After you are comfortable that you have enough money saved to retire, the decision as to when to actually pull the trigger really boils down to a simple formula:
When (value of remuneration from job) > (value of your time) = Work
When (value of your time) > (value of remuneration from job) = Retire
Notice I do not not use the word money.
People work for a variety of reasons, more reasons than just the money. However, since most people actually need money to live on, that reason can obscure those other reasons. I do know a few people that have enough money to retire but don’t want to. Because they receive other rewards that they find more valuable than the extra time that they would receive if they retired.
For some people those rewards might be challenge, or appreciation, or structure. For others it might be the feeling of contributing, of being part of a team, or social reasons. And for many it’s identity. You are giving up all those things when you retire, and if you are not yearning for the time, you will most certainly miss those things, and probably the money too.
Which is why my part-time consulting gig has been so great for me, because I got a chance to have all those rewards and still have so much time available to me, just for myself. I knew when I started this gig, I even said so in my interview, that at some point the job would grow and they would need to get a full-time person. I also told them that I would not be tht person. Because despite the value of the many rewards I receive, I’m not willing to give up more time to get more of the rewards.
My part-time gig is about to cross that line for me, where it would require more time, time that I find too valuable to trade for the various forms of remuneration. I love the appreciation, the feeling of contributing, and yes, the extra money. But I’m not willing to give up any more of my time—it’s too valuable. More valuable than those other things are to me.
So I’m going to be passing the reins to my full-time replacement once we figure out whom that will be. I broke the news a few weeks ago. It was hard and sad, and since I had been stressing about that conversation for months now, a bit of a relief. I have loved being part of that team, and I will miss it. But I have learned that I am open to this kind of thing again in the future. For now though, I’m just appreciating the value of the wealth of time that will come with the return to full-time retirement.
Related Posts:
What do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?
Filling in the Blank in Retirement
Is Being Content Preventing You From Being Happy in Retirement?
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