It's Finally here . . . Retirement for Kiwi!

You bring up a good point about the shop missing @Kiwi Rider. Seeing how companies are, I wouldn’t be surprised if they now feel like offering better pay to motivate him to work more hrs.
I laughed because of how highly unlikely a pay rise would be… I’ve had to threaten to leave altogether just to get the last two pay increases, and that’s over the last 5 years at the bike shop.
We just got a new manager and he’s a major improvement over the previous one.
It’s the new man that was all for me going to part time. He’s a good man.
 
Awesome! And welcome to the open arms of socialism. The difference between capitalism and slavery is that a guy who's done an honest day's work for years (the uncompensated "engine" of industry, BTW) can enjoy a few years doing some of the things they always want to do.
Trying to interpret your post?

In Russia, pension is around USD 239.00 per month, a socialist country.

Are you saying slavery is the folks who worked an honest career for 67 years of their life?

I came to the good old US at 48 years old, from a country where the currency once 1:1 equal to the Dollar today is 18.5 to the Dollar. So I basically had to start from scratch.

My experience over here was pure capitalism in comparison to most of the rest of the world. It simply meant, the more effort you put in, the more you get out.

I was able to retire comfortably at 65, then my hobby became a business, which grew a bit beyond what I expected. So the effort that I have to put in now is pretty intense with a lot of stress and responsibility. But the income is proportional to the effort, meaning I intend to sell the business in the next year. After that, I really don’t have to worry about retirement income.

So that is my understanding of the workings of capitalism which can be extremely rewarding for those who are willing to work hard and be passionate about what they do.

So quick question about your post. Who are the slaves and who are the capitalists you refer to?

Life is about the choices we make, so which is your choice?
 
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There was a time in this country when most companies paid pensions. They realized that you can't underpay people their entire life and expect them to be able to retire. As people started living 5-10 years beyond retirement, companies said this will eat too deeply into our profits and we can't sustain this. So the government transferred this obligation to the people in the form of social security. Companies are getting artificially low labor costs because Uncle Sam is paying that obligation and allowing companies to stop efforts of labor to protect their bargaining position for labor's true value with unions.

Slavery is exploiting the value of someone without compensation while not allowing them to benefit from their true value. I hear so many right-wingers who are against social programs (BTW: they confuse that with socialism) until they need them. Congratulations on your success, but your story is anecdotal at best and doesn't reflect typical experiences.
 
Well done.

I always planned to retire at 50, that ended up being changed to 55. Being realistic an extra couple of years made a huge difference to my future so I finally retired at 57.

I did try and transition into it by doing a 4 or 3 day week but this didn’t suit my employe. Whilst this was a minor inconvenience it did mean that I was free to leave the city.

Never been so busy since I retired. I have more stuff that needs doing now than when I had a “proper” job. Some days I joke I’m going to go and find a 9 to 5 job to get a rest.
 
There was a time in this country when most companies paid pensions. They realized that you can't underpay people their entire life and expect them to be able to retire. As people started living 5-10 years beyond retirement, companies said this will eat too deeply into our profits and we can't sustain this. So the government transferred this obligation to the people in the form of social security. Companies are getting artificially low labor costs because Uncle Sam is paying that obligation and allowing companies to stop efforts of labor to protect their bargaining position for labor's true value with unions.

Slavery is exploiting the value of someone without compensation while not allowing them to benefit from their true value. I hear so many right-wingers who are against social programs (BTW: they confuse that with socialism) until they need them. Congratulations on your success, but your story is anecdotal at best and doesn't reflect typical experiences.
Social security started in 1935?

I believe Social Security is more pocket spending money and we are all responsible for investing to secure a proper retirement. Most of the folks I know who have served are in good shape with retirement.

We just look at things different Arch, in my career I never bothered about how big the pay check was, I bothered about the need principle. The need principle means contributing towards your employer and your company in a way that they really, really, need you. Each time I left a job, it was because my time with the company got to a stage where I felt I can add more value somewhere else, and every time I was begged to stay and I have maintained good relationships with my past employers.

