Father Time is becoming forgiving these days

Enjoy the article, don't forget to read my synopsis at the bottom

"Sixty-five is the normal retirement age, but many older Americans are working much later in life and it's not just because they need the money.

The number of workers who are 75 and older has skyrocketed by 76.7% in the past two decades, according to research by the AARP Public Policy Institute. "We are living longer, healthier lives," says Kerry Hannon, author of Great Jobs for Everyone 50+. "And the types of work that people do is not as labor intensive as it was in our parents' generation."Sixty-five is the normal retirement age, but many Americans are working much later in life, and it's not just because they need the money.

There are a number of reasons why Americans workers may decide to put off retirement. Some may just love their jobs; others may need more money. But even those who have socked away plenty of cash are often terrified about rising medical bills and want to keep earning, Hannon says.

While the 75-plus group of workers has jumped, it's still a small percentage of the American labor force. It represented 7.6% last year, up from 4.3% in 1990.

But there might be more 75-plus workers if it were easier for them to keep their jobs. "I really love my work, and I feel quite useful," says Judge John J. Driscoll, a juvenile court judge in Westmoreland County, Pa. But because he turned 70 last year, he now faces mandatory retirement.

Instead of quietly retiring in January, Driscoll joined five other Pennsylvania judges in a lawsuit seeking to have the right to continue working past age 70. The case, filed in November, claims that Pennsylvania's mandatory retirement provision discriminates against people on the basis of age.

It's hard to know how many older workers are also forced to retire. But there is a growing number of older Americans who are not retired and are in search of a job. The number of unemployed Americans age 75 and older increased from 11,000 in 1990 to 75,000 in 2011, according to AARP.

Some might have lost their jobs during the recession and haven't been able to find another. "The longer you have been out of the labor force, the less likely you are to come back in," says Sara Rix, senior strategic policy adviser at the AARP Public Policy Institute. "There is the question about skills, whether you have what employers want because technology has kept changing while you've been out of work."

American who are 75 and older tend to have certain types of jobs. For example, 25% have professional occupations, such as doctors and lawyers, while another 25% have jobs in retail trades, Rix says.

Older Americans in search of jobs should consider growing fields, such as health, education and not-profit organizations, Hannon says. "All kinds of small businesses need people with expertise," she says. "Then you can have a part-time gig with flexible schedules.""

Courtesy of: Christine Dugas, USA TODAY

        I found this article interesting for multiple reasons. First, as a resident of Pennsylvania, it was surprising that an employer can give you the nudge into retirement from your job; if you can no longer do the work, or are significantly slowing down a process, it is understandable. The other zinger is the percentage of people who aren't ready to stop working, go old people!

People who are getting up in their years to stop working, is a hindrance on their longevity. This conversation is always a good one to see what other people think: if you continue your lifestyle through adulthood and into old age, such as work, activities, so on and so forth, will that help make your body forget how old it is? Will continuing to live a proactive lifestyle ward off the sedentary lifestyle of retirement that too many people accept.

A quote I use relatively often to people I speak with, is that age is but a number; life is what you make it.  As a person in his mid-20's, I am clearly wet behind the ears on this topic, but logic steers me in that direction. If you can avoid illness and injury, and keep rolling with the punches, there should not be a reason you can't ward off your meeting with St. Peter a little longer than expected.

              So now that it is 2013, New Years resolutions in place, but slowing to a halt; keep that resolution at the gym a little longer, try to run a 5k, join a zumba class, go for a walk with your significant other. Studies show that a half an hour of activity a day cannot only increase your lifespan, but your health benefits sky rocket. It is all about determination and dedication, change, and focus. 

             Life is for the living my friends, cheers!

  

             -The Fickle Financier
              Commercial Lending for the Entrepreneur

Since we are closing in on Thanksgiving, I thought I would throw this out for fun.

How Many Calories Will We Really Eat On Thanksgiving Day?

November 19, 2012 By Mary Beth Quirk

The diet always starts the day after Thanksgiving, right? Because we know that every year, we’re going to stuff a large amount of fowl, potatoes, pies, dressing, rollscakesgreenbeancasserolewhippedcream etc. into our stomachs until it feels like the universe will explode into a huge, gravy-covered mess. Part of our collective overeating shame could be tied to the oft-cited statistic that the average person will eat more than 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving Day. But is that really how much we’ll ingest?

The New York Times wanted to get to the bottom of that astronomically high number which is inked back to the Calorie Control Council, the people who represent diet food companies) to make sure we’re not feeling guilty and claiming to start diets we’ll most likely never start.

One way to debunk a theory is to put it to the test, so writer Tara Parker-Hope jumped right in by cooking up a Turkey Day feast. Here’s what she made:

• A six-ounce serving of turkey with the crispy skin on, including 4 ounces of dark meat and 2 ounces of white for a total of 299 calories.
• Sausage stuffing at 310 calories — go big or go home, right?
• Dinner roll with butter for 310 calories
• Two kinds of potatoes are always in order during the holidays: Big serving of mashed sweet-potato casserole made with butter, brown sugar and topped with marshmallows for 300 calories per serving, and a half-cup of mashed potatoes for  140 calories of starchy goodness.
• Green bean casserole at 110 calories for 2/3 cup, cranberry sauce at 15 calories and roasted brussels sprouts (veggies!) for 83 calories.
• Then there’s pie that has to get shoved in there — pumpkin pie at 316 calories per slice, pecan pie for 503 calories and lots of whipped cream on all of that at 100 calories.

Grand total: 2,486 calories.

No one could look at that list, eat everything on it and complain of having room left over. Even if you add in breakfast and some booze and sure, you could get close to 4,500 calories, but it’s probably not as normal of an occurrence as we think.

Our stomachs can usually only fit about 8 cups of food on average, and after ingesting 1,500 calories our bodies emit a hormone that causes nausea. Which means, “STOP EATING, self! You’ve had enough already.”

Go on and test it yourself this Thursday. But don’t feel too horrible if you’re not ready to start that diet on Friday. You’re probably not doing as much damage, calorically speaking, as you thought you were.

We at Lenders Commercial Finance, wish you and yours, the best of Holidays!

When you snap out of your food coma, we hope we can help you free up some working capital