Retirement? Are You Sure?

If you are 60 to 65 you may be noticing a change in your life. Remember when you thought that “old” guys weren’t too bright? Now that you are the “old” guy, how does it feel?

Retirement age was established when a man was expected to be gone before he reached 70. Now most Boomers will live well into their 80s and even 90s. Still, it is the opinion of much of our culture that our brains have turned off. (The UN even recommended that if you are over 55, you shouldn’t own a gun because your deteriorating brain could be a danger to yourself and others.)

But I digress. If you lose your career job at age 59 or even earlier, forget getting any attention from another company. So, if you are working in your career of choice, hang on to it. Use your brain where they have come to respect what you say and think.

Being laid off can’t be helped, but avoid retirement unless you want to spend the next 20 to 25 years or so “out to pasture,” especially if you won’t be able to do the things you had always planned, because of financial restraints.

Even volunteering for mission trips with your church or other charity may cost far more than you are able to spend, based on that great, but dead, 401k or Social Security income. Most of the things you do for the good of others will be the “if you have the time”  kind.  That will make you feel like your brain and talent are not exactly needed, whether others intend it or not.

An option that will give you the better part of two worlds is to talk to your employer about taking more time off. Some employers will agree to let you take five or six weeks vacation per year (maybe with a small cut in pay) if it means that they can keep your talent on board.  Income stays up; time to travel, etc. goes up, too.

In conclusion, be forewarned. Don’t give up a career choice that you love, or at least enjoy, for the unknown world of “leisure” without serious thought.

 

Time to Stop Whining

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Our country seems to be sinking into the panic-ridden arms of fear. Small children taken to the principal’s office for drawing a picture of a gun, or suspended for bringing a half-inch Star Wars gun from an action figure. Some parentsare warned that these “crimes” indicate a potential mental derangement. This is insane! We are becoming […]