Ken Pockele, retired secondary school teacher, walks along the golf course near his home in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., on Oct. 14.Nick Iwanyshyn
In Tales from the Golden Age, retirees talk about their spending, savings and whether life after work is what they expected.
Ken Pockele, 67, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.
I retired in June, 2009, just before my 54th birthday, after working for more than 30 years as a secondary school teacher. I had some health issues in the years leading up to my retirement, which made me think more about how I wanted to spend my days. It certainly made the decision to retire much easier. I also had support from my wife, who is still working as a consultant, and our three children, now in their 30s.
There was no sitting around when I first retired. We had a small cottage on the Muskoka River, and it was a dream to make it more livable. That was my initial retirement project. We knocked down the old cottage and built a new one. It was a major change of lifestyle from being an academic to using a chainsaw to cut down trees and build things with my hands.
We’ve also travelled a lot, except during the pandemic lockdowns, and are considered snowbirds. I’m also a big golf fan and we’ve been to the Masters tournament four times since I retired.
As far as my age goes, I don’t see myself as 67; I still think I’m 39. I get a lot of energy from my wife, who is the same age, and very active. Our four-year-old grandson also keeps us on our toes, and we have another grandchild on the way soon.
The first 10 years of retirement have been busy; it’s when most people go through their ideas and plans. However, I expect the next 10 years to look a lot different as we get into our 70s. My wife is starting to think about retiring now too, which will be an interesting change. We don’t have any specific plans. A lot of it will revolve around our grandchildren. We’re keeping it open, which I really like.
I get ribbed a lot about my teachers’ pension, but as I tell people, it was my money that went in there. It’s indexed to inflation, but it’s not keeping up with what’s happening now. The kind of soaring inflation we’re experiencing does bring up worries about running out of money. It scares me a bit, but we have our home and vacation property, so we’d be okay if things were to get really bad. Still, I worry about our kids and their futures.
Some people my age are choosing to work longer or are going back to work. I’ve thought about it, but then I wouldn’t be able to do some of the things I really enjoy, like picking up my grandson from school.
I have an older brother who still works part-time. He loves to work, while I absolutely love not having to go to work. To each his own. I think if you’re happy with your job, like my brother is, then, by all means, keep working.
As told to Brenda Bouw
This interview has been edited and condensed.