To think the standard of living for retired people had to change

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I'm a millennial. I will retire in my seventies. Many in my age group will be still paying their mortgage off well into their sixties. Many will never be able to buy. This is not a moan about that.

My mums generation were able to buy cheaper houses in the eighties. Some have also inherited well (houses which their parents owned and didn't have to sell to pay for care, which had risen in price to above a million). They had better pension plans. Some were able to go to university for free and their degrees actually meant something in the workplace: They often paid off their mortgages in their forties. I see a lot of my parents relatives have retired early and have very enviable lives.

Two uncles have retired in their early sixties. They are both in good help. They spend their days on many holidays, eating out multiple times per week, going to garden centres, renovating their beautiful houses, helping children financially and with childcare. They will have presumably worked out their finances and could afford to continue to live like this for the rest of their lives! Possibly thirty more years!

I think they are possibly going to be unique in their quality of life. We will never have that and I don't see my children's generation having things any earlier.

In essence the generation before me were mostly fortunate, unless personal situations changed their financial situation or they lost their homes during the nineties interest rises. Retirements and pensions were never designed to support people for three decades and that things had to change hence raising the retirement age and making people pay more towards their care.

I worry about my kids and I think the housing market/situation with rentals is hideous, but talk of limiting free health care to over 70s is obscene.

Surely todays 20/30 yrs olds are going to experience this though? How is the current model sustainable?

You get the years you’re given 🤷‍♀️

As they should be on a burning, overpopulated planet! It's about time we stopped subsidizing human reproduction and resumed stigmatizing irresponsible procreation!

People can't help getting sick or growing old, but they certainly can prevent producing offspring they can't afford to raise.

So now people are saying that young people shouldn't have families either? It just keeps getting better

I’d say obscene is tame.
The comments is a f….. disgrace and anyone making such a comment should be ashamed of themselves.
Misguided and evil.

As they should be on a burning, overpopulated planet! It's about time we stopped subsidizing human reproduction and resumed stigmatizing irresponsible procreation!

People can't help getting sick or growing old, but they certainly can prevent producing offspring they can't afford to raise.

@LaurieStrode because of course no old person today was the result of “irresponsible procreation” 🙄

Some people are sick because of their own doing though? Why do you think people are having offspring they can’t afford to raise?

And what does a UK look like with only old people? Considering we have a capitalist economy.

@Readingallnight but my question was is the NHS going to be free at the point of care in 40/50 yrs time? Do you think so? I don’t. I know a number people who have gone private as the waiting lists are too long. They are the lucky ones & care is becoming limited to some. I don’t see the situation improving.

No, my kids have had a much better childhood, education, opportunities, travel experience and start in life than I did by a long, long way.

And that is great and it's why my husband and I have worked our bloody socks off often working very long hours since we left school at 16 to make a good life for our children. And, neither of us have ever drawn a days sick pay or unemployment benefit along the way. It's called having a work ethic.

You can dismiss it as out of touch but I prefer to call it realism - life is tough if you aren't born into wealth.

People can't help getting sick or growing old, but they certainly can prevent producing offspring they can't afford to raise.

That's all very well, but what happens to those people who "can't help getting sick or growing old" when they actually GET to that stage? Who cares for them? We are already in a state of crisis when it comes to elderly care and healthcare. We NEED young people in our society unless you just want old people abandoned in the streets to fend for themselves. So if we need them, we need to set up our society so that they can afford to house themselves adequately, be able to have their own families, have enough of a decent quality of life so that they are not simply just worker bees paying taxes to pay for the housing and care of the generation above them. And that doesn't mean living with their parents all the way through their 20s because they can't afford their own place but COULD save up enough for a holiday in Ibiza once a year.

@Roundandroundandroundsound thats why the gov has got away with not planning for the shift because so many don’t want to acknowledge it. We can see the economy is struggling, that public services are failing, there is a shortage of worker, our money isn’t going as far, etc but somehow all of these things will improve despite the gov not doing anything. 🤷🏻‍♀️

And that is great and it's why my husband and I have worked our bloody socks off often working very long hours since we left school at 16 to make a good life for our children. And, neither of us have ever drawn a days sick pay or unemployment benefit along the way. It's called having a work ethic.

