Posted on 09/12/2007 5:28:35 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
If you want an idealized glimpse of the American way of working into the golden years, meet Pat and Roger Benway of Shorewood, WI.
She's a social worker and case manager who helps elderly clients. He's a salesman. And they're both 66, with no plans to retire.
"I'm the oldest guy in the company, and I'm proud of that position and ranking," says Roger Benway, who works full time for Berenz Packaging Corp. of Menomonee Falls. "I like wearing the crown."
Apparently, a lot of other Americans are like the Benways, staying on the job a lot longer than in the past and rewriting the rules of work and retirement as they go.
Nearly one in four Americans (23.2%) ages 65 to 74 was in the labor force in 2006, either working or looking for jobs, according to data to be released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.
That's a substantial increase from 2000, when 19.6% of that age group was in the labor force.
Wisconsin ran slightly ahead of the national figures, with 24% of those ages of 65 to 74 in the labor force in 2006, up from 21% in 2000.
The numbers are contained in the American Community Survey, which provides an annual snapshot of the nation's social, economic and housing characteristics.
Among the highlights:
• The "traditional" American family is in flux. The percentage of households that were married-couple families with children under 18 declined nationally (to 21.6% in 2006 from 23.5% in 2000) and in Wisconsin (to 21.4% in 2006 from 23.7% in 2000).
• Wisconsin's homeownership rate is 70.5%, higher than the national rate of 67.3%. The number of estimated housing units in Wisconsin grew 9.2% from 2000 to 2006, to 2.53 million from 2.32 million, while the United States saw a 9% increase over the same period.
• Wisconsin's mean commuting time was 20.8 minutes in 2006, below the national mean of 25 minutes.
But it's the growing number of senior workers remaining part of the labor force that is eye-opening, especially with the massive baby boom generation nearing the retirement years.
The boomers always have thought they would redefine every trend in America, but on this one, they were beaten to the punch by their older brothers and sisters.
Some workers over 65 obviously are remaining on the job out of necessity, so that they don't outlive their assets. Others work because they want to. And many enter different careers or take up different jobs.
"People are finding that retirement isn't as appealing as it had once been," says Sammis White, director of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Center for Workforce Development. "There are benefits to working besides having an income. There is socialization, a feeling of worth because you're contributing."
Valuable asset
White says American business needs to become more proactive in keeping seniors in the work force, especially as the boomers age.
"The baby boom population is the best-educated cohort in the work force today," he says. "My hope is that employers will more universally recognize that they can't afford to have this population walk out the door. They'll have to take steps to engage them for several more years."
Not every senior worker enjoys the advantages of the Benways of Shorewood. They've been married 36 years, raised five kids and were a dual-income couple long before it became a necessity to maintain a comfortable lifestyle. They're still on the job even though many friends have retired.
Pat Benway works for Stowell Associates, a geriatric care management company. Just two months ago, she cut back her workload, from 40 hours a week to 20 hours a week.
"People are living longer and want to be productive, and they're acting younger," she says. "I don't feel old, and a lot of my clients who are in their 80s are quite remarkable."
Pat Benway says she's still at her professional peak.
"I think we learn a lot as we get older," she says.
Her husband also says he's better than ever on the job.
"People ask me, how am I doing?" he says. "I'm at the peak of my game."
Roger Benway says he can imagine working another decade. And he figures other seniors will follow his lead.
"A lot of older people are going to consider retiring and leaving their jobs," he says. "And when they leave their jobs, they're going to find themselves saying, 'I've got this time on my hands. I've got this ability. Maybe I should go back and work part time.' "
"The companies will look for some of the older folks to help guide them and make their businesses go," Roger Benway says. "It will probably be somewhat inexpensive labor for companies to hire older labor. It won't surprise me to have people coming back to the work force."
I'm going to retire before I'm 57. Dad retired at 53, Grandpa at 55. (I got divorced, which set me back a few years. I didn't listen to Dr. Walter E. Williams, did I? LOL!)
Life's too short to spend it working, IMHO. :)
So much for Bill Clinton’s definition of “The American Dream”.
