Do you see yourself working till you die?

r/

As much as we all want to retire comfortably and young, the world economy doesn’t allow that for most of us. I’ve come to realize that I may have to face the prospect of working till I’m 70.

For the past five years, I’ve focused on staying as healthy as possible. I cut my alcohol and greasy food. I get as much sleep as possible.

I just want to live. I’m fed up of constantly worrying about this and that. If I can’t get my house paid off by 50, then fine. I’ll keep grinding till it’s done.

Comments

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  2. htmwc Avatar

    God no. I took a job with a defined benefit pension so I can have some form of retirement

  3. Tw1sted_Reality Avatar

    Well I certainly hope that doesn’t happen

  4. AdmirableBoat7273 Avatar

    I expect to go into consulting at some point and do that into my 80’s at which point I’ll promptly die. So yes. But likely not out of necessity and likely more casual which should be fun.

  5. PPKA2757 Avatar

    Working a career position because I have to? God I hope not.

    Working a part time gig in an area of interest/hobby of mine to give me a sense of day to day purpose and alleviate boredom because I want to? Absolutely.

    FWIW I’m in your same age bracket, we still have plenty of time to prepare for retirement, assuming you plan to retire in ~30 years.

  6. spaceporter Avatar

    My aim is to be able to retire safely and comfortably by 55 and anything after that is (a) because I like the job and it isn’t killing me and (b) aimed at making my retirement even better.

    I want, e.g., a winter home somewhere in Central America, the Caribbean or Portugal, so if three extra years of work is what it takes to attain that, then so be it. If my job allows me to go to three days a week at 58, then I might consider that to allow my wealth to increase by another 40% so that after I can travel 10+ weeks per year. However, if I hate work and/or my body is failing me, I should be able to retire in a middle class way in my home at 55 and be content with that.

  7. AccountMediocre3857 Avatar

    Just keep a few thousand dollars saved to buy a car and be a chauffeur in Istanbul in your 60s and 70s.

  8. yeender Avatar

    I assume I’ll work till I die, anything above that is a bonus.

  9. squirticus Avatar

    no, but I do see myself having very little money to pass on to my kids after I’m gone. Like you I’m also trying to stay healthy to avoid as much contact with the healthcare industry as possible. So much of shitty middle-agedness is just a matter of not taking good care of yourself

  10. Terrible_Door_3127 Avatar

    I don’t see any other possibility

  11. IMThorazine Avatar

    Oh yea. Helps that my job has low physical demands and part time can still be very lucrative

  12. SizeAlarmed8157 Avatar

    LMaO. I’m going to work till I’m dead. I don’t have a choice. Between being an American with type 1 diabetes and owing $150k in student loans, I have no chance at retirement. I’m just trying to keep breathing air everyday.

  13. Cavsfan724 Avatar

    I plan on working till 75.

  14. fieregon Avatar

    Yes, I am getting more and more and more physical problems, I keep having back pains, I feel like I’m always not getting enough sleep, I have more headaches, my wrists and knees are fucked, I also have dental problems, I’m tired a lot, I am 35, but most of the time I feel like I’m hitting 60, I don’t see myself reaching retirement.

  15. Medium_Well Avatar

    God willing my wife and I stay healthy and our kids are well-adjusted and independent, then no, I don’t.

    Through a mix of hard work and some luck, we’ve started building a decent nest egg that should slowly grow through investments (the current market volatility in North America notwithstanding).

    I want to retire at 60 and pick up part time work or pursuits to stay busy. My wife wants to work forever but that’s just her mindset.

  16. SquirrelNormal Avatar

    Either I’m going to work until I die, or I’ll work until I break my body too badly to keep working, and then I’ll have to end it because I won’t be able to afford retirement.

  17. Amazing_Diamond_8747 Avatar

    Probably, at least until 62 when I have to retire (work in emergency services)

    My pension is poor so I’ll have to keep going til my mortgage is paid, if I can get one!

    Probably get another job after i retire so that I’ll be able to live, until i die. 🤷

  18. Right_Catch_5731 Avatar

    I’m in my mid 40’s and already retired.

    I go fishing, ride a lot of motorcycles, train jiujitsu several times a week, go to the gym daily, play basketball a ton, hang with nieces and nephews a lot.

