Work Wanted: Protect Your Retirement Plans in Uncertain Times

2. Consider Flexible Work and Retirement

Whatever the reason people decide to stay in a job, it is time to change the way we think about retirement. A one-size-fits-all approach will no longer match the very different plans that seniors and baby boomers have for their later years.—Herb Kohl, Senator from Wisconsin

Myth: Retirement Is a Cliff We Must Jump Off at a Certain Age

Once upon a time, workers left their employers at a fixed age, usually 65, and turned to a life of leisure. Workers who were eager to stop working left at age 62, or as early as 55, if benefit plans made it possible for them to retire early. In recent decades, the average retirement age has been about 62. Few employees have stayed past age 65.

But times have ...