Thousands of Americans are doing it.
Have you read the news lately? Soon-to-be retirees have saved almost nothing for retirement. No doubt that means we’ll soon have homeless Baby Boomers begging for change on the subways!
Ok, the second part might not happen. But given the press that this recent Employee Benefit Research Institute report has gotten, you’d be forgiven for thinking so.
Make no mistake, the numbers are terrible. Only 44% of Americans have more than $25,000 in savings. About 54% of workers older than 45 have more than $25k. And of actual retirees, only 46% have more than $25k in savings.
Using the rule of thumb that you can draw down 4% of your nest egg in retirement’s first year—faulty, but it’s a starting point—$25,000 in savings gives you about $1,000 in income. With Social Security, you’re probably talking $14,000 per year, which is puts you in the ballpark of the incomes in countries like Libya and Panama, depending on how you’re making your comparison.
And yet, these soon-to-be retirees and actual retirees are in the United States. Which begs the question: How are they doing it? And is life really so bad for poor retired people?
The life of a retired non-saver
First, let’s look at actual incomes of retirees as clues. A 2005 report by the Census found that the median income of someone aged 65 and older in 2003 was about $24,000—or $29,000 in today’s dollars. That’s a pretty severe drop off from the median $49,000 income that people aged 55 to 64 had.
Those age 65+ are also taking less of an income as they age. The same report found that the median household took about $33k in income between 65 and 69, but by age 75, the median household had an income of only $19,000.
About 17% of those 65+ live in or close to poverty, which is about the same as the population as a whole, but that was skewed by those over age 75. The real old-timers had a near poverty rate of almost 20%.
But on average, their living arrangements were fine according to the report…most had furnaces, A/C, a full kitchen, etc.
No, you’re not working until you die.
You might have heard somebody say something to the effect of “I’m probably going to work until I die”. Either that’s been a conscious choice (no point in saving!) or it’s a “reality” they’ve come to as 65 neared and they hadn’t saved nearly enough.
Except that’s not what actually happens. According to the Labor Department, fewer than one in five workers over age 65 have a job or are looking for work. Once you get to age 75, only 7% or so fits that profile. Slightly sadder, most of that 7% is looking for work but doesn’t actually have a job.
Age discrimination might be part of it. But so could mental or physical disabilities and the generally weak job market right now.
Whatever it is, most Americans older than 65 are unable or unwilling to hold down a job as they age.
Quick! Picture your perfect retirement.
Close? No? Well, when you ask people to picture a perfect retirement, most people have at least something related to travel.
Unfortunately, retirees aren’t actually doing it, at least not any more than the rest of us.
According to the Labor Dept., older Americans (65+) spent about 400 hours—or 16 days—on average on “Other Leisure” time, which basically includes anything that’s not T.V., socializing, relaxing, and reading. Even if all of that leisure time was devoted to travel, that’s not any more than the three weeks of vacation you’re probably earning by the age of 30. So much for that round-the-world trip!
So what are they spending time doing? They’re watching T.V.—about 4.4 hours of it per day. That’s quite a bit higher than the 3.3 hours Americans of all ages watch on a weekend day. By comparison, the older Americans spent less than an hour per day on average with friends.
So, let’s try that again. Quick! Picture your probable retirement!
You can file that under Sad, but True.
It’s not about “Your Number”. It’s about how you want to live.
Once you hit age 50, your chances of being jobless start to rise rapidly. You don’t get to choose when you retire. The job market or your ailing body will decide for you. Most retired Americans are getting by on incomes that you’d probably consider appropriate for the Third World. And even if they wanted to work until they died, they can’t.
Social Security allows them to live adequately, but not richly, and certainly not in the ways you dream about.
That’s why you’re saving for retirement. It’s not so you can retire. It’s so your retirement looks more like white beaches and blue skies than Monday Night RAW.
{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
This is actually reality when I look at most retired people that I know that didn’t have high incomes and even some of those that did. They scheduled their lives around their “shows”, some live dangerously and play bingo or go visiting at the seniors center. Yet they seem content.
