I decided to stick it out in the frozen north this winter, and booked jobs for 2015 through October 2015. I told all my ADs that I will make up my mind about retirement next summer and if I decide to keep working a bit longer, I will let them all know by early July at the latest. They all said I'm too damned young to retire. When I told them I would be 75 in October 2015, they gasped, and said they would have never guessed.

I figure that after 65 years of working, I should begin doing nothing but fun things. (My first job was delivering circulars for a corner grocery store for .50 cents per hundred.) At age 73, and soon to be 74, I'm still working 5 to 8 jobs a week, which is insane for someone my age. My wife, for the first time in my life, agrees. She said maybe it's time to think seriously about retirement. Of course, declining health issues also have a significant bearing on this decision.

What do you think?

Gary

The thing is if you love what you do what is there for you to retire and do ? Cut down to two jobs a week or work for 6 months of the year . Just do less .. Don't stop .

The greatest health risk to anyone in my experience is retiring from the things you love . Take my advice . Reduce but don't stop .

Gary,
I officially retired at age 58 and have never looked back-this year I turned 74. When I left my career I walked out and never looked back. To this day I do not miss it and often wonder how I put up with all the BS associated with it. Since retiring I have done many things - but nothing I do not wish to do or enjoy doing. I tell everyone I can - get out of the working world as soon as you can and start living a life you really enjoy. Now I know financial issues are always an issue with retiring and what we did was to take a serious look at what we were spending money on and how that could be adjusted to fall within what we knew we would have coming in. It was simple and easy and I can truly say we have not had to do without anything we needed or wanted since then. It is all about life style and staying out of debt. I could go on but you get the point. Yes, I gig out regularly - but do so for fun and the money allows me to pay cash for equipment and a lot of other things my wife and I do. As you know, I did a few other things since retiring - worked part time for a local Best Buy store which was a blast and spent a lot of the money buying techy things from them at employee cost. Left that when it became boring.

For me retiring at age 58 was the best thing I have ever done for myself and I have zero regrets about it.

Deane

Gary,

I retired at 59 and am now 80.
I do not miss the pressure of meeting budgets and reports, but I do miss the folks I worked with every day - a great bunch or pro's.

Bill G

I feel the most important is listening to your body and mind... If you enjoy what you do, and the people you work for sure enjoy you, and you feel good, keep going. I think it keeps you healthy both in mind and body. Maybe draw back a bit on your bookings. When you start to mind going to a job, that is when you might retire. If you are still having fun, why not keep doing what your doing. Making people happy...!!!! Good Luck in whatever you decide... Ron

Hi Gary!

In all the years I have known you it never occurred to me that all the jobs you played were for the money? Of course the only point I am trying to make is that you should still play for pleasure. Even doing less gigs and maybe a few freebies you will always find an audience. You may find that that audience needs you as much as you need them!! Best wishes. -charley

Yep, I agree ... Play less , enjoy more. I retired from playing 2007 , I wish I could have kept playing , but health issues put a stop to that. If you got the choice to keep playing , if it was me , I would limit my jobs. But sometimes you have to put away the keyboards and give the stage to someone else. I,m proud to say I left with dignity and a hell of a send off. Now with more surgery pending , my stength is not there to play professionally . I wish you the best Gary, you're a hell of a entertainer.

I have enjoyed not having to go "work" every night, but I sure do miss making music and entertaining people. I think I will concentrate on private and other one at a time functions. I can charge more and not really be concerned if they hire me.
As others have said, maybe that's the way to go. Raise your prices and your list will be reduced. You can probably still make more than enough money to satisfy your vices.
Another thought. . . since you have so many great contacts and are such a good manager of the business end, maybe you could find a few qualified one-man-bands and do the booking, bookkeeping and business for them and charge commission. If anybody cancels at last minute you can fill in!

Thanks guys. I think it's more the physical constraints that tend to make me think seriously about retirement. I absolutely love what I do, and apparently, I must be doing a good job or the phone would not be wringing constantly with folks asking me to play more. However, either I'm getting weaker, or that damned equipment is gaining weight. Everything seems heavier, even that 23-pound keyboard and Bose L1 Compact.

