" know what it can be like tring to work, with one hand. Very tough.

Good luck

[BD1]

Congrats ! Aren't you only in your 50's ? Is this a medical SS ? I remember
reading about your medical issues and wish you the best. I think it still takes two years to get on medicare so hope you still have insurance.
On a brighter side, WELCOME TO THE CLUB ! I retired in Oct 2011 at 61. It will take time to adjust to the new time schedule. You will increase your
computer time two fold. Once family,neighbors, and friends realize you are home you will always have stuff to do. I don't know how I had time to go to work at a real job .

[Kevin54]

Originally Posted by bestatv

Just be careful.When some guys retire,they end up fighting with the wife all the time.At work,you have co-workers to commiserate with,when that doesn't exist anymore,it is real easy to take out your frustrations on your spouse.
Anyhow,welcome to a new chapter of life.

Originally Posted by BD1

Congrats ! Aren't you only in your 50's ? Is this a medical SS ? I remember
reading about your medical issues and wish you the best. I think it still takes two years to get on medicare so hope you still have insurance.
On a brighter side, WELCOME TO THE CLUB ! I retired in Oct 2011 at 61. It will take time to adjust to the new time schedule. You will increase your
computer time two fold. Once family,neighbors, and friends realize you are home you will always have stuff to do. I don't know how I had time to go to work at a real job .

One good thing is that the wife and I don't fight. Never have and we've been married 21 years now. We get along great together so that won't be a problem.

I'll be 56 in August. Never in my life would I have thought I would be retired this early. And yea, it's on medical SS. I have insurance right now. IIRC, I think I was told it takes 18 months to get the Medicare. I'll be getting enough to be able to pay for insurance, but like I told my wife, we'll have to tighten up the budget some. We have worked this last year trying to get things done on the house so we will be setting good for quite a few years. Maintenance wise, we have everything taken care of on the house and shouldn't have any big expenditures. Also in the last year, I paid off everything except the house and I only have 6 more years on it. I've been trying to get my bases covered if it came to this and it did. It really hasn't soaked in yet as to what has happened. But then again, I still have some medical stuff going on tht more or less preoccupies my mind. I have one CT Scan that I have to go through next week and if that turns out negative, then I have one week after that left with the PICC Line and that will be done. Hopefully that will be it for the doctors for a while. Keeping my fingers crossed on that too.

One good thing that we did when we got married was put money into our 401K's. Neither of us had anything when we started out. My wife had lost everything in a fire and when I got divorced I lost everything in that. So we had to work hard to make ends meet and basically start from scratch. We don't have what I would call a lot in the 401K but way better than others I know. Some guys I know that have been in it as long as I have brag about having $30K or $40K in it. My wife and I have considerably more, so IF something major would happen to crop up, we can have it covered. And we have enough equity in the house that if need be, we could sell this place, pay it off, buy a smaller place, and still have money in our pocket. We always did try to plan ahead somewhat.

Like I said earlier though, I need to reprogram myself to enjoy life a little bit more. Hit some garage sales, go to the races, a few car shows, and take some one day trips here and there around the state for starters.

[mikester]

PM sent

[Ben7203]

Kevin, went thru it last year go to socialsecurity.gov and you can apply on line. Make sure you have all your doctors names, addresses, numbers...have you med list too. It's easy. I never had to go in to the office, been told I was lucky.

Good luck

PM sent

[Kevin54]

Originally Posted by Ben7203

Kevin, went thru it last year go to socialsecurity.gov and you can apply on line. Make sure you have all your doctors names, addresses, numbers...have you med list too. It's easy. I never had to go in to the office, been told I was lucky.

Good luck

PM sent

Ben...when I was in the office, I was told then I was already approved. Something was marked in my file that the lady thought I needed a representative to help me, which I didn't. She told me that things could have been finalized with a phone call. Just waiting on the Awards Letter now and it's official.

[Kevin54]

Well today the ties were cut with the shop. Uniforms, badge, and keys were turned in and my toolbox and tools came home. 30 years and all loaded up and done in 15 minutes without so much as a thank you. Oh well, now starts a different phase of my life!!!! All one coworker wanted to know was whether I was going to sell my tools or not.

