Boomers Putting Retirement On Hold
Posted by Goody on 03/12/08 in Home and Family
The word retirement takes on a whole new meaning when talking with the Baby Boomer generation. Bingo, shuffleboard, and golf every day are passé. They want to be busy, just not as busy. They want to stay involved, but not 60 hours a week involved. They want to continue earning, but without the stress and pressure of a traditional job.
Essentially, boomers have finally grown up. We have become working caregivers to our parents and children, and our concerns range from finances to relationships and health. Can you believe the drop-out generation currently sees itself as family-oriented? That the former protest-everything-generation now say they put others before themselves?
And while they are concerned about their health and know what they should be doing, they aren’t doing much of it. According to the Natural Marketing Institute, 93% of boomers state that exercise is integral to good health, but only 27% do it regularly and only 21% do it infrequently. That means 53% don’t bother at all. What other mixed messages are we sending out?
Boomers are the first generation whose average member will live into their 80s. An avalanche of octogenarians is approaching. Now there are 9 million Americans 80 or older. By 2050, there will be 31 million, according to US Census Bureau estimates. In 2000, there were 250,000 people worldwide over 100. By 2050, there will be 3.8 million. Yes, that’s a lot of old people. But consider this – in a recent survey, one third of Americans in their 70s said they consider themselves to be middle-aged, as did 22% of those 80 or older.
The study also reveals that men and women envision retirement very differently. Some of us have been saying that for years. Men are more likely to view retirement as a time to enhance primary relationships, while women plan to become more involved in their communities. It would appear that these views pose possible disagreements in many households.
Retire? Boomers can’t picture themselves quitting all forms of work, playing golf and traveling in their RVs. Rather, they see themselves as transitioning into part-time work at their chosen profession, or learning about a new trade or industry. Those boomers who do see retirement in their future see it as beginning at 70 or 75, not the traditional 60 to 65. In other words, we plan to live longer and postpone old age.
The money earned during these transition years will help fund their lifestyle, and they won’t be tapping into their retirement nest egg until well past 70. This suggests that retirement planning as we know it today will need to reinvent itself as well. The boomer concept of financial freedom is the point at which they have the ability to move on to the retirement they envision, no matter what age.
Boomers say they are unwilling to make the financial sacrifices today that a traditional leisure retirement would require. They are willing to work longer, even if it means less hours at reduced pay, rather than deny themselves today. Boomers say that their ideal life plan in retirement includes work. However, they are seeking new work/leisure models whereby they have more control over their time. Are there more entrepreneurs and small business owners in our future?
No matter how many boomers there are or how they choose to live the next chapter of their lives, financial planners will need to carefully rethink their current models. The times, they are a changin’ and business as usual won’t work. Flexibility is the key; no longer will the “senior” fit into the box with all their peers. Each will have a different vision of what financial freedom means to them, and those planners unable to make quick adjustments to the planning concept will be left behind.
We Boomers have affected social change with every decade since the 60s. There’s no reason to believe that this trend won’t continue.
Linda S. Thompson a Baby Boomer. She is also the founder and president of Life Path Solutions, who specializes in the practical side of wellness. And she is the author of Planning for Tomorrow-Your Passport to a Confident Future, a common sense guide to life planning. Linda is a professional speaker who often talks about the generational differences and Boomers in particular. Linda is available to speak on various topics in the life planning field and can be contacted at Linda@LifePathSolutions.biz For more information about Linda’s books, CDs and lecture topics, along with other free articles, please visit her website at http://www.LifePathSolutions.biz
Tags: baby boomers, boomers, career, change, financial, generation, health, retirement, trends, work
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