Will Hit the last Milestone ...tomorrow!

[JWFilips]

As of Tomorrow I will turn 66 years old. My SS will kick in ( so I made it before it was all gone!)
My "Mind" is to young too retire but my "Body" says otherwise! It seems I have been working for 50 years according to the government. 46 of them have been as a commercial photographer for the same company. Now I am the only one left running the business! I have many devoted and loyal clients over all these years so I can not dream of just walking out on them! How do you say goodbye to folks like "Highlights for Children" and they're younger counterpart "High 5" ?
These are Legendary to our culture & I'm sure most of you have read them from your childhood. I find myself fortunate to be their photographer for many years!

Other companies like "Intermetro" you have experienced indirectly: Checking into a hospital the Digital carts that record a patients everything Yes they make them and I photograph them to sell to medical facilities. Along with The shelving racks that are in almost every restaurant and Super Market! Even now expanding into the medical Cannabis markets! Not to mention about 5 National Architects that I shoot for. And Companies like UGL Labs Who make superior coating products.... How do I Say I am done?
I haven't done well with my IRA's nor investments ! I would like to walk away but some of the rewards of keep working are still calling me! I'm soul searching over the past year and still can not figure it out.
Would appreciate my friends thoughts
Thanks
Jim

 

[JWFilips]

I also have to explain something: I know some of you are thinking: how hard is a Commercial photographers work?
Well I can't match many of your labors.....but Many times I have to pack a few hundred pounds of equipment to a site, set it all up, Shoot for a few hours, pack it all up and go back to the studio. Unpack! Load all the files onto the computer and process them and spend the next 3 days photoshoping every thing they didn't like about the product we shot! The one good thing is I have updated my computer systems at home to work on the files! This way I can have time with my wife: my cats and my gardens! That is a big plus.... but the transportation of the equipment takes a toll on my back.....not to mention being on the clients beckon call to repair things they see are bad with the manufacturing!

 

[462]

Congratulations, Jim, on making to 66! And, welcome to the world of Socialist Security.

Yes, many of us have minds that think our bodies are still 25, or 40 at the most, and we suffer for it the next day.

Can't offer financial advise, but some sort of part-time work not only adds to the bottom line, but gives you something to do with all your new-found time. I get the impression your job was also your hobby, so your future will not be one of boredom. Too, there will be more time for that gun-related stuff you've been wanting to do.

Many fun and productive years ahead, Jim, enjoy them.

Michael

 

[Ian]

My wife and I have a lifelong fondness for Highlights. We've been subscribing to the other one for our toddler, special offer through one of the products we use. Good to know you have a part in that.

The thing to have done, or possibly still do, is train an apprentice with the option to take it over, but it may be too late for all of that. My FIL struggled with retirement, made plans to be a consultant part-time to keep up with his friends in the industry, but by the time he locked his desk for the last time I think he'd finally made peace with just hanging it up. He died about a year later and didn't take any of it with him, so in the end, remember you gotta do what's right for you. My boss is nearly 70 and has more responsibilities than any 10 other people I could name, combined, but won't slow down or even plan to retire. He'll die in mid-step one day, never having made time to enjoy his toys or property improvements.

 

[Pistolero]

You need to find an apprentice photographer, and pass on some of what you have learned
in all those years. Gotta be somebody who likes photography in the younger generation.

Bill

 

[JWFilips]

Good Young Photographers are a thing of the past Everyone I have trained knew way more then I know! ( Yeah Right!) and will not submit to my life style!
In this area I'm it when I'm gone I'm gone: In 20 years of training, nobody fits the bill! Is is a very sorry situation!

 

[RicinYakima]

Jim, you have won life's race. Enjoy your life.