Additionally, today's weather was beautiful, temperature in the mid 80s, nice breeze of about 15 MPH, a perfect day for sailing, but I had to work. I would rather have been out on Chesapeake Bay with wind filling the sails and watching the world go by. I'm off for the next 9 days, a stretch I placed in the schedule for taking a short cruise on my boat with my wife. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate.

I kinda figure that after working for 65 years is enough for anyone. Maybe I'll take Don Mason's advice and rise the prices, do fewer jobs and probably make the same amount of money. We'll see how things go from here. I have currently cut back to 5 to 8 jobs a week, which is a substantial decrease over what I was doing two years ago. Now, instead of playing for 52 facilities every month, I'm down to 32 locations, nearly all of which are within 20 minutes drive time from my home. If I jack up the price another $25 I'm sure that half of them will opt out.

Thanks again for your responses everyone,

Gary

are you kidding ? play music for a living is retirement......you could have a real job !!!
I knew you couldn't leave the business....lol

Isnt your Job fun fun and more fun?

Thats my only tought...

I played for free for 20 years and then descided to ask $25 per gig! I didn't get called, so I am now retired from gigging. I was a mailman for 37 years and retired now for 25 years. I am 80 and tired and retired. My body said enough is enough, yet I miss it. Hope you don't make the wrong choice, I wish you well Gary, you have and still are valuable help to all of us

I started getting my Old Age Security in April this year ( I was 65 in March), and I retired from Yamaha the same month. As it stands, I'm 90% glad I gave it up, and 10% not...I certainly don't miss the long hours on the road, especially during the winter months.

As far as gigging goes, I cut way back several years ago, and I charge a lot more per job when I do take them, so along with my pension, and my greatly reduced living costs (since selling my house and moving to an easier to maintain apartment) I get along just fine. I also do a few recording projects and private arranger tutorials that add to my income.

You can make and have all the money you want and buy lots of toys, but it ain't worth a hoot to you if your health is shot.

I've also been single (divorced) for quite some time now, and have no alimony and child support payments, and, I only have me and my own needs to look after which is also a big plus.

I'm glad I retired, and I'm glad I did it while I still have good health to enjoy all this great free time and no schedule to adhere to whatsoever. I still play every day for my own enjoyment. I haven't worn a watch in several years.

Good luck with your decision, Gary.

Ian

http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/PreventiveCare/1980



Stay busy.....keep going every day!!

Yep...it's a good idea to keep busy...boredom is a terrible enemy.

I'm never bored, especially having my music to enjoy...I've always played for my own enjoyment first.

Then I have my video games, especially my awesome driving game, and I walk every day for exercise.

I haven't had cable or satellite television in nearly 20 years and I don't miss it.

The PC has become my entertainment as well as my window on the world.

Retirement, for me, means not having a schedule to adhere to, and I like that a lot!

Ian

I'm going to be 70 this month, and just took on a job that will take the better part of 5 years to complete.

Like many, I'm faced with "parts failure"...an MRI at 2:00 pm today to make a decision about rotator surgery....rosacia of my left eye which is a constant problem....planters in my left heel...damage to my left hand from a break-in...arthritis in both hands...the list goes on.

I quit a long-time corporate job in 1995 and have been working for myself since then.


I get to teach at the university level, write for financial and professional publications, produce brochures, packaging, point-of-sale displays, instruction sheets....write, film, edit
and score films and lots of other fun stuff. Music includes scores, performance with "egghead" legit organizations. Live playing includes work at a eat little country club and restaurant as much as I want, plus my trio with my son and grandson. Then, I have several regular charities I work with and am developing a plan to get into another, big-time, with the help of several friends here.

In short, I went from a degreed accountant (hated it) to doing just what I liked, and made a reputation being pretty good at it.

It's getting harder to do 2 day productions with no sleep, and I have to really hype myself up, sometimes, but this is FUN!

