RESPECTFUL EXITS
Respectful Exits aims to strengthen our workforce and economy by mobilizing the voices and talents of aging workers.
From now until 2029, 10,000 Americans will turn 65 each day. Many of these 50 million+ “Boomers” have been retired prematurely. Half of workers aged 55 have $14,000 or less in savings to finance their retirement.
The old model and dream of working to 65 and retiring for a decade of pension-funded leisure is outdated and broken. It is past time for employer practices to catch up with the new longevity. Since the 1980s, we have added 20 years to lifespans, yet vibrant contributors are being discarded daily, pensions have been cut, and the social safety net is being shredded.
Respectful Exits is the organized voice of aging workers, insisting that employers implement our common sense Longevity Agenda:
End the 65 “sell-by” date as a mandatory or informal “retirement age”;
Practice career-long development and training of all staff;
Encourage robust flexible scheduling for employees of all ages;
Provide ongoing, on-demand financial wellness counseling; and
Implement and promote flexible and phased retirement options.
Through a dynamic national campaign with local affiliates, we educate, advocate, and mobilize for comprehensive change in employers across the U.S.
We challenge 65 as the widely assumed ‘sell-by’ date.
Milk curdles; people don’t.
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Join to help us transform retirement in our lifetime and to stay informed about our campaign.
OUR FOCUS AREAS
BOOMER EXODUS
From 2011 until 2029, 10,000 Boomers a day—or 60 million people—turned and will turn 65.
That’s the equivalent of one-and-a-half Californias.
INCREASED LONGEVITY
Life expectancy is up 20 years, yet workers are discarded at 65 or earlier.
Social Security set the retirement eligibility age at 65 in 1936.
IMPENDING POVERTY
50% of workers 50-64 have less than $14,000 in savings to last 20-30 years.
Invested, that yields $50 per month.
RETIREMENT DEMAND
64% of workers hope to work longer and ease into retirement, while 5% of employers offer formal programs.
The demand increases, but the supply does not.
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Our power begins with bringing this issue out of the shadows, clarifying the problem, posing straightforward solutions—and acting together to advance our agenda.
RESPECTFUL EXITS BLOG
Respectful Exits: Retirement Matters at Every Age
Just as traditional ideas about work in general are outdated and impractical, so too are traditional ideas about retirement.
Respectful Exits: Once You See a Problem, You Can’t Unsee It
Once I saw the numbers of workers 50 and older who are being forced out of work with less than $15K in savings, I couldn’t unsee this baby boomer crisis.
Respectful Exits: Personal and Universal
Centennials, Millennials, Gen Xers, and Baby Boomers, we are all getting older. And after decades of punching in, working hard, and giving back, we deserve a secure future. We deserve Respectful Exits.
Respectful Exits: Revolutionary, But Somehow Familiar
The goals of Respectful Exits feel brand new, transformational, and even revolutionary, but at the same time—to me—they are as familiar as family.
IBM Searches-and-Replaces Older Workers—Are Millennials Next?
A new piece from ProPublica, Cutting ‘Old Heads’ at IBM, brings “premature retirement” practices—by a legendary company, no less—into full and disturbing view.
BECOME A SUPPORTER TODAY
Respectful Exits is a force to transform retirement in our lifetime. Join us to create a more productive and predictable future for us all.