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Elbee
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28-02-2011, 10:24 AM
1

What do you think I should do?

I am 52 in April. I resigned form my job last February 2010 having been given a hard time by the company and my boss.

Targets that were set became increasingly impossible to achieve and I had a 70 mile each way driving commute.

It got to the stage that I just had to get away - in short I needed a break. The stress was dreadful. I was treated badly and not appreciated.

I spent the first half of the year catching up on all those DIY jobs that you put off when time is scarce and I even had time to watch every game of the World Cup, another reason for resigning!

Then in August I began the long struggle to find a new job.

I have always been very successful in everything I have done and have qualities and experience that most employers would kill for.

However, recuitment seems to be controlled by agencies who post false jobs on online bulletin boards so they can acquire numeropus CV's for their businesses. The real jobs are scarce.

I have had four interviews: the first no job existed but the company interviewed me anyway as they hoped to win some contracts in five months or so!

The second was not really sustainable and I was over qualified. The third was a real job but I never heard anything following my interview. The latest last week, I attended an interview 100 miles away for a contract the employer had'nt even won yet!

The process is getting me down and if I am honest, I dont think I can bare to work for a boss again, apart from the money, I like my quiet life with my partner who is 12 years older than I am.

Unlike a lot of people, I have savings. They wont last forever, but would last us 5 years.

I can take an annuity from private pensions in three years time although this would only provide around £3k a year!

What would you do? We can "get by" but we are not happy as we have the prospect of the savings disappearing and maybe my having to work in later life.

On the other hand, with the tax regime and inflation stealing my savings perhaps spending it all and relying on state help when it is all gone may be better option.

Health wise I have just learned I have high cholestral, and raised "pre diabetis" glucose levels as well as being astmatic and coeliac disease (gluten allergy). I dont feel I will make old bones. I have been told by my GP that I have a 17% chance of a stroke or heart attack in the next 10 years.

Should I give up and have whatever time we have left now and spend my savings while I am still active or carrying on looking for work?
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Aerolor
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28-02-2011, 03:07 PM
2

Re: What do you think I should do?

I think it would be very difficult for anyone to give a firm opinion on what you should do Elbee.
You have said that you are almost 52 and that you have savings to last 5 years and you also have an annuity of approx, £3,000 pa. which is due in approximately 3 years.
If you spent your savings you would only be 57 when they are gone - quite a long way to go before retirement pension is payable. Also the benefits system is changing and it may not be very easy to get benefits soon.
You don't say what you do for a living or whether you would be willing to try something else - you are quite a way for retirement at 52 and I think I would keep trying for a job and try to hold onto my savings.
The one thing I think I would do if I could would be to pay off a mortgage if you are a house owner. If you need to claim benefits later on then that would get rid of savings as well as giving you the security of being able to keep your home.
Can't be much more help really - perhaps others will come along with other ideas.
Best wishes and I hope things change for the better soon. Rena
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Elbee
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01-03-2011, 08:46 AM
3

Re: What do you think I should do?

I should have said that my mortgage is paid off and I dont have any children!

I worked in construction site management all my life and dont now feel or believe a change of direction would be worthwhile given my age.

I know I am not the only one not working but at least I have savings and can survive a few years.

Inflation is going to be very serious in the next few years and the givernment isnt telling us everything. The current stock market rally is only being fuelled by QE too and a crash is on the cards next year.

AND I am not sure about my health either!
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01-03-2011, 11:16 AM
4

Re: What do you think I should do?

It sounds as if you are halfway to deciding what is the best thing for you Elbee and its always good when the mortgage has been cleared. Are you able to find out more about your health status. Folks often think they are not going to live a long life and it can be very different. People always compare others to themselves and we are all different, but when I was 52 I could not imagine life without work. I have only just finished at 64 and have found it quite hard to adjust to retirement. My husband was different, he finished early before me and once he adjusted has been happily retired for about 16 years. Whatever you do try and plan it so that you can get maximum benefit for your future years. Good luck.
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Losos
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01-03-2011, 02:15 PM
5

Re: What do you think I should do?

Originally Posted by Aerolor ->
It sounds as if you are halfway to deciding what is the best thing for you Elbee and its always good when the mortgage has been cleared. Are you able to find out more about your health status. Folks often think they are not going to live a long life and it can be very different. People always compare others to themselves and we are all different, but when I was 52 I could not imagine life without work. I have only just finished at 64 and have found it quite hard to adjust to retirement. My husband was different, he finished early before me and once he adjusted has been happily retired for about 16 years. Whatever you do try and plan it so that you can get maximum benefit for your future years. Good luck.
Exactly what I wanted to say too, it's a very personal thing but TBH at 52 I think you should continue to look for work but maybe be a bit more critical of the agencies. They used to find me contracts all over the place and I found myself working away from home Mon. to Thu. night every week of the year, it's not ideal but enabled me to build a good 'reserve' which I invested and use as an income supplement.