[-Brent-]

Originally Posted by Kevin54

... 30 years and all loaded up and done in 15 minutes without so much as a thank you. Oh well, now starts a different phase of my life!!!! All one coworker wanted to know was whether I was going to sell my tools or not.

Man, sorry to read this. Luckily, you didn't work there for their praise and recognition.

You're right, time to move on. So, what are you going to do first?

[pop pop]

Leaving has an interesting side to it, doesn't it! Ben there too.

[skyking]

Life goes on ! Even when we die , everyone just goes on with their life. That is the way it should be. NOW ..............get that house paid off as fast as possibly .You need to have zero debt.you will be surprised how cheaply you can live and still have a good time and not worry about spending. Don't raise your grandkids, and remember that any age the Govt is going to rape you when you take out your 401k .
I retired at 58 2.5 years ago. I cant begin to tell you how happy I am .My wife (best friend ) of 38 years and and I have a ball together and also enjoy our seperate things . Life is Good.

[Kevin54]

The house has a few years to go until it's paid off. I think there is six years left on it. All the other bills have been taken care of. And once I get the doctors off my back and out of my wallet, I'll be doing a lot better.

As far as what I'm going to do, I really don't know. I'd like to get a mill and a decent size lathe to tinker with at my own pace. 30 years of running machines, designing tooling, and building prototypes, it's going to be hard not to do something like that at least for myself. I know that whatever I do though, I will have to make compromises so to do it one handed. Not being able to use one arm has some serious drawbacks, especially with what I used to do both in and out of shop. One thing I do know though is that I am going to start enjoying the smaller things a little more. With my medical problems and my wife going through cancer treatments last year, it's time to slow down and enjoy things.

[rkevins]

kevin54, you will be amazed at how you can learn to adapt to doing things, I knew a welder that had lost both arms and had prosthetics he was one of the best welders I have ever watched work he had to make some of the tools he used but he learned how to do it, I have seen pictures of machine shops where people with bad backs built cranes over milling equipment to help them so you could look into the same thing.

[hh76]

Originally Posted by Kevin54

I am retired. I had a meeting yesterday morning at the SS Office and everything was approved. All I need now is an Award Letter and I can get my retirement benefits from my shop. It's a hell of a way to have to retire though by losing use of an arm. Money will be a little tighter but the wife and I should fair alright. Just a few loose ends to tie up like insurance, rolling over my 401K, and setting up some auto withdrawals for some monthly bills. I guess from now on in, I won't have to set an alarm clock. I guess I'm just kind of torn between being happy and going to miss what I have done all my life at working in Tool & Die.

Be careful not to settle into too much of a rut. My father's theory on retirement is to always give yourself a reason to set an alarm clock.

Keep busy, but make sure it's fun busy.

[theoldwizard1]

I hope you are locked into a good health insurance plan as part of your retirement !

My premiums have been going up yearly as well as my deductible. In a few more years, when I am Medicare eligible, the company is going to drop me and hand me a $150 monthly stipend for gap insurance. I suspect gap insurance coverage will be a lot more by then with Obamacare cutting back on Medicare !

[fomocoforrester]

Kevin - now you're retired, you have a lifetimes experience in tool & die and you're looking to get a lathe and mill - if you have any interest in railroads and locomotives, you would be in good shape to make a start in the model engineering hobby. Some of the finest model locos are built by ex machinists and tool & die people.

In gauges 7 1/2" and below there's very little heavy lifting and hours of fun to be had making the smaller components. Also there's lots of great people to meet and visiting the various club tracks around the country is a good excuse to go on interesting road trips.

[Beaumont67]

All the best KevinK...to you and your wife.
- I don't know you personally, but I can tell...your a stand up guy, with loads in your value system

[893cv]

Kevin,

Enjoy each day, it's your new job.