I was forced into my first retirement at age 48 due to injuries from an arson fire. While l never made big wages, I did get half pay for the rest of my life, just enough to barely live on. I had been moonlighting as an instructor at the local vocational college and knew about every cop, firefighter and EMT within a couple of hundred miles. So I started a small business teaching and training and working with the state SWAT teams on drug lab raids. It was great fun, but I would have made more money as a greeter at Wal-Mart, spent most of my time writing proposals and trying to collect money. So I retired from the business and loafed for about six months and was bored. Then about 1995 meth labs exploded in number and size as people quit using as much cocaine. Got hired as a Chemist for the state's haz-mat team at a good per hour, but on call. Did that until I was 67 and retired for good.

The point of all of that personal explanation, is that it is too late to think about the money now. If you are enjoying working why retire? As the others suggested find an apprentice who knows what the life style and money will be. Or hire a laborer when you need one (They ain't cheap as minimum wage here is $15 an hour). Keep doing the work you like, that makes you money, and learn to say no to the losing propositions.

If you have debt, get out from under it no matter what it takes! But make an hour a day for yourself and your hobbies, and laugh and smile lots.
Ric

 

[smokeywolf]

Photography is one of the very rare pursuits that is at the same time, nearly as much of an art as it is a science. Regardless of how astute you may be with the scientific side of it, if you don't also have the creativity and imagination, you'll never be a first rate photographer.

I can say that I've never understood the folks I've heard say that they don't know what they'd do or how they'd stay occupied if they were no longer going to work. I immediately had so much to do I didn't know where to start.

 

[uncle jimbo]

Welcome to the retired group. You will enjoy it.

 

[JWFilips]

I would Love to start enjoying it.... But It seemsI have too much baggage!...... Long time friends and clients! Do not know how to say good bye!

 

[Hawk]

When I retired, it was hard for me to let go.
Went from a position with forty people under me to chief handyman and yardman at my house. I felt like I was abandoning everyone. But you know what, they survived.
I still have a Boss, though. Just ask my wife!
Took six months before I stopped dreaming and worrying about work very night!
Two years later, I now wonder why I didn't retire sooner. The stress of work would have probably killed me by now! At the time, I didn't know what a toll the stress was taking on me.
So much happier now. Everyday is Saturday!
I still catch myself thinking I need to get things done on the weekend, but when you're retired, that's the worst time to go to the stores. Wait and go Monday, when everyone else is at work.
It takes a while to adjust and switch gears from the work routine to the retired life, but it is more than worth it. You will find their is more to life than working. More time for family and the things that really matter. Your wife, cats and garden will be much happier you are spending more time with them.
As to the finances and long time friends, work part time on the projects that mean the most to you and that you find most rewarding and let the rest go.
Life is great now! I'm in control of what I do (with my wife's permission, of course).

 

[Rick]

I must be the odd guy out because I had zero trouble letting go of the job and never once looked back. I didn't have a set date to retire, got up one morning, put the coffee on, turned on the computer and checked my pension plan to see where I was. Next went to the SSA website and checked there. Sat back sipping the coffee and said to myself what ya know Rick . . . Your retired. That afternoon I drove to my pension plan office and filled out papers, from there to SSA and signed up. I took SSA a month before I turned 63 and put off the pension for 2 months until I was 63. With SSA there was a $7 a month difference so I didn't wait for that but the difference in my pension was like $170 a month between 62 and 63. I waited. Within 3 months of retiring I had bought a house in Arkansas and permanently escaped California.

I knew retirement was coming of course and had eliminated all debts I had, even credit cards several years before. Didn't owe anybody anywhere a dime so that helped.

 

[Hawk]

I agree on being debt free.
House is paid off.
Pay the credit card in full each month.
I have a truck payment for a couple of more months, but that's all.

 

[Pistolero]

If your customers are really your friends, and you feel an obligation, you might see if they can do some
sort of a part time deal. I still support one old engineering customer, a high end 5th wheel custom trailer home
maker. I stumbled into helping them over 25 years ago, and have designed a number of trailer frames that
have helped them a lot in their business. They pay me a reasonable hourly pay, real good for a plumber,
but not much for a serious engineer, when I remember to send them a bill. I need to bill them for
about 30 hours worth of work.

