test drive retirement?

**kork13** · 06-21-2011, 01:03 AM

Not at all. It's called "partial retirement" by others.

However, I have heard of "practice retirements" before, where in your 50's or something you take a year off from work and spend it enjoying yourself before you are theoretically 'too old' to do so. Following your leave of absence, your (very cooperative) employer welcomes you back, and you proceed on to your retirement at the standard 65-ish timeframe. Alternately, take that opportunity to start working part-time or contract jobs on the understanding that your retirement may be pushed to the right.

In any case, whether early retirement or "practice" retirement, they all hang on one thing: early preparation. If you don't have a hefty chunk of change both in and out of retirement accounts, these are not practical options.

**snshijuptr** · 06-21-2011, 10:41 AM

The way they talk about it is a bit strange. I've always heard of practice retirements as being a good way to make sure you understand what retirement will look like, both the good and the bad. The idea is to avoid the 2 biggest shortfalls of retirement: boredom and poverty. You practice your typical retirement day/week/month/year and make sure that 1) you enjoy it and 2) you estimated the costs correctly. you can use this time and the time after you return from work to reflect on what you learned. Do you need to change your plans? Do you want to partially retire and work a little longer or find a new job? Do you need more or less money than you planned?

T. Rowe's idea of living large before retiring matches more with my idea of inflating your lifestyle after your retirement fund can sustain it. These people are waiting for their "date" and can afford to live it up beforehand.

**Rosen4** · 07-07-2011, 05:59 AM

That's very strange

test drive retirement?