How would you feel about working till you're 70 years old?

If i were to retire at 62, i'd get slightly more than $800/month, starvation wages . . . my "normal" retirement date would be after my 66th birthday, at which point i would get starvation deluxe--somewhat over $900/month. But, i can hang in there until i'm 70, at which point i'd get more than $12,000 per annum--woo-hoo, i'd eat vienna sausages twice a year, and macaroni dinners on Sundays . . .

Exactly, hamburger! Especially the bit about politicians!:wink:

But yes, if you've worked hard physically all your working life it's much less likely you'll be able to continue into your old age. I do believe, though, that such folk are entitled to some dignity & respite in their years of retirement. Obviously you don't become rich doing unskilled work for years & years. A decent pension & proper health care should be a right.

That's terrible!
You're just gonna hafta take up crime to make ends meet, Setanta! :wink:

Ya mean politics, msolga?

Yep. Always!

It is reputed that Sam Irvin once rose in the Senate, and began his peroration with the observation: "Now, i'm just a simple, old country lawyer . . . "

At which point, it is said that Lyndon Johnson loudly remarked: "Whenever i hear that simple country lawyer crap, i get a good grip on my wallet."

Incidentally, it'd be interesting to know what politicians can expect in their retirement packages! Just kidding, we already KNOW that, don't we? Obviously it costs a lot more for politicians in retirement than ordinary, common, everday folks!:wink:

If people knew that when you died you stayed dead and that there was no prospect of having a chat with the Archangel Michael or getting the 42 virgins in Paradise* (or whatever the number is these days) they'd be a bit more concerned about making life on this mortal coil a bit more pleasant for everyone by sharing the wealth around. Sadly too many people have bought the fairy tales.

*pretty crook gig I would have thought

I live in a retirement town, where the amount of activities that are available is mind boggling. Over here, there is absolutely no reason for being bored.

The neighborhoods here run from lower to upper middle class. You have your country club, tennis and golf set, as well as those folks who cannot afford to pay the community maintenance dues, and are subsidized by our community association for that dues.

One of the things that I find rather interesting, is that many of the retirees choose to go back to work, part-time. I know a number of former teachers, who now do substitute teaching. The stores and offices are full of social security recipients who supplement their income by working part time.

I know many people who work in town, not because they have to, but because they want to keep active. One of my favorite people is "Bessie," a bagger at Publix, who is at least 15 years my senior. There are those who will work for some extra money to use for vacations, etc.

A number of people have, in this booming area, gone into real estate. The person who shows properties to potential home buyers, will quite often have gray hair. I know a retired dentist, who is continuing his profession, part-time, at the local VA hospital.

Quite often, there are articles in the newspaper extolling the virtues of older workers. What has been found, is that the older folk are more reliable, and extremely serious about their work, than some of the younger folks. This is especially true in some of your minimum wage jobs, like in fast food restaurants, who, over here, employ a lot of retirees.

Interesting, Phoenix ... & very enlightened!

I've been paying into superannuation since I was 19. And my employer sponsored contributions are really good. I should be able to retire between 60 and 65 and live quite comfortably. I won't have any choice. 23 years of crouching in awkward positions and my knees are already stuffed at the age of 40. That's one of the main reasons I'm doing a degree. To be qualified for less physically demanding work as I get older.

That's great, Wilso. At 19 you wouldn't have had any idea of the importance of those superannuation payments, would you? (Well I certainly wouldn't have!) But just think of the poor souls who have worked hard all their adult lives & don't have anything like this to fall back on!

BTW, Wilso, i had forgotten to tell you just how entertained i am by your sig line . . .

I'm looking forward to being a Walmart greeter.

dys- Don't knock it. I see some of the guys who are in Wal-Mart, handing out carts, and interacting with people. Many are 75+. Sure beats sitting in the house, and staring at the tube.

phoenix wrote : "Sure beats sitting in the house, and staring at the tube. "

but why would anyone want to do that ? there are plenty of things to do for anyone wanting to stay active. one problem i've noticed with at least some people who didn't know when to quit is , that they may have difficulty shifting gears. you have to develop interest in other things other than your work early enough IMO. of course, companies will often tell thier employees "to give their all" for the company; it pays to remember want sailors said in the days of sailships when they went aloft to secure the sails : " one hand for the ship, one hand for yourself" - because if you forget to hold on with one hand and give both hands to the ship, you'll likely fall - doing neither the ship nor yourself any good.
there is a problem if retirees don't have enough many - and medical benefits - to lead a decent life.
you have to start saving early , no matter how difficult.
i'd say that so far retirees in canada are probably better of because they had to pay higher taxes and contribute to pension plans early in life . i know enough of them who screamed bloody murder when the (government sponsored) "canada pension" plan came in - they'd have preferred to spent their money right there and then. also the government sponsored health insurance gives everyone at least basic halth care - even if it's not gold-plated.
there is an old german saying : " spare in der zeit, dann hast du in der not" - loosely translated : " save in time, so you will have it (the money) when you need it ". hbg

Not me. I'm the kind of a guy that is pretty introverted and I don't like too many people other than women. No way I would ever put up working for someone until I was 70 unless I had no choice. That would be pretty bad unless I owned the business. I don't like anyone telling me what to do.

After I retired from the military at 43 I had a couple of add on jobs. I just didn't like the work, didn't like working with civilians, their dress, work habits, health habits etc. I'd look at them and either pity them or get angry at them depending on the mood I was in.

The last job I had was OK, I volunteered to do the work without pay doing computer labs. Matter of fact I enjoy doing volunteer work rather than working for pay providing they understand things and understand I am retired and nobody tells me what to do.

No, life is too short. You need to line something up in your early years, move through the ranks and retire as soon as you can financially afford to. I laugh at anyone that says: "I just gotta work, I don't have to, I just have ta." Yeah, you don't have to all right bro, you "don't have ta" you can just go ahead, have your home foreclosed, your car repossessed.

I feel sorry for people that grow old and still must work. That is no way to live life. Nobody should work past age 55 unless they have no choice.

Everyone of my era was meant to work until they are 65. This is still expected I guess but unless you have to you shouldn't do it.

People that are fairly young (or in some cases old) feel a perverse sense of enjoyment making other people labor and watching them. One of the reasons I get angry over the holidays is because the post office doesn't deliver my mail every day of the week. I alway feel better after the holidays when I see people driving to work in the morning.

When people retire they should have something they love doing. I hate it when I hear someone in retirement say " Oh, I have something to keep me busy."

Only a wretch says something like that, a person with low esteem implying they are so unworthy of being on Earth the best thing they can do for the rest of mankind is to stay out of the way, stay out from underfoot by: "KEEPING BUSY"

I'm an old man and I joined a band on Wednesday night. I play trombone and I am not playing that axe just to "KEEP BUSY" rather I know I am going to meet new people, I am going to draw lovely women that go for the trombone man. The tall, lean guy that looks just like Stan Kenton did.

As I progress I am going to establish a brass quartet. The Night Bugs will be the name. We will be appearing in upscale night spots throughout the county.

You cranky old devil!

Good for you! (Apart from the bit about attracting women to the "trombone man"! :wink: ) The brass quartet sounds a terrific idea!