All the fortune 500 companies I have worked for over here pay pensions. Unfortunately most of them look after their employees too well in my opinion. By that I mean the guy who keeps his head down, stays out of trouble, says all the right things at meetings, maintains good relationships and says yes to everything is normally the guy who retires with a nice fat pension. Reward is normally not based on merit and the guy who is the fixit guy and really improves the business is normally not that popular, as he makes it uncomfortable for those who are slackers.

It appears as if you lean more towards entitlement, whereas I lean more towards a working culture where one has to add value to the extent that the organization really needs you and appreciates your effort and rewards you accordingly.

Elon Musk, love him or hate him, is a prime example of achievement by exceptional effort. Working a day job so he can eat and sleeping on a couch because he could not afford a bedroom, while coding through most of the hours of the night is where he started. Wealth has not changed his behavior and he thrives on capitalism.

In short, life here in the USA is easy. If you worked and did business around the globe, you will realize what you are not appreciating.
 
There was a time in this country when most companies paid pensions. They realized that you can't underpay people their entire life and expect them to be able to retire. As people started living 5-10 years beyond retirement, companies said this will eat too deeply into our profits and we can't sustain this. So the government transferred this obligation to the people in the form of social security. Companies are getting artificially low labor costs because Uncle Sam is paying that obligation and allowing companies to stop efforts of labor to protect their bargaining position for labor's true value with unions.

Slavery is exploiting the value of someone without compensation while not allowing them to benefit from their true value. I hear so many right-wingers who are against social programs (BTW: they confuse that with socialism) until they need them. Congratulations on your success, but your story is anecdotal at best and doesn't reflect typical experiences.
I am only 32 and have a decent pension from my company but I still made sure to get RSP's and other investments... I also didn't sink my self in debt and owe nothing but on my house. People will drive around in a brand new F350 King Ranch paying over $1000 in payments a month then cry they are broke when its time to retire.

I feel it's no ones fault but them they selves for not properly setting up for the future. To blame the goverment or companies seems odd? Find a different job if you are not happy. I've been through dozen of jobs till I found one that paid good and I enjoyed.

I plan to be retired by 45 ish.
 
Well done.

I always planned to retire at 50, that ended up being changed to 55. Being realistic an extra couple of years made a huge difference to my future so I finally retired at 57.

I did try and transition into it by doing a 4 or 3 day week but this didn’t suit my employe. Whilst this was a minor inconvenience it did mean that I was free to leave the city.

Never been so busy since I retired. I have more stuff that needs doing now than when I had a “proper” job. Some days I joke I’m going to go and find a 9 to 5 job to get a rest.
LOL that last sentence made me chuckle. I've been retired 2 months and so far can't believe how busy I've stayed. So much for people warning me about getting bored. I do have a huge yard that requires a lot of work and it looks better than ever. So far, I love it :banana:
 
LOL that last sentence made me chuckle. I've been retired 2 months and so far can't believe how busy I've stayed. So much for people warning me about getting bored. I do have a huge yard that requires a lot of work and it looks better than ever. So far, I love it :banana:
Similar. I’ve renovated and flipped properties for almost 40 years, I needed a roof over my head anyway so bought bad ones and sold them when I’d finished them. Ended up with a largish place in a nice neighbourhood in the city, when it was finished it funded 20 acres somewhere rural (for 1/3rd of the price of 1/4 acre near the city).

“Retirement” has been building a house, building sheds, putting in fences and water tanks and a 1000 other jobs.

Retirement isn’t a big deal, you just need a long term plan and to be serious about it. I set up a private pension at a quite young age, always put money into property, married a person who was on the same wave length. It’s fine if folk want to enjoy life elsewhere but you then need to shoulder some blame about your own future.
 
I am only 32 and have a decent pension from my company but I still made sure to get RSP's and other investments... I also didn't sink my self in debt and owe nothing but on my house. People will drive around in a brand new F350 King Ranch paying over $1000 in payments a month then cry they are broke when its time to retire.

