OK - I am far, far from retirement. But, I kinda have a dumb question. What are you guys going to do with your free time? I have a busy medical practice but when I am off or not busy then I go stir crazy. I don't mind taking a few days off once in a while but really what would I do with 5 years or 10 years off. Don't get me wrong - I have plenty of hobbies but that doesn't mean I want to do them on a daily basis. For eg, I love cars, working on them, going to the dealerships, tracking them etc etc. That doesn't mean I want to be a mechanic or a car sales man.
my career was professional salesperson (high tech / software last 23) and my approach to working was always that is was
a job, not my life; my personal time and - when my family life began -is / was far more important to me than my paid job.
since i got out of the af in the summer of '75 i've made a point of working for 2-5 years @ a gig, then take anywhere from 3-30+ months off. my wife is a career person - much more professionally-minded than i - so in addition to our savings / retirement funds, cash flow has always been fine (we manage our expenses conservatively.).
over the years, i've moved up / to different roles in US and intl companies, had a great time and did ok financially. we frequently included our kids business travel so our boys great up with a broader view of the world.
as for what i do with my time now, well... it's obvious i spend time on prime... i like the community. but that has happened with more frequency over the past 1-2 years because i've been working on a series of writing projects so use prime as a social outlet. with this round of "time off" (not working for a company), i've taught myself guitar, begun keeping bees, gotten in more bicycle riding, a bit more photography and now that i've told my reader-audience i'll begin doing consulting in october, am completing my professional book project while booking consulting gigs for the fall / year-end.
i'm also the house-dude, which i love: i enjoy taking care of the house / creatures and my wife. (i cook but don't do windows
save serious illness, i imagine i'll continue this process for the remainder of my life - all aspects are enjoyable and give me a well-balanced life.
to others i would say, "what 3 things would you like to spend more time doing if you weren't working for someone else?" then ask yourself "how do i get there?"
i never missed a summer / birthday / family event because of work... and i have the photos, videos and warm memories to help me remember as the years go by.
rant mode off