Early retirement for good health and longevity

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by Lerner, Aug 11, 2010.

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  1. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    Early retirement for good health and longevity

    KH EE
    26-10-2004, 12:43 PM
    from http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/Columns/20041024082144/Article/indexb_html

    ONLY HUMAN: Early retirement for good health and longevity
    Rose Ismail
    Oct 24:

    THIS could be complete tosh and irrelevant to the Malaysian situation.

    Or it might change your attitude towards retirement. It has mine.

    The article on work and life span came through a good friend in the World Bank, which I am sure was not responsible for this intriguing piece of research.

    It carries a weighty title: "Optimum Strategies for Creativity and Longevity", and was the hard work of a Dr Sing Lin, a member of National Council of the Chinese Institute of Engineers, USA/Greater New York Chapter.

    According to the academic, pension funds in many large American corporations (e.g., Boeing, Lockheed Martin, AT&T, Lucent Technologies, etc.) have in recent years been "over funded" because many retirees who work into their old age and retire after 65 tend to die within two years of retirement.

    Many of these late retirees, he observes, do not live long enough to collect their pension money.

    Dr Sing Lin says statistics gathered from several corporations indicated that the longer you work, the shorter your life will be.

    If people retire at 50, their average life span is 86. If they stop work at 65, their average life span is only 66.8.

    An important conclusion from his study is that for every year one works beyond the age of 55, one loses an average of two years of life.

    The Boeing experience seems to confirm this: Employees retiring at 65 receive pension checks for only 18 months, on average, prior to death.

    Similarly, at Lockheed, employees retiring at 65 receive pension checks for only 17 months, on average, before they die.

    Dr David T. Chai, another academic, whom Dr Sing Lin quotes in his research, says the Bell Labs experience is similar to those of Boeing and Lockheed. Chai bases this on his casual observation from newsletters on Bell Lab retirees.

    Hardworking retirees apparently place too great a burden on their aging bodies and minds, such that they become stressed out, says Dr Sing Lin.

    This leads to serious health problems which will force them to stop work.

    With such long-term stress-induced health problems, they die within two years of their retirement.

    On the other hand, people who retire at 55 tend to live long and well into their 80s and beyond.

    Dr Sing Lin acknowledges that early retirees are probably wealthier or more able to plan and manage their health and career, and this is probably why they can afford to stop work and still live comfortably.

    His observations also reveal that many early retirees do not idle their way into old age. They continue to do part-time work at a more leisurely pace, which reduces stress.

    He concluded his research with this advice: Plan your career path and save enough so you can retire comfortably at the age of 55 or earlier to enjoy a long and happy retirement life into your 80s and beyond.

    "If you are not able to get out of the pressure-cooker or the high-speed battleground at 55 and have to keep on working until the age of 65 or older, you will probably die within 18 months of retirement," he writes.

    "By working in the pressure cooker for 10 extra years beyond the age of 55, you give up, on average, at least 20 years of your life."
     
  2. perrymk

    perrymk Member

    I think I am one of those odd people who has no desire to live forever or even a really long time. That's not a death wish, just not a fear of death. My plan has been to retire at 55 (unless the Florida legislature messes with my state pension), but it has nothing to do with living longer. I don't do anything to live longer, although some of my habits designed to improve quality of life may result in longer life. It's a quality over quantity issue.
     
  3. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member


    Good article, I agree with it 100% I plan to retire at 55. People wait to long for a few more bucks, and then croak.


    Abner
     
  4. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    This information was circulated around a couple of these companies in the early 90s. Company analysis and records found that it was erroneous information.
     
  5. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    It wasn't erroneous

    Simply as info it didn't take in to account the life stile of persons, their habits, smoking, substance abuse, food intake etc.

    Studies show that stress kills, that healthy life style prolongs life.
    Moderate exercise, healthy diet, activities including mental all improve the quality and time.
     
  6. b4cz28

    b4cz28 Active Member

    I doubt this is true. Most people in the US work well into the 60's.
     
  7. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    Here is the response from Boeing
    http://www.boeing.com/companyoffices/empinfo/benefits/pension/seminars/Rumor.pdf
    Lockheed and Sandia did similar actuarial studies of their retirees but their reports are not available to the general public.
     
  8. b4cz28

    b4cz28 Active Member

    Well that clears that up...
     
  9. lawrenceq

    lawrenceq Member

    I hope I can retire at 35. :eek:
     
  10. TMW2009

    TMW2009 New Member

    I could only wish to retire at 55 if I continue my current plan. I'm hoping by the age of 45 (probably closer to 47) to have finished my doctorate, and become fully licensed by 50. I'd have to make some pretty freaking good discoveries (or hit the lotto) to be able to retire after 5 years as a practicing psychologist... Hurm.
     

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