I plan to be retired by 45 ish.
I’ve very passionate about my bikes, as I’ve said before, I don’t drink, smoke, gamble, do drugs or have kids… but I do spend on bikes.

When the Gen-3 came out I stood there at the dealers cash in hand, I REALLY wanted one. Instead I went home and organised concrete, plumbers, painters, sparkys etc to try and finish off another house whilst I went to work at 4am - 6 days a week to help fund it and worked on the property every evening and all weekend.

I could have been out on the first of the new Gen-3’s and been loving it, but sometimes it’s better to play the long game for a better end result.
 
. I do have a huge yard that requires a lot of work and it looks better than ever.
Mine was pretty over grown, heaps of Lantana bushes, cactus, thistles etc etc. Couldn’t mow or slash it as it was full of tree stumps, old fence posts, rocks and rubbish. Can’t burn it as you’d never control it and it’d be illegal. Cleared it slowly, bit by bit over 2 years. Lots of work. Ute after ute loads of stuff picked up.

When I first pegged out for my house slab my Mrs wouldn’t even walk in there due to the Eastern Browns and Red Bellied Black snakes.

A6BC108D-4452-4755-81F9-6BE7E418B2E3.jpeg


Now it’s more like this.

468F9E47-8C4D-4007-B105-F19B118C2DE4.jpeg

This retirements hard work !

2CCA2D7D-C4A0-4DE7-8CE7-10B637160840.jpeg
 
After 33 yrs of military service I retired in 2016.....I could have stayed longer if I wanted but it would mean a posting to another base and as my wife is well established in her work and everything we own is paid for, I just couldn't move again....

I did semi-retire before I left though as I moved to the conventional forces where the op tempo was much, much less intense.....

So then I retired and spend my time looking after a couple senior ladies and their properties....not to mention my own...I do all the cooking, cleaning. laundry, yard work and all necessary insect and vermin killing. I ride my bike when I feel like it and do my own thing.....it's a good feeling to be able to do this

When I was out shopping for another bike a few years ago, I looked at many of them but kept gravitating back to a Hayabusa....then I saw Bumblebee and knew it needed a good home and snapped it up from a dealership for a low price....it was plasti-dipped black and some of it was coming off in places so the bike looked rough...after a bit of poking around, I saw the potential of the bike. As soon as I got it home I ripped into it, stripped it down to it's bones even before I rode it and cleaned it all up.
 
I'm going to have to change my password, just in case my wife gets onto the forum and sees this.
A couple of my former colleagues who were also my subordinates get a chuckle when I tell them of my current duties and responsibilities....

They say all they can remember is how I was when serving and can't picture me in a domestic role...to which I add, there is no way I can expect my wife to go to work all day and have to come home to do this stuff...
 
Mine was pretty over grown, heaps of Lantana bushes, cactus, thistles etc etc. Couldn’t mow or slash it as it was full of tree stumps, old fence posts, rocks and rubbish. Can’t burn it as you’d never control it and it’d be illegal. Cleared it slowly, bit by bit over 2 years. Lots of work. Ute after ute loads of stuff picked up.

When I first pegged out for my house slab my Mrs wouldn’t even walk in there due to the Eastern Browns and Red Bellied Black snakes.

View attachment 1667084

Now it’s more like this.

View attachment 1667085
This retirements hard work !

View attachment 1667086
Holy crap my yard is a patch by comparison, but still the biggest yard in my neighborhood.
My efforts pale in comparison as well. I need to get busier lol.
 
A couple of my former colleagues who were also my subordinates get a chuckle when I tell them of my current duties and responsibilities....

They say all they can remember is how I was when serving and can't picture me in a domestic role...to which I add, there is no way I can expect my wife to go to work all day and have to come home to do this stuff...
After May next year, I will be doing the same thing. How much do you charge for training and consulting?
 
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