Randy Seacat expected to retire at 75 if at all.

The labor market had other plans.

Seacat lost his customer support job at Amazon Web Services in late 2020 at age 58. He has not found work since, even after applying for more than 1,700 jobs and sitting through 51 interviews. Now 61, he submitted application No. 1,746 the other day but still has no job.

“I’ve never had a problem having a job in my lifetime,” he says. “I do really great on the phone interview, but when they find out how old I am, the door slams. It’s over.”

If you’re one of many Americans who think you’ll work till 75 or 70, or even 65, think again.


The average American retires at 62, according to two annual surveys of working and retired Americans, published by the Employee Benefit Research Institute and the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies.

Sixty-two is not particularly old. The average over-50 worker expects to retire at 67, according to Transamerica. The average life expectancy is 77 ½. Our president is running for reelection at 81.

But few of us get to retire when we want. We might imagine easing out of our careers on our own terms. Yet in reality, retirement often comes suddenly and unexpectedly, via a corporate layoff or a household health scare.

Here are the stories of seven Americans who retired years earlier than planned, for reasons largely beyond their control.

For three of the seven, early retirement seeded financial ruin. The others exited work into a retirement that, while comfortable enough, fell far short of the life they had envisioned. One, Seacat, is still fighting retirement, hoping to rejoin the labor force one day.


1,746 applications, but no job
Seacat's skills include internet marketing, videogame design, search engine optimization, voice acting and songwriting. Back in the ‘80s, he played and sang in Seattle hair bands.

For most of the past decade, Seacat worked at an Amazon subsidiary as a technical customer support associate, helping with cloud computing. He lost his job when the company shipped it overseas, taking a severance package along with some aging colleagues.

“And I thought, ‘OK, I’ll be able to get back to work, no big deal,’” he said. “Well, that didn’t happen.”

Seacat lived in the Seattle suburbs. His job search ranged north to Alaska, south to Portland and east to Montana.

Randy Seacat: 1,746 applications, but no job.
He soon saw a pattern. Applications hit a wall when the employer figured out his approximate age. Often, they’d tell him he was overqualified.

When an application reaches the interview stage, he said, “everything goes great, until they discover that I’m a boomer.”

Even after 1,746 failed applications, Seacat says he isn’t giving up.

“I’m too young to retire,” he said. “I can’t get Social Security,” a benefit that kicks in at 62, “and I burned through most of my savings trying to save my home.”


Seacat lived on retirement savings until the autumn of 2022 when they ran out and he was forced to leave his rented home.

He purchased an RV. He could live in it, but can’t afford to rent a space in an RV park because those slots run $800 to $1,200 a month.

“I am pretty much homeless,” he said, staying with family between Seattle and Portland.

His belongings sit in a storage space that, like the RV space, he can no longer afford. If he doesn’t pay the bill soon, he said, “it’s gonna be gone.”

It’s hard to imagine a more industrious job seeker. Even so, Seacat said he’s surprised he doesn’t get more empathy when he shares his story.

“People tell me all the time, ‘I know people who are 60 who are working,’” he said. “And I tell them, ‘There’s a big difference between working at 60 and getting hired at 60.’”


A career unravels in a fateful fall
Larry Zarzecki planned to work till he dropped.

He would put in 35 years at his Maryland police department, then segue into a job in security, following a time-honored tradition in law enforcement.

At 49, Zarzecki’s retirement plan unraveled, along with his life.

Larry Zarzecki planned to work till he dropped. But his retirement plans unraveled at 49, after a Parkinson's diagnosis.
He developed a tremor in his hand. He started struggling with balance. At length, a doctor diagnosed Parkinson’s disease.

Zarzecki balked at telling loved ones and colleagues. But soon enough, the disease announced itself. An ill-timed freezing episode in 2013 sent him toppling down the stairs of his family home. He suffered a brain injury and severe spinal damage. Doctors wondered if he’d ever walk again, let alone work.

