Research released by Australian Seniors in January shows that most of us embrace the idea of being younger for longer. Of the 5,000 over-50s surveyed, 75% view retirement as the beginning of something rather than the end of something.
With rising living costs, current support services and infrastructure, it’s no surprise that more than three quarters (76%) believe society is underprepared for a life expectancy of 100+ and wonders how comfortably they will be able to live in later years.
The vast majority (82%) believes it’s important to be able to fund their own retirement, with more than half of us (56%) wanting to have more control over our next life chapter.
Working for longer, however, creates uncertainties about when we will actually retire once and for all. More than three in five (62%) retirees surveyed say that they did not plan the exact age they would retire. Among those not yet retired, the vast majority (85%) say they have not planned their desired age to stop working.
Just over 61% believe that living longer means retiring later or continuing to work on a part-time basis. One in three (39%) thinks they will re-enter the workforce, have an ‘encore career’ or return to study.
