I have a coworker ho just got his 50 year pin. Its an award so rare they had to have it especially made.
The man is 72 and if he would retire, would get 82% of his salary plus social security but working, he actually is losing money. Supposedly he is putting his grandkids thru college.
I work with a couple of other people who also are still working long past their retirement age because they cant get along with their spouse at home.
Funny story - we had one guy who retired, but never told his wife. He would go to the park everyday and sit and read and she thought he was still working. It caught up to him 6 months into “retirement” when his wife called into his workplace asking for him.
Now I can see a person doing this who really loves their job and many family owned businesses have people that work practically until the day they are carried out. But I cant see working for some job you dont really like.
So do you know people who are working late into their retirement?
You’ve pretty much answered the question yourself, were you looking for further examples?
IME the liking the job reason is by far the most common.
Not to say they love their jobs – they’ll moan about shit same as anyone. But they have a job where they know they are useful; they’re the expert/most skilled at something. And it’s the “right” degree of challenging.
It might not sound much, but it’s pretty critical to our ego and happiness to have these things.
One of the counter-examples I give to the statement “There’s no such thing as a selfless act” is actually employment.
In that, many people, when they are doing a job, actually become that role. And they do tasks that make sense from a “trying to do the job as well as possible” perspective, and don’t make sense from a “just doing whatever is required to look good to my boss” perspective.
What I’m getting at, is that if you’ve been a Widget Toggler for 30+ years, how can you possibly stop toggling widgets now? It’s part of who you are.
In the OP’s example, he’s getting 100% of his salary plus SS plus he doesn’t pay SS tax. He’s never made so much money in his life. If he likes his job, why not?
In the old days, my employer had a mandatory retirement age of 70. One fellow was pushed out the door nearly kicking and screaming. He’d still come in on Saturdays and sit at his old desk just to feel like he was part of the action. It was kind of sad, but they let him do it until he tired of it.
My oldest mechanic retired at age 83. Still doing all the heavy duty work required a heavy duty truck mechanic. He was becomming forgetful and we requested he retire which he complied. My best workers were the older guys, several over 70 years old before retiring. A lot of us retired recently when technology required more training and we just didn’t feel like going through it.
We have retired semi-crepitant physicians who come in every week for the hospital tumor conference. They get a chance to schmooze with old friends and a free breakfast (such as it is).
Even if their job isn’t so hot, maybe some people want to maintain the daily contacts with cow-orkers.
It’s a ways off for me, but retirement is starting to look better and better, what with the mandated busywork that constantly is being added on to my responsibilities.*
*if it’s a choice between death and paperwork, death starts to look like an attractive option.
I always thought that showed a lack of imagination. There’s tons of things to commit yourself to in retirement such as painting, writing, mentoring and whatever. One - and I deal with a LOT of retirees these days - just needs to see the options right there to take advantage of them.
Work provides a salary, but for many people it also represents purpose, and it provides an opportunity for social interaction. Everybody knows one or two assholes where they work, but they also know good people, and often make good friends with coworkers.
You have about 112 waking hours in a week; to retire from a job leaves you trying to fill 40 of those hours (plus commute time) with something new. That’s a big hurdle for some. If your options are:
A) continue to work doing something you know and are good at, enjoying purpose and social interaction, or
B) unknown,
Option A looks pretty good, unless you really fucking hate your job.
ISTR hearing that this is sometimes an issue for lottery winners: they win XX millions, immediately quit their jobs, and find themselves sitting around the house staring at each other, not quite sure what to do with all this extra time they suddenly have on their hands. Since they don’t work anymore, they lose touch with their old coworkers because the job was a common bond. Now it’s just them, and they start to get on each other’s nerves unless they’re smart enough to find something constructive to do wtih their time and money (you can only take so many five-star vacations a year before they start to become unfulfilling).
I used to work with a guy in his 80’s, still active and healthy, not real productive anymore but nobody had the heart. He was very clear about his reasons - he came in for the companionship, preferring not to spend his time with a wife whose mind had gone, or with other seniors who had nothing to do with their time but complain about their health and, well, everything else.
And yes, I’ve known guys past normal retirement age who were clear about not wanting to spend more time with their wives than they had to. Sad, but those are the choices one makes in life.
Similarly, I know several women who continue to work, and have no plans to retire for the same reason ElvisL1ves cites: they can barely stand to be around their husbands. The women view their husbands like needy children who are drains on their time. They’re dependent on their wives for their meals, clean clothes and entertainment.
Listening to these women, I also wonder at such choices, but they aren’t mine to make.
Reminds me of a scene in Kill Bill. Michael Madsen’s character has an bit where he observes “The Number One killer of old people is retirement.”
Ten minutes later, a black mamba bites him repeatedly and fatally IN THE FACE. I’ll take retirement over that, thanks.
Because we like to work!! I could be on disability and soon to be retired, but I like the self-esteem that comes from doing a good job, contributing to society, being self supporting, and interacting with other people.
What should I do? Go home and sit in a chair until it’s time to leave in a box?
Besides social security at a certian age some companies will allow you to collect retirement while still working a certian age. I have knowguys who used this build up a nest egg they had not saved when they were younger.
Some people work for the health insurance and benefits. I know several people who fall into this category. Even some who are eligible for Medicare keep working because they have a family member who is on their employer-based health insurance who could not find (or afford) equivalent coverage if the worker retired.
My mother retired, then went back to work because my father (also retired) is incredibly annoying. She retired again at age 70, mostly because a new boss at work made working more annoying than being retired with Dad. She misses it though, and I think she might try to find some part-time work before long, for the social and mental stimulation (and to get out of the house!). This is definitely a common reason. Many of my mother’s friends cite the same reason for continuing to work.
A segment of the attorneys I know are very reluctant to retire. Even if they can’t have a full-time practice, I know some that insist they still want to come into the office and work and have client contact. For them, I think it is because so much of their identity is wrapped up in their professional life. All the attorneys I know who fit this mold have made close friends of their clients. In fact, I know a small business owner (not an attorney) who fit this mold as well. He only retired after the last client he was personally close to also retired.
My mother’s father worked as a pediatrician well into his 80’s, and only quit because he needed surgery for an abdominal aortic aneurism. (He didn’t expect to live through the operation, but lived another 10 years mostly in good health.)
My father worked as a patent attorney into his 80’s, though he had sold his practice and was working fewer and fewer hours as a consultant to the big firm that bought it. He once mentioned that he knew a number of guys who were captains of industry one day and chief bottle washers the next, and he wasn’t in any hurry to make that transition.
I wish I could retire, but I’d still work on something like open source projects. All the fun but far less stress, most of the time. On the other hand, I’d missing working with people in an office. (I work from home a lot, but wouldn’t want to work that way all the time.)