Retirement?

[GreyLord]

I am somewhat retired, at least from my main job I used to work. I live off stock holdings (which took a dire hit over the past few months, I might add). They are distributed in various ways so even if one dies off, I still should have money coming in. So far it allows me to live comfortably, but I don't know how the future will go.

(Edit: Can this make me nervous. Absolutely. In some ways it can be worse than when you work, because I am now dependant on a more volatile source in some ways than the guaranteed income or salary. It may be that I'll have to go back and work till I die in the future, you just never know).

I have a LOT more time for gaming, but I've found as the years go on I am involved more and more with the community these days and other things. It is surprising how much you can find to do that takes up time by volunteering. There are even areas you can volunteer with RPGs (for example, running a D&D game at the library, or helping out with such a thing at a youth center, etc).

I still play plenty, but I am finding that I have less time to do so recently due to other things I am doing these days. Retirement can be surprisingly full of things and activities (sometimes moreso than when you were employed! but normally you can be more picky about what activities you want to be engaged in) and occasionally if you own enough stocks, you get dragged into things with those stocks or companies (the not fun part).

I have also sponsored teams and organizations, and now that I have time, I can actually attend events for them (used to be I didn't have the time at all, so I was just a blank face to them most likely) and that takes time as well.

I joke about when I can actually retire/retire and not do as much stuff as I am doing now and rest. Life can be surprisingly busy, even in retirement. It can get busy enough that you might not even have time to play RPGs, or have to schedule it out like you do now!

 

[Hex08]

From a certain perspective, you only need the DMG, PH and MM to have a lifetime of fun.

the drive to buy more games, variety, newness, FOMO, that's just human foible.

I have to disagree here. While playing D&D forever may appeal to some, I am pretty sure that would drive me from the hobby. I have been playing D&D since around 1981 and finally abandoned the game after 3.5 for Pathfinder and abandoned Pathfinder (as a GM anyway) shortly before 2E was announced. I still play the occasional Castles and Crusades game but most of my enjoyment comes from playing a variety of games and systems. I also have a reasonably sized collection of board games, not because I am afraid of missing out, but because as much as I love board games playing the same one forever would bore me to tears. Rather than a foible, variety, in my view, is strength and gives you the chance to exercise different mental muscles.

Luckily, I should be able to retire in my early to mid 60's (about 10 years). I have a decent 401k and was lucky enough to inherit some money. As long as I don't become a full-blown alcoholic and waste all my money on booze I should be ok although it will be tighter than what I am used to.

For a long time I considered moving to another, cheaper country and giving up my US citizenship to avoid the insane taxes expats have to pay but moving so far from friends and family doesn't seem worth it.

 

[Arilyn]

I'm semi-retired. I do contract teaching positions, then off for a while. I like it. Plenty of gaming time.

 

[Janx]

I have to disagree here. While playing D&D forever may appeal to some, I am pretty sure that would drive me from the hobby. I have been playing D&D since around 1981 and finally abandoned the game after 3.5 for Pathfinder and abandoned Pathfinder (as a GM anyway) shortly before 2E was announced. I still play the occasional Castles and Crusades game but most of my enjoyment comes from playing a variety of games and systems. I also have a reasonably sized collection of board games, not because I am afraid of missing out, but because as much as I love board games playing the same one forever would bore me to tears. Rather than a foible, variety, in my view, is strength and gives you the chance to exercise different mental muscles.

different strokes, different folks. Plenty of people play chess, canasta, or bridge their whole damn lives just fine.

D&D (or just about any RPG) isn't the ruleset, it's the infinite variety of what we do inside of it that keeps it fresh for me. That's what makes it unlike board games. Because yeah, if I had to play one board game the rest of my life, I'd be bored, too.

 

[Emirikol]

I met with my financial guy last Friday. Im 50 and on track to retire at 65. Time isnt so much a factor now as energy and enthusiasm. Dunno what that will be 15 yrs from now.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I've been effectively retired for a decade now. Fortunately, my younger wife is hitting the best part of her career, so all I have to do is be a vaguely effective househusband. Well, and GM.

 

[Willie the Duck]

Goodness, I feel kinda bad, given what some have said. I'm approaching 50 and could retire at 55 if I desire (probably won't, but also probably won't seek upward career trajectory after that point). My adult life started off horribly (life-altering injury, PTSD, 3 tries to get through undergrad, developed a substance use disorder), but between ~30 and now, everything has been going unprecedentedly well, both in general and financially. I am eternally thankful.

 

[ART!]

I can't see ever being able to afford to retire. I'll probably be aged out of whatever job I have at the time, and wind up flipping burgers or greeting people at Walmart or whatever jobs "old people" get.

 

[payn]

I have always wanted to go into teaching, but my career and education went other places. I am hoping at some point to catch up with my grad school profs and see about teaching one class a semester. Eventually, I'll hang up my corpo ties and just teach in my twilight years as something to keep my mind busy.

 

[aco175]

My father finally retired last year at 73He is complaining about having to spend money and take things out of the profit sharing plan. They have plenty for retirement but live rather simply and do not have any big plans to travel or such. We only play D&D so not too many books and he stopped getting figures and dice like 20 years ago, so maybe the 2024 edition of PHB he will buy, or reimburse me for getting a copy when I get mine. He has plenty of time, but everyone else is working all day. My mother threatens to send him to volunteer at the Colonial Reenactment Town located nearby to get him out of the house.

Growing up he always said retirement was just waiting around to die. Not sure how he feels now.