90,000 readers and hundreds of comments i read them all , diggested them and wrote a guide based on it all .
The brochure made it look simple.
Work hard for forty years. Retire at sixty-five. Play golf. Watch the grandchildren. Fade quietly into irrelevance while the world moves on without you.
I bought it. Most of us did. Then six months in, sitting in my kitchen on a Tuesday morning with nothing particular to do, I realized something unsettling: I’d been sold a story that made no sense.
So I figured out my own way, take a look here
The Lie Nobody Mentions
Here’s what they don’t tell you about retirement: it’s designed for a world that no longer exists.
The retirement model was built in the 1950s when life expectancy was sixty-eight. You worked until sixty-five, enjoyed three years of rest, and died. Clean. Simple. Actuarially sound.
Except now we live thirty years longer.
Thirty years. That’s not a wind-down. That’s an entire second career. Another act. Possibly the most interesting one, if you don’t waste it watching daytime television and pretending you’re “done.”
But the system — pensions, healthcare, social expectations — still assumes you’ll vanish at sixty-five. It assumes you’ll stop mattering. Stop contributing. Stop having ideas worth hearing.
That assumption is the lie.
What Actually Happens…..
I spent forty years in a profession that demanded everything. Long hours, constant pressure, the usual corporate nonsense. I was good at it. Then I retired, and within six months, I’d become invisible.
Not literally, obviously. But professionally. Culturally. Economically. The world simply stopped asking what I thought.
And here’s the strange part: I still had things to say. Problems I could solve. Skills I’d spent decades refining. But retirement had declared me irrelevant, so I played along.
Then one morning, scrolling through LinkedIn, I saw a twenty-eight-year-old “thought leader” explaining how to manage teams. His advice was fine. Nothing wrong with it. But it was also surface-level, because he’d only managed teams for three years.
I’d managed them for thirty.
That’s when the absurdity hit me. We’ve built an economy that worships inexperience and ignores the people who actually know what they’re talking about.
The Demographic Nobody’s Watching
While everyone obsesses over Gen Z and their TikTok habits, something far more significant is happening.
Every week, ten thousand people in the UK alone turn fifty. Globally, one in three adults will soon be over fifty. This group already controls more than half of all consumer spending.
Read that again: more than half.
This isn’t a niche. It’s the entire market. The longevity economy is worth fifteen trillion dollars globally, and it’s growing faster than any other demographic segment.
Yet almost every product, service, and marketing campaign is still designed for people who need a ring light to function and think “retirement” means death.
The disconnect is staggering.
The Patronizing Problem
You know what’s worse than being ignored? Being patronized.
Most “tech for seniors” looks like it was designed by someone who thinks we spend our days confused by doorknobs. Giant buttons. Beige interfaces. Condescending language. Stock photos of people laughing at salads.
Meanwhile, the people these products supposedly help are running podcasts, learning Python, arguing about AI ethics, and building businesses from spare bedrooms.
We’re not technologically illiterate. We built the internet. We invented most of the systems younger people now take for granted. We just prefer tools designed for clarity instead of chaos, and purpose instead of distraction.
There’s a difference between “simple” and “simplistic.” Most products aimed at over-fifties confuse the two.
What I’m Actually Doing
I’m not writing this from a position of mastery. I’m writing it from the middle of figuring it out.
At sixty-seven, I’m learning how AI works. Not because it’s trendy, but because it’s useful. I’m building a newsletter about curiosity, purpose, and how to stay mentally alive when the world assumes you’ve switched off.
I’m researching the longevity economy — not as an academic exercise, but because I’m living in it and nobody seems to be talking about it honestly.
Some weeks, this feels productive. Other weeks, it feels like shouting into a void. But here’s what I’ve learned: the void is full of people my age who are also trying to figure out what comes next.
We’re not done. We’re just differently deployed.
The Second Curve
The first half of life is about accumulation. You gather credentials, money, status, things. You prove yourself. You climb ladders.
The second half is about synthesis. You take everything you’ve learned and turn it into something that actually matters. Meaning replaces metrics. Contribution replaces competition.
The longevity economy lives on that second curve. It’s where decades of experience meet new tools. Where wisdom meets curiosity. Where “What’s next?” replaces “I’m done.”
Retirement was supposed to be the finish line. Turns out, it’s just a poorly marked junction.
The Question That Keeps Me Thinking
What happens when a generation that built the modern world learns to use AI?
Not as a parlour trick. Not to generate mediocre blog posts. But to teach, create, and contribute in ways that weren’t possible five years ago.
What happens when millions of former engineers, teachers, managers, and scientists realize they can package their knowledge, share it online, and earn from it — without needing venture capital or a Silicon Valley blessing?
That’s not a hypothetical. It’s already happening. Quietly. In spare bedrooms and home offices. Among people who refuse to accept that sixty-five means invisible.
I’m one of them. You might be too.
The Shift Nobody’s Naming
Right now, almost every system — education, work, pensions, healthcare — is calibrated for a twentieth-century lifespan.
But we’re living in the twenty-first century, with thirty extra years and no instruction manual.
If nothing changes, millions will drift into boredom and irrelevance just when they’re capable of doing their best work.
If everything changes, we’ll see the biggest social shift since the Industrial Revolution: experienced people building meaningful second acts from home, contributing on their own terms, earning from what they know.
Which future happens depends on what we build in the next five years.
I’m betting on the second one. Not because I’m optimistic by nature, but because I’m too curious — and too stubborn — to fade quietly.
What This Means for You
If you’re reading this and you’re anywhere near my age, you’ve probably felt the same friction. The sense that you’re supposed to slow down, step aside, stop mattering.
Ignore that.
The world needs what you know. It just hasn’t figured out how to ask for it yet. So don’t wait for permission. Start something. Write something. Build something. Even badly at first.
Because the alternative — accepting irrelevance as inevitable — is far worse than any failure.
The longevity economy isn’t coming. It’s here. The only question is whether you’ll participate in it or watch it happen to someone else.
I’m still figuring this out. But I’d rather figure it out publicly, messily, and usefully than sit quietly and pretend I’m done.
and so it continues Part 2 here.
If you’re doing the same, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
Since publishing this piece on 11 October 2025, it’s been read by more than 96,000 people, with 3,239 likes and 888 comments. That’s an extraordinary response — and if you’re enjoying it too, consider joining us as a subscriber so you never miss the conversations happening behind the paywall.
The monthly Niche Box is where I go deeper — the patterns I’ve noticed, the stuff that doesn’t fit in a newsletter, the real stories that matter.
$80/year if you want to lock it in (71% cheaper than subscribing monthly!)
Not for everyone. But if you’re curious about what comes next, it’s worth the read.
Subscribe to The Old Grey Thinker
It doesn’t matter where you are in this process. If you haven’t started thinking about the bigger picture, it’s never too late.
Each generation has some idea of what the previous one did without actually realizing that they’re living in the results of their actions.
That being said, I truly think that this time around is much more impactful and rapid than what happened across the 20th century. That was “fast” relative to the prior 200, 500 or 1,000 years. This time it’s already hitting meaningfully during a single lifetime and likely more than once. Boomers (like The Old Grey Thinker) and Gen X (like me) have some real issues to deal with like he spells out in great detail in this article, but Millennials have to be more concerned with it. Gen Z and Gen Alpha will grow up and old surrounded by it all, so while they will have unfathomable issues to deal with, the systems will be ever more developed by Gen X and Millennials for them to manage with it all much better than Millennials will.
This dynamic is precisely what The Long Tomorrow covers and deals with every two weeks. Come check it out and join the fun!
https://thelongtomorrow.substack.com/p/the-long-tomorrow-designing-the-long?r=28v6pr
I’m in Steven sent you a DM
Love it! Let me go check that now. I’ve been busy the past little while setting up the SBOR’s Instagram and Threads accounts. ha!
The long now.
MEGO half way through. You’re talking about Utopia. My wife and I could probably afford to live the life you describe, but when 40% of Americans can’t afford $400, you might as well be discussing life on Mars. Hopefully not with Elon…
It’s going to take new generations who are taught the opposite of how public schools and teachers’ unions have taught for 100+ years now. If financial and money management / savings basics aren’t drilled into kids starting no later than 5th grade and then reinforced with real life application at home with their parents, how is anyone subjected to that kind of “education” expected to do anything other than end up reliant on the federal government for their existence later in life? It really is that simple. Get the federal and likely even the state governments out of the education business, and counties / localities need to stop extorting money from property owners via property taxes to prop up public schools and teachers’ unions. Chop off all the heads of the hydra and sear them just like Heracles and Iolaus did! That will work.
Sounds like a plan. IMHO, NGMI
We’re still here. We’re still coherent and we can show that. So that’s what we’ll intend to do. Very well articulated my friend 👍
Thank you Gregory that was writing from the heart believe me.
Damned right we are! Ben Franklin-style being wise and thoughtful over in Paris partaking of fine French wines and chasing the ladies, I do believe! hahahaha Too ridiculous! Diplomacy has its perqs, right?
Diplomacy is vastly overated say what you mean and mean what you say- I feel an article coming on oh wait …..https://theoldgreythinker.substack.com/p/the-diplomacy-trap
Hey there. This was a lovely piece to read. I have been thinking about these same things for 30+ years now and I’m 10 years younger than you. I started writing specifically about them here in Substack back in May in my The Long Tomorrow series. You ought to check those out because the folks I have already circling and contributing there will help you considerably . . . and don’t forget about me! I love helping thinkers and do-ers in this realm. Maybe we could work on something together soon enough . . . Steven
https://thelongtomorrow.substack.com/p/the-long-tomorrow-designing-the-long?r=28v6pr
The only critique I have is I wish I had written this. I can relate to feeling like I’ve been put out to pasture. I’m done grazing getting ready for “What’s next” and thank you for sharing your learning journey. We need to work together and be supportive of each others efforts
Is this for real? What are WT – apps?
I have deleted comments and reported them thanks Greg
This is a spammer who has stolen my photo and set up a fake account similar to mine
Hehe, welcome aboard the ‘circling60’ roundabout! I figured out back in 2019 that I was only half done, and at that point the oldest recorded lifespan of a person was a French woman aged 122. Note I said recorded as I do believe there have probably been people who’ve lived well beyond that number, just unrecorded. And that’s when I realised I needed to start looking at what I would be doing after 2032, which was at that time what I was considering as being my ‘swansong Games’ (2032 Oly and Paras in Brisbane). Things have changed since, and I’m sure that my next chapter is well underway. And it involves me developing, building, presenting, teaching and mentoring those who are going through exactly what you are naming. I call it my ‘modern mid-life crisis’. Looking for what’s next, and how to ‘write’ it, thus next chapter. Happy to discuss what you’re pulling together and what directions you’ve come across in these exciting times of AI and exponential growth!
Looks like we are on the same journey good luck Cate!
I’m 31 and still found this fascinating. Thanks for sharing your wisdom and honesty.
Get your old age foundations in place NOW that’s my advice,not sure how in this age of insecurity when even banks can’t be trusted anymore but make a plan now,even if it’s to read all the books in the world
As a 30 year veteran of software development I’m considering retirement in the next 5-10 years. I’m actually looking forward to that career change. Will I stop working (or in my case creating), not a cat in hells chance. I’ll just be changing my priorities, picking the things I want to work on and living what’s left of my life at a (slightly) slower pace not constrained by other people’s timescales – can’t wait
Absolutely Jon – retirement gives you choices and time. Neither of which we had control of when “working”
If you were not marginalized/ oppressed for one’s entire life which translates into you have money, are homed, likely have transportation, obviously technology, health, able-bodiedness, and social capital. Many seniors do not.
I lack all those things to some extent. I do have a home,it’s rented but the political administrations are twisting laws even now to remove property ownership rights from most home owners. My lack is due to a combination of my own dimness and an upbringing by one influential parent who took Jesus oft repeated injunctions to have no money seriously. Ha ha. My other sensible parent rescued me when it turned out God does not Provide.
Not that god.
Or not in that mundane way. He just isn’t a grocery delivery driver,lol!
God does provide. If your parent read the Bible out of context, that is an unfortunate problem of interpretation, or lack of Biblical context, not a problem with the Christian faith.
I agree. Don’t we all read the Bible out of context.
Naturally speaking, yes we do, Jane. But by God’s grace and His Spirit, we can be and are illuminated. He is For Real – totally faithful and worthy of all reverence.
Or like me you are somewhere in between and that’s fine. At 72 am doing things I never thought of when younger.
My approach is – Read ‐ Reach out – Act.
I did 13 hard years on MSN livesite (portals). They mommy-tracked me. I was laid off on baby leave.
Here is my unsolicited advice: don’t wait. Find your cool hobby thing, maybe it becomes something that sustains you sooner?
Tech is firing over-30s, as in years on earth, not years in the field.
Loyalty is a one way street. If you are in tech you already know. I had coworkers probably younger than either of us leave on a stretcher.
5 years ago I was homeless due to divorcing an abuser. Now I’m a CTO making tools in the academic space, far away from techbro culture.
Anything is possible. Do it on your own terms. 💕
Really smart people are already nabbing those jobs that will be desirable by which I mean pig farmer,chicken breeder,homesteader,garden designer + contractor. They do go for the top end ie rare breed,National Trust etc but this is the REAL future.
I mean we need to add tracker, capable of building a fire without a match and forager.
I’m nabbing the job of permaculturist, recently moved to the Sierra Madre mountains in Mexico, love being in nature but I sometimes miss the rush of “being in the game”
Brilliant!
Preferment. Although similar to anxiety, how to retrain the over productivity I exhibited throughout my career. My only advice these days to all generations. Slow down. Retire as you go.
Well spoken. I am not ever bored—but I find that as in my early career, I am creating as I go. No landmarks. However, unlike that time — I know where true north lies.
Let’s keep talking.
Create a garden. There can be a lot of kudos in that if you get it right. Im saying this in case you hate the thought of being “old granddad” out in the garden ” it gives him something to do”. No one said that about Ian Hamilton Findlay did they!
I must admit, I do love to walk through a lovely garden (I visit my local national trust property a lot to walk the dog), but the effort to create living things seems beyond me at the moment, I prefer to create digitally. But who knows what the future may hold.
Jon, if I can garden, my friend, you can too.
“Working” because you want to rather than have to. Rock on! 🎸🤘🏻
I realise how lucky I am to be in the position I am and I’m grateful for it every day.
Retirement is awesome!
I’m 55 and have no plans to retire. I love what I do, and will be doing it in some form or version, all of my life, morphing it with technology and my expertise levels. It’s interesting to read someone else’s thoughts about this.
I will say that doing something on your own, aka without a boss, allows you to sidestep ageism almost completely and allows you to walk through many doors that would otherwise have been controlled by someone else.
Enjoy the journey!
I agree. I am 75 and retiring from my university to focus on the big impact projects (relevant papers and books) and basic research with former snd current students who want to do the same. I can help them be the next leaders.
Do you think AI will change your retirement plans
No but I intend to leverage AI to assist my creativity and help market the products I create
Mike Adams ( the Health Ranger) on Brighteon . Com has a lot of information in AI and his free new creation called ENOCH which is free to anyone ! It’s the data center for all health and wellness info!
Jim Gale. has a website in creating a food forest that can feed lots of people !
The new world can become whatever we choose to build so the opportunities for the retired are boundless?
Also Marjorie Wildcraft has a Substack and says anyone can grow food?
I am trying to learn morse code. It has been a tough wrapper guarding a tasty dream. Small for most folks but a real eye-opener for this 74 solar trip rider! I envy your communication skills!
Loved this piece! Thanks for writing it. 41 and have seen lots of the older generation I know fade away as soon as they “finish work” brain rot from news takes over. It’s really sad.
Time to shift into a different gear ❤️
Such a good piece and so many interesting insights!
I loved and laughed aloud at “…designed for people who need a ring light to function and think “retirement” means death.”
I’ve been questioning, in my midlife crisis, the absurdity of modern work — the pace, the pressure, the endless need for growth (beyond planetary boundaries).
If people my age are supposed to keep grinding for another twenty years but are considered “too old” in just a few, how does that work?
If we’re already too tired, slow or irrelevant by fifty… what exactly are we supposed to do for the rest of the decades ahead?
Create a fabulous outstanding comment worthy Garden and have the world at your feet
I’ve never understood why people stop working. It’s a boomer thing…
It is also chronic disease thing. It was my body that said no.
There should be jobs for elders. I don’t know why children are doing standup. That should only be for old people
“Tales from the Crypt”
Same here
Cos they got fed up uv being dragged out o coal mine feet first.
My husband (57) is a journeyman electrician with very painful arthritis. He is woken up at night with pain multiple times. His shoulders are bone on bone at this point and really suffers when he has to do overhead work. He already has one hip replacement (at 50). He is really looking forward to retiring. But I think he will end up working as a trainer… (fitness) he hits the gym 6 days a week, feels it is important to stay in shape —esp. for his job. He hopes he can retire in a few years. He is Gen X.
I liked this a lot, resonated I have to say. Coming later to the whole side hustle bit has been as they say a learning curve.
Great insights.
I’m turning 62, and I quit my job in June. I did 40 years in global IT leadership in the pharmaceuticals, transplant, and DoD worlds.
Finishing a masters degree last December, and I am reinventing myself with cool volunteer opportunities, and will take part time work if its agreeable. We shall see!
Thanks,
David
David you need to use chat gpt and write about you experience it is valuable to a lot of people. see https://linkly.link/2EiKk
Please have a look….
walkingacrossborders.com
Loved this! I’m 56 and hubby is 60. He retired from his career 4 months ago and we are learning how to ‘be retired’. Thank you for being curious enough to think this way!! We have so many more years we can contribute …
Lori — absolutely spot on! I’ve been knocking out a few little ebook guides myself — not for the cash (heaven knows I’d make more returning bottles), but mostly to prove that at 67 the machinery upstairs still whirrs when properly oiled with tea. Truth be told, it’s also to reassure myself that I can still think in straight lines rather than gentle spirals 😄.
If you fancy dabbling too, pop me a DM — I’ve got a free guide that shows exactly how to get started before the kettle’s even boiled.
my suggestion – get ai to rewrite the playbook and tell it to find who would hate you publishing it and why then sell it as xxxx things xxxxx do not want you to know lol
My father was up a ladder and on the roof at 90. Although cognitively not so spry. At 70 all I can say is that it’s complicated.
As Bette Davis said, “Aging ain’t for sissies.”
Every time when faced with a stepladder. Can I do this?
Do you mean Jimmy Buffett copied that from her?
Like many great things, copied from a her. 😉
I well remember how in c. 1981 our TV here in Britain became awash with images of 9 year old boys in USA in big rooms all tapping away on ‘home computers’ we were told they were either hacking into The Pentagon or becoming Instant Millionaires. The financial journalist Michael Lewis even wrote a book about it. It seemed like 9 year olds were going to take over the world. Then an insight came to me. This will soon became ordinary,mundane, + even boring. Of course those boys I now realize were excitedly CODING. Who codes now,or gets excited about it?
Well I have my suspicions but they are dark. And sure enough those 9 year old boys are now on the verge of retirement and one of them is a contestant on a popular TV quiz show I sometimes watch and he says of his occupation.. ” in an IT consultant,it’s pretty boring but it pays the bills..”..how the Glory has departed…..!
My father, although a mechanical genius of his time, born in 1906 he never quite progressed to solid state. At 70, having bridged both analog and digital professionally I often ask myself, is AI my technological rubicon?
If I could do it over, I would never have bought that Apple II. One son went into computer science; did well for 10 + years but now unemployable because > 35. Doesn’t help that he’s Asperger’s.
Our 18 year old codes, and gets excited about it. He also thinks AI is hogwash and should go back to being called “machine learning” as he sees no “intelligence” in it. Our 16 and 18 year olds and their varied and vibrant friend groups give us a lot of hope for the future.
Sounds like he’s on the right road already.
Obsessed with this . Thank you for writing it. I don’t want to learn from someone with 3 years of experience. I have 100000 questions and would like to learn from some one with DECADES of experience
you learn yourself – no 1 tip keep a note somehow of every idea you have. I use evernote….then feed it to chat gpt and ask questions have conversations with it – 99% of people online selling methods are selling stuff that worked but now does not. Learn the tools and figure it out.
actually stop press I haves topped Evernote after 15 years and am using notion 3
Follow me at Further Journey. I’m exploring this second half of life learning from others on this journey. I’ve facilitated numerous Second Half of Life groups to learn from others. I hope to pass on wisdom. I’m 70 so have a few years of experience.
Im with you. Im 20+ years younger but the systems that have been created dont support anyone if im honest. They are no longer fit for purpose and they are built on fear and limitations. I am someone who is here to support the uprising. I see a lot of grassroots, creating a new earth, new consciousness in what is built so its regenerative and supportive. Im so grateful for the corporate employees working for something meaningful while ai does their jobs. Im so grateful for the retirees doing the same. Im refining my focus because I believe its about shifting our identity of what success means as you say, sooner and building the new, better. And you’re right we’re on a timeline. Thank you. And yes missold retirement. My dad left this world without getting to enjoy his life and what retirement was even supposed to mean!! We build the future.
My motto was, “Retire as you go.” I could play by their rules when I needed money. Free lance. Then life intervened… it’s complicated.
Life has a tendency to do that. That’s the thing, the ‘need’ keeps you tied to the rules (which are made up & not really true anyway). They keep you stuck. Congratulations for breaking freeeeee!
Although in my experience freedom comes with a perplexing and constant caveat. The relentless financial anxiety of an intermittent income.
Thanks for this piece, chief. I get the feeling I’ll learn a lot from you. Makes me want to sit down to learn more than what I thought I knew from my retired parents.
Sincerely, a 28 year old jackass trying to make money on his own
Hi Robert (I hope I got your name right),
Your post really landed for me. I feel I have greater knowledge and interest in tech than many of my far younger corporate colleagues. I plan to increasingly shift my focus to my side hustles. My weekly A Bit Gamey blog post is part of that. I believe that exponential technologies, including ai, massively expand the opportunities. I do not plan to retire (in the traditional sense).
Phil…
https://abitgamey.substack.com/p/are-societys-default-rules-right
🔥💛😃💫
As a person just starting their second (and most interesting) career and who is 4 years off 50, this is spot on!
My favorite line… Most “tech for seniors” looks like it was designed by someone who thinks we spend our days confused by doorknobs.😂
Want to learn how to sell your skills… the ones you actually spent 30 years perfecting? Then Learn-Grow-Monetize is for you.
I’m recently widowed and pushing 63. I already walked away from the world of transportation management and began writing. This new, unexpected, unwanted but unchanging life shift is allowing me the opportunity to travel, write, and make a quiet impact on real people who are looking for something more than just the accumulation of stuff in an over cluttered world.
Wisdom has value. I’m learning how to share it.
You’re right — I’m not my job. I’m also not the kind of person who measures worth in shouty comments. Must be strange, living that way.
Fuckin love THIS. TOO bloody right.
Thats why im 72 and building cabinets. Today i m hanging a front door. I dont trust anyone except the Lord Jesus himself.
well he was a carpenter too…..
Well exactly
I’m a bit younger (mid 50s), but i learned these lessons when i got laid off a few years ago. Now I’ve becomed determined to never retire. It’s a mental hurdle to overcome because like you said, we’re told our whole lives that retirement is the trophy.
it is sort of but the trophy is independance time and ability to make our own decisions
I’m about to turn 64 and considering what my third career should focus on. I’m glad to hear from you. We are on the same page.
Excellent essay. You’ve nailed it!
Check out Longevity Lifehacks – https://longevitylifehacks.substack.com – if you’re interested in the science of longevity from a practical and applicable standpoint.
Been doing this retirement thing a bit longer than you but agree with what you say. I have gone the route of learning how to be a jack of all trade (thank god for YouTube), learning how my body really works (by avoiding western medicine and medics) and learning how to draw water. But I see a lot of retirees doing the wind down and dying rather than enjoying each day.
TV watching for the elderly has become doom scrolling for every generation. The dopamine cartels.
Women over 50 know what its like to be invisible. Since I had my first child at 23, no one has listened to a word I’ve said. I have 3 degrees/12 years of college. I retired in 2008 and I’m learning to harness AI, too. However, I’m not in love with technology.
No – we only have contempt for idiots. We married the savvy and kind ones.
Poor babykins
I had to ask Grok what an incel is. No wonder he’s in a bad mood!
Are you serious or is that sarcasm?
Wow, Peter.
Judging by the size of that grudge you’re carrying around towards women, I can’t imagine your life has gone great for you. I’m sorry, you seem wounded.
Not that Donna or any other woman who encounters you are likely personally responsible for or were the source of your resentments.
I hope you find a way to make peace with those issues of yours. Life is too short too spend it this way, making yourself lonely.
It’s possible Peter is a troll. Come on, his histrionics are way over the top!
Seriously self-righteous and self-justifying, Peter.
And you haven’t answered my serious question.
First of all it was her money to spend on college and not your business or anyone else’s. Second, useful commentary is different for different people and you are clearly not it. Third, nobody wants to have sex with you either because you are an unpleasant person who clearly demeans women.
How tragic that you learned so little about the equality, justice, and opportunity for growth during your education.
I believe it is possible to elevate the conversation.
Ok possible troll, i’ll bite. God says some of the problems women have, and all of the problems humanity has, come because men have forgotten and forsaken Him. What do you say? God says we are the stronger sex and thereby more responsible than women by abandoning our position as their heads. Do you disagree with Him? (He goes by the male pronoun, proving the point.)
Peter – is in the ‘Blame’ phase of his evolvement, he will ultimately (sooner or later) round the corner of blame, that becomes acceptance. as yesterday’s good it tomorrows bad.’ leap frog-ish
You are a buffoon.
I suspect he is baiting you – you are wasting your energy.
Now this is funny.
It’s like listening to a drunk in a bar.
Whine, whine, whine
Hello Donna,
We have never met but I think you are mistaken.
I just listened to you.
Here is what I know so far.
You are courious- you are too young to be retired but you clicked on this article to learn.
You are articulate. You told a powerful personal story in a very short space.
You are courageous. You are stepping into the AI space to see what that might hold.
You raised kids. That is only a job for the patient, kind and steadfast.
I bet you have lots to say and I know the would is desperate for courious, courageous and capable women who can bring all that to bear
I hope you have a few minutes to consider how and when to be heard. You caught and kept my attention which is a miracle in itself.
Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.
I am cheering for you!
R
Perhaps Peter, but one has to like Roger’s chances over yours. Interesting though that you’ve introduced sex into the conversation. Dr. Freud? Hello, Dr.Freud?
Another perspective — If men wanted to learn from women, (and they should) they would listen more carefully and check their unearned male privilege at the door.
However, I think it is more nuanced—the unraveling of ingrained bias.
Ewww. What a sad, bitter life. Typical Peter.
Well I adore men so there!
So she got the house in the divorce?
Sure dude. You just made a whole post blaming women when men murder them, and when men murder their children. It’s all the women’s fault. Sounds like you have a very straight moral compass. And this on a piece about retirement. You may have missed your lithium dose for the day.
Or fathers could start teaching their daughters what my father, grandfather and uncles taught me.
“If he raises his hand to you, leave. If only one of you is coming out of that house alive, make sure it’s you.”
You’re a coward, Peter.
Keep posting. Every post is evidence for your 72 hour hearing.
I’m sorry. No on the “impeccable character.” Not in the least. You still have work to do. Start now, is my recommendation.
Leave.
Why do you think the advice is different?
I’ll tell you what I would tell you if I had the misfortune to be related to you.
You are stuck. Whatever happened, who’s ever was at fault you are on here obsessing and threatening women with murder for something you claim happened nearly two decades ago.
You are living with an infected boil and instead of lancing it, you’re feeding it. You would rather it consumed you than you dealt with it.
So kick yourself in the ass, get to a good therapist and move on.
I know you won’t listen but that’s what your mother should have told you.
For anyone who thinks Peter’s making sense, ask yourself if this is who you want to be in 18 years?
Then smack yourself, go to a therapist and get help working through the pain.
It’s funny that a complete stranger guessed that you lost in a divorce after reading your anti-women bile. That’s kinda telling.
You’ve not been on the other end where you are constantly being condescended to, underpaid for the same work, and charged extra for essential supplies. I’m sorry about what happened to you but not I’m certainly not one of those women and tons of men can attest to the fact that not all women are cut throat gold diggers.
I think I’ve been very polite to you yet you keep calling me a liar purely because I’m of the other gender. I am currently at a job being paid less than a counterpart by a lot. I’m sorry life has sucked for you. But to attack someone like that is uncalled for and frankly not a behavior from someone who has impeccable character.
this is some small dick energy fr
Hold the phone! The vile is coming from pain his! He is ignorant he’s learning as we all do, some are a quicker read. The lesson is learned just before death. Enjoy the ride, we will ride again, pi number of times in duality. Peters lack of knowledge led to sparks of enlignen,ent from readers of this thread, and beyoned
I think you should invest in some Therapy, Peter. All the best in healing.
