Affluent Americans rush to retire - article

[disneysteve]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-30/more-americans-are-considering-retirement-because-of-covid?utm_source=url_link

Sounds like me

[bjl584]

This sort of piggybacks off the YOLO article that I posted a few days back.
Makes sense if you can do it.
The corporate environment is upside down right now.
A lot of the toxicity in the corporate culture is being exposed.
If I could get out today I would

[srblanco7]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...ource=url_link


Sounds like me

I look forward to being part of the exodus!

[rennigade]

People are finally waking up. Life is short. With people working remote they're realizing how soul sucking it is to sit in a cube or office 9 hours a day and sit in traffic for hours a week.

Also, I always hated the idea that "retirement" age is 65. Why? Because you can get on medicare then? The term early retirement is dumb. If you have enough money and want to stop working, that should simply be called retiring. It's not early if you can do it whenever you want.

[disneysteve]

I always hated the idea that "retirement" age is 65. Why? Because you can get on medicare then?

Yep. It's a function of insurance being tied to employment the way it is in this country. The ACA has helped a great deal and enabled lots of people to retire before 65 now that they have a reasonable alternative, but it's still far from ideal, especially for higher income earners who don't qualify for the subsidy.

Hopefully, the current administration will make some progress here and either lower the age for Medicare or do more to strengthen the ACA or both.

[Thrif-t]

Kinda what Rennigade said in his post, I agree, this is me:

The prospect of going back to the daily grind is going to be “a really tough pill for a lot of people to swallow,” said Kenneth Van Leeuwen, founder of financial services firm Van Leeuwen & Co. in Princeton, New Jersey.

Now that I got my orders to be back in the office on June 1st, it has me thinking about all this. I don't think I'm ready to just retire though, I signed up to get notifications for part time jobs near me when they have openings. I think I'm done with the commute, I'd love to keep working with my current employer if they'd let me stay at home. But for some reason, even though they put tracker software on our computers so they can see what we're doing, they are still under the mindset that we aren't working if we are not in the office, ugh.

[ua_guy]

But for some reason, even though they put tracker software on our computers so they can see what we're doing, they are still under the mindset that we aren't working if we are not in the office, ugh.

I've challenged that mentality many times over and what it comes down to is certain people find meaning, identity, and control in going to/working in an office every day. Remote work has a way of exposing bad leaders and gaps in knowledge, and a lot of people fear it. And some workers don't do well with it...the office is their opportunity to escape life at home, their opportunity to socialize.

I think the jig is up, though. People have been reminded that life is short, and spending our best hours somewhere we don't want to be, is a waste of life.

[disneysteve]

even though they put tracker software on our computers so they can see what we're doing, they are still under the mindset that we aren't working if we are not in the office, ugh.

It is so sad that this mindset persists. If your work is getting done in a timely manner and done well, what possible difference does it make if you're sitting at your desk in a cubicle or at your desk at home?

I think the pandemic greatly disrupted the work environment in ways that will be felt long term. Going back to the pre-COVID norm isn't going to happen for a great many people and employers. They've seen a viable alternative to the status quo and they're not going to be so quick to give it up.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Maybe but there are a lot of people taking advantage of working from home as well. Sure you aren't. But by the same token there are just as many people not working very hard and doing nothing.

[Thrif-t]

So why don't the bad guys ever get called out? Why does one rotten apple always spoil it for the bunch. Why aren't people held accountable anymore? People know they can get away with doing nothing because there aren't any consequences.

I've always been a rule follower, my conscience won't let me not be. I've always lived by and taught my kids to worry about yourself not others. But dang looking around that's getting harder to do lately!

[LivingAlmostLarge]

So why don't the bad guys ever get called out? Why does one rotten apple always spoil it for the bunch. Why aren't people held accountable anymore? People know they can get away with doing nothing because there aren't any consequences.

I've always been a rule follower, my conscience won't let me not be. I've always lived by and taught my kids to worry about yourself not others. But dang looking around that's getting harder to do lately!

Same reason why many of us had our homes go down in 2005-2008. Did we walk away? No. Could we? Probably many could have and luckily for the rest of people didn't. Or else it would have been catastrophically worse.