Yeah, I really dislike these articles too and I always wonder who/what is really behind the push to keep people working longer. Work at a traditional paid job if you want to, sure, but staying at a job you don't like when you are FI because of the fears stoked by this article, no thanks. There's a big wide world out there and for most of us in lucky countries, a lot of interesting and challenging options beyond keeping on keeping on at a desk or in a cubicle.
That said, it can be useful to use the fear mongering as a checklist for creating a satisfying life, at work or retired.
- Eating, smoking, drinking too much? Make sure you're building and maintaining healthy habits.
- Cognitive decline? Make sure you're always learning.
- Shrinking social network? Seek out opportunities to meet and engage with people, the more diverse the better.
- Financial challenges? Get your house in order.
And they do admit this:
It’s important to point out that a paying job isn’t always necessary to reap the health benefits of work. About one-third of Americans age 55 and older regularly volunteer for community groups and other organizations. Such unpaid activities can involve levels of physical, cognitive and social engagement similar to those in paid employment. Many studies, including a 2019 evaluation of the Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion programs, find that unpaid work, like paid work, reduces depression and loneliness and improves life satisfaction for older adults.
And this:
These studies aren’t definitive. More research is needed to establish the pathways through which retirement affects health, and to identify which types of workers are most affected. For example, the health benefits of work aren’t generally shared by people with especially stressful, boring or physically demanding jobs. Workers in blue-collar jobs, for instance, accumulate health problems more rapidly as they age than workers in less physical jobs and usually experience health gains when they retire.