Dreams Of A Relaxing Retirement That Turn To Nightmares

If you think retirement is a time to kick back and do what you want without the pressure of work, then think again.

The dream of spending your golden years taking up hobbies and going on endless holidays is just that, according to many who have already retired.

Six out of 10 expect to have to work in retirement to make ends meet because they have not saved enough when younger.

A fifth of these expect to work full time well into their retirement.

Close to a third confessed they had problems paying their bills once they lost their monthly salaries.

A third of retirees will be too busy to relax as they care for friends and family or devote their time to helping charities and their communities.

Boredom can quickly set in

Only one in five of 2,000 people taking part in the research by web site retiresavvy.co.uk believe they can do what they want without having to work once they reach retirement age.

A major surprise from the survey was retirees started getting bored with not working after only 10 months.

A third were fed up that every day was the same, while a fifth did not know what to do with their time.

Loneliness. Boredom and feeling old were all given as reasons why people disliked retirement.

Relationships were another problem for the retired.

Couples row over what to do

Couples found spending all their time together a strain. Close to 40% admitted they argued more and struggled to live together because they disagreed about how to fill their spare time.

One in four said poor weather kept them confined at home, one in five hated daytime TV and one in seven felt taken for granted by their families, who expected them to run around after children.

“The dream is relaxing and travelling the world during in retirement, but this is not the reality for most people,” said Andrew Sheen of retiresavvy.co.uk.

“Our research shows retirement is what you make of it, and planning your finances and lifestyle certainly make giving up work easier for many people. Retirement is a new reality for most people whether they give up working by choice or are forced to do so.”

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