1 in 3 Americans Wants to Work as Long as Possible

For many folks, hitting retirement age means the end of one era and the beginning of something new. That’s not the case for everyone. In an interesting piece over at BBC Capital, Kate Ashford writes all about retirement and the folks who elect not to go through with it:

“Of the 75 percent of US workers who expect to work for as long as they can, 39 percent say it’s because they like it, according to a poll from Bankrate.com. Now that the UK has abolished the forced retirement age, more than 1 million people over age 65 are choosing to stay in work, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.”

“Don’t paint yourself into a corner of comfort,” [Julia] Chung said. “That’s the place where we lose our edge, no matter how old we are. You have to hustle to stay relevant, employed, and in business.”

“Julia Chung, a financial and estate planner with JYC Financial in Langley, British Columbia, in Canada, said: ‘I see a number of seniors in consulting and executive positions, as well as home-based businesses that employ their more artistic skills.’”

It’s of course important to note that people who enjoy working can’t just stick to their jobs ad infinitum. At a certain point, a human’s physical and mental propensity for labor wears away. Times change. Technology changes. It takes a lot of keeping up to be able to stick in the workforce. Ashford’s piece features several bits of advice for keeping abreast of industry innovations that might otherwise pass you by, as well as basic life tips for getting the most out of your decision to keep going.

Nobel prize-winning economist Paul Krugman on how employers can prepare employees for retirement.

Read more at BBC Capital.

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