Anonymous wrote:What's weird is the 50s is when women are done raising children or have children in the upper grades of high school. They have fewer distractions, they don't need to leave early to take care of children, they can fully focus on the work. Sure, they don't look 30, but they don't have that baggage, either.

I agree--I don't get this either. I consider myself a good employee (44, two ES aged kids) but I'm going to do what I have to do and be done for the day. Give me 5 more years and I will happy to work much harder and will have more time to dedicate to work. In my 30s, I was looking for a job that had good maternity benefits and would let me go part-time eventually. Which I did, but I didn't stay forever.

I am 57 (female and person of color), soon to be 58 and work in-house for a non-profit. I make 315K and have been in my position for 19 years. We have people in our organization who have been with the company for 30 to 40 years. If I can, I will work another 10 years. You can do the math. It depends on your position. I am viewed as key personnel and have a lot of institutional knowledge and subject matter expertise (law). The key is making yourself as critical to the enterprise as you can. I have $1.5 in retirement. I want to add another $500 - $750 if I can. My husband is retired and we have twins starting college in the fall. It can be done but you have to find your niche.

What's weird is the 50s is when women are done raising children or have children in the upper grades of high school. They have fewer distractions, they don't need to leave early to take care of children, they can fully focus on the work. Sure, they don't look 30, but they don't have that baggage, either.

Hmm, lots of retired military/govt working for govt contractors or private industry making lots of $$ and are well over 55.

We should begin to get as outraged about age discrimination as we get about racial discrimination.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone considering a second (lower-key)career in an area of interest? For example, my banker brother talked about personal coaching or teaching a class, etc.

In my 30s I went back to school part time and got my masters in library and information science. I hope to use that to work at a library or some other government funded job when and if I get laid off.

Librarian jobs are insanely hard to get and often are subject-specific.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone considering a second (lower-key)career in an area of interest? For example, my banker brother talked about personal coaching or teaching a class, etc.

In my 30s I went back to school part time and got my masters in library and information science. I hope to use that to work at a library or some other government funded job when and if I get laid off.

My sister is a librarian. It’s a fading career in best of times and now COVID may mean end of real libraries.

I think you missed the "information science" part of the master's degree. There is a greater need than ever to corral and organize and serve up information. A MLIS degree can we useful in many places--hospitals, news organizations, law firms, museums, archives, etc. It's actually a very malleable degree that lends itself to many industries and offers the possibility of working post retirement in a job that isn't demeaning.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone considering a second (lower-key)career in an area of interest? For example, my banker brother talked about personal coaching or teaching a class, etc.

In my 30s I went back to school part time and got my masters in library and information science. I hope to use that to work at a library or some other government funded job when and if I get laid off.

My sister is a librarian. It’s a fading career in best of times and now COVID may mean end of real libraries.

Anonymous wrote:Anyone considering a second (lower-key)career in an area of interest? For example, my banker brother talked about personal coaching or teaching a class, etc.

In my 30s I went back to school part time and got my masters in library and information science. I hope to use that to work at a library or some other government funded job when and if I get laid off.

Not in the federal government, there are full time employees in their 80's. And people in their 60's are routinely hired.

Age is a bitch. I get interviews like crazy at 59. But zoom and questions show my age I get more interview but they go nowhere and often get ghosted. Even at 5/7 interviews

I look back in linked in and often a less qualified person who earns more gets it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s absolutely paramount that professionals plan to be able to retire by 55. If you think age discrimination is bad now, you haven’t seen anything yet. The automated tools coming down the pipeline (including in white collar fields like law) are kind-boggling.

And then what do you do for 30 years?

Well, if you're like most people involuntarily laid off in their late 50's, you try to get by on as little as reasonably possible, try to stay healthy, and try to pick up what consulting or other work you can, as it comes. Or you get a job way below your qualifications just so that you can get the health insurance.
(I also met a ton of people like this who moved to Orlando and work PT at Disneyworld to get low COL and free Disney passes for their grandkids. If you talk to any of the people who work the gates at WDW, this is pretty much their situation, or they worked in an industry with full pension at 25-30 years.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone here who had to retire early and fund their own healthcare? What does it cost per year? This is the part of getting pushed out early the scares me.

DH and I are in our 50s and pay for our own healthcare. Family of four, high deductible HSA plan is about $1200.

DH at 57 is the most expensive of all of us. I think we priced it out, and his premium is like $400/month or so. Last year, I think DH's out of pocket was about $600 or so for the year. He's generally healthy.

Thank you!

One female, 59, Cigna PPO, ~$800/month, 3K deductible.

Where are you located? I think VA is more expensive than MD.

We have Carefirst.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone here who had to retire early and fund their own healthcare? What does it cost per year? This is the part of getting pushed out early the scares me.

DH and I are in our 50s and pay for our own healthcare. Family of four, high deductible HSA plan is about $1200.

DH at 57 is the most expensive of all of us. I think we priced it out, and his premium is like $400/month or so. Last year, I think DH's out of pocket was about $600 or so for the year. He's generally healthy.

Thank you!

One female, 59, Cigna PPO, ~$800/month, 3K deductible.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone here who had to retire early and fund their own healthcare? What does it cost per year? This is the part of getting pushed out early the scares me.

DH and I are in our 50s and pay for our own healthcare. Family of four, high deductible HSA plan is about $1200.

DH at 57 is the most expensive of all of us. I think we priced it out, and his premium is like $400/month or so. Last year, I think DH's out of pocket was about $600 or so for the year. He's generally healthy.

Thank you!