    Self made multimillionaire.

    Its actually far easier than you’d think.

    You just have to start thinking for yourself and stop following the ‘yellow brick road path’ society has told you to follow.

    This is because that path is not actually intended to lead you to financial freedom.

    It is intended to keep you a worker bee wage slave for life, that is why you can’t retire.

  19. mr_miggs Avatar

    I sure hope not. I would like to have a good 10 years at least of not being stressed by work.

  20. GulfofMaineLobsters Avatar

    If I’m lucky I’ll drop dead while still mobile on my own deck, mid trawl sometime in the next ten to fifteen years, beyond that my body is going to give out and I’m f-ed so benching on a coronary, please gods a coronary or a massive massive stroke, just shut me down because that’s the best possible outcome for me. That or something like an ättestupa with some sleeping pills and knocking a seacock out in the deep water with the EPIRB and life raft left on the dock so no one wastes time and resources looking for what doesn’t want to be found.

  21. AnybodySeeMyKeys Avatar

    Until Trump tanked the stock market, I was thinking July 28, 2027. Now? I have no idea.

  22. kartoffel_engr Avatar

    Absolutely not.

    I’ll probably work into my early 60s. If I choose to work after that it’ll be on my own terms. So far, I’m looking good to retire in my early 50s, so anything extra is mo money.

  23. Triphixa Avatar

    People need to recognize the best way to live their life. Sometimes you have to give some comfort things up, to have a better lifestyle. I see so much complaining about never owning a house, or working too hard, and getting nowhere.

    I live in one of the more expensive provinces in Canada, and worked in one of the most expensive cities, about 10 years ago, I realized that my chronic pain and other issues would end up with me being on disability. Was it feasible to continue to live where I was? No. I started to look further away.

    I split up with my common law spouse, and left the city and moved to a much more rural area. My issues led me to disability faster than I expected and that was getting close to unaffordable and I knew I would struggle there. So I looked even further away and found an area where I could live on a 17k a year disability amount. Same Province.

    Today, I have a home with property, and a relaxed lifestyle where I don’t have a ton of stress, and am so much happier than I ever was. Sure, some things took getting used to, looking at you winter, but, I wouldn’t trade my current life for a 100k salary in the city I left. Good life is still available even today, you just have to understand it isn’t always exactly how you expected it to turn out.

    Having a trade style job or something small communities lack, puts you well ahead of the pack. Plumbers, electricians, even hair stylists, or nails, massage therapy etc lets you work on your own time and do the jobs you want to do. Lots of retirees are where I am, doing shopping for them, or take to doctors appointments, housekeeping, yard work, plowing etc. These are in big demand. So these jobs range from something a little more invested like plumbing and electrical, or massage therapy, but the rest are pretty simple to get into.

    Your mileage may vary, but, if you spend some time figuring out what will keep you happy, and where is an affordable place to go, you will find it. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t make enough to take a vacation or go somewhere more exciting, and life can feel same same every day, but still better than suffering trying to get by thinking you might be homeless or working until 70. I might add, it obviously isn’t for everyone, but you have choices in life and following the trend of debt and stress just wasn’t something I particularly wanted to have when I already suffer daily from pain.

  24. Time_Battle_884 Avatar

    Yup. I expect some poor custodian to find me at my desk on Monday morning, dead of a heart attack or stroke on Friday night.

  25. Turbowookie79 Avatar

    Nope. I’m “retiring “ early at 55. I’ve spent the last few years buying and remodeling by myself a couple of rental properties. And ive lived way below my means, saving into retirement accounts. Plus I have a small pension and annuity from 17 years I spent I the carpenters union. I’m going to retire at 55. I’ll supplement my income with handyman work a couple times a week, then smoke pot and go skiing with the rest of my time.

  26. Open-Egg1732 Avatar

    I’m 37, and in America. Little chance I’m gonna be able to retire.

    My 401k is tanking due to our president, a depression around the corner, living costs are skyrocketing and our income is not, and I don’t even own my home yet since it’s so damn unaffordable. I’m lucky to get a week paid vacation, that’s as close to “enjoying my retirement” as me and most of my generation is gonna get.

    If your my age and feel like your doing okay, congratulations your in the top 35% of America right now.

