Surprising Reasons You Might Want To Rethink Retirement

Retirement is the goal—or is it? According to Harward Business, an estimated 40 million workers are now pushing back retirement, often for financial reasons. However, you don’t need to lack funds to rethink retirement. In fact, many folks are rethinking retirement for reasons outside of their bank accounts.

Don’t believe it? Consider these reasons below.

Something To Do

Did you ever feel the crippling silence of boredom? For some of us, being bored is totally intolerable. When you first retire, it can be hard to figure out what to do with all that free time. Many people eventually realized that having a job kept them engaged.

It gave them something to do. If they get too bored, they may start up a small business or get a part-time job just to keep their hands busy.

Socializing

Love it or hate it, a lot of major friendships can be forged while on the job. We’ve all heard about people who have met their best friends or spouses at work. It’s one of the few settings where people of all ages are expected to chat together.

Most older adults feel lonely from time to time. If returning to a job gives seniors a way to avoid that loneliness, who are we to judge?

Regaining Identity

Whether we like it or not, work tends to define us. We do our work for about a third of our lives. When people first meet you, they ask, “What do you do?”

Jobs tell a lot about who we are as people. It’s not unusual for people who retire to suddenly feel an identity loss alongside the loss of their jobs. If work was truly great for a person’s identity, it makes sense that they may try to push retirement off a bit longer.

An Excuse To Get Out

While it’s not always common, some people won’t leave the house unless they are given a reason to. A job is one of the easiest ways to ensure people get out of their homes. Staying homebound for too long can seriously impact your mental health in a bad way.

If you tend to become a “toxic homebody” without a reason to leave the house, delaying retirement could be a smart move.

Money Talks

Like it or hate it, money is always going to be an issue. Many saved-up retirees are still shocked to realize they need a job later on. Inflation makes it hard for all of us to make ends meet, retirees included.

Sometimes, it’s not a matter of wanting to avoid retirement. Even the most well-planned retirement portfolios can fall victim to bad luck or a crashed economy. The majority of people who return to work post-retirement cite money as a major factor.

New Love?

Retirees tend to be the same age demographic as widows and widowers. Considering how often workplaces can lead to dating opportunities, it’s not surprising that some rethink retirement when they want a new spouse.

In a world where dating apps are often for the young, it’s unsurprising that work positions may become an older person’s dating scene. Is it professional? No, but who can blame them?

Healthcare Help

The earliest “official” retirement age is 62 if you want to start collecting benefits. However, most people only become eligible for Medicare at 65. Those three years between 62 and Medicare’s start day can be a doozy.

Insurance is generally tied to employment. If you retire, your health insurance will become your personal responsibility. That can lead to a major hit to your wallet, but it’s avoidable if you consider taking a job that offers benefits.

Higher Purpose

Retirement gives people a chance to look back at life and everything they accomplished. Sometimes, it turns into a moment of realization. Many people who retire tend to realize that they want to give something back to the world.

These folks tend to re-enter the workplace with a catch. The jobs they have? They’re often for the greater good or dedicated to a nonprofit they admire.

For Your Health

Did you ever notice how quickly some retirees tend to get sick shortly after their retirement day? It’s not just a “you” thing. It’s a known phenomenon.

Being retired can boost your chances of a major physical illness by as much as 60 percent. As it turns out, being on the job can be the most reliable way to stay healthy in old age. Perhaps it’s the physical exercise work offers.

A Daily Routine

We all know that one person in a group who thrives on routine. For some folks, not having a daily routine is one of the most difficult things to cope with. Few things can offer a level of routine and predictability as a regular 9 to 5 job.

A job helps you create your own regimen for almost everything: food, socializing, and sleep, too. It’s not surprising that some might return to work, if only to get that feeling of regularity.

Intellectual Stimulation

There’s something incredibly rewarding about solving puzzles, finding new solutions, and keeping yourself thinking. One of the reasons that people often rethink retirement is a yearning for intellectual stimulation.

Jobs keep you thinking on your feet. This is doubly true if you take a job that requires you to learn something new. After all, no one said that you had to return to the job you had for 40 years. Speaking of which…

A New Career

Most of us have spent years at a job we didn’t want to do. If you’re like many retirees, retirement might be a good time to actively pursue a “passion job” that you’ve always wanted to do but were afraid to do.

Many retirees have considered pursuing a new second career of their choosing. Maybe it’s time to learn how to be a yoga instructor, after all!