Thoughts of early retirement fade for Boomers

摘要

When I was growing up, I often heard that a man should die "with his boots on," This saying had no reference to any John Wayne movie. Rather, it implied that you lived your trade - be it a welder, machinist, or die-maker - until your time on this earth came to an end. In fact, I vividly remember my own father as he lay on his deathbed asking what day it was. We always answered Sunday because if he heard any other day, he wanted to get dressed and go to work. Take a close look at the work ethics of our parents and grandparents. It didn't matter if they worked in a factory or 011 a farm; retirement was not in the cards. Perhaps it was their ethnic heritage or maybe it was the tough economic times they lived through, but to them, having a job and working hard at it brought dignity and honor to their family. In addition, they felt a sense of loyalty to the company letting them earn a living.