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I think a lot of it "depends". As has already been mentioned the OP seems to be assuming one's health will fail/not be in good shape by the time one retires. Unfortunately, this is true in more than a few cases. And many don't even make it out of the door in their job to retire/die while there or have a poor quality of life where they can no longer do the things they want to do. But more than a few people are in decent shape to enjoy retirement. Lots of it I think is taking care of oneself, their weight, diet, etc. so they can avoid the common "diseases" people get but that's another topic.
The other matter is some people truly enjoy their work and don't want to retire. Or some just need something to do, no matter how trivial their line of work seems to others, because they need structure, aren't self starters to plan their time on their own, etc. I have known more than a few people like that. Though based on my experience, most people work to live and are in jobs that if they had enough money wouldn't be doing them. I think most people follow security/$ over what they truly enjoy doing in life based on what I've observed. And surveys seem to back this up.
In the end, it all varies/with so many moving parts. For us, we took a unique path and actually thought in the lines of OP in some regards. While we are very health conscious, very active, eat a plant based diet to give us the best odds of a quality healthy life and keeps us away from procedures/doctors/pills just by our clean lifestyle, nothing is 100%/guaranteed so we created an aggressive plan to get out of the work world in our early/mid 40's by saving/investing aggressively starting in our early career and we did just that so we could enjoy being active without having to go to a job. Now we can concentrate on the things we really enjoy/value in life without waiting "too late" to enjoy them. For those reading this, just getting out of college in their 20's, I mention this because it might be something for those early in their careers/in their 20's to consider. Just remember I think there is a balance of enjoying "today" if one wants to take such a path as tomorrow isn't guaranteed but there is a middle ground in there somewhere.
The real folks that are sad stories are the ones with nothing better to do but go to work. I don't judge them, I just feel bad for them, particularly if they clearly don't like their jobs but have nothing else to do.
The ones who don't like their jobs but have nothing else to do are sad stories indeed, as there is no joy, no enthusiasm. But I don't feel the same way at all about the ones who like their jobs because they are enjoying life! They are keeping their minds active, engaging in human interaction, and getting the gratification of doing something worthwhile and useful. That's hard to beat when you stop to think about it.
Of course there is a potential problem if and when they cannot work anymore, whether because of health problems or being forced out by down-sizing or age discrimination. Then they have to either find something interesting to do or be miserable.
I always had wide-ranging interests and activies starting in high school. That has continued up to the present day (age 72), and is probably the reason I have never regretted retiring from full-time work over eleven years ago. But that doesn't make me feel superior. I don't know why I've always been interested in many things - it may just be the way I am bullt psychologically. Some people have that curiosity about the world, be it intellectual or other, and some don't. The ones who don't shouldn't be demonized. (You did not demonize them, Rambler, but I've seen plenty of that in these kinds of discussions - this general topic comes up over and over again in the Retirement Forum.)
It sounds like there are three possibilities you haven't considered:
-A person with your mindset can decide to live an extremely frugal life, so as not to work so many hours. (Or teach in a position where you can get summers off, plus sabbaticals.)
-A person can decide to work at something exclusively because it pays well, and then cruise after that.
-A person may work at something he enjoys and finds fulfilling, so that it's in no way a punishment for him.
No one is promised tomorrow. hell, I might die in my sleep tonight anyone of us might.
I have many friends who went to college for said amount of years & never got a job in their desired field,
Yet they still have to pay their loans off. I don't know what it costs to go to some prestigious college these days but I would be it's close or over $60K unless you got a scholarship your going to be paying for a long time. Throw in buying a house, new car, possibly wife & kids all before your 30. Add all that up. Too many people live outside their means these days. Which is their own fault of course.
I don't understand working 40 years for a company & reach said age & be at deaths door. Yes, you get weekends off for the most part vacations, etc. My friend who wants to work until 70 figures that if he dies then at least his family gets it. Isn't that what life insurance for? Am I missing something here?
Why work your arse off to the point where you can't enjoy retirement? Granted people have different ideas of what they want to do when they retire. I feel like this is the very definition of insanity here.
I know we touched on this before to some extent, can someone explain why this is the norm?
