The plan-retire by the time we are 50, or maybe 45, if we can swing it. I like my job, and my husband likes his, but who wants to work forever? Move to Ireland, where we own a house that my mother-in-law lives in. Spend our time enjoying life and each other. <BR> <BR>Yes, Al, becoming a vegetable is a bad thing, but so is doing too much after retirement. My mother (and by default, my father) is so busy that she doesn't have a free weekend for the next 12 months. She's exhausted and stressed constantly, and yet won't give up any of her activities. When we go to visit, we barely see her because she's off to some meeting.

I know this is off the thread and should be in another site, but Lauren, why is simultaneous house exchange with Australia impossible? <BR> <BR>Retire? Believe it or not but at the ripe old age of only early 40s have discussed this with a few friends and have joked of buying into a reirement village already so we can still be near friends when unable to look after ourselves. (I don't think we qualify!)