Just decided to start SS, so I must be preparing for cutting back at some point.

Mostly, I do for a living what I'd do for fun.

I think it's working for me....how long, I don't know!


Russ

If it's fun, it ain't work, Russ...that's why I still like to play the occasional gig; mainly to keep the kinks out, but also, I just love playin'. It never was for the money.

I hope Gary resolves this issue into something that works well for him on all counts.

When I retired, I never felt like I was giving up...I was just starting something else.

Ian

Russ, in my case, I worked in Cardio-Pulmonary Medicine for one of the most prestigious hospitals in the world, The Johns Hopkins Hospital. I loved what I did, but I eventually burned out when I had to take care of pediatric patients with cystic fibrosis, most of which died at a very young age. I walked away from medicine in 1975 and never looked back.

I've done lots of things since then, but the best job I've ever had was music. Yes, it's a job, and it's a full-time business venture as well. At least it is when you depend upon it for a living income. As a good friend of mine said this morning, he too will soon be retiring from music and it has been one Hell of a ride. And, as I told him, if I had to live this life again, I'm not really sure if I would want to change anything, other than exposing myself to asbestos in the Navy. Granted, like anyone's life, it has been somewhat of a roller coaster, but it sure has been a fun ride and there's really not much that I have not done, or accomplished in all these years. And, I've done some crazy $hit!

One of the primary reasons I decided that 75 was the likely cutoff point for me is health issues. My lungs are shot to Hell, some body parts no longer function as they should, and I hope to spend more time doing things with my wife. During the past 52 years, we really have not spent as much time doing things together, which is primarily my fault. This will soon change with retirement. At least I hope it will.

Cheers,

Gary

I guess that means next year's jam is out ?

It's not gonna be at my house next year, Bernie. Maybe I'll put one together in 2015 if I'm in the Florida Keys, but still not sure about that at this time.

Gary

Once you start feeling you would rather be doing something other than what you ARE doing, it is time for a change ...
I worked for the same company for 40 years ... had a good job, a great staff, and a good boss who left me alone most of the time, but was there when I needed him ... when I started feeling bored with the job, I knew it was time to retire ... don't know when (if?) I'll ever retire from gigging, but no doubt that will happen at some time ...
Best of luck in your decisions, Gary ...

Most people that think so called "retirement" will ease their lifestyle quickly find out that they will be much busier then they ever were when they weren't so called "retired".
We only get one life and it goes very fast,............
Live EVERY Day as if it were your last

And, sooner or later you'll be right!

Great post, Brian...lots of wisdom in those words.

Ian

I put off doing what I really wanted to do for many years. Now I think I'll just do it! I am going to be a Viking. First I have to sharpen my skills at looting and pillaging.
Who wants to be in my crew?
As always I am totally serious about this. Don't laugh.

Tough choices Gary.

I'm 65..retired from my day job 10 years ago. We live in a rural area and we're lucky to get 2 to 4 gigs a month. I could get more gigs if I wanted to travel...which is expensive.

Even at 65 years young, I still struggle a bit with hauling keyboards, amps and you name it. A few years back, a 40lb. speaker was nothing...now, I've got to think about whether or not to bring something bigger along.

I'm still hauling the Tyros 4 because it can do so much more than our S950. But there is a weight difference.

You mentioned doing a number of gigs a week. Any thoughts of just cutting back?

One other thing....

This morning I had breakfast with a bunch of friends in a town that I grew up in.

We had a band back in the 60's. We all returned to the area when we retired and started doing music again. My 60's band mates include an M.D., an investment banker, a guy who has run city governments and you name it.

Thing is, it's music that keeps us linked...not the jobs we had when...

Do you really ever get the music out of your blood?

And Gary, if you retire, will you really retire?

my answer to both questions is "I don't think so" ... when I moved to Rhode Island and left the band we had in New York for 26 years I was devastated ... I did not play a gig for 7 years ... but I started again and I am still doing it ... once music is part of your life I think it remains part of your life for ever ...