Having said that, they weren’t a generation that really traveled that much to begin with. They did stuff like gardening. I also note that the older I get, the less patience I have for travel. And the local beaches don’t look that different than the ones in the Caribbean – well, maybe a bit different, but it can be a hassle getting there.
It’s estimated that from the time one retires at 65, through roughly 85 years of age, one will spend something like $275,000.00 for *personal* medical cost output. Where is that money going to come from?
We are looking at nothing short of a national crisis coming our way – yet we’re also looking at 76 million Americans who are part of the Baby Boom having a major impact on policy, going forward. Retirement as we have portrayed it is probably overrated. It seems boring and unsustainable in so many ways. I look for a *lot* of new developments and social innovations that will keep relatively “poor” retirees from living “poor”. Sure, maybe one will not be able to afford diners out and travel, but what’s wrong with cooking bulk food? It’s healthier!
I think we’re going to see lots of seniors renting houses and sharing rooms – taking care of one another. I see a large number of retirees emigrating from America – i.e. going where their dollar takes them farther.
I will say this for America; we have lived large for the last 60 years, but that is *over*. Sure, the rich will continue to enjoy the overt fruits of capital accumulation, but most Americans are going to begin to find new ways to happiness other than consumption. These changes will be gradual, but just watch this happen as Baby Boomers and underemployed young people by the 10′s of millions adapt to new realities. Work and consumption have always been overrated. Enjoy your life! Live a measured existence and be kind to others, and yourself. Take care of health. Eschew the garbage that most “food” companies call food.
Get some movement in your life! Clean the house; tend the garden; go for a walk with a friend or family member. Try learning to cook simple, nutiritious meals. Enjoy! Yes, change and adaptation are not always easy, but something tells me that Americans are not going to lie down and give up because they don’t have the requisite $5M that the experts say they need to retire.
This brings up an interesting point for young workers (under 40?). If Social Security goes away like everyone is predicting, how will we save enough to retire with the current underemployment crisis?
Added to that, those of us that were dumping money into our retirement plans prior to 2008 really haven’t seen any growth to our portfolios, meaning that the average annual returns that we had always heard about just aren’t there.
Maybe the low interest rates we have on our home loans will balance that out, but I’m thinking not.
Whatever your savings and your retirement end up being, the secret is learning to live within those means and enjoy what it brings you. Yes, being impoverished seems possible for many. But just like when we were young and had no money, we learned how to get all of the good deals in life. It is amazing what you can figure out if you have to. I make it like a game and have taught my daughter the same. Why would you ever pay full price for clothing when if you wait a month or so you can by everything for a quarter of the cost. Why would you eat an expensive dinner when you can eat the same food at lunch for half the cost? It is the same food and always better prices. Why would you take the dog to the vet on Tuesday when you can take them on Wednesday with the half price senior discount? I love when I can actually reach a senior price….I am still a little bit young. But the national parks service offers a life time admittance to everything for 10 dollars once you reach 62. If you have ever been in the military or have been married to someone who has things, including medical, life insurance, education, etc., are available at a much discounted rate if not free.
I think that seniors, because they do have all that time, must become resourceful. I attend a local junior college to take painting and with that student body card comes a reduction in prices at the local university performing arts. I have seen Cats, Stomp, Tap Dogs, ballets, symphonies, and operas all for $10.00 a ticket. So once again, one must learn how to do things in new ways. It really is amazing what you can do if you put your mind to it.
The key is to live each day as if it’s your last!…You can live comfortably once you’ve retired if you realize that you can’t live like you did when you were working…It’s a simpler life style, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything!…I do what I want to do, when I want to do it…Free to be me!…I love it!
What thoughtful and enlightening comments. Well done! As a working 60-something, I am grateful to have a job and to work for a company that has respect for the older worker (one of my co-workers is 80), but I realize that the time may come, possibly suddenly, that my income will go away and I do not feel prepared. After being laid off for a year, it was especially sweet to be back to work. All your comments have given me new encouragement and ideas for how to figure things out. The year I was home gave me a taste of what retirement may be like – limited money but more time and freedom. I loved it in some ways, not in others. But at least we’re thinking and preparing more. Thank God for all you have and be willing to share with those less fortunate, and it will come back to you.
