We were chatting about retirement with a salesman at the local car dealership when he rolled out a bombshell – in his early 70s, he had no plans for retirement. He loved what he does and wants to keep on doing it for as long as he can. Maybe in his mid- to late 80s he might get a cottage, he says.

That made Save with SPP wonder if others aren’t retiring – and why.

The Wise Bread blog says there are five types of people who don’t retire – the “broke non-retiree, the workaholic, the successful investor, the life re-inventor and the mega-successful lifers.”

The article notes that “a startling 47 per cent” of Americans “now plan to retire “at a later age than they expected when they were 40.” The reason why – 24 per cent of Americans 50 and older have saved less than $10,000 for retirement.

For workaholics, the article notes, “it can be devastating to face retirement,” with many fighting it “tooth and nail.” Successful investors, the article notes, may have bought real estate, gold, or stocks early and now have enough money that they don’t need to work. Life re-inventors retire from one job and take on a new, totally different one, and the “mega-successful” tend to be CEOs, actors, star athletes, folks who have sufficient wealth to not worry about a formal retirement.

The New York Times reports that there are 1.5 million Americans over the age of 75 who are still working. Judge Jack Weinstein, age 96, still gets up for work every day at 5:30 a.m., the newspaper reports. “I’ve never thought of retiring,” he tells the newspaper. “If you are doing interesting work, you want to continue.” The paper says that those who are employed in jobs “in which skill and brainpower matter more than brawn and endurance” often keep going past usual retirement age, as do the self-employed and industry stars, like Warren Buffett.

An article in Market Watch picks up on another point – there are many people who don’t like the sound of retirement. “The idea of a retirement where a person has little responsibility, and, worst of all, interacts with very few people, just isn’t appealing to the current crop of pre-retirees,” the article notes.

A more Canuck-friendly view comes from Canadian Living, which lists the main reasons for not retiring as “you need the money, you like working, you hate retirement,” and significantly, “you’ll collect bigger benefits” and “you’ll lose your RRSP later.”

“If you collect your CPP at age 70,” the article points out, “you’ll get 42 per cent more than if you retired at 65.” Similarly, if you collect CPP at 60, you get 36 per cent less than if you collected at 65, the article states.

On the RRSP front, since you must convert your RRSP to a RRIF (or buy an annuity) by age 71, delaying retirement means you will have more money in retirement, the magazine notes.

These are all good points. Save with SPP notes that there are many folks who simply live in the now and won’t think about retirement until they must. The idea that we can all keep working forever is a nice one but tends to be an exception, rather than a rule.

We may not want to retire, but the vast majority of us probably will. Even if you’re in the group that has saved very little up until age 50, there is still time to augment your life after work with some retirement savings. The Saskatchewan Pension Plan is quite unique in that it is open to all Canadians and provides an end-to-end retirement vehicle – your savings are invested and turned into a lifetime pension at retirement time. It’s a wise choice, even for those who don’t want to retire.

 

Written by Martin Biefer

Martin Biefer is Senior Pension Writer at Avery & Kerr Communications in Nepean, Ontario. After a 35-year career as a reporter, editor and pension communicator, Martin is enjoying life as a freelance writer. He’s a mediocre golfer, hopeful darts player and beginner line dancer who enjoys classic rock and sports, especially football. He and his wife Laura live with their Sheltie, Duncan, and their cat, Toobins. You can follow him on Twitter – his handle is @AveryKerr22

By Sheryl Smolkin

According to a recent TD survey, more than two-thirds of Canadians between the ages of 35 and 54 say they’re not saving enough for retirement, and one in four say not being ready for retirement is keeping them up at night. As a result, the majority of Gen-X Canadians (60%) who aren’t saving enough do not expect to be able to retire on time and half as many (29%) expect to still be working in some capacity during retirement.

The top barrier preventing Gen-Xers from retiring on time is everyday financial demands like living expenses, mortgage or rent, and childcare costs (61%), followed by existing debt (42%) and major unexpected life events such as divorce or death of a spouse (19%). Given these challenges, it’s not surprising that more than half (54%) of Gen-X Canadians surveyed say they need help meeting their financial goals, with a majority feeling guilty about not saving enough for retirement and wishing they had started earlier.

If you have fallen behind in saving for retirement, here are some ways you can get on track to achieving your savings goals and become retirement-ready.

Track your spending
More than three in five (61%) Gen-Xers attribute everyday financial demands as the reason they don’t expect to retire on time. Keeping a record of your spending is a simple way to see where your money goes each month and look for ways to cut back on expenses to free up funds and help boost your savings.

Once you’ve identified some monthly savings, consider arranging for those funds to be transferred automatically into Saskatchewan Pension Plan, a Retirement Savings Plan (RSP) or Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA). As you identify even more savings over time, you can increase the amount transferred automatically each month. Remember to also factor in any additional money you receive throughout the year such as annual raises or bonuses.

Tackle your debt while also saving
Four in ten (42%) Gen-Xers attribute existing debt as a top reason that prevents them from retiring on time. While everyone’s financial picture is different, there are a few key steps you can take immediately to help pay down debt while building up savings:

• As you start tracking your spending and becoming more in control of your finances, take a look at where your money is going and determine where you can free up cash flow to go towards paying down debt.
• Seek out groups and communities – either online or in your neighbourhood – where you can sell stuff you no longer use or need, and use those funds to pay down your debt. One person’s junk is another person’s treasure.
• Look for tips and tools online, like this Debt Repayment Calculator, to help you become organized by determining how much you owe and prioritizing what to tackle first. You can stay on top of your debt more easily when you have a repayment plan.

According to the survey, of Gen-Xers who are already saving for the future, the majority (64%) rely on RSPs to help fund their retirement. If you have RSP savings room, this video will show you how easy it is to join the Saskatchewan Pension Plan. SPP is an easy, flexible, cost-effective way that any Canadian over age 18 can save $2,500/year. You can also transfer an additional $10,000 a year into your SPP account from another RSP.