^ ;-) at grandpa! One very old lady did once tell me that life was getting to be a drag because it is uncomfortable to travel around at her age.
Is it just me, or do we not see enough stories about poor old people?
Not just you; I agree there are not enough stories about poor old people. The reason that articles like the one in the OP even exist is that so many people are facing retirement with little or no savings and big debt. It's trying to give those folks some practical ideas.
But anyone looking around can see old people who look
absolutely miserable working in minimum wage jobs. So you have to have a hole in your head to not catch one. And therein lies the problem: too many holey heads.
Of course, continuing to work is a nice idea (that apparently a lot of people have according to that article), but it is not always even realistic. I have one relative who loved her job but just had to involuntarily retire at 63 due to heart and other health problems. Now her spouse, who was thinking he could retire soon, is looking at working until 70, which he really doesn't want to do but they can't afford their mortgage if he doesn't work. They don't want to move; believe me I suggested it. It's all I can do to resist screaming "
WHY do you still have a mortgage!" For the second time this month (first resistance exercise was when talking to my Dad's wife.)
RE lifespan: I
do want to know exactly when I will die. Because right now that darn Wharton calculator is saying my mean life expectancy is near 100, so I have to plan for my 4% safe withdrawal to last that long. Which is a bummer. Once again, I wish I was a wizard.