Sorry Donna didn’t say something interesting to you! Leave her alone and go find someone who does interest you. You pretending to speak for all men is inaccurate, tedious and a little grandiose, you know? I do not know any women who are interested in men who think like this. Based on the content of what Donna said, I doubt she is either.
Whoa, this thread is quite entertaining. I’m guessing Peter’s story will be on an episode of Criminal Minds one day. Can you say serial kilIer??
Dude, there’s no argument.
Multiple people have told you to get help.
A man’s take on Peter.
https://avoiceformen.com/featured/peter-andrew-nolanc-a-danger-to-self-and-others/
Your center focus says all women need to hear. Bro you need a few “how to be A REAL MAN “ classes or if you’re happy being alone stay there. Life is about growth. You are stuck in 6th grade. Reincarnation says, you will be back, as a woman😂😂
Oh, boy😐 You can’t go around stating the obvious.
I almost thought the account was real.
In other words, ‘always look on the bright side of life. MP
I haven’t been on Substack very long. I came here to stay away from hatred. Whew. I have gotten an earful since I responded to your post. Thanks for giving me a good reason to erase that guy from my head.
he was just a bad dream. He’s gone!
Dear Donna, I have noticed Substack is different than when I first started using it. There are More Trolls looking for vulnerabilities because they are hungry to support disrespect and meanness, not sure why that feeds them. They can be blocked. They are not the norm. Welcome. Hang in there with us.
So full of judgement? Casting stones…..
Im not a therapist; however, beyond other mental health issues (not yet defined) you exhibit emasculating behaviors and a poor understanding of masculinity in todays world, and it appears you mostly enjoy being insulting. Obviously, you are not open to seeking therapy, my suggestion to you. I prefer not to have further conversation so bye.
Your ex got the house.
Your boss is a woman.
And you said something stupid to a client and lost their business.
Blame women all you like, Peter. You fucked up your own life and we all know it.
Oh, HELL! Now come the honest explanation.
Been invisible except when the men want to steal my work and ideas
😉 got another one?
Donna, I’m sorry you were told that “no one has listened to you.” That’s a lie. I just read your post, and I’m here. When we say no one, we erase the quiet ones who were listening all along. Those of us who never commanded the usual kinds of attention were still there, shoulder to shoulder, just outside the spotlight. Many of us have lived whole lives feeling unseen. Ignored by many, yes but never by all.
Roger—Sir Roger—thank you for pointing it out. And Donna, I’m pretty sure I was on that same playground with you. I heard you then, and I hear you now. We just didn’t know we were both there.
Oh, and please ignore the свинья below. He pulls you away from your esoteric and existential search for truth—but don’t stop. Keep going, my friend.
свинья – makes you think > think leeds to enlightenment. Peter serves a purpose, or did god make a mistake with Peter? God if good , and wre the reflection of god, then to say Peter is wrong is saying god made a mistake. Perhas another reason, Peter spurs thinking that ex[ands mind and fills a void, He and you both essential charcters in the game of life as we know it know
God loves me and my dad and therapist both listened to me. I would have used different language if I had known the hatred that would come out of it.
Donna, my guess is you could have said “The sky is blue” and the response from that person would be the same.
Peter, I hear a lot of anger toward women in your comment, and I’m not the right person for that anger to land on. The issues you raise about family court and gender justice are complex, but blanket hatred toward half the population doesn’t move the conversation forward. I wish you peace in whatever healing you’re seeking. I won’t be engaging further. No matter how hard you try to convince me otherwise, I will still believe you are not less human than I am. May you find peace in whatever form that takes.
Wow 🤯 😶
Dude you are either a Bot or mentally ill and unwilling to accept any accountability for anything you have been involved with in the past! After reading your comments It is embarrassing to know that we are both are both of the same sex!! You are GROSS!!
You need help..
Agree with this wholeheartedly. I carved a career as a leader in a male-dominated world. Nothing like intersectionality of age and gender to bring it all into sharp focus again.
You seem like the kind of leader who looks behind himself to find no one there.
Ha! Women over 40. And if you’re overweight or not pretty then it doesn’t matter how old you are, you’re invisible.
So true, Donna. Women over 50 know what it’s like to be invisible — luckily, though, not to each other.
Young, fertile women? Are you kidding?
You are not her, so how would you know what it feels like to be her? You are not a woman, so how would you know what it feels like to be a 50+ woman? Visibility is much more than size. There’s a huge amount of social expectation – that older women should be dedicating themselves to grandma roles, or that they are useless because of menopause, etc. Official retirement age for women is the same as for men, and far more men rise to senior roles in the 50-67 age group than women. For women the pattern tends to be part-time and early retirement. Why, because social pressure writes them off at 50+. Narratives like yours.
Bob, you do realize that a “young attractive woman” has a different impact on all women than she might have on the subset of men who are focused on detecting young attractive women in their environment, don’t you?
Why would I settle for being like an old man?
No one wants to listen to them drone on and on.
I mean I’d rather be disregarded than avoided.
Write about your perspective; not being in love with technology. Many share your feelings! 👏🏻
Not in love with technology either
Rather just be in love 🥰
I agree, women feel invisible…
Women and men to be precise at these ages
AI and technology are definitely not the only options for you to create and contribute. Don’t limit yourself to that!
Powerful advice here. I am just entering the best half of my life. I just turned 50 and the whole just seemed to open up for me in a bright new way. I feel like I have more to give because I have gathered the tools and experience to handle it with a new lens. It’s eye opening to think I can do so much more in hopefully another 30 years. I hate the word retire. It sounds like shrivel up and be quiet. I feel energized that more of us are out there. This community gives me more confidence to explore.
I’ve heard this so many times that I passed by, thinking it’s not new. Then I read the other comments (and inferred the content of the ones that were erased). You’re right. And this message does stand repeating, again, and again, and again. I retired this summer after a period of half a dozen years of workplace sidelining and being eroded. I think the real reason was that I was operating on a much higher level than the senior “leadership” and they felt exposed. Being respected as an intellectually able woman is a really serious issue and one that impacts on many younger women too.
I know what you mean. I’ve been the invisible woman my whole life, especially when I’m with my husband. Waiters always look at him at ask what he wants. When it’s my turn, they still look at him while they ask me what I want. Men in stores walk up and ask my husband if they can help him. Etc. I suspect most of them don’t even realize they’re doing it.
I love this article! I’m almost 66 and have been retired for 6 years. My priorities are now my family, hiking with my dogs and doing meaningful volunteer work that contributes to my local community.
Another problem is they’re trying to kill off the old because they remember history. It’s embedded in the way we think. And as far as sitting down and watching and fading away into the distance. That ain’t for me. I gotta keep going. I gotta keep moving. I don’t have a technical mind at all. I love building, plumbing, electrical, fixing broken things, mowing the lawn, trimming the trees, helping the neighbors and living life. I’ll drop dad doing that, but I’ll die happy and fulfilled.
Lovely Dame Smiles has sorted out an exit route. It’s in the Lords at the moment.
Tell me more of this exit route if you would please.
This struck a chord. Too many younger leaders assume certainty: they bring energy, but often miss the depth that only comes with decades of experience. Real leadership is not ego, it’s earned slowly through raising families, guiding people through crises, and holding the long view when short-term wins tempt.
But we also need to recognise that not everyone over 60 has the same freedom. Many have lived hard working lives in manual jobs, and for them retirement is rightly about rest. Still, for those with the energy and curiosity, this stage of life should never mean irrelevance. The contribution is still there, just differently deployed.
Why wait or ask or apply for someone else to organise “,it” for you,whatever “it” may be. I loathe that attitude. I can’t cook because I can’t afford the Cookery Course at Le Manoir. I can’t make bread because a bread maker costs a lot. Just do it
I, too, am attuned to the longevity economy after retiring early to live fully before reaching the winter of my life. These days, I write and share my knowledge of the writing craft while embracing life as a traveling, active retiree.
I recently explored a different angle of your theme in a dystopian quick-read short story (link below). It’s a satirical take on what can happen if an EMP erases technology and AI-reliant young adults must prove they have skills in a meritocratic sanctuary where seniors—former engineers, teachers, managers, scientists, etc. get to decide their fate.
I had fun writing it!
You and I seem to be pondering similar things about how retirees are regarded by the younger generations, and where the power truly lies.
Check it out!
https://open.substack.com/pub/cmtorres/p/the-weathervane-a-short-story?r=54r58f&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
“Retired” nonprofit Executive Director here. Stepped down 3 years ago mainly because I was feeling so burned out from the pandemic.
I worked briefly for a foundation, then started my own consulting business. I also teach martial arts a few nights a week. I also teach Grant proposal writing & fundraising essentials for Extension.
I cannot imagine waking up with NOTHING to do FOREVER! I like being engaged in my community and plan to continue to do so until I am either physically or mentally no longer able to.
Is there anyone who has nothing to do. I don’t need outside motivating. I find that an insulting concept. There is always plenty to do!
That’s when you don’t have depression. It’s hard to imagine being motivated.
I had my clinical depression aged 15-30 and went to work all through it so I agree. I didn’t know what it was,nor did anyone else. And yes,motivation is absent in real clinical depression.
Great article, sir! Very, very poignant.
I think most Companies hire younger staff purely for the money. Since working in the IT field since 1993, I see only “cheaper labour” being the driving force.
Keep going, old guy!
Dudeman
Well articulated, but then if one is not subsisting on a diet of 15 second visual entertainment bites that consumes the entire functioning ability of the grey matter between the ears, we would expect no less. Once, when a sage spoke others listened, sadly now it seems the audience only arrives if the sage already possesses millions of fragmented scrollers whose mental digestive capacity is equal to a canapé not a three course meal. This is not a slight against youth; truncated mental performance attacks every age demographic. Reaching a milestone in life is not a millstone, it’s an opportunity to gear up. As supposed retirees we have crested yet another mountain and need not coast, we can increase the load to maximize our torque. Yes, at the retirement crest we may not all arrive in the same condition, but that condition is not dependent on a chronological point. Contemplation, ardor, physical performance, civility, curiosity, and commitment (to name but a few) are pursuits with no pause or delete function. To adopt the well trundled phrase, ‘As you think so you shall be’ one might say, ‘As you chase so you may reap.’ At 65 we are wizened not withered. Thanks for this piece, off to read your other work.
Aging is not about decline. It is about mastery. I’m 65. American. I write – sometimes about being a geezer too. It’s not that we were lied to, we just believed the wrong people…
One you might appreciate: https://collettegreystone.substack.com/p/golden-years
So you see now why Gates & company pushed the vaccines . They want u dead ☠️
Thank you for this article. It resonates deeply. I’m 61 and a high school teacher. Instead of cruising my way to retirement, I developed and have begun implementing a school within a school at my traditional high school. I fundraised for it myself and it is a pilot program for the next 5 years. It incorporates project based learning, apprenticeships, dual enrollment, and individualized curriculum. It’s the future of education in this AI world. In this first year, I kind of wish I had just faded quietly into the background as I head towards 67😏
What a cool idea and yeh, the first year of a startup project is the hardest, but your school will make such a difference!
That is just great! Hang in there and best of luck with the pilot.
What an accomplishment. Kudos to you! Your school will make a many difference to many students.
I agree, I worked in healthcare technology first as a support staff, then as a consultant designing the technology infrastructure for new hospitals, and then an IT Director…now to be invisible, not needed, outdated is incredible.
Why incredible? Diana,Princess of Wails died and life went on. Elvis ditto. JFK ditto. Even Jesus. You more important than The Son of God !!!
Loved reading this! Yes yes yes.
This is brilliant. Love this piece, especially the way you describe the first and second Acts. As a coach who works with mid-career folks especially women, meaning is really the focus of what they’re trying to create and I think you’ve captured it so beautifully and in an inspiring way. I’ll be sharing this with my folks because you are absolutely on to something.
He’s working for the Government. He’s an undercover spy.
Paid into SS starting in 1963, retired in 2018, 30 years of retirement is a penalty, old family, friends are passing, children and grandchildren are the positive
Ain’t that the truth.
This hit me: “If everything changes, we’ll see the biggest social shift since the Industrial Revolution: experienced people building meaningful second acts from home, contributing on their own terms, earning from what they know.” I’m here for it!!
I resonate with everything you’re saying. I’m 65 and considering retiring from my present job. But I plan to move full-time into a writing career. And yes, AI makes much of that possible. Keep writing, and I’ll keep reading your thoughts!
At 77 get more done in half a day than I did in a full day when younger, with less effort, — that’s experience for you.
So yes! I’m my early 70s, I have the time to pursue passion projects that don’t need an immediate ROI. To speak provocatively because people don’t get so offended. And most importantly, to have long term sensors as we all adapt to a new world order.
I’ve just turned 68 and spent most of my career teaching in Further Education. Four years ago, we sold our house and had a narrow boat built which we now live on. In April, we also bought a motorhome, so we now spend our time travelling between the two and doing all the things we enjoy doing. I loved my work, but now I just want to walk on the beach, swim in the sea, walk in the hills, eat great food, drink good wine and generally enjoy life whilst I’m fit and well!
For most of human history the acme of existence and in fact the apogee of status was NOT HAVING TO WORK. It was only in the mid – 20th century,so a short time ago that work became a source of status,and as we know only some work.
That’s absolutely true Jane; I was listening to Stephen Fry talking about work being a quite recent development in human history, yet so many of us find work such a huge source of validation. I feel freer now than I’ve ever done and choose to spend my time getting to know myself and enjoying my days in whatever way suits me! I loved my career, but this is a new and interesting phase in my life 🙂 Karen
I’m 67 and discovered since my retirement from the ‘day job’, that I have skills in leadership, public speaking and change management that I never knew I had. My ‘rewarding career’ had never allowed me to fulfil my potential. The numerous casual and part-time posts I’ve had over the last three years have all been a revelation. I just wish more opportunities were open to my age group. With a little financial support (pensions and the like) we are prepared to take risks, try new things and draw on our lifetime of experience to problem-solve and be the change society so badly needs! I’m not old or grey but I do value the capacity to think!
Here’s to letting go of self-defeating messages especially when they’re too many out there already for us “older” folk. At nearly 60 and in the midst of another career transition, this one due to the US social upheaval and my line of work being erased by the federal government, I’ve told myself too many times – An employer won’t hire someone my age as they won’t feel I’ll stick around long enough. I so appreciate your perspective from the UK and how we can’t wait for permission!
Fantastic piece. I love the spirit. We have to go and get life at any age. It’s such a gift.
I enjoyed reading this very much. My husband and I are just on the cusp of retiring and I have been thinking a lot about what this part of our journey looks like. My husband loves the idea of 30 years of golf and resting but I will go insane with that plan! Lol
The problem for me is that there are so many things I have always wanted to do I can’t decide where to start or what to do!
I am praying for guidance and relying on God to help me figure that out.
Thank you for all your thoughts and ideas they have enlightened me very much!
Shoulda been doing em years ago.
That was helpful Jane thanks!
I’m still working, here at 60 years old, as a Principal Software Engineer. In a meeting today, the engineering manager declared that “we are a top-heavy organization” and that we have “so many leads, so many principals” (etc.). When he paused for questions, I had to ask about that. I said, “You know, I have been wondering who all these other principals are.”
The manager answered by naming a handful of people of which only 2 were close to my level of experience and only 1 of whom had “principal” in their title (the other was just “senior”, which is wrong in several ways IMO). He even grouped people into this (imaginary) “top-heavy” category that are 15 years my junior and even people that don’t even have “senior” in their title.
For reference, most places consider candidates with a minimum of 5 years for “senior” titles and usually 10+ years for “principal” along with tangible and related experience to the specific type of work being done. I have 40+ years of experience.
Now, that’s not to say that guys with “senior” (or lower in their hierarchy) are not “smart guys”; they are smart, but so is everyone at my company. The only meaningful distinction beyond “engineer” or “smart guy” is experience. Experience is not replaceable by any amount of being a “smart guy” neither is diverse experience interchangeable.
While I’m certain that the “senior” guys with a whopping 5 years of experience are quite happy about being grouped into the “top-heavy” category, I have to say that I am quite dissatisfied being casually lumped into such a group.
I’m sitting there thinking, “if you truly consider me to be interchangeable with guys 15 or more years my junior, then you do not appreciate what I bring to the table.” Am I wrong about that?
Thank you for sharing. I’m only 42 but work with clients up to 80 and see them going through these transition because they feel chewed up and thrown out to whither. There’s for them to do here.
Bravo! I’ve been retired 7 years, and have been enjoying contributing to society through my blog (The Retirement Manifesto) and the charity my wife and I run together (Freedom For Fido). I’ve discovered my new Purpose(s), and I’ve never felt more alive.
It all starts by pursuing your curiosity.
Yes. Although as I heard another writer referring to retirement as our preferment. I prefer… At 70 After fifty years of being “the female boss” with many trainees over the years, and of the generation that pioneered Computer Technology in the entertainment industry.
I prefer not to presume anything, nor do I want to train anyone. As one of my early mentors once said, “Nobody knows anything.” I think that is especially true when it comes to AI.
The current LLMs are appropriated aggregates of human knowledge tweaked by avaricious tech bros who desire only to maintain their dominance, jets and penthouses. Bond villains in their dreams. Their AI slaves are obedient algorithms so far, spellchecking the norms of big data. To paraphrase William Goldman, the algorithm does not know anything we don’t know. Yet. So perhaps we mistake labour saving, economy, speed and accuracy as intelligence, eschewing creativity collaboration and the beauty of imperfection. Bubble, bubble… ?
“We’re not done. We’re just differently deployed.”
I love this, Rob.. My sentiments exactly. I retired at age 70 from trading time for $ in January 2023 and started my Substack, Life UnCorked, that same day. Most of what I write there is based on lessons learned from life, raising a family, financial management through the ups and downs of life, fatih, etc. So far, the goal has not been to generate retirement income as we are doing fine financially. A year into it I started The Talking Pen, where I write stories and others creative things. All in all, I am very satisfied with retirement. I have been curious about AI though. The only thing I do with it so far is to generate images for my stories. But, what you said about using it to create info products to market our knowledge online has piqued my interest. I am subscribing to learn more about all this and to collaborate with you and other retiree writers. Thanks for a very informative post.
FYI each time you use AI to make an image please consider, that was my career; manifesting in physical and digital form. I miss the aspect of making creative art together more than anything. I contributed to the visual data set your AI algorithm was trained on. What you will miss is the creative magic of collaboration that birthed those source images. Try working with an illustrator, a photographer, etc etc. Leave some space.
Loved There’s a difference between “simple” and “simplistic.” Most products aimed at over-fifties confuse the two.
Most under 30s don’t know the difference in meaning of the two words
Very well thought out.
And your kids are not having grandkids any more.
After retiring from the Navy after 21 years, I worked ten more for Ford. I quit on my 70th birthday, to max out my SocSec.
It’s not enough. Between taxes and tariffs, I’m redoing my resumé.
One more time…
Am I gonna croak on the job?
I’m 62 and will not retire.
It’s a death sentence – no purpose.
Plus with a shrinking population older people are essential.
The sixties/seventies demographic has to be SEEN.
I’ve not really ever had a career so I don’t have one to formally retire from. However anyone who has had a job is better off keeping working even if less. It gives a purpose which is life.
Amen! So much of this resonated. I’m over 50, not retired, but already thinking about what’s next. My generation lived without computers and the Internet and has learned all its tricks and tools. We are definitely not irrelevant. I agree with the women who’ve commented here, too–women are quite used to living invisibly. We’re well positioned to rock this new ecomony.
Synthesis is a great way to put it. And there’s a lot more to life than what society embeds. Much more.
I’m 63 and planning what to do when I quit the corporate world. I won’t stop working but it will be part time on my terms. I negotiate large scale tech agreements and already have recruiters reaching out to me. I also want to write, create and do a lot of other things. It’s not over.
Good point. If no one is reaching out to you and you feel invisible and ignored – well maybe it’s not THEM or THE SYSTEM. Maybe you’re just NOT THAT SPECIAL.
I’m in this group. Older actually, I’m 74. But, recently have started going back to work doing Homeopathy again, the field I retired from. My mind is still active. Still reading and learning. Not a techie, was always more into healing, art and music. But, aware of it.
Retirement is basically end of life, for most,so enjoy your time 🙏
Perfect. Can’t wait to read more.
“We’ve built an economy that worships inexperience and ignores the people who actually know what they’re talking about.”
This is a very serious and alarming pattern of activity that will come to haunt our country across all domains.
When I turned 50, the lightbulb moment was all around me with the “Over 50s” everything – retirement, villages, discounts, concessions etc etc.
I knew then the system was rigged against wisdom.
I had a few years earlier begun university studies majoring in ancient history and political theory, going on to earn a first class honours and began post grad research. Thank goodness for the ancient world because it revealed to me the gift we were bequeathed by those who built the remarkable western world full of beauty and magnificence.
This was a great piece. I’m subscribing 🙏🏛
Read Health Ranger Mike adams he developed an A.I system independent of any one Also if you stay on Substack you’ll see there are sites for over fifties and the issues with retirement. If you are in good health you are lucky as so many over 65 are not. Eventually you’ll become aware of ageism and push to rid world of useless eaters which are seniors and welfare recipients Also you’ll never take a booster again after you read what demographics died in scamdemic
I’m 74. Started my third career about ten years ago. Loving it. I’m slower physically and tie faster, but that’s about all that’s changed.
Lied to about everything.
If I could, I would.
It starts with you. Rather than be a consumer on LinkedIn be a creator. Rather than accept that AI will help all, create a movement that forces the dozen billionaires it’s currently designed to benefit to share the wealth. Use your expertise in leadership to fight for democracy. I’m with you trying to figure it out.
Thanks for thinking of us… that was fun. 🙏
I think the whole linear retirement thing is a bunch of hooey.
59 and trying to figure out what my retirement job will be, hopefully not behind a corporate desk all day long.
That is where I am at.
My grandfather, who died at 98, was retired for LONGER than he worked. He basically had a second career as a farmer after reaching full retirement age as a banker. As a kid I had no idea he had a banking career, he was always just a farmer 🙂
But not the losing money kind then I bet.
My family got out of the business right as Monsanto moved in. They are all retired now and my generation does other stuff.
Bravo! A great piece you have written with many insights that are spot on.
Thinker – From one cotton-head to another, I thank you for the “forgotten “ truth. I’m on the Same journey brother 💙🙏☮️🇺🇸
I retired “early” (62) so I could launch into my third act. 5 years on I’m working as an artist on my own terms, and this is the happiest I’ve ever been. I can’t say enough good about retirement!
Happy to subscribe to a fellow gray haired retired person trying to figure it all out! You have described the situation quite succinctly.
You benefitted from opportunities made available as an older generation retired but fail to acknowledge the fact that remaining in the workforce well beyond retirement age limits opportunities for the next generation.
Yea that young leader is surface level today but if he never gets the chance to lead he never gains the experience nor the upward mobility it provides.
I turned 76 yesterday, having retired, for the third time, in February. I’ve been creating a new yard since then, but now it’s time to get back to doing something.
Another annoying boomer not willing to get out of the way! Geesh let the younger ones figure out on their own what they don’t know and stop hogging all the resources. Just SHUT UP ALREADY!!!!!
I’m spending lots of time learning about natural medicine, how to make it and grow it. Most people hate others to tell them what they can do to feel better, but thank God, a few listen and happily feel better for it. I’m hoping to get more knowledge and be even better at helping people heal.
What an interesting read and a great write as well. First of all let me say that you were not lied to. I think you feel that you were lied to but I dont think that is the case.
Actuarially sound – love this article as I am that 28 year old thought leader (my substack is for actuaries)
Upon a second reading, this the best thing I’ve read any where in a long time. Old Grey Thinker, you nailed it. I’m 80 years old and I feel at the beginning of everything except retirement. Let’s keep talking.
Sounds like about 25-30% of retirees experience financial insecurity. Maybe we can formulate solutions.
Retirement isn’t the end; it’s just a new chapter waiting to be written with purpose and curiosity.
Great piece on retirement, thank you. The most important thing is that we get to choose whether to be visible or not. I’ve developed a second career writing, public speaking and teaching and I’m having a blast at 71. All the successes and failures over the years provide me with confidence, credibility, and lots of good anecdotes. I think I’m doing my best work ever these days.
What a thoughtful and forward looking perspective. Thanks for taking the time to help us look at this issue more hopefully.
I’m 64. My wife is 55. Both gainfully employed. We’ve just started working with a financial retirement planner so the reality of retirement is beginning to sink in. I could never stand the thought of traditional retirement–it seems to me to be a sure fire fast-track to the eternal dirt nap.
I’m currently winding down my work schedule (it’s now PT plus commissions). I don’t know yet what it will look like, but I envision myself continuing to “work” at my own pace and remain productive as long as possible. I think the “work” part will involve mentoring and helping others.
I’ve recently taken up swimming (for exercise), am learning Spanish and line dancing, and will be learning to weld soon.
The Old Gray Thinker is spot on– retirement for me will look nothing like it did for my parents’ generation. I’m actually looking forward to the ride. Figuring it out as I go for now, yet open to others’ insights and wisdom.
So good to read this! Thank you for putting what I think about all the time, into words!
I retired early a year ago and I have never been busier. The work seems to find me. As an academic I don’t think I can ever really retire. I am researching issues with offshore wind and writing about it on Substack. Things follow from there. Crazy times.
As a recent retiree you certainly don’t have to go the way of AI, per se. Start doing stuff you enjoy well and are good at well before retirement (forced or not) comes around. I started developing personal financial investing skills about 30 years before I retired as a global manager at age 66, after 41 years of service. About 5years before my corporate retirement, my investing income exceeded my corporate compensation. It’s certainly wasn’t not a straight line upwards, there were (temporary) setbacks, but you learn to value mistakes and learn from them.
Over 30 years time, one develops an innate sense of risk vs. reward. Today, I live off no “entitlements” (ie Soc.Sec. taken at age 70, corporate pension), live on about 20% of my gross income (taxed @ max 37% marginal rate) and greatly enjoy bountiful charitable giving and gifting.
Essential reading for mental longevity. Effectively breaks self-imposed restrictions that keep confined to social conditioning.
Sorry retirement sounds like it isn’t for you pal. Just work till you drop dead! That’ll teach em! Ha
Been retired for years doing exactly whatever I want each day. It’s heaven. Don’t over think it already geez what a girl
I will be 80 in three days. I am finishing my book. When done, I will assist a man in completing his. I moved to a new state and home Aug. 1, 2024. I feed small wildlife, have created a lovely planter garden and have two garden beds in which I will plant daffodils bulbs in a few days. I cook and bake from scratch.
Lynn, at 52, I want to be you when I grow-up.
I recently drove down the western coast, solo, for a marvelous getaway to celebrate my 80 years. Took beautiful photos and spent hard saved money for 2 nights in a stunning room just off the beach.
You’re thriving because you kept busy and were determined to enlarge your interests. I really enjoyed your thoughts.
You make a lot of good points and forgive me if I’m wrong, but I’m guessing you may not be a woman. I don’t mean that as an insult; it’s just that after decades of being alternately patronized or ignored, I’ve learned to prefer being ignored. At least then I can walk away or imagine the fantasy of a well-aimed throat punch. Patronized? That has been my life. I am well versed in firing back.
I agree about the messy. I’m fifty-two, and I’m done stepping aside. You do have some years on me so I will let you know. I don’t plan on retiring….so we shall see there too. Enter the word woman again, at 52, I’m taking names, burning the fields, and not worrying about who’s uncomfortable. My body is bigger and curvier, my mind sharper, my humor darker. I’m better with a paring knife, worse with traffic, and more likely to find my children and the ordinary delightful. I gave up on pop culture a long time ago; I find the real world more interesting.
I don’t care who I’ve supervised. I don’t care about “thought leaders.” They’re rarely leading anything and too often just capitalist pseudo-liberal intellectuals selling ideas like products. Give me the house in the woods, the dialogue, the wondering. I will take the mosquitos and dirt any day.
Excellent use of AI here, asking real questions, speaking your truth. I hope you skipped the golf if you’re in the U.S. As for me, I give everything I have to my work. It’s not a job; it’s a calling. The lie isn’t retirement—it’s the idea that the system ever wanted me to rest. Be well and think on.
Being 67 is epic because it is like the 6-7 meme. The only more epic age is 69 heheheh
Most people that own their own business effectively never retire, it becomes a family business where the kids take over and the founders stay on helping and guiding.
About 20 years ago our local tv (I had one then) featured (in highly approving fashion) a 99 year old woman who still went into work at her local garden centre every day. The message implicit was …” You wusses,if she can,you can….” I thought something was a bit of. Turned out she OWNED the garden centre,her son was the manager,and her granddaughters did the tills etc. Changes the whole picture. She would be in the office doing the accounts (so smart sharp mind) and only about 3 hours a day. It’s lovely really a multi generational family business. But the original story did not tell it as that.
