Wash, Rinse, Repeat

Retirement is not a concept that existed in the 19^th century.  It came into its own in the 20^th century and there is much speculation that it won’t exist in its current form much further into the 21^st century.   In fact, we are already moving in the direction of a radically different retirement than the one you’ve probably envisioned.  The reason: things are changing and at a rapid rate. 

Just a few years ago, the notion of retirement was to quit your job around the age of 65, live a life of leisure, deal with declining health and eventually die.  Today, it’s not unusual to see people begin to mix work and retirement and that trend is not only going to accelerate but expand.

The reasons:

• We are living longer. Futurists are forecasting the generation in grade school today will easily live to be 100.  Advances in health care have already extended life expectancy in America significantly.  Just think what will happen when we eventually find cures for some of the most common causes of death.
• Work isn’t as hard as it used to be. I know that you would seriously argue this point right after a long week at your job, but the truth is that most of the work in this country has moved from physical labor to “brain work” that while tiring is not as taxing on the body as manual labor.
• We are resisting the notion of advancing age means declining usefulness. Maybe it’s the baby boomer’s last great act of defiance but many of us are refusing to “get out of the way” when it comes to work.  (Much to the chagrin of the younger generations looking for jobs.)