[BD1]

Ok, now you and the wife have fun. I mention before that my wife has medical issues too. Since I retired I Forced her to do more fun things. GUESS WHAT ? She loved it. Now we take 200 mile trips to casinos in Northern Wisconsin for senior citizen day. I'm kind cheap on the gambling side but can't beat the senoir deals. Breakfast $2.00 and dinner $5.00 for chicken. All you can eat including a drink. Room $65.00 with free internet.
Even made a trip to Vegas. Was supposed to go to Colorado Springs this
week but the fires kinda screwed that up. So we booked another Vegas trip.
I just like the people watching. Like someone here said about their kids
inheritance , I'm spending it cause I don't like them much anyway.
Now is the time for you and wife to do things. Just go to a movie. I know
that to is expensive. Take short trips in car or a fly away.
Have fun and you will enjoy it, believe me.

[Mikea57]

Good Luck Kevin!! And HAVE FUN!!!

Mike

[boiler7904]

Kevin,

Congrats on the retirement - even if it wasn't on your terms.

Do you have any community colleges or vocational schools near you that need a machine shop teacher? It would keep you active in something you enjoy doing but limit the amount of physical work that you have to do.

My dad was somewhat forced into early retirement a few months ago when the company he worked for decided to scale back operations. His plan was to work a few more years since my mom still has 7 or 8 to go until retirement. Since he caught up with projects around the house and got bored around the house, he took a part time job a couple weeks ago where he transports cars for a local dealership to other dealerships or local auto auctions. It gets him out of the house a day or two a week and lets him earn a little fun money. Maybe something for you to think about too.

[bazzateer]

Originally Posted by Kevin54

Well today the ties were cut with the shop. Uniforms, badge, and keys were turned in and my toolbox and tools came home. 30 years and all loaded up and done in 15 minutes without so much as a thank you. Oh well, now starts a different phase of my life!!!! All one coworker wanted to know was whether I was going to sell my tools or not.

when I joined the Police 26 yrs ago one of my instructors told me that we are like a hand in a bucket of water. All the time we're there we can splash around and make a difference, but 5 mins after we've gone, there's nothing left to suggest we'd ever been there. We're unlikely to be remembered by many.

Enjoy your retirement, think of it as time off for good behaviour!

[mdbeck1]

I ran across an older couple a few years ago in Seattle. They were setting up for an RV show. Apparently the RV manufacturers hired them to deliver the RVs to different dealers around the US. Once in a while they end up delivering something like a school bus. They had a nice fuel efficient car that they towed for dead heads and when they got tired of travelling they would go home for a month or two. They told me that they were not allowed to sleep in the RVs or use them for anything else. They were to just drive them. They were paid enough to cover the fuel, hotel, meals, and still make a profit. They had to wash them when they got to the location as well.

[Jaguar Fan]

Originally Posted by BD1

... On a brighter side, WELCOME TO THE CLUB ! ... I don't know how I had time to go to work at a real job .

^^^ +1 ^^^ I, too, don't know how I had time to go to work to a real job. Working for a living is highly over rated.

Originally Posted by Kevin54

... I'll be 56 in August. Never in my life would I have thought I would be retired this early ... One good thing that we did when we got married was put money into our 401K's. ...We always did try to plan ahead somewhat.

Like I said earlier though, I need to reprogram myself to enjoy life a little bit more. Hit some garage sales, go to the races, a few car shows, and take some one day trips here and there around the state for starters.

Kevin, there is *no such thing* as retirement. You just change what you do. I "semi-retired" in my early 40s and fully retired in my late 40s; I'll be 56 in October. I, too, planned well, invested well, and had some good outcomes. I didn't plan for needing to support my aging mom nor my older brother, but that's ok with me, and I can afford it.

I used to be more ad-hoc with my retiremen. Now, I make 5 year plans, 2 year plans, annual plans, quarterly plans and monthly plans. I don't always do everything, and sometimes do things I hadn't planned to do. But every month, I write a report on how I did - my accomplishments vs. my plans. I look at stuff I didn't do and figure out why.

That is, my "retirement" is a job that requires management. I've learned how to manage complex projects and organizations all my professional life, and I attempt to apply those same disciplines to retirement.

You might try the approach of making plans & see how it works for you.

Again, welcome to the club. Do not watch game shows on TV or re-runs of Two and a half Men. Figure out what you want to have accomplished over the next 5 years & make a plan. Plan the work & work the plan.

[Jaguar Fan]

If you get a chance, read up on Daniel Inouye. He lost an arm in battle in WWII, was awarded the Medal of Honor, and went on to become a US Senator. He tells a great story of his recuperation.

