Poll reveals baby boomers' retirement fears

David Van Knapp submits:Many articles on Seeking Alpha involve retirement, express or implied. That’s the goal many readers are shooting for—a comfortable, secure retirement, with confidence that you can live at a lifestyle of your choosing without running out of money. I have been retired for nine years. I was fortunate to be able to retire early (age 55) and turn more of my attention to one of my passions, which is helping other people through my writing about stock investing.

Much has been made of the slow economy forcing older people to stay on the job longer than they’d like. Older workers believe health care costs alone will consume their savings in retirement, and about half plan to keep working for no other reason. But how terrible is this, really? A growing body of research suggests that staying on the job longer is good not just for your wealth but for your health, too. That was the central premise of my first book with gerontologist Ken Dychtwald, and when we published The Power Years in 2005 this was an under appreciated view.

Much has been made of the slow economy forcing older people to stay on the job longer than they’d like. Older workers believe health care costs alone will consume their savings in retirement, and about half plan to keep working for no other reason. But how terrible is this, really? A growing body of research suggests that staying on the job longer is good not just for your wealth but for your health, too. That was the central premise of my first book with gerontologist Ken Dychtwald, and when we published The Power Years in 2005 this was an under appreciated view.

The rapid evolution of retirement in America shows no signs of slowing. The World War II generation (or The Greatest Generation) often lived in the same house until they either died or were moved to a nursing home, but this is now far less common. 

Time was when retirement meant a move to a community where all your neighbors belonged to the same generation: Old. No more. As baby boomers begin to retire, they're going their own way -- or ways -- when it comes to housing choices and relocation strategies.

Unless Gen Xers and late baby boomers are able to make big changes in their savings, spending and debt habits, they are on track to become the nation's first generations to fare more poorly than earlier groups of retirees, according to a new study from the nonprofit Pew Charitable Trusts.