The article missed the target by a lot. Most people who retire will have very limited money. Americans don’t save and they pretend the future will be good, even without money. Most will have a difficult time after retirement. Many will dread the end of the month when their small incomes will be spent.
The key to surviving after retirement is to take action now. Find something you can do that will earn you another $1,000 a month. Plan now, buy what you will need now, get ready, time is passing, the future will arrive, be prepared.
I know countless people who are over the retirement age who make a good income. One man repairs dentile eqipment, another sharpens knives and saws, one paints garage doors, one woman makes Barbie doll clothes, several have looms and they make rugs, one man does graffiti removal, and the list is endless. I know one woman who makes over $100,000 a year selling other junk other people throw away. They bring it to her, she puts it in her shop, others come in to buy it.
Just because you have retired, is not game over. It does not mean, sleep long, which most older people can’t do, and watch television, which will ruin your body and your mind. What it does mean is you are no longer able or wanted to work for most companies. What you are able to do is work for yourself. You just have to choose work you can do, even if you’re becoming physically less able.
We all have brains. Few use them. If you’re getting ready to retire, start using your brain now, and prepare for the day you get your last work check.
C’mon. We’re Americans. Who ever said when you retire, life wil be rosey. That’s never been so. The truth is, you always have a chance to make income as long as you are willing to look for and find what you can provide and people will pay for. Even if you’re in some isolated cabin in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a forest, get yourself a computer, get on the internet, sell something in the woods around you… People in Oregon make a lot of money selling Holly Berry Wreaths, mushrooms, pine cones, or make something from the never ending supply of wood around them.
It just takes some thought, some planning, and action.
I read this interesting article to my retired husband. We are sitting in our paid for fifth wheel as we travel to Minnesota. We have a nice home that is also paid for. My husband does a few audits to insure a little extra money so we can live out our chosen life style. I had a very successful career and my husband worked for a company for 35 years which left him with a very healthy 401K. My husband oftens expresses concern that we will out live our money, interpreted means, not be able to keep up our usual life style. After reading this article to him, I reminded him how blessed we are and I do not wish to hear him express another word of worry. I am really concerned for the baby boomers coming on. I think they are really going to be in trouble to say nothing of those coming after them.
I just filed for early retirement. No home, no savings to speak of and really nothing of any real value. No stocks or bonds, realestate investments just what’s in my checking account. I get a small VA disability check and an old age pension check from the state (which ends when Social Security kicks in).
I left work in 2006 rented my home in Florida and moved in with my daughter to help raise her children. I housing market took my equity and finally my home after filing for bankruptcy. So at 62 I’m more or less debt free, not quite broke and I’ll be leaving soon to go back to Florida. Yes, I’m concerned but I’ll stand a better chance of getting a job, at my age, back in Florida where I still have friends and places I can stay. So, you can just sit back and worry until it’s time to check out or enjoy what you have and look for a new fun filled adventure. I’m thinking fun is my best option after all I’m not getting any younger!
Mr. Crawford, I hear you…I am in the exact same spot! I had a home with over $100,000 in equity only to see it all disappear in the economic downturn. I made the mistake of taking out a second that came due before I was prepared to pay it off and nobody was giving loans to homeowners at the height of the economic downturn. I was forced into bankruptcy and moved into an older rental owned by my bankruptcy lawyer’s family. I live alone and my house was a major source of my income as I had an art studio and used to rent rooms to local college students. I took Social Security early at age 62 to help with house repairs and know now that was a big mistake! However, there are programs that help Seniors, more than you probably know about. I live in an oil rich community that is building low cost apartments for baby boomer seniors now. The problem is many of these programs are being cut because California is on the verge of bankruptcy and has to cut back all but the most essential services to the public. My rent was raised this month but because I have a good relationship with the owners they gave me a seven month reprieve until Social Security increases my check by the amount of the increase. It is not easy to live so close to the wire but as you probably read, there are many of us doing it and I will add this…a good hobby will carry you through the worst of times. I paint and have found resources online that have given me information I didn’t get in art school. So with more time to do research comes new opportunities for growth. Seniors need to be made aware of the riches of the cyberspace world…to learn and gain new ideas and experiences unlike anything that was known before. If you don’t have a good computer and if you haven’t discovered social networking and Google, you don’t know what you are missing!
