How do you know when it's time to retire?

How do you know when it's time to retire?  Try some of the following on for size...

1.  Work has begun to interfere with all the many other things you want to do - fitting them all into weekends and holidays is becoming more impossible or unpalatable.
2.  Life just seems too short to carry on working.
3.  You crave your freedom.
4.  You want to have control over your time.
5.  You want to retire while you have the health and strength to do everything that you enjoy.
6.  You have a sense that you would regret continuing to work full time if you did it for much longer.
7.  Your gifts and talents are not being fully utilised.
8.  You're not even sure what your gifts and talents are!
9.  You are prepared (and able) to lower your overheads if you need to.
10. The kids are finally off your hands, the mortgage is paid off and your debts are either paid off or well under control.
11. You would be able to cover your spending needs if the condition of your health changed.
12. You have successfully lived on your projected retirement income for the past six months.
13. Your partner is retiring.
14. You know you could do your job perfectly well until you die, but you're no longer happy or fulfilled.
15. You plan to have a very active retirement.
16. You have plans for what you will do with all that extra time.
17. You have a plan for turning your hobby into a business.

Comments

[Retired Syd]

I've added a few more, including: When even cleaning your own toilet seems more appealing than going to work!

[Ann Harrison]

Thanks, Syd - I'd go for that one!

[Alberto]

I retired recently and had been feeling quite tired and 'flat' lately, and I had put to due to stress, lack of activity... I needed a vacation! So when the time came I searched on the internet and checked out resorts. I went to Thailand. To a little island on the Gulf called Koh Samui, and from all the spa resorts I chose Kamalaya Koh Samui.

Once there, I saw that they had a wide array of treatments, therapies, programs, retreats... So I decided to do something for me on the holiday. I went for a detox retreat.

I cannot stress enough how good that was for me, I feel great in myself. And it's not only the holiday period, normally I feel quite depressed to come back home. Detoxing is one of the best things I have ever done for myself, I feel too quite inspired to begin new projects and take good care of myself.

Thank you for all the information and inspiration.