He spent 21 months in the hospital, learning to walk and talk all over again, and relearning the story of his own life: The brain injury had wiped out his memory.

Larry Zarzecki, 61, lives on his disability pension, occupying a modest in-law cottage next to his son’s home in Stevensville, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Zarzecki was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at 49. In 2013, he suffered a brain injury and severe spinal damage from a serious fall that would impact his ability to find work.
Zarzecki wanted to work again, but no one wanted him.

“I couldn’t even get a job as a greeter at Walmart,” he said. “Everything is fine until you get to the point where you have to start disclosing medical issues that may put you or someone else in danger, or in harm’s way.

“Look, I’m a liability. I get it.”

On the day of his catastrophic fall, Zarzecki had a police pension and $100,000 in retirement savings. He planned to max out the pension and build the retirement account to $500,000 with many more years of work.

“We wouldn’t have had to worry about money,” he said.

After the fall, Zarzecki’s wife divorced him. Hospital bills and medication copays chewed through his retirement account.


Now 61, Zarzecki lives on his disability pension, occupying a modest in-law cottage next to his son’s home in Stevensville on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

He recently paid off the last of his hospital bills, leaving him debt-free. But he still faces $3,000 a month in out-of-pocket costs for medication. He has no savings, and his income is more or less fixed. Simply put, he’s broke.

Every day, he jokes, Zarzecki must decide “whether to treat or eat”: to manage his many lingering symptoms with a dozen daily meds, or to purchase food.

Larry Zarzecki speaks with Verona Palatines at the Kent Senior Center, where he volunteers, on March 22, 2024. Zarzecki, 61, lives on his disability pension, occupying a modest in-law cottage next to his son’s home in Stevensville, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Zarzecki was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at 49. In 2013, he suffered a brain injury and severe spinal damage from a serious fall that would impact his ability to find work.
Retired at 55, with kids still in college
Virginia Crespo had not planned to retire at 55.

She had two kids in college and a good job that she loved, teaching history and government at a suburban high school near Annapolis, Maryland.

But Crespo was also living with fibromyalgia, a chronic illness that causes pain, fatigue and brain fog. One morning, after teaching her first class, she thought, “How can I teach four more?” She put in her notice, setting her retirement for July 2002.

A few months shy of that date, her husband came home from work and announced that his employer was shutting down.

Virginia Crespo had not planned to retire at 55. But a chronic illness made the decision for her.
And thus, both Crespos retired at 55. Both had planned to work for several more years.

With combined salaries over $200,000, husband and wife could have expected to earn at least $1 million between ages 55 and 60.

Instead, the couple made do on Virginia’s pension, which paid about $32,000 a year, plus annual cost-of-living increases. They could no longer afford to cover their children’s college educations. Both children took out student loans. After college, they were on their own.

Joseph Crespo had a retirement account, worth about $150,000, but the 2008 recession gutted it.

Virginia Crespo sends emails in her home for her volunteer work on March 21, 2024. Crespo had not planned to retire at 55 in 2002. She had two kids in college and a good job that she loved, teaching at a suburban high school near Annapolis, Md. But Crespo was also living with fibromyalgia, a chronic illness that causes pain, fatigue and brain fog.
Those setbacks left them with a more modest retirement, living on Virginia’s teacher pension and Social Security. The Crespos retooled their bucket list.

“We traveled the United States some, but not the world,” she said. “We did get to see the Grand Canyon.”

Joseph Crespo died in 2015. Virginia now lives around the corner from the old family home in a smaller dwelling.


She does not regret the decisions they made more than 20 years ago: Life takes unexpected turns.

“It is difficult to speculate how things might have been different,” she said. “We could have paid for our children’s college bills and avoided student loans. We could have paid off the mortgage.”

Booted from a top-drawer tech job at 61
At 67, Peter Plamondon is ensconced in a comfortable retirement with his wife in Sierra Vista, Arizona, in the Sonoran Desert.

But he kicks himself at how much more comfortable it might have been.

