To feel sorry for women having to work till they're 66

[lazylab]

I have 2 friends, one 60 the other 61 who are just so tired and worn out. The 60 year old works full time in a factory, she's totally shatttered at the end of her shift. Basically they're just desperate for retirement, but no chance of that till they're 66. Both these women are single, still paying mortgages, one of them earning fairly good money but the other is basically working just to live, can't afford luxuries or holidays etc. It's just soul destroying. These are just two examples of the plight of those affected by the changes to pension age.

Working full time as a young woman is definitely not the same once you hit 60, the body struggles to cope. I realise it's the same for men too, especially the ones doing physical jobs.
Sorry if it sounds like i'm moaning, but isn't life just shit for some people.

[karalime]

Not really.

I'm 25 and I got a letter about my pension and my expected retirement date which is 2065.

Besides, people in their 60s had free education, affordable housing, final salary pensions and 40 odd years to save. So as a 'lazy millennial' I say tough shit.

[mossflox]

Only a relatively small percentage of people had free education in the 1960s and 70s (if you mean university education). Many people left school at 14 or 15 and started working to support themselves as well as having to contribute to their families income (rent, food, bills)

Just ask your parents or grandparents, even greatgrandparents.

[ginghamstarfish]

Agree that the increased age limit should have been introduced much more gradually, and feel sorry for the younger generation who feel they'll have to work till they drop. My FIL who is 85 and fit and active, retired from his job as a bank manager at 50 with a large pension.

[Lucisky]

Karalime, only the brightest people went to university in the 60's, 70s and 80s. As mossflox says, most school leavers went straight into work. These days even stupid people seem to go to university and get low value degrees in subjects that will never find them a decent job, this usually after they have had a year out doing bugger all. The drive for an education to degree level for most people has just served to dilute the value of further education, and led to a great many young people with an unjustified sense of entitlement. I left school at 17 and worked until I was 60 without a break. If I had fannied around until my mid twenties I wouldn't be retired now. Ill get off my high horse now!

[Oldsu]

I am 62 and even though I have worked for 47 years and have a private pension to fall back on if I wanted I have no intention of giving up work at all and have actually had a promotion and a very good pay rise.

However its not always true to say that if people my age gave up work a 'young' person would get our jobs, we have just recruited for my old position and the person who is getting the job is in his 50s because even at that lower level we needed someone with at least 20 years experience in the profession no one just leaving Uni even with a good degree could do my old job, and as the chap we have taken on was facing redundancy his job wont go to a young person either.

And I am getting a bit fed up with the whinging Waspi's as someone else pointed out we were all told in 1995 we were not going to be able to retire at 60

[TalkinPeece]

only the brightest people went to university in the 60's, 70s and 80s.
Utter and complete bollocks.

When I went to uni in the early 80's 5% of 18 year olds went
University was only open to those whose parents had the means to put them on that track.
Hence why the vast, vast bulk of kids at Unis then came from private and selective schools.
Nothing to do with innate intelligence, all to do with the luck of the draw on parents or the randomness of the 11+

These days even stupid people seem to go to university and get low value degrees in subjects that will never find them a decent job,
Xenia my dear, you have never ceased being narrow mindedly judgemental.
A darling friend of mine is stupid and did a shit degree but earns more than you do and his kids will be at school with the royals in September.

You worked all hours and at least one of your kids has rejected your view on life .... think about that for an instant

[user1471545174]

No, there were still better schools generally, so proportionally more working class people went, it's just that the overall proportion that went was tiny.

As a PP said, quite stupid people go now.

[TalkinPeece]

No, there were still better schools generally, so proportionally more working class people went
link please

[user1471545174]

No, do your own research, I was there.

[user1471545174]

That sounded unintentionally rude! What I meant to say was I have read lots of articles to support this, just not sure I could find one.

[TalkinPeece]

user1471545174
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence,
I was at Uni in the 80's - I know the ratio
you think I'm wrong (and the whole WP industry of the last 30 years was a lie)
PROVE IT

[user1471545174]

Cross post. Sorry I don't know what the WP is.

