30 Examples of What to Write in a Retirement Card for a Friend

by Sarah De Winne

Deciding what to write in a retirement card for a friend is made easy with our selection of retirement card messages.  If your friend is retiring and you are staring at a blank page searching for the right retirement words for a card, do not despair!  Browse our list of examples and find the best retirement wishes for your friend.

blank-page-what-to-write-in-a-retirement-card
blank-page-what-to-write-in-a-retirement-card

Here are some examples of what to write in a retirement card for a friend:

  • When you have had enough of your two new best friends: the sofa couch and the garden lounge chair, remember to give your old friend a call!  Enjoy retirement life, you deserve it!
  • The day you stop racing is the day you win the race.  That day has finally come!  It’s time to escape the rat race and start working at living.  Relax and enjoy retirement life, my friend.  (Based on a quote from Bob Marley.)
  • Many congratulations on your well-deserved retirement! May this exciting next chapter of your life bring you endless time to do the things you love!  Let’s tick off that bucket list together!

Retirement card wording for a friend needs to have a personal feel to it.  After all, you know your friend extremely well.  A touching retirement message to a friend is better than bland happy retirement wishes.  Strike the right tone with our list of messages for a retirement card and you will make your friend feel special, appreciated, and enthusiastic about the next chapter of their life.

Short Retirement Messages to Write in Your Friend’s Retirement Card

Short retirement messages are perfect if you do not know what to say on a retirement card or if you want a no fuss message. They are also perfect for retirees who are not too sentimental and for those who enjoy a bit of humour.  These retirement wishes for a friend are short, snappy and to the point.

short-retirement-messages
short-retirement-messages
  1. Go crazy! You’ve finally retired!
  2. You are going to rock retirement!
  3. When you get fed up, remember I am only a phone call away!
  4. Now the enjoyment really begins, dear friend!  Wishing you all the best on your well-earned retirement!
  5. Wishing you the best of retirements filled with enjoyment and happiness.
  6. I hope retirement brings you the chance to fill your time with everything you love!
  7. Retirement — the only stage in your life when it is okay to spend what you have saved! Congratulations, you made it!  Now enjoy every minute of it!
  8. Welcome to the best phase of your life, where every day feels like a weekend!  Enjoy retirement life to the full!
  9. Wishing you a life of relaxation and stress-free living, dear friend. Happy Retirement!
  10. Wishing you every happiness in your new adventure.  Good luck with everything.  Enjoy every moment of your retirement!
  11. You are officially retired.  Let the fun begin!
  12. You made it and you have finally retired! You now have all the time in the world to do all those things you never quite got around to. Let me know if you want some company on your adventures!
retirement-card-message-travel
retirement-card-message-travel

Emotional Retirement Messages to Write in Your Friend’s Retirement Card

Emotional retirement messages tend to be more wordy and more emotive than short retirement messages.  They often include quotes from prominent people.  Emotional retirement messages are also more personal and show you have put some thought into what you have written.  They are an ideal choice if you don’t know what to write in a retirement card for a friend.

emotional-retirement-messages
emotional-retirement-messages
  1. Be happy in your retirement dear friend.  I’ve watched you slog all these years, and you deserve a retirement that is full of good things.  All the best for a long and healthy retirement.
  2. Congratulations to my dear friend on their retirement.  No-one deserves a happy retirement as much as you do!  Sit back, breathe, relax, and enjoy the new-found freedom of your retirement life.
  3. “Endings are always tough.  When something ends, there are new beginnings, new opportunities, and new things to be excited for too.”  Wishing you happiness and health for your life after retirement.  (Based on a quote from Mike Fisher.)
  4. I’m so pleased you are finally joining the retired club.  Now shall we start planning all the vacations we never got round to?  Let the good times begin! 
  5. I’m so proud of all you have achieved whilst working.  Although it’s time to close that door, you have many other rewarding times ahead of you.  I’m looking forward to sharing that journey with you as your friend.  Enjoy retirement life!
  6. Many congratulations on your well-deserved retirement! May this exciting next chapter of your life bring you endless time to do the things you love!  Let’s tick off some of that retirement bucket list together!
  7. Never forget the difference you made during your working life but I know you will make an even bigger impression on your future.  I can’t wait to see what you will achieve after retirement.  Exciting times! 
  8. Retirement is a “time to open different doors.  You may find a different ‘you’ there that you never knew was yours.”  Enjoy your retirement my friend and embrace every moment that comes your way to discover something new.  (Based on a quote from Mary Poppins.)
  9. “Retirement is a blank sheet of paper.  It is a chance to redesign your life into something new and different.”  Seize the opportunity and write your own next chapter without the constraints of work!  (Based on a quote from Patrick Foley.)
retirement-card-message-blank-sheet-of-paper
retirement-card-message-blank-sheet-of-paper

Creative Retirement Messages to Write in Your Friend’s Retirement Card

Creative retirement messages are more unusual or unique messages that often incorporate quotes that are fitting for retirement. Creative retirement messages also often contain analogies. If you don’t know what to put in a retirement card, choose one of these retirement messages to make your friend feel appreciated and valued.

creative-retirement-messages
creative-retirement-messages
  1. As you retire, “be unafraid of change, insatiable in intellectual curiosity, interested in big things and happy in small ways.” (A quote from Edith Wharton.)
  2. Congratulations on your retirement my friend!  In the words of Dr Seuss: “Today is your day.  You’re off to Great Places!  You’re off and away!”  Enjoy steering yourself in a new direction.  Good luck in whatever you decide to do next and wherever you are.  (Based on a quote from Dr Seuss.)
  3. “In the end, we’ll all become stories.”  Now that you’ve finished your working chapter, I’m looking forward to hearing about the rest of your story.  Good luck with your next adventure! (Based on a quote from Margaret Attwood.)
  4. My friend, you know they say that the best view comes after the hardest climb.  You’ve reached the pinnacle after years of hard work so now it’s time to sit back and reap the rewards!  Wishing you all the very best for a happy, healthy, and easier retirement!
  5. Retirement is not the end of the road. It is the beginning of the open highway.  I can’t wait to see where it takes you, my friend.
  6. Retirement is when you stop living at work and start working at living.  Make the most of every minute of your retirement.  Wishing you all the best for a happy and fulfilling retirement.
  7. “The day you stop racing is the day you win the race.”  That day has finally come!  It’s time to escape the rat race and start working at living.  Relax and enjoy retirement life, my friend.  (Based on a quote from Bob Marley.)
  8. When you have had enough of your two new best friends: the sofa couch and the garden lounge chair, remember to give your old friend a call!
  9. You’ve got your wings now and you’re as free as the breeze.  I hope you fly to new heights in your retirement.
retirement-card-message-fly-high
retirement-card-message-fly-high

For more inspirational retirement messages, retirement wishes and retirement quotes, head over to our other free resources which have over 600 ideas about what to write in a retirement card:

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