The Retirement Newsletter: Happy New Year — am I starting my last full calendar year in employment?
Issue Number: -56 — Wishing everyone a great 2023
Welcome
Welcome to issue -56 – Happy New Year!
Hopefully, you had a good Christmas.
We are now in the "doldrums" between Christmas and New Year. I’ve always found this time of year to be odd. It feels like a state of limbo — waiting — but waiting for what?
Anyway, Happy New Year.
I hope 2023 turns out to be a good one.
This week, I will ponder my last full year in employment and look back at last year’s New Year Resolutions and Predictions. Plus, I will make some predictions and resolutions for 2023.
And, if all goes to plan, this time next year, I will only have a month or so until I retire. (Remember, I have a weird issue numbering scheme on these newsletters that counts down the weeks until I retire — issue -56, so 56 weeks until I retire. Scary.)
Happy New Year
Can it be 2023?
It doesn’t seem possible.
Now, when I say 2023, I have to check myself because 2023 sounds like I’m living in the future. But, due to the lack of moon bases and jet cars, I’m convinced I’m living in the present.
So, what will my last year in full employment yield?
Well, in academia, we have unusual years. We have the calendar year, but we also have the academic year, which runs from September to September. So, I’ve been in my last full academic year for five months (see issue -72 — Is this the start of my last full academic year?).
The most significant change I will see this coming calendar year is moving from the "penultimate" to the "final".
For the past year, I’ve been thinking, "this is the penultimate time I will have to do X”. In a few weeks, I will be saying, "this is the last time I will have to do X”.
Will I miss my job? Yes, undoubtedly.
There will be some things that I will miss. I will miss teaching, I will miss some students (but not all students), I will miss running student labs, and I will miss some of my colleagues.
Yet, there is a lot that I won’t miss.
I won’t miss the administrative burden. I won’t miss breaking the bad news to students that they can no longer continue on the degree programme. And I won’t miss having to deal with the vagaries of the University student record system. Another thing I won’t miss is the commute to work.
So, what will I need to do or change in the coming year?
Time to make some new year’s resolutions and predictions. But first, let’s look at how I did with my predictions and resolutions for 2022.
New year resolutions and predictions for 2022
In issue -107 (Welcome to 2022! Happy New Year!), I made some predictions and new year resolutions for 2022.
How did they work out?
The Good Predictions for 2022
A pan-specific COVID-19 jab — nope, we didn’t get it.
Scientists will find a treatment for long-COVID — nope, we didn’t get that, but at least there is a better understanding of the issue.
The stock markets will continue to perform well — did I predict that? Well, it shows how wrong I can be.
Global energy prices will stabilise and return to pre-2021 levels — oh boy, I was way off target with that.
In fairness, I don’t think any of us saw the war in Ukrainian coming.
The Bad Predictions for 2022
More variants of COVID-19 — yes, I got that one right!
Energy prices will continue to rise — I got that right, but for the wrong reasons.
We will all need at least one more COVID-19 jab if not two — and I got that right.
So, it looks like I’m great at predicting bad things!
Resolutions for 2022
Lose some weight — I put some on and lost some. My weight is down from last year by a small amount. So, I am taking that as a win.
Get fitter — still a work in progress, but overall, I think I am fitter — another win.
Work fewer hours — well, I failed at that one.
Declutter the house — another fail. I did some, but nowhere near enough.
Keep working on my pension plan — I did. I have been working on it, but my investments seem to go backward. I finished the year with less money in my pension pots than when the year started. Not good.
Give up smoking — actually, I don't smoke — so I managed this one.
Keep The Retirement Newsletter running — success! I have kept the newsletter going. You are reading it.
Well, I make that 0% for good predictions, 100% for bad, and around 50% for the resolutions.
So, what are my predictions for 2023?
New year resolutions and predictions for 2023
The Good Predictions for 2023
A pan-specific COVID-19 jab — I still think this might happen. We already have vaccines that cover two variants.
The stock markets will remain flat for the year and finish where they started. (This is only a good prediction because I am saying it won’t fall.)
Global energy prices will stabilise but remain high.
The Bad Predictions for 2023
A new ’super-variant’ COVID-19 will emerge.
The recession will be longer and deeper than feared, leading to higher interest rates and inflation.
The war in Ukraine will continue.
I hope I am wrong about all of the bad predictions.
Resolutions for 2023
The first four have been standards for the last 30 years:
Lose some weight.
Get fitter.
Work fewer hours.
Declutter the house.
Then we get to:
Keep working on my pension plan.
Number five has been on my list for ten years.
Keep The Retirement Newsletter running.
Number six is on the list for the second year.
And some new ones:
Meet with Pension Wise and have a chat about my pension.
Meet with an independent financial advisor to talk about my pension.
Tell my boss about my plans to retire.
Sort out my subscriptions — I subscribe to far too many services and need to thin the herd and save some money.
So, how will they go? Will my predictions be correct? Will I stick to my resolutions?
Useful links
OK, so this week, here are some links that might be useful over the festive break.
To help you avoid poisoning yourself and your guests with a poorly cooked turkey:
If you do become ill with food poisoning, COVID-19 or the flu, you may find these health-related websites helpful:
NHS COVID-19 website — numerous links to information on COVID-19
CDC COVID-19 website — many links to information on COVID-19
NHS — Guidance for People with symptoms of a respiratory infection, including COVID-19
Next week
Next week, issue -55, is time for another end-of-quarter review of my retirement plans. And, I think I already know the answer as to how they are going — not great.
Thanks
Thanks for taking the time to read this newsletter, and please don't hesitate to share it with your friends or on social media using the buttons below.
If you would like to say 'thanks' for the newsletter, why not buy me a cup of tea?
Until next time,
Nick
PS, If you have something you would like to contribute to the newsletter — a story, advice, anything — please get in touch.