Posted on 06/03/2024 10:39:05 PM PDT by Cronos
We are living through what is being called the silver tsunami. According to Legal Jobs, “about 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 each day, and the entire generation is expected to reach retirement age by 2030.” While many people spend their working years aiming to eventually retire, there are reasons why complete retirement should not be a primary goal.
For my book, Leading with Wisdom: Sage Advice from 100 Experts, I interviewed more than 100 top authorities about leadership and life. A recurring theme during these conversations was the idea that complete and total retirement should not be anyone’s end goal.
1. Retirement is an antiquated term. The Social Security Act was passed in 1935, establishing 65 as the official retirement age. This was set at a time when the average life expectancy was about 61 years old for men and 65 for women. Life expectancy for men is around 74 and for women it is about 80. Based on his research, MIT Age Lab Director Joseph Coughlin says that retiring at age 65 gives us about another 8,000 days—basically 21 years—to figure out what to do with our lives.
2. Midlife Is A New Life Phase.
3. Connection Is Protection.
For most people, workplaces are where they get their social interaction
..What Should You Do?
Don’t retire from life. Reframe aging Find new ways to stay relevant and engaged.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
“This was set at a time when the average life expectancy was about 61 years old for men and 65 for women.“
Bullcrap. That is an artifact of crazy levels of infant and child mortality. The fact is if you made it safely to adulthood, people commonly reached the same ages as today.
For me, retirement is a financial number not an age number.
I will be at that number at 57, but not going to leave the work force until I am 60.
It’s re-inventment and I’ve been at it for 15 years. It’s great.
I’m enjoying retirement just fine. Don’t miss the rat race at all.
Agree. My Great grandmother lived to be 93, my grandmother same and my Mom will be 91 in July.
I wonder if they would give that advice to roofers?
My wife and I have been retired for 12 years and we’re fine with how it’s turning out. I like the freedom of not going to work every day.
I've decided that there are pleasure people and purpose people....some people think doing nothing is their pleasure, or traveling a lot etc....
not me...I want to do things, learn new things, create if I can....
I am not finished in life...
to me, life is accomplishing something, even if its just planting those pole beans or refinishing a table...
Biggest observation, divorced three years ago, I've noted women my age and they remind me of my parents, not my peers. Definitely understand and increasingly appreciate why men find younger women.
I hate being retired and I am looking for work.
4. Starvation
No one ever died thinking, “I wish I had spent more time at the office.”
My 1st reason... I’ll starve
lol
I am nearing retirement and I am bitter about office politics and generally burned out and can’t wait to leave it behind. The other day I was at the grocery store checkout and I noticed the customer before me dropped a coin on the floor. I pointed it out to him. He looked younger then me and was wearing the uniform of a construction company or something like that. He said no thanks, he could not bend over to pick it up because his back was bad. I picked up the coin and handed it to him - not to “show him” that I could do it - I really felt empathy for him. That put things in perspective for me, although I am still struggling to keep slogging my way through until I retire.
I am too and I don’t miss the rat race either.
OMG - that’s what I was going to say. Years ago my mother said that - backed up by my grandmother who was born in the late 1800’s. Lots of children died young bringing the averages way down.
And this young person interviewed “more than 100 top authorities about leadership and life”. OK, these are folks who sat at a desk with interesting work most of their work lives - either for a company or a University etc. I’ll bet money the person who wrote this is a democrat...
I did manual labor all my working life. I’m done.
I don’t know anyone who regretted retiring. Some who died soon after probably wished they did so earlier.
Also there is confusion between retirement and sense of purpose. One can retire but still find purpose in life besides sitting around trolling the internet.
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