The Age of No Retirement-I hate this name!

I would love to be able to retire.

I will be 56 next week, I won't get a state pension until I'm 66, so another 10 years of working. That is IF I could damn well get a job!

I have a huge mortgage, interest only, and no way of paying it off. My ex-husband did very nicely out of our divorce, as he was in(fraudulently) in receipt of benefits and i was stupid enough to be working for a living! I am struggling to find a job, even though I'm not exactly stupid, or fussy!

So, trisher, I'm so glad that you are enjoying your retirement, and have made lots of friends through volunteering, but please spare at least a thought for others who are not quite so fortunate!

trisher funny that you should say that. I find myself avoiding it too - haven't even read the article.

You've made me stop and think about why that is: firstly I think it is because I am newly retired and looking forward to this phase in my life with excitement and anticipation. Secondly it reminds me of my poor mother, who worked all her life, from when we were very young, and was still working at 69 when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer and told she had six months to live. She had been planning to retire at 70 and had been so looking forward to that. So she was "of the age of no retirement". And that makes me sad.

Sorry Phoenix I've just read your post and now my response seems really insensitive. Sorry.

Grannyknot no need to apologise.

I , on the other hand don't want to retire. It's my only contact with the outside world apart from you, and without it I'll probably vegetate and develop senile dementia.

I think its good that you don't want to retire Galen what a waste that would be

Galen my "retirement" includes starting work again in September, part time. I have retired from full time, salaried employment.

I hate the name too trisher but like Phoenix for very different reasons to yourself. I would love to have a retirement to look forward to. My DH is 63 and working longer and harder than he ever has. We will never retire. We have no pension to look forward to. We still have a mortgage to pay despite downsizing in order yo keep our small business afloat and keep our employees in work. I am glad that you are enjoying your retirement trisher but do please spare a thought for those of us who will probably never enjoy that luxury.

I don't think its retirement that is the problem , it is how to finance it. It would be lovely to retire at 60 if I could afford it but I cant, on the other hand I need to work to 70 if I can,but I don't think Im fit enough. so wouldn't it be better for the retirement age to be set at 65 for everyone and we can get state pension but we can have the option to work part time if we want, I would not like to retire completely so would always like a little job just to keep meeting new people etc. but if its compulsory it is much harder. Obviously those with a private pension can retire when they like but there are many like me who don't have that safety net.
I really feel that having retirement age at 60 for women and 65 for men was so unfair on the men after all women are stronger and more able than men.

I'm 70 in December. Don't feel it mentally. Unfortunately the department of Justice says that at 70 we are too old! Fortunately I was appointed 20 years ago which means my contract is until 72!
Can't believe the DOJ practises ageism can you?

It is ridiculous, Galen - works the same for magistrates too. So it's OK for people to have to work until they are nearly 70, but not OK for them to to serious, necessary work at 70?!

It's one thing to carry on working if you want to [during retirement] but not so good if you have to keep working to eat and pay the mortgage.
My DH retired early and then after a few years went back to work for a another few years[has just given up.]That was because he wanted to and enjoyed his job.Because I am younger than him I retired when he did , when I was 56.I felt then that I would enjoy being retired [and I did] now in my sixties and am still enjoying it.I have had a busy life and bringing up the children, jobs etc and now I love the slower pace of life.It is hard though, for all those that want to retire but can't and feel tired and not very well.

As I have only ever worked in paid employment for six years in my whole life, "retirement" has never really happened for me. What would I retire from? Life?

Crumbs Jinglbellsfrocks I'm not sure whether you're lucky to have been in that position or not. I've had a lot of careers which have given me a range of experiences both good and bad and I still keep my hand in at work from time to time and spend the rest of the time writing articles, supporting campaigns and meeting all sorts of interesting people as I go along. So although I'm officially retired my brain certainly isn't.

must be nice to have a choice

Blimey Jings I wouldn't know what it was like to be a kept woman. I have worked from being 16 and only ever had the bear minimum few weeks off after the birth of my two children.

Not "working" sounds like paradise.

I cant believe these women who have never worked in their lives or just a few years can actually have opinions of their own, they have never earned the right to give advice or opine. I have nothing against those who can afford not to work but do voluntary work or give to society in some way but women who have never done anything harder than bring up kids and housework must really have only one brain cell.

Bare not bear !

I agree it would be lovely to have a choice Silverfish but short of a lottery win, it's work again on Monday for me.

me too, but its better than being a benefit scrounger.

Of course women who have never or have only briefly "worked", as opposed to bringing up kids and doing housework, are capable of giving opinions and giving advice. Just because a woman flips burgers, performs brain surgery or earns money in some other way doesn't necessarily mean that she is informed about the world, well-read, well-travelled articulate or just generally thoughtful.

BTW Not all SAHMs are on benefits and not of those who are are scroungers.

As Absent said not all women who don't work are benefit scroungers Silverfish . Many have just been very fortunate in marrying rich men. Now where did I go wrong?

And some are unemployable for some reason or other but earn their "keep" and more by supporting a partner emotionally and intellectually and enabling them to earn without worries about childcare, housework, responsibility for aged or sick relatives, and a million other things. Most marriages (or other partnerships) work as a team with each contributing their strengths and complementing the other.

There are many kinds of input to keep the brain cells from atrophying. Paid work is only one of them, and some paid work destroys more cells than it nourishes.

I always worked from the age of 16, I didn't have children so have had no breaks in employment, never claimed unemployment benefit in my life (or whatever its called now). I am in the fortunate position of having enough income (just) to enable me to be "retired". I am very aware that not everyone is in the same position - several of my friends have to work in order to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table.

I am now able to do things that interest me, reading, meeting friends for long lunches, travelling and voluntary work. Being "retired" doesn't mean sitting and waiting for death - its a new phase in my life, interesting and different.