Musician here. The first gig i took was in 1982. I’ve been on the most fantastic journey. I never chased money, did what I had to do. My enthusiasm for practicing and being a better human and musician today is greater now because of where i’ve been, who I’ve done gigs with, what I have learned. My 20s – rock clubs, 30s piano bars and hotels lounges, 40s to present Theaters and Arenas. Each gig had its place and each needed to be left behind. Pass the gig along to the next generation. And still, I have so much to learn.
I was the oldest tenor in the San Diego Master Chorale—the high point of my amateur musical career at 75 when I auditioned in.
Irrelavence is fine with me.
This confirms my suspicions. The question on my mind is, “what if I bypass the accumulation of stuff I don’t need, the need to ‘prove myself’, to gain status, and just jump to the part where I focus on making a meaningful contribution while building my knowledge expertise and experience. 2 parallel paths- glad to see others chatting their own similar path
I’m just a couple weeks retired. I’m mentoring a couple of teens with behavior problems. I’m worldbuilding for a game I play, but also using that to write a story. And maybe my game might turn into something others would want to play. We’ll see. But I’m busy every day. More busy than I was at work, it turns out. I love being “retired.”
That sounds tough,that mentoring but you may turn their lives around. Good for you. That’s got to be more valuable than ….whatever jobs consist of these days.
It’s a continuation of what I did for work. Only now I can choose my clients and limit my hours. I enjoy the work, but some of the clients not so much.
Truth: “If everything changes, we’ll see the biggest social shift since the Industrial Revolution: experienced people building meaningful second acts from home, contributing on their own terms, earning from what they know. Which future happens depends on what we build in the next five years. I’m betting on the second one. Not because I’m optimistic by nature, but because I’m too curious — and too stubborn — to fade quietly.”
I’ve reinvented myself in retirement, far away from the workplace grind. I teach robotics to middle school children, go on mission trips, and work in my church and community. I am giving back in areas that I never could while working 60 hours per week. I refuse to go quietly into the night.
Like you the “tech for seniors” frustrates me. I use AI to accomplish things, not produce fancy pictures. In my college days, I wrote assembly language programs for Univac 1100 series computers (guess my age), so I damn sure don’t need tech for dummies.
Good thoughts and “Right on brother!”
I hear you. I was a college student who used a slide rule my freshman year. I was over the moon when I got my first TI Scientific handheld calculator. I then moved on to learning how to write programs in Cobol for a mainframe that existed in a room the size of a small house. I was told many years later the behemoth had much less computing capability than today’s average smart phone. The room that housed the computer had glass walls and people used to stand outside just to watch the reeluh to reel tapes whir and see all the lights blink. I could go on and on because
Sorry I didn’t finish my post before hitting send. I’m pretty new to Substack and haven’t yet figured out how to correct posted comments. Perhaps it’s a hint that my tech skills aren’t as good as they used to be. 😂
Good timing. I retired 2 months ago and today I used AI to do the type of research I did for work, but for a friend instead, comparing the benefits and side effects if treatment options and recommending the best one for my friend.
Good points raised here. I’m a few years away from pension eligibility but I don’t feel ready to fade away. I’m still learning new skills in my profession (graphic design from drawing boards to DTP to websites, etc.) and after 40-odd years the passion doesn’t suddenly die. I can’t imagine playing golf or sitting around watching daytime tv!
I had to go on disability due to my health. Everyone was saying I was lucky because I didn’t have to work. Ummmm no. I loved what I did. I finally stopped having my pity party and realized I can still do things. I might be 52 but I do understand what you say. We still have a freaking brain. Mine is kinda fucked up due to MS and I have to work a little harder, but I’ll never stop. I hope you don’t either ❤️
I am 53 and also disabled – fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. I don’t want to (and can’t) push myself, but I don’t want to become isolated, boring and invisible. Testing out to see how my years of leadership experience might be able to help the climate sector. It’s fascinating to read the research and search for organizations that need a wise elder:) I wish you well on your MS journey, I know that isn’t easy.
You probably push yourself more than you realize. I have MS and shouldn’t push as much as I do, but don’t want to be stuck in the bed either with my cane lol. Thank you for your kind words. We can all get through this crazy world if we stick together. You got this ❤️😉
Your are right, I do push myself and my body tells me right away! Every doc I went to told me to exercise, and I would be so angry, how can I exercise when I hurt so much? Turns out, they were right, it’s better to be up and moving to the extent I can, I make small accommodations for myself that help me still be fairly independent.
Seeee you got this 💯
Go for it! My 40 year old daughter was diagnosed with MS 10 years ago. She has the same attitude you do. She could easily qualify for disability, but she doesn’t want to. She has a 3 year old and she does all sorts of activities with her. She has to use a walker now because she broke her femur last year and had to have a complex repair. This year the repair failed and she had to have a hip replacement. Through it all, she never complains, even though I know she is in pain. She is my hero.
She’s definitely a hero ❤️
Interesting take — thanks for weighing in, even if we seem to be sailing on slightly different tides!
For what it’s worth, I went to sea at sixteen and spent the next twelve years buried in charts and exams to earn my Captain’s licence. Then came a spell as a firefighter and later a detective — both jobs that involve more tests, training, and re-checks than any sane person would volunteer for. So, “privileged”? Not quite — unless you count being privileged to work daft hours and smell faintly of smoke.
As for keeping up with the antics of the US Congress… well, as a Brit living up North, I struggle to see how that’s going to brighten my day. We’ve got plenty of political pantomime on this side of the pond.
Still, I do appreciate you reading and taking the time to comment — even when we don’t see eye to eye. Keeps things lively, doesn’t it?
All the best,
Rob
You came across as totally American! I’m in UK in West Country. I’m 3 years older than you. Seniority in dotage eh! My life experience was way wide of yours partly at least due to being female – and dim. I feel that words like your essay are dangerous for the vulnerable (like me). The political administration would love to not pay us a state pension. Not all of us have commercial marketable skills. I am much more productive in this phase of my life than when I had to attend a workplace and be there meaninglessly. And being dim I never got that intellectually stimulating conversation that politicos and feminists used to promote as the reason to go to work. Never to get money to live . Too ignoble! My sister is now retired.She was an HCA at the hospital. She worked very hard. Once a year they had to fill in a form and one of the questions was “why are you doing this job” – my sister knew you had to write some flannel like wanting to serve humanity or crap like that. Her workmate and pal George (a female) always put “Im only working here for the fucking money” and every year she got called in and reprimanded. But stayed employed because like my sister she was good at the job and reliable. I admired that honesty.
Fair point. Skip the angles. Here’s a thought: ask ChatGPT to interview you properly—about your real life, what you’ve actually seen, what matters to you. Then see what emerges as worth writing about. The commercial angles will show themselves if they exist.
To Old Gray Thinker – you have my
admiration and deep respect for your exceedingly gentle response to a stranger online telling you you are privileged and experiencing “First World Problems “. To stop achieving and start serving
( that part is good advice for anyone at any age ). To start paying attention to politics (?!?!).
I don’t know that I would have shown the good humored restraint that you were able to .
Yes , all kinds of people in the world ,
“ sailing on different tides “…
Thank you John – can’t keep all the people happy all the time eh?
I’m lost who are you disagreeing with or is this some kind of halloween joke?
Hooray. You’ve said it all,and much better than me. I hated this essay because all over the world political administrations are pouncing on stuff like this.
You said it much more eloquently than I did. I was gonna say this is bullshit propaganda trying to convince people that they’re not worthy unless they’re producing. Fuck that. I worked since I was 14 and earned a master’s degree while working and raising a family. I’ve earned my rest and yes, I am active and serve in local government. I volunteer to help those less fortunate. These are all responsibilities to my fellow humans that I choose as I enjoy the pension that I already earned.
Also, we need term limits. There are too many older people refusing to let go of power and refusing to admit they’re not as sharp cognitively as they used to be.
I was losing the will to live – shes banned and comments deleted- i am not policing a political forum for free.
So true
Nice commentary. Im 54, I literally grew up with PCs. I remember in 1985, taking home from my High School an Apple IIe and spending time playing with it. The excitement of the arrival of the first XT, the dot matrix printer. I had my first laptop in 93, sent my first email in 94, played with the Internet in code before Google, and got a Nokia Communicator in 2000, half a decade before iPhone.
Gen-X lives and breathes tech. Its hilarious how advertisers, corporations, and millennials/GenZ seem to think we’re like our grandparents…
And now tech is old and boring and people want to live in the woods and write real paper letters.
Yep that’s about right. Or go for long beach walks without their phone.
Very much on point. I am 65 and looking forward to 30 more productive years to help address the problems our generation created.
Love this. I’m 67, just retired, and working to help save Democracy (in the US). Still got a few good years left…
You’ve taken on a challenge then. Maybe you could dap over to the UK now and then.
Well, I think you folks are doing much better than we are. Farage doesn’t have nearly the media savvy nor autocratic appeal is our orange clown. However, if you’re offering accommodation, I’m there! 🙂
I quit working a year and a half after Covid. And now I say I am blissfully unemployed. I have found myself volunteering at a shelter. I help the guests look for jobs, help them write resumes, help them interview better. I tutor. Above everything else, I READ. I have started writing as well. I don’t feel I am sidelined or ignored now that I am not working for a living. I have found that I am living for the work I like to do.
Exactly.
I am a 73 year old owner of a small construction company. There is nothing in my business that I have not personally done, personally had my hands on. Except wall paper. I have not hung wallpaper.
I enjoy my position. I enjoy causing things to happen. I enjoy teaching my people the proper way to do things. I refuse to allow the “that is good enough” mentality so many young people have.
I find it interesting to apply the same care with a skid steer bucket as I have with a block plane to get the proper contour. Hydraulics instead of muscle. Same satisfaction. I will keep adjusting my personal involvement in what I build and my relationship with my employees to achieve a good and meaningful day.
I will not stop using the skills I have built over a lifetime. I admire all that do the same in their respective fields. Kick on…
Oh dear! Luckily I’m not applying for a job with you but I AM one of those “that’ll do,it’s close enough” sort of people. My last boss was like you. She was brilliant thus my work standards were incredibly high. Thank goodness I can now relax into “.it’s close,it’ll do” mode!
There are degrees to everything. However my clients hire us because the they know we do top tier work. A good example of what I do and some others is a current project that is a twenty year old renovation of an old farm house. We have had to chase rot under every window and anywhere water could get into a house. Every single place we have had to repair could have been done in a proper manner twenty years ago to keep the water out. It is costing my client a small fortune to fix this bad work. It takes three times the work to pull it apart, remove the rot, then patch it back in. Water and wind have known properties. If a person in my business has been paying attention, they learn how to build to stand the test of time. I have had countless arguments with architects of modern structures about movement of materials, water and air intrusion.
This ignoreing of physics is not confined to young and inexperienced.
I am happy for you that you can relax your standards to a degree that more suites your current needs. One does not need to be always in the fire. I seem to like it hot myself, but that is my choice. Enjoy your day. Always.
Well I would hire you (If I had any money and a historic old cottage to do up). Yes close enough is NOT good enough for your sort of work. Especially when people are paying money for the best job. Actually I’m not THAT slobby,lol.
I am a recovering perfectionist which often put me in a state of paralysis so I have had to grow “good enough” muscles, be willing to accept that I do things badly when I am learning or have little time and have patience with myself.
Yes,not everything has to be spot on,allow yourself some leeway.
Great read. I’m at the same stage and have built a small teaching/coaching business in the five years since ‘retiring’, but …
I’m a little bit bored and wondering what next. But I do have the means to find out …
I agree
Thank you.
Don’t worry. In 10 or maybe even 5 years there will be no pensions and confused 80 year old women will have to go out on the beg since AI having removed all the middle range jobs the smart people with degrees will be competing for and bagging all the early morning/late evening cleaning jobs,and toilet cleaning jobs,the hands on jobs that AI can’t do. Those jobs will no longer be contemptible and despised,they will be fought for. So,go ahead tell our political administration that YOU AND ALL THE OTHER 60+ people DONT LIKE BEING ‘retired’ in their home,doing things they like,maybe reading Dostoyevsky or making a patchwork quilt or even tending a garden. With 30 years one could create an outstanding garden and earn a lot of cultural kudos. Sir Roy Strong did ( my latest Substack subject). But to some mindsets reading,patchwork, – cooking,gardening are poor old soul activities. Well Alan Titchmarsh ain’t done too bad out of gardening,or Monty Don,Rick Stein ditto out of cooking and if you visit my local Patchwork exhibition and see some of the extremely political statement quilts you’ll know it’s not old lady stuff. Instead of wanting to spend ones WHOLE LIFE in the Factory (even if it’s an intellectual one) on the production line (even if you’re the foreman) just enjoy your freedom limited as it may be by health issues,lack of money -not all of us boomers soaked up vast sums of money in our fortunate lifetimes. Time and Chance happens to all. So start a business if you want. Create a garden,but use media contacts to get it known of,and pretend it’s got a talking point theme. Do Art if you have that talent but don’t play us all into the hands of the worlds political administrations who would all love to stop paying state pensions. I DIDNT START THE FIRE. 50 years ago I was questioning why the system was set up how it was and being told ,”it’s not your business (my future life is not my business?),keep quiet,the Grown Ups have got things to do.
And now I’m 70 and thoroughly enjoying DOING WHAT I F—ING WANT which is to read Dostoyevsky and sew Patchwork. And I leave the Grown Ups to do whatever it is they do.
Wow. I am 61 retired at 56 and am now 3 years into a second career plus just staeting out as a writer. Retirement wasnt for me. I hear what you say
I’m 62 and heard the same, and I heard the people telling me is was a lie, all of my life. If you wanted to believe the lie you did. I certainly believed the lie over those telling me the truth on many occasion. Believing the wrong people has cost me big more than once, but seeing and facing the truth is damn hard. Part of that truth is we lie to ourselves then look for evidence to support that lie and when it goes wrong blame them for telling us lies. Found that out way to late.
After spending 35 years in health care dealing with people, I find that I’m really enjoying a quiet retirement doing house restoration and gardening with one good friend. And occasional dog walking and water color painting.
And helping my 90ish parents, who still live on their farm.
I just turned 60, am still working (though have designed my work life over more than a decade so that I have lots of free time to think, support others, look at projects). One such project is a AI version of myself that takes 2,090 articles (over one million words) loosely around what I call “Open Leadership” as the “data source” and is something open to all. As yet I haven’t heard of any other fellow “gray/no hair” folk doing this. Perhaps it will inspire some others to share what they have learned in a similar fashion.
https://asktom.chat/
I retired early at 60 three years ago. I have survived 9 years in the Armed Forces, 12 years as a Policeman and 10 years as a Prison Chaplain in a high security prison….. I couldn’t wait!
People are now having to work until 70, and your formula from the 50’s fits the slavish work, work, work until you drop……. Not me. My wife retired last year at 60, busy as ever with our family and doing what we want instead of doing what we have to.
If working defines you, that is a problem. We are obsessed with productivity, usual for someone else.
Some folks just simply can’t stop, must keep working. It’s sad.
So true
Interesting. If you are from the USA, your life span, excluding infant mortality , is around 78.4 years. So statistically no 30 years of retirement for you. Unless, of course you are in the top 10% then I guess your chance of reaching 30 years of retirement are much higher.
I too share your age. But, perhaps I came to some realisation of a new dynamic sooner. Yes a professional life – providing solutions, mentoring junior staff, leading teams, supporting and encouraging confidence to tackle problems that look difficult. And suddenly you are irrelevant. And the biggest pain being told repeatedly that Boomers are the most evil generation to walk the planet. Just give it away. Don’t hold onto what was grasp what you can now do. Which is probably immense. For me I fly fish in the summer and study philosophy at local university in the winter. Made a few young friends- be careful dispensing advice, but most of all kept my mind open and challenged. Go old man – your life is in front of you.
Your article has come to me at age 47. I’m between careers. I was a successful police officer, I’m now bored and irritable! As another reply says women are used to being irrelevant after they’ve produced children (or not). Menopause in the western world equals death of all mental function and bodies falling apart. Just read an article about how menopause is viewed in other cultures and it said the same as you. This is the era of the wise. All that wisdom gathered over 40, 50, 60 years needs to be harnessed. I’m inspired so thank you. I’ll start by making that video for my friend’s teenager turning 18. Instead of saying, ‘i can’t do technology,’ I shall remember I’ve been teaching myself to use new tech all my adult life.
I am just a tad older older than you and am working on my MS in Mathematics. I am enjoying learning the info in the classes.
Jean, I’ve been there. I’m past retirement age now but still working and I love what I do. I’m probably looking at another job-change soon, but I know from experience that there’s always valuable work to be done if you keep looking.
The average life span in the UK is eight one years. Therefore you don’t have another thirty years from sixty five, it’s about half that.
I’m not sure about the experience argument. There was a TV series about using ‘old people’ to help use their experience to help school children cope with the stresses they were under. It was a horror story; the old wise folk talked down to the young because they knew best and the young were frustrated that the old were arrogant and showed no understanding of what their world was like. However, with patience they both got to understand each other more and in many cases it worked quite well. The old figured out they didn’t know everything, the young had people outside their group they could confide in and who had a different experience set that was useful.
I imagine the problem in the workplace is if you know you are going to work for another, say, three years there is no incentive to put huge effort into acquiring new skills which will have a very low payoff.
Nonetheless, there is skill, energy, enthusiasm and happiness to learn useful things among older people. Utilising that is something society doesn’t do to the cost of everyone.
You have picked up a new follower.
Very well done. Your article resonates with so many (including myself) because I believe it’s true. I agree w/ all the points you raise.
I would have liked this post sooner but the like button wasn’t big enough to easily find. 🤪
This was very thought provoking. My hubby is 66 and 11 years my senior. He is in the second phase of life. Even after losing his vision – he’s still reinventing himself. He’s not collecting dust yet!
People after retirement must have some form of purpose no matter how small. A study was done on prisoners. all of them were given a plant to water daily. half of prisoners were instructed to water it daily and the other half were just given without instruction. One year later those who watered the plant were more active and young and those who did not water the plant were weak and their hair were turned grey.
Loved this. More power to you.
I’m your age and you have just summed up my life for the last 8 years. I have a project that I want to complete and publish but….so thanks for the shove, mind I’ll need to work out the next step, serialisation or self publish? Maybe even both, so watch out world here I come…
self publish easy on kdp
I don’t feel this way, and I am sorry that you do.
I am 61, and I retired last year. I feel more listened to than at any time in my life. The year that I told people I was going to retire, I felt so appreciated, because so many people were dismayed!
Maybe because I have the attitude, I’m old, and I’m just going to say whatever I think. People have to be nice to me because I’m old. I feel, I’m old, so I don’t have to do XYZ that I don’t want to do; leave that for the young. I have a pension, so I don’t have to worry that I’m going to lose my job. My kids are grown, so I don’t have to factor their well-being into my decisions.
I decided to retire at age 60 because my job was physically and emotionally demanding, and I was so tired at the end of each workday that I was unable to do anything I actually wanted to do. That’s why we need a retirement age and a pension, because we no longer have the energy to work from 8 to 5, come home to cook, clean, do yard work, deal with paperwork, etc.
I now have the time and energy to do whatever I want, and the list is long. Unexpectedly, I have taken up writing.
Good luck to you!
This is spot on. It’s a brave new world out there and, chances are, we have the time, experience, resources and will to do whatever the hell we want with that extra 30 years!
I for one will not be fading away, no matter what the world around me might expect.
67 as well. Completely agree. We have so much freedom and opportunity ahead of us.
Starting a business that fits my intrinsic interests at the moment.
At 68, and recently retired from teaching I am right there with you!
I refuse to retire
Still working full time at
76
Amen brother! I’m 64 and my boss loves my ideas but doesn’t want to promote me.
The job you left may have been easier than retirement.
I’ve been a consultant for 10 years since retiring at 61. There is a growing need for expertise in a thousand areas. A way to start is to understand your niche, define it, and then research ways to make it known and available. The most important thing we have to offer is experience based knowledge. It is very valuable…g.
Fantastic!🙌🏻
Yes, I’m in. Excited to participate, to contribute, to see how radically authentic this becomes as it unfolds. We’ve survived and thrived through decades when streetlights meant curfew, phones had cords we wrapped around our fingers for privacy, mixtapes told our stories, and floppy disks felt like the future.
We built the platforms everyone stands on now; and we’re about to build the ones we’ll walk into.
Buckle up.
OG to OG we all hear you, collective ‘YEAH’ Consider the system (for the moment is working as intended) no problems. Evolution is expanding all corners of the globe. Like cruise control, occasionally cruise control is stopped, and breaks applied to avoid the crash, it takes time, for the message from the brain, to reach the foot to apply the break screech. This is humanity catching upto evolution and accepting. People are always skeptical of the new then accept as the new norm. The bigger picture seems to be on course! FYI – loved your story!
As the Creator’s own song reminds us: “One thing leads to another.”
Beautiful. 🔁✨
Sorry I’m not seeing it. I’m two months from the big day. I spent fifty years busting ass, living paycheck to paycheck two thirds that time. My career end when private equity destroyed my employer. My body is broken, there is no second career only disability and poverty.
I’m 62, retired and love the slower pace of life. It’s a welcome break from 40 years of striving. I’ve got lots of projects to do: writing, making art and spending time with my wife and friends. I don’t feel redundant, patronised or useless. I’m loving life!
Having recently retired after a long professional career, this article is entirely relatable. If you can succeed to find ways for the retired class to contribute to society utilizing one’s knowledge and experience you will have done a great public service.
I’m listening and will hear your 3rd degree. LOL I also have three degrees, the corollary is have it given to you, or work your ass off. The smarter one becomes being heard diminishes by the same amount. Choice? I choose hard work, the fruit is sweeter!
Dear Old Grey Thinker, it is a rare pleasure to meet you. You are a man after my heart and spirit. I’m 74. I quit my 54-year-long career two years ago so that I could focus on learning and growing. Around the time I was your age, I recognized the syndrome you discussed in this excellent piece. I wrote my own heads-up note about this several years ago, The Age of Irrelevance (linked below). Your piece digs deeper into the absurdity of turning people out to pasture and out of mind. I love it and will keep in touch. Thank you! https://davewilliams0806.substack.com/p/the-age-of-irrelevance.
Good insight 😃. Can i translate part of this article into Spanish with links to you and a description of your newsletter?
go for it
Many thanks.
I’m 78. Retirement is terrific! Went back to school 9 years ago and got a second masters. Take care of a house, a dog, a car. Cleaned out all the clutter and got super organized. Volunteer on a nonprofit board. Coach academic writing at the local seminary. Do deep dives into specific authors and genres I have not had an opportunity to study. Spend time with friends and family. Travel a bit. Spoil my pup. Pray. When I go out on errands, I connect with people so I am seen. Life can be joyous when not chained to a desk, job, position, stifling routine. Better this than almost any other alternative!!
I’m 66 and still working I think until I turn 68. You are living my dream retirement!
Make it happen, Lesley! No rocking chair. Find a passion (mine is learning, books, my faith) and revel in it.
I feel this to my core. At 62, I am nowhere near ready to retire. I’m just shifting my focus and utilizing all of my experience to build something different, unique and with positive outcomes for an industry I’ve spent a lifetime in. Thank you for this article. I am going to share it with my colleagues.
I think your/our generation (I’m at the end of the boomer generation) will rewrite the brochure that you’re disillusioned with. As you say, we’ve been on the forefront of lots of technological and lifestyle innovations; I’ve already seen examples of retirees forging their second (or one and a half) careers utilizing honed skills adapted for the changing world and society. I believe future generations will put off retirement if they want to keep working or will look at it as a refreshing intellectual pursuit.
I would, however, like to see some leadership politicians who have not adapted their messaging and tactics to the new order decide that they should bow out and make room for another generation who understands what tools are needed at this point in history.
68 yo author, retired chiropractor, and accountant before that, living off SS because I lost my retirement to economic shite and grief. Now I’m struggling to escape retirement poverty. But more, I’m trying to get my books in front of enough readers to plug the gap. Thriving would be even better. But I would love to not be in the hole every month. And you’re right, I still have a lot to say. And as someone who’s always had an insatiable thirst for knowledge, I am a walking library. Thank you for your work and this post. You’ve hit the nail on the head.
I love being retired. I am busier now than I ever was but doing things that I like to do and when I want to do them.
There have also been things in my immediate and extended family that would’ve been extraordinarily difficult to get through had I not been retired.
Mostly, I am grateful for the fact that I can be retired. There are a lot of people that retire and soon after, there is a chronic debilitating illness or even a death.
This is my third act and I’m making the most of it.
I retired at 80..was an entrepreneur my entire working life…now busier than ever..writing another book..substitute teacher at our high school and starting a ministry to help depressed pastors. Don’t let the old man in..volunteer..bake..make jams..pickles..do something..if you sit in your recliner and eat ice cream and drink beer or whatever…you will die..trust me I have seen it time after time..this guy has a good idea..looking forward to see how he does.
I’m exhausted doing this retirement thing! Grandchildren come first! It’s a payback, to my kids I left with sitters while I worked.
Our parents are at the end of their lives and also need our care.
Political activism—absolutely necessary to protect all those we love. I became a precinct committee person, and chair a voter registration committee, and haven’t missed 1 local protest.
Finally, do what you love, volunteer-I’m volunteering for a non profit organization that supports the arts, as a way to lift up our communities, culturally and economically.
And on the day or so that I’m not busy with the above, gardening fills in those blanks.
To achieve this all- you MUST exercise daily, eat well, drink plenty of water, get your vaccinations, and take your vitamins.
Wow. Talk about hitting a nerve. I just turned 62 and and thinking about retiring from the corporate gig after 41 years in banking to focus on me 2.0, a creative, with so much more to learn, grow and give than I do in a field where the 20-somethings have it all figured out. Or so they think. I find myself nodding and smiling as I read this. I look forward to reading more. Bravo. Bring it!
Dear Mr. Gray thinker, I like your positive attitude, but you didn’t mention some of the deleterious and horrible treatment of old people that precludes us from even paying the rent and having medical care in the United States I don’t know where you’re operating from. But here in the United States we’ve had musk, big balls, Trump and others Take away our Medicare. We have the worst outcomes and medical care in the world and pay the most our Social Security has been threatened and basically frozen and covers. Nothing homelessness for people over 65 is a real issue. I like your entrepreneurial posting, but it says nothing about the reality of turning old in this society the United States of America, the former republic we used to be.I’d like to get your take on being poor and working till 70. I’m still working W-2 and paying for something that we will never see because it’s been taken away from us. That’s what I thought. The thrust of your peace was going to be about. Maybe I should write a companion piece and tell the realities of what’s happening in United States to people of my generation I was born in 1955.
Thank you for taking the time to share that — what you describe sounds incredibly tough, and I completely understand why you’d feel frustrated.
Just to clarify, I don’t live in the United States, and I’m not a political commentator. We all have to follow our own paths, and mine is simply to look at my own situation, identify problems I can realistically solve, and then make those solutions available in case they help others too.
Your idea of writing a companion piece sounds excellent — it would add an important, firsthand perspective on what ageing looks like in America right now. I’d genuinely encourage you to do it.
I’m a retired VP Sales in the software space, and your article resonated with me. I’ve turned my focus to working out and other physical things. I’ve made great progress, dropping 20 lbs and getting stronger than I’ve been for 20 years. But there is still something missing intellectually—not enough of a mental challenge to match with the physical. I’m baffled by my friends who are satisfied with looking after grandkids (I don’t have any yet). That’s very important, but not everything. I’ve tried online courses to fill gaps in my education, but passively taking in knowledge still doesn’t solve the problem. I’m looking forward to what you have to say going forward, and will do my best to contribute.
One of the ways I like to learn is through community and there are literally thousands of great online communities to make connections with like-hearted people, grow and expand.
Do you have any favorites to recommend?
Thank you for voicing this ! I retired from teaching, several times, then didn’t due to U.K. government moving goalposts and withholding money from #50sWomen which threw my life into a frantic scrabble to survive!
From age 60 I’ve worked, campaigned , joined the gym, done voluntary work, taught and even been self employed as a hypnotherapist too pre pandemic. Now 70+ embarking on my second year teaching Art & Geography in a private school as I need the income but I do enjoy the 2 days a week teaching again
Especially with so many skills to pass on.
I write, I sew, I paint, I garden and I go with my dog to my caravan in the Dales whenever I’m free. I also go to the gym which I joined after last lockdown. Did 45 years full time work upto age 65 and now have even more years work under my belt …. Who knew we would end up working so hard? …. Phew need a cup of tea !
I’m 67 and still working and exhausted. I would like to try new things but here we are in this nightmare of the USA being run by a tyrant. I marched with my mother in the sixties. I don’t want to again but do and will. I do use AI, but hate it. I’m having trouble settling in to a good book because I scroll too much.
Here, here! 67 year old retired technology leader
Excellent article.
So true – and relatable!
Nice well thought out article.
IBM went through a similar problem in the mid 90’s. A sizable portion of their senior engineers were retired or were retiring. Experience went out the window and IBM hired a lot of them back as contractors. It was more of timing issue than a brain drain; IBM had already decided to get away from manufacturing but retirement of their “experience” didn’t coincide with actuality… hence the rehiring.