He asked a passing nurse for a light for his cigarette. She tossed him a book of matches. When she came by again, he asked more pointedly "will you light my cigarette for me please? I only have one arm now." The nurse replied "No. You've only got one arm, but now is the time for you to learn how you're going to take care of yourself for the rest of your life. Figure it out. You're not the first guy."

He did figure out how to light a match with one hand, and that determination has made all the difference in his life, he said.

[Justanoldguy]

You will settle into retirement easily Kevin.
Then wonder how you ever found time to go to work.
I retired voluntarily in April at age 60.
My health issues were going to pose a risk for at work.
Been self employed for more years that I can remember.
I'm busy as ever doing my thing now.
Çar, yard, house etc .. all getting attention.
And the wife, she too gets more attention as well.
Couldn't be happier.

Good luck.

[jabberwoki]

Make to most of it kev leisurely mornings, garage sale journeys more hobby time. i`m envious.

[Kevin54]

when I joined the Police 26 yrs ago one of my instructors told me that we are like a hand in a bucket of water. All the time we're there we can splash around and make a difference, but 5 mins after we've gone, there's nothing left to suggest we'd ever been there. We're unlikely to be remembered by many.

Bazz...its funny that you say that. I never heard it put that way but it makes great sense. My wife and I were talking the other day about the shop. She had 40 years in as an electronic assembler. She was solely responsibly for building a few components for the Apollo Mission. She was the voice on early Voice Recorders on commercial aircraft. The way our shop turned out to be the last few years, the older person more or less gets pushed out the door. No longer does experience count for anything. You are a person that makes top dollar, gets six weeks vacation, and cost the shop money. Sort of "out with the old and in with the new". One guy worked at doing the same job for 55 years. Never was sick, came to work everyday, and was very conscientious about his work. The day he retired, they called him to the office the very first thing in the morning, then escorted him to the door. He was not allowed to stay and say goodbye to any of his coworkers that he has worked with for years and years. He can come back on company property (parking lot) and have lunch with his friends, but when lunch is over he better be off of the property.

So what you stated is what the wife and I talked about. 5 minutes after you are gone, you are forgotten about. And when one person leaves it's work as usual, and everyone else workload just increased. They don't hire replacements.

With that, although it's hard not to miss a place that you have given most of your life for, that paid for your cars, house, toys, it's sort of a bittersweet ending to a lifelong career. On one hand you will miss it, and on the other hand you're happy as hell to be out of there and not have to put up with the daily B.S. that has went on the past few years.

As far as finding something to do, I'm not totally without an arm. It does work from the elbow down, and thankfully my fingers still work. I can adapt. I learned to adapt at work when my shoulder was dislocated for three years. It's worse now, but I'll still manage. If I get a mill, one of the projects I want to make is a miniature gas powered engine. I've saw a lot of the working miniature V8's or aircraft engines. I want to try my hand at machining something like that. I think that would make for a great winter project. Hopefully by then, I'll have a mill. I did buy a small Atlas lathe but I need to do a little work to it yet to get it where I want. It has a little more slop than I want so I'll have to get that fixed unless I find a little larger lathe in better shape.

I also like the idea about driving and delivering RV's. I totally forgot about that, but I knew a couple that did that also. That would be a way to see different places.

[imperialman67]

Originally Posted by Kevin54

Well today the ties were cut with the shop. Uniforms, badge, and keys were turned in and my toolbox and tools came home. 30 years and all loaded up and done in 15 minutes without so much as a thank you. Oh well, now starts a different phase of my life!!!! All one coworker wanted to know was whether I was going to sell my tools or not.

Must be a sign of the times...a co-worker that retired after 30 years had a retirement lunch in the company park. Management dictated that it be done on your own time ,with people having to pay to cover the cost of the lunch.
Mind you we work for a LARGE corporation. Most people didn't go out of disgust..

[shovel]

Good Luck in your retirement Kevin, and I would also like to say congratulations! I know it is not coming on your terms, but look at it another way. You have made it to a point where some of us only aspire to...I am 52 years old and didn't really know what I wanted to be when I grew up. I now want to be retired! May you and your wife be blessed in your new adventures.