Five Benefits Of Working Past Retirement Age

Retirement is a state of mind, not of your age.

“Retirement: It’s nice to get out of the rat race, but you have to learn to get along with less cheese.” — Gene Perret

Iconic comedian George Burns, who died in 1996 at the age of 100, was famous for claiming that he had never considered retiring at all, much less at age 65. George Burns said; “65, I still had acne when I was 65.”

It turns out that George may have been on to something. For many people, there are significant emotional, physical, and financial benefits that come from working past the traditional retirement age.

Advances in healthcare, nutrition, and technology have increased our lifespans significantly. Consider this: When Social Security began in 1935, the average American lived to 61 years of age. Today’s life expectancy is around 78!

The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research published a paper recently predicting that by 2020, an estimated one-fourth of American workers will be 55 or older. The rate of older Americans working longer has been increasing steadily since the 1990s.

There’s some merit to considering working longer, especially when you consider these potential benefits.