Peter Plamondon, 67, is living a comfortable retirement in the Sonoran Desert. But it could have been a lot more comfortable.
Thirteen years ago, at 54, Plamondon started working with a financial planner. They crafted a retirement plan: Plamondon would work until he was 66 or 67. He would max out his retirement savings in the final six or seven years, adding another $500,000 to his 401(k).

And then, at 61, Plamondon lost his job in a layoff.

Plamondon worked at a tech firm, specializing in helping other tech companies build relationships with Microsoft, where he’d previously worked. He earned stellar reviews.

But he was also the oldest worker on his team, “at least 15 years older than anyone else, and 30 years older than some,” he said. And he earned a generous six-figure salary.

The layoffs targeted “the expensive employees,” he said, with “more experience, higher salaries, and higher health care costs than twenty-somethings.”

Undaunted, Plamondon applied for other jobs that seemed perfect fits. He’d never had trouble finding work.

A handful of job leads yielded interviews. “And then, nothing,” he said.

Each time, Plamondon believes, his application hit a wall when the hiring manager “figured out that I wasn’t 25. You can’t have 25 years’ experience and be 25.”

After more than 100 applications, Plamondon gave up. He and his wife left Redmond, Washington, the pricey Pacific Northwest address of Microsoft, and moved to the Arizona desert.


Plamondon found work as a technical writer, earning $85 an hour and grossing $20,000 a year: A drop in the bucket, next to his former salary.

Even that didn’t last. The arrival of ChatGPT upended the technical writing marketplace, allowing employers to hire lower-paid writers who leveraged artificial intelligence to cut corners. The hourly rate dropped to $40.

Despite the setbacks, the Plamondons have a secure retirement. Sierra Vista has a much lower cost of living than greater Seattle.

But the couple had planned to spend their retirement years seeing the world. That is no longer an option.

Recent events have Plamondon thinking about his father-in-law.

“He thought he was going to work till he was 67, 68, and life intervened,” he said. The father-in-law retired early with a broken hip, shaving several years off his career.

“Here was this example, right in front of my face, and I did not internalize it,” he said.

At 58, a choice between career and care
Betty Houseknecht planned to work until age 65, at least, selling diamond engagement rings and fancy watches for a jeweler in suburban Baltimore.

Then, in 2012, her 96-year-old father fell and broke his neck. Her 95-year-old mother needed help caring for him.

Betty Houseknecht had planned to work to at least 65. Family health issues forced her to retire at 58.
Houseknecht’s employer “would have given me maybe a month off,” she said. As it turned out, she would need eight years.

Houseknecht left her gemology job at 58 to care for her parents. Her mother died a few months later. She spent the next few years caring for her father and her husband, David, who had just retired from a management job at UPS and was struggling with diabetes.

David Houseknecht died in 2016 at age 64.

“The last nine months of his life were really a nightmare for me, between taking care of him and my dad,” Betty said.

The next year, she put her father in assisted living after a bad fall. She visited him for several hours a day. He died in 2019 at 103.

“I had a tough eight years,” Houseknecht said. “When I look back now, I don’t know how I survived it.”

They were also costly years.

The couple had planned to pay off their own home and a second one they owned in Sarasota, Florida, and to amass at least $1 million in retirement savings, leveraging Betty’s job and David’s pension and Social Security income.

Betty’s early retirement and David’s declining health laid waste to those plans. Shortly before David died, the couple sold the second home.


Both David and Betty had retired at 58. Their early exits cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost salary and savings.

Betty, now 71, lives in a condo near the family home.

“My plan is to stay there till the bitter end,” she said. “Hopefully, the money will continue to grow and not run out.”

Houseknecht has about $80,000 in annual retirement income, between her late husband’s pension, Social Security and savings. She has an aging car, but it’s paid off. She watches her spending. She doesn't travel much. She misses the Sarasota home, “especially this time of year,” she said: Many of her friends are snowbirds.

If the need should arise for long-term care, she hopes to hire help and remain in her condo. Still, she wonders how many years she has left.

