A somewhat pessimistic study on retirement...

[Seeking Hobbes]

I guess I don't really follow the trend in this study...

Retirement: Reality Not As Rosy As Expectations : NPR

I couldn't wait to retire... and haven't regretted a second since...

 

[W2R]

So far my nearly two year retirement has been the happiest time of my life.

The survey results suggest the main problems people encounter are money and health.

Most of our members are careful to wait until they have enough money before retiring.

Retiring was the best thing possible for my health. Perhaps the survey did not control for the effects of aging, which occur whether or not one has retired.

Overall, this seemed like one more article urging baby boomers to keep working and not retire. Sure seems like a lot of articles like that have been popping up lately.

 

[REWahoo]

Most of our members are careful to wait until they have enough money before retiring.

My take on the survey says many folks had to retire earlier than planned due to poor health and/or job loss. That is a significantly different group than the majority who post here - although there are certainly some among us who fit into that category.

It seems logical having to retire before you were ready would lead to a "somewhat pessimistic" view of retirement...

 

[W2R]

My take on the survey says many folks had to retire earlier than planned due to poor health and/or job loss. That is a significantly different group than the majority who post here - although there are certainly some among us who fit into that category.

It seems logical having to retire before you were ready would lead to a "somewhat pessimistic" view of retirement...

That would do it. For example, if one was just waiting to die in a medicaid nursing home and never got to really enjoy retirement first, then retirement is unlikely to seem like a happy time in one's life.

 

[frayne]

No one plan fits all but IMHO going into retirement with no debt, owning your own home and having health insurance coverage is critical and living within and or below your means prior to retirement doesn't hurt either. Health problems are a big question mark for everyone and it isn't an "if" thing, just a "when" thing for most.
Just my two cents.

 

[GregLee]

I guess I don't really follow the trend in this study...

Retirement: Reality Not As Rosy As Expectations : NPR

Although the headline and most of the story is pessimistic, actually, the poll being reported on says retirement is not worse for most retirees:

According to a new poll by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health, life in retirement is better or the same as it was before, but it is worse for a substantial minority in key areas, including health and finances.

 

[Lsbcal]

I think the study is biased.

I'm happy in ER and never participate in surveys unless there is really something in it for me. Why spend my happy minutes doing that?

Do happy retired people readily do surveys? My guess is a fair percentage do not. The grumpy ones are more likely to respond.

 

[ziggy29]

Yeah, I think this article touches on some of the obvious -- retirement for the "401K generation" will be a lot more insecure and cautious than it is for those with a secure DB pension. Maybe it will be better, maybe it will be worse depending on market conditions and the economy, but it adds a layer of uncertainty that wasn't there when retirement was the (preferably COLA'd) monthly pension check. And all else being equal, that added uncertainty makes it "feel" a lot less comfortable.

And as an aside, I know almost *no* one who is voluntarily retiring these days without a significant pension and health insurance waiting for them.

 

[Nords]

I think the study is biased.
I'm happy in ER and never participate in surveys unless there is really something in it for me. Why spend my happy minutes doing that?
Do happy retired people readily do surveys? My guess is a fair percentage do not. The grumpy ones are more likely to respond.

Not only biased but small. I think we have higher responses on some of this board's polls.

Like many others in the poll, his lifestyle isn't what he imagined.

So how much did the foundations spend for this data analysis?