Is Retirement a ‘Stupid Idea’? 4 Reasons Experts Disagree With Ben Shapiro
Written by
Vance Cariaga
Edited by
Maria Concepcion
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Retirement is considered a rite of passage for most people, giving them an opportunity to slow things down and enjoy the fruits of the labor they put in during their working careers. That’s the conventional wisdom, anyway. But according to conservative political pundit Ben Shapiro, retirement is a “stupid idea” that robs seniors of their purpose in life.
As Yahoo Finance reported, Shapiro shared that view on a recent episode of “The Ben Shapiro Show.” The show mainly focused on whether the United States should raise the Social Security retirement age – officially known as the full retirement age – from its current age of 66- or 67-years-old, depending on your birth year.
Although you can file for Social Security benefits as early as age 62, the full retirement age is when you are entitled to the full benefits you earned while working. Shapiro believes it is “insane” that the full retirement age has not been raised, considering that people live longer nowadays and Social Security itself is facing a looming funding shortfall.
Shapiro then turned his ire on the concept of retirement itself.
“Frankly, I think retirement itself is a stupid idea unless you have some sort of health problem,” he said during the show, adding that once you lose your purpose in life, “things go to hell in a handbasket real quick.”
Whether you agree with that take or not, one thing is for certain: about 50.5 million Americans apparently don’t agree with it. That’s the number of retired workers who collected Social Security retirement benefits as of February 2024, according to the Social Security Administration.
Here are four reasons Shapiro is wrong about retirement, according to expert opinions provided by Senior Lifestyle:
- You are financially ready: This means you have adequate retirement savings to cover 20 years or more and little to no debt.
- Your health will improve: According to Dr. Varnada Karriem Norwood, retirement can help reduce long-term stress and help you avoid a range of health problems, including depression, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and obesity.
- You can enjoy the good life: When you are working 40 or more hours a week for 50 or more weeks a year, you don’t have time for many leisure activities. In retirement, you can do things you have always wanted to do, whether it is traveling, gardening or taking up a hobby.
- You can spend more time with family and friends. Senior Lifestyle cited a study showing that Americans spend an average of only 37 minutes a day of quality time with their families because so many people are busy working. Retirement gives you an opportunity to increase the amount of time you can spend with family and friends.
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