There's a distressing age discrimination in the US. People are forced (or strongly encouraged) to retire early. When they run for their lives (er, retire), they find that they'll never regain their former earning power. It's an adjustment. The younger folk will force us off the rolls, and then we'll find that our ability to compete in the workplace is sadly diminished.
The combination of a jobless market and age discrimination forced me into an unplanned early retirement at age 59. It's a rough adjustment, but financially is working out just fine. My problem is I can feel the IQ points draining away without the workplace.