At one time it didn't matter, but now it's everything in moderation, even moderation itself. I pretty much do everything I ever did, only these days it's in smaller doses. I keep to 10 to 12 gigs a month - that's my comfort level at the moment. Luckily, I have always, and still do, enjoyed good health. I know that's a different scenario for you, but somewhere there's a comfort level that works for you. I wish you the very best in whatever you decide.

Were you an MD, Gary? There's more burnout in that game than just about any other.

My 2 cents worth..............I've been blessed, my wife and I were able to take an early retirement without any financial worries, she retired at 60, myself at 62 in December 2013. I loved my work as MIS manager of a 3 office law firm in the Boston area...........and that was the problem the "BOSTON AREA" traffic jams and long commutes, not the work I did. If the headquarters had stayed in the suburbs of Boston where I was originally hired to work I would without a doubt still be working, I went from a 35 minute commute to one that was 90 minutes each way......... 3 hours on the road daily, did it for 2 years and that was enough.........and if there was an accident or snow during the commute it could become 3 hours ONE WAY.

With that said Gary, I was a mirserable the first 60 days of retirement, I still have days I wish I had to show up at the office. How to handle not working after being in the workforce for 48 years? The first few weeks I got up at the usual 5 AM and just couldn't stay home so I went to the gym for a workout. March we went on the road for 5 weeks to sunny Florida, that was a fun break. Then came the arranger jam you and Carol hosted in July............nice no worries about taking time out of work to come to the jam.

I'm taking this year as an adjustment year, I play a few gigs here and there but I need to get my butt in gear and do some marketing. Meanwhile just to keep the brain active I studied material to earn an amateur radio license and passed both the Tech and General license exams on the same day, I'm a photography nut as well that fills the time too. Now that the weather has been great my wife and I speed walk 5 miles per day 6 days per week and the fringe benefit is we both dropped some unwanted pounds since starting the walking program in early June. This coming December 28th we'll take the drive with our 2 dogs to central Florida where we will stay until Apirl 30th then head back north.

Bottom line after all my BS about what I'm doing retired the satisfaction for me comes rom doing something productive. If I were half as busy a musician as you are that would top things off nicely........but at times I'm just a wanna be that's gets frustrated not playing more gigs. Has a tendency to pi$$ me off since after putting down the sauce 30 years ago I've had 2 successful careers one in sales for a Fortune 500 company, then leaving the job with a buyout/retirement program, going back for a degree in computer and network servicing technology and working that for 15 years.

Knowing what I know of you Gary, you'll have to continue entertaining even if it's only an occasional gig. END OF STORY

Gary I quit brick 13 1/2 years ago. I don't have anything to say, but don't kill yourself hauling music gear around. There's life after music. Get an English Bulldog puppy, that will keep ya busy and you'll love it like your kids, and it won't kill ya friend. Watch Gunsmoke and all of the westerns on YouTube. Get a football team to follow. Like the Saints, not the Eagles they will just wear ya down mentally and might kill ya. Ain't that right Dave? Donny? Man this was fun again getting Dave, oh! and Donny too.

I have really cut back a lot during the past two years. I went from 440 jobs a year to 250, which for me is a huge cutback. Steve, as you saw when you were here, I have a fairly large piece of land to take care of. I have 7 rock gardens, all of which need maintenance, 2.5 acres of lawn to cut every 5 to 8 days, plus that 33-foot Morgan sailboat that needs constant maintenance in order to sail. So, I will still have lots of things to keep me busy.

My biggest concern right now is my health issues, which are insurmountable. There is no cure for asbestosis - IT WILL KILL ME! I WILL slowly, but surely suffocate to death. My best hope is that a massive heart attack gets me first, but I doubt that I'll be that fortunate.

As Donny keeps saying "Live every day as if it were your last." Well, that last day is coming a lot faster than I was hoping for. Of course, things like that are real easy to say, but in reality, you cannot live that way. You still have to plan ahead for many, many things, including death.