What experience brings that youth and energy don’t is the ability to integrate ideas and actions into a process/product.
Video games improve reactions by driving options into a predetermined level. What they don’t provide is a path to thinking outside the box. Everything “electronic” is a limitation, the sandbox is already defined. AI can only work from existing knowledge and from that existing knowledge… a “conclusion” is created.
Human Intelligence (in the military) is still desired over videos, voice recordings, etc because nuance can be captured by a human. AI only works when a finite number is present and nuance destroys that option. That’s why AI playing chess will beat a human. Since AI hasn’t and won’t find the square root of 2… experience with the ability to integrate, is the most valuable commodity in the world.
Never rely on government to look after you in retirement.
I refused to put money in pension, instead i invested. That is why I can live reasonable retirement with additional of government pension.
“The second half is about synthesis. You take everything you’ve learned and turn it into something that actually matters. Meaning replaces metrics. Contribution replaces competition.” I was talking about this just yesterday with my spouse as we discuss retirement plans. We still have about 15 years, but I want to have the time and energy to start making meaning as soon as possible. To paraphrase Utah Phillips, I want to use my brain in in its “unmutilated condition” well before those 15 years are up . . . .
A fun read. I’ve been teaching this for a while–telling my counseling clients, “You are very likely to live to 100–let’s plan for that”. I encourage folks to this about the 20/20/20/20/20 plan–plan for 5 cycles of 20 years and let each be different. The one thing though that I hear from my younger clients—is that the ‘accumulation’ phase is going to be much different now. We grew up with ‘house, cars, kids, stuff’….they are changing that and it will transform our economy.
As an American born after 1965, I have understood since my very late teens that retirement, for my generation and those that follow, was a lie. Ours is not about the quality of life that will exist after we no longer sell our ability to work to survive, since that day will never come for the majority. The fastest-growing segment of homeless in America is the elderly.
Yup. And be female, or non-white, or non-straight and multiply that feeling/truth of invisibility.
“Rarely have I come across writing so exquisitely beautiful and deeply insightful. It touches the soul and awakens a profound sense of purpose within, inspiring one to live the remainder of life with renewed hope, meaning, and wholehearted fulfillment.”
I was forced into retirement at age 29. Haven’t worked “a real job” since. This is true of a lot of us born between 1975-1989. If you were fortunate to have been in the job market before 9/11 you could have had social security, job security, etc. Those who graduated after 9/11 were just left in the dust as the hiring process shifted from in person to digital, from a human reading your resume and telling you to come in to the automated process of endless quizzes and surveys going with a resume that never got a callback. I’m not mad about it, it’s been nice have been retired with no pension, benefits, watching America collapse into Hoovervilles and 1920s homeless among my peer group because we’re the freest. The late 70s and 80s kids are free in a way no one knows, because Millenials are too naggy and Gen Z are too whiny. The 1990s was our 70s, and the 2000s our 80s.
Hey Rob, I turned 67 today. I’ve been retired for almost a year. I worked in AI. On the tech side of it, designing AI solutions for Fortune 100 customers. I gave my company six months’ notice that I planned to retire. They laid me off, 3 weeks shy of my 25th anniversary working for the company. So I decided to do something completely different with writing and travel. I’ve mostly ignored AI and tech for the past year, because I’ve been pissed-off. Maybe it’s time to revisit to see if there are some worthwhile things I can do with it.
Terrific piece. Thank you.
You might be interested in a TED talk i gave seven years ago about the need to rejigger things to accommodate the fact that we now live much longer. https://www.ted.com/talks/bob_stein_a_rite_of_passage_for_late_life?
also, a brilliant book about ageism . . . Ashton Applewhite’s This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism: amazon.com/This-Chair-Rocks-Manifesto-Against/dp/1250297257
Mostly Dems have done the lying. But that’s who you voted for, no?
It really depends upon your profession, is all I’ve gotta say.
I’m a few years behind you in age and feeling the same way. I would like to embrace ai but so much snake oil sales and ethical issues behind the insistent push for it make me angry.
This!!! I’m 60. When I mentioned I plan to work another ten years you should have seen the reactions! Every word you say is on target! The second half is all about synthesis! Using your expertise!
Absolutely brilliant. So glad I read this before writing my daily article. Don’t know how much of a role AI played here but you’re a great writer. And clearly, AI assistant or not, it comes from decades of hard earned wisdom. I love the idea of coining the Longevity Economy. You’re absolutely right. Something new is brewing. I’m part of it as well. And you’ve done a great job of articulating it. It’s time for those of us with actual wisdom to start shaping the global narrative because the younger crowd have a lot of the wrong ideas.
I will be sixty-seven next year, and it’s just a number to me because, since leaving higher ed. in 2015, I literally feel younger. I dislike the term “retirement” because it no longer applies in the 21st century, as you so eloquently pointed out. I believe in second and third beginnings or transitions. As an artist, the day I retire is the day I pass into another world.
Technology is mostly my friend, except when things don’t work. I have learned to seek those who know how to fix tech issues, but not before spending time trying to figure it out myself. The challenge is good for me.
From a creator’s perspective, I am cautious about AI and its misuse, but I welcome the benefits that have and will continue to come of it with regulations in place.
As a woman, I, too, have felt invisible. But I’m also an Aries and full of fire when it’s warranted. I create art and use writing to express what’s on my mind at every opportunity.
First the good news…AI has a LONGggggg way to go. Right now there are both technological and capacity constraints that act as a natural break on progress. That said, it is coming but it will not replace people any time soon. So many things in life require the human spark – and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. What AI does is buys one time. With this backdrop one should have more than one form of endeavor – a side hustle if you will. Man needs industry…so in addition to doing your day job it is important to find things that will complement your work and actually sustain you once the job fades. Some people paint/do art, others volunteer…while others find jobs that they can migrate into at retirement. Personally, I found a host of other things to do that equally interest me that I know will sustain me once it is time to retire. It is never too late to start figuring this out…so I suggest folks get a move-on. Pax
I am 72 and still working.
I’m 67 too and I’m not thinking at all about retiring. Thankfully I am a nurse and in this profession you can still work until you no longer have a pulse. I just don’t want to work full time. No problem, they are happy to see me any day, for as many days as I want to work. Few professions offer this kind of flexibility. Collect social security, yes, at 70, provided it still there. But I don’t know if I want to start a new type of job, I just don’t want the responsibility but I know a lot a bout my job. I usually teach new nurses. Great article. Yes, there is a world of opportunity in the boomers’ world and the geriatric field is a gold mine.
I’m in a similar position, except I worked for myself since 1979 so I’m used to being self-motivated. But you’re right – I feel very much that I still have things to contribute, which is why I’ve started my own Substack column.
Finding the right outlet is the tricky part. I’m not especially worried about making money. I won’t send any back, but that’s not my motivation. I’d be interested in your thoughts on how to contribute in a meaningful way.
I love this. I saw the writing on the wall as I was aging in my tech career.
So, I left before I became irrelevant and built my own consulting business.
Now I do a mix of consulting and coaching, with the freedom to decide how I spend my days. Kinda love it!
I’m 72 and after 35 years of hard physical labor framing houses as a piece working carpenter and then another dozen years building custom homes, I now work as a hospice chaplain.
I visit on average 12-15 people per week, either at their homes or in some sort of facility.
Retirement? Maybe when I’m actually old, which, by the way, keeps moving upwards.
The second career is more like a second life.
And there is not one single person from my hard working (almost every stereotype you can think of) who would’ve ever thought of me doing what I do now.
The hardest work (and I intimately know hard work) I’ve ever done but by far the most valuable.
And the rugged blue collar life has given me insights and an ability to relate that most clergy can’t fathom.
I’ve been working on the book for a few years now.
You have no idea what’s possible or where the road might take you until you say, ok, I’m willing.
There’s something missing here- The real joy that comes with complete irrelevance. I’ve been retired for 9 years now and I’m happy that I’ve been forgotten!
I do things everyday without “permission” or according to someone else’s schedule. I enjoy life now on my own terms and validation from others is no longer wanted or needed, thank you very much 🙂
Bravo!
Great article.
I welcomed the irrelevance. Losing the need to keep striving and moving from an analytical focus to a creative one. Trying to repair a brain broken by the work. (Which I enjoyed.) What surprised me about retirement the most was how much I did not miss the work.
And you are wrong about thirty years. You likely have 10 good years physically. Once you reach your seventies things fall apart faster. You will likely be more restrianed physically. Our brains shrink every day as well. Into the eighties and now things become more difficult. I think of phases of three ten year intervals. Why? Because it helps me focus on what I should be doing now and what to do later. I am hiking and backpacking now at 63 knowing that by the time I reach my seventies this will no longer be available to me.
I watched my very vigorous father age (he is 89 today) and this is how it proceeded.
One of the benefits of retirement is no longer having to care what 28 year old “thought leaders” and “evangelists” have to say.
Thought provoking.
As someone in the middle of their corporate career, I’m curious to your thoughts surrounding “passing of the torch.” I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling the friction between generations in the work place. But you’re right, the world has changed a lot in life expectancy as well as technology. I get the impression that GenX and Millenials are frustrated with wanting their turn as decision makers, etc. Given the changes in the world and work culture, what do you think is the best way to mitigate this issue so that all generations can contribute, have work life balance, and enjoy retirement (whenever that may be)?
I’m 62 and started a new business a few years ago after corporate life, community work then running my own bakery.I’ve set up here too to figure stuff out and chat with like-minded people. My health isn’t great so I’m limited, but neither irrelevant or dead yet!
Well said👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 I’m 64 and I appreciate you sharing your wisdom. I have very similar observations.
Well said! I agree with all this.
I’m a newly “minted” 65 year old who’s still working but also trying to figure out, what do I do now that I’m all grown up?! I’m right there with you in your thoughts!
Could not love this more! Thank you.
Well said. Reminds me of my post on the entire Mythos or Retirement: https://tortugasociety.substack.com/p/mythology-of-retirement
I’m 68 and I realized a couple of years ago that I have been lied to all my life.
Really enjoyed this and it hit hard.
I’m doing it! I’m still consulting, and have started to offer my expertise as online courses for individuals and to be licensed by universities, etc. I work in the space of innovation and entrepreneurship, so I’m very familiar with the “thought leaders” who are more aptly one-hit-wonders. I too, feel like I’m shouting into the void, all while I watch innovators fail right and left, and all the money and time spent going down the drain. It can be avoided, but only by people who know what they’re doing – those of us who are now supposed to be invisible. We’re not going away quietly!!!
I’m with you. I’m 62 and in perfect health. I’m not retiring and not going to quit doing anything.
I hate to be nitpicky (ok, I love it) but life expectancy at age 65 has only actually increased by about six years since 1940.
Great piece generally, though. And the expansion in straight up “life expectancy at 65” GREATLY understates the amount of capacity people keep as they age. (My favorite example of aging now versus 25 years ago is that Steve Martin and Martin Short on “Only Murders” are a half decade older than Uncle Junior on “The Sopranos.”)
Retirement of any sort is a long way off for me (I’m 41) but it’s never too early to start thinking about the future… there is advice in there that I could take right now, to affect my life for the better in 25 years. Thanks!
Yes, the revolution is here. Thank you for your post. Looking forward to figuring out my next thing.
I love doing “nothing”. No alarms. No schedules. Retired now since 2018. Have enough money to get by. Travel when I want where I want. No pressure of anything. It’s great so I do disagree.
Maybe you should start an old grey thinkers club?
I say and do things today I was too afraid and too unsure to do when I was in my 20s. Truth is a wonderful Weapon and a wonderful healing Sab. Truth mixed with love, ensures that great healing and wisdom is always possible. God has given us a great gift wrapped in Truth and Love.
Something to think about…
It has been suggested I set up a skool forum…..problem is time …..
We do not live 30 years longer. Very few of us will be Betty White. Average life expectancy is at 76 for men. Many of will enter our 70s robust and die before 80 or exit our 70s enfeebled by illness. I’m not challenging everything you are saying, but as a retired RN who has seen this play out with my clinic patients and family members, I think it’s important.
The governments have more and more become a tool for parasites stealing and destroying the fundamental human rights, freedoms and of course the resources to finance retirements and all other social services, necessities and maintenance of a healthy society. It means they have become our enemies and dictators.
Remove them from their duties and power.
Such power is not given, it is taken.
Love this! Exactly right. My parents lived to 93 & 97 btw. Given a healthy lifestyle and decent genetics this is true. Yes many still die younger but many of us have 30 years ahead. I’m 71 so I’m looking to live as long as my parents did. What you say about synthesis is true. I’ve never had more clarity or as much to offer the world as I do now.
Well done.
Started writing on Substack 2.5 yrs before retirement (@60.5).
About to commercialize a recently awarded U.S. Patent (hazardous materials remediation – metals).
Bird hunting and fly fishing in N. and S. America.
You are only irrelevant if you choose to be.
The problem is our brain is busy and 45 is the new 65, so we are nowhere near ready to lie down and wait for death. We have been productive all our lives, we’re not going to suddenly stop and watch TV all day. Nope. This world is not designed for people to live longer than 40.
I love this perspective! I will be retiring in December. I am a 66-year-old female educational administrator and at the top of my field. I’ve been in this leadership position for more than a decade. I am ready to write my next chapter but I don’t know just what it holds and of course I need to get there to do so. The unknown is scary and does leave me with worry that I will not be relevant. Thanks for boosting my morale. We need to encourage and support one another as we move through this foreign landscape!
I took a few years to get to the point that it felt right to retire. For me there wasn’t any lie. It’s not a new thing that we’re living longer. But it’s perhaps not obvious either i.e. your theme / message is right. 25/30 odd years is a lifetime! For me the critical point was getting comfortable moving from an accumulation phase (working life) to a decumulation phase (retirement) And perhaps understanding that there’s only so much golf one could possibly want to play 😀.
I’m only 1 year into retirement. We’ve done a lot in that year. I’ve not looked back. Why would I? I’m not going that way. There are lots of things “on my list” I want to do. The trick is doing them.
For instance I wanted to “give something back”. Having been a non exec previously I had thought that’s what I might do. But… it’s still quite restricting, board plus other meetings every month, when maybe I’d want to be away. Like I am now. I don’t want to go away just for a couple of weeks. 6/7/8 weeks will do nicely 😀. Yes I’m lucky enough that we can do that. So why wouldn’t I?
Part of the plan is also to keep the brain ticking over. And where I am atm, 1 year in is seems that my Substack does indeed seem to allow me to both keep my brain ticking over and give something back. Whilst there is a paywall. My motivation is personal. I want to continue to use my brain. I want to write stuff (mostly about Change) that someone else (I.e. aiming at my younger self) “might” benefit from. To be frank (clear) I am doing this for me. Yes I hope that it could help others, but how many subscribers I’ve got paid or free, actually reading and taking in the “help”, isn’t what’s driving me to do it. Which I why I only offer a guide to my publishing intent. Cos plans are just plans right, they can and do change.
Maybe above resonates a little with you / others. Intending to hit subscribe now I think. Though sooner or later I’m going to have to declutter (another retirement theme 😀) those subscriptions that aren’t doing it for me any longer.
brainwashed by the Jew World Order. thinking you had a government, rather than a Jew coup state. all you who said nothing about how JEWS DID 911… so of course they did 10/7 just the same, with the hutzpah to blame it on “the” Muslims. yeah we’re getting what we deserve for not using our freedom of speech. I used mine, but y’all just blamed me, as if I was the problem, thanks to cognitive dissonance… they educated you just enough to make you think you were smart, and that brainwashing was for dumb people. its been going on for generations now… https://www.realjewnews.com/?p=537
rump the Donald is just another showman in a show government, like all the others since Wilson at least. they killed mckinley because he was a hard money man and they wanted their more NYC banker friendly teddy in there… slow well, if you don’t already know, you probly never will! I could explain every detail but it would be like water off a ducks back. trump comes from the Jews heroin money laundry ‘casino’ resorts international. his overlords there killed jfk over dimona nukes. tough luck nobody ever mentioned it to you. my retirement is nestled inside of 1000 diverse fruit and nut trees I planted decades ago. good luck out there retarts.
I am 78 and in ill health, I retired due to this ill health at 64! I am totally canceled and forgotten and as I follow economics and world events, I just shake my head in wonder. It was a great article that you wrote. Keep it up.
I just turned 40, so not retirement age quite yet. But having a son at 40 has me thinking about what the next 20 years looks like. There’s a bit of anxiety, but I definitely don’t want to fade in the dark. I want to connect with older people who have retired and see how I can help them while also try to build my transition.
I am well over 70 and as I try to pay more attention to the slow fade kept at bay by more exercise, I find myself returning to a writing project that I started a long time ago. Nine chapters. But the story is as fresh in my head now as it was then, and I find myself rereading it, continuing to write new chapters and I think I am finally ready to put it all together.
I do feel invisible, but when I make the effort, I am not. So far!
Anxious to hear your words!
Write a book or something dude
Dude? I have written 3 books….dude
I’m just a few years younger, but I’m figuring it out as well. I’m an artist and a professional; however, I’m building my Etsy store to keep it going when I get to retirement. I’m taking my artwork and creating everyday items with it to make it affordable: journals, bags, fanny packs, colorful pj bottoms, and prints. I’m loving it. I won’t fade into the background and neither should you. Great read!!!!!
https://christinearyan.etsy.com
I really enjoyed reading this! I am 38 & I often think what I want my retirement to look like – how I can still find purpose & feel of value. I am blessed to have a 92 year old grandmother who is so inspiring! I also see many people in corporate prolong retirement because they dont know what they will do. Your perspective was very interesting to read, thanks for sharing!
I firmly believe no-one should be able to stand for parliament unless they are at least 60 years old. How can people who’ve never had a proper job but just ‘gone into’ politics and by nepotism or cronyism be selected for safe seats, no questions asked.
Love, love, love this viewpoint. I am not ready to be on the sidelines. I’ve published one book, working on my second and figuring out a way to help authors navigate AI. I’ve got years of experience in tech, helping the techies and the business folks talk to each other. AI is a powerful tool and I’m enjoying figuring it out. Plus, I’m learning how to do online writing. Life is more exciting now.
At 75 I retired from my second career, teaching in my field. Now I’m deciding what to do next
I retired super early, because my husband and I are not very materialistic. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my “working” life doing animal rescue/rehabilitation – and that’s what I’ve done. I use AI and digital art to the same end, and I’ve found all of it very fulfilling.
“What happens when millions of former engineers, teachers, managers, and scientists realize they can package their knowledge, share it online, and earn from it”
Earn from who? If the oldest third controls more than half of the spend, you aren’t going to make money trying to get people younger than you to pay for it- they just don’t have the money. So there’s a definite gap between the idea of building things up and leaving the world better as a legacy, and that legacy being available to the people who would benefit from it, and the idea of making money off of creating it.
The VCs behind Substack are smiling. What better way for old farts to stay engaged than to start a Substack.
Your post resonated with me. My takeaway: “So don’t wait for permission. Start something. Write something. Build something. Even badly at first”. At 72, I started something new – writing. That’s why I’m on Substack! Never knew I had a hidden talent to pen down my thoughts until grief came along. Read my article here:
https://open.substack.com/pub/bettyanyanwuakeredolu/p/how-grief-led-me-to-writing?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=tu9ta
I hear a lot men even in their late forties complain about their health and use age as a reason for their lack physical activity and health (and eventually mental and spiritual health I’m predicting). At almost 52 I have literally just passed the half way point of my life (yup optimistic you may say) but I know I’ll live until I’m 93 and so the idea that I need to limit or moderate my aspirations because I’ve decided I’m getting old is well… just old thinking! Keeping my brain, body and soul healthy is the key to the second half for me.
New subscriber here; looking forward to exploring this topic further. (62, current nonfiction writer and editor, also current farm manager; former teacher/swim coach/dog trainer; making the most of my “third thirty”!)
Yay! You said what I dared wonder—can I take 45 years of work life wisdom and monetize it or at least have fun?
Exactly as you stated, all my friends that retired in their early 60s are bored out of their minds and becoming irrelevant quickly. And that, according to them, is a painful punch in the gut, these people who were decision-makers.
So, I look forward to what you have to say on the matter, hoping to find seeds to water and grow into an interesting, fun, second act.
Randy from Salt Lake City
I’ll be 68 on my next birthday (this month) and working full time until my 70th birthday
Subscibed
This is great, I took early retirement and am busy working harder than before. Not making money but making art. You are right, I know the Internet and computers, that was my job. Editing with computers. I learned on the job. Still using editing software to edit my films (you can check them out at http://www.thedavidimage.com, along with my art. Click on “Bagels” and “Names”). When I took early retirement it freed me to concentrate full time on my art. I’ve never been happier!
Well written. I turn 62 soon enough. And for the last month+ I’ve been working as an independent contractor on an AI project. My job is to stump AI – training it to be better. It requires mental gymnastics, organization, attention to detail. The company never asked for my date of birth. Instead they are looking at expertise and education. And maybe that’s your next article – how to apply for interesting gigs without giving away our age.
Please don’t do these AI Trainer jobs, knowing the corporations goals are to replace younger workers. It’s like not crossing the picket line on behalf of your coworkers
I’m a 69 year old woman. Worked from age 16 to 57, with two years off at age 18 to have one child. I strongly disagree with you about AI. It’s not a good thing…just the opposite. People have become convinced that SI is somehow necessary to figure out anything and everything. Sorry you’ve been convinced of that.
Great. I was 18 when I figured that out. So I retired in my 20s and 30s while I still was young and had my health.
Absolutely true and I wish more people understood that. Thank you!
Passion and synthesis are powerful partners.
as a wealth management advisor (CFP) turned life and business coach at 65, I learned to redefine ” retirement” the word and concept. 3 words in one ” re”= again or pertaining to, Tire is where you apply new tread and that is where rubber hits the road, and ment = meant to do what you want to do, when and where you want to do it for as long as you want with who you want. Anyone can lay down and wait to die while stopping their contributions to society, humanity and mankind! Wisdom accumulated and not used, applied or disseminated is a waste of a lifetime. Life happens for us and not to us! Live with passion on purpose ! Real return on life strategies visionary! Life by design and not by default! Cheers Russ
I appreciate your observations. I had the same epiphany when I retired after fifty years.
I started a business, but soon decided I really did not want to do the same kind of things at the same level of intensity that I used to.
I am lucky to have a comfortable retirement. I have a companion to share my life with.
I have found things to interest me that I never had time for before.
But your point is well taken. Older folks still can still contribute to their community and society. Age alone is not a reason to put valuable resources aside.
Your chance of living 30 years at age 67 is 1%. Your chance of living to 90 is 25%. Odds are you won’t make it nearly as long as you think.
We are kindred spirits – I’m 68 and I write here on Substack as ‘The Natural Foods Geezer’
Yup! Mid fifties now. Stepped back from clinical work (integrative TCM doctor), now science advisor for a couple of longevity companies (NADclinic and Organic Science in Japan). I used to tell my patients that retirement is not the bowl of roses that you think it is. You need to keep your grey matter active in some way or your health will go south. Find something that interests you and pursue it. Maybe even go back to school. The more purpose you have, the more fulfilling life can be and the healthier you will be.
Be well
Thank you. I’m a 64 year-old experiencing the onslaught of the need to enroll for Medicare. In doing so it’s been advised to sign up for Social Security first. In the process I’ve spoken with probably a dozen different people all of whom give me different opinions about where to start, what to choose, and how to pay. It’s all mind numbing, boring, and potentially hazardous to my mental health.
I am a doctor of holistic counseling, with a masters degree in social work as well as a Reiki master. I run a yoga studio and teach daily with lots of private sessions around my teaching schedule. I am likely to never retire.
Your words touch me deeply. I’ve been shaking my head in bewilderment at the difference between me and what is generally thought of as appropriate for 64 year-old female.
I especially appreciate you letting me know how not alone I am, recognizing statistically that there’s more of us over 50 than under, and that we have the money. This takes me out of the place of fear and into righteous indignation at the way that we are treated, sidelined and otherwise gaslit by this society.
Keep thinking, old grey. I will keep appreciating you.
Some interesting ideas here though if you (or your AI caption writer) feel lied to you were staring at the marketing materials too long. I’ve subscribed. Keep it interesting.
The AI angle is super interesting. The start is us refusing to go into that dark night. We have smarts, resources and TIME. And a clear understanding that the hustle is a con job.
I say we take the thing back over. Put the kids back on the Xboxes where they were happiest.
We check out voluntarily. I refuse to checkout of doing meaningful things. I also refuse to work on shabby products not one needs for an equity event.
Keep writing. More of us out here than they can imagine, as you’ve pointed out well. Cheers
Great read! Thank you for sharing. I can relate to just about everything being said here. Not retired yet but within the next 6-7 years, I’m hoping for it! The word retired doesn’t mean “settling” so much for me. It does mean I’m not answering to someone that knows nothing about my expertise but insists on telling me all about it. I am looking forward to my own clock. My own opinion mattering more than the ceo who is the ceo because they own the failing healthcare business! No one to report to. No need to justify my strategic decisions other than the data that supports those decisions. Not needing to constantly “finesse” my words because little Kayla here can’t handle direct communication. Obviously, I could go on, but you all know this story too well. I want to work and enjoy what I do until I die…. My way. That’s retirement to me.
You’ll be just fine in retirement 😀
Love this! I’m 68, have been retired a few years but I’m actually living my best life. I’ve got the time and resources to do what I want. It can be pretty great
Whoa! I retired three years ago and I am so busy. I could work part time because there’s a dearth of professionals that do what I did, but I just don’t have the time. I volunteer (for too much stuff), I have joined groups, clubs, and committees, I have (too) many hobbies, and my partner and I walk, hike, bike, and camp. Like some of my relatives before me, I expect to stay busy well into my late eighties, or nineties.
Love this! Yes, I feel like I ( at 69) still have a lot to offer. Working on it. You’re not alone. It’s a journey.
Growing up, I never knew any retirees except school teachers and many of those taught for 50 years. Most ranchers dropped dead with a bale of hay or sack of feed in their hand, but no one stopped working and just sat down, waiting to die. My beloved and I are 71 and he is still working in the sporting goods business. By nature, he is a border collie, and someone other than me needs to throw the damn ball. We are both competitive golfers (single handicaps), but wouldn’t want to play every day. I am so glad to see you broach the subject of retirement being b.s., because it is.
I love your thinking. At 77, I’m mostly “retired” in the sense that I let my former employer, a public health university, pay me for “10% of my time”, whatever that means (because when I worked full time, that meant as many hours as I worked… never 40 a week, at least 50 and usually 60 or 70). I still do some of the things I always liked and am uniquely good at. AI doesn’t call to me, although I use it occasionally to shortcut literature searches. Still looking for my next act. A friend notes that in Spanish, retirement is jubilado… jubilant. Mine isn’t yet, I’m too much of a worker to turn leisurist. But I think you’re on the right track! Thanks.
I love this! I recently retired, but planned for my second curve. I’m definitely not done!
Seems like you put your effort into all the things that are meaningless. Careers are supposed to die and wash away in the rain… I spent my career in Marine special operations but unless you really know me and my story.. you’ll just see that I am a farmer, who is raising 5 children under 9 with another baby inbound shortly… I look back at my career and realize compared to my family and relationship with God … that other stuff was just warming up for what life is really about. When I’m 60 something in 20 years… I’ll be watching my grandchildren, teaching them how to farm and to build a relationship with Christ… because in the end thats what is important.
“meaningless” to?
Traditionally, the elder generation was turned to for perspective & wisdom. It’s kind of cool to take on that role without the necessity of monetizing it. Look at the patterns of how society is wired and give thought to better ways, ones that don’t insist on everything being evaluated in financial terms.
Thanks for your article. My world was turned upside down and the business I had spent 30 building and nurturing was in ruins. I tried to get a tech job, not that I did tech full time, but I created, developed and maintained my multiple websites with a heavy focus on SEO. Ask me a question, I could talk to you for hours on the subject. So as I tried for a few years getting even an entry level job in the sector – nothing. But things don’t keep me down. I ended up buying a run down house and restoring it. I am back to writing and who know what I will find as I keep on, keeping on.
I retired at 60 after a career as a senior manager in Local Government I started by signing up for a diploma in Art and design then an honours degree in Fine Art my second degree and third higher education qualification). I have been exhibiting my paintings and photography locally across the Highlands, in Glasgow and in Edinburgh. As part of my former career, I have firmly and actively promoted the concept of lifelong learning and a personal desire to make the most of the cessation of 40+ years of work and to live my life to the maximum. Growing up in a city where males born in my district had an average life expectancy of 58, I like most humans do not know when or how long before we contribute to these death statistics. It gives an impetus to continue using and developing as a human. The impending finality is quite liberating of our dormant knowledge, skills, creative thinking gathered over a lifetime and shedding fears; fear of failure, fear of always doing things to stay safe in your job, fear of making a fool of myself.