I am reading this article and I want to applaud those who understand the true meaning of life. Having money is not the key to happiness. The reason we live in such a frenzy about having more than enough is due to greed. They never learned to enjoy life unless they were spending money. I am 44 year of age and we need very little money to have a good time in my family. We go outdoors, ride bikes, swim at the local pool, bar-b-que, and hang out with other family. Save money for need, not greed.
P.S. Take those lavish vacations while you are still working and put them on dvd, watch them on TV during retirement! Haha LOL
I laughed when I read this article. I was a hard working person, had 5 yrs. of sick leave and vacation built up until I ended up on disability due to a a accident. I get less then $600. a month in retirement disability and it is TAXED. WHY??? Medicare takes out another $110. month for the insurance part B that I don’t need. Have my own policy that I pay over $400. month for and all the savings I had INVESTED in the stock market , which was enough to take care of me till I died ( because us older retiree’s all knew to save.) All was taken by the bums that caused the bank scandals. One of the biggest problems that I see , is that the COST OF LIVING has gone up in my opinion by approx. 90% if you include oil, food, drugs, in the past 2 years. No one of any age can survive this unless your a billionair. So go ahead and put out all these reports about how we spend our time and remember, it’s the cost of living and no matter how much you try and get ahead unless the govt. stops all the giving of our moneys ( that we all earn )to other countries and start taking care of our own country all future generations will end up with the same fate just a new twist on it. The reason we can’t take vacations, hang around home, etc is due to these things and maybe it was something we WANTED to do but were to busy working to save for retirement and raise out kids who are now writing these articles.
I’m one of those women who was a stay at home mom, dreamed of retirement with my spouse who had a great government job and the potential retirement that came with it. And then I found myself a single parent at age 39. no savings, no retirement, just wondering where the next rent payment was coming from. I saved like crazy, foregoing many desires to add to my personal retirement, which was then pretty much wiped out when the market crashed. Over half my investments were in Enron. But as many writers said, there are resources out there. I was lucky enough to join the Army reserve, for extra income. The result – I have medical coverage I otherwise would lack, and a small pension which suppliments my Social Security, which I had to take early. But I learned through those tough years how to squeeze a nickel, and that there is a big difference between ‘want’ and ‘need’. I’m a healthy 75, and reading other’s comments I am encouraged to live a little dangerously and I’m planning one of those vacations I never seemed to have time or money for.
I am a senior citizen at columbia heritage res. atlanta ga. Articles and information very helpful. I fall in category of having a vocation and avocation through out my life until retirement. My career was built on the tools I was able to make a living and what I truly loved. Electrical industry and music. This has follwed me until the present. I basically exist financialy from social security and a pension . The Lord has kept me and I still do the things I loved from my youth. piano/bass/ and tecnology
I’ve read what others have written, in my case I’m still working and getting closer to the 60 mark. I have a retirement plan with my job it’s not a 401, I can’t touch it until I retire. I own my mobile home and my car, I have no credit cards and am in debt to no one. I live within my means and I do take a couple of vacations a year, sometimes I stay with family or friends, other times I stay in a tent, the only luxery I give myself is a air mattress. I have money saved in a savings account and majority of my money is kept in a safe deposit box at the bank, I don’t totally have faith in banks anymore. I know there is the federal reserve insurance, the problem is the United STates is broke. I have fun with my life, it doesn’t take a large chunk of money to survive on, that’s the problem with the majority of people here in the U.S. they want to buy beyond their mean. For fun I watch the sunset or the sunrise and spend time with family and friends, read books and spend time on the computer reading articles. I’m also a college student and eventually I will be a director of a Historical musuem, for I never plan on retiring it would drive me insane.
When I was younger I had an older friend that told me that Social Security was an illegal tax. Social Security has been rolled into the General Fund so it seems that is correct. I work with several “senior” citizens and one of their major concerns is the fact that everything is going up but their income… and we are in the midst of economic downturn?
