[Jim Doran]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...ull-ever-read/

In an unusually reflective and candid letter posted Tuesday afternoon to Google Plus, Pichette wrote that "after nearly 7 years as CFO, I will be retiring from Google to spend more time with my family. Yeah, I know you've heard that line before. We give a lot to our jobs. I certainly did." He said he wrote the letter because "I want to share my thought process because so many people struggle to strike the right balance between work and personal life."

[David Jones]

A few million dollars makes retirement at 52 a lot easier.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by David Jones

A few million dollars makes retirement at 52 a lot easier.

That's kind of where I was heading.

I'd like to spend more time with my family, too. And my racecar. And my fun car.

But - I like my house, and I like eating 'pert near every day. So it's off to work I go.

K

[David Jones]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

That's kind of where I was heading.

I'd like to spend more time with my family, too. And my racecar. And my fun car.

But - I like my house, and I like eating 'pert near every day. So it's off to work I go.

K

....eating is good.

[The Boss]

There are days I prefer to go to work.

[GT182]

Originally Posted by The Boss

There are days I prefer to go to work.

There are many many days I want to go back to work. Retirement sucks with no mad money. I'm so poor I can't pay attention.

[keith k]

A good letter, and I can certainly relate to some of his points. But unfortunately my workaholism has not been as lucrative for me as his was for him!

Off to work tomorrow for me, too

[The Boss]

I liked this part -

Finally, as he and his wife approach their 25th wedding anniversary, he revealed that when his kids get asked "the success of the longevity of our marriage, they simply joke that Tamar and I have spent so little time together that 'it's really too early to tell' if our marriage will in fact succeed."

[Old Blue 66]

Good letter but its hard to digest when it comes form someone who is that rich and that young. Working at the top of Google is a dream job for most people. If I were him, they'd have to pry my hands out of the desk chair to make me leave.

Personally, I'll never retire.

[69goatboy]

Originally Posted by Old Blue 66

Good letter but its hard to digest when it comes form someone who is that rich and that young. Working at the top of Google is a dream job for most people. If I were him, they'd have to pry my hands out of the desk chair to make me leave.

If you have enough money to do what you want with little restrictions (as he does), why would you continue to work?

Why do any of us work? Sure we all like to have a job where we do something we are passionate about, but we also do so because we are compensated for the effort.

If you stopped being paid for your efforts, would you continue to work? I think not.

Retiring as early as possible with the money to do the things you want to, on your schedule while you body still allows you to do so, seems like a dream come true for me.

[Old Blue 66]

Originally Posted by 69goatboy

If you have enough money to do what you want with little restrictions (as he does), why would you continue to work?

Why do any of us work? Sure we all like to have a job where we do something we are passionate about, but we also do so because we are compensated for the effort.

If you stopped being paid for your efforts, would you continue to work? I think not.

Retiring as early as possible with the money to do the things you want to, on your schedule while you body still allows you to do so, seems like a dream come true for me.

1. I would miss work too much
2. You can never have enough money.

[Squidward]

I make good money at my job, and work with some great people. But it's the tech sector, and there is always a lot of pressure to perform and always get to the "next level". At some point I will want out of the rat race, but not for a while yet. Too many car parts to buy.

Someday I want to have an epiphany on Mt. Kilimanjaro and quit my job. Except in my version of this dream I'll be standing in the parking lot of Burger King, and I'll find out when my paycheck goes missing that I was actually fired 3 weeks ago.

[Judge273]

I still don't understand what makes Google all that money? The Internet must be just a cash cow...

[RLEbird]

My father passed away 5 months before he was going to retire. My aunt passed away about 4 weeks after she retired. I'm 48, and if I had the financial means, I would retire today!

[goatless]

Originally Posted by 69goatboy

If you have enough money to do what you want with little restrictions (as he does), why would you continue to work?

The richest person I know works continually- at home or at work, he's always going. Mind you, when I say rich, I mean rich!

While he was a VP at a multibillion $$ corporation, he built a 2 story addition on his house- by himself! He later became the CEO of that corp and engineered it's multi billion $$ sale to another even bigger co. After the sale he found himself out of a job... but VERY rich. A few days later I hear one of the excavators running at my house (his son was doing the excavation for my addition) I look out and he's moving rocks around in my yard! He went on to engineer the sale of many other large companies (They would hire him specifically for that task) and he was rewarded well. Think 8 figures... for 6 months work.

Now he's spent 10s of millions (if not 100s!) setting up a new company that is doing energy research and goes to work every day. Now he's pushing 80 and still working.
He could have retired verycomfortably 20 years ago and yet he keeps pushing...

Why? It's certainly not because he needs the money!

I'd bet that the Google guy is back at another venture within a year. People that are driven enough to get that far have a hard time turning it off.

[goatless]

Originally Posted by 69goatboy

If you stopped being paid for your efforts, would you continue to work? I think not.

Again, not true for everyone. My father in law maintains an office at his former employer. He technically retired several years ago, but he still goes in a few days a week and still travels to seminars and speaks. All without pay. His job is an integral part of his identity. It's who he is.

[2002Z4CSS]

Originally Posted by The Boss

There are days I prefer to go to work.

Me too, to get away from the wife! LOL!

[Motor Daddy]

Originally Posted by RLEbird

My father passed away 5 months before he was going to retire. My aunt passed away about 4 weeks after she retired. I'm 48, and if I had the financial means, I would retire today!

I'm 51 and retired at 39.

I seriously doubt anybody on their death bed wished they had worked more in their life.

On the other hand...

Most people go to school, then work, then die. "Dat's it."

About Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) is a damn good movie!

[The Boss]

If you enjoy what you do, it's not work.

That being said, if I had that kind of money I wouldn't still be working in an office!

I'd be building a beach house, one in the mountains, restoring a couple of cars, searching for others.....I could go on.

[Motor Daddy]

Originally Posted by The Boss

If you enjoy what you do, it's not work.

It's work if it keeps you from doing other things that you want to do.

"Can't do that 'cause I gotta go to work."
"Missed it, I was working."
"Work called, I have to go now."