Frazzled pensioners say they expected a carefree retirement but instead their supposed golden years are ruined by stress.
Table of contents
A fifth say that giving up work just meant replacing one set of stresses with another.
They also miss mixing with colleagues and the gossip at work.
Add to that, they have had to devote a lot of time to helping their families out financially or caring for grandchildren instead of relaxing on holiday or with a hobby.
And to cap their misfortunes, one in three have struggled with money since they retired.
Retirement gripes
The list of retirement gripes was gathered by researchers for financial firm The Prudential who were comparing retirement reality with pre-retirement expectations.
Another issue for those who have retired during the past decade is worsening health.
But the biggest regret was missing friends at work, a disappointment voiced by 35% of retirees.
Meanwhile, 30% have less money to spend since stopping working and one in eight regularly lend cash to their children.
Providing a free childcare service is resented by 5% of retirees.
Despite the moans, the research found that 87% of those who retired within the past 10 years are happy, with 13% disappointed with their new lifestyle.
Different decisions
However, a quarter would work for longer if they had the chance to wind back their retirement, and 10% would have found another job or would have been more active.
The company’s retirement expert Vince Smith-Hughes said: “Often when we think of retirement planning we concentrate exclusively on our finances, but what these findings show is that there are many other things involved in helping to make us happy in retirement.
“As we have found, giving up work can be a shock to the system even before people start to come to terms with the inevitable change in their financial circumstances. However, as we see people easing themselves away from the world of work through a period of pre-retirement and more people saving from an earlier age, we hope that the new retirees of the future will be better placed to cope with their changed circumstances.
“While financial security doesn’t guarantee happiness in retirement, having your finances in shape when you give up work should help to cope with some of the stresses caused by the change in your daily routine.”
Related Articles, Guides and Insights
Below is a list of some related articles, guides and insights that you may find of interest.
Questions or Comments?
We love to get feedback from our readers. So, after reading this article, if you have any questions or want to make comments, send us a message on this site or our social media?
Don’t forget that you can also request the guides sent directly to your email inbox.