Top 10 Reasons Not to Retire - Lifestyle, Money, Health, Happiness and More

How many people do you know who retire early, but opt to work on contracts or even return to part-time menial jobs?

It is true that many people do retire very successfully, perhaps more in the past than now.

Others struggle for financial reason, miss doing their job, miss their colleagues and get bored with the life of leisure.

For many the break in the work routine is bad for their marriage or other personal relationships.

Many people do not plan properly so that they make a gradual transition rather then a sudden jolt.

So why you should not delay retirement until you are incapable or continuing or have lost the will or enthusiasm for your current job?

If you like your job, perhaps love your job why risk the alternative which you may not like. Many professional people find that they take on consultancies and short-term contracts after they retire. But these can be very stressful and intense.

If you are considering retiring you need to seriously ask yourself " What am I going to do?" and "How well have you done all the ground work for those retirement plans". The best plans are a lifetime hobby or even a small business that people do or develop as they approach retirement age. If in doubt take a month or so off on long service leave and use it as a practice retirement. Can you cope? Do you feel fully engaged and satisfied being retired?

Can you really cope with a lot less money? The 'baby boomers' get squeezed by their children who go to college. The empty nest never really eventuates for modern people approaching retirement. Your kids will often move back home because of broken relationships, often with their own kids in tow. Some will have failed financial ventures, have the loan sharks chasing them. Can your greatly diminished income cope with this unexpected burden. Do you want to retire to poverty.

Retirement often means you will no long be able to support your working lifestyle. Simple things like eating out, entertainment, trips away and holidays may simply be beyond you enforcing major changes in the way you live. Do you really want to make all these cut backs in your lifestyle that you enjoy so much?

Retirement may be bad for your health and you make die earlier than you would have if you kept working. A major study of almost half a million retirees in France, found people who retired later had a much lower risk of developing dementia and other age related ailments. Other studies have shown that the life expectancy of people who retire early is lower than those who retire later. Retirement may kill you!

Many people who stay at work have a better social life. They established friendships and social patterns associated with work are simply better and more fulfilling. Many retirees find it very hard to make new friends after they retire and their work-related relationships are severed.

Marriage and Personal Relationships May Suffer - Retirement can really strain personal relationship because so much happens at once. Sometimes being together all that extra time simply does not work. Retirement also functions as a 'break-point', or threshold, that can trigger responses that have been postponed or held in check for years and years. Broken relationships after retirement can be a disaster.

Loss of Workplace Benefits - this may entail company cars, tax benefits, long service leave and paid holidays. If you decide to take on consultancy work or short-term contracts after you retire you will find that completion dates are fixed and there are no leave provisions. There may also be other benefits you miss out on, such as discounts, travel and bonuses.

Loss of self-worth feelings via Mentoring and Helping Others - Many people enjoy mentoring younger employees and being able to use their vast knowledge and experience at work in their twilight years. This can provide a huge extra motivation which offsets the boredom of work.

Finally when you retire you lose Sick Leave Benefits. When retired and doing contract work do don't get paid while on sick leave. No holiday pay either.

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