Returnment

For as long as we can remember, all our Uncle Fred and his wife Ginger talked about was the blissful day when they could retire from their jobs, sell the house, and travel the country in an RV with a mural of wolves in the moonlight painted on the side. When the big day came, we threw them a big party and watched them happily drive off into the sunset.

But things don’t always end up going the way we think they will. After a year on the road, Fred was starting to worry about money and Ginger was bored out of her mind. So they drove back into town, bought another house, found new jobs, sold the RV, and threw themselves a returnment party.

“Returnment” is when retirees go back to work, whether it’s for money, for fun, or, as in Aunt Ginger’s case, just for something to do during the day. People live longer and longer these days, which means retiring at 60 can leave folks with decades of life left to be lived (and paid for). And even though many of us would love the option to retire at 60 (or earlier), the truth is that retirement isn’t always the pleasurable panacea of fun and freedom that we think it’s going to be. Sometimes the best option is...to go back to work. See: Brett Favre for details.