  27. InspectorQueasy93 Avatar

    Yes and no. I’ll have a good job now, but my wife and I bought a large acreage so we can generate some sort of income when we want to retire.

  28. roooooooooob Avatar

    There’s not really an alternative if you’re working for a living and rent

  29. MeepleMerson Avatar

    That was not the plan, but given how Trump’s new taxes are killing the market (and going to cause rampant inflation), now I’m not so sure. I hope that the Turd Reich chickens out, but if they stay the course and cause a depression, I might have to.

  30. winterbike Avatar

    I’m 38 and I’m already half-retired, living frugally has really paid off. I know I might not have a job until I die (though I love my current job), but I’ll do useful things until I die. Might be volunteering, might be helping the kids fix their house or babysitting the grandkids, I’ll be working hard to improve the world around me.

  31. Butt_bird Avatar

    Between 401k, social security, and VA Disability I will be able to retire from being a diesel mechanic at 60. I plan to continue working because too much free time is not good for someone who struggles with substance abuse. I’m working on investing in real estate and managing rental properties for income in retirement.

  32. Timberfront73 Avatar

    I don’t think I will, I’ve been working at Costco for 9 years and they have an awesome 401K that I’ve been putting 12% in and they match up to a certain amount. I went to a financial advisor a few years ago and he helped me out and my 401K has been solid since then.

    It is crazy that a lot of my friends in their 30s have not started saving for retirement yet. It’s hard I get it I honestly just got lucky that I started working at Costco when I did.

  33. Idrinkbeereverywhere Avatar

    This is why I’ve always called by plan “Die at 65.” Once my parents are dead, my dying won’t effect anyone.

  34. Kosmopolite Avatar

    Yeah, maybe. I’m paying for a pension plan, but I don’t think it’ll cover my necessities. More likely I’ll be able to go part-time, though.

  35. matt2621 Avatar

    Absolutely not. I’m sure I’ll get downvoted for this but “the world economy doesn’t allow that” is a cop out. I have consistently lived below my means and not spent money I don’t have in order to one day retire. This has all happened while going through markets of ’08, ’20, ’22, and now so it’s not like I haven’t experienced hurt with my money. I have regularly made sure to pay myself first (retirement accts) and made it a habit before spending money for fun. This has all happened while having a house, wife, and kid as well so it’s not like I live in mom’s basement with no real money obligations.

  36. CactuarLOL Avatar

    Money has never been a driving factor in my life, but I’m in a western country (UK) so I am better off than many.

    I live within my means, don’t have any real large spends thay I need to make, and live a happy life.

    I have contributed to “national insurance” which means I will get a state pension at 65, and at the moment I’m 39, I work a simple job as a forklift driver, if I ever have a big spend coming up, for example a holiday planned, I pick up extra shifts and save for it.

    My grandfather’s sage advice when I was in my teens was simple but has served me well: “If you want something, save for it, never borrow from a bank, friends or family, set it as a goal and earn it.”

    That has been the best advice I’ve had in my entire life and I’ve lived by it and been happy.

    I will work as much as I want, I’ve saved up to own my place and am happy to work as and when I need money.

  37. davidm2232 Avatar

    I’m planning to retire by 50 at the latest then work for myself. I’m hoping in the next 20 years, they figure out health insurance that isn’t linked to employment. Only thing stopping me from working for myself

  38. Convergentshave Avatar

    What the fuck is the point of staying healthy now if it means I just have to work til I die? 😂🤣

  39. silly_bet_3454 Avatar

    Yeah, I used to think I’d be able to retire early, but have also slowly realized it might never seem to make sense. My wife and I have a decent amount saved in our 30s, but yeah economy is going to crap of course, and over my life things have just seemed to get worse and worse in terms of financial prospects, cost of living, housing, healthcare, everything skyrocketing. Job market stagnating or worsening across industries including my own. Technically might possible to retire, but wife wants a certain standard of living, that’s a constant battle. Better to just accept that work is life, I’m still very fortunate to have some amount of security and a job I don’t hate, and some WLB for the time being.