“I could easily live to be a hundred plus,” she said. “That’s kind of a scary thought. I could have another whole lifetime to live yet.”

Americans love pensions.Where did they go? Will they ever return?

Retired since 44, and looking to the future
At age 44, Deborah Scott-Nettles hadn’t thought much about retirement. Yet, after a series of setbacks, she found herself retired.

Scott-Nettles had worked a range of disparate jobs: Runway model. IRS customer service agent. In 2001, she was working in a college admissions office and dabbling in coursework, looking for a new career path.

Deborah Scott-Nettles, retired at age 44 and after a series of setbacks is still looking towards the future rather than worrying about finances and retirement.
Over several months, her plans fell apart. In October 2001, she tripped on a buckle on a sidewalk and fell, dealing permanent injuries to her neck. Months later, her longtime boyfriend attacked her with an ax.

“I think he just snapped,” she said. “The next thing I remember, I was out in the street, screaming for help.”

The ax attack left Scott-Nettles with brain injuries. But she would wait five years to reap disability benefits.

After a stay in a domestic violence shelter, she wound up homeless and penniless. She eventually moved in with her grown daughter. The boyfriend went to prison.

Between the neck and head injuries, Scott-Nettles lives now in constant pain.

“I have so many different kinds of headaches, they don’t know what to call them,” she said.

She tried to return to full-time work or study but found she couldn’t cope with either.


Before the injuries, Scott-Nettles had earned $60,000 to $70,000 in some years. Now, at 66, she collects about $2,000 a month in disability and Social Security. She also draws income through a training program at Legacy Link, a nonprofit that supports adults with disabilities. She lives in Gainesville, Georgia.

She is thinking of training as a Zumba instructor. She dreams of becoming a motivational speaker and maybe writing a book.

“If you have the strength, have the fortitude, you can rise above whatever your circumstances are,” she said.

Though she has no retirement savings, Scott-Nettles does not worry about the future. She is savoring her time with her six grandchildren.

“I don’t want for anything,” she said. “I’m driving a nice car. I’m living in a nice apartment. My refrigerator’s full.”

Put out to pasture at 56
John Guth planned to work at least until 60, overseeing maintenance on the St. Louis city bus fleet.

Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, a nightmare scenario for public transit. Lost revenue drove the city to offer early retirement. Guth was 56. He rethought his retirement plans.

John Guth retired early at 56 with very little wiggle room in his budget for spending. Today, at 59, Guth is a hobby farmer.
“I had seen several of my co-workers and friends, who could have retired, keep saying, ‘One more year, just one more year,’” Guth said.

“One of them was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer, one was killed in a motorcycle accident on his way home from work, one died from liver cancer, and two died from heart attacks. One, in the middle of the shop floor. There were others too. They could have retired and instead worked to the day they died.

“I promised myself that wouldn’t be me.”

Guth took early retirement.

Retiring early left Guth and his wife “very little wiggle room” with their finances, he said. His income dropped by two-thirds, the difference between his full salary and a city pension. His wife, who raised five children and had little time for work, draws only $600 a month in Social Security. Guth himself is not yet eligible for Social Security.

“I wish we were a little better prepared financially,” he said. “But we are doing OK.”

The Guths sold their house in St. Louis and moved into a rural property they had bought in 2017 as their retirement home. They used the proceeds from the family home to pay off their remaining debt, as well as the last of the student debt they owed for their grown children.


“We are debt-free, and we want to stay there,” he said.

Today, at 59, John Guth is a hobby farmer. He raises goats, rabbits and chickens. The goats provide milk and cheese. The hens lay eggs. The rabbits and chickens provide meat. Food inflation hasn’t affected him much.

“Rabbit meat has become 40%-50% of our diet now,” Guth said: Ground rabbit for chili, sausage and pasta sauce, the latter inspiring a dish he calls Bunny Alfredo.

“Between my pension and our Social Security, we should have enough to get by,” he said. Guth also has $200,000 in retirement savings, but his plan is to save it for emergencies. He drives two trucks, both 2004 models. The Guths have no real travel budget: “We’re pretty much homebodies,” he said.

