I find the concept of "Golden Years" difficult to grasp. There's dignity in work - any work. How often have we heard about men, accustomed to vital activity in the workplace, dying not long after retiring?

I think there's far too much cultural fixation on a final goal of retirement. We're seeing, already, how elusive that so called happy state can be in the midst of the current economic crisis. Rather than setting retirement the holy grail of career closure, we'd be better off thinking in terms of creating choices.

Hooray for the over 75 crowd reentering or staying in the workaday world. I can think of nothing healthier or more life sustaining.

Last year a dozen eggs cost me $1.29 at my supermarket. Oddly, I keep track of this stuff in my head. Yesterday I paid $2.39. Folks, that's a 53% jump! While prices at the gas pump have fallen recently, they're still well above what we've seen over the last five years. And, does anyone believe they'll stay lower?

Now, I don't argue that cost of living increases should be tied to eggs. In fact, the Feds, in calculating the Consumer Price Index (CPI), tell us that they weigh a whole market basket of goods and services. The problem is that these numbers can be manipulated, and are manipulated, to achieve political objectives, not to benefit retirees receiving social security. Food and energy are excluded from the CPI calculation because they are so "volatile". What does that tell you? It's just part of a lie the government foists upon us.

In fact, one reason for lying to us about inflation is to keep a lid on payments to grandma and grandpa. Cheating senior citizens is nothing new. And, in past years, whatever increases were logged, have been offset, in large part, by increases in Medicare premiums. There's some indication, however, that there will be no Medicare boost for 2009.

It's illegal for businesses to cook the books, but the government has a free reign to do just that. In the final analysis, older Americans are being cheated out of billions of dollars. I guess that in light of the current, mounting financial meltdowns, that can be viewed as a good thing. Right?

Robert G. Knechtel

Prior to being old enough to enter retirement, career planning for a job change in later years is becoming a possible goal for many individuals. Fortunately, there are many options for those who are too young to retire and too disgruntled to remain in their current profession.

When the aging process brings people to about the 50-year-old mark they begin to think about their working future. Most are also healthier than their parents were at the same age and are looking forward to having more years available after retirement. They also know they probably do not have the retirement fund and Social Security income that enabled their parents to be more secure in their retirement and start to look at retirement career planning to find a better way to end their working life.

Many of today’s soon-to-retire individuals belong to a group that put off saving for retirement as they pressed for a more leisure lifestyle. Now, facing retirement they realize they have spent their way into a financial dilemma and are looking towards retirement career planning to help them build on what little savings they may have to enable them to continue their leisure lifestyle into retirement.

Finding More Fulfilling Careers Later In Life

Many people getting closer to the retirement begin to look for different careers, however they want the careers based on their terms. Working for companies that have a lot of strict rules probably is not going to fare well with this age group. Some seeking retirement career planning advice often turn to teaching or working in healthcare to give something back that they have accumulated over the years. Not only does it positively affect their work habits, it can also provide a boost to their retirement fund.

Retirement career planning can be especially beneficial for those when they hit age 62 and consider taking a partial retirement, knowing they will realize a drop in benefits. Instead of taking early retirement and drawing money from their accounts, they can go through retirement career planning and find a position they enjoy as well as afford to live off while waiting for the age at which they can take full retirement.

Working after retirement can also be enjoyed when doing charitable work or offering guidance to others in a similar field, allowing them to share their experiences and knowledge with younger versions of themselves.