[manaboutown]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Yeah we had done that. We were going to retire the following year. And then the department was eliminated and the job ceased to exist. Had already maxed out pay, were living within our means, and no one would hire a 55-year-old to become a brand new employee at a maxed-out pay. Getting a job at "entry level" pay would've meant getting paid less than Unemployment benefits paid. We couldn't pay the mortgage on that. So we sunk our savings into survival while spending 9 months trying to sell our house and move to a house we could afford to live in. Our dream for retirement was cut short ONE YEAR before we could grab it.

Living the retiree dream depends on the dream, and depends on circumstances.

During my grade school years my father worked as a sales clerk at a Montgomery Ward store. He noticed that as long time salesclerks were nearing their magic retirement date, when their defined benefit plan would become effective, the company fired them. These were hard working people with years at the company. He saw the writing on the wall and found work elsewhere. This was during the late 1940s and early 1950s.