The Rusty Years

Anthony LoPinto

The Wall Street Journal yesterday published a section on “The Case Against Retirement”. It’s a must read because it outlines two primary statistics against hanging up your spurs. The first is that retirement may be bad for your health, and it may even kill you because retirees tend to indulge in unhealthy behaviors. But more importantly, without the fulfillment of work and the camaraderie in the work environment, retirees risk becoming socially isolated, which can accelerate cognitive decline.

The other issue is financial. The Baby-Boomer generation has not saved enough for retirement, rendering early retirement a bad decision. The article indicated that the average boost in future annual retirement income increases 9% when retirement is delayed just one year. The bottom line is that those who are heading to retirement should rethink their timing, or before you pull the trigger, make sure that you have a game plan to stay healthy and socially stimulated to avoid the golden years turning rusty.