How are you spending your retirement?

SouthernLPN2RN, MSN, RN, APRN, NP · Jun 28, 2007

I know I have quite a while before I can retire, but I do want to retire early. Just gotta get that 403b started.

cannulator · Jun 28, 2007

I love your quote - "nursing served me well, I served it well"....helps to put in perspective the difficulty of leaving/retiring from a profession which calls on our "duty to serve". I have the tendency to work longer than I need to due to the shortage, low-staffing, "calling" of the profession. But, for some reason, your quote hit home with me, when simple common sense has not :)

llg, PhD, RN · Jun 28, 2007

I also really like the "nursing served me well and I served it well." It gives me a lot to think about and helps me feel better about the idea of possibly leaving it behind someday.

I hope to be able to say it with a clear conscience when I finally do retire. In fact, I may use it as the basis for a discussion with the students in my extern program this summer as we talk about nursing careers? I can ask them, "How do you want nursing to serve you?" ... and ... "How are you hoping to serve nursing?" That could be a good way to move a discussion of nursing careers in a good direction. I hope you don't mind me "stealing" it!

Grace Oz · Jun 28, 2007

I love your quote - "nursing served me well, I served it well"....helps to put in perspective the difficulty of leaving/retiring from a profession which calls on our "duty to serve". I have the tendency to work longer than I need to due to the shortage, low-staffing, "calling" of the profession. But, for some reason, your quote hit home with me, when simple common sense has not :)

Hello cannulator, I'm glad what I wrote has resonated with you. It's just how I feel about it is all. I figure nursing and me are squared off now! :) We don't "owe" each other anything! :)

Grace Oz · Jun 28, 2007

I also really like the "nursing served me well and I served it well." It gives me a lot to think about and helps me feel better about the idea of possibly leaving it behind someday.
I hope to be able to say it with a clear conscience when I finally do retire. In fact, I may use it as the basis for a discussion with the students in my extern program this summer as we talk about nursing careers? I can ask them, "How do you want nursing to serve you?" ... and ... "How are you hoping to serve nursing?" That could be a good way to move a discussion of nursing careers in a good direction. I hope you don't mind me "stealing" it!

Haha! Steal it all you like, llg. But I want royalties!!!! :lol2:

Glad you also liked what I wrote! :)

I never considered it a profound statement, just how I feel about it is all. By all means use it as a basis for discussion with your students. I don't have a patent on it! :lol2:

FranEMTnurse, CNA, LPN, EMT-I · Jul 3, 2007

:sniff: i didn't even get a chance to retire normally. i was thrown into disability about a month after graduation, and now i live in an assisted living facility. :sniff:

but on the lighter side, when i regained some of my strength, i wrote a book that is now being used as a resource for empowerment in our local women's shelter. and that indeed was good. :up:

i have regained my strength once again, and that makes me happy indeed. now maybe if i'm careful, i'll be able to go to the store or the mall with my daughter. those things are now treats to me, because when i get sick, i have life threatening events, and it takes me a very long time to get back. but now :clown:poopsie is back!!! yeah!:yeahthat:

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Jul 3, 2007

Nurses in my homecare agency retire er "put out to part time pasture" by moving into my Central Intake Dept as last Supervisor who just moved in with us stated.

I've been grandmother friendly allowing lunch dates with grandkids in our kitchen. Now I'm gread-grandmom friendly as Senior RN is 73....great grandchild due next month....... works every Friday our BUSIEST day to keep her brain cells sharp.

Will probably keep working 2 days/wk post age 65 as long as I can, allowing time to volunteer. Unless decide to open needlepoint store as second career.

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Jul 3, 2007

but now :clown:poopsie is back!!! yeah!

:balloons::balloons::balloons::balloons::balloons:

glad to see the :jester: is back...need some new funnybone stories!

FranEMTnurse, CNA, LPN, EMT-I · Jul 3, 2007

:balloons::balloons::balloons::balloons::balloons:
Glad to see the is back...need some new funnybone stories!

Look in the Nursing Humor thread, Karen. I have already posted one hunny.

:nurse::caduceus: :clown:

MajorAl · Jul 6, 2007

Ok, I have just 3 Fridays left to work, 2 weekends and a total of 24 days until I am retired. My wife and I are buying a house in Nicaragua to be near her family when it isn't warm here (Wisconsin). I plan to spend the first 6 months cleaning and organizing the basement. After that little chore, I think we'll be doing some landscaping around the house and lots of camping in the US. I started planning for retirement when my dad retired. I started saving for retirement as soon as I could after I graduated with my BSN. (Mom and Dad retired before I graduated from Nursing school. Talk about planning ahead.) I have basically spent the last 30 years working to get to where I am today. Advice? Start that 401k,403b, 457 and/or IRA TODAY!!!! You won't ever have enough extra money to start one, and after a couple of paydays you won't miss the money you're putting into it. I'm serious, start it TODAY! I mean, could you spare 25 cents? 25 cents per hour times 80 hours per 2 weeks equals $520 per year. That's not enough to retire on, but it's a start. Then whenever you get a raise put most, if not all of it, into your retirement account. Put at least 80% into the stock market, more if you're under 40. If you have the temperment, consider joining the military as a reservist. I'm collecting nearly a grand every month from Uncle Sam due to my 22 years in the military and it helps. Sit down and do the math at 520 per year and 8% return on your money in the stock market. (8% is conservative) and then you'll run to start your account. Just remember, no one cares about your retirement as much as you do. As trite as it sounds, no one plans to fail, but many fail to plan. Student Nurses, yeah you 20 year olds, take this advice to heart and 37 years from now you can be writing this letter. Take care everyone. And if anyone has questions, just message me.

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Jul 6, 2007

On vet bills for my dog who was hit by a car and to pay down credit cards run up to pay for COBRA after I was fired.

Oh, you meant my TIME! I'll never be able to retire.

P_RN, ADN, RN · Jul 12, 2007

retirement was such a wonderful thing to look forward to.

then right upside the head it stopped me in my tracks (or maybe that should be back!) working one day, can't move the next.

for the first little while was

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and don't tell me losing a job due to health is anything but a grieving process!

but now, i am reading more, i've been writing clips of memoirs, taking classes, learning photography with an actual camera with f-stops and all.

i'm learning to drive again, and my dh no longer grabs the sissy bar when i pass a car. so retirement is treating me pretty well. actually one thing my ex-employer forced me to do was join the retirement system. boy did i resent that 7% i gave them every 2 weeks. me:trout:me

but now i have a check from that self same retirement system.

----\ addenda\ that is the best idea majoral. my paychecks visually were usually less than the least senior housekeeper. i put away 500-600 every 2 weeks. until the retirement system kicked in, that made a nice cushion.