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THE THIRD METRIC
There have always been those
who, out of necessity or by choice,
have skipped or spurned retirement, working on until the day
they die — quite possibly feeling
that a carefree, work-free lifestyle
would be wholly unsatisfying.
But for those who aspire to one
day call it quits, more Americans
are recalibrating their retirement
expectations. In 1991, according to
an annual survey for the Employee
Benefit Research Institute, 11 percent of workers anticipated that
they would work past age 65; by
2013 that figure leapt to 36 percent, with 7 percent saying they
had no plans to stop working. Survey respondents who expected to
HUFFINGTON
08.11.13
“For previous generations, the dream was
to get yourself set up so you can quit
work and not have to do anything ever
again… I think I might get really bored.”
push back their retirement plans
cited a range of reasons, from the
struggling economy to their inability to afford retirement.
Financial considerations are, of
course, central to retirement planning. But in order to prepare for
careers that may extend well into
their 60s or beyond, more people
are also prioritizing their health
earlier on, to make sure their careers are sustainable in the long
term. The trend of delayed retirement comes as the average Ameri-