If you are in your retirement years or anticipating that last work week, you can readily be grateful and breathe a sigh of relief. You may be the last generation in America to enjoy such hard-earned fruits of labor. A very short-lived opportunity in this country’s history.
Upcoming generations, however, are not holding their breath. And that’s without even having a working knowledge of the ominous Trans-Pacific Partnership.
So are Americans still envisioning a slice of the pie, thanks to the coaxing of the mainstream media? What do they have to look forward to?
A survey by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies (TCRS) indicates that retirement is more of a myth than a reality – at least in the minds of those currently working.
TIME reports:
The [TCRS] surveyed 4,550 full-time and part-time workers about their retirement and savings plans. One in five said they would continue working as long as possible and 41% planned to reduce their hours. The study also found that 61% of Americans expect to continue working past the age of 65 or do not plan to retire at all.
In other words, most of the employed don’t exactly kid themselves about having golden years to pursue their passions and not work themselves to the grave. On the one hand, this is a sorry shame. On the other, it means more Americans are starting to uncover their eyes.
Catherine Collinson, president of TCRS describes retirement as a “transition” to be “phased over time” or that could happen abruptly due to unforeseen circumstances. She says:
Today’s workers recognize they need to save and self-fund a greater portion of their retirement income.
The long-held view that retirement is a moment in time when people reach a certain age, immediately stop working, fully retire, and begin pursuing their dreams is more myth than reality.
They released new research evaluating the retirement preparedness of American workers in, “Retirement Throughout the Ages: Expectations and Preparations of American Workers.“
Of course, TCRS is a non-profit outreach to help “American workers” that is funded by their other offshoots/parent groups as well as other, undisclosed third parties. Their survey prompts the use of their education services. However, what it really does is show how the majority of currently working Americans don’t buy into the insulting, pseudo-positivity spewed form the news desks. It highlights the “gaslighting” going on, when people are aware something is seriously wrong with the economy, employment and financial system.
But, it says nothing for the dismal outlook that the currently unemployed and under-employed must harbor. (The survey was meant for the employed.) It also doesn’t say much for those who have a job but can’t even think about tossing a dime into the “nest egg” as the press release suggests. While the organization dissipates the myth of a stark retirement age, does it not perpetuate other unreachable goals for the average millennial?
New-school workers cannot play fast and loose with old-school rules – they have to have grit, get creative and resourceful fast. They need to stop, think before they “college,” and invest in themselves – their health, their character, their gifts/talents, their strengths and in who they really are.
Millennials and those left without a plan may wish to check out our articles by Susan Boskey.
Do you have tips for retirement to share? Please leave your wisdom in the comments!
Heather Callaghan is a natural health blogger and food freedom activist. You can see her work at NaturalBlaze.com and ActivistPost.com. Like at Facebook.
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