Part of the reason I started Boomer-ette was to look for answers to questions that have become kind of pressing: When should I retire? How could I retire and who would I be when I did? What would I do all day? What would I do with the rest of my life? Who would I be without my career?
I’m tired. Actually, it’s more burned out than tired.
I feel young and I’m still healthy and full of energy. Yes, I can keep working. But I want to slow it down. My career is stressful and I’m definitely experiencing the signs of chronic stress – headaches, difficulty sleeping, lots of anxiety. Is it possible to run a business, where people are depending on you and need answers to questions and IT keeps breaking down and vendors aren’t doing their jobs right, part-time?
Did you know that in 1935, when Roosevelt passed the Social Security Act, less than 60% of Americans lived to age 65, the age set for retirement and receiving Social Security? Today, the average life expectancy of an American is 76 (in France it’s 82 – they’re doing something better over there).
In a wonderful NY Times article today by Dana G. Smith, she explores the question of what is the best retirement age for your health. People’s cognitive facilities last well past 65:
“Parts of the brain — most notably the prefrontal cortex, which is critical for executive functioning, attention and working memory — do start to lose volume as early as around age 45, but other areas are able to compensate, Dr. Renzi-Hammond said. And other aspects of cognition, such as crystallized intelligence (accumulated knowledge that can be applied to new situations) and social cognition (behaving appropriately in interpersonal interactions), continue to improve for decades.”
“Working life expectancy” is to age 73, according to Gal Wettstein, a senior research economist at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. If you’re healthy at age 50, you can expect 23 more years without disability.
So, in summary, if I’m 62, I can work until I’m 73, then the disabilities kick in and I die in 3 years, at 76. 🙁 Or move to France and die in 9 years, at 82.
Boomer-ettes think about death, and how much time we have left, more and more as we get older. It’s only natural. How much quality time do I have left? Have I done everything I wanted to do in life? I HAVE NOT.
Have you?
So is work/life balance possible? Part-time is probably possible in many jobs, but is it possible in mine? It seems really difficult (so far) to pull this off.
I’m happy I have worked really hard and saved. I could definitely walk away now and be comfortable financially. The longer I work and save, the more “comfortable” I will be. But for how long? Where is the breaking point? How much “comfort” per month do I need to live the life I want to live? If I only have 14 more years left (to age 76? I refuse to believe that), am I doing what I want to do?
These are the questions facing all Boomer-ettes and we are going to figure them out together.