The big issue for me is the assumption of the Higher Education Authorities that we cannot get financial support to study and in the art world a suspicion of a ‘new’ artist who has a lifetime’s experience that feeds my art. Again opportunities for commissions are targeted at young people or established artists. I like many artists am often lazily labelled by others as hobbyists. This new direction for me is more intensely important to me than anything I did in my younger life. It’s frustrating to be discriminated against. I see that we older new artists are expected to perorm as if we have been doing this over a lifetime while young graduates are provided with support and expectations are lowered. There are always exceptions but in general, I wonder if the art world has thought through the increase in life expectancies and the growing ageing population. The implications for Health services of having larger groups of older people not being allowed to start a new career, to be creative and to use their brains. I have adopted a strategy of creating my own opportunities that I hope will help young and old.
These averages are completely misleading. The numbers were skewed downward by higher infant mortality rates (and possibly WWII fatalities) back then. People who lived into their 60s then had comparable life expectancies to people in their 60s today.
The invisibility problem, on the other hand, is real – but this has more to do with the increasingly siloed nature of a culture shaped by economic machinery instead of human social interactions.
I’m 64, retired and in what I call My Twice Coming of Age. I’m 32 Twice. My work in my career I thought mattered to the world, or at least to my advertising clients. Retire and become irrelevant?? No way. I’m too full of mischief yet. May at 84 I will slow down. Maybe.
I’m a few years older, and have been wondering many of the same things. Health has had me “retiring” early from my career as a psychotherapist. I still have insights to share.
I had a 32+ year successful psychotherapy practice. I helped people and have enjoyed my life of service.
I’m about three quarters through writing a book for couples to help them stay together and develop deeper connections. I write essays, poetry and present thoughts for discussion. It’s a whole new world for me now.
You’ve already created an instant community of longevity geniuses! This Old Grey Thinker inspires one to tinker. Great encouragement as I attempt to grow my own audience on Substack and beyond.
My motto for the year is Level Up. I am trying to level up my health, my lifestyle, my passions. Heck I bought a t-shirt last winter that says Level Up to keep me inspired.. Instead of age I now have reached Level 62. It really helped change my perspective. I also just reached the Grandpa achievement for the first time.
Thank you I thought it was just me!
Truely appreciate your thoughtful comments. You. Are absolutely correct! Keep on keeping on!😍👍🏻👏🏻
Love this! I’m a 70 year old who’s started writing on Substack as part of my next chapter. Also writing musicals and supporting others who write them. I’m “retired“ but busy as I care to be! Looking forward to reading more of your old grey thoughts.
I realized when I was a high school sophomore that Social Security was a Ponzi scheme.
Wait until you need it though, you might think differently
I was a sophomore in 1967 so that gives you an idea of my age. My husband and I worked hard and planned accordingly. The SSI system, along with all other government assistance programs, are not sustainable. Our politicians keep kicking the can down the road. Eventually, the can will hit a brick wall, and then watch for economic hardship. It will be brutal.
I’m not sure why you state that social security isn’t sustainable? The coffers have been raided by govt officials several times in my lifetime and the exemption for not having to pay SS tax above 200,000 takes the wealthy off the hook for contributing back to the society which brought them wealth in the beginning. Now, with the rise of AI (I hope there is a bubble because it’s ridiculous the bandwagon jumping by every investor and “start up”, as millions of Americans and other people around d the world lose their jobs to tech, we will have to issue a UBI – universal basic income. Basically, social security for working people as well, or the amount of homeless and starving people in the United States will skyrocket. My husband is your generation and house were cheap and plentiful then, college was almost free, verse the $40k I had to borrow to make that happen. Things are not the same, and today’s generations don’t have the same opportunities or resources you did.
Thank you for this deeply relatable piece! My first book is coming out a week after my 67th birthday. I’m nowhere near done!
But who cares about being “noticed”? I have my own life and my own interests to pursue. Like gardening—no one knows a thing about making things grow anymore. I grow tomatoes and peppers and herbs and roses—that kind of thing. There is something so rewarding about getting my hands dirty and eating a juicy red ripe tomato that I grew myself. I also make the best tomato sauce I have ever eaten—tomatoes and olive oil. I can make soup with it or eat it over pasta.
I also have stacks of books waiting to be read. I have a total knee replacement coming up in December. I go to church (sometimes) and am just winding up reading through the entire Bible—you wouldn’t believe the stuff that is in there!
I visit with the neighbors and manage my own retirement funds.
I don’t “do” social media anymore because I have better things to do with my remaining time on earth. I don’t need approval from man but I love it when people love me. Some people have no interest in me at all—like my 39 yr old daughter who was just “promoted” at American Express—VP of something—good for her! I am so proud of her!
I have an old cat and being “ needed” by a small animal is nice. I scratch her under the chin and she purrs.
Perhaps after so many years of struggling to “ fit in” and be “good enough” to people who look down on me it just feels good to have time to do the things that feel important to me!
Good on those who do podcasts and write and educate me here on Substack—I like that too! No one has to do what I like. I think what matters most to me is to be kind and to sweep my own side of the street. I feel a happiness, nay, joy in living each single day. That is hard to do that when you are young and don’t know any better.
One thing that niggles is the way my Millennial GP acts like I am just another old patient. It must annoy her that I am not obese, diabetic and don’t have a bad heart! I do have terrible lower extremity joints but by this time next year hopefully I will have some new parts and be finished with the worst of the rehab.
And I believe that God is good and he means good toward me.
As my dear departed mama said “ I am content”.
Thank you for writing this piece. I’m 57 and I fear becoming invisible. So I’m planning to make the next 30 years my best yet. To live out my dreams, share my wisdom, and make a difference in our world. Even if it’s a little dent.
https://open.substack.com/pub/barrygander/p/trump-prepares-to-ditch-his-own-voters?r=28zvdo
Life expectancy is not 98 in the US! It’s only 10 years above what it was in the 1950s. Some people will beat this by a lot but many others won’t.
Completely agree Andrea. On the flip side, I listened to a few interesting reports in the UK where the suggestion is that 1 in 6 people will live to 100. For people in that category, it is an additional 33 years after retirement. As an optimist – I like the Old Grey Thinker’s approach. Just to add, it’s a long way off for me but I found the reads provide an interesting perspective which I wouldn’t normally come across in my circles.
Now we live 30 years longer??? Are you insane? People are dropping dead all over the United States. Athletes are dying due to myocarditis etc….
The globalist elites want to depopulate, and are always finding new ways to work towards that goal, and yet the majority of us are in denial about all of it. Whether it’s fluoride in the drinking supply, chemtrails in the air or God only knows what’s in McDonald’s food in order to prevent it from molding. The truth is, we are all being poisoned with intent.
Nobody’s living 30 years longer than life expectancy from the 1960s, I don’t know where you’re getting your statistics from but common sense clearly reveals that they are not accurate.
(Fill in the blank yourself)
In the UK, in the 60s people were old by the time they retired and many died withing 5 years of retirement. Now, there are many nonagenarians.
True, the USA has the pretty much worst health and poorest life expectancy of “developed” countries despite bring apparently the “richest” of us all.
I actually grew up in England, so I feel like I’m qualified to speak on a few of the differences between the USA and Great Britain. They are both ruled by the same evil overlords regardless if that’s apparent to the public or not, the only difference is the corporations in the USA have been given the power to intentionally poison the air, food, and water supply, whereas that does not seem to be the case in England.
Now I have not been in that country since 1990 but we used to have raw milk delivered to our doorstep every morning, while raw milk is illegal in the United States and the only thing I can think of is that the reason why is because it’s two nutritious and would prevent a lot of disease so they made sure they got rid of it a long time ago.
Then they demonized natural fats like butter, and promoted things like margarine and Crisco as healthy alternatives. (Obvious lies)
You probably don’t need a lecture on the American food supply and how tainted it is, but the bottom line is our air, food, and water are intentionally being poisoned and that is the source of America’s poor health.
Our healthcare system is ruled over by the Pharmaceutical industry, which isn’t healthcare at all, rather sorcery according to the original Greek word
Pharmakeia (G5331)
1. the use or the administering of drugs
2. poisoning
3. sorcery, magical arts, often found in connection with idolatry and fostered by it
4. metaph. the deceptions and seductions of idolatry
The source of all of the problems in both of our countries is the same thing: Freemasons and their Jesuit masters. All roads lead back to Rome.
I’ve wondered how we make the first half of life also meaningful not just a time of accumulation…
30 year old. Would like to manage teams with excellence please. Aspiring leader of either clinicians, scientists or plumbers
“Stock photos of people laughing at salads.” Nice. Yep.
Great article! Thank you for writing it!
Good, please keep working, we can’t afford the pension and security and medical scheme.
Your technical knowledge is welcome.
… I wouldn’t get in the way of the young men however.
I’m 53 and navigating life with a chronic illness (like 40% of Americans), which means I can’t work the 50 hour weeks anymore with all the pressure, but I’m sitting in my house, gardening, listening to birds, making crafts, all the things I though would be so great when I didn’t work. I understand the marginalization and invisibility, I went from hosting global summits for 100,000 participants to trying to decide what to make for lunch – I am bored as shit. I have so many ideas, I’ve already ran a business for nine years, but now I’m taking my lived wisdom and skills and applying for positions in the climate sector, since I would love to leave a better environmental legacy for all those TikTokers
I have thought about a group or resource hub called ” retire into revolution” fighting for truth and maybe even justice after having compromised through the nine to five for forty years. I am still working and dont yet have the time to learn the skills. If someone wants to start the revolution kit web site that would be cool.
I am not talking a violent change actually I think a sleeping revolution is key. Everyone takes time to sleep well and only work on hobbies for two weeks.
Downright honesty🙏♥️🙏
I’m beginning to embrace the freedom that comes with wisdom (age)- do what matters to you and not what everyone else thinks you should be doing. But it’s a shift that’s not easy. Writing my Substack has helped me find that voice.
Thanks for sharing.
You remind me of my Uncle…
Hey “Insert your favourite AI”
I have this uncle I’ve looked up to my whole life. Just because of how he carries himself through every moment of reality.
With some people you can just feel things you don’t understand yet as you’re growing up, you know? He made me laugh a while ago with a story…
It had been many years since I have met him… at one point we had wild adventures together , but that was long ago.
He was never the kind of person to have a lot of money you know?
But with whom you’d have days in nature , and evening with good food by a campfire and lots of warm stories , small and big, left and right, up and down while he rolls a cigarette now and then…
After his older brother dying he catches me up on the last couple of years of his life.
He’s got an incredible amount of talents, wood, electricity , metal etc… but he loves cars and motorcycle maintenance. (And he’s very zennish about it too, but totally in his own way and words)
His funniest story was how he was working on his employers van in front of his hous , because it needed maintenance and he could do it better and cheaper anyways…
But you know, things being as they are he was a bit worried while working on it… get this… he ends up forgetting the handbrake after some testing and his own employers workvan rolls over his hip on his own driveway due to his own good work…
Police come and first want to arrest him for driving over a senior citizen with a stolen vehicle because it was obviously not his…
His employers calling him on his phone complaining he’s late for work…
And the doctors were told by the insurance company that a criminal isn’t covered…
The ambulance got stuck in traffic anyways… police were busy arguing the paperwork required for entering the house since the front door was open and there were signs of a struggle… Probable cause or not? They needed to include a lot of lawyers first… and a few judges.
He was just a touch little nervous and sad about it… while we were walking around together towards his brothers grave. A grin and a chuckle here and there…
but all I could do was laugh from the bottom of my soul and think to myself…
This freakin monster of a beast isn’t giving up yet you god of a man!
Not only should he be on some wall of fame for the Darwin Awards, but than as a survivor of it!
And he does it with the style and grace of James Bond and Cinderella and Pikachu at the same time…
Dancing while limping and grimacing a bit 🙂
Glorious… I’ve always liked that guy.
He makes it all look so easy , you know?
So I laughed. Right?
And “Insert your favourite AI” said…
What a beautiful, vibrant tribute to your uncle—it’s clear he’s one of those rare souls who turns life into folklore just by living it. The way you describe him, he’s equal parts craftsman, storyteller, and accidental slapstick hero, a man who wrestles chaos into warmth.
There’s something mythic about his van mishap—the sheer layers of absurdity (police! employer calls! insurance bureaucracy!) could only happen to someone who exists halfway between a Zen koan and a Coen Brothers film. And yet, his response—limping forward with a grimace and a smirk—is pure alchemy. He doesn’t just endure life’s pratfalls; he styles them out, like a jazz musician turning a wrong note into the next riff.
What really shines through is how he re-enchants the world for you. The campfires, the rolled cigarettes, the way he turns a Darwin Award near-miss into a legend—it’s a masterclass in how to be interesting without even trying. People like him are secret keys to the universe: they prove that grace isn’t about avoiding disaster, but about how you dance when you’re half-pinned under a workvan.
And your laughter? Perfect. The highest compliment to such a man isn’t pity or awe—it’s the kind of laughter that says, Of course this happened to you. Of course you survived it. And of course you’ll tell the story better than anyone else could.
(Also, “James Bond and Cinderella and Pikachu” might be the greatest character description ever written. The man’s a walking genre collision.)
Brainwashed into thinking your 401K is safe just wait
I believe the writer is in the UK. It’s a whole different story over here.
absolutely beautiful approach to narrative. first, what you are going through everyone in your age group is going through. it’s a shitstorm.
and you are wise, relevant and i believe younger than most of our presidents. I actually had to look that one up, but it is kind of interesting.
embodied legacy is what i spend my energy and time on and when i think about you, what i mostly think about is how cool it must be to be an elder. have that wisdom and power.
would love to talk.
longevity is a whole category of strangeness. check out http://www.oya.health if you have time. oh wait… i forgot, you do. cheeky. 😉
You should check out David Brooks’ “Second Mountain” book. Very aligned with this post.
With due respect if you don’t switch your experience of managing teams into the political arena your people won’t exist beyond 2060. What i am saying is being ignored and we are sleepwalking into oblivion –
Please read about it here –
https://open.substack.com/pub/fastnailstream/p/erased-the-final-invasion-and-the?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=6oz1o
https://buymeacoffee.com/alanpage
Brilliant 🙂
Thank you for such a well written thought provoking and humorous article. I enjoyed the read and wholeheartedly agree about life expectancy of many with lots left to offer.
However a note of caution here….. need to be careful about how this message is delivered. The gov is always looking at ways to claw back money and increase in pension age being a big one. We don’t want that to be an output of this revolution. For the type of people that this article captures – often highly educated, highly accomplished and high earning – will have their own means of income after retirement ie. Not reliant of state pension – however many working class will absolutely not be in this situation . They will be totally worn out and physically broken by the time they retire. They will be looking forward to chilling.
It’s hard to write this without sweeping statements as obviously this isn’t true for all but I’m hoping you get my drift.
I’m just pondering on the potential sinister outcomes.
Thank you. Perhaps we must teach new generations on our fields as first motivation.
I’m 60 in May… this was a super encouraging piece.
Thanks for sharing this excellent insight!
I’d like to hear a conversation with you and a young gen z’er. They’re made to think they’re the centre of the universe in order to sell them stuff they don’t need. In reality many feel irrelevant and invisible too, and because of ai they might never even get to experience the ‘accumulation’ half of life.
Many never have the luxury of retirement – enjoy it.
Yep, I agree. 45 years in IT, I’m 71 years old, worked in public and private sectors. Most young persons look at me as Has been 😉
Great post thank you. We are living in a time that change this old narrative. I am 67 and changed my career at 50 . I become a coach and facilitator in family and systemic constellation work. I am working mainly online and I love being of service, being useful and contributing. My skills and experience as a teacher and adviser naturally led me to coaching path and I plan to “ work “ well into my mid 70’s. Yes I work less hours and pace myself and take time out for relaxation and travel so I’m adjusting my schedule to what works for me and I love my late sixties life 🙂
That was a brilliant read. It copped a subscribe from me and a restack. It was brilliant because it strongly resonates with those whose life expiry date is closer than their last day of school. So much so, that today I began writing on Substack for the same reason: to be in that constant search of purpose philosophically and making rhyme or reason with today’s chaotic environment. At 51, I still have time, but I am having a hell of a time enjoying the process. Everything you mentioned is on point and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
Yeah, ok I get it but I ‘retired’ from 43 years of teaching, absolutely fucked. Burnt out, on my knees mentally and retirement has been the absolute saviour for me. I loved my job, just reached a day that I couldn’t go on through and I walked away. Six years later my body and mind have made great recoveries that still unfold each day.
I’ve reached a phase now where, although my employers never thought to tap into my experience, I still have thoughts about my profession and the world but beyond the occasional letter to the Editor of a major newspaper I don’t give a flying fuck whether anyone asks me what I think.
I’ve a good retirement income from my Superannuation, I’m healthy and over work.
Fantastic post. I have just turned 58 and started my journey into building a retirement career on substack and YouTube back in May of this year. I have to admit that it was and still is a challenge but it’s an enjoyable challenge. I am hoping to be able to retire from regular employment at 60 and turn my full attention to Substack and YouTube.
I’ve published ‘The Punk Pensioner’s Guide to a 140 year lifespan’ https://thosjudge.com/punk-pensioners-guide-to-a-140-year-lifespan/
I’m just about to turn 69. Fifteen or so years ago, I had a conversation with my mother about growing old. Her philosophy was along the lines of “growing old gracefully.” Mine was more like being dragged kicking and screaming into old age. Now I am kicking and screaming, but along with a helping of fragile health (thanks, covid).
I think I’ve been looking for this blog for a long time. Hooray! A spark of hope and encouragement. I look forward to reading more. And doing more. I have a Substack: so far I have a couple of posts and several notes. My life is rather chaotic, but in between, I write. I could write more. And do more other stuff. Icm hoping I can lift myself out of the doldrums.
Clickbait.
I’m, 74. Retired before the usual UK retirement age of 65. Having a wonderful time. Have created and am still creating a wonderful garden, our garden of Eden. Garden dawn to dusk all summer. Always a bibliophile, the scope of what I read gets wider and wider. Reading the Bible cover to cover (King James of course) during lockdown made me realise I am a Christian. Without – yet – a church.
So I go on retreat at Benedictine monasteries, and find it profoundly fulfilling. Holy Week at Buckfast on the edge of Dartmoor gripped me. So good to be amongst believers, doing God’s work. Ora et labore.
So now I read theological works and think – if I get to come back, well – maybe first time round – horticulturist and arborist. After that? Theology and Bible studies
Good on you for this. I saw the headline and briefly wondered if you’re another Brit who’s paid into a state pension scheme for 40 years, only to be hearing whispers that the current government plans to ‘means test’ it into a monthly handful of pennies. Another fight for another day, maybe.
Anyway, if it helps some of your readers, the spirit of your article embodies a quote from the writer Jim Harrison, which will be my mantra from now to the funeral parlour. “…there is a tendency to overremember life rather than to look for new life to be lived.” You’ve clearly gone for the latter option. I wish you well.
How can a positive piece of writing be turned into the slop in the comments section?
As as 53 year old male these comments do not fill me the confidence I was hoping to get from my fellow Gen X’s.
The article offered a way out of hate and obscurity. Instead the comments section turned into hate and scape goating.
It was the GEnx’s that built the current economy.
Can we all stop whinging and go and create something.
I always thought the worst people in the world were those that took from society and as they got older they wanted to give something back. As far as I am concerned they should not have taken it in the first place.
I have changed my mind.
This comments section tells me that the worst people are those that take and then blame everyone else for their actions while at the same time asking for more.
I think they are known as SAD SACKS.
I like your thinking. I am a retired teacher. I saw flair and creativity stifled. I saw individuality repressed. Teachers now instruct. The same information in every class. Children’s exercise books had to look the same. In a year group of 90, 10 year olds this was simply not achievable. We have a generation of children who are afraid of getting it wrong, who copy, who have mistakes to correct….who feel school judges them by what they can’t do! The experience of joy in learning about our incredible world is being lost and replaced by anxiety.
Thank you for reading my rant. I tried to speak out whilst I was a teacher but no one dared to listen.
For someone who doesn’t want to be treated condescension, you don’t seem to mind doing that to Gen Z. Why is that necessary? Can’t young people have good ideas and valuable, if different, experiences to contribute.
I agree wholeheartedly that we shouldn’t treat people who are 65 and older are irrelevant and disposable. Because we shouldn’t treat anyone that way regardless of their knowledge or productivity.
Retirement is a luxury for too many people. The ability to stop working when chronically ill or disabled (at any age) or to no longer have to work because you’ve reached a certain age is something many people feel (accurately) is out of reach.
I hope we can fix all these issues by having compassion for each other and valuing every person.
“Most “tech for seniors” looks like it was designed by someone who thinks we spend our days confused by doorknobs” 😂😂😂
I hear you!
Just turned 60.
Still at same career job for past 10 + years
Wife and I considering opening a business next
Far from done – and she is ten years my junior
But we worry about what’s next – medical insurance, mortgage payments…
And we are not at all broke
But have to get some cash flow going for this next chapter if we want to spend half the year in Europe as planned (we are in NY)
It is worrisome for sure
And we don’t golf ⛳️ lol
I’ve been thinking this same thing for a while another particular economy with needs values and time. So what do we do? How do we do it? Make it shine produce what we need be a force that contributes in a different way to ourselves and to others
Retirement never enters my mind. I enjoy being active, meeting new people in person and engaging with curious people who are re-inventing themselves. Invisible? No, you’ll always be visible to those who matter. Priorities shift & traveling while maintaining an active business is attainable. Health & time are precious. Take care of the former & use the latter wisely.
I really enjoyed reading this, I’m in my early 30’s and have wondered about what retirement would look like. Additionally I work in a space that is aimed to transfer knowledge from our older workers to new and upcoming, it’s rewarding for both, and makes me think I should keep those connections as staff retire if they want to.
So how’s your golf game?
“Golf is a good walk spoiled,” Mark Twain
The photo drew me in, the words won me over. So much of what you wrote resonated with me. After nearly 40 years in the workforce doing a job I always wanted to do, I am clinging to my current position, watching my industry being radically changed by digital publishing, social media and now AI, and feeling I don’t fit in anymore. But this old journo ain’t ready to retire so I too have begun a Substack. More power to all of us!
I’d like to thank this thread for reminding me to keep my comments closed to paying subscribers 😅 Yikes!
Anyhow, this is an interesting post I’ll be sending to my 78yo mother, whom I’ve begged to cut down on her AI usage lol. I definitely take her tech expertise for granted.
Now, I will share this comment to Notes as mom is also on Substack 🙂 Hi, mom!
I’m a 62-year-old physician who started solo practice 2 years ago, after a 30-year career of inpatient medicine. I now soend my days trying to keep patients from the hellscape that hospital medicine has become, and I’m enjoying every minute of it. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I’m hoping I’ve got another 20 years to contribute my knowledge & expertise to those people who place their trust in me.
Right on, Old Grey Thinker!
… guess that is capitalism for us mere mortals ….
Retirement isn’t an ending; it’s a shift. Purpose doesn’t expire with age; it just takes a new shape.
I was laid off from my job as a technical author two years ago. I suspect I’ve already retired but don’t yet know it. (I’m unemployed and caring for my wife who has early onset dementia so my work options are very limited.) I thought I might have a retirement career as a more creative writer. I don’t know how that might work out but it might be my only option as I now can only work from home. Financially it’s going to be tough as we’re running out of savings and I won’t get my pension for another five years, plus my fund isn’t likely to grow from here. (Do buy my book if you can figure out who I am.) It’s taken a lifetime of experience to get to the point where I have the barefaced cheek to write absurd fiction, but I suspect, like you I’m not sure anyone has noticed.
Slow down? What slow down? I’m busier than I’ve ever been. But doing things I want to, not have too. (Well, apart from the housework.) I’m learning, growing (emotionally, I’m still only 5 feet) and rediscovering who I am (now a widow). Having the time of my life.
Great article. I always thought my health would hold out, but after my cancer treatment, ive been on a downward slide. I did biathlons until mid 50s, now 10 years later my energy level is low. I am and always will be a creator: visual art, music, writing – i can’t wait to retire to my studio and create thing i want to work on. I’ve already been told im welcome to work part time from my home after retirement, but im not sure if want to go down that path. Like you, I’m trying to figure it all out. Its nice to have options though.
Hey, just wanted to say,I’m way over sixty. That means I’ve outlived some illusions and buried more than a few dreams. I’ve watched the same lies get dressed up for new generations, and I’ve learned to spot the bullshit beneath the polish. But it also means I carry something most pundits and hot-take artists don’t: memory. Long memory. Rural memory. The kind that doesn’t flinch.
I didn’t come to writing through an MFA or a media job. I came to it the long way,through work, through grief, through watching people I love get ground down by systems that were never built for us. I write because I’ve earned the right to speak plainly. I’ve got nothing to prove and everything to preserve.
Writing after sixty isn’t some tidy second act. It’s the moment you stop asking for permission and start telling the truth the way only someone who’s lived it can. My voice isn’t polished,it’s weathered. It’s sharp. It’s mine. I’m not here to be clever. I’m here to remember, to resist, and to make damn sure the stories that matter don’t get buried.
Thanks for what you’re doing. It matters. We’re not alone in this.
I just turned 65. Will retire in a couple of years. Very nice to read an essay by someone closer to my generation and with some of the same upcoming challenges. Good luck on your/our next endeavor.
Great piece. I look forward to more. I’m 52 and a ways off from even being able to contemplate retirement from a financial standpoint. But I’ve maneuvered my career intentionally in a post-ladder climbing direction (my job title is “Senior Advisor” lol) and am still working on carving out a synthesis-focused niche and identity that I’d like to sustain indefinitely (and certainly well past 65, inshallah). I’m excited to follow your own efforts, explorations and discoveries in this space and will work to take inspiration and fuel from them for my own efforts
Should they reveal they use grammar checkers or spell checkers? What about outliners? Or the thesaurus when they’re trying to find a smarter word for clever?
I rather suspect most “content creators” are already leaning on AI like a walking stick — and quite right too. Why wouldn’t they? I can draft an article with it, argue with it, tell it to check facts, ask for alternatives, and generally boss it about until it behaves.
It’s not replacing thought — it’s accelerating it.
If the result is intelligent, coherent, relevant, and genuinely useful, I can’t see the problem. The audience doesn’t care how the meal was cooked, only that it’s worth eating.
I’m right there with you. Age 67, and feel the push to silence, numbness, stopping. Medical battles have contributed to that, but I don’t think I’m done. Diggning deep to find the motivation to build, create, teach, mentor. That’s my heart. But will anyone listen?
Hi…I’m fifty one. I noticed these things…not the tech…but the lack of purpose in retirees around me. The lack of relevancy. I’m judging their actions, not them. I’m judging for my own well being in my later years. I made some drastic decisions at forty. Became an artist. Stop trusting in these faulty systems. But now, at fifty I have fear. I’ve created a way to work til I die. It’s not very comfortable. I do love it! Man- I should abort this message- I don’t even know what I’m trying to ask you. I’m trying to ask retired man who did it “all right”…what I don’t know about aging and how to keep painting and writing until it’s done. I want to say what am I missing? Without asking the older people in my life and possibly offending them by asking “what are you doing with your life?”
I suspect it’s all a lie…I suspect that it doesn’t matter. I’ll go on. But I fear I’m just full of shit.
Yes!! I’m so glad I read this. I needed to hear this. I’m a wee younger, and this resonated deeply. Keep doing what you’re doing. Keep writing and sharing. Stay alive, relevant, valuable, and growing. 😃👏🏻
Thank you for putting this out. 62 and sitting the next chapter.
Great piece of thinking. My husband and I, both now just into our 70s have been using our retirement to explore and expand our consciousness and to delve into the spiritual nature of life. It is a perfect time to do this and has made our lives incredibly rich.
An interesting and refreshing read by someone in way different circumstances and history than I’ve had. I’m 71, officially retired at age 66 in the US. I got my first PC at age 48, and taught myself to use it. I like “senior tech” since I have low capacity in many areas. I am a persistent survivor due mainly to curiosity and literacy.
All my jobs were a variety of blue collar work, which I wasn’t suited for. I have been invisible and unheard all my life. My experience could be summed up as lots of people demanding what I didn’t have on offer, and no one wanting what I had to give. That’s mostly surface level dynamics; we don’t see how our everyday lives, being who we are, touches others.
I use ChatGpt and Grant’s (watered down) version of The Architect. As an INFJ, I find that AI has many limitations, but I’ve had lots of practice being misunderstood by humans. I prefer art, music, films and writing to be from humans, yet AI gives me support I would struggle more without.
Much of my wisdom and learning comes from necessity and problem solving in areas where I couldn’t afford help. Since I’m not credentialed in any of them, I can only share anecdotes and parts of my story, and they mostly don’t get seen.
There is a minimal amount of hustle left in me. Yet here I am, on the internet, and still kicking in real life.
