I always say that retirement is an option, not a requirement. If you love what you do, by all means keep at it and continue to reap both the emotional satisfaction and financial reward. Why quit? I know some who love what they do and plan to die doing it. That’s marvelous, and I envy them.
Then there are those who define themselves by their work and have a hard time envisioning a life without the title/trappings even though they have “enough” and desperately want to cut the corporate tether. I saw this with my dad, my brother, and several of my colleagues who defined themselves by their work and had a tougher retirement transition due to identity loss. My dad was a big fish in a big pond for many years, and when he no longer had that office/title/respect, he was depressed by what he felt he had lost. It took him a while to embrace what he had gained and begin to re-identify himself. Similarly, for my brother, it took three tries before he could permanently cut the cord. The job was just too much a part of him though it was killing him in some ways. But, I’ll never forget him saying to me, “Sis, I don’t know how much time I have left, but I do know that these years are better than those years” (pointing ahead), and when that sunk in for him, he was able to move on and is now enjoying these years immensely.
For us, work was always just a means to an end. It didn’t matter what the content was, how much we were paid, or what our titles and responsibilities were. We viewed our jobs solely as a way to pay the bills and fund retirement. When our nut was met, we had no trouble turning off the spigot and embracing the end goal. DH and I retired about the same time in 2017. I haven’t looked back, but he continues to consult sporadically to fund things outside our retirement budget. The work is a just a means to an end, though, not something he does because of some inner need or financial necessity.
So, for those who do intend to retire, in addition to working your financial plan, I would add that starting early to separate your identity from your work is an important part of the attitude adjustment of “making it.”