Finding the right gift for someone retiring early is different than gift giving for someone retiring “on time” or as scheduled. These retirement gift ideas are intertwined with quotes about retiring that you can include in the card. Let’s start with the infamous Dr Seuss…
You’re Only Young Once
You’re Only Old Once: A Book for Obsolete Children
If your early retiree is hesitant about retirement, remind her that the world is full of amazing things to do – besides work! Early retirement is a gift. “There are so many other interesting ways to spend your time. I feel like early retirement is a gift, but it’s such an incredible gift. It’s a gift I need to use.” ~ Martha Felt-Bardon.
10 Gifts Ideas for Early Retirement
The better you know your young retiree, the easier it’ll be to find the best retirement gift. One of the most important questions to ask yourself is whether she really wants to retire.
A book of career ideas. This seems counter-intuitive, but some young retirees do not plan on taking it easy in retirement! On the contrary, they’re actually thinking about embarking on a whole new career. I met a geologist the other day who took early retirement. She’s currently training to be an addictions worker on the downtown eastside of Vancouver. She said the best early retirement gift she got was a book called The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success, which helped her decide what she wanted to do with this new chapter of her life.
Retirement Gift Watch
An early retirement gift watch. A lovely pocket watch is a traditional retirement gift idea, but it’s also incredibly ironic because retirees no longer need to watch or punch the clock! A Charles-Hubert, Paris 3953-W Classic Collection Mechanical Hand Wind Pocket Watch is a beautiful gift for young retirees, especially if they’re thrilled they no longer have to punch a timeclock.
“When a man retires and time is no longer a matter of urgent importance, his colleagues generally present him with a watch.” – R.C. Sherriff.
A health-related gift. If your young retiree has recently had an operation on his back, heart, hip, or knee, read 10 Gift Ideas for Back Surgery Patients. You’ll find a huge variety of gift ideas in that article, which are specifically picked to help people who are recovering from a recent surgery. On a related note, I also wrote an article describing the most thoughtful mastectomy gift ideas for women after breast cancer surgery.
“A gold watch is the most appropriate gift for retirement, as its recipients have given up so many of their golden hours in a lifetime of service.” ~ Harry Mahtar.
Coffee! This is one of my all-time favorite gifts to get – and retirement is the perfect occasion to enjoy sipping one deep, dark, delicious cup of coffee after another. An Art of Appreciation Coffee Lovers Gift Basket is the Number One bestseller in gourmet coffee gifts on Amazon. It’s a great early retirement gift box arrangement – complete with a coffee mug – filled to overflowing with premium coffee and gourmet go togethers for your java loving young retiree to enjoy.
Coffee mug for early retirees
A stainless steel travel mug. If your early retiree doesn’t like to sit around and drink coffee, get her a Stainless Steel Travel Coffee Mug with “Retired – Now I’m the Boss”. This is an especially good early retirement gift idea for people who plan to travel after they punch the clock for the last time.
Admiration of your young retiree. Here’s a great quote for early retirees: “Retirement at sixty-five is ridiculous. When I was sixty-five I still had pimples.” – George Burns.
A golf joke. This is early retirement gift idea can be kicked off with a quote for your golf-loving retiree in her card: “If you are going to throw a club, it is important to throw it ahead of you, down the fairway, so you don’t have to waste energy going back to pick it up.” – Tommy Bolt. Include some Tee Time Toilet Paper Rolls, necessary for every golf enthusiast, as a joke golf gift.
Early Retirement Kindle
A digital e-reader. A Kindle High Resolution Display e-Reader
“I enjoy waking up and not having to go to work. So I do it three or four times a day.” – Gene Perret.
Encouragement to enjoy early retirement. “Sometimes it’s important to work for that pot of gold. But other times it’s essential to take time off and to make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow.” – Douglas Pagels.
A 40th birthday slash early retirement gift. Is your early retiree about to turn forty years old? Now, THAT is an early retirement! Read 40th Birthday Gifts for Women – From Easy to Extravagant for gift ideas that are suitable for both birthdays and retirement parties.
Amazon gift card. This isn’t the most creative early retirement gift, but an Amazon Gift Card is a practical idea that your young retiree might really enjoy. There’s so much freedom in a gift card – especially if it’s hidden within a huge retirement gift card, such as this one…
Early Retirement Gift Card
Early retirement gift card. This is a literal gift card that is half the size of a person. It’s a 2’x3′ Giant Retirement Gift Card With Envelope, and there’s room for the whole staff or family to sign it. There’s also room for photos or images of work or your young retiree in the card, but you have to get working on it early!
Inspiration to enjoy life. “Retire from work, but not from life.” – M.K. Soni.
If none of these early retirement gift ideas appeal to you, read Corporate Gift Ideas for Business Clients and Colleagues.
And, if you have any ideas for gifts for early retirees, please share below! Happy shopping 
