Five Reasons to Avoid Retirement

While some folks of retirement age continue working for financial reasons, others have compelling non-financial reasons to avoid retirement. Can you relate to any of these five reasons?

You’ve put your nose to the grindstone 40+ hours a week for 40+ years of your life. For all that toil and sacrifice, you’re rewarded with retirement, or doing exactly what you want, when you want for the rest of your life.

But many seniors are finding that this tradition of slacking off in the sixth decade of life is not what it’s cracked up to be. “Many Americans are considering going back to work simply because it makes them feel good,” says Chris Blunt , CEO of F&G Annuities & Life.

But “feeling good” is only one reason many adults choose to avoid retirement, even when they’re financially able. We’ve identified five ways that working – full-time or part-time, for a while or indefinitely – “feels good” to more and more seniors today.

Compelling reasons to avoid retirement

1. Purpose

You may love the freedom to do nothing for a few weeks or months after retirement. However, when you’ve put in eight productive hours a day for decades, the sudden switch to just lying on the couch – and maybe getting the dishwasher unloaded in the course of a day – can quickly make you feel pretty useless. That’s why approximately 37% of seniors told a recent Empower survey that they weren’t ready to completely bid work farewell. Not only might you need the routine provided by a job, but you may also thrive on the sense of purpose you feel at the end of the workday.

2. Brainwork

While hobbies, reading, and doing puzzles can keep those neurons firing, some seniors feel their brains aren’t getting a good enough workout when they’re sitting on the sidelines. These seniors are choosing to continue in their current career or try a new line of work for the intellectual stimulation that employment provides. While learning new skills, brainstorming and problem-solving, you’re challenging yourself and working to stay mentally sharp.

3. Social interactions

Chatting around the water cooler, working together on projects, and unwinding with coworkers after work are all fringe benefits of being in the workplace. So, when you retire, not only are you leaving the drudgery behind but also that social interaction and collaboration. Spending even a handful of hours a week working can help you maintain relationships and feel connected, which is integral to your emotional and mental well-being as you age.

4. Pursuit of a passion

The Empower survey found that 24% of respondents have had in mind a dream job that they believe will bring them joy, like working for a florist, pet-sitting, or running sound for a band. Retiring is their opportunity to pursue this passion project. The key to finding that perfect retirement job is to figure out the specific things you love about your current job and the other qualities that you don’t. And if money isn’t a factor, give back to a cause that’s important to you through a volunteer gig.

5. Enjoyment

And then there are the people like me, who love what they do and can’t imagine stopping. Instead of quitting cold turkey or continuing at the pace that you’ve maintained for years, you can scale back your hours or switch to remote work for more flexibility. You may also vary the type of work you do (for example, I now only research and write content that interests me) so it feels less like a job and more like fun!

No one says you must stop working at 65; however, continuing to grind long and hard until you die may not be the best route either. If you continue working, be sure to build in plenty of time to spend with family, to pursue your hobbies and interests, and most importantly, to relax. And if you have a partner, make sure you’re both on the same page so you each get what you want out of this final chapter.

Related: Are You Unprepared for Retirement?

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