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Essay On Retirement

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Health experts are suggesting to employees in their 60s not to retire at the first opportunity available. A new study by researchers at Cornell University and the University of Melbourne noted that about one-third of Americans retire and claim their Social Security benefit at the first opportunity at age 62.

When Maria Fitzpatrick, an economist from the Cornell University, and Timothy Moore, also an economist from the University of Melbourne, compared US birth and death records with pension claims, they discovered a strong correlation. It was between people who started to claim their Social Security at 62 and death, especially among men.

Higher mortality rate

The mortality risk of men who retired at 62 went up by 20 percent, The New …show more content…

Two images of elderly people

Experts note that most of the seniors fall into two types. One is the active elderly person who is a golf club member, allotment-keeper, or busy grandparent. The other is the lone pensioner who hardly sees other people for several days and huddles in a chair by the fireplace to keep warm to save on heating cost.

After retirement, the social lives of many workers are taken away, resulting in mental health problems. About 20 percent go through depression. The Mental Health Foundation said that elderly people who live alone because their partners had died or are divorced are at a higher risk for depression.

On top of mental health issues are physical health problems, partly due to the lack of imperative to go out of the house compared to when they were working and had to travel to their workplace. But it could also be that health problems prevent them from going out in the first place.

Particularly hit hard by the stress of retirement are people who were forced to retire which places the retirement years in a more negative light. It includes those who were laid off, fired, or had to leave early for health reasons.

Limitation of study

The authors admit that some of the limitations of the research include not knowing if the reason behind the early retirement of the worker was due to a health issue that could have caused their early death. Nevertheless, it still supports studies that suggest a link between longer work and longer life.

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