  40. burneracctt22 Avatar

    Do I plan on it? No… but I am not ready to retire today, so there is a possibility…

  41. Captain_Kruch Avatar

    With my health as it is, I’ll most likely end up in a wheelchair and forced to live on disability rather than retire (at the moment I work full time, but have a medical implant that, if and when it malfunctions, will quite likely leave me a paraplegic).

  42. ncist Avatar

    Probably not going to be necessary but always a possibility and one we plan for. The alternative – that I get laid off at 50 and too old to rehire for my industry – and can’t work until I die is also a possibility to plan for.

  43. ParticularSherbet786 Avatar

    That’s for sure. Tariff killed my savings

  44. Fine-Ad-7802 Avatar

    I don’t have to but I like my job

  45. destructive_cheetah Avatar

    I don’t have kids. I’m planning on paying off my house by 50.

  46. BrewtalKittehh Avatar

    Yep, 53M. Paid off my house last year, but wife and I split up. Part owner of a business, but in this stupid political climate, who knows how that pans out? I’ve resigned to working until I physically can’t any more, but that was kinda my plan anyway.

  47. molten_dragon Avatar

    No. I have every intention of retiring by age 70 at the absolute latest, and as much earlier as I can manage.

  48. Wolf_E_13 Avatar

    Fuck to the no…at least not in the sense that I’m working now. I should be able to retire in 10 years at 60 with my pension, but I imagine I’ll do something…either volunteer wise or I’ll do something else to keep me busy, but it will be what I want it to be and I won’t be an employee…at most a 1099 contractor until I’m done with that and ready to just do whatever.

  49. loconessmonster Avatar

    Tbh even if I suddenly became ultra wealthy I’d still find some kind of work. Video games, restaurants, travel, cocaine, …etc sound fun until they become normal parts of your life that aren’t special. Work is one dimension of life that I dont want to go away completely in the same way that friends, family, and learning are things that intend to keep.

  50. ThorsMeasuringTape Avatar

    Before the last week or so, I’d say that I was in really great shape to be able to retire in my early 50s with paying off my house will probably end up being the last checkbox to check off. So, that’s been fun.

    At that point, if I continue to generally like what I do, I will likely continue working as long as it continues to be enjoyable.

  51. 00rb Avatar

    It doesn’t have to do with the “world economy,” it has to do with the percentage of your income that you save for retirement, regardless of what your income is.

    E.g. if you can save and invest 20% of your income starting now, you’ll be fine.

  52. EffortlessJiuJitsu Avatar

    Hopefully I can work till I die beause I love what I am doing:-)

  53. Enough-Fee-For-Me Avatar

    Probably now that moron has ruined all our Pensions 🤬

  54. OkMacaron493 Avatar

    That may be how it ends up but not how I want it to go. I’m in the top 5% of intelligence but AI could make it so my best avenue is to monetize one of my passions, like bonsai or music.

  55. SeenSeenAgains Avatar

    Sadly yes, now they want to take away the public half of my retirement income. If that’s happens it’s impossible.

  56. love_that_fishing Avatar

    Already retired at 64. So far so good.

  57. Timely-Profile1865 Avatar

    I retried just before my 57th birthday, I am happy with my decision. I’m 64 now.

  58. mrredbailey1 Avatar

    Absolutely, because I love what I do.

  59. LordHogchild Avatar

    I’m 62 and (touch wood) in good health. It’s recently occurred to me that the physical and mental stressors of my job are actually helping keep me going. I think if I just stopped working I’d fall to bits pretty quick.
    Which is good cos I’m skint and won’t never get to retire anyway!

  60. trowawHHHay Avatar

    Since I like my work, I’ll work as long as I feel like it.

  61. embiidagainstisreal Avatar

    Yup. No retirement. Just die on the factory floor. My only retirement “plan” is going to prison in a Scandinavian country.

  62. myeasyking Avatar

    I really hope not.

  63. 50plusGuy Avatar

    Hmm! – If I won’t wake up tomorrow; you ‘ll be right (& who ‘knows* or cares?).

    I see a realistic chance, to be mostly retired by 60

  64. omg_its_dan Avatar

    No, Bitcoin has given me hope to escape the matrix

  65. symbolsalad Avatar

    I don’t see myself working now. I’ll happily except working until I’m dead, because that means that I actually got a job, which is the good ending. Besides, it’s not like I’m doing anything better with my time.