I would love to continue performing at the level I currently enjoy, but from my medical background in Cardio-Pulmonary medicine I know that cannot happen for very long. Tonight, I did a happy hour at an assisted living facility in Towson, MD. I've been doing this job for about 8 years, the audience loves me, and lots of visitors come on the nights I perform. Everyone always want to know the date when I will return so they can mark it on their calendars. Tonight, while unloading the gear from the van, I began to feel a bit lightheaded. I carry a pulse-oximeter with me all the time and checked my oxygen saturation - it was down to 89. I sat down in van, turned on the AC, and did some special breathing techniques to increase the oxygen saturation. After about 5 minutes, I was able to continue to push the equipment into the building and set up. However, at this point, there are some songs I can no longer perform because of the structure of the song, songs where you must carry long notes. I no longer have the lung capacity for them. This is what I'm facing.

Overall, as I said in a previous post, it has been one Hell of a ride. I've done things in this life that many people on dream of doing. As Carol always says, our marriage has been anything but boring.

Next year, I will probably cut out a dozen more locations, and only do those within 20 minutes drive time of my home. However, that will still be at least 15 locations, which translates to 180 jobs a year. Come October 2015, I will make the decision of where to go after that.

Cheers,

Gary

Hi Gary:

I've heard all the good points about "retirement" from the others and unless you are prepared for it... there are adjustments required. Your health should come first but unless you feel that you are at risk if you continue, I would advise taking it in small steps. The interaction with those who appreciate what you do plus the income derived are both important factors is easing you into "the life of ease."

If your wife is not prepared to have you underfoot for 24/7 the strain may be difficult for her to manage... as well as you. I hope you have a ton of interests and hobbies (hopefully not too strenuous unless your condition is "up to it.!")

Most importantly, the monetary reserves and/or investments must be considered very carefully. If a steady income cannot be supported from investments, rental properties or other means... hopefully, you are personally wealthy... then that is the greatest hill to climb in retiring. Adjusting to a fixed income from social security and hopefully, a 401k or other retirment vehicle... may require many changes in your lifestyle.

I have been one of the lucky ones in that regard but the adaptation from "full speed ahead" to "full stop" or anything in between can require an attitude adjustment of stringent proportions. Just the change from your daily routine can be a large hurdle to overcome.

It isn't all bad with proper planning. Thank God I play golf and chess and still create songs. Without them and the support of an understanding soulmate... I'd be in "Bonkersville!"

Don't rush into this. Take your time if possible. If you have questions or concerns, send me a PM and I'll do my best to fill in the gaps to make the transition easier.

My work, back in the day, was exciting and at a break-neck speed. The responsibility for a large staff and the constant travel were tough enough to balance... then full stop. Not an easy transition but I have muddled through. You can too.

All my best,

Dave

Gary yes your property will keep you busy, just going up and down the hill is enough to keep you busy! Sorry to hear of your ongoing issues, but you certainly know how to make the best of a not so good situation!

Dave, sitting around and doing absolutely nothing would put me in a rubber room in about three days. I know folks that did this, and for the most part, they didn't live very long. I go absolutely nuts when we get a heavy snow and I cannot get out of the house to do my performances.

As for hobbies, well, that 33-foot Morgan is a great way to piss away your hard earned money and spend lots of leisure time either sailing, or just maintaining the boat. One of the things I really enjoy this time of year is spending the weekend sailing down Chesapeake Bay, finding a sheltered cove and anchoring up for the night. After dropping the anchor, I usually fire up the boat's gas grill, cook supper, mix a tall Margaretta and enjoy the sunset. It's one of the most relaxing things anyone can do, at least from my perspective. However, running the sailboat is a fair amount of exercise in itself. Anyone that has ever been aboard a sailboat will tell you it's not like driving a car.



Financially, I'm one of the few, that I know of, full-time musician/entertainers that actually created their own retirement program. I started this program 20 years ago, knowing that no one could possibly survive on Social Security alone. And, even though I have mandatory withdraws because of my age, I continue to contribute to the retirement program, all I can legally contribute, which usually offsets the withdraws. I have so many friends in this business that have never put a dime in the bank for retirement, many of which whom have passed away and left their spouses deeply in debt.

