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Conflicting Attitudes And Research Towards Retiring

Posted by cameron

August 1, 2007 |

I read the newspapers and see the AARP research about boomers wanting to continue working. I don’t entirely buy that unless they need to for survival. Research data is conflicting because there is, at the same time, a trend towards early retirement. I suspect researchers ask the wrong or incomplete questions. For example, if someone asked me if I would work in retirement the answer will be yes. Will I work for someone else? The answer is a definite no. If you ask a person on Thursday whether or not they will work in retirement I think you will get an entirely different response if you ask them on Monday morning. Another trend that will skew the results is for people to take Social Security at 62 but continue working until 66. It all depends how you ask the questions.

Most people discount the impact of health issues as we age. Failing health is a major reason that people retire earlier than planned. Life has its own way of giving us wake up calls.

As I go down the path towards retirement there appears to be as many attitudes to it as there are people I know. In the days of my father it seemed that everyone retired at 65 because it was built into the system. Companies didn’t let them work any longer and there were retirement parties at work for those about to leave the work force.. Today there is a different attitude.

Those that work for themselves don’t even recognize retirement. They do what they do until they can’t or they continue working because they love it.

Those that work for themselves don’t even recognize retirement. They do what they do until they can’t or they continue working because they love it.

There are those that have no hobbies, can’t wait for Monday to come round. These folks will be lost unless they change. Left to their own devices they will work until they drop. Over the span of a long career I have witnessed two losses actually happen in the workplace. It is a very traumatic event. Workaholic’s Spouses may well define when retirement comes. For those who don’t have spouses they will drift along because what else will they do?

Then there are the winners (in my opinion) who will seize the opportunity to start something new and do the things they have wanted to do but couldn’t. If you intend to work then why work for someone else? This is the perfect time to try new ways to earn money or just to learn how to start a company for the fun of it. The only thing stopping this is who? Look in the mirror and you will see who.


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