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The media is full of stories about all the people who are retired and still work 40 hours a week. I have never met anyone over 70 who is working a full time job. In fact I see very few people who are over 60 working. I wonder if these are just stories to attempt a form of social engineering and an effort to fill a 24/7 news cycle. I doubt there are many employers who want to fill their open jobs with 70 year olds anyway. How many of you are working full time in retirement and do you know anyone who is working over 40 hours a week and collecting social security also?
Most all the people I know working full time in their 70's and beyond own the companies where they work.
My step-grandfather worked full-time into his 80's because he loved the business that he had started with nothing in the 1946... he never took any social security and when he died, my Grandmother had a very large SSI check each month for the last 2 years of her life.
My father worked full time to age 73... he was in sales and he enjoyed making a sale on still be able to compete with guys 50 years his junior.
My Grandfather on the other side finally retired at age 81 due to a farm injury... I'm sure that he would still be running the Dairy Farm today if he physically could. He always said the farm wouldn't last a year if he wasn't there... well it lasted for almost 2 years before my cousin took a job in the city and sold off the last of the milk cows.
I guess, I could say that I come from a family where no one actually retires..
The Sheriff of Alameda County retired at age 80 last year... he was always working... seven days a week...
Last edited by Ultrarunner; 03-24-2008 at 03:20 PM..
There are several retired people in Southwood who still work. Full-time, part-time..two jobs. "Social Security" is a misnomer. There's nothing secure about trying to buy meds, food, pay rent and utilites...not to mention insurance...on SS monies. They may be officially retired but that has nothing to do with how much money they need to have coming in each month.
Some of my co-workers are retirement age (collecting full Soc. Sec., and our old-fashioned pension) and work close to full-time. One woman is 76 and recently cut back to 16 hours. Another is in her 80s and works 16 hours. (I work in a psychiatric hospital- shift work, stress, and occasionally, violent situations- not exactly a place to grow old gracefully!)
One woman of 75 comes in and works per diem (no commitment) and then goes overseas with Habitat for Humanity, and with her dance group and all. She's a role model for me.
I, too, think of "retirement" as not working, or not relying on employment for necessary income. I imagine most people would need to have some assets (pension, investments, etc.) in order to not need the income. I hear co-workers saying all the time, "I'll just have to work until I die," and I think, in this job? Who says you'll be able to?
A lot of my co-workers got real comfortable working part-time for a long time now. Yes, they're still in the pension system, but of course at a reduced level.
My husband says he'd miss his job too much to retire just yet. He's eligible but not quite ready to give it up. The perks can't be matched and he knows he'll miss his route customers....they make it worth going in each day. He'll certainly have to have something besides "honey-dos" when he DOES retire.
One woman of 75 comes in and works per diem (no commitment) and then goes overseas with Habitat for Humanity, and with her dance group and all. She's a role model for me.
wow! Good for her ........
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People may not recall what you said to them, but they will always remember how you made them feel .
things like that are awfully scary and it's just not something you can predict. One moment or one incident and we could all be in your shoes. Hopefully, things will work out for you and yours.
I would say that if you are gainfully employed, you are not retired. Folks who work in their older years may have changed jobs or gone to part-time, but even if they take a pension and still work for money, they aren't really retired.
If they are working for charity without an income from that, then they are retired. The phenomenon the OP mentioned is the same as the other thread about not being able to retire.
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