Retirement & Financial Planning Report

A majority of workers expects to remain in the workplace beyond age 65, traditionally a common retirement target date, but fewer are taking the kinds of steps that could help prepare them to reach that goal, a report from the TransAmerica Center for Retirement Studies has said.

The report, based on a survey, found that 53 percent of both men and women expect to keep working beyond age 65, with 13 percent of each expecting never to retire. Twenty-five percent of women and 21 percent of men expect to retire at that age, the standard age of Medicare eligibility and traditionally the age to draw standard Social Security benefits, although that age is now 66 and will eventually phase up to 67. Slightly more men than women, 26 percent to 22 percent, expect to retire before age 65.

The report recommended that workers be “proactive” in preparing for such extended working careers, suggesting steps including: staying healthy through diet, exercise and getting medical care; focusing on continuing to perform well at their current jobs; and networking, staying on top of the job market and getting further education or training, should changing jobs become necessary.

“With so much many women and men planning to extend their working lives beyond traditional retirement age, it has become increasingly important to have a backup plan if retirement happens unexpectedly (e.g., job loss, health issues, caregiving obligations),” it added.

Such a backup plan could include creating an emergency savings account; insurance products such as disability insurance and life insurance; and planning for ways to cut costs if needed.