Are you ready for retirement? The days of working a set schedule meant the world to your younger self. Today, you yearn for the ultimate vacation package. One that includes a schedule set to your preferences, all in your best interest. You’ve thought about retirement but aren’t sure if the time is right. How can you tell? 

1. Only Think About Retirement

If you begin daydreaming about your retirement before you even clock in for the day, you might be ready to say goodbye to the office. We look toward the future to make us happy when we’re unsatisfied with current circumstances. In some cases, this materializes as someone looking to find a new job that fuels their passion. For older individuals, this could look like a chance to make that last lurch toward retirement. 

2. Work Stresses You

When work stresses you out more than calms or helps you maintain a relaxed state of mind, the retirement door is not too far out of sight. Sure, work brings about stress and aggravated moods sometimes, but if the job unleashes constant stressors to the point of impacting your mental health, you may want to kickstart the retirement process. 

3. Financially Stable 

One of the main reasons workers remain at their jobs long after they want to is to generate income. How can you retire without a constant cash flow and no savings? Once you approach the financially stable side of pre-retirement, you can begin jump-starting the plan to retire. With a stable retirement fund, the worry about how you will afford the lengthy time post-career days fades away. 

4. Burned Out

Is it time to abandon the career you pledged 40 years to? Depends on the circumstance. Showing up to work drained and emotionally exhausted, incapable of committing to work’s daily tasks, points to signs of burnout. We become burned out as a result of the utmost exhaustion. We lose the passion and sight of what we once loved as it fades into a mere memory. We can’t quite find the love we had for our job, meaning we either need a break or a cessation from the profession. Burning out close to retirement might signify a need to accelerate the retirement phase.  

5. No Debt

So you’re financially stable with no debt. Congratulations! You’ve reached a milestone millions of people hope to accomplish in their lifetimes. Someone who displays financial stability with no debt has little reason to stay at their job unless, of course, they’re passing the time or enjoying their career. Eradicating debt pre-retirement removes something to worry about post-retirement. Replace worries regarding debt with time spent soaking up retirement’s relaxation. 

6. Reached Social Security Age

Full retirement age ranges between 66 and 67. Reaching Social Security’s full retirement age dictates the percentage of the Social Security package you earn. People who wait til they age out of the program receive 100% of their funds; people who age out early receive a fraction of their funds, a seeming form of punishment for cashing out early. Say you’ve reached the full social security age and are ready to launch into your retirement life. Many older workers wait a bit longer after the full social security age to add interest to their packages, earning extra cash. 

7. You Can Afford It

The ability to afford a life worth living keeps humans working. Millions of people eke out years of their lives in order to make a profitable life for themselves and their families. They work day after day to earn their wages, setting the funds toward a bigger picture where they don’t need to work. What if you’ve already worked toward your goal? You’ve achieved that financial freedom you promised yourself years ago and want to settle into your later years. Go for it.  

8. Lost Passion For Work

It’s okay to admit the passion for your dream job withered away. Seasons operate on a time scale, just like human passion. One season, we plan to take up a career as an astronaut, the next a lawyer. We can’t pinpoint when we’ll grow tired of our passions, though we can plan an escape route should it happen. People debating retirement must assess their current feelings toward their professions, regardless of how they once felt toward their careers. 

9. Wanting to Branch Out

Stuck staring out a metaphorical (or physical) window, watching children run around free-spirited? You long for that sense of liberation, unbound to any desk job or strict schedule. At night, you watch videos of freelancers who retired, chasing their lifelong dreams of selling their art, wishing you, too, lived the dream. Retirement brings that liberated dream to fruition. Fall fully into the idea driving your enthusiasm. 

10. Jealous of Retired People

Catch yourself watching cheesy retirement commercials with a smug smile plastered on your face, mimicking the actors' actions. Do you scoff when someone speaks about retirement during conversations? You may be ready to make the leap. 

11. Depressed

Showing up to work every day and knowing friends and colleagues made plans for a pickleball match that afternoon decreases serotonin levels. Desiring to exist anyplace except the office results in significant mood changes and stress levels. Older folks facing bouts of depression for work-related reasons or mental health conditions need to prioritize their well-being. Depression leaks into every life aspect, clouding work and making certain tasks difficult or impossible. Speak with a mental health professional about your situation and the best course of action to handle depression pre- and post-retirement. 

12. Family Wants You to

The grandkids beg you to come play with them after school. You inform them that you can’t because you're at work. Your friends hope you come over for noon coffee hour at the bakery. You give them the same saddened response, moseying toward the office. Friends and family calling for retirement doubles as a sign to retire, as long as financial concerns are in place. 

13. Feeling Alone

Are you feeling alone in a job because all your colleagues left for retirement? Or are you feeling alone since you no longer relate to anyone left at the office? Maybe you feel alone for another reason, but feeling alone is a common factor in people thinking about retiring. Pre-retirees often stay at their jobs for fear of losing their community. However, countless retirement groups and communities exist to provide retirees with new communities and support systems. 

14. Poor Health

As we age, our bodies require an increased amount of maintenance. If medical complications occur, we make frequent doctor visits, which is an inconvenience to the working world. All ages should regard health as a priority, especially those growing towards retirement. Working a demanding job while dealing with detrimental health takes a heavy toll on the worker, as they can’t commit full focus to either matter. Retiring to prioritize health demonstrates an abundance of self-love. 

15. Have a Plan

You established a plan years ago, bracing for the eventual day you’d toss in the office keys and hug your bosses goodbye. You planned out every facet of the plan, including the farewell letter, yet you haven’t carried out the plan yet. What’s stopping you?