You’ve waited your entire life to retire. However, now that you’ve retired, people are suddenly making unflattering remarks about their perception of what you’re doing (or not doing).
Perhaps you used to believe what others told you about retirees. However, just as it is difficult to persuade a 20-year-old that youth is wasted on the young, it can be difficult for people of working age to understand what retirement is and is not.
While retirees’ preferences and situations vary, we compiled a list of stereotypes that we believe far too many Arizonans—and Americans in general—have had to deal with as they enter their golden years.
1: A Time of Mental Decline
Contrary to popular belief, simply retiring does not result in a sudden cognitive decline. It turns out that belief is a powerful thing.
According to studies, people who have more positive stereotypes about retirement, particularly in terms of health, are more likely to live longer lives.
So, people who are about to retire and believe they will experience mental decline because they are no longer working may end up experiencing the same scenario.
2: Sitting Around
We’re not here to shame anyone; if you want to spend your retirement sitting around, go ahead.
However, it is not fair to categorise all retirees as sitters.
On the contrary, many retirees use their newfound free time to do things they were unable to do while working.
With careful financial planning and a little luck, many retirees can afford to travel, pursue a new hobby, and do the things they enjoy.
3: Depression Sets In
According to research, approximately 28% of new retirees suffer from depression. This figure is significantly higher than the general older adult population.
Nonetheless, some people believe that retirement and depression go hand in hand, particularly as one ages. This is simply false, and researchers believe that older adults with depression frequently have co-occurring medical issues.
In other words, while retirement in and of itself can cause depression, it is frequently accompanied by pre-existing factors, if depression occurs at all.
4: Everyone Wants to Live in Florida
You may or may not be prepared to shake your screen after reading that all retirees want to live in Florida.
However, it is a stereotype that some people believe (though we question whether they truly believe that all retirees want to live in Florida).
While Florida has the second-highest retirement age population (21.3%, trailing only Maine with 21.8% of people 65 and older), not all retirees want to live in a state with extreme heat, high humidity, and the possibility of their home being destroyed by a hurricane.
5: Lonely Lives
Yes, retirement can be lonely for some people who have enjoyed working with their coworkers and clients. However, retirement does not imply that everyone sits in a rocking chair, staring out the window, waiting for someone to visit or call them.
On the contrary, many people become social butterflies after retiring.
There are numerous opportunities to make friends, ranging from golf buddies to volunteer activities. And if someone prefers to live a more hermit-like life in retirement, that’s perfectly fine.
6: Everything Is Awful
Retirees are sometimes stereotyped as being bitter, impatient, and believing that everything in the world today is terrible and that most things in the past were wonderful. That is an unfair generalisation.
However, it is slightly more accurate to say that a higher percentage of people become cranky as they age.
Chronic pain and physical ailments that people frequently experience as they age have been known to transform otherwise calm people into chronically cranky people.
7: Financial Worries Are Gone
Many people do not have a comfortable nest egg when they retire.
According to the Social Security Administration, approximately 25% of retirement-aged households rely on Social Security benefits for 90% or more of their earnings.
Given that Social Security checks are significantly smaller than what a person earned before retirement, they can be difficult to live on, especially if a person still owes a mortgage or other debt when they retire.
8: You’re Done Working
When we were younger, many of us believed that retirement meant the end of our working careers. However, as many retirees will attest, this is not always the case.
According to one study, 48% of retirees who chose to return to work did so in order to supplement their retirement income.
In contrast, 57% of retirees say they want to continue working in some capacity, with the social aspect of having a job being a common motivator.
9: Motivation Dissipates
Just because retirees don’t have a boss nagging them about deadlines doesn’t mean they’ve lost all motivation.
While the things that motivate retirees may change during retirement, motivation remains a common denominator among people aged 65 and up.
Retirees may be motivated to care for their grandchildren, improve their tennis score, or volunteer in their community.
10: Golf and Pickleball Only Sports
Did you notice how we chose tennis over golf or pickleball in the previous example?
There’s nothing wrong with these sports being popular among many retirees. However, they are not the only sports that retirees participate in.
While there may not be many retirees in local football leagues, there are plenty of low-impact and moderate-impact sports that can increase a retiree’s heart rate without putting them at risk of injury.
11: Grave in Sight
Believing that retirees are on the verge of death is another retirement stereotype that young adults tend to believe.
As one enters their 30s, 40s, and 50s, it becomes clear (and thankfully) that this is not the case for the vast majority of retired individuals.
Even though life expectancy has dropped to 76.4 years as of December 2022, retirees still have many years before they die.
12: No Grasp of Technology
If we had written this article a decade ago, the idea that many retirees lack a good understanding of technology would have been more accurate.
However, many retirees today frequently use technology at work and can hold their own when it comes to social media.
13: Cruise Vacations
Some people envision retirement as a transition from driving around and planning their own international vacations to only taking cruises.
While data shows that cruise trips were heavily geared towards the 65+ demographic, this is no longer the case.
As of 2018, the average age of cruise passengers was 46.7 years. Thirty-two percent of passengers were 65 years or older, indicating that the majority of cruisers were not retired.
14: Refusal to Change
“Because that’s the way it’s always been done” is a phrase that some people have heard from older generations.
But pegging all retirees as not being willing to change how they think or live their lives is a mentality that younger people need to drop.
Case in point? Retirement itself is a change. Even though retirement is something that most retirees dreamed of, it requires changes to one’s habits and lifestyle.
15: Unproductive Days
Retirement, for many people, does not imply sitting around in a rocking chair waiting for life to pass by; it also does not imply failing to complete tasks.
Retirees frequently have houses that need cleaning, families to care for in some way, and commitments that require their time.
Given how busy their days are during retirement, I would argue that it is more common to hear retirees say that they don’t know how they used to manage their jobs and personal lives.
16: No Value to Add
Although older people can often provide valuable wisdom, some people believe that entering retirement means losing one’s contribution to society. That is simply not true.
A job is only one aspect of a person’s identity, and some retirees disliked the way their job defined them.
Value can take many forms, and because retirees have more time to devote to activities they enjoy, some may believe they add more value to society in their golden years than they did when they worked.
