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<\/p>\n Read Published Article<\/a><\/p>\n By KERRY HANNON<\/p>\n The song remains the same.<\/p>\n You\u2019re retired, but you\u2019re working. You want to retire, but you keep on working.<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t take a psychic to see that work is likely to become even more important in the lives of aging Americans. I\u2019ve been tracking this sea change for several years, and my recent Forbes Retirement Guide piece, called\u00a0Writing New Chapters<\/a>, lays it out neatly. Since 1985, the labor force participation rate at upper ages has increased sharply\u2014from 54.2 percent to 64.9 percent in 2010 for those aged 55\u201364 and from 18.4 percent to 31.5 percent for those aged 65\u201369.8, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.<\/p>\n The confirmation that we\u2019re living in a new era of the working retired keeps on swelling.\u00a0In May,\u00a0two new studies were released that continue to hammer home the reality:<\/p>\n Pushing back the date of retirement is certainly something over which older workers have some control.\u00a0In response to a specific AARP question\u2014 has the age at which you expect to be fully retired changed in the past three years? \u201440 percent said that it had. For more than 8 in 10 of those who expected a change, retirement will be later than previously planned.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what the second survey found:<\/p>\n When you look beneath the sheet to see what is behind the undeniable need to work, you\u2019ll find the AARP report is especially gloomy. The recession was \u201cpainful for most Americans 50 and over and many have yet to recover,\u201d according to the report.<\/p>\n But hallelujah, folks aren\u2019t just sitting around wringing their hands. A good chunk of those AARP surveyed said they were already\u00a0paying down debt, saving more, shifting to less risky investments, and obtaining financial advice.\u00a0For half of those who experienced reductions in\u00a0their retirement accounts, balances were moving in the right direction.<\/p>\n This leads me to the part of the discussion I love the most \u2013engineering your own personal recovery. For starters, to find out if you are on your way to retire when \u2013 and how \u2013 you want, check out my post\u00a0onretirement calculators\u00a0<\/a>and stop by the handy\u00a0AARP retirement planning calculator<\/a>.<\/p>\n Next, consider talking to a pro. It always surprises me how few people ask for professional retirement advice for something so integral to their future. Instead, they turn to the Internet and to friends and family for guidance. It\u2019s like asking your mom for chicken soup for what ails you instead of going to a doctor who has actually studied medicine.<\/p>\n A good planner can develop an overall financial plan and verify if you\u2019ve got the right mix of investments to meet your individual retirement goals and advise you on what to do if you don\u2019t. Beyond that, when the time comes, he or she can counsel you on ways to draw down funds from your accounts when needed and help with estate-planning and tax issues or recommend a pro to handle that for you.<\/p>\n Where to look for one? If you can\u2019t nab a recommendation from a friend, relative or colleague, try\u00a0The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors<\/a>,\u00a0Garrett Planning Network<\/a>,\u00a0the Financial Planning Association<\/a>, and the\u00a0Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards<\/a>. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants<\/a>\u00a0has a list of CPAs who\u2019ve earned the Personal Financial Specialist designation. Each of these outfits offers a searchable database with state-by-state contact information for planners.<\/p>\n For more help in picking a fee-only financial planner, pop over to this\u00a0post<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bottom line: Do something to take control. You might still find yourself singing for your supper in your sixties, but at least you\u2019ll be the one picking the song, and heck it might be fun.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kerryhannon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/song.jpgimages-150x150.jpg?ssl=1\" "\\"song.jpgimages-150x150\\"")
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