  66. musing_codger Avatar

    Retired at 54. Enjoying it so far. I do miss work sometimes.

  67. sboLIVE Avatar

    I can retire at 52. And I plan on it.

    I also don’t see the benefit of living forever by cutting out things you enjoy, i see very old people everyday at work, a lot of them arnt necessarily having a great time.

    Balance seems to be key.

  68. roscoe7585 Avatar

    If the market continues in it’s current direction, maybe. Seriously, though, I plan to retire by 62, if not sooner.

  69. FelixGoldenrod Avatar

    It’s a very real possibility. I didn’t allocate much to retirement in my 20s and I’m not going to be in a high-earning bracket. My only chance of a decent retirement is to be frugal and cross my fingers. Not having kids will help too

  70. Arch_Stanton1862 Avatar

    I’m not planning to, no. And if I have to I just kill myself. Problem solved.

  71. Beneficial-Ad7969 Avatar

    Working, yeah.

    W2 employed, no chance.

  72. ForAfeeNotforfree Avatar

    Nope. Definitely not. Even if I have to significantly lower my standard of living, I’ll make it work. I’m not gonna be doing this shit when I’m 60, let alone 70.

  73. DudleyAndStephens Avatar

    I’m hoping to retire by my early 50s.

  74. tryingnottoshit Avatar

    Absolutely, I could be dead in a few years so I don’t see why not.

  75. gringo-go-loco Avatar

    Yes. But only because I will probably die at 60.

  76. git_nasty Avatar

    Only if the US falls.

  77. Matthiass13 Avatar

    Yeah, but that’s just because I love my job and don’t see a point in retirement. Sounds boring.

  78. as1126 Avatar

    Not a day longer than it takes for me to collect retirement money. No interested.

  79. SensitiveProcedure0 Avatar

    Ish .. I expect to work far fewer hours for money at 50, but may be working more hours in a day and week. I currently already work one of my dream jobs. But my next move would be to keep my current, or similar, role, at 20-30 hrs a week instead of 40. I’d then use that head space for other projects.

    No idea how I’d feel at 70, but I can’t imagine being healthy and not very busy.

    I haven’t worked jobs that pay retirement benefits much of my life, and my personal retirement is obviously heavily subject to things like our current president mismanaging economic policy. But in the 20+ year arch I expect to be alright, and already own a small house in a big city.

  80. TheThinker21 Avatar

    I feel myself having to work until I die in order to survive. Whether or not I will is tbd

  81. CarlJustCarl Avatar

    In the words of Huey Lewis – I’ll be working here forever, at least until I die.

  82. naitch44 Avatar

    43 now, I have no doubt I’ll be working to the grave.

  83. thefaceinthepalm Avatar

    I am fully retired from my first career. My retirement could support me until I die.

    But I have a wife. So I will be working at least until she dies.

  84. Nomadic-Wind Avatar

    Just leave to another country. You’ll be fine with your low social security, 401k, pension, or something.

  85. senddita Avatar

    I’m not working past 55. I have a super fund set up for retirement that can be accessed at 60 which will be around 700-1m, I’m also shooting for 500k in personal savings + setting up investments for passive income so should have at least minimum wage coming in.

    I plan to buy a house somewhere rural on the coastal line that I can live in rent free

    Will go traveling on the cheap for 10 years then settle down at 65

    So that’s my plan and I got about 25 years of work left 😂

  86. VegaGT-VZ Avatar

    Till I die no but Im def not counting every second until I can retire. I am fortunate in having some autonomy and enjoyment from my career so I plan to keep working as long as possible.

  87. misterguyyy Avatar

    Probably until my mind goes but I’m cool with it. I genuinely have fun at work, I can work wherever I want, and at this point I’ve seen pretty much everything problem-wise so it’s just hard enough to not get boring.

    Once my kids are independent and I put a few years of aggressive savings under my belt, I can live comfortably on a 20hr/week contract in my field.

  88. aethocist Avatar

    I’m 78 and retired but I still “work”: home responsibilities and volunteering. I expect this will continue until physical or mental issues prohibit it.

    It’s 2 pm—I’m going to go take a nap.

  89. angrypassionfruit Avatar

    I see myself dying before I would need to stop working.