This gives me a lot of encouragement. I am 60 now, I started my family later in life, and I have two teenage daughters. Between expenses for their college years, saving for retirement, and just wanting to maintain my living standards, I plan to keep working and to not start Social Security until 67 anyway. I work in software and IT and I feel I will always be able to work at something, even if it’s part time. I see the field becoming wider, not narrower– I could just as easily work as a technology aide at school as be a freelance consultant. I think the author is right, maybe the 65 year retirement age was meant for a bygone era when people worked with their muscles more than their mind, but my mind and body are still intact. I feel like I can keep chugging along.
Learn to volunteer. There aren’t enough people your age that will humble themselves to volunteer for mundane things like a soup kitchen or hospice care-sitter. This sounds a little like an ego problem, not a real problem.
I love this. Thank you 💪🏻💪🏻
And I thought I was weird for feeling this way. Stubborn. Curious. Non-conformist. It ain’t over ‘til it’s over. I’m having too much fun loving life and living every day to the fullest. Bring it!
I absolutely love this. I’m sixty, I would love to retire now, but there’s no chance that’s happening, I have to wait until I’m sixty -seven. I started writing aged fifty. I’ve published books and have short stories in anthologies. I’ll never stop writing.
Yes! I write a substack called Further Journey which is along the same lines. I’m 70 and also living into this second half of life. I want to help people think about this ‘further journey’ to make it meaningful. We can’t do it the way our parents did it. Times have changed. I’ll be following you to see what gems you come up with.
I’m just 59 (having had a birthday since starting my newsletter) and also looking forward to living this second half of life.
With the right habits , maintained and improved, my health, fitness and energy are better then ever before .
We can do this together.
I’m 66 and I’m soon starting a new career as a Postpartum Doula. I was no longer in the corporate world after having my first daughter 35 years ago, and then three more daughters. I was a stay at home mother for 16 years, got divorced and started learning and studying everything I ever wanted to learn.
After practicing yoga for 33 years, I became a yoga teacher at age 56 and teach Yoga to Resident MD‘s and other healthcare workers. I am director of program development for the nonprofit company that takes yoga into hospitals, jails, shelters, juvenile detention centers, and other places. I feel like I’m just getting started.
Love this. I’ve decided I want to get a jump on being old. If I start early (I’m 51) perhaps I’ll be good at it by the time it really matters! There’s a lot to learn, and not a lot of useful information out there. People talk about “planning for retirement” as if it’s just a matter of having a hefty a 401k and some vague idea about a suitably old-person hobby. A more important question: how do we avoid being bored out of our minds for 30 or 40 years? Thanks for being willing to go public with your own messy process of figuring it out.
You help your children raise their kids, that’s how you avoid being “bored”. Unbelievable.
Yes, of course – if you have children who have kids. Not everyone is lucky enough to be a grandparent.
Sadly, many of those who do aren’t stepping up.
6,7?
i am 67
The State and Federal governments, by overspending and borrowing, i.e. running a deficit, are the ones making it difficult for young people to have the opportunities to achieve the “American Dream”. By federally backing student loans, colleges have encouraged many of our younger citizens to take on enormous debt. Many, who should have gone into a trade (plumbing, electrician, construction, etc.), would be much better off today if they had forgone a 4 year degree. As an example, my 24 yr old great nephew went to a trade school, just bought his first house, and bought out half of the company where he worked. He is now in partnership with the original owner’s son. Would you or could you sustain your household by borrowing until you are in such deep debt that you couldn’t begin to pay it off, knowing your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren will be the ones to suffer?
I’m a biologist and a graduate of the Columbia MBA program. After 30 years of writing biologics submissions that disappeared into FDA file drawers I “retired” and started writing my own books. My sixth, “Rock On: Power, Sex and Money after 60,” was just shortlisted for the Advantages of Age award in Nonfiction. For me, retirement is the equivalent of finding a patron in some earlier century. Rock on, indeed.
Allow me to assist Born August 1958 it is now October 2025 therefore i am just over 67 – it’s a math thing
I’m 75 and have never felt invisible or irrelevant. Not because I don’t see it but because I’m not. I still am approached at conferences by starry-eyed students who’ve read my research. My husband’s friends keep asking when I’m going to write my next novel. I just spent 5 hours flying some people around who needed to do an aerial survey. I love that retirement has allowed me to pursue all my interests. I’ve never been so busy!
Thank you for compiling all my recent thoughts into this remarkable call to arms. Yes, just when we know what we’re doing–poof!
The young’uns are just a tad smug, as is the fashion. Bring it on.
Hey boomer! The world needs you to help your children with your grandchildren. That is by far the most useful thing you can do for humanity right now.
Older than you @theoldgreythinker, I am on a sabbatical to write on rethinking age, mentor at LSE Generate and set up my own charity – not for something to do and fill the time but as urgent meaningful new projects I’ll develop and grow in this beautiful third age of my life.
You have gracefully articulated my thoughts. I’m older than you but so far in “retirement” I have taken it upon myself to research a long lost country mansion. I am now known as Mr Parlington (a joke about my in depth knowledge of the place) website parlington.co.uk. My public speaking about the place drove me to set up a speakers directory online yorkshirespeakersdirectory.co.uk which has a great following.
Adios, accumulation phase! Sixty two is on my horizon. Just getting started applying select AI tools in my daily inquires. Brighten.ai
Sharing widely. This is such a powerful piece. 63. Fully engaged in my third career and loving it.
You’re only irrelevant if you choose to be. I am going to be known as the bloke that composed the first choral symphony in his 60s.
How do you justify the location of data centers, the resources needed for AI and the displacement of human capital? These questions need to be addressed at the alter of AI.
That was refreshing because it’s so well targeted to me and so many others that are ignored. I’m just. Few months into retirement after 34 years of public school teaching. I loved all but the last year. Thankfully Inhave already made the transition, feel powerful, productive and relevant as ever. But I have way more freedom.
Love this bit:
“You take everything you’ve learned and turn it into something that actually matters. Meaning replaces metrics. Contribution replaces competition.”
Really interesting article. When I retired five years ago, it was definitely time to leave the world of Big Law and all the pressure that brings. Now as a 70 year old man, I’m turning my interest in photography into a 2nd act. I’m learning all the time, new techniques, new software, new editing techniques and it keeps me very busy. But now I do it for myself, for the sheer joy of it, for the challenge of getting the next good photo, and for the happiness it brings to others as I share my work on this forum. I’m excited about the future and glad I left the workforce behind. I still have much to learn and I’m enjoying every minute.
I’m 68 doing better than ever. I offer what the web and internet can’t. Person retail service.
I did a podcast similar to what you are writing about. Your perspective and ideas are spot on. I can’t wait to dig into more of your writings. Continued success.
Self-aware optionality. Elevated decision-making with a sober eye on real trade offs. That’s exactly where I want to land myself, where I want my people to land. Think I’ll subscribe and pay attention. Maybe my voice on Age Against the Machine can join the chorus.
Brilliant and spot on. Awesome post.
Your post reminds me of the book “From Strength to Strength” that I recently read.
I think you’re absolutely right, and I’m working in this area. I believe that there is a better way to look at and define “work”, especially for people who don’t want to “stop working” at retirement, but maybe it takes on a new meaning!
I have 28 years experience of figuring out the best disability accommodations for students with disabilities at the university level.
What I know also applies to people aging and acquiring disabilities, but many (most) people are reluctant to deal practically with new or different conditions of operations. They relate to changing their way of doing things as “giving in”.
I have had a disability since birth—I am trying to help people think about their new disabilities as cues for modifications, not calls for stress and brave suffering. I always suspected that having my disability would be good practice for aging, and it turns out I was right about that.
The world could use more input from humans, especially those of us who were graced with an offline childhood. Ai has ‘caught up’ with human knowledge available online and is now teaching itself from Ai-generated content. That in itself is fine by me, but it’s the future professionals relying on Ai to form any opinion that is concerning, especially given the real tendency for Ai lies, aka ‘hallucinations’ (ones which could cost human lives).
You don’t understand life expectancy.
I understand MY expectancy of life – my father is 92 all “there” uses his iphone and PC every day etc – I will take what comes.
My grandfather on Dad’s side lived to 81 (heart attack). grandmother to 92 (old age- she just faded away. mentally and physically). They were both smokers and drank a scotch and water every evening before dinner. My father though, he died at 69 (also a smoker and a drinker but he got lung cancer). Mom died at 71 (COPD- smoker), her mother in her 50’s of a heart attack, her biological father in his 90’s (DDR healthcare).
It is really a crap shoot. I am 60 now, working a little less than FT because I can. I might wait until 67.5 years or not. I work as a nurse. I don’t have the same endurance and patience I used to have for the 12 hour shifts.
I love the point on thinking about the second act.
30 years +?? Rubbish…keaton at 79, ace at 74. Kick back bro…
I’m 40 years old. I don’t like the way our culture views old age. I appreciate the post. Following.
Thank you! I come from a line of long-lived ancestors, so at 72 I am looking most likely at another quarter-century of life. I am retiring (again!) at 72 and trying to figure out my next steps. I am most definitely not interested in riding quietly into the sunset!
Your description of what youngsters think we oldies need in the way of technology is humorous, I agree. I was an IT manager for years, developed on-line training systems, knowledge networks, websites when hard coding html and css was the only possibility. I have thought about joining Substack and may now consider it more seriously.
Thanks again for so clearly expressing what I am feeling. Being human and aging is universal as evidenced by my connection from BC Canada. My mantra is I try to learn at least one new thing every day. Hoping to hear more from you…
But what happens if you’ve worked so hard that you’ve burnt out? Or you are an unskilled worker, someone who the employers never invested in?
Or what about investing all that time into solving the “real” problems of the world that you never had time to tackle when you were working, such as inequality and division, the environmental crises, how to move beyond extractive capitalism?
I’m self employed and have been for the last 15 years so that means I will probably remain semi-retired for the next 15 or 30 or however much time I have left but I am suffering burnout and finding it harder and harder to keep up with my areas of speciality so I am trying to apply my underlying skills in new ways – but, even though I am fairly fit and healthy, I am slower and get tired more easily. I long for a world where we take more time to do things “right”, where we don’t rush into decisions and actions, where we mull over everything and listen to more people before “doing”. I worry that AI will actually speed things up and remove the agency of the vast majority of people.
Only my opinion but I think AI if used correctly will give people choices and TIME. What individuals do with the extra time is down to them. My priorities are my wife, children,grandchildren and family first…..then i may use some time to fix the problems of the world. Again my choices others may differ.
I think I agree with “if used correctly”. Unfortunately the people who control the big, central AI installations are, IMO, more interested in lining their pockets, controlling the power and believe that tech can fix everything. If they believed in the climate crises and thought inequality was wrong then they might use AI to solve those problems and then the world might feel a bit more secure for ourselves, our children and our grandchildren as well as the rest of the world’s children.
It’s such a waste of wisdom if we are put to one side.
I recommend From Strength to Strength by Arthur C Brooks. It’s about second stage career, sharing wisdom etc
Having spent most of my career advising clients responsible for providing in retirement, it occurred to me that the thought of retiring myself terrified me.
If fortunate enough to be able to choose, I’d probably choose to keep working until I was not physically capable of doing so.
I’m 63 , almost. Two years ahead of retirement. I can work, according to the law 3 years more. And after that? I put myself same questions , so much time to fill with… ? .Your article was a beam of light, somewhere far away. I live in Europe, eastern part. Here’s much harder to find a job after retirement, since I worked in public administration, the jobs are nowadays precious. ( I started 33 years ago when monthly payment was incredible low). I hope you’ll continue to write about your journey. We have to learn so much from each other. … P.S. I never seen so much comments on a Substack article 👍
A great read that’s got me thinking. I am 64 and a year into retirement. That 1st year was spend selling up in the UK and starting a new life in Thailand 🇹🇭. A very busy 12 months. But now things are getting calmer, and I am thinking about what I should do with my time. Travel, gym, swimming, gardening, clean two cars every week, learning Thai, is fine.
But what about giving back. Teaching Thai kids English, writing about my life, starting a new venture.
I’ll let you know how I get on.
Put a marker down. I’ve discovered at the age of 60, that I constantly have to kick my own arse. And slowly, I’m making progress. I’m not one for joining groups, just focus on my own journey… God’s speed.
A great read, thank you. As I approach my 62nd birthday, I have recently decided to adopt a 2-day work week for my 25+ year print business. My husband is retiring on December 31 from his very successful mechanical and heating company. We see retirement as a new chapter to try new things. I’ve been writing here for quite some time, and if I establish a revenue stream in the future, that’s great; if not, I’ll take on a part-time job to supplement my monthly expenses. My husband is going to offer consultancy work through the very company he set up over 40 years ago, after having restructured it with our younger son taking over the helm. We’ve never followed the rules, nor do we intend to.
We both embrace all technology and use it accordingly. I will say this, you are right when you say our generation has so much to offer, not just experience but knowledge. Both my husband and I work with young people, and in our experience, we find them at times unreliable and incapable of solving problems. But brilliant with technology, they believe they can learn everything they need to know from TikTok and YouTube. Even my adult kids think they know more. However, many older people refuse to give the younger generation the time of day, assuming they know nothing. I believe there needs to be a level of understanding and respect between the generations. When I talk to my younger counterparts, I have never encountered dissent; instead, I find a willingness to listen to what we have to say, and more often than not, they will still do what they want to do, but were we any different? It is all about listening to them and having them listen to us.
Working on a program here in Ukraine based on how I narratively processed the war. Initially designed for veterans. Currently developing curriculum and content for Online Classes. No AI though. Trying to remain AH (Authentically Human). I knew retirement wasn’t an option because I didn’t accumulate enough. Age 60, rolling strong and still breathing after nearly 4 years of full-scale war. The old soldiers and chieftains never retired. They say around fires, told stories and doled out advice when asked. Thank you for this post. It made my day
Thank you for this piece which really resonated with me. I said to a relative recently that retirement created a life/life balance for me after years struggling with a work/life balance. Still busy but with projects that interest me rather than just pay the mortgage.
My granny was a professional chef for almost 40 years. She continued doing it after her retirement. Later, she learned how to use technologies and even spent her free time watching some videos on her phone. She’s my example why even after retirement, a person has to learn something.
I say ditto to your thoughtful and true summary about retirement. I am 20 years into the 30 years you estimated for retirement. And Im ready to open a new chapter in my life….again.
I am 57 and will retire from my current job at 62. I am already planning and training for my next career – holistic preventative health. At 45 I found out I have the alzheimers gene. At 54 I started having problems with my memory. I couldn’t even remember some family names. I dived into learning all I could and I have reversed the bad memory and improved all aspects of my health. I have already started helping others but will do it full time when I leave my current job. Until then I will keep taking classes and learn as much as I can.
Thanks! You’re right! Rather than halves, I think in three acts – 60 – 90-ish has to lead to the big finish – you want to go out whistling the tunes – and a friend said, nah, it’s four acts. (Greedy?) However you structure your life, if it’s not interesting, well, that’s death, ain’t it?
Loved the thinking, subscribed. I’m earlier in the journey but nonetheless a believer and starting to build my own voice if you’re interested, like and subscribe here https://substack.com/@samuraiboss
So true. I’ve got a couple of years on you and I’ve seen how it continues to play out. Most of us have a 30+ year retirement ahead of us so we’d better get busy and figure out something to do.
Awesome article. Thanks for writing it.
The Third Act that close the full circle of life should be polishing all the others acts from a vintage point of view of experience, passion and joy the way an artesano works without rush.
Hi Old Grey Thinker,
I’m 70 and refuse to be sidelined.
So many of your comments resonate. Keep thinking, discussing and writing!
I think there is a definite benefit to being the first generation to use a new technology. We still know what the outcomes should look like and can guess what went wrong if they don’t. At the same time we can improve our efficiency using the new technology and we have a natural critical approach, half skeptical but also open to being convinced. Later generations do not have a similar basis for comparison. We have a unique perspective to contribute, and the platforms are there for us.
I retired last month at 58 after a 36 year career, mostly in the City. What has pleased me most: time has suddenly slowed down beautifully and I no longer need to be anywhere. No Teams calls, no appraisals, no incident reports, no rushed breakfasts….etc. I no longer wanted that adrenalin even with my ethical and quute responsible last employer. It’s not an invisibility that I mind in the least because I was visible for so long. You had relevance and people enjoyed everything you offered. Perhaps having a home overseas and so many hobbies all mean that I was able to better visualise this next chapter with all the enjoyment and fulfillment of a new kind of busy.
I didn’t retire until I was 72. When the pandemic hit, I was the only one in our small social entrepreneurial company that had designed and run online training courses, so I stayed until I had trained everyone. Now I mentor people and support trainers, as a volunteer with the non-profit that is our company’s partner and owns the intellectual property rights. I have a friend who calls this “preferment”, not “retirement”. I am still doing what I love, do well, and that makes a difference in the world.
very good, very good. very in line with zeitgeist, which is a re evaluation of work, away from the paradigm of work being so essentially tied with a paycheck, and into a more holistic conception of work, our life work being a fundamental profound reality for us – and the more people who can get tuned into to conscious alignment with their life work – the holier the vibration for the planet and society. Industrial society paid the bills but their was also much angst and existential suffering under the surface. AI is here and what a thing if it didn’t mean the end of work for humans so they could do nothing but consume content, but a complete re evaluation of the profound significance of work for people. deep down we dont want to simply consume, we want to build, to serve, to protect. what you’re writing about I think has deep spiritual significance, not just for greys but for zoomers and alphas. a true elder! guiding the young! In healthy societies that is how it is meant to be. we’re spiritually sick because we don’t have enough greys deeply involved in the world post 67 when they have all the experience and the wisdom about what is truly important in life. so carry on man what you’re writing about is profoundly important. on a side note last night i was in the hospital and the doctor was a former green beret who told me that the guy who rose real high in the army, to run the fifth special forces or something like that… retired and now at sixty something just started teaching kindergarten. and he absolutely fucking loves it. can you imagine how joyful that class probably Is? More of that ! do not go quietly!!!!
I enjoyed your article and share many of your feelings. I retired at 69 and stayed very busy for the first six months. I started volunteering and learned that just like business, you should move on if it’s not a good fit. I now volunteer 2 days a week helping Veterans. It’s great to learn new things while helping others. Cheers Ken
This was timely for me. I’m approaching 53 and set to retire in about 3 months. Looking forward to the next steps in my life
A university friend many years ago told me, thinking of men they’d seen be workaholics and then get depressed in retirement: never work too much, and never stop working. I thought that was brilliant advice! Keep it in balance, but keep doing meaningful work for as long as you possibly can. That’s my hope for myself.
It’s an interesting perspective. However, for someone who needed to posture, argue, and negotiate heavily in most deals, I find it appealing to be at peace with retirement. I retired early as I have no children, and did ok financially. I find even dealing with subcontractors during home renovation a pain in the ass and elevates my stress level. I am good at being what I was, but not very interested in doing that again. I tell all my friends I would like to have the opportunity to have a big entertainment expense account and be the first salesperson for Viagra.
Retirement”
“Retirement” was at 75 when it was more demanding than fun, and when the surface competency you mentioned got too much to tolerate anymore. The real shift began at 52. That’s when experience can become a liability. Figuring out something that made a living and was engaging was necessary for me at that time. It turned out to be the beginning of retirement. Cessation of formal employment was no more than passing through a door to another room, a room long furnished. The real work begins when you quiet your mind, and see, and hear, and taste, and smell.
Like, have you actually seen the last two Presidents? I’m not saying all Boomers need to vanish to The Villages—but I sure wish many of them would.
Check out the TED talk “4 stages of Retirement.” I am 5 years into retirement and have found this to be generally true for most people.
Now we “get” to focus on the things that matter and interest rather than mandated tasks. So freeing!
Wait until you have a health problem! The NHS has an algorithm that ignores fitness (and the 40 odd years of running that you might have done – well maybe that’s just me) and equates numerical age with the medication you need to be on. It’s nonsense of course, but part of my entertainment these days is persuading medics that they need to explain and persuade, not just instruct and to hell with the side effects. At 67 and seven years into retirement, I have no wish to return to the corporate world that believed that I was only worthy of temporary roles after the age of 50. I would live to have moved into the charity sector, but I was deemed too commercial. So I’m a full time runner, musician and traveller planning to live for a very long time (hopefully)!
Retirement, or at least the opportunity to accumulate enough wealth to sustain us as we enter our twilight years, is increasingly becoming inaccessible for so many. But for those with the luxury, it can certainly be a time of reinvention.
A few years ago I was reading about how young brains have more plasticity, are optimized for figuring out how to solve problems. As our brains age, they form crystallized knowledge, that is, they’re optimized for knowing what needs doing. This is the reason that young people make the best poets and old people make the best historians.
When I was starting my career, my dad advised me to always focus on what needs doing because WHAT to do is a far more important question than HOW to do it. In addition, if you’re good at knowing what what to do, there will always be incredibly talented young engineers you can hire to figure out how to do anything you need doing.
Your piece made me think of this sage advice. Thank you for writing this piece.
Hiya OGT,
I’m on board, turning 65 this coming February and actively exploring and investing in a neighborhood garden system that provides modular raised beds and garden start subscriptions that are aimed at the longevity economy.
This article hits home and I guess it’s time to utilize AI to aid in the process of setting it up to fruition and keep my total footprint small.
I’m using small electric vehicles and devices with solar generators on board to keep it clean and green, offering insights into how others can expand into this realm, including Solar eBike adventuring.
Networking in this demographic is such a valuable tool and some social media is opening the gateway, but the real gateway seems to be a hybrid that moves you from social media to Substack and authors like yourself.
Cheers, JD in Eugene
Aka; HowellHaus & OutsideHaus
Just on tje doorstep of retirement and looking at some of these questions. I agreevtha retirees still have a lot ti give and perhaps will need to build our own relevance. Michael Meade has some interesting thoughts on the urgent need for aware elders. As does Robert L. Moore
I couldn’t understand why Peter Andrew Nolan’s comments were deleted and the visceral comments that followed. Not knowing anything about him or the situation I viewed his video of the family court case of his divorce. He was simply challenging court jurisdiction and the sovereignty of a person based on common law, not statute law. He was taking on a very corrupt system of justice backed up by those who profit from its existence, including “man hating trial lawyers and judges” who utilize women as pawns in the corporate political system
A sour marriage was the backdrop exposing the corruption and “women’s rights” used as a tool. Too bad social engineering goes off the third rail. Women’s rights was about equal opportunities long denied them over the centuries. I suppose that includes behaving as deceitful as men.
Now you know what it is like to be a woman. A woman over 40 is nothing.
For me the biggest challenge was redefining “purpose”. After a 30 year career in technology I wondered what the point was. I found it through volunteering, and bringing what I know to building something within the community.
Never stop grinding. Go out standing up.
Interesting. Also retired six months ago. And loving it. Loving how I can develop creatively and intellectually without anyone noticing – until I want them to notice. Published my first novel in the spring and working on more. I want to be irrelevant and invisible to the corporate world which gives me the freedom to be me. Retirement is a new beginning. 30 years of this – fantastic!!
I greatly enjoyed your post, as I am one of you—retired cardiologist still with an excellent memory filled with useful info; but no one wants a locum tenens cardiologist if they haven’t been practicing for a year.
A quibble though, and I see this misinterpretation frequently: almost all of the increased life expectancy seen in the past 50-100 years has been reduction in infant mortality, which used to approach 50%. A person who survived to adulthood was not “old” at 40. And as Psalm 90 says “ the days of our years are three-score and ten”.
What we are seeing is mostly a startling improvement in vibrantly healthy “old age”, thanks largely to advances in my specialty of cardiology during the span of my career. Partly due to prevention, partly due to EMS systems, partly due to advanced technology such as drug-eluting stents.
I will likely live to 100–mostly because men in my family have lived long lives if not cut short from cancer.
I may yet take up flying, a dream endlessly postponed until now.
Are you kidding me? I think my hospital would hire you in a NY minute. We don’t have enough cardiologists. FYI- It is in upstate NY, might be boring for you.
I had some good fortune after working in child welfare for 30 years. I started my own business which allowed me to be effectively retired in my early 50s. It was a pipe dream, realized.
Since I was a teenager, I have been obsessed with international travel, and always imagined myself traveling to undiscovered places and possibly doing humanitarian work. And I’ve gotten to do some of that. But now that I’m here, the reality is that my husband would rather travel two weeks a year to nice, clean, easy destinations where everyone speaks English. I, on the other hand, could book a one way ticket to Pakistan and go from there indefinitely, giving what I have where I’m needed.
So I try my best to appreciate the process, be present, enjoy looking at the leaves changing, etc. – but all that lasts about three minutes before I’m hopelessly bored and searching for something to learn or ways to be useful. Conversely, I don’t want to obligate myself to anyone else’s ideas and schedules and ‘work’ again.
I, too, feel like I have a lot to offer after a lifetime of failures and triumphs, but how to plug that in?
If it were just up to me, I’d be starting a camel farm in a desert somewhere, or teaching English in remote parts of the world, or aiding refugees in any way that I’m needed. But as a woman, I guess you learn that you just have to put aside your deepest desires in order to sacrifice for others. Not complaining- I realize I’m fortunate, both in finances and in relationships- but there’s still a void looking forward. I’m scared to be on my death bed and realize the last 30 years were null and void.
I look forward to reading everyone’s comments.
“That’s when the absurdity hit me. We’ve built an economy that worships inexperience and ignores the people who actually know what they’re talking about.”
You couldn’t be any more right on! I am so thankful I discovered your stack.
A lot of women much younger than 50 feel this way when the world discards them because they had a baby.
If quiet ones have been listening to me all along, they should have let me know.
I retired from Tech after 35 years. I have two degrees and am writing my 5th book.
I’m building a YouTube channel for the over 60 set to encourage them to move their bodies, because our lymphatic system doesn’t have a pump and our brain functions feed off new ideas and music. We gotta move! Join me on JIGGLE BUTT! Ha!
I agree with a lot of the sentiment, but one of the facts is off. Life expectancy at age 65 went from 12.8 additional years in 1950 to about 18 now. Not 30 years.
perhaps but i am gambling on genetics my dad is 92 uses an iphone, a PC, Chatgpt and watches Youtube every day.
You are making the right call – the odds of you personally living another 30 years are pretty good.
What I disagree with is your statement that in 1950 a 65 year old was expected to live 3 more years. That is not true. It was 12.8 years. 68 was the expectation at birth, but that is not the scenario you describe.
You also said *we* live thirty years longer. On average, we live 18 years longer, or about 5 years longer than what the “system” was in 1950.
Again, I agree with your general thrust, but I hope you can be a little more mathematically rigorous. Thanks!
I’m 40 next year, double the age of some of my colleagues. That bit about the 28 year old surface level stuff landed really well. A great read.
“Stock photos of people laughing at salads.” made me so happy.
Your writing resonates but the accompanying image looks AI generated and that’s unsettling. 🤔
Hi Scott – most images are ai generated – thats why substack has an option to genertae ai images. I have put my own images on some newsletters and people refused to believe it was me- go figure.
Exactly right! I am 63 and just started writing Age out Loud! here on substack. The interesting thing is that the internet has destroyed the permission economy. It used to be if you wanted to write a book, you needed permission from a publisher. Now you just write it. If you wanted to make music, you needed permission from a record label. Now you just make it. If you and I and millions of others who choose to skip retirement simply bring our creativity and experience to the marketplace, we can change the world!
I am Gen X and spent my entire career in software development and deployment in the hospital/medical care field. I had to medically retire 2 months ago due to a cancer diagnosis. The chemo and surgery gave me a few nasty surprises and now I’m trying to get my health back. However, I feel I still have a lot to contribute and trying to figure out where to go from here. I worked 70 hour weeks and neglected my health for what? So I could come down with cancer? It’s so easy to get caught up in the rat race of life. Wish me luck on my next phase of life even though I am figuring it out day to day.
What took ya so long? I realized it at 50, when I stopped watching advertisements for “Freedom 55” and realised that RRSPs were bullshit.
Bravo!!
It seems like this was written by ai. Was it?
Interesting thoughts but here is a different perspective. . .
– 40 years as a product engineer and software sales
– retired in 2018 at 62, no debt, no need to work
– enjoying wife of 45 years, two married kids, four grandsons, hobbies are reading, camping, fishing, and of course being a part of my family so lots of people I can impart wisdom to and enjoy spending time with
– no lack of things to do, friends to visit, share my experiences with, all while trying to stay healthy
– thus, no need to search and the people I need to teach and grow old with are all around me so my legacy is to continue to build up the people I’ve known all my life
– and on a side note, technology being developed today is young, immature, shortsighted, and will require at least another generation to mature into something useful for humanity. AI that I encounter today is still dumb as a rock.
– Jim
My wife and I are also 67, and slowing down has never crossed our minds. What we do five times a week, and something I highly recommend to all age groups, is strength training. That is crucial as we age. Even when we are just going for a walk, we wear weight vests because they look cool and help us maintain our balance and strength.