Having grown up wondering if we would have enough food that day, I have been ultra conservative in my living style. Sort of too scared to spend my hard earned money. At 62, I was ‘retired’ by a serious auto accident; but after 7 months recuperating, I managed to push myself back to part time work . It was very difficult, but today at age 68 I still work 2 days per week in sales [gives me dental & vision plans] plus 1 day per quarter as a substitute teacher [to keep my certification going].
My large home is paid for and I rent the mother-in-law part of my home. I planted many fruit trees 15 years age when I bought this my 1st home. In this tropical climate, the trees now supply me with a different fruit each month. My mini garden is being converted to very large tree pots [less bending] which supply me with some greens, tomatoes, pineapples, green peppers and the like. Between the garden, trees, rental, part time work and Social Security, I have not had to touch my savings which I will need to replace my car and my roof when the times arrive. I enjoy exercise, monthly trips, and various classes at the senior centers in the area. I use my computer a lot and just upgraded to a new one. I have made many friends at various church singles groups and the senior centers. Life is good!
I agree– NOW is the time to cut back, buy with rental income in mind, plant a small garden & fruit trees, work part time… keep on keeping on and enjoy!!
I’m 74, in good health, and have a half-time job in a country in Europe. I realized at age 53 that I’d better start saving some money having never done so previously. I began investing in the stock market. In the ensuing years I made some and lost some (about 35% of it in 2008-09). I have less than $200k. I’m not even on the books in the U.S. health care system. I’ll survive reasonably well if I stay healthy. That could change any day of courser but I exercise almost every day to do what I can to stay fit. I continue to work to minimize the likelihood of becoming a burden on my children who have had to scrapple far harder than I have to make a living due to the changing economic environment. I was born at the right time and I have had more than my share of luck in some other ways. About the article I have only two things to say:
1. Change nothing about Social Security except raise the bloody withholding tax as needed and increase the minimum age for receiving benefits as needed.
2. Take your #1@xing television sets to the top of the highest building you can find and toss them off of it. 99% of TV is mind-numbing poison. Almost five hours a day watching it? Appalling! Spend half of that time reading something enlightening and the other half walking or some other beneficial exercise.
Hey guys (and gals):
Thanks for sharing your comments; you are an inspiration…
Hi, Glad to hear most of you are doing great. I also just retired at age 62, I am unable to draw social security, I was told I need 10 more quarters. We were self employed for 40 years. My husband is unable to draw social security, he is still employed ( under 40k per year). I really would like to supplement my income with on line work, have research it; most seem to be scams. Is anyone out there working from home working on line with their computers(surveys or ??) making money. Thanks for your input.
Until they live the indecency of not having a functional safety they willnot understand.What makes this a crime is many of these homeless baby boomers worked for many years and now have these conditions due to lack of a healthy SRO stock in most urban settings.San Francisco has such a severe SRO shortage it will take a declaration of emergency to intervene at this point to catch up with the need of supportive housing.The Social Security Act of 1935 has failed mentally disturbed homeless baby boomers when the outreach is left up to local and non profits to intervene.The gentleman who shuffled to his death and died on Nov 29th 2010 at 520 Montgomery st will not be forgotten.He died in a doorway in a box when winter came early.PEACE
The Main reason for failing at intervention is the lack of total funding and authority to get the job done at any level.The numbers counted are probably half the actual amount of homeless.There are too many homeless who blend in well during the day in coffee shops and such.I KNOW from personal experience.
I am one of the countless Americans approaching retirement age without retirement savings. The cost of health care, a family illness, and the general cost of living have made it impossible to accumulate any genuine savings. The “American Dream” is nothing more than a myth that keeps the broad, and relatively poor, mass of this country silent — they are co-opted by a system of belief in a society without “class” and in which poverty is the responsibility of the poor. Similarly, poverty in retirement is therefore the responsibility of those who simply could not save enough. This is absurd. Even more absurd, is that anyone who dares comment on this is arguing for “class” warfare. My response? So what. Why not? It is time for a change, and real change does not come easily, or through the ballot box. After years of hard work, I am no longer wish to live in a society in which our value is measured by our worth as consumers. Rather than whining about the plight of our failing middle class, I suggest we take responsibility for ourselves, even as we near the crest of retirement, and begin a discussion about how to effect real change.
