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For Baby Boomers, 'Retirement' May Just Mean a New Job

The Sacramento Bee, 4/4/08

Abstract:

John McGinness, the 50-year-old sheriff of Sacramento County, jokes that if he had to chase a criminal, the bad guy would have to help him out of the patrol car first.

It's no joke that he could be making more money if he retired and quit the force he joined in 1979.

But he isn't...

... Actually he's working for personal gratification. And because he can.

For many baby boomers like him, middle age won't mean a gold watch and a porch swing. Either by choice or necessity, many boomers intend to work beyond traditional retirement, employment services say.

Proposed federal laws that could shore up health coverage and a U.S. Senate hearing later this month will focus new attention on older workers. Employee incentives such as flexible schedules, and a lot of buzz, are creating an inviting atmosphere for longer work lives.

It could mean a second "encore" career, the way former President Clinton is now focused on poverty and AIDS, or extending a career, like McGinness.

A survey of 50- to 65-year-old workers done for the federal government in August found that 29 percent of 55 to 59-year-olds plan to work beyond 65.

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