The life of a Gen Xer can best be defined as a series of major curve balls that we’ve had to adapt to. And we’ve apparently been pretty well-qualified at handling those.
Well, you didn’t think we’d make it to “retirement age” without another wicked curve ball coming our way, did you?
A Pew Research survey found nearly a fifth of Americans age 65 and older were employed in 2023, nearly double the three decades prior. Employees 55 and older will constitute over a quarter of the global workforce by 2031, according to an analysis from Bain & Co. last year.
This is the beginning of the end of retirement as we know it. And Generation X will be the ones to normalize working past 65 in mass numbers, given too little retirement savings and too many good years left ahead of us.
Many Gen Xers need to keep working, and employers need us thanks to what seems to be a perpetual labor shortage. But this requires companies to reverse their habit of shedding workers over the age of 50 with layoffs and “early retirement” offers.
Enter the concept of “flextirement,” introduced late last year in a Fast Company article:
Flextirement would allow employees the opportunity to semi-retire, never fully leaving their current job or finding a new opportunity but working in some part-time capacity.
With “flextirement” you’re still dependent on the good graces of an employer, which has never been dicier in history (especially if you’re older). Just look how remote work has been pulled out from under those who thought they could be location independent and remain traditionally employed.
Generation X is the most independent and entrepreneurial cohort around. So the question is not whether we continue to work, it’s whether employers can convince us to trust them instead of doing our own thing and living however and wherever we want.
It’s not just that we’re entrepreneurial. It’s also that we have the experience, wisdom, and crystallized intelligence the marketplace needs.
When people need you, you get to define the terms. That’s the only “flex” that’s required.
Further Exploration:
A ‘Massive Brain Drain’ is Looming as Boomers and Gen X-ers Retire. Can Flextirement Help Workers and Businesses? (MarketWatch)
Keep going-
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Fit Check
The best answer to the question of “How long does it take to get fit again?” is to not ask the question in the first place and just consistently show up at the gym. Since no one ever is going to listen to that advice, try this article instead.
How Long Does It Take to Get Fit Again? (New York Times free article)
The No Buzz, Buzz
“Athletic has since become the country’s king of nonalcoholic beers, recently passing Heineken and Budweiser. In fact, at Whole Foods Market, Athletic now sells more than any other beer. Including the ones with alcohol.”
The Hottest Beer in America Doesn’t Have Alcohol (Wall Street Journal)
Social Insecurity
I think most of us have long assumed we’d never get Social Security given how it was always “going bankrupt.” But now it’s more alarming at how little security it actually provides.
How Much of Your Income Will Social Security Replace? For Some It’s Less Than 10% (Motley Fool)
Hallmark Holiday Getaway
Valentine’s Day is coming up for those who celebrate (and the romance-industrial complex thanks you). Maybe shake things up a bit with some travel?
14 Romantic Getaways That Are Far Better than Roses or Chocolate (Outside)
A Funny Way to Keep Your Marriage Strong
By Trudi Roth
Q: What’s the secret to a happy marriage?
A: Find a partner who can cook and clean. Someone who’s an animal in bed. An individual with lots of money. And then make sure these three never meet.
Nope, this isn’t an intro to a piece about the uber-trendy topics of polyamory and consensual non-monogamy. But it is about a serious subject: how do you keep your relationship thriving until death do you part (without killing each other)?
Perhaps ancient wisdom holds the answer — here’s what Socrates said:
By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you’ll become happy; if you get a bad one, you’ll become a philosopher.
Hmmm… maybe some advice that’s a little less… chauvinistic? Benjamin Franklin’s works both ways:
Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterwards.
Then again, perhaps a more contemporary sage, Will Ferrell, nails it:
Before you marry a person you should first make them use a computer with slow internet to see who they really are.
If you cracked a smile, then you’re onto something. A little humor goes a long way in keeping the matrimonial bonds strong enough for the long haul.
Wedded Diss
In our era of the gray divorce, research shows that US divorce rates doubled for the 55+ set and tripled for those 65+ from 1990 to 2021. Sociologists cite increased life expectancy as a primary contributor to this troubling trend, as unions that last 60 or more years are a new phenomenon.
These days, for loving couples to coexist under the same roof for such extended periods of time, they must – among other pressures – undergo a challenging domestication process: whether the toilet seat should be left up or down; mail left sitting, or immediately opened; tinfoil placed in the recycle bin or in regular trash; dirty dishes left in the sink overnight, or cleaned off and stacked in the dishwasher before bedtime; the use of subtitles during TV shows, or not.
Add relational boredom to the mix, and you’ve got what couples therapist Terry Real calls “normal matrimonial hatred.” Funny, love alone isn’t enough to counteract festering resentment.
Quit Bickering; Start Snickering
The antidote to relationship-ending vitriol is so simple it’s almost a joke:
Humour, irony, and an appreciation for the absurd are often overlooked by marriage scholars as mindsets conducive to success at love.
There are two types of humor that research shows support stronger relationships:
- Affiliative: Keeping things positive and upbeat
- Self-enhancing: Good-naturedly making fun of yourself (and your shortcomings) and seeing the upside of downers
Plus, a CBS News poll found that a sense of humor was five times more important than sex in building a successful marriage. And that’s a fact — not a punchline. (Please let my husband know it looks like we’re gonna make it after all.)
Why It Takes Humor to Sustain a Long-Term Relationship (Psyche)
further: flashback
Erasure – Sometimes
The Circus, 1986
Once upon a time, Vince Clarke co-founded a little band called Depeche Mode. After the success of the group’s first album, he left and answered an ad from vocalist Alison Moyet. The two became Yazoo (Yaz in the U.S.) and experienced 18 months of unprecedented success, after which Clarke left again. He ended up playing straight man to future gay icon Andy Bell in Erasure, and that’s where he remains today. Sometimes the third time is the charm. (YouTube)
further: sharing
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