Reason.com - Free Minds and Free Markets
Reason logo Reason logo
  • Latest
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Subscribe
    • Crossword
  • Video
    • Reason TV
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • Free Media
    • The Reason Interview
  • Podcasts
    • All Shows
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
    • Freed Up
    • The Soho Forum Debates
  • Volokh
  • Newsletters
  • Donate
    • Donate Online
    • Ways To Give To Reason Foundation
    • Torchbearer Society
    • Planned Giving
  • Subscribe
    • Reason Plus Subscription
    • Print Subscription
    • Gift Subscriptions
    • Subscriber Support

Log In

Create new account

Policy

Fogies Are Working for the Weekend, Not Retirement

Katherine Mangu-Ward | 8.17.2009 11:33 AM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

Folks are waking up to the fact that the market crash and looming state insolvency mean the dream of a pension-and-government-funded adventure vacation retirement starting on their 62nd birthday is dead:

Just over half of all working adults ages 50 to 64 say they may delay their retirement—and another 16% say they never expect to stop working.

Members of this so-called "Threshold Generation" are twice as likely as younger workers to say they never plan to retire (16% vs. 8%). Moreover, the Thresholders who do plan to retire someday say they plan to keep working, on average, until they are age 66—when they would be four years older than the age at which current retirees age 65 or older report that they stopped working.

More Social Security reading here. More on why your pension is screwed here. 

Start your day with Reason. Get a daily brief of the most important stories and trends every weekday morning when you subscribe to Reason Roundup.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

NEXT: Last Week's Top 5 Hits at Reason.com

Katherine Mangu-Ward is editor in chief of Reason.

PolicySocial Security
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

Show Comments (46)

Latest

California's War on Goats Could Worsen the Wildfire Crisis

C. Jarrett Dieterle and Shawn Regan | 7.25.2026 7:00 AM

For Thousands of New York City Apartment Buildings, the Math Doesn't Math

Christian Britschgi | 7.25.2026 6:00 AM

Georgia Cops Keep Getting Arrested for Misusing Flock Surveillance Data

Autumn Billings | 7.24.2026 4:56 PM

In 39 States, People Can Be Sentenced to Life for Murders They Did Not Commit

Jacob Sullum | 7.24.2026 4:35 PM

Nashville Considers Using Eminent Domain To Stop a Planned Data Center From Irritating Zoo Animals

Christian Britschgi | 7.24.2026 4:05 PM

Recommended

  • About
  • Browse Topics
  • Events
  • Staff
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Shop
  • Amazon
Reason Facebook@reason on XReason InstagramReason TikTokReason YoutubeApple PodcastsReason on FlipboardReason RSS Add Reason to Google

© 2026 Reason Foundation | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Reason's July 4 Special!

For America's 250th, Get 2 Years of Reason for $17.76

Celebrate your independence with a subscription to Reason magazine, your most trusted source of honest, insightful news and analysis.

Subscribe to Reason