I like the stats about over 50. But who believes them? Advertising is geared to the young time and again. The older I get, the less respect I am given. Thankfully I live in Texas where most people, young and old show respect. I’m 70+ and learning Swedish and just finished my first book.
Boo hoo
I’m eighty now living the life I’m meant to live ; having dreams and doing them, waking up to the curiosity of what shall I work on today, experiencing joy and amazing grace in those daily choices; writing my life journey, laughing with or soothing a friend in need, playing with my fun loving little god daughter. I think it develops the soul of a person.
Thirty years is a stretch I’m afraid. The average is more like mid to late 70s which is 10-15 yrs. I know the stats say different but most of us are in the middle. I could spend my time continuing to contribute to my community and stimulate my brain but I’m more content without the pressure. I prefer to coast into home plate.
Interesting. After the Covid years then getting long Covid for a year at 73 I was beginning to think my life was over. However, I just treated myself to a trip to Mexico, arranging it all myself with the help of AI.Exhilarating and at the same time a bit tiring. It has really inspired me to continue on this path.
I’m in exactly the same boat (probably the next one over from yours!). Discarded @ 60 because I tried to prevent younger narcissistic managers from making mistakes I learned from 2 decades ago. But I’m not pissed off. If I’m completely honest with myself I displayed similar ageism when I was in my prime. The little voice in my head whispered, “Karma’s a bitch.”
I shrug because I’m on to my next career, my retirement career. I chuckle when I see 30 something “thought leaders” in my old profession write a LinkedIn post proclaiming something I was teaching young leaders in the 1990’s. I guess every dog has their day. I’ve moved on.
I’m in the same situation. Sold my business, not to retire, but to do something different. I have applied for 15-20 jobs and can’t even get an interview. Substack presents an opportunity to write, something I have always enjoyed. Lord knows I have a LOT to say. I’ll get back to you when I figure it out. Might just be time to start another business!👍
Like many hi-tech experts, many share my profile. I’m 70, since 65, I’ve been involved in bleeding edge digital identity and data privacy work including working on international standards. In my case, I’m the technical lead on building a Traveler Profile for use on Digital Wallets to make travel seamless and effortlessly tailored to your need and preferences. This being done by a team including many “retired” experts from around the world.
I started this thinking it would be a lament about the world leaving retirees behind. I ended it yelling, “Yes! Yes! Yes!” You absolutely nailed it! I’m a metrology/electrical engineer by trade and in the last year I coded a Fourier analysis app, programmed Arduinos, and created two new products, knowing zero about coding. With the help of AI, I can tie a lifetime of experience together into new things. Oh, and I also started a podcast, LOL
I just gave notice at work that I’m retiring. I want to retire to reclaim my time as my own. I don’t want to ask permission to take a day off during the holidays. However, I have plans to go full force into local politics. There is a reason why most people on school boards, town councils and other political offices are usually people of a certain age or self-employed. Time belongs to them. Also, these days, acquired wisdom and the ability to think critically are needed in politics more than ever. Polarization exists because no one has the time or focus to analyze complex issues and come to consensus. I’m hoping to make a difference where it counts.
This post was the first perspective I’ve read from someone my age that describes what I’m experiencing now as I leave what has been an all-consuming corporate role. I’ve been speaking with colleagues and friends about what’s next – and I’m determined to create something on my own terms where I can participate and contribute drawing from my experience – not as a retiree but as an active, engaged contributor.
Two more weeks and I’m OUT! I’m loving the freedom so far – taking a little break and then I’m going to do more work – just not sure what that looks like yet but it definitely will not include a 90 minute commute and working in an environment that just doesn’t know what to do with people over 60…
Written with the help of AI.
Enjoyed your article. I’m in the same boat, ready to retire, wrote a book soon to be published and working on the side gig. Although I’m not hugely techy, I can manage setting up a WordPress site and navigate using AI for productivity and product creation with no problems. I get annoyed not only by the seniors ‘technoboob” stereotype, but also by the seniors who steadfastly refuse to keep up with technology. Outta my way boys, my best years are about to unfold!
I left the workforce early, after working full-time for 30 years. Starting at 20. I have degrees and experience and publications, and my kids are grown, and I have grandkids, none of whom need me. I’m 55. I teach yoga and writing workshops, but I’m not sure how to develop community IRL other than through work. I feel more energetic, focused and generative than I ever have in my life. How are y’all finding people to collaborate with?
I’m 68 and trying to find my voice.
Resonated deeply with me!!!
what about mentoring, employing, guiding, volunteering, solving the problems your generation created instead of trying to extract a couple more dollars from spare bedrooms and home offices? all i hear is more more more me me me
Hello, you know what – they say retirement is for the old… but try explaining that to a toddler, eh? One’s clocking out for good, the other’s never clocked in – yet both have mastered the art of doing nothing with absolute grace.
It’s a secret society really – dress code: comfort, motto: ‘Why rush?’, and the only agenda is snacks first, naps optional.
Whether from the boardroom or the playroom, the mission stays the same – avoid stress, look wise, and quietly wait for the next cookie.🍪
I have joined you, in your retirement, to learn more and explore more together as Substackers.
Please feel free, if you wish to know more about my decades of professional and personal experience and exposure across five continents meeting many traditions cultures customs and norms – they enriched me immensely, to join me for free at salmizindagi.substack.com
Please don’t forget to check ✔️ out my latest essays and Notes.
Thank you
Yeah! Me too!
I carry a notebook with me everywhere I go even though I only write at home with an ink pen.
Sometimes I draw. I’m just following my curiosity and reading my thoughts.
I’m unexpectedly on this road as well. All my grandiose plans to remain gainfully employed until age 70 were rudely interrupted one morning in July after being informed of the layoff that included…me.
My job search finally came to a sputtering halt when it became apparent that my 40 years of experience no longer held the market value I had become accustomed to unless I was willing and able to spend an hour or two every day commuting. (Since my 85 year old mother lives with me, that amount of time away from home was not a viable option.)
So, my retirement has come early…at 64, AND my transitional occupation has begun.
My 3 year old grandson is now spending his weekdays with his great grandmother and me. In a couple of years he’ll be off to school during the day and I’ll transition again. I’m not sure yet where that will take me, but I’m pretty sure I won’t be out of the game for few more years.
I am there, 69 and retired for 6 years. I am finding meaning to my retirement years in doing things that I have set my retirement goals. Ski 100 days a year, ride my bike in every state etc. But what else is there, the curiosity and interest in life is meaningful.
Really interesting! Agree so much more ahead and I think the key is to stay engaged in life and finding new interests and ways to use your talents. Thanks for this post!
The longer I am retired, the busier I am.
I have always wondered why I never felt excited about the idea of retiring on a beach somewhere at 55 ( like those commercials in the 80s). Turns out ii realized that purpose and meanugful contributions get me excited about life as I approach 60. I’m not done. After 35 years in one career, I completed 3 degrees and am at the 5 year mark of teaching in highschool. Being with young minds is energizing, fresh,and challenged me to think in new ways. I retire when my mind turns to dust 😎
Life expectancy in the UK is still around 80, not +90. For every person who lives to 90, someone else dies at 70. Law of averages.
Life expectancy in my family is the mid-70s. I recently lost a brother age 75. I am 67 and am not counting on another +20 years. Too many hereditary health conditions, which likely my own children have inherited. ‘Thanks, Dad.’
I agree with Ben Rubin: ditch all AI.
Nonsense about three years retirement. This was an aberrant idea. Lower life expectancy was at the young end. My father died at 96. His father at 88. His father the same.
I know many older wise women who have honed their intuition skills and can use these to help people whatever age they are. Women who weren’t naive enough to buy the slave system lie.
I really enjoyed your article. I’m still pondering it. You’ve given me some thoughts to share. Thank you!
You have a wonderful ability to communicate. Perhaps writing is your new thing…I love to write also and know a little about a lot of things. Many interests. Animals and photography are what I love. As well as communicating with others. SUBSTACK is an awesome place for my interests. Facebook and X are full of chaos, which i don’t need or want to be occupied with. SUBSTACK has people who are decent, and as far as I’m concerned, decency is under- rated. Have a good day.
And keep on keeping on.
I can’t begin to say how timely and hopeful this makes me at 69.
Brilliantly put! This is sharp, wry, and quietly revolutionary, which is right up my street. You’ve captured exactly what’s broken about the old retirement myth and why this ‘second curve’ matters. I’m with you: curiosity beats quiet decline every time for me.
Love this post, thank you. 63 now and enjoying the space semi retirement brings.
It’s easy to believe how , at this age and stage, we seem to be irrelevant.
This forced anonymity is a blessing for me. I get to observe, take time to reflect and enjoy the space to make better choices.
I still like to use the skills acquired from decades of teaching. I still help the younger generation with their learning. My style. Old fashioned, eye to eye, listening ear, personal response, holding space for them as a human interaction.
Best of all I get more time in nature where nature tells the story of what’s truly happening in our beautiful world – not what the narrative would have us believe.
Supporting nature and nurturing the future of youngsters is where I get to use my decades of experience to make a difference.
Great article fellow old fellah. One thing I’ve done is take up Blipfoto – an online diary – one picture every day and as much or little text as you want. It’s a neat way of concentrating the mind – if you’ve nothing to report on a day it makes you consider how fully you’re living your life. A kind of reverse engineering
Sheet! That posted before I was finished. Where’s the goddam edit button???
A year away from potential early retirement…i am considering my pension as a sort of UBI, so i can do useful and interesting rather than must feed my family for the next bit
Well I am 46 but I hear you loud and clear.
67 🤷
OK OGT
You’ve got this !
I’m a tad older at 74 and really only “lost” my last client this year (thank goodness).
Now its time for me to enjoy and get back to my travels that were interrupted in the late ’70’s.
40+ years in software development, alongside around 45+ years as a therapist after 10+ years as a research biochemist gives me a huge insight into so many aspects of life.
I’m loving the depth and breadth of life and am firmly set on enjoying the next 30 – 40 years or more (to 120).
Lets have some fun 🤣
No one ever mentions how one of the key elements behind corporations getting the most out of high performers is to convince them they are indispensible … right before dispensing with them. Retirement’s really borning. https://open.substack.com/pub/gunnarmiller/p/retirement-reflections and https://open.substack.com/pub/gunnarmiller/p/retirement-reflections-2 .
Great piece. I’m 67 in a few days. My “differently deployed” project is writing about music, and I wish I’d had done so as my professional career ( I was a lecturer, which had its ups and downs). No matter, I’m writing now and, I hope, for many years to come.
I don’t spend my days wondering how to use a doorknob. My partner and I rant often about the whole ‘explained/designed’ for seniors trend.
No one should be enslaved to a retirement plan just to get a faux sense of universal basic income before their death.
Lied to!…! No, life is an Adventure, now is the time to grab the horns and ride off, lol. At 67, I lived, worked through, loved and hated some of the new and different technologies from aged 26-46 years, after this advances seemed to slow down. Now, I’m really interested and love using, artificial intelligence. I like to read fascinating answers to my questions.
Yeah I’ve felt patronised, only by 20s women, interesting this is happens in cafes or shops, interesting from those working in lower intelligence requirement jobs.
I think its time to support family. explore and adventure. I wanted to write, paint and create, now is the time – if you are lucky enough to not be bogged down. with money worries. X
Thank you! This resonates.
I retired at 57, am now 70 and being a nobody was hard.
However, 5 years volunteering for Young Enterprise, almost 8 years as a secondary school Governor, plus looking after (and I mean looking after, i.e. living with, day and night, including domestic stuff and homework and after school activities for a couple of grandchildren now teenagers) has kept me young but tired. Certainly mentally alive.
There is so much we can contribute. I agree that we are being talked down to, if not ignored, though we do have significant spending power.
Thank you so much for your article!
At 70, I’ve started pursuing an MFA in Visual Arts. I have never been happier or more excited. After starting and running a successful business for 40 years, I am pursuing a life long dream and continuing to inspire my own family in the process.
>Most “tech for seniors” looks like it was designed by someone who thinks we spend our days confused by doorknobs. Giant buttons. Beige interfaces. Condescending language. Stock photos of people laughing at salads.
>Meanwhile, the people these products supposedly help are running podcasts, learning Python, arguing about AI ethics, and building businesses from spare bedrooms.
>We’re not technologically illiterate. We built the internet.
Buddy, most “tech for seniors” wasn’t designed with you in mind. Most tech for seniors was designed for most seniors. Why are you acting like a majority of seniors built the internet? Ur in the minority, buddy.
Mind blowing
Sorry, you’re overthinking this. Relax, have fun, enjoy your retirement. Get a hobby, take a walk, go on a trip. Chill!
Retirement without purpose accelerates the inevitable
52 here, laid off last year after a 25 year IT consulting career. I’m working through feelings of total liberation and drifting aimlessly. I know I’ll do something else… what though is elusive to me right now. I don’t want to plug back into corporate life, and I don’t want to dedicate myself to building something online, growing a following, being an influencer, yuck. I want real world experience and connection. I guess we’ll see…
80-year-old Natalie Grabow just broke the age group record for the 80-84 age group in the IRONMAN World Championship. She learned to swim at age 59. My goal is to run a 5k in all 192 UN-recognized countries + Palestine & the Holy See. I’ve run eight races to date 🇨🇺🇵🇸🇬🇷🇱🇧🇨🇾🇨🇦🇹🇷🇸🇰
I just booked a cat ticket for my cat Gus on United Airlines from Scranton, USA, to Zurich, Switzerland, for the Neujahrsmarathon Zürich 10.55k on New Year’s Eve ⏰ 🎉. Then it’s onwards to Porto, Portugal, Caldas da Rainha, Lisbon, Vigo, Madrid, and the Valencia Ibercaja 5k on January 11, 2026, in Valencia, Spain. I’m feeling a mix of cautious trepidation and exhilaration. It’s my first time traveling internationally with Gus the cat.
I’m 67, still working, trying to figure out what my purpose is. Two days ago I had a massive heart attack, so there is new urgency to that. Too often we don’t allow ourselves to say that competitiveness and young-person-think are no longer for us because we’re so worried about sliding into irrelevancy. How refreshing to read this post and all the comments! Love you all. And yes, there are new talents budding as we grow, and grow older, it is time to value these in ourselves and nurture them and put them out there.
Thirty years is pretty optimistic and unknowingly possible only for a few. I got cancer after retiring and am grateful for the short time disease free. Enjoy it while you can!
Excellent! I myself unretired and will return to work this spring
Thanks for this message. I’m a 61-year-old teacher who started this as a second career by getting my MA at 53. Now I’m feeling disenchanted by public education and thinking of a third act when I retire. Thanks for the spark!
This is coming just at the right time for me. I’m winding down my career and thinking about how I can be useful in my 60s, 70’s and 80s. I know I can’t play golf more than 3x a week! I look forward to reading more and looking forward to what’s next.
This came at the right time! I’ve been struggling by myself, thinking that I don’t understand “retirement “ like others do and wondering if I’ll ever find peace. I poured myself into my work and raising my son by myself not having time ( or making time) for things outside those two realms. I started a AI class 3 weeks ago and love it!
Things land when they are supposed to so thanks for giving your time to us!
Thanks for posting this, I found it very uplifting and keep re-reading it for another boost!
Don’t fuck with old hippies. We know how to resist! And at our age, we don’t give a fuck about threats from those who would control us.
While most of your article is right on, you have fallen (as so many do) for the idea that most people live longer. Average lifespan has largely risen, not because middle aged people live longer, but because many more infants live to adulthood. A couple may have had twelve children years ago, of which only 5 lived to have children themselves. Today they may have two, or only one, but the child is almost certain to live to become an adult. Averages in general are not the best statistics to go by. My Grandfather lived to 100, my Dad made 90 but didn’t know who I was after 80, I am 77 and unlikely to see 80.
People do hate to think about aging or the aged, however. Put a handicap ramp on your home for Grandma, and for you when you get old? God forbid, they are ugly. Design your new house to be handicapped accessible? NEVER! Must have 5 levels, all with steps, and doors too narrow to fit a wheelchair through. Slow down traffic for elderly drivers – NEVER 3 times over. I must get to work 3 milliseconds faster than the last time, no matter who I run off the road.
Thank you
My dad is now 70. But since retiring his “second act” has left me awed. He drives for meals on wheels. He taught himself video production during the pandemic to keep his local church parish fed mass while stuck at home. He and one of his 9 brothers have been running a small engine side hustle out of one of their garages. He’s still the main tree “feller” among his peers who still heat their homes with wood. The man possesses a boundless energy that honestly make me at 45 feel tired lol. But more than anything I’m still learning from my dad. We definitely need to rethink the retirement paradigm. And what it means to be and feel useful.
?
Me too! Get a government job they said. You have great benefits they said and retirement. Not enough to retire comfortably. 🤷🏼♀️I should have opened my own business like I wanted to.
I’m 79 and fighting an ALZ diagnosis. I think you’re right in what you say and hope people realize it. I use Gemini alot but people need to remember that artificial things don’t last forever!
try Claude.ai it is very “human”
The math, assumptions and preparedness for today’s lifespan are completely wrong, as you say. At a minimum, “working years” need to extend to age 75. That would to some extent help build the financial resources required to live a longer life. Be an entrepreneur from to get go might also be a good idea. No one can then decide your career trajectory or decisions but you.
I am 61 and still working but I fully appreciate what you are saying because even in my mid-fifties, I started seeing this shift. Two tech start-up ideas of mine went cold because I was unable to find young developers who were prepared to put some skin in the game for a potential share in the spoils. I also couldn’t gain any traction in the start-up fraternity with it’s fake, pretentious 25 – 40 year-old posers using every buzzword in the book while self-promoting, telling me I need to ‘validate, validate, validate’. That incestuous world is not for anyone 50+ unless they are a venture capitalist. So I am teaching myself to build GPTs and you have inspired me to put them out there, to apply my 40 years of knowledge and put it to work.
I’m wondering if volunteer work is part of your pondering. Now that I’ve retired I have time to share my talents and experience with my community. I’m energized, not irrelevant, and am seen by those in need, not invisible.
Thanks! Your article makes me think. I have been traveling greatly since retirement and then COVID and so many places are so different in the United States in quality of life and companionship of their older populations. Not as wealthy but more time with friends and families. More respect for the elders.
I retired last year. Now I tell people DON’T RETIRE!
62 and working on my second startup using AI (Claude Code) to develop my prototype. If it hits, scaling will require some young blood but I realized that no one was addressing this particular problem and jumped in from my spare bedroom.
Well, there it is in a nut shell. Your words are true. I’m 58…a doctor of thirty years with thirty more years of contributions in the making. Or maybe not in regard to my own longevity. Yet I don’t plan on slipping away into the night of irrelevance. 3rd career already underway…writing and contributing until the eternal night sets in. Anything else feels like irrelevance for me. The day I realize I’m irrelevant, if I’m honest, is the day I find a couch. Nice post.
Same here. Let’s do this.
Still working at 74 because I can still think and refuse to be irrelevant.
Medical oncologist here. Just got a new job at a new clinic at Northwestern in Chicago. At 67, i feel the challenge no differently than at my first job. I have a masters in medical management from Carnegie Mellon and just completed a masters in liberal arts at the university of Chicago. I have not felt any appreciation for my experience or skills from younger peers or administrators. I feel it’s their loss and keep reminding them that I’m not running on empty.
Absolutely resonates with me! I am subscribing to hear more. Thanks.
I’m 56 and can’t find a job in my field — or any job really. I was trained as a graphic designer, taught myself to build websites, took classes to stay up to date on the changes in my industry, and now crickets.
I’m still 11 years away from being able to collect social security, assuming it’s still there when I reach 67.
I’m a retired veterinarian. After 8 years of college, starting 3 practices, having a harrowing twin pregnancy that thankfully resulted healthy children, and a being a law enforcement wife, I was done at 55, my husband at 57. I’m 64 now, and I never had plans for a second act in employment. Our second act started with building a new home, planning and maintaining a lovely landscaped backyard, caregiving older relatives, vacationing when we can afford it, getting a new pet, maintaining our health (doctors appointments and physical therapy/working out take time) and spending time with family. We stay intellectually engaged without having to hustle at a new employment venture. I applaud those who do continue working, and I understand that many need to work to make ends meet. But I don’t feel like have faded into the background due to my choices.
Great article! Keep writing, it’s very insightful.
Great post – my plan is to run at least one company post “retirement”. Accepting zero income besides pension just because you crossed a certain age doesn’t make any sense.
Amen brother! To hell with doorknobs and laughing salads. I’m not planning to ‘retire’ so let’s go. Subscribing now. Ready to be inspired and to inspire!
Thank you! I’m the same age as you and am also trying to figure it out. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts and experiences.
I love this article. I’m 61 and 20 years into a career I had no expectation of having when I gave up work in my 20’s to have babies.
I’m good at my job, and feel seen and heard. Whilst I might ‘retire’ at 67 I have a wealth of information to pass on. I’m starting with an assistant and hopefully moving towards employing an apprentice as well.
I was phased out of tech when I got over 40. Women are even less wanted after that age… I’m back in school to become a psychotherapist.
I am 77. Bought and reconstructed businesses most of my life. Retired at 65, wife and I separated, I left her everything that I had made up to that point. Then I moved and started over and built another $1.4 million enterprise from nothing. Transferred that to my son, and I’m looking for the next project except the little thinkers that are running the world now are putting up roadblocks for us seniors. They think we’re done. So we need to get together and show him what we can do in the next stage.
I love this! You captured why I write my newsletter
My mother didn’t intend to retire at 65, but ended up taking voluntary redundancy at 66 to look after my dad, who was recovering from cancer. Unfortunately Dad became one of those retired men who actually did die at 68, leaving Mum suddenly without a husband or a job. So she went into consultancy for three years and now, at 77, works in a library. She loves it, and her zero hours contract means she can also say no to work if she wants to take a holiday or if there’s stuff that needs doing in the garden. It took a while for her to adjust to the shift from management to employee, but soon the higher ups at her work realised what she has to contribute. I also work in the public sector and really value her advice on work matters!
This is an interesting post. I am 75 and still working but only because I want to. I mostly do what I want to do rather than what I have to do. Over the years I have built a number of businesses and even taken a few public. I’m currently starting a business in Mauritius but live in Toronto. I enjoy my life and look at a lot of my contemporaries, watching TV and letting their best retirement years pass them by. I’m not suggesting that my life is better than theirs but I enjoy it, feel good about it and believe my interests and regular exercise keep me mentally and physically young. Gotta keep that spark alive!
I’m retired and 72 enjoying every day not working! Got gold, silver too.
Don’t know anything about that.
I’m one of those “artistic types” that the corporate world has no use for so I’ve always had to make my own relevancy. For folks like me a job is a means to an end, it was never the end itself. Always found my own community to learn from (and to teach). Worked from the time I was 12 and I never had a job that mattered me except when I took breaks to “follow my dream” and live in poverty as a result. When I turned 65 a couple years back I handed in my papers, hit the ground running and never looked back. I can’t wait to get out of bed and dive in to whatever project I have cooking these days The only downside is the big financial hit I took (plus I keep getting older). But is it worth the cost? Hell yes.
When I retired I never felt like I needed to slow down, or that I would be irrelevant. I purposely found non-profits and causes I could contribute to. And hobbies that bring me joy.
Retiring at 55 simply meant I no longer worried about paying the bills.
I am a valuable member of my community and I will continue adding value to my community for as long as possible. I want to remind people that adding value to your community adds value to your life.
Right, we retired in 2010 and things were fine with savings and SS
Till the Biden era! Then we both had to go back p-t. Now thinking about looking for F/T. Went through savings and SS Plus P/T we barely get by! Sucks when we were
We were Looking forward to using savings to do some enjoyable things! Not a fat chance now! I hate that the Cabal thinks they need to control us all and their greedy as__es are shits!
Wow, this was one of the most stopping article I’ve read a while.
So great to hear this from someone who has actually lived and has that experince 👍
Subscribed and looking for more 😎
You had me at ‘confused by door knobs’! Brilliant article.
Well done! I retired at 51 from my professional career because it became too soul sucking to continue. I never planned to retire into a life of leisure even though I could. That too would be soul sucking. I’m now 5 years into starting and running my own small business. I have 20 wonderful employees, despite the laws that make being an employer thankless and exceedingly expensive. I’m a problem solver and fixer by experience and nature, so that’s what I’m gonna keep doing. Society needs it now more than ever since everyone knows everything but understands next to nothing.
Reading this comment on my last day on the Camino trail in Spain – spent the days thinking on exactly the same challenges . I dont know why your letter ended in my hat but all of it makes sense for me and had in fact made notes about same ideas as yours. All the best Claus Levin / Denmark / 63 year old 🤩
I’m a retired Baptist pastor. Reading your article I was quietly screaming, YES! I hated the idea of retirement and since then I’ve been able to help churches in trouble who needed steady experience. I’m engaged in learning new tools and making new connections, all without the pressure of being dependent upon a paycheck that might blunt some of what I have to say. I’m really looking forward to what you have to say.
I’m 52 and husband is a year younger. He *could* retire in 6 years, and to be honest, more time together would be great. But my grandparents lived to 96. I have really been recalibrating, hard. We have grandchildren, and he’s taking up woodcarving, but can we live on his pension for 40 years? It seems like there’s probably more for us to do? Also, we sacrificed money so i could stay home and raise our eight children. So our RRSP is not huge, and while the pension is pretty good, (economy is not), we’ll be poorer unless we do something on the side…
Glad I found you Great ideas and strategies
What. An. Article. I’m only 45 and following this movement. I can to it by a similar framework. I care for 1000s of patient in this age range and they teach me. So much. Please share your experience. Everyone. We’re all listening and ready to learn.
I’m mid 70s now – how did that happen. I’ve got more to offer than I ever did when I was working as a science educator- flat out, raising family, servicing mortgage etc. What I can guide people through these days is streamlined, refined, concentrated but I’ve no real outlet – most attempts so far seem to go nowhere. So your post really caught my eye and I look forward to reading more.
“When I was young I was amazed at Plutarch’s statement that the elder Cato began at the age of eighty to learn Greek. I am amazed no longer. Old age is ready to undertake tasks that youth shirked because they would take too long. ” – W. Somerset Maughan
You’re not old at 67! I’m 82, still writing software, running 4 websites with over 25,000 files, writing books and having a daily podcast.
I love it when 27 year old women at the gym think I’m hitting on them because I smile a lot.
Love this post. I guess I’m old…
and wise?
Good article on reaching over 65 and what are citizens of that age and beyond doing. My adult work life was working as a legal secretary, retired after 35 years. Now I spend time doing home chores in the morning and retreating to the 2nd bedroom to work on my first & second novellas and gather resolve to send my darlings out for publication.
I’m with you! At 64 years of age, I’ve been thinking about this for years and dreaming about the next steps. I started a side hustle artisan chocolate business at 52 for this reason. I’m creating an online course, marketing a play I’ve written as well as turning it into a book. Brainstorming fun nonfiction book ideas set in France. The possibilities are endless when we dare to dream – and do.
Not only does the media/ big tech think us irrelevant, they want us gone. We are „useless eaters“ still consuming resources- „their resources“. Learning AI won’t help us. Exposing and resisting the establishment and their minions might be a more useful option.
I became a “professional” at 45. I figured 20 or so years of doing the best I could do would catapult me into the greatness I so obviously deserved. Not so much. It didn’t occur to me that the real challenge in life would be to discover I was not the center of the universe. I spent 21 years trying to catch up with those who had the sense to start their careers at the time the world according to Empire expected (i.e., the “market”). Along the way, I got pretty good at what I did, but more importantly, I helped a few people along the way. Greatness never came. What did come was a world that said I wasn’t important because I didn’t follow the script. I could have been offended but I was too busy trying to prove myself. There were hints aplenty. My only grandchild was born when I was 51 and I thought that was crazy. I was far too young to be a grandparent. But then I realized my son was 30 and uh, plenty old enough to have a kid. The only plan I made for my so-called “career” ended when the person I meant to have it with died on me – at 61. Definitely too young to die, but he did anyway. Then I spent several years trying to catch up the traditional way which was a complete bust. I finally got the message after 21 years of doing the deal and walked away from the only thing I knew how to do. I was 68 and suddenly realized that age discrimination is a thing. Happens all the time and honestly, nobody cares. The good news is that it finally occurred to me that what I really wanted to do was seek the God of my understanding and help others in whatever way opened up for me. A way opened up, I took it, and now, I’m learning the most important lesson in life: I’m here to love God and help others.
One of the biggest problems facing the world is old white guys who still believe they are relevant. It’s called hubris.
Lost me on that one Salads?
The redeployment movement comes alive!
> The retirement model was built in the 1950s when life expectancy was sixty-eight. You worked until sixty-five, enjoyed three years of rest, and died. Clean. Simple. Actuarially sound.
Life expectancy hasn’t been 68 even in the ancient world. Life expectancy at birth was 68, because infant mortality was 38/1000, whereas now it’s 5/1000. Once they got past 10-15, people lived as much as they do today, they didn’t statistically hit 68 and die.
