By Jim Hessler

I think I’m going to keep working!
Years ago the word ‘retirement’ was on everyone’s lips. Retirement planning – the goal of living a leisurely life with financial security and the time and resources to enjoy the good life. I don’t hear people talking about retirement much anymore.
Now I hear that 60% of working people expect to pursue some sort of second career after they retire from their current job. Fully a third of people don’t expect to retire at all.
Count me in. I think I’m going to keep working.
Some of this change in attitude towards retirement is a result of declining net worth and financial reality. Some of it is a reflection of employers’ hesitance or inability to fund pensions and other types of retirement programs. But I believe there are cultural issues at work here as well.
Retirement isn’t a fun concept for a lot of us. I am fortunate to have the kind of job that I can keep performing and getting better at well into my 70s or even beyond. I like the idea of remaining as a productive member of society, paying into the social safety nets of Social Security and Medicare while also appreciating the opportunity to draw out of them if I need to.
I may not want to work the long hours I’m working now when I’m in my 70s or 80s, but with life expectancies what they are today I don’t see it as healthy or productive for us as individuals or as a society to disconnect from the work force while we’re still healthy enough to work and while we’ve got so much to offer.
I think I’m going to keep working.