WHEN SHOULD I RETIRE?
Because, now more than ever, the choice is yours....
Hello there, dear readers
I hope this edition finds you well. Are you seeing signs of Spring, like I am. In some places, the snowdrops are well and truly out and nodding their delicate heads in the wind with daffodils poking through. Where I am in the North West, they aren’t fully blooming as yet, but I was down in the South East the early part of this week, and they were fully in bloom. So, whatever stage your daffies are at, I hope you are enjoying them.
So, in this issue I want to look at the idea of retiring. And although a lot of you reading this will be nowhere near retirement age, why I’m including it is because we’re at a stage when a lot of it is left up to us.
In decades past the decision to retire often came down to a fixed “retirement age” set by employers or governments. But today things are different. Many of us are living longer, healthier lives, work is evolving, and the idea that once you hit “X years old” you stop working. But is this no longer the default.
When I first started working in the 1980’s, I worked in a government department that dealt with state retirement pension payments and frequently I was helping those in receipt of the retirement pension with any queries that they had.
But, and I’d forgotten this until recently, back then is was MANDATORY that once a woman reached her 60th birthday she was obliged to retire and stop working. I’m not sure whether there was any legislation was in place to make this happen, but I do remember that it was the norm amongst employers. Any woman approaching her 60th birthday was automatically put out to pasture and nobody questioned it. As a raw 18 year old I never did.
But looking back, that is actually APALLING! How dare anyone decide you automatically retire regardless of how effective you still are at your job or your health status.
Thankfully, in the intervening years things have changed considerably.
That shift puts the decision in our hands: Do we retire because we’ve done enough, we’re ready, finances allow it—and we want to? Or do we carry on working because we still derive meaning, variety, income, structure from our work?
Because of that, the question is less “have I reached age 60 (or whatever)” and more “am I ready (financially, physically, mentally) and am I doing it because I want to, not because I feel forced?”
So, when should we retire? And indeed, are we retiring too early?
Here’s what the science tells us
Looking at what research has found about the health and wellbeing implications of retiring (or continuing to work) later.
A 2020 systematic review/meta-analysis of 25 longitudinal studies found that early retirement (compared with working until retirement) was not associated with increased mortality (fully adjusted HR 1.05, 95% CI 0.87–1.28). Meanwhile, “on-time” retirement compared with working beyond retirement showed a higher mortality risk in insufficiently adjusted studies (HR 1.56) though after adjusting for prior health status the risk fell to HR 1.12 (95% CI 0.98–1.28). PMC
WHAT THAT MEANS - IN PLAIN ENGLISH
The idea that retiring early automatically shortens your life isn’t proven; but staying in work (beyond what might have been “normal” retirement age) seems to correlate with better outcomes — albeit with caveats.
A systematic review in 2021 found that working longer (in later life) can have positive or neutral effects on health for many people — especially those who choose to keep working, in part-time or flexible roles, rather than being forced. Here’s the study, if you want to look further
And a recent UK study (2025) found that for women in their early 60s, staying in paid work improved cognitive functioning and reduced physical disability — especially for those living alone and in less sedentary roles.
Another study of Danish adults aged 55+ reported that there is “substantial additional health capacity to work” beyond standard retirement ages — though with important variation by education, occupation and physical/mental health.
So what does that mean? It means working longer can be beneficial — for many people — but it’s not a blanket prescription. The quality of the work, the individual’s health, the choice and flexibility, the meaning derived from work, all matter.
What this means for you – key signals & questions
Here are some questions to ask yourself, and signals that you’re ready for retirement (or not), that align with this research.
Questions to ask:
Do I still enjoy what I do, and get meaning, social connection, stimulation from it?
Am I working under favourable conditions (control, flexibility, manageable stress) rather than because I feel stuck?
Is my health (physical + mental) good enough that continuing to work would not be a burden?
Do I have the financial means and other life-goals (travel, hobbies, family, volunteering) that make retirement feasible and fulfilling?
Would I still keep some activity (volunteering, part-time work, projects) even if I “retired” fully?
Signals you might be ready to retire:
You’re financially comfortable, and pension/other income streams are sorted.
You’re keen to shift focus to new non-work passions, things you’ve put off.
You feel your work is more of an obligation than a delight, and you’d rather use your time differently.
You’ve thought through what retirement will look like (not simply “not working”)—how you’ll keep purpose, community, routine.
Signals maybe you’re not ready (or should consider an extended “phased” retirement):
You still feel energised, challenged by your work and you’d regret losing it.
You’re in good health, enjoy the structure and social contact.
You don’t yet have a clear alternative plan for how you’ll occupy your time.
Your finances might benefit from delaying retirement (extra years working = more savings).
Take-away message
There’s no single “right age” to retire any more. The decision is personal, complex, and includes health, finances, meaning and choice. Research suggests that if you’re able and if you enjoy it, continuing to work longer can be beneficial for health, cognition and wellbeing. On the other hand, retiring early isn’t automatically harmful — especially if you have a plan for life after work that keeps you active, connected and purposeful.
The golden thread throughout? CHOICE!
Retiring because you want to, when you want to, with a vision of your next chapter, is very different to feeling forced, burned-out or idle. If you’re in that midlife zone — still ready for the next phase of life — this is a great moment to pause and ask: Am I ready to retire? Or am I ready to reconsider what “work” looks like for me now?
I’ll leave PSyou with this: If you’re still energised, still curious, still contributing—you might find that “retirement” isn’t a full stop; it’s a new type of work, one of your choosing.
Thanks for reading this far. I hope the above resonated with you and you found some guidance within it.
That’s a wrap from me
Until next week
Una x
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