My son was telling me of a co-worker who worked until he was 86 when he died

This might be a cautionary tale that he told me and maybe a concern of my sons that he too might never be able to retire.

However, as a retired person myself already for 26 years next fall there is another side to this:

First of all, many people are workaholics and wouldn't survive very long in retirement because it's sort of like when you were a child when you had easter vacation or Summer Vacation or Christmas Vacation. Imagine a vacation that NEVER ENDS!

IT can be good and it can be boring but it is definitely whatever you make it every second after you retire.

I have seen people drink themselves to death, eat themselves to death, drug themselves to death or just bore themselves to death in retirement.

My own father only lasted 5 years retired after dreaming about it for years. It wasn't what he expected. But, he had some inkling I suppose when he chartered a yacht to Tahiti when he was 23 along with his first wife  and brother and stayed in those islands for about 1 or 2 years time. He told me he never really adjusted to so much free time.

However, someone like myself I tend to be okay with retirement because I'm never reallly bored. Not really. I have always been. "The Fun Meister" of my friends even as a child. And since I was an only child I learned to interest and to entertain myself quite young to begin with.

The other thing that has happened (at least in California is inflation of living situations). For example, my son in law was telling me just how bad things are for young families wanting to buy a home in San Diego County or throughout the coastal regions of the entire state of California.

He told me that if you made 100,000 a year you could buy a family home up to a value of about 1 million dollars with 10% down with payments you might afford before 2019 which would be about 3500 dollars a month payments. However, by the time covid was over the interest rates were going to eat you up to th epoint where instead of 3500 a month payments it went off the charts.

So, now you need a combined income of 400,000 dollars per year to buy the same thing that you could with a 100,000 dollar income before 2019.

And these factors not only affect young new families first home purchases it also affects retireees as well possibly in the same ways?

So, inflation in this sense isn't only about food it's even more about shelter too and the capacity of almost anyone being able to afford to buy a house instead of renting.

The other point I would like to make here is that I have found that if you look at all retired people it's the ones who work part time who tend to do the best in retirement. Completely retiring doesn't totally work for many people. For example, if you own a business it's important that you are working at least 20 hours a week to help maintain or expand that business too. It's sort of like being a fireman. You are there as a business owner to "Put out fires" when they arise. My wife and I still do this for our business too. By owning a business that is doing well and continuing working like this part time helps keep your faculties working better and also gives you extra money that you might not have if you are fully retired otherwise.