“The one thing I love about what we’re doing here is, it keeps you mentally and physically active,” he said. “Before we retired, I didn’t know how to build a goat fence.”
LINK:
https://www.usatoday.com/story...ly-layoffs-health/72

Interesting yet sad stories.

It sounds like several of these folks had put off serious saving for retirement until they were in their 50s. That is a big mistake.

I'll be 57 in a few days and I have been telling my wife half-seriously/half-joking that I am going to "retire" in August when my youngest daughter heads off to college. But what does retirement really mean these days to most folks? For me it probably just means stepping out of the corporate 9-5 shitshow that I've been in for the past 20+ years, not sitting on a beach sipping fruit drinks for the rest of my life.(I'm actually typing this from the beach in Cancun doing exactly that right now, and I can say it holds no long-term appeal!).

We have plenty of money saved for college and a comfortable retirement, plus two small pensions, one paid off house, a cheap mortgage on another, and no debt. The only real financial concern we have is the cost of healthcare without an employer subsidy.

I'm not sure exactly what I will do in "retirement," but I have little concern about keeping busy and being able to earn a few bucks. I think the hardest part is actually going to be summoning up the courage to actually step off the wheel.

Ageism is real. Two examples I'm familiar with:

I have a very talented engineer coworker who retired early at 55 with the intent of working a few years at less stressful job. 2 years later and he's still fully retired.

I have an in-law who spent her entire working life getting a new job every 6 to 24 months. Got laid off at 60 and unable to find another job. She effectively retired at 60 when she wanted to work to 65.

quote:

Originally posted by CoolRich59:
It sounds like several of these folks had put off serious saving for retirement until they were in their 50s. That is a big mistake.

+1

Much better plan to have decades of compounding returns as your retirement nest egg. Also, it's a rare person who can suddenly change decades of spending pattern and actually become a saver at age 50.

I feel really fortunate to have 2 people give wise counsel when I was in my 20s:

A coworker named Pat, I can't even remember his last name any more, was nearing retirement and one afternoon plopped down in my office's guest chair and said "I want to give you 2 pieces of advice." (1) as soon as possible, max out your 401k contribution and learn to live off the rest and (2) when the 401k envelope arrives in the mail either throw it in the trash or in a file cabinet. Do NOT try to time the market, but instead dollar cost average invest.

A pastor named John. His advice was to prioritize your spending by giving your first 10% to the church, your next 10% to savings, and then live off the remaining 80%.

I integrated Pat's 15% 401k to John's 10% to church/charity, and learned to live off the rest. When I got a raise/bonus, I whipped up a spreadsheet (like most engineers I enjoy doing that) and created a plan to follow the same principles. By mid-30s had modified the plan to include annual IRA contributions and rainy day fund.

Now, I'm the salt and pepper haired guy at work and like to share the two pieces of advice with the early career folks. Perhaps one day someone will begin with, "A coworker named Todd, I can't even remember his last name any more, ..."

---

Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

Similar situation happened to my dad in 2008 when he was 61. He had saved for retirement his entire life, but didn't leave on his terms when he was laid off. He was able and willing to work in the corporate world for several more years. Absolutely could not find a job. He lived off of savings and claimed SS at age 67. He also has a pension. I'm not so lucky!

I just turned 51 this year and we save, save and save. My wife, who is 43, just switched jobs and basically doubled her salary. We are now at a point where we are spending a little more on ourselves. I'm hoping to leave my current job in 4 - 5 years. Not "retire", but work less hours on something I want to do, not my current soul sucking corporate job. I put away $1,000 per month into our kids 529 accounts. They'll be in college in 6 years...UGH!

Start saving early and let compounding help, but yes, age discrimination is a real thing, unfortunately.

Not to thread drift too much, but these types of situations pop into my head for the folks who home school their kids. Yes, home schooling is nice, but what are you sacrificing to do that? Are you sacrificing your retirement and helping your kids pay for college? Yes, I realize parents are not obligated to pay for college.

