Majority of Americans Aged 50 Want to Continue Working After Retirement
A joint study by the Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BoAML) and Age Wave found that a big majority or 72 per cent American pre-retirees over the age of 50 say they intend to continue working after retirement, albeit in a more flexible and fulfilling way.
The same study also found that nearly half or 47 per cent of current retirees have worked or are planning to work during their retirement years. The study said it would become increasingly common for people to seek work during this stage of their lives.
"This study turns conventional wisdom on its head," said Andy Sieg, head of Global Wealth and Retirement Solutions for Bank of America Merrill Lynch. "By embracing these new realities and attitudes toward work in retirement, everyone from policy makers to employers and the financial industry will be better equipped to help people pursue their goals."
Based on a nationally representative survey of more than 7,000 respondents, "Work in Retirement: Myths and Motivations" is a comprehensive study exploring and challenging commonly held beliefs about work during retirement - a phenomenon driven by longer life expectancy, the elimination of most employee pensions, financial need and the re-imagining of later life. The study also offers lessons learned from more than 1,800 working retirees surveyed about their own experiences - including tips to help prepare for a successful retirement career.
But Dr Joseph Louro, chief executive officer of online investment education platform Investview (OTCQB: INVU) said Americans could enjoy their retirement in a more relaxed and easy manner if they will invest in stocks during their productive years.
Louro said, "Americans could have a much more enhanced retirement experience if they utilized investor education to guide them while managing their portfolio."
Results from the BoAML and Age Wave study indicate previous generations viewed retirement as a permanent end of work followed by continuous leisure. However, modern-day reality for many pre-retirees and retirees is a dynamic future that the study defines as "The New Retirement Workscape," represented by four different phases:
Pre-retirement - Five years before retiring, 37 per cent of pre-retirees who want to work in retirement will have already taken some meaningful steps to prepare for their post-retirement career; this rises to 54 per cent among those within two years of retirement.
Career intermission - Most pre-retirees do not seek to go directly from pre-retirement work to retirement work. They want a break, a sabbatical: they need some time to relax, recharge and retool. More than half (52 per cent) of working retirees say they took a break when they first retired. These career intermissions average 2.5 years.
Reengagement -The study found that, on average, this phase lasts nine years and includes a new balance of work and leisure. Compared to those in their pre-retirement careers, people working in these "FlexCareers" are nearly five times more likely to work part-time (83 per cent vs. 17 per cent) and three times more likely to be self-employed (32 per cent vs. 11 per cent).
Leisure - In the fourth phase of retirement, people welcome the opportunity to rest, relax, socialise, travel and focus on other priorities. Working retirees expect health challenges (77 per cent) or simply not enjoying work as much (61 per cent) to be the most likely causes of their stopping work permanently.
"This study confirms that as people live longer and healthier lives, they'll continue to find satisfaction from work even after they retire from their primary career," said Ken Dychtwald, PhD, founder and CEO of Age Wave. "For many, work is an enriching experience that may not end at the age of 65 or even 70. Whether it's continuing to do what they love, pursuing a long-desired interest or simply seeking to remain socially engaged, there's a revolution brewing. People have come to realize that retirement doesn't necessarily represent the end of an active life, but rather the beginning of new and exciting chapters."
Investview's new platform will allow investors to exchange ideas on a private network and to view premium content. The company will leverage the platform to increase user engagement and user retention to ultimately increase revenues through the sale of subscription based services.
Investview, Inc. provides and delivers a comprehensive online program of investor education: proprietary investor search tools and trading indicators, weekly newsletters as well as access to live weekly Trading Rooms.