My brother is still working because he really loves his work, test pilot. But he did mention a really
good thing, in the "how will they get along without me" department. He said, "Remember, the
graveyards are FILLED with indispensable men." I thought about that for a minute, and realized
that he was absolutely right.

I was able to train up about 6 or 7 bright young engineers in my group for a number of years before
I bailed out, the newest ones, only a couple of years. The other really senior engineer in our group retired
about 18 months after I did, I had a few more years in. Before I retired, my group had 13 engineers. Three
years after both of us senior guys left, they had 23 young engineers, doing pretty much the same work load.
Ha! That was good to know. Between the two of us we had about 75 years of stress analysis experience
when we left.

The only debt I have is intentional. I did NOT pay off the loan on the new place in the country because
the interest rate I am paying is about 1/3 of what that money is making in my investment accounts. It just
didn't seem reasonable to pay it off when it could be earning me about $10K per year more than the
cost of the interest on the loan. OTOH, my original home loan was at 12.5% And I paid
that off ASAP! I did a refi after about 5 or 6 years down to 9%, and swapped to a 15 yr, and paid it off.

But a 30 yr at 3.6%......nope, letting it ride. My heirs can pay it off from the estate if they want to keep it,
which is highly unlikely, since they do not live anywhere near here.

Do HS near you have any photography clubs? Seems like if you got a kid who love photography, you
MIGHT find one that wanted to learn from an old guy. But, if you have been doing it, you know a heck of
a lot more than I do about it.

Bill

 

[Ian]

Good advice on keeping the best customers for retirement money and learning to just say no to the headaches and overloads. Learning to firmly and politely say no without guilt or explanation may be the next thing to practice.

If you find some young know-it-all in the biz, maybe sell it to them lock, stock, and barrel. A healthy Rolodex is worth a considerable bit.

 

[Pistolero]

Yes, my little bit of engineering consulting makes good "gunshow money", and I can buy stuff
that I might otherwise just not bother with.

Bill

 

[uncle jimbo]

After running my business for 28 years, I was ready to get out. When I sold it and all the papers got signed, I done back flips out the door and never looked back. I don't miss it at all and have never regretted getting out of it.
We don't owe anything on anything. And we like being retired.

 

[fiver]

I don't know what to say.
all I know about retirement is if someone ain't got nuthin else to do than hang around the house all day they shouldn't retire.
if you been looking forward to XXXX for 10 years then get out of the business.

worrying about the clientele is admirable, but they were looking for someone when they found you.
I'd probably cherry pick my favorites and work a week a month if I had a hobby/job I really liked.

 

[RicinYakima]

How much will they miss you? Put your hand in a five gallon bucket of water. Pull it out. The air space left is how much they will miss you.

The day I quit doing drug lab raids, my computer access was cut off, I could not enter the buildings and was told to go to the desk and get a visitor's badge. When you leave , you are dead.

 

[462]

We are all individuals, but . .

To me, work was work and just a means to make it to retirement and a secure financial future. It would have been nice to have a job that was also a hobby, like being a gunsmith or owning a gun store, etc, but that didn't happen. Pie in the sky. Pipe dreams.

I retired twice, the first time two weeks before I turned 53, and the second time a few months past 60. I literally did not look back as I walked to my truck, don't miss the work, don't miss the co-workers, don't miss the clientele, don't miss any of it. Nobody misses me, neither.

I'm not a gambler, so took the cash lump sum at age 60, gave it to our financial advisor and used it to live on till age 62 and early Socialist Security. Held down the household and helped my wife when she need it, while she spent the next three years taking care of her dementiated mother (she took care of her for a total 11 years).

Life has its tough decisions, but when it came to retirement the decision was an easy one, for my wife and me.