Last week I attended a chat come interview with the company that has been trying to get me to work for them for this past three months. Each time I said “no” they came back with a different offer. Finally, they came up with a solution that would work for both of us, so I went in to discuss it. Something may come of it, something may not. Hopefully, it will. Anyway, they asked me what my long term plans were. Being a raliwayman and over fifty, the expected reply would have been along the line of what I would do when I plan to retire (most that I have worked with are planning it from their thirties onwards).
As savings and retirement investments shrink in value, some people face the prospect of having to work until they are 70.
That, frankly, is my retirement plan. I intend to keep on working until I am physically unable to do so. That way, once the financial mess of the French debacle is finally settled (almost is now, just some loose ends to sort), then I can do things that I want to do – travel again, buy that new bike and so on. I can’t do that on a pension.
Besides, Confucius, he say:
Find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.
Why would I want to retire?
It’s not looking good, the future.
I too plan on working till I can’t anymore. I work at a desk with a PC so physical ability is not so much of a problem for me.
I’ve never seen the point of retiring when you have 30-40 years of your life still ahead of you. What’s the point in working to save you for that period of time, when you’re also saving up to buy a house, create a family, etc.
Pensions were introduced for those few unfortunate people who lived for some time after retiring. That was when you would normally retire at 60 and die at 65. But medical advances have pushed that boundary closer to 100 now with people still being physically capable of work past 70. But the pension age has not caught up. Meaning instead of covering a few years, it now has to cover a period of your life which can be longer than your working life.
Precisely. I am fit and well, so why stop doing something that I enjoy and provides a decent standard of living?
I’m 63 now, and haven’t had any thoughts of retiring, although the work I do is quite physically demanding (I’m a carpenter; I work on my own and mostly design, build and fit bespoke kitchens). That will, I guess, dictate when I finally retire. On the other hand, the physical demands of my work tend to keep me very fit, so I anticipate some years active working yet. And in line with the observation from Confucius, I love the work I do, so have no desire to stop.
Working at (London) Victoria today (!) great fun ….
Pension-supplement!