Is it compulsory to retire at 65 years old?

[Etini Willie]

When it comes to retirement, people are told to prepare for the age of 65 when they can no longer work. It is at this age that they fall back to their investments and savings during their productive life to use and sustain themselves. I often wonder if it is a standing law that people must retire when once they clock the age of 65. I know that at this age, a person's mental and physical capabilities start to diminish. Even at that, I am not a supporter of the idea that one can not keep on working beyond the age of 65.

Perhaps, the assertion held true four decades ago. Considering the wealth of knowledge and the incredible advancement in medicine that we have today, a person's capabilities is not diminished at the age of 65. Consider that the average life expectancy today is about 80 years old from 55 years old a few decades ago.

I think people might need to relinquish physically straining jobs at 65 but they shouldn't stop working entirely. At 65 years of age, considering life expectancy at 80 years, there is a long time to live and your retirement savings might not take you for this long period. That's why I think people should work beyond 65 years old.

 

[Paul Abel]

I have heard some time ago that it is possible to actually apply for extension of service years when some factors are considered. May be your ability to keep on delivering and that is specifically for government jobs.

But some private firms allow you to work even beyond 65 years.
And talking of working, one can retire from government job but that does not mean he or she cannot work again.

My dad retired as a civil servant and continued working with a private institution. So you may regard that as stoppage of one work and continuing with another. Others go into business and many other sort of enterprises.