Your point is a good one.
In my case, I retired about two nanoseconds after I reached eligibility. My health is still good and I have absolutely no regrets about leaving the working world behind me. Besides, my position was quickly filled by a young guy with a wife and little girl who needed the job.
Maybe lots of those who keep on working well past retirement eligibility just have boring lives with nothing other than days at work to look forward to.
I worked ten years beyond retirement eligibility. I loved the job and the people that I worked with. I was at the top of my profession and well-regarded in the field. It was fun to be me. I've been retired for nearly six years now. It's still fun to be me, but I don't understand how I used to find the time to go to work every day.
Many people start off liking their jobs but things change companies change push more weekends on their workers, etc. New bosses the list goes on from there.
So your left either staying there or getting another job & starting over. I work in a DC Distributing Center.
We work 5 ten hour days with the last Saturday of every month we work it but only eight hours.
OF late they are pushing more & more Saturdays on us even though we're 2-3 days ahead.
Many people who have been there & loved their jobs are now looking for something else.
I will be 50 this winter my wife will be 44 in the fall. We have come into a bit of money and depending on where we move we can buy something cash out & semi retire. It also would allow us to travel & work some part time jobs of OUR choosing. More hiking/ mountain biking too.
For that matter we could even travel for 5-10 years & spend VERY little of it. With that said we don't have any of the debt that the majority of people do these days. Rent and phone & car insurance is all we really have. No CC debt, etc. Plan to pick up a car payment here within the next 3 month or so. Used of course don't want a 4-6 year car payment.
I guess it really depends on how you play your cards in the end.
I guess it really depends on how you play your cards in the end.
Of course it does... but the most critical cards are dealt early in the game.
Education. Skill Set. Savings. Debt.
Quote:
I will be 50 this winter my wife will be 44 in the fall.
We have come into a bit of money... we can buy something cash out & semi retire.
...we don't have any of the debt that the majority of people do these days.
Count yourselves lucky to have gotten to this point.
When you start investigating those options you'll discover that HEALTH INSURANCE affordability
will be the fulcrum for what choices among your preferences that you can really exercise.
At 50 (and 44) you're still young enough to get hired. Regardless of what specific job that your
skill sets might allow for focus on the employer HI benefits (company or government agency).
The ones with the best benefit plan will also be most likely to have the most liberal leave and work
hour policies too -- which will allow you time to actually do that traveling.
I don't understand working 40 years for a company & reach said age & be at deaths door. Yes, you get weekends off for the most part vacations, etc. My friend who wants to work until 70 figures that if he dies then at least his family gets it. Isn't that what life insurance for? Am I missing something here?
I have a friend who is 76, who retired from the USPS (city letter carrier) in late 2005 at 64, and took on a desk job as a leasing consultant for an apartment complex in early 2006. I don't consider him to be "at death's door" then or now. Physically he is in better (hotter ) shape than guys half his age, and mentally he is all there and then some. As late as last October he was still riding his BMW motorcycle on 4-5 hour rides through eastern NY and western NE. He's also an in-demand DJ who charges $1,000 for a 4-hour gig.
Maybe lots of those who keep on working well past retirement eligibility just have boring lives with nothing other than days at work to look forward to.
Undoubtedly some people who keep on working "well past retirement eligibility" are depicted perfectly by your description. However, others may not fit the picture you painted at all:
1. Some want better financial security than they would have by retiring at the earliest possible moment, so they keep working beyond that point.
2. Others enjoy their work and feel that they still have meaningful contributions to make; that may have nothing to do with having "boring lives".
Frankly, I don't understand this whole business about being insulting towards and sneering at folks who don't rush to embrace their earliest chance to retire. It's great that you wanted to do so, Old Gringo, and that we live in a country where we can all exercise that choice. But why the thinly veiled resentment of people who chose differently than you? If you didn't resent them, why would you accuse them of having "boring lives"?
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) shape than guys half his age, and mentally he is all there and then some. As late as last October he was still riding his BMW motorcycle on 4-5 hour rides through eastern NY and western NE. He's also an in-demand DJ who charges $1,000 for a 4-hour gig.