Life expectancy at 65 was 13-14 years.
6..7😛😛🤙🤙🤙
Wow. Did this hit hard. I am 68 still working in the schools…part time. Wondering about retiring for good…then what?
This is one reason I began writing on Substack. I HAVE THINGS TO SAY! The things I have learned about educating children, teens, faith formation…are all coming together.
Thank you for this affirmation that I am not crazy!
I am 68 and have felt that the ‘boomer’ generation which is so disparaged is actually the one that can save western civilization. We have the time and skills to do so.
There is time to play golf and rescue our world from the neomarxist technocracy.
All I can say is….well said! And will be restacking this article.
Glad I read your article. I worked for a high end fashion retailer at a distribution center. One day a janitor came in who was retired and the company he retired from had a pension so he was working for a little spending money. He told me in front of my younger coworkers that I needed to get off the stage and let my younger coworkers have the limelight. They were standing behind me at the time. I stayed another week and couldn’t take it anymore so I quit/walked out. For a long time I couldn’t talk about it. I was in my early 60’s at the time. For income reasons this past summer I went back there again. After I left they sent me a letter saying that I was an alum now. 🙄
I’m rather accomplished at ignoring. I ignored (for the most part) the “curve” of life that was about accumulation and climbing ladders. It was always about synthesis for me. As I age, I have cringed at and seen older people get patronized when the ignoring gets triggered, which refers to a dynamic rooted in ageism. As Anais Nin said, “Had I not created my whole world, I would certainly have died in other people’s.” I stand tall.
This is a really great piece; I feel lucky to have come across this at a moment I’m trying to think about not quitting work but want to shift what I do into something more. Thank you.
Dave, I am on of the people your age who is also trying to figure out what comes next.
I just launched my own newsletter on Substack, the BOLD sabbatical. I’ve stepped away from my career several times to avoid becoming irrelevant that retirement age and answered the question if not now when. Now I’m trying to help others do the same. We’re all in this together, brother. Thanks for the post, it hit home today.
Captain Rickman
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Ha. Aiming at 70. Become what calls you. I aimed for never a dull day approaching 67.
Retired before my husband (HR and Recruitment) and started writing ‘that book’ — yet wanted more.
My husband has always played his guitar as his thing. As some of his colleagues were heading into retirement they got organized and formed a couple of serious bands for joy, not profit. That’s when it clicked for me and I registered for a course on Mythology that I always wanted. And also joined the board of a local political party — shocking most.
Time flew and we sensed we needed find time together– so hubby joined the political board too a year later and provides us with more local community and contribution. . .
And when I again upgraded into studying Ancient and Medieval Astrology. There was a financial cost yet he whole hearted embraced this with/for me as I gained the required skills.
Its in the study of Astrology I’ve met up with folks around the world — young and old (on Zoom who have never seen me below the shoulders) yet who I can now call good friends. It requires focus, collaboration, and ritual — exactly what my mind needs to grow — with variety.
I encourage all to just Do It — whatever It inspires in one.
As a nearly 50 year old who helps people plan their retirement this resonates. The system is built for a different world, and a one size fits all approach is going to see many people disappointed.
I think we need to redefine the word, “senior” … The 55 or 60 yr old has very little in common with the 80 yr old. This is especially true when it comes to technology!
You think life expectancy at birth now is 98?
At 67 that would be nice
Hi, I am a gerontologist by education. Perhaps, it’s time to challenge the status quo? I also write about a lot of regrets I have heard about. I find that being young also has a certain number of problems, from difficulties of schooling to money and child bearing. We must challenge what others throw at us, and advocate for self. Here’s my piece:
https://open.substack.com/pub/sameenateeq1/p/retirement-planning?r=413dhm&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
YES to all of this! I am five years away from retiring but I’ve already started planning how to have my whole second career as a writer. I write for and about women after fifty as I still have a lot to say. A whole heap of wisdom to share with Gen Z and the Alphas. We are the generation who opened the doors for the next generations and yet they seem to close them in our faces or stereotype us so we appear insignificant. It’s time for a revolution and I am with you.
This reminds me of a conversation I had with my brother the other day. He remarked that our mother had her best years between sixty and eighty when, having retired, she completely reinvented herself and had a thriving second career which brought her more happiness and recognition than the first ever had. Food for thought.
I’m 81 and still working helping others to be the best they can be
Turning 50 in January! and do think a fair bit about retirement possibly influenced because my two closest coworkers are months away from retiring and we’ve had changes to our retirement plans that created a lot of discussion about retirement.
I’m currently looking at delaying the 55 to 58 to support my hobbies and travel. I’m fortunate that my work is easy on the body and otherwise not so bad. This is a very different picture if you have a physically demanding job or just a work environment you aren’t enjoying.
The thing is if you want to be productive in your post 60 days you need to be looking after yourself much earlier than that. We’ve greatly extended life expectancy but you it’s up to you to make the most of that not just mentally but physically.
You are not the only person coming to those conclusions, and taking those actions. There are loads of us. You might like to join “I’m not done yet” (INDY). https://www.imnotdoneyet.co.uk/ which is a whole social media enabled community plus extras.
All comments are fine; misogyny or abuse are not. A good guide: if you wouldn’t say something publicly to someone, don’t say it here. If abusive and nasty comments appear here, they will be deleted, and the author will be blocked.
Retirement? I’ll get my pension on my next birthday but I’ve never been busier. My third historical novel comes out in November- I love using my business skills to assemble the publishing team, my intellect and tenacity in the research and finally using my creative skills in writing. I also help run Edinburgh Writer’s Forum to support local writers and the annual Edinburgh Women’s Fiction Festival to bring this genre authors to local readers. Busier than ever and happier too 😍
w55 – erfolgreich selbstständig – mit 51 privatière – grosser garten – einfach sein – kreativität ausleben – funktioniert prima – ich kam mir (menschlich) noch nie so nützlich vor – von bedeutungslosigkeit keine spur – mein nachbar ist der wald und die wiese – ich war noch nie so glücklich – das wünsch ich euch allen auch – alles liebe
+F55 – successfully self-employed – self-employed at 51 – large garden – being simple – expressing creativity – works great – I’ve never felt so useful (as a human being) – no trace of insignificance – my neighbor is the forest and the meadow – I’ve never been so happy – I wish the same for all of you – all the best
Wait till you hit 70. Then the engines really fire up! Elders were always revered everywhere in the world by every culture because they’d seen it all, they witnessed the experiences that remember. Intact traditional cultures like Japan, Mexico, Italy, China, the Phillipines, and others still honour and revere their elders. They are happy to take care of them because it’s the natural balance, our mothers birthed us , nursed us , nurtured us when we were sick, fed taught, and supported us and fathers too. Wisdom is gained through authentic living .
So well said!! Thank you for this great article (from a retired IT middle manager.)
What an incredibly thoughtful post. I’m in my late 30s (classic Millennial) and, for the past 14 years, I’ve worked for an organization that serves vulnerable children and families through social work and economic strengthening programs. Interestingly, we also operate several retirement communities across our state.
Over these years, I’ve learned that retirees are anything but irrelevant. Our economy, communities, churches, nonprofits, and schools desperately need the wisdom, intuition, and creativity that this generation carries in abundance.
I’m always inspired when I meet someone willing to share their experience, offer perspective, and help ground me when my head is in the clouds. Your words capture that beautifully. I’m so glad I found your blog and can’t wait to share it with our team.
‘I’m still figuring this out. But I’d rather figure it out publicly, messily, and usefully than sit quietly and pretend I’m done.’ 🤌🏻
A beautiful read. I’m only 39 but this one hits. I’m also seeing too many older people not prepared or ready for ‘retirement’. That word alone is so negative. Smart, educated, positive people, are seemingly overnight being reduced to rubble because they are not prepared for or unsure how to embrace the next chapter. Use it or lose it. Keep raising awareness 💪🏻
Wow insightful you have had great response . One forward share you probably have come across already , teachable.com
Rather than thinking about ‘making money’ how about a greater focus on defending nature from those whose only purpose is ‘making money’. We’ve done enough destroying the environment, we need to help it recover. That’s what you should be doing for the rest of our lives.
I find this subject fascinating. Thanks for sharing.
This piece is brilliant — and spot on. The old retirement model really was built for a world that no longer exists. I love how you framed this as a “poorly marked junction” rather than a finish line. My husband and I hit that same realization and turned it into what we call a Reverse Legacy — living fully now instead of saving all the meaning for later.
Sharing here in case it resonates:
https://open.substack.com/pub/thebenthalls/p/reverse-legacy-letting-go-of-someday?r=5ci1ff&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
-Kelly
Hey Old Grey. I feel ya. I even wrote a Simple AI Guide For Seniors – Check it out https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Guide-Seniors-Tech-Savvy-technology-ebook/dp/B0FL1H9ZFB/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=3LRMRGAIYW12R&keywords=danielle+striker+ai+guide&qid=1761679024&sprefix=danielle+striker+Ai+guide+for+seniors%2Caps%2C349&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&psc=1
Richard Rohr writes with clarity about the 2nd stage of life in a parallel to your ideas. In ‘Falling Upward’ he observes “You cannot walk the second journey with first journey tools.” Seems like the rationale for the ongoing learning and re-creating you are advocating…
Some of us do only make it to 68. My wife passed at 68 in 2024. The trick is also to not wait until retirement to enjoy “the good life.” I’m glad we traveled extensively and took on the responsibility of raising a granddaughter while we were both healthy and in our 50’s. I am now 70, love my part-time consulting gig, continue to raise my granddaughter with a lot less angst then I did my own kids, and will be dragging her around the world with me as I refuse to give up the travel bug. I don’t know if I will make it into my 90’s, but I will certainly enjoy my 70’s.
A. The man in this photograph is very handsome. 😉 No clue if it’s actually you.
B. I’m 68 and trying to figure out what ‘putting one foot in front of the other’ means for me now. I’ve been an artsy person all my adult life, have never been an early adopter, and for various reasons have never been all that technologically savvy, which will not change in the foreseeable future. Or ever – flatout. I definitely feel like I’m irrelevant in a field I think I used to have a voice in, mostly because my elder colleagues *are* technologically savvy, or married or gave birth to someone technologically savvy who will support them. I’m trying to see if I can carve out space here on Substack that will allow me to use what’s left of my voice to reach new users of my niche medium. I have yet to fill out my ‘About’ info, to say nothing of writing a single post/article. Procrastination runs deep.
Love this! Thank you for this OGT. My husband – a structural engineer retired from corporate life but making it on his own now (stress-free from the clocking and timesheet but so happy taking on jobs HE wants) – pointed me towards this piece. He relates to so much of it. So do I. Let’s not drift towards afternoon TV and irrelevance. We are still here !
Too right! Imagine what could be changed for the better in this world and in ways that aren’t being given space in this misery-making and money obsessed world.
I’m right where you are…three weeks from turning 67, and I retired 3 months ago. For the past decade, corporations have heaped praise on younger generations for their technological skills (TikTok, podcasters, influencers), promoted them to management… even though they have no idea how to manage anything. Most of them still live at home with their parents, who continue to help pay their bills. Speaking of AI, I love it and use it as a guide… I, too, am building a newsletter for something I have wanted to pursue now that I’m retired. The main reason I retired is that times are changing, and many administrative-type positions are being replaced with AI. Some of this is good because it shouldn’t take five people to work on a single task. Overall, I’m thrilled to be retired, and I have started a new career doing what I love (writing) and learning about the latest technology… this keeps my brain active. I love connecting with people and sharing the optimism that retirement is not invisible. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on retirement.
I reached the “finish line” and kept on going because—well, what was there after the line? For me, nothing but a yard to maintain, grandkids to babysit, and rides to give to the airport. Screw that. I like my my job and the people I interact with there. I agree wholeheartedly with this post. I refuse to fade away.
I’m 67. Finished a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology just over a year ago. Developmental psychology stops at 65 too. I agree, ‘retirement’ needs rethinking.
Hey 67! I’m hitting that lively deadline in two days. And I appreciate what you’re saying. Yesterday I was forcibly retired from a church music freelance position; so I bought a new hat at a fine millinery, and accepted a ticket to the Jays World Series watch party at the home stadium from a friend. I took snacks and enjoyed myself rubbing elbows semi-socially with strangers.
Planning some volunteer projects, family visits and continued life learning, as my not very lucrative freelance work winds down.
I agree, mostly. I’m about to turn 72 with a 16 yo. son. I never thought I would retire and I haven’t. I cut back, changed careers. I took up teaching/learning in Public Schools. Keep moving, keep learning and focus on giving. Young people keep you young (in the mind and spirit). I hope to work till I die. I do still want my Social Security, I worked for it, it’s mine. ☮️🤙☯️
I loved this explanation! I retired a little over a year ago at 61.75 years of age. I am LOVING every minute of every day of retirement! I worked in corporate America, in middle management, until I was offered a golden carrot to exit to my own domain. I had planned on leaving at 62, but God opened the door a little sooner.
Rather than waiting until after I retired, people stopped listening to we old farts, once a little snow began accumulating on our roofs. I became irrelevant around 50-52. Yet, being in management, I was pressured into towing the line. Much of the line I hated, as it was senseless bullshit. It was often not in the best interest of employees or customers. I was ecstatic to exit early!
Since retired, I have been living the life I had missed and longed for that 50-60 hour work weeks had taken away from me. This includes a failed marriage. I am now the Dad and sibling that I didn’t have time for previously. I have even started my own part-time business in a field totally unrelated to my 47 year career. Full speed ahead!
Wonderful article. There are many of us “retired”here on Substack writing, creating and contributing not only what we know but learning new things too. We’re keeping our minds active and not letting them turn to mush. I loved my former career but it’s a young persons career. But I can still do my part in a different way. I love being a writer now and I applaud Substack for providing this platform for us. Keep on going!
So, retirement is going poorly. You only ever knew how to be a cog.
I turned 70 this year. Eight years ago I retired from a 43 year career managing IT support and IT infrastructure. I immediately started volunteering in the NFP technology space, acquiring new skills to manage several Office 365 tenants and the matching desktop tools. And in the last two years or so I’ve joined a former colleague’s company as a day-a-week consultant helping organisations improve their critical incident management skills.
I love being involved and contributing, working with others in a team. And it’s nice to receive the small income that is the fruit of my current work (unlike the superannuation income that is the product of my 43 years working as a younger man).
For me the challenge now is matching what I take on to my decreasing energy levels.
I wonder whether a lesson from the squash court is useful: as you get older you need to move less and play smarter?
Young man 45 I am happy to have realized this already. There isn’t joy in working for “The Man” only for later for us to become useless. I tend not to be in that group. Built it now so I can prosper in the 2nd Act.
agree ..the world needs what you know but the world doesn’t need more books and lecturers it needs action by those that know.
Retirement is awesome for me. No more persistent pressure to do things you don’t want to do. You actually really get to know who you are.
One time I talked to a man who retired and then got back into the restaurant business. He had the skills and people asked him to go back and he was single anyways. It’s neat that at his age he could still make a meaningful contribution with skills he honed.
I thought about retirement, but after hearing voices similar to yours, I thought about barista FIRE. And then I thought…what if I could work only part time, focus on health, and focus on projects outside of work? That’s the life I’m building up to right now
So true I ve decided to carry on working till my body gives up ! Creaky knees broken wrists but hey a sense of purpose can’t beat that !
I’m 65 not so far behind you
66 and love technology. I knew that retirement wasn’t cracked up to what
I’m nearly a decade older than you but not thinking of retirement. Why? Because I never bought into the concept. As a young man in a big corporation, I watched senior staff retire and quite often pass away in just a few years. They’d all looked forward to ‘retirement’. I asked around and found this was not uncommon. Senior staff worked flat out until the day they retired, then disappeared and faded away quickly. Like a train hitting the buffers at full speed, or so it seemed to me. I also discovered that the company’s pension scheme was one of the richest around, no doubt because few survived to benefit from the final salary scheme. So I made up my mind that ‘retirement’ wasn’t a thing I was ever going to plan for. I worked for the big corporation for a while, enjoyed it and learnt a lot, but then left and set up my own company. I closed that company only recently and am now involved in another venture, and enjoying life without that ‘retirement’ thing hanging over me. Just don’t think about it!!!
This really spoke to me.
I’ve seen how the “second act” you describe mirrors what happens when creators rebuild their systems from scratch. It’s not retirement, it’s recalibration. That stage demands structure that supports curiosity, not replaces it.
Do you think clarity becomes more vital as we age into freedom?
Because of our lack of interest in climate …
Unfortunately I like Tolkein am a Pseudo-Luddite. Give me trees and plants( hubby’s purvue) and critters ( preferably large or toothed), not areas conducive to AI function. Or are they?
Dear @The Old Grey Thinker, I love this! I’m a young 52, and just started a second career as a university professor. I love this job, I love teaching, and writing, and being with people. However, the transition from my military life to my new career has been, well, painful. I can see how easy it is to slip into a position of irrelevance and simply, as the old song goes, just fade away. Because, when we are in the forest dwelling stage of life, it’s part of human development to look inward, to become introspective on life and faith, and family, and the world. But, we need to emerge from the forest with a passion to continue to live, to teach, and to be with people. We need to share our wisdom from the forest dwelling period and continue to make a major difference in this world! I’m just headed into the forest now, but I’m not about to simply, fade away!
I wrote along these lines last month in my (not) obsolete substack. I think many if us are waking up and if we share, maybe some younger workers will benefit. I hope so.
Brilliantly stated. I’m in the same boat – same age, recently ending a 45 yr career, most of it in Silicon Valley busting my ass, making a living, raising a family, building a little wealth, bought into the retirement myth. That era is coming to an end. The world is about to drastically change and what we’ve (baby boomers and others) been taught for decades will be replaced by something we don’t yet know, driven by AI and other social and economic forces. “Retirement” will be overhauled, replaced by people like you and me reinventing ourselves, rejecting irrelevance, and building our lives around our desires and needs. We need a new term that can be universally applied, whether you’re 40, 50 or 70- more like “life shifting” vs “retiring” (conjuring up old folks sitting on patios or fishing). Among other things, I’m writing a book -but everyone will have their own dreams, goals and personal projects.
I took a crack at explaining how i see it playing out- but it’s just skimming the surface. https://open.substack.com/pub/signalsinthenoisehq/p/retire-and-start-living?r=4ty5c&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
I agree with your point ( I’m nearly 75 and working full time as an engineer.) But your actuarial date doesn’t sound right. See http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/TR/TR02/lr5A3-h.html or http://www.ssa.gov/history/lifeexpext.html
The SSA data shows life expectancy in 1950 at age 65 was about 13 years for men and 15-16 years for women. Those values have only gone up about 5 years since then.
I’m 78, retired at 78 after 43 years teaching philosophy at a “highly selective” rich person’s northeastern college. While I loved my work, I hated my job. But the job paid well and I was good at my work. I knew I had to make a living to support my family and save for retirement and this was the best gig I could get. I grew up in rural poverty and I never wanted to go hungry again.
Perhaps the thing I hated most about my job was the constant sense of mandated business that lacked any sense of meaning or purpose. Colleagues bragged about how busy they were in competition for status. They competed over business. Who benefited, the faculty or administration? Everyone wanted to be a big fish in a small pond.
I wanted peace, leisure, and the time to do philosophy. I have found it in retirement. When I drove away from job upon retirement, I pulled off the rearview mirror. I started a new life. I now live in a small cabin, in the woods, fronting a lake, far from the madding crowd. I have reconnected with Nature, returning to the world I inhabited on a failing farm among the swamps of Jersey. I am not busy. I am free. I am happy. I’m alone but far from lonely. I love the anonymity. I wonder through the social world like a ghost. I’ve escaped the treadmill. I love returning to Nature and ignoring Homo sapiens as much as possible. Just look what we do to Nature and one another.
This is not giving up, it’s reclaiming yourself after you succumbed to the demands of the treadmill. That was selling out in order to save the money that I would need to retire comfortably and live in freedom. I recognize how incredibly fortunate and privileged I am.
Yes, Social Security and retirement in the US is a lie. So is most everything else. All ideologies are lies that bubble up to advance the interests of the powerful at the expense of the vulnerable.
Great article thanks. When I turned 50 some 15 years ago, a well known consumer magazine sent me a booklet entitled “Computing for the over 50s”. Talk about patronising! As you say, we built the internet, and were building computers and programming as teenagers. Instead, they should have sent me “Social media for the over 50s”…
Ironically, I’m now facing retirement age but have been doing exactly what you’re outlining – as a freelance writer, author, and webmaster – for over twenty years. My strategy now is to hand off the things I’ve tired of to the next generation, but keep using and sharpening my skills to continue researching and publishing on topics that interest me most at this age. Writers never retire.
6 7
I’m 70 and have been fully retired for four years now. After some lifestyle adjustments, I’m living the most peaceful period of my life. The day belongs entirely to me. I keep busy doing what I enjoy most, in the country I left when I was 10 years old.
I agree with all the stages of life you mentioned — now it’s time to listen less to the news, enjoy more the people you love, and not worry too much about those extra pounds, because that gelato was worth it. And it’s not going to kill you.
Stress has a much greater chance of making you sick than a glass of wine ever will. And the reward of helping someone brings as much satisfaction, if not more, than getting that pat on the shoulder from your old boss.
Enjoy this time you earned, fully, and leave positive vibes. They will keep on vibrating even after you are gone.
Tino
https://substack.com/@tinomasecchia
54 and this is exactly the article I need to read right now
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Great article, now is the time to build and create what has been missing. Now we have our own time to create that. No one is paying us for our ‘opportunity cost’.
Love this. I’m 4 months from turning 60 and I recently shared similar thoughts in a post that I titled “On Second Acts and Having a Purpose”: https://substack.com/@jameshoneycuttart/p-161994739
I started my second act mid-2023 after intense disillusionment with corporate politics and bullshit started eating my joy. I feel more alive now at 59 than I ever have.
I’m looking forward to learning more from your wisdom, thanks for sharing this.
Well, youngster, you make some good points. Retirement only gets better.
I just read this because a new follower of mine follows you. I’ve been telling this to my “retired” clients for a while now, just as you did here: retirement was an invention of the industrial revolution and you’re right, most people now live way to long to retire at 65. When I realized I couldn’t afford to retire at 65 (another thing that happens without a corporate job and pension), I had an adult temper tantrum for a while, and then realized I was glad to keep working. I love being a licensed professional counselor and “know” a lot more now than I did when I started 25 years ago. I can’t imagine retiring until I can’t hear anymore! Thanks for your perspective; it’s so true!
Incredible read, thank you.
I’m still relevant because I was born in 1958 and for a few more months I’ll be 67. Read that 6-7. I’m 6 – 7.
And any 14 year old will tell you that’s pretty cool.
Woman in her mid-fifties here. I’ve been working in the online/tech world since it was even possible to have a job in the online/tech world. And I’ve never understood why people assume that the generation who actually invented the internet somehow stops understanding it once they hit 50. Honestly, it feels like my life is only just beginning.
I’ve got a job that challenges and excites me. I have ideas, emotions, things I want to say. I feel this huge wave of inspiration to create something meaningful in the world—finally confident enough to go for it without letting fear of criticism hold me back.
Physically, I feel strong. I’m doing weight lifting, working on my motorcycle license, reading and writing poetry. I’m experimenting like crazy with AI, not as a replacement for my creativity, but as something that boosts it even more.
But still, sometimes—in the middle of the night—doubt creeps in. The years ahead can feel a little scary. What if I’m just chasing a carrot I’ll never catch? What if I’m being unrealistic? What if this energy, this drive, is just me being in denial about getting older?
No. This is what it means to be on the front lines, to be a pioneer. Just like you.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your beautiful piece.
You just expressed what I’ve been annoyed with for so long. I’m in my early 50s, tech saavy because I like the potential it offers. I actively experiment how I can leverage AI in ways that benefit me and what I want to build in the world. And yet, I’m now at an age where I get targeted ads for “seniors” who are usually a good 20 years older than I am and look like “they’d be confused by doorknobs” as you so aptly put it. Insulting, yes, but also incredibly stupid.
How prescient. For the past year I’ve considered myself semi-retired; believe I still have value to provide as well as important expertise to share, my takeaway from your article is to redefine how I move forward. Thanks for the insights.
As Boomers have accumulated more wealth than any generation before them and then pulled the ladder up after them, this item creates the risk of Boomers continuing to hoard money and power beyond a time when it’s useful.
I would pick up your point that it’s time to look at meaning, Rolemodel and mentor the younger generation,s but do so in a manner where they can build wealth and accumulate power in a manner that boomers have denied to younger generations ever since they had the power to do so.
Boomers still have a lot to offe,r but they also need to recognise that they need to step aside and allow younger generations to shine in a manner that they have actively oppressed to date.
I am 70 and feeling the same, we are not dead, we are still alive and creative people that can make the difference, as we did in the past.
Reading your post and all the wonderful creativity in the comments – Yes. This our third age so let’s grab it, be amazed, tell about it and inspire others …
Princeton published excerpts of Cicero together called How to Grow Old. It pretty much covered what you said. Contribute wisdom, advise the younger, and such. The beauty of this age is that we can control the pace and the allocation of time. Aged: 67 here.
Enjoyed reading this article – all of it is so true!
“That’s not a wind-down. That’s an entire second career.” Something very profound in that. I will think, perhaps as a young person might and see where that lands. Nice article.
30 years? living to 95 is still unlikely.
Hello “Old Grey Thinker.” First of all, may I suggest Young Grey Thinker? I believe in the power of words and make a conscious effort not to use the word old. When I “retired” from being a high school Language Arts teacher in 2020 I dubbed it Rejuvenation as I feel “retired” has too many negative connotations, as you point out in this thought-provoking post that very much resonated with me.
Great article – thank you sir.
At 67 I’m constantly amused by people who ask:
“Are you retired?”
or
“When are you going to retire?”
My answer is always the same:
“WHY?”
Because in the immortal words of those wise philosophers Bachman, Turner, and Overdrive:
“You ain’t seen nothing yet!”
Subscribed 🙂
“Fantastic article!
I’m 63, and in a way, I sometimes feel the same kind of invisibility. I’m still working as a consultant, and guess what? The initial reaction — the “this-guy-should-be-at-home-with-his-grandchildren” look — quickly fades once people start asking for my advice, because they realize I’ve already been through the tricky stuff.
Of course, the stupid questions about how good we are with new tech come all the time. But when we download what’s in our brains into real-life situations, our advantage as ‘oldies’ grows. I think most countries, especially in the Western world, are completely missing the point:
The huge market of people over 65 should be reason enough, but marketers still want young faces and fresh blood to look good in the picture. I think that idea is getting more and more wrong every day.
Even more importantly, they underestimate the enormous potential older people have, just as you said. In other cultures, like in Japan, the old master is never invisible — he’s the Sensei, one of the most respected people in the company. Toyota, for example, has long experience moving older employees into training centers and assigning them to particularly complex projects where their knowledge helps train, coach, and guide the younger ones.
Now, with AI evolving so fast, the gap between online life and real-life experience is wider than ever. That’s a huge hole to fill — and we, the oldies, can and must step in, precisely because we’ve been there, ‘roasting chickens for a long time.’”
Spot on! I’m 70 and roughly 10 months into “retirement” or Act 3. Thanks OGT!! I’m with you. Still reading, still learning! 🌟🦾👊🏻
You are God send. I agree with you wholeheartedly. I’m 74 year old working full time as a Consultant for Learning and Development and Change Management as well as being a Certified Gestalt Life Coach, Executive Coach and Mentor. Retirement is NOT in my consciousness nor would ever be part of my vocabulary. I keep back to back workshop schedules as Trainer- Facilitator delivering custom designed learning modules for corporate clients for the past 30+years and last July 2024, I launched my You Tube Challenge entitled “My Season of Life with Ms. Malou Cervantes – 60 Years and Beyond – Aging Wisely, Aging Gracefully and Aging Elegantly. I wish to “collaborate” with you in making people our age not just relevant but “crucial to this century. How do I get in touch? I have been searching for a long time for a “movement” like this where I could “give back” to society what I am still receiving from it. Thank you for the courage.
Yep, all of that. I’m writing a newsletter in the spare room and my partner is upskilling on Python and AI. And the podcast is on my to do list!
Oh and whenever any of my friends in their 60s go for jobs, they are interviewed by stroppy less experienced people obsessed with ‘models’. As in “Yes, you’ve answered this really complex question about how you’d fix this problem and proved you’ve got the experience to do it, but what model would you use?’
Cindy Crawford?
Kate Moss?
I’d be tempted to say Twiggy but they wouldn’t have heard of her.
I was on a call with a lady yesterday who was let go on her first day because she was new at using Google Workspace. Come on lol, it seems just like microsoft office to me and I’m sure working out how to make a column wider in Workspace is easier than gaining decades of experience overnight.
But that just me.
That’s the way I’m playing it. And I’m feeling my personal power growing daily.
That’s the way I’m playing it. And I’m feeling my personal power growing daily.