Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Zorro

(16,521 posts)
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 11:56 AM Friday

58% of Americans' careers are cut short: How to be ready for unexpected retirement

Many Americans are obsessed with discussing and planning their retirement. They sketch out future career paths, make elaborate financial and tax calculations, and decide on the optimal time to start taking Social Security—often undertaking these measures decades in advance. But you know what they say about the best laid plans—life, and retirement, often goes awry.

The reality is that some 58% of Americans have their working years cut short and retire before they want to, whether due to personal health, employer discretion, or family-related reasons, according to a recent survey from the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies. The actual median retirement age is 62, according to the survey, a few years before the so-called "traditional" age of 65. Just 21% of those who retire early report being financially stable.

Health is often the biggest factor: 46% of those who retired earlier than planned did so for personal health-related reasons. But a boss's whims are a close second, with 43% reporting an employment-related issue was the cause, whether a layoff, buyout, or something else. Though you may want to keep clocking in for a few more years, your company's plan often trumps your own.

While 20% of early retirees named caregiving as a reason, this is often a bigger factor for women, says Terri Fiedler, president of retirement services at Corebridge Financial, which recently released a report on women's retirement regrets.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/58-americans-careers-cut-short-194938202.html

3 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
58% of Americans' careers are cut short: How to be ready for unexpected retirement (Original Post) Zorro Friday OP
I have 5 years. I suspect I may be one of them. CousinIT Friday #1
I retired at 62 when my employer transferred my job following a merger Ocelot II Friday #2
My husband and i were both involutarily retired. ShazzieB Friday #3

CousinIT

(10,578 posts)
1. I have 5 years. I suspect I may be one of them.
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 12:09 PM
Friday

I figure SHitler's economy will tank, and there will be forced retirements, and I may be part of that. In IT for 44 years and old...first booted. I hope I'm wrong but...

Ocelot II

(121,732 posts)
2. I retired at 62 when my employer transferred my job following a merger
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 12:17 PM
Friday

to a location I very much didn't want to live at. They offered a decent severance package so I took the money and ran, but if they hadn't moved my job I would have stuck around for a few more years.

ShazzieB

(19,009 posts)
3. My husband and i were both involutarily retired.
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 03:11 PM
Friday

In my case. It was the economy. In the crash of 2008, I lost a job where I'd been for over 10 years, at the age of 58. I continued working off and on for the next few years, but all I could find were temp gigs, with no benefits, sometimes with long empty stretches in between one job and the next. The whole experience was so demoralizing and soul-sucking that I gave up and started collecting SS as soon as I was old enough. I did take one more temp job after that, in the hope that it would turn into something more "permanent," but that did not happen. After I was laid off from that, I didn't have it in me to try again.

My husband worked a lot longer than I did, but was hoping to retire soon, when factory where he worked went bottom up due to some poor management decisions. Since then, we have been pinching pennies.

Of the two forced "retirements," mine was the most traumatic, financially and otherwise, but both sucked.

Latest Discussions»Support Forums»Seniors»58% of Americans' careers...