In their 80s, and still putting in the hours

[Texas Proud]

I guess this is the opposite of FIRE....


They're in their 80s, and still putting in the hours | Business | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

[ziggy29]

I can't relate to the sentiment, but as long as they're still at it because they enjoy it and want to be there, and not because it's the only way to keep the food on the table and the homes cooled in the summer, then more power to them. It must be nice to have a j*b you actually look forward to each day. It would also alleviate concerns about SS, pensions and retirement portfolio performance anxiety...

[bbbamI]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ziggy29 retirement portfolio performance anxiety...

I wonder if there's a little blue pill for that one....

[dixonge]

My dad is 78, and trust me - he's working because he has to. They just had to file Chapter 13 to escape the horrible credit debt they had racked up. Lots of bad choices over the years. And yet he still has to work to pay off the BK trustee and creditors and meet his budget. One car, living in a mobile home. Two pensions.

He has been an object lesson for me.

[W2R]

I think it is awful if someone over 60, much less over 80, wants to retire but can't. There are several at work in that position and it is pitiful.

There are some people who love going to work in their 80's. Most that I have known with that attitude are doctors and lawyers, who run their own practices and don't really do much of any actual work at the office any more. They get to the office around 9-10 AM, read the Wall Street Journal, have a long lunch with some friends, maybe do a little real estate wheeling and dealing, and then go home early. I suspect that it's not so much working, as just getting away from the spouse for a while for both partners' sanity.

Quote:

Originally Posted by from the Houston Chronicle link above Continuing to work, Kennedy said, supports three pillars of healthy aging: being socially engaged, intellectually stimulated and physically active.

I can hardly wait to retire so that I am no longer chained to a cubicle and can become more physically active. Also I can take classes and so on to become more intellectually stimulated. Anyone who thinks that my job provides physical activity and intellectual stimulation is a moronic slug to begin with. And IMO, anyone who goes to work because they love the social aspects needs to have their head examined, but that is just IMO.

[dex]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ziggy29 I can't relate to the sentiment, but as long as they're still at it because they enjoy it and want to be there, and not because it's the only way to keep the food on the table and the homes cooled in the summer, then more power to them. It must be nice to have a j*b you actually look forward to each day. It would also alleviate concerns about SS, pensions and retirement portfolio performance anxiety...

Agree.
If you are doing something you love - is it work? I don't think so.

[fisherman]

Work while a necessary evil for awhile is a four letter word in the end.

[vicente solano]

[quote=Want2retire;830294]I
There are some people who love going to work in their 80's. Most that I have known with that attitude are doctors and lawyers, who run their own practices and don't really do much of any actual work at the office any more. They get to the office around 9-10 AM, read the Wall Street Journal, have a long lunch with some friends, maybe do a little real estate wheeling and dealing, and then go home early. I suspect that it's not so much working, as just getting away from the spouse for a while for both partners' sanity.


quote]I totally agree with you and even go further- Those guys, what they do is counsel or advise. If they really have to get down to it, they refer the job.

[Moemg]

Living in Florida I see a lot of very elderly workers especially at Beal's department store . It is kind of amusing because they just chat with every customer about their purchase and take forever to ring you up . I think for a lot of them they like the social aspect and the little money it brings in . There is one older cashier at the grocery store who is always giving me recipes and shopping hints . Occasionally I'll see a bitter older worker but they are in the minority the rest seem to be enjoying their jobs. A good friend of mine who was 69 and very wealthy took a job at a beauty salon as the phone person just to get out of the house and around people . Retirement is great but if you are alone it can be very isolating so I give these women and men kudos for handling that problem .

[vicente solano]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moemg Living in Florida I see a lot of very elderly workers especially at Beal's department store . It is kind of amusing because they just chat with every customer about their purchase and take forever to ring you up . I think for a lot of them they like the social aspect and the little money it brings in . There is one older cashier at the grocery store who is always giving me recipes and shopping hints . Occasionally I'll see a bitter older worker but they are in the minority the rest seem to be enjoying their jobs. A good friend of mine who was 69 and very wealthy took a job at a beauty salon as the phone person just to get out of the house and around people . Retirement is great but if you are alone it can be very isolating so I give these women and men kudos for handling that problem .

But why can´t they socialize wirh other retired people? Could it be that doing that makes them feel older or simply that they don´t want to "talk shop" with their kind?

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vicente solano I totally agree with you and even go further- Those guys, what they do is counsel or advise. If they really have to get down to it, they refer the job.

Yes, exactly!! That is the type of "work" I am talking about. It does not seem too stressful.

[CuppaJoe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vicente solano But why can´t they socialize wirh other retired people? Could it be that doing that makes them feel older or simply that they don´t want to "talk shop" with their kind?

Yes, I've been going to a swimming pool/sauna where people are very sociable and not all of them are oldish (like me) or retired. Some of them are delightfully fit as well while some are very out of shape which makes me comfortable as I fall somewhere in between. The kind of small talk interactions are very similar to the recurring chats I had with co-w*rkers.

[vicente solano]

Another silly question from someone that clearly hasn´t got into the forum´s lingo: this thing of spelling j*b, w*rk, etc.... is it some kind of joke, mandatory rule or what?

[CuppaJoe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vicente solano Another silly question from someone that clearly hasn´t got into the forum´s lingo: this thing of spelling j*b, w*rk, etc.... is it some kind of joke, mandatory rule or what?

Since I no longer have a job or work, it is no longer a dirty word to me. But it is sort of a convention here to indicate preference for the retired life over slaving away on a j*b. But Vincente, another saying here is "hey, you are retired, you can do whatever you want." To spell it out or not, that is your choice.

edit: here's another one, I'll add, IMO

[Moemg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vicente solano But why can´t they socialize wirh other retired people? Could it be that doing that makes them feel older or simply that they don´t want to "talk shop" with their kind?

But they are socializing with retired people while they do a little work . They all seem happy with it .

[Moemg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CuppaJoe Yes, I've been going to a swimming pool/sauna where people are very sociable and not all of them are oldish (like me) or retired. Some of them are delightfully fit as well while some are very out of shape which makes me comfortable as I fall somewhere in between. The kind of small talk interactions are very similar to the recurring chats I had with co-w*rkers.

This is very similar to the small talk I get from my gym friends . It is just the right amount of interaction that I need . That was the thing that I missed about going to work the little chats so this fills the need .

[CuppaJoe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moemg This is very similar to the small talk I get from my gym friends . It is just the right amount of interaction that I need . That was the thing that I missed about going to work the little chats so this fills the need .

A funny thing happened when I had some personal business to do at a company that has half the floors in a high rise. When I pushed the elevator button to go from one floor to another within that company, people chatted me up as if I were a fellow empl*yee; I just played along. Who knew?

[Dawg52]

A salesman for my old company is 84 and still at it. He has plenty of money but just one problem. His wife has mental problems and he just can't deal with it on a full time basis. He pays for someone to sit with her during the day. So he works which gives him a chance to be around other people.

[kumquat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Want2retire There are some people who love going to work in their 80's. Most that I have known with that attitude are doctors and lawyers, who run their own practices

FIRE, to me, means having the means to do what you want. If you want to be a doctor or lawyer, go for it.

One of my uncles practised law until his mid 90's. He had lots of money, no hobbies/interests outside of law and was doing what he wanted to to. While I can't really agree, I can't argue.

[Cattusbabe]

“It used to be that retirement was something that everyone universally looked forward to,” said Dr. Gary Kennedy, director of geriatric psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center in New York. “Now I think most people are starting to think twice about whether they want to retire at 55, 65, 75” — or later."

I don't think so pal.