Additionally, I fully intend to cheat the funeral industry. I'm making arrangements to have my body donated to the University of Maryland School Of Medicine when I kick the bucket. If some 1st year resident can learn how to properly open a chest, brain, stomach, etc... using my old carcass I will be happy about it. From my perspective, the entire funeral industry is a massive rip off and they take advantage of grieving spouses - even for cremations. With the medical school donation, after one year, they cremate the remains and bring them to the surviving spouse in a container. So, old Gary can be put in the closet, sat upon the fireplace mantel, or just dumped into Chesapeake Bay. Of course, you have to get a hazardous waste permit from the feds to dump the ashes in the bay, which is ridiculous. Carol could also use my ashes for garden mulch. Forget the viewings, caskets, grave opening and closing expenses, etc... I told Carol to take a couple grand out of the retirement account and throw the biggest damned wake she wants. If she wishes, she can have a memorial service at the same time.

Now, a few years ago, I was hoping that I would be able to perform till the day I died, but obviously, that's not gonna happen. Long before then, I was hoping to be shot in the back of the head by a jealous husband while I was climbing out a second story window with my pants down around my ankles and a 19-year-old drop-dead gorgeous gal screaming "Don't leave me, Gary - Don't leave me." That ain't gonna work out either.

When I get around to retiring, there will be a fair amount of musical equipment up for sale. As for the boat, I've already told my children to take care of selling it so Carol will not have that burden.

Thanks again for the comments and recommendations, everyone,

Gary

Gary instead you should of made this thread titled.....


"Serious thoughts about "ENJOYING LIFE" Every Day" instead of all this dismal ranting that is depressing the crap out of me ...think Happy Thoughts buddy .......go Sail your boat and play music for people and make them happy and yourself too......
put all that negative life BS in the garbage pail & be thankful you have the Gift of Music in your life to share with others.
That said I'm off to a 6 gig 3 day weekend Oh baby let's Party!!!!

You sound like you are going about this in the right way Gary...it is a big step, and the more prepared you are for the life changes it will bring, the better.

Personally, I slipped into retirement quite easily, probably because I'm naturally very lazy, and also because I've always kept my lifestyle relatively simple, and, more importantly, I've always played my keyboard firstly for my own enjoyment, with playing for others a secondary (and often profitable) consideration.

That's probably why I don't miss gigging steady that much, although I will take a job if it suits me. I'm presently getting set up to do a lot of recording over the winter (and I certainly don't miss gigging at that time of year) and archiving all the tunes I loved playing over the years. I'll probably organize them into several CDs which I'll either give away to friends, or maybe even sell some to cover the cost of materials.

Retirement may seem daunting at first, but try to take it one day at a time, and don't miss out on your present life by being worried, or overly concerned, about the future.

That's all the advice I feel I'm qualified to give, and I hope your changeover goes smoothly.

Ian

And - you can not save time for later use.

It is the one thing we all get the same amount of - 24/7 ...it is how we use it that matters ...

Please remember me Ian when that cd is finished !

Hi Gary:

I always suspected you would be the type to plan well for retirement. We've never met but your on-line demeanor has always been kind and generous. I'm pleased to know you have covered all the bases... now enjoy life and take care of any and all health issues.

All my best,

Dave

Go for it. You will be free to custom design the ideal day. You make the rules, and get to decide what activity to engage in, which venue you enjoy playing the most, and how you spend your time. Finally, you are in control, not your engagement book.

Unless you want to be the richest guy in the cemetery.

For me "Every day is Sunday."

Regards,

Jerryghr

Hi Worth...yes, I will do up one for you. and I'll get your home address from you via private email when it's ready. Getting started is the most difficult part.

The DVD you sent me of the kids and the choir has been enjoyed by several other people here at my apartment complex. They were very impressed at the quality, but even more so at the dedication shown by all involved.

Ian