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So , are you enjoying your retirement ?

14th Jul 2015
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In one short word "no" .

Mainly because I have NOT retired in spite of rumours to the contrary , but it does beg the question as to when does a person actually decide to "retire" . I suspect it is a question a number of you reading this have pondering more than once .

I may have taken my foot of the pedal a wee bit for the past few months and worked less hours and perhaps sometimes less hard , but I can categorically say that the small taster of retirement that I have had does not appeal to me. Why not ?

Simple - I enjoy what I do and I also believe that I have a responsibility to help provide employment and training opportunities to the less privileged . Oh yes, there is the small matter of money - I have no desire to burn through my capital and / or downgrade my lifestyle , although I am selling the Bentley , just when I have more time to drive it ! It's a funny world

So what are your plans as the decades slowly sail past you ?

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Replies (11)

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Red Leader
By Red Leader
14th Jul 2015 10:58

Bentley

Why are you selling it?

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Norman Younger
By Norman Younger
14th Jul 2015 14:40

Why am I selling ???

Simply put - I have scratched the itch ! 

I don't use it enough and my wife was never really keen on the purchase 

I never actually saw her as a car , more as a work of art , a true piece of old fashioned British engineering . The noise of the growl as you plant your right foot in the carpet is truly visceral

 

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Man of Kent
By Kent accountant
14th Jul 2015 22:15

Ahhh I see
The boss has decided the car had to go.

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Replying to DavidJones.iris:
Norman Younger
By Norman Younger
15th Jul 2015 09:11

The boss and the Bentley

Er um ....well. Yes 

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Replying to DavidJones.iris:
Red Leader
By Red Leader
15th Jul 2015 11:31

The Board

Kent accountant wrote:
The boss has decided the car had to go.

That's what happens if you don't get board approval before a major decision.

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Replying to Ancient Mariner:
Norman Younger
By Norman Younger
15th Jul 2015 13:40

Board approval

I thought I may have been covered under delegated powers , but seems I acted ultra vires and breached fiduciary duty to boot !

 

Therein lies a lesson - seek legal advice if in the  slightest of doubt (which I did have a certain incy-wincy wee smidgeon of)

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Teignmouth
By Paul Scholes
14th Jul 2015 22:56

Edging ever closer

I've been working towards giving up the practice since 2011, making my final staff member redundant and closing the office to work from home then gradually transferring clients to a colleague, with a view to pretty much leaving it behind and just doing my couple of days a week with Clear Books (which is 100 times more energising than accounts and tax) until they find a newer model (maybe a Tesla rather than a Bentley).

As well as feeling that 40ish years in the biz was enough for anyone (and certainly more than enough for me) my prime motive was personal and I'd not really given much thought to what the other side of the coin would bring, but then my motive vanished and so I am pondering what retirement will actually entail.

I gave it a dry run, a free trial, a couple of weeks ago and realised that what I need is an extended period of not doing anything (which is not the same as doing nothing) in other words just getting used to being in the time & space I occupy and giving myself permission to follow my needs rather than those of other's, which, in practice life pretty much defines what you do and where you go.

After a few days practice in the country, switching off the phone, laptop and TV, and with just my Terrier, Kindle & Radio 4 for company, I suddenly realised I was good at it, it comes naturally.

So, for me I think it's going to be a process, a re-balance, before making any decisions about bigger long-term stuff, but one thing's for certain it won't involve numbers

 

 

 

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Teignmouth
By Paul Scholes
16th Jul 2015 12:56

Winding down

The reason?  It was similar to yours, I still needed a base income so decided to retain the high value income producing clients (about 30).  I was fortunate though that I have a long standing colleague, (ex employee) with her own practice, who had actually been maintaining the other clients for years and so I was happy to hand them over to her, however she did insist on giving me a small commission payment, which was a bonus.

I'm fast realising though that "retirement", for want of a better word, is more an attitude of mind than it is anything practical, and in my case it's being able to go with the flow, as long as for most of the time, it's my flow.

Today sums it up for me, my daughter and her dog stayed the night, so I got up took the dogs out, came back answered a couple of important emails, had some breakfast and chatted with her, then met up with a client/friend for a brunch at a local cafe (didn't mention accounts or tax once), home to see daughter off and plan our next get together.

A few weeks back I would have stressed all morning about getting back for the accounts and stuff waiting to be done, but today, it never crossed my mind.

Think your volunteering is great, I have a personal interest in a local community transport operation and can see myself getting involved in it and similar voluntary groups.  The voluntary  sector is a huge under-valued part of society that most people don't appreciate until they need to make use of it.

 

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Norman Younger
By Norman Younger
16th Jul 2015 16:07

The volunteer society

This is something that I really believe in and think that David Cameron should not give up on with his 2Big Society".

I do find that volunteering is a state of mind and a lot of people just don't get it

If you have something others don't you have a moral duty to share with them 

I am just back from a hospital run and this guy is going every day on a round trip of 20 miles and has no car . Can you imagine the expense of taxis ? Public transport is out of the question time- wise as well. 

As you say , until they are recipients of the kindness of others , many people are blind to helping as a way of life

 

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avatar
By Alan Davies
17th Jul 2015 10:56

Bentley

Surely you need the Bentley to take people to the hospital?

Isn't that a reasonable position to take with the boss?

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Norman Younger
By Norman Younger
19th Jul 2015 10:38

Going to hospital in style

She is indeed happy when I share the Bentley with those less fortunate and make them smile , which I must admit is very fulfilling . Alas the Bentley will be going to a new home as even in my books it is time to move on - perhaps the midlife crisis is on the wane.

I have even booked a train ticket for this week's London trip - I can't remember the last time I went by train to London , so either I am getting too old for the hassle of the drive or I am finally seeing sense. No doubt you will be reading about it on a coming blog.

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