Sobering article, and as mentioned by Todd above, starting in your 50s is too late. I too am the salt and pepper guy now at work and need another 7 years to go at least. But just in '22 my company laid me off along with 4 other white males my age or older....

I got back in just under the 60 day wire. So I keep my head on a swivel at work even more so now. Luckily I have been saving and living below my means my whole adult life so if life happens it wont be catastrophic. It wont be fun but it wont be life shattering.
I see neighbors and folks around here in NW Houston, living life well, real well actually and always wonder what great job they must have or perhaps they are just spending it as they make it not preparing for the future.

I retired at 61 a couple of years ago, as I could see the writing on the wall, I left on my terms.

Corporate America doesn’t want older workers, face it we cost them too much. We don’t work for low wages, most of us have health issues, and we don’t put up with the BS that is being force fed employees today.

An easy way to cut costs is to cut the wages you pay your employees, in my case they hired two for less than what I was making.

Fortunately for me, I had saved enough and was able to stand up for my principals, and not have to put up with the new Woke World.

When I read some of these stories, it always seems like some of the context is missing. Is it that they can't get the sort of job they had, or can't get ANY job at a remotely comparable comp rate?

I've gladly hired a few folks who were well into their 50s or later. Loved the experience in place and usually less bullshitty attitude. Hiring a 60 year old who can do the job for ~5 years vs. gambling on a 30-40 year old who may or may not, and will likely leave anyway within 5 years, I'll take the old fart every time!

My goal was 63.5. Why then? Insurance is a huge concern and I can COBRA myself to Medicare age. With the recent changes to the in-process retirement home, looks like that may have changed to 64.2....

As some have pointed out, having an early start on retirement planning is key.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

Much better plan to have decades of compounding returns as your retirement nest egg. Also, it's a rare person who can suddenly change decades of spending pattern and actually become a saver at age 50.

I feel really fortunate to have 2 people give wise counsel when I was in my 20s:

Absolutely.

I was similarly fortunate and still remember when it happened. When I was in my early 30s, I saw David Chilton (the author of The Wealthy Barber) on some show and it caught my attention. After listening to him, I got his book. After reading it, we started maxing out our 401k every year, opened IRAs for the wife and myself, and generally became more frugal. With compound interest, the money you save in your 20s and 30s pays huge dividends in your 60s.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

Now, I'm the salt and pepper haired guy at work and like to share the two pieces of advice with the early career folks. Perhaps one day someone will begin with, "A coworker named Todd, I can't even remember his last name any more, ..."

For a couple of years before I retired, I worked for one of those large consulting firms that hires lots of bright kids right out of university. We had a 2-day orientation. One of the sessions was on retirement savings options. I was sitting at a table with a bunch of 20 somethings who were bored to tears. I finally thumped my hand on the table and said "I know I'm the old geezer here, but this info is really for you all. I strongly recommend you sit up and pay attention." Don't know if it sank in, but I tried.

quote:

Originally posted by 1967Goat:
Not to thread drift too much, but these types of situations pop into my head for the folks who home school their kids. Yes, home schooling is nice, but what are you sacrificing to do that? Are you sacrificing your retirement and helping your kids pay for college? Yes, I realize parents are not obligated to pay for college.

I don't know if I'm an outlier, but we homeschooled our four kids from 1st grade grade school all the way through high school. My wife has a masters degree, but we agreed before we got married that she would be a stay-at-home mom, and later the teacher.

As for college, I told each of my kids that they were on their own. I worked my way through college and, if they were not able to get scholarships, I said they could work while going to school as well. (We did help them a little, but I did not want them to be counting on any financial support from us.)

quote:

When I read some of these stories, it always seems like some of the context is missing. Is it that they can't get the sort of job they had, or can't get ANY job at a remotely comparable comp rate?

