Bob and Sharon Ray retired at the same time a number of years ago. Had it not been for Bob Ray's boss, who was driving him out of his mind, the 70-year-old might have stuck it out a little longer. Instead he left the workforce at 55.
His wife, Sharon, on the other hand, missed work almost immediately after retiring at age 56. "A lot of who you are is wrapped up in what you do, and I had pretty substantial jobs in my career,” says Sharon Ray, 71, who was an executive for several IT companies and founder of Verity, Inc., one of the first online search engines. “Suddenly, I went from being reasonably important to unimportant. It's hard on your ego."
Exacerbating matters, the couple spends part of the year in Hilton Head, South Carolina, where Sharon Ray said a number of retired professionals settle, but "no one talks about what they did (professionally). It's like you didn't have a life before you retired. You work real hard to get to a certain place in your career, get there, then, boom, it's gone."
In 1950, about 26 percent of those 65 or older were still working, but over the years, due to Social Security, Medicare and other factors, that number fell sharply. By 1985, only 10 percent of Americans 65 or older were working full- or part-time.
But that's changing. Today, nearly 19 percent (or one in five) Americans 65 or older are working. People cite financial needs, health care coverage and personal enrichment as the main reasons they work into their retirement years, according to AARP studies over the past 15 years.
Among some of those who do retire altogether, the transition can be a culture shock of sorts, said Loretta Bradley, a member and former president of the American Counseling Association.
Calling retirement another stage of life, Bradley said those who no longer have a career yet want to be involved might consider what they can do that will increase their feeling of self-worth. That could mean joining a book club, volunteering at a local school or meeting others and challenging your cognitive skills.
"More and more people, when they retire, are re-imagining themselves into a different type of activity; it's like a new stage of life, new activities and outlooks,” Bradley said.
You see this a lot, added Richard Johnson, director of the Urban Institute's Program on Retirement Policy: "People report they like going to work for that sense of engagement; the idea they're doing something meaningful." Which is why retirement is becoming a more gradual process, Johnson says. Consequently, individuals increasingly are segueing into part-time work — perhaps with the same employer — and phasing into retirement, he said.
Read more at http://national.deseretnews.com/article/3209/Making-it-work-How-to-live-well-after-retirement-age.html#YWzaOQrXtKkhyOtd.99
Bob and Sharon Ray retired at the same time a number of years ago. Had it not been for Bob Ray's boss, who was driving him out of his mind, the 70-year-old might have stuck it out a little longer. Instead he left the workforce at 55.His wife, Sharon, on the other hand, missed work almost immediately after retiring at age 56. "A lot of who you are is wrapped up in what you do, and I had pretty substantial jobs in my career,” says Sharon Ray, 71, who was an executive for several IT companies and founder of Verity, Inc., one of the first online search engines. “Suddenly, I went from being reasonably important to unimportant. It's hard on your ego."Exacerbating matters, the couple spends part of the year in Hilton Head, South Carolina, where Sharon Ray said a number of retired professionals settle, but "no one talks about what they did (professionally). It's like you didn't have a life before you retired. You work real hard to get to a certain place in your career, get there, then, boom, it's gone."In 1950, about 26 percent of those 65 or older were still working, but over the years, due to Social Security, Medicare and other factors, that number fell sharply. By 1985, only 10 percent of Americans 65 or older were working full- or part-time.But that's changing. Today, nearly 19 percent (or one in five) Americans 65 or older are working. People cite financial needs, health care coverage and personal enrichment as the main reasons they work into their retirement years, according to AARP studies over the past 15 years.Among some of those who do retire altogether, the transition can be a culture shock of sorts, said Loretta Bradley, a member and former president of the American Counseling Association.Calling retirement another stage of life, Bradley said those who no longer have a career yet want to be involved might consider what they can do that will increase their feeling of self-worth. That could mean joining a book club, volunteering at a local school or meeting others and challenging your cognitive skills."More and more people, when they retire, are re-imagining themselves into a different type of activity; it's like a new stage of life, new activities and outlooks,” Bradley said.You see this a lot, added Richard Johnson, director of the Urban Institute's Program on Retirement Policy: "People report they like going to work for that sense of engagement; the idea they're doing something meaningful." Which is why retirement is becoming a more gradual process, Johnson says. Consequently, individuals increasingly are segueing into part-time work — perhaps with the same employer — and phasing into retirement, he said.Read more at http://national.deseretnews.com/article/3209/Making-it-work-How-to-live-well-after-retirement-age.html#YWzaOQrXtKkhyOtd.99
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