I want to retire. No honestly I do. IO k now it's trendy to spout on about how much you love work, but after 41 years I've had enough. I want to wake up, walk the dogs, go to the bowls club, play walking football, take in a pub lunch, do the garden (yes..me...do the garden) , do another degree, decorate, vacuum, spring clean....anything but bloody work.
But will I be allowed to?
Well, I am in the fortunate position of having been in company pension schemes since the age of 18. 40 years I've been paying into them, a mix of Defined Benefit (final salary) or more recently (as is the trend) a Defined Contribution scheme. I've worked for 3 different companies in all that time which admitted has simplified things as the previous pensions have all been consolidated into the current (now closed) company scheme. I've been with this company 26 years and will be 59 years old this year...I have no desire to leave and find another role. My only desire is to carry on a while longer and then leave when the time is (almost) right with no role other than that of happy retiree.
I am currently looking at all the options on my DB pension, including transferring out to take the 25% tax free lump sum and clear the mortgage and some debts off. The CETV was very generous so I am seriously considering this. The house is then secured and owned, I'm still employed and working from home with minimal travel expenses. With a substantial lump left to fund the rest of my life when. am finally shown the door.
My bigger question is it now seems my state pension age is 67, having previously moved from 65 to 66. I now hear that this bunch of fuckwit wankers called the Tory Government wants to raise that to 75. Seventy-fucking-five! This sounds to me like part of a long term plan to move 'pensioners' from deserving retirees in the twilight years of life, to 'benefits scroungers' if they dare retire.
'Why shouldn't you work until you drop?' - yes I have heard people say that. I can foresee a time when people who declare themselves retired are sneered at and told they are sponging off of the state. Now, if you want to work until you drop, then fine, fucking get on with it. If you don't though, and you want to retire then that should always be a right, and the state should pay you a pension. And you should never fall foul of being called a benefit scrounger. And society should never reach the point where it frowns upon those who retire and seek a quieter life.
If I had my way, the retirement age would be 60. Then the older people could stroll off into the sunset and that would/should create vacancies for the young as they enter the jobs market. This system worked for decades. There is no reason for it to change.
As society moves on, the burden of work should be lessened not increased.
Later Mugs, GJ
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