Thanks for your replies.
It wasn’t a spike and lasted about 5 minutes, resting heart rate is usually around 45, although it seems to be nearer 55 the last couple of days. Maybe I am coming down with something!
Will check again in a few days.
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Was a report out in the last few days saying about the rise in people over 50 still working, has jumped about 6% since the early 90’s. Similar rises in the over 60’s as well. I was actually surprised at how many had retired by 50.
Reasons cited included the redistribution of wealth, and increasing state pension age. Also says that because people like a much more extravagant lifestyle to a few years ago they are working longer to fund it. I’m sure I saw a figure that people were aiming for £23k PA in retirement, but it’s not obvious if that’s after tax or not.
I suppose jobs for life at big state employers like BT, British gas etc. and the associated pensions probably kept it down in previous years.
I’m still aiming for somewhere around 57 give or take, dependent on how well my ISA etc. goes.
I was talking to a friend at work a few weeks ago who commented that when her parents were our age (51) we considered them really old! Now we are at that age it doesn’t seem so bad. But there’s a lot of people my age still living like they are a lot younger compared to 25-30 years ago, I think.
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How much due to the change in jobs, I believe in the 80’s the mineworkers for example were hurried out in downsizing the industry by being able to retire earlier (which was probably sensible given their low life expectancy) I imagine lots of similar jobs led to early retirement by dint of not being able to work any more as the industries closed, as opposed to “people wanting an extravagnant lifestyle”…
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Like signing up for an ironman 
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In the 80s a lot of pension schemes were showing big surpluses, so companies plundered their pension funds when they were downsizing and gave people enhanced pension benefits for early retirement instead of paying redundancy. A lot of people retired in their early 50s during that period.
The rules changed a few years ago and now you can’t access your pension until you’re 55 unless you’re retiring early for ill health (I assume this is different for military pensions?). There can’t be that many people who can afford to stop working before their pension kicks in, unless they’ve got income from investments outside of their pension. I’m intending to retire when I hit 55, but it helps that we don’t have kids and we bought our house in London in the 90s, which we’ll sell and move somewhere cheaper.
For a £23k PA pension it doesn’t make much difference if you are talking pre- or post-tax because you’re not paying much tax at that level. If you’re not including State pension in that figure then I think you roughly need to apply a 20x multiplier to work out the size of pension pot to achieve that at 60, so about £500k. Obviously the earlier you retire, the more you need in your pension pot to achieve that.
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Yes, there was a big move away from traditional industries and manufacturing in the 80’s, also production lines became a lot more automated. I also suspect there were more women that didn’t work in those days? I certainly remember several friends (and my own) whose mother’s didn’t have a paid job, granted raising 3 kids wasn’t easy!
As whisk says, perhaps some got better pensions so could afford a nicer lifestyle? But these days the drive for a new car every 2-3 years, same with mobile phones and other subscriptions etc. means you’ve got to have a reasonably good and steady income to pay for it.
Appreciate that’s a bit of a sweeping statement about middle England and there are other demographics that can’t afford to live like that.
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And they’re talking about raising that private pension age beyond 55 I think? Luckily I’m close enough to it that it shouldn’t affect me. The tax on £23k is only about £2k I think?
I’m similar to yourself, no kids and we bought our house in the early 00’s I think, not much point in us moving though and it probably won’t release capital like yourself. But I’ve been paying into my AVC for nearly 20 years as well as the defined benefit pension. 55 might be a stretch but don’t envisage going much beyond 57. Luckily I can just go onto our pension site and get an idea of how much I should get at a specific year.
Equally I’m still trying to enjoy things now, just a shame travel is difficult 
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Yes, they’re changing it to 10 years before your state retirement age, but I think I’m 55 just before the change kicks in so avoid having to work for another couple of years.
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I didn’t know this was happening. Not 55 for another 18 months.
The chances of me retiring before 60 are diminishing🙄
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I was talking to someone at the weekend who’s planning to take early retirement next year aged 50. he works in the oil and gas industry and has been offered a (very) generous package to take voluntary redundancy which he’s planning to do and fill his time with some ad-hoc consultancy to keep him going before he can realise the pension benefits.
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Hit 187?
Pushing a sled that weighed 180 kgs 50 ms 3? Weeks ago.
It only took 2:51 but I was coming off the runner straight to it and your near failure as soon as you start.
Av hr for hour static bike last night was 164, I’ve seen 200 on a rower, but that was decades ago!
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I’m going at 55/57.
Pension will be poor as I’m going early, I went part time at 46 and the govt hate us.
But I’d rather have less money and more life.
I really don’t want to wish my life away, but that can’t come quick enough now, the job has never been “ the worst job in the country” for me, but even 19 hours a week is starting to drag.
Last night I walked into
“ I bummed your mum when she was shoplifting at the food bank”
From …
Terrorist ( rapist )
White extremist ( very violent )
Trans sexual ( even more violent )
Black guy with the poshest accent ever ( the most violent, 5 man unlock )
Fat Scottish guy who was virtually a stand up comedian … he was hilarious, some of his put downs and comments were brilliant.
These are all in segregation and are locked up in one long line, they spend hours / sometimes days shouting abuse at each other ( they have no televisions )
They get bored and make “ friends “ then they get bored and start again.
It’s very sad but funny at times.
If I could record them I would sell the freak show and retire tomorrow.
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Luckily I don’t have to deal with that although I suspect the humour can get a bit much at times.
But the absolute huge rise in governance & bureaucracy is becoming overwhelming and a bit tedious now which is why I’m trying not to wish my life away but am considering a bit less money to get away from it. Another option would be a part-time job or something. I’ll see, it’s at least 4 years yet though, and I will miss most of my colleagues, although some of them are moving on or retiring anyway.
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I feel the same apart from the part time job, I already have one of those.
When I leave I would never want to work again.
Obviously I need to make sure I have
“ enough”
I’ve always wanted to volunteer at an animal sanctuary…?!
Because of the nature of we’re I work it’s really easy to get a “ payout”
I’d feel this was cheating… but financially they really look after you, you haven’t even got to jump on a prisoner and fall on the floor anymore, you just say I can’t do this anymore and they pension you off …
I’ve certainly thought about it
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A bloke I know got invalided out of the police on a full pension after 30 years service with “a bad back from spending too much time sitting in cars on stakeouts”.
He’s one of the fittest guys I know. He spends all his time on his bike now 
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Three guys I know all 50”s all over 30 years service just “ jacked “ this year.
55 k tax free.
One off lump sum.
18 months later they get there pension including another lump sum 50-85 k and then 15-25 k per year.
Not brilliant … I could go for a lot less than that now.
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I was speaking recently to a music teacher.
Because of the occupational noise exposure, his education authority insists that all music teachers have hearing tests very 3 years.
The test involves listening to a series of whistles and beeps and saying “yes” when you claim to hear them.
Apparently the game is to ace your first one, then flunk your second one badly enough to get a 15K payout. But not so badly that you can’t score a further 15K payout 3 years later.
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Can’t imagine how difficult your job is
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I can’t imagine doing anything else now, I probably couldn’t work with normal people, it would freak me out and be very strange and would require skills I’ll never have.
Lots of boffin types on here, IT scares me to death, I’m crap, but get by… just.
I like helping people, some are beyond help, some won’t accept it and some don’t realise they need it yet.
I’ve certainly met some very damaged individuals, even worse that Tri Talk !
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Makes you perfect for working in IT then.
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