At sixty, I found myself unemployable. When the unemployment compensation ran out, I opted for early retirement. Age discrimination is real and prevalent.
When I was still in my formative years and getting shot at in Southeast Asia for about 15 cents/hour, I decided that, if I survived that period in my life, setting out to make work discretionary by age 40 would be a good plan. I got there, but decided to continue to work until it stopped being as much fun as my hobbies — and that was another fifteen years.
Good. They are going to have to work longer to support those on social security and medicare.
Whether or not I need the dough, I plan to work for as long as I can find someone dumb enough to hire me.
Retirement is a good way to die.
I have a very talented female friend who has had a terrible time in her field (Advertising) with age discrimination, too.
That’s a big part of the reason my husband and I decided in our mid-40’s to start our own businesses. Yeah, we’re hungry now, but we can’t get fired for being old f@rts, LOL!
I’ve always “worked” for myself. My best interests always came first. If you look at it that way, we’re all “Free Agents” the minute we hit the workforce. I think that’s a big piece of the pie that people fail to understand when planning out their goals for their life.
I’m not saying that your troubles aren’t real; I’m just sayin’ what’s worked for me, as a Boomer.
I’d like to retire before 60, but my job is fun, easy and they actually pay me more than I’m worth.
“Retirement is a good way to die.”
For some people, I guess. I’ve always structured my life so that my “job” wasn’t the main focus. Well, except for those 20 years in the Army. I pretty much had to stay “focused” then, LOL! :)
Could be the wave of the future: the healthy elderly being paid to take care of the not-so-healthy elderly.
Age discrimination is real, that's true. I'm 54 and I've seen it. I lost my computer programming job in 2002 and have struggled at a job I hate since then. So, it's back to school for me. I'm studying for a Master's in Applied Statistics.
I won't ever retire (can't afford to), but I also refuse to sit and whine about how the Indians stole my job. Truth is I wouldn't really want to retire; I'm looking forward to something new.
Hey, your mileage may vary. And by the way: thank you for your service, and you were smart to stay in the Army until retirement. You deserve every penny of that pension! Kinda nice, isn’t it? I did my six and got out... but now that I’m on the “back side” of twenty years later, I can sure see the benefit of staying in.
My pot’s probably full enough that I could “retire” now... but heck, I just like to work and I like what I do. So, as I said, I’ll keep at it as long as some fool will pay me (and I am physically and mentally able, of course).
As the oldest daughter, I’m going to have six, count ‘em, SIX elders on my hands in the next decade or so. My parents divorced when I was 20 and remarried others, so that’s four. The other two are my in-laws and I would crawl over broken glass for those two lovely people. :)
If I was smart, I’d quick get my LPN and open my own “home.” They all get along fairly well, so it just might work, LOL!
Can I have your job for a while? Mine is physically and mentally exhausting. I'm underpaid and over worked.
In another year and 4 months I'll reach full retirement age. I have plans for something I've always wanted to do and I intend to go for it.
Retirement is a good way to die.
Retired at 49,,figure to be around for another 51,,just so I can , have a farm,keeps me busy,,glad we don’t live in the city,probably would just die off..
Not me, and I've already collected "senior discounts." For all I love engineering I'm going into a new area, though it requires certain expertise and retaining knowledge of some extremely technical arcana. Lots of travel (I hate Traveling but enjoy Being There), dealing with folks & committees.
Then again, retirement seems to be the killer for men in my family. My father (former physicist/engineer/manager) is going strong at 80, in part I think because his church relies on him as an effective teacher & minister.
“I’m the youngest at my workplace in a management position.”
Now you’ve got me wondering...
Do you happen to work at CUNA in Madison?
Guess not...I saw your other post
I think the immigrants of old set themselves apart from the europeans they left behind in their willingness to accept risk, responsibility and their capacity for hard work. It would be an interesting exercise to examine the demographics of those who remain productive against those that do not. My guess is that this trend is not evenly represented among the social strata.
Only if you park your butt on the couch. I was fortunate enough to be able to retire at 60. Now I do volunteer work at the local hospital, and also for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. I love being able to give of myself and having it so appreciated.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.