I am a new senior – 62. During my working years I hit the $100M mark. I was very successful. My now “ex” and I did not save a dime. But because I worked all my life I now live on $1645 per month SS. In 3 years after splitting my pensions I will get another $700 per month. I own a little mobile home and my van. I have no debt. I am low maintenance but I am not “poor!” I save a little each month, and most if all I am very happy. I live up to my own expectations and seek no one’s approval for my happiness.
At the verge of 50, nothing is as I thought it would be. I was a stay-at-home mother, and loved the challenge of living on my husband’s paycheck as I prepared the home for our son, sang, and taught music. But when I had my son, I got a rare muscular-dystrophy. I only had a 50% to 25% chance of living without steroids, chemo, etc… Just as it went into partial remission, my husband got cancer, and doctors missed it until it spread… Over 17 years, instead of having vacations and fun, I fought doctors and studied enough to diagnose our issues. It was the only way to get the doctors to run tests (sadly positive)… We “spent” so much. Life, as well as money.
Last year, he passed, leaving me and my 17-year-old–after 10 years defying doctor’s expectations. I am disabled, but can’t get disability because I’m a widow under 50 who was a home maker. Ed died so young, he left a pension of less than $1,000 per month (less than our premiums!). For another year, Social Security will help because my son is in high school, but after that–we don’t know…
wow!! Nice to read such candid and open stories from you all that shared.
It is a scarey place to be when retirement age looms immediately in front of me and no financial resources at all except the Canadian pensions. I did get a lot ideas, tho’ from individuals as to income-generating options. And keep busy at the same time!
I’m learning to ‘enjoy’ my life and be grateful for what I do have.
The younger people certainly are feeling the financial crunch and I feel for them as they ‘grow’ into accepting that their financial circumstance is probably not going to get better.
God help us all as we go into what seems a new era of always trying to attain that self-sufficiency and make it a goal for what we really need – shelter, warmth, food, and health.
I am 64 and running scared. Alone,having worked very hard over 30 years and not being able to save much I am just so scared. I have a small savings ,my salary didn’t give me the luxury to save more. I have a college degree,am a healthcare professional and never lived above my means. Many years ago I had to go bankrupt but I picked up, found a job,saved money bought a house and opened a small business . I was so proud having accomplished all this by myself! Finally I saw the light,I had hope for my future. Now the bad economy has caused me to close my business,the equity in my home has dwindled and my investments hit hard. I am still working but my hours have been cut and as I look for another job I find no response to my inquries. I don’t list dates on my resume anymore. Still no responses. I am independent and pay my health ins which leaves me little for the bills let alone food,gas,etc. I should be disabled for these past few years due to back and neck pain but I can’t afford to not work. It is so hard but there is no choice. Ya never know whats coming and it sure comes fast! Good luck to all of you guys in the same boat. God bless you!
Not yet convinced that failure is baked into the voluntary, self-directed, commercially run retirement plans system?
Consider what would have to happen for it to work for you. First, figure out when you and your spouse will be laid off or be too sick to work. Second, figure out when you will die. Third, understand that you need to save 7 percent of every dollar you earn. (Didn’t start doing that when you were 25 and you are 55 now? Just save 30 percent of every dollar.) Fourth, earn at least 3 percent above inflation on your investments, every year. (Easy. Just find the best funds for the lowest price and have them optimally allocated.) Fifth, do not withdraw any funds when you lose your job, have a health problem, get divorced, buy a house or send a kid to college. Sixth, time your retirement account withdrawals so the last cent is spent the day you die.
Close to being 65 and was thinking about retirement before reading all these depressing stories. Think I will suck it up and hang on to my job a while longer.
Thank you John!! You made me laugh because I feel the exact same way!!! I’m 57 and have a ways to go but if I had my druthers I’d retire today. Well we know THAT’S not gonna happen. I’ve tried to save over the years but either a man or job loss took my money so it’s like I’m starting all over. I’m sick of the 8-5 game and I think it’s harder for women because other women make it difficult for us with the gossip and catty crap. So yea, I’ll be working for a bit longer myself short of a freakin’ miracle.
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