[Oldsu]

Lweji I get fed up with ignorant statements like yours Yes, but you'll have a larger unproductive group which has to be paid by those in work My 'unproductive' pensioner husband still pays tax how the hell can someone who still pays into the system be called unproductive, and just how many of 'those in work' who seem to be paying for everything are themselves getting tax free benefits like tax credits and child tax credits they may pay in but they themselves are taking out.

My dad worked for 70 years and paid tax for 70 years when I was child in the 50s/60s he worked 3 jobs 6 days a week, 18 hours a day, nowadays he would only have to work a fraction of those hours and then claim tax free benefits, actually I am bloody glad he no longer works and is unproductive - he has every right to be

[Out2pasture]

it's really sad that the goalpost has been moved.
I don't think there is much that can be done for those in the middle of this but going forward the discussion with our children about retirement planning has to happen beginning early on.

the one thing I have found disappointing with my retirement planning was the pension plan changes. I signed up to a certain plan and already they have changed it twice (deductible and coverage both dental and medical)

[AvaCrowder2]

My mum received a letter saying she'd get a state pension at 62, then she got a letter saying it would be 65.5. My mum has worked as far as I know. They only do Toss women around like this.

[BoomBoomsCousin]

I don't think, generally, that it's unfair for people to be working when they are capable of it. I think it was unfair that so many in the 80s, 90s and 00's got to retire so early, despite such improved health at 60 and average life expectancy. Especially since we knew then that it was totally unsustainable and not raising the age then was shoring up a problems for those younger.

[Out2pasture]

but the investment schemes the pension plans were invested in were probably doing very well in the 80's and 90's.

[BoomBoomsCousin]

We're talking here about the state retirement age, i.e. when you get the state pension. And the state pension is not a plan based on investment. State pensions are paid out of current revenues - i.e. the tax base. It's the biggest part of the welfare state and the government in the 80s, when I was in school, knew that it was not sustainable as people were living a lot longer and the working people/retired people ratio was going to deteriorate.

Also, in the 80s we had a massive recession and investments tanked, hitting many people who didn't have final salary schemes and causing some final salary schemes to go bankrupt. So it wasn't a no brainer for private pensions either, but they did at least adjust earlier than the state did.

[Out2pasture]

that money was not sitting in an empty pot...

[SomeOtherFuckers]

I'm only 22 ... I doubt I'll get to retire before in 75

[makeourfuture]

only the brightest people went to university in the 60's, 70s and 80s

When I speak of Social Darwinism this is what I mean. The truth, as stated above, is that only the wealthy could afford university.

But we have this ingrained in our thoughts. That the wealthy ARE more intelligent/better. That opening up university to lesser classes somehow compromised it.

It is not true.

[PussCatTheGoldfish]

DH has worked since he was 15 in the same physical, heavy job.

He is in his early 50s and has arthritis in his hands, knees, shoulders, elbows and neck. There is no way he can carry on into his 60s. His private pension will give him around £20 a week. Not quite enough to retire on!

There's a fair age gap so I won't retire for around 30 years or more. By which time the state pension probably won't exist.

[JustDanceAddict]

My mum worked, albeit v part time, til she died at 71. She didn't need the money Andi asked her why she still worked in her late 60d and she said it got her out of the house & gave her something to do. I get that completely as she was a widow who lived on her own by then. She worked 3 mornings a week as a secretary a bus ride away. A bit different if you're doing a full time physical job though.
I expect to work for the next 20 years too. We certainly need the income. Even if we didn't, I need to 'do' something with my days!

[Lweji]

Oldsu

I wasn't talking about tax.

[user1471545174]

makeourfuture is incorrect but I am not going to continue that debate with makeourfuture. It may have been true in earlier decades but not after the Butler Education Act had made a difference.

Oldsu, you're absolutely right about paying in, taxation etc. I get mad when people who've only worked a couple of years start this, as though they are more productive (and therefore important) by virtue of being young