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| Above, yours truly at Yosemite National Park. |
Over at the iRV2 Forum, the topic of "Do you regret taking Social Security benefits early?" (i.e., retiring early) came up.
Within 48 hours, over 11 pages of comments accumulated (it is at 16 pages at this writing). Each person's response was interesting to read. The majority of the the responses (who took early retirement at 62 as I did) had no regrets doing so.
My response was as follows:
I retired early at 62 and began collecting. Several things told me the time was right.
1. Age discrimination in the field of work I was in following the Great Recession. Stuck with lower-paying jobs.
2. My parents died in their 70s. I may live longer than them, but you never know.
3. Have good investments, so I don't have to rely solely on S.S.
4. In great health and just tired of working.
5. Wanted to travel.
No regrets!Each person's situation is different. Some people may be in good health now, but who knows if "the big one" hits and there goes all the money they put into Social Security (if they're not married). It is a crap shoot where people are betting that they will remain healthy for years beyond their full retirement age. They may, or they may not.
One response told the story of how one fellow retired at 65 and had his first Social Security check in his pocket while he was trimming his yard. While trimming his yard, he had a massive coronary and died. At least his widow can draw from his benefits.
I have a friend who is my age and is still working. She is frequently getting ill, which I attribute to job-related stress (hers is a high-stress position). I fear that the job is going to put her into an early grave and I tell her that the money is not worth ruining her health. But, one can only advise (or nag) someone to a certain extent, before it become annoying, as the decision ultimately rests with that other person.
As I said on the forum, for myself, I have no regrets. Just some food for thought for you "fellow geezers".
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