Maybe some boomers are delaying retirement because they haven't really figured out going to do in retirement and are afraid of being bored to tears?

Why would anyone want to retire, anyway?  I view "retirement" as simply waiting around to die. 

On the other hand, if one is so set on retiring, there is one sure fire way to assure that one does:  Stop accumulating all that stuff.  Sheesh, a huge chunk of the population below the Rio Grande doesn't even get clothing or shoes until they're 8 or 9 years old.  We on the other hand can't wait to spend a c-note on our screaming treasure's first frock at Baby Gap. 

Quit complaining about paying SS. It helps me get by in my retirement. I retired at 59 years of age. I instantly went to school and got a certificate in another profession. Worked at it for a short while--did not like it--went back to school to update myself in my original profession and went back to work. I retired last April at age 73. My "career" from completing high school spanned 56 years. I was "retired for 4 of those. Y'all are in for a surprise when you get to around 60 and cannot do some of the physical tasks that once were easy. My best friend owns his own business. He is 65 years old. He has rheumatoid arthritis. He cannot work a full week. If I were able , I would continue working. I need spine surgery to help, but even then there are many jobs I cannot do. I know you discussed the disabled--but --if you call me disabled, I'll call you out. My mind is not a restful place to be. I am happiest when I work, but for each of us there is a time when our bodies or our minds say "I have had enough, it is time to rest." Also, for 35 years, I put the max amount into SS. Had I been able to put it in a 401K, I would have more than double the SS check coming in each month.

I retired a year ago at 65, for the same reasons so many do - I want to do things, see places, spend time at home.  Well, I did all those things, and after 7 months of retirement, I was going nuts. I started putting in applications all over the place, and discovered it is not too hard to find part-time work when the employer doesn't have to worry about providing benefits, which I have covered by medicare & good supplemental insurance.  I found a nice little part-time job close to home, 20 hrs/week, decent money, and great working conditions, and I feel good about myself.  I think retirement is overrated - looks good from 10 years out, but when you finally get there, kind of a letdown.

ooohh ... i feel a rambling vent coming along ...

nbc did a similar piece on tuesday ... there is one glaring omission from both network's diatribe on retirement ... personal debt.

referring to the dull/square/lifeless "ozzie and harriet" household to characterize the "greatest generation" and the adventurous/colorful/wild "woodstock generation" as the just-retiring boomer household. 

the same general assessment from both ... the boomers are better educated but destined to work themselves to death because they don't save. 

don't save?  what about the massive accumulation of debt that the offspring of the wwII generation have introduced to our way of living?  where their parent's generation made IBM a household name, the boomers made VISA and MasterCard an appendage to their bodies.  saving is the least of their concerns, because retirement income can't cover a 65 year old who still has 2 or 3 mortgages to pay for the home, home improvements and college educations for the kids ... 2 or 3 "gold" cards with sizeable balances to cover all the vacations they never could afford... the gas cards, the specialty store cards and the personal loans for computers, hdtvs, entertainment systems and car repairs ... then there is insurance to deal with all the therapy for how "stressful" life is.  who can save when their life is nothing but one big lien?

face it, everything the "greatest generation" did has been slowly eroded by successive generations lack of foresight and initiative.  granted, there are exceptions, but on a large scale ... the work ethic has declined, morality has become a historical term, religion is viewed as a joke and we have become selfish and obsessively greedy people.  we want things, we want them now and will pay later (and if we can't, we can take advantage of the lax bankruptcy laws and start all over again).  why save when we can get what we want immediately and pay for it ... forever (and who cares about the lovely 20+%  APR).   the bankruptcies and foreclosures are at record highs ... our cars can cost more than our parent's homes ... we can afford to eat out everyday on credit (and can sit in line at a drive thru when there is an empty lobby).  we can blame everyone (even the President) when things don't go our way, we don't have to tackle our own problems with all the prescription drugs that "fix" everything.  and when things get really bad and we just don't feel like working anymore, we can always quit work and live off the taxpayers generosity through subsidized housing and food stamps.  who needs to save when we can eek out an existance at others' (or the government's) expense.  wow, all this and we can't quit working at 'retirement age" ... poor us. 

looking back, maybe our education is overrated ... "ozzie and harriet" fought world war II and gave us the future ... obviously, their sacrifice and wisdom have more value than piece of paper that cost $60,000+ to earn over 4-5 years ... because basic math is all that is needed to conclude that you can't retire when you owe everyone for everything you own ... and it's not george bush's fault either.

... end of rant.

I for one am looking forward to retiring from the City in 4 years at 54.  I have a good pension coming that will keep me out of he poorhouse and 12K shares of exxon as a cushion.  I plan tio get a house on wheels and travel for at least a year and then occupy myself some other way.

I think teh idea is to do something you consider useful and taht stimulates your mind, whatever that may be.  I would like to try my hand at selling cars or perhaps doing some fine woodworking or any number of schemes.  But first I have 2 kids to send through college.  So Ill be working at the City for at least 4 more years and possibly 7 but no more tahn that.  Because at 36 years and 4 months of service you earn 100% of your salary and it would be crazy to continue to work there.

Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark. -- save my gun, shoot a liberal.

As 55-yr-old self-employed residents of the Golden State…. my spouse and I are not real pleased by the ever-increasing property, sales and state income taxes that are required to pay the retirement benefits (including health care) of state, county and city employees who retire in their 50’s.  The debate rages over extending the age for receiving Social Security and Medicare benefits, but the California media does not examine the pros/cons of extending the retirement age of government employees.

As a "boomer", what our parents, friends, schools, associates, etc., didn't tell us, was - become rich. Work hard, obtain wealth, find out how to make money grow, don't depend on the govenment or social security, 'cause it ain't.

What they constantly harped on, and I heard all the time, by my demolib family members was, "The rich get richer, the poor get poorer". Never once did they say, "Get rich!".

Ohers here have said it too, we were brought up durring a time when you went to work for ONE company, get a pension, retire, collect social security, die. Now, life happened to throw a curve. Personal responsibility was replaced by, the Kennedy antithesis - what can my government do for ME - give me more health money, give me more social security, give me. And no-one mentioned that I would have to give - more taxes, more fees, give up some freedoms, give up retiring early.

As pointed out by Julia, above in her posting, most of us just want to continue what we like to do, get some cash for it, try to keep the govenment off our backs, and stop only when we want or have to (due to physicall brakedown).
Unfortunately, fighting the demolibs and media bias, is going to be a long time job, but a job that needs to be done. Nobody said fighting cowards was easy.  

There is no sense in being stupid, if you can't prove it! - my dad V