I also wish you good luck, have you thought about changing career, it'll be less money but might be much less stressful and get you out of the house a few days a week I won't make any suggestions on this very public forum but you can look at my signature and decide if you want to PM me.
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Manxman
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01-03-2011, 04:26 PM
6

Re: What do you think I should do?

Elbee, I am off work due to being ill, nearly a year now. At times bored sick but not very mobile cannot get to stores, car boots or auction rooms to name a few places.

I have thought about be coming a seller on EBAY. I have a good digital camera, easy enough to get some pieces of crushed velvet, a nice rich blue and another of red for example. Ruler, tape measure. Some thing to drape the material over, a chair little stage area, shelf, the world is your oyster.Some suitable packaging, padded envelopes, Boxes and fillings.

Now what are you going to sell your tat is someone else's treasure. I would start off with something simple, perhaps an old CD that I have downloaded to to a PC a long time ago and is now on my MP3 player as well. So the CD is just catching dust. So I open an EBAY account, which I already have, create a selling account if I have not already. Read up on the helpful tips.

Now I need to show what I have on offer, present the CD on my stage taking pictures of the front and back of the CD Jewel, showing title and play list, show the CD both front and back showing that it is not scratched and in perfect condition.

The price, yes you paid £15-00 for it 10 years ago but what price now, you can hunt around the web and see what other similar items are going for, that will set a bench mark for you, do you set a reserve, maybe.

You can make money on the mailing, insurance, packaging. Take your item packed to your local post office and weigh it and get your pricing. It is common practice to add a bit of extra here for your time and travel.

So you are happy with how your first venture went and you showed a small but realistic profit be it 50p or £50.00. What next.

Do you empty the house of all you unwanted clutter, Unused Christmas Presents. Family hand outs from dead relatives that you never liked. Or do you go to WH Smiths and have a look at their end of line baskets, same for wine shops, closing down sales, charity shops. How about going early to the Car boot, a Thursday browsing in an Auction Room, with your catalog in hand and writing down how much you would pay for some EBAY bargains. I would not go to buy anything but sit in a seat with a hot drink, note who the dealers are and mark what was sold for what price. Then go home and search EBAY for what I could re-sell at a nice profit.

Oh I wish I could get out and do this myself, a part time job working for myself and a potential of making a living, as well as being my own boss, your good Lady, may like to get involved. I have friends who do this and some make hand made cards to sell.

Bottom line, be your own boss, work your own hours, social meetings in shops and auction rooms, having the pleasure of involving your Lady, extra money. Being content.

I honestly hope this helps to give you the enthusiasm to go and start a new venture.

Adrian
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Elbee
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02-03-2011, 01:13 PM
7

Re: What do you think I should do?

Not interested in E bay i'm affraid!

I have thought about maybe selling photographs via the web. Friends tell me I seem to be quiet good at it. A local shop is selling A4 size photos of our beach for £12!

Problem is for every year I work in my career, I can earn 5 times what I could messing about self employed at home doing hobby stuff.

I am getting my website going now and increasing visitors so maybe that will be my rescue.

See signature link at bottom if you want a look! I add more content pages most days.
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Losos
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02-03-2011, 10:10 PM
8

Re: What do you think I should do?

Originally Posted by Elbee ->
See signature link at bottom if you want a look! I add more content pages most days.
Ah, RightMove had better look out as I'm looking at retirement homes right now I thought I would see McCarthy & Stone on there, but didn't.

New 'sheltered' homes are in demand (Well I thought they were) so maybe you could look into that.
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Elbee
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03-03-2011, 08:59 AM
9

Re: What do you think I should do?

You need to be VERY CAREFUL with this type of development.

As you were writing your reply, I was in the process of writing a page on Retirement Developments. It will be uploaded later today. I will give the link here.

The main cause for concern is very high service charges and exit fees when you sell.

The Churchill Retirment Living (run by John McCarthy!) and McCarthy and Stone are the most well known, but there are many others.

I once worked for McCarthy and Stone and was so appalled at the way the elderly were "sold" these homes and the shoddy way they were built I left after just three weeks. That was 25 years ago.

Better to find a nice bungalow by the sea?
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Losos
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03-03-2011, 06:12 PM
10

Re: What do you think I should do?

Originally Posted by Elbee ->
Better to find a nice bungalow by the sea?
Thanks - I am looking at those as well
 
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