^^^^^^^^^
Both are problems. Salary and getting a comparable job. They moved my Dad to the South from Chicago and terminated him months later at age 58. Was a skilled engineer. Never worked again. Had saved for retirement but it took him years to adjust. This was in the late 70s and Ageism has only gotten worse.

My goal is to retire after 30 years of service at 52 years old and get paid back for at least 31 years before I croak.

I will still do something after 52, but it will be because I want to.

I’ve given up a lot in my life to be able to do that and to have the job security that keeps me safe from a lay off. But I’m gonna get mine.

Sad stories for sure. Could be media bias (misery sells papers, and gets clicks/views) but it seems to be happening more and more.

I work with guys that have nearly 50 years of service. Lots of guys in their mid 70’s. (That ain’t near as old as it used to be, I remember being the baby in my shop and now I’m one of the old hands)

Some guys have retired from govt service and come back as contractors. Mainly because they can’t live on their retirements due to addiction to new pickups, houses not paid for, TSP loans not paid back, etc.
My plan is to have my shit together so when my retirement comes up in 2031, I can leave and not depend entirely on my retirement.
But I also know that when men plan, God laughs.
The only thing I owe on is my tractor. And I am packing and stacking the retirement accounts, both w/ the govt and private.

I already have some health issues starting to creep in, stuff that isn’t gonna get better as I age.

After my birthday in May, I’ll have seven years to suffer through.

These people want to work and will probably assets to an employer. And then we have slugs sitting around that absolutely will not work…

Really? The first guy had that many applications with nothing? Then you are applying to the wrong jobs.

It may not be the job you want, but you can always find something. Hell, work at a goddamn Tractor Supply or Walmart if you home is at risk. "His experience is blah blah blah." Who cares? Find SOMETHING with a paycheck.

I'm only 40, but never really thought of a retirement age. I'll work until I either don't enjoy what I do and find something different, or don't feel like working.

Something similar just happened to my dad, although it worked out in his particular case.

He got laid off about a year before he was planning to retire. He had 20 years with that employer, and like mentioned in the article, the higher-paid and older/more experienced folks were the first on the chopping block when the layoffs rolled around.

However, with the severance package offered, it didn't really end up derailing anything other than the timing. But I suspect that he had other similarly older coworkers who were not so lucky, especially the ones now trying to apply for new jobs in their late 50s and early 60s.

Color me skeptical on some of this. Thousands of job applications/ interviews and no job? Maybe it’s something other than your age.

Changed jobs every 3-24 months and now you’re surprised nobody wants to hire you?

This reminds me of the “stats” that women get paid some fraction of what men get paid. I think that’s horseshit. Whether you’re a woman or an old guy, if you can do the job someone will hire you.

In the real cases of people getting replaced by younger cheaper workers, the problem is that your salary kept increasing past the point of your value. If you can hire a 20 year old to do your yard for $50, would you pay a 60 year old with 40 years of experience $300 to do the same job?

The wife and I are well off enough to have retired any time in the last eight years. My problem is I still look forward to going to work. I'll probably hang up the keyboard in the next year or so. I'll be around 70 when I call it quits. I feel lucky that I haven't been bitten by the ageism beast.

quote:

It may not be the job you want, but you can always find something. Hell, work at a goddamn Tractor Supply or Walmart if you home is at risk.

I hear this all the time. Has anyone ever done this? I mean actually done it? Because I'm skeptical. How could a hiring manager at these places look at a guy's resumé and not think, "You did all this but want to work here for less money? You've been out of work how long? Why are you having such a hard time finding a job in your field? Are you here now out of desperation? Why would I hire you when you're likely to bolt at the first opportunity? I want somebody who'll stay for a while."

I worked for Intel for 25 years as an Electrical Engineer. In 2015, I was 58 y.o. and I and many others like me, were "forced to retire". Obama gave Intel 13,000 H1B Visa grants then. Intel got rid of the old highly paid engineers and replaced us with $30K/year engineers from India. That how Intel showed their stakeholders how they made a profit that year. Disgusting commies.
Thankfully, I was financially ready and able to retire then.