I’d call that ridiculously lucky health wise. In 40/50 yrs you’ve never been ill! Christ, I collapsed with appendicitis in my first role so had a bit of time off early on in my career. Still think I have a good work ethic though & don’t worry as a higher rate tax payer I’ve paid more than enough in to cover it.

Honestly being neither old nor young (gen X, millennial husband) I had sympathy for the younger generation, yes, but I didn't feel that strongly about it. But reading all the horrible entitled posts from older people on here I'm surprised the younger lot don't rise up and revolt. They really have been fucked over and if the people on this thread are anything to go by a lot of the older generation just couldn't care less.

That's all very well, but what happens to those people who "can't help getting sick or growing old" when they actually GET to that stage? Who cares for them?

Who pays for them?

In the 60s you had 5 workers to 1 pensioner now it’s 3 to 1 & it’s dropping further. And yet people ponder why the gov aren’t really trying to reduce immigration.

Yes we are fortunately healthy and I am not saying I begrudge people being ill! Or the safety net of sick pay!

Of course, we have been ill but my husband works for himself and isn't entitled to sick pay anyway and I have never had to draw as I can work flexibly and catch up - had maternity pay though!

Yes we are fortunately healthy and I am not saying I begrudge people being ill! Or the safety net of sick pay!

Why mention it in a post about work ethic then?

Of course, we have been ill but my husband works for himself and isn't entitled to sick pay anyway and I have never had to draw as I can work flexibly and catch up - had maternity pay though!

So it’s nothing to do with work ethic then just the fact you had flexible jobs… 🙄

I was actually referring to weighty ? Previous poster re her appalling comments

Apologies I shouldn’t have quoted you.

To be fair what this thread shows is that people can't be pigeon holed by generation.

This post shows how close we are to Groundhog Day, it's a topic that is tediously debated on a regular basis and no-one changes their entrenched position so what's the point? There not one original comment in the entire thread.

Can you point me to the entitled post’s please?

No I CBA - you just need to read the thread there are hundreds.

I wholeheartedly agree with you, and I think the bitterness is utterly shocking.

One of my YP has already established themselves in a professional career. The second is very focused and determined to establish themselves in a career that has significant challenges and is massively difficult to get into, but has so far achieved so much. 3rd is in 1st class territory at uni, so far, and just got a Dean's award.

None of them has ever expressed views like there are here. The elder two have lived away and moved home for a time, where they are fully supported and welcome.

University has been devalued because so many YP go. My kids were relatively gifted academically and would always have been uni material, but I think so many YP are failed by the system and might have fared better taking a different path.

I have a young relative who spent 4 years studying Early Years, and is now baking cakes 2 days a week. Another YP I know who took the same course, is managing a childcare facility. On their current trajectory, neither is ever going to pay back their student loan.

Maybe in your cosy middle class bubble.

Newsflash, the majority of pensioners didnt inherit property and aren't dripping in money. A great many are poor and struggling like everybody de without the benefit of youth and good health on their side.

What responsible lender gives a mortgage to a 70 year old?? Why wait until 70 to buy a house?

I think those currently in their 60s will be the last generation we see living until their late 80/90s so you needn't worry about it OP.

Lifestyles of Millennials and all those since mean the risks of early death are increased from illnesses related to poor diet, binge drinking culture, higher stress jobs and higher stress life in general.

The majority of pensioners are not living the utopian retirement in your op. The majority of that generation left school at 14 and 15 and had worked for over 50 years by the time they retired. They grew up in cold houses without the modern conveniences we have today. Lots wouldn’t have had an indoor bathroom. They most definitely would not have had a car or gone on holidays. A day at the seaside on the Sunday school trip would have been a highlight of their summer holidays. You’re talking nonsense if you honestly believe the older generations had it easier.
What’s stopping you getting what you want from life? Why don’t you get your finger out and stop blaming those who came before you!!

Not this old chestnut…..

OP - 89% of pensioners are net claimants on the welfare state

https://www.civitas.org.uk/2023/07/18/effects-of-taxes-and-benefits-on-uk-household-income/

So, they are not living the dream, as you imagine!