Ain't Life A Bitch.........

[Jeza]

When I was young and had nowt, I got nowt.
In the early 70's if you became pregnant, there was no guarantee of getting your job back. There was no family allowance for a first child. No money to help with child care.

Today there is maternity pay, and your job waiting for you. Then help with child care, family allowance etc.

Yet we that struggled are now paying the cost.

Nearly no interest on savings that were put by for our retirement, yet nearly 0% for borrowers.
Why should the retired have to pay the price? Have we not done our bit.

[BilSuth]

... and the so-called pensioners' perks are fully paid for by their contributions over the working years. Years of paying (and no choice in the matter) Graduated Contribs and other rip-offs.
Pensioners are supposed to die off young and get zero return on their contribs. How selfish of them to live longer.

[society]

Life is unfair Jeza, not much we could do except take it one day at a time.

[karenmac60]

At least you got to retire at a decent age....

[DJHawkes]

I'm thinking of taking early retirement. When I got married in 1978 I expected to be retiring the same week as my OH as there was exactly bar 2 days just 5 years between us, then they moved the goalposts. We're not married now of course but I still expected to retire at 60 like my mother did, she was near exhausted by the time she reached 60 and when she died at 72 it made me think I would like to have a few more years rest before I died, now I'm going to have to retire at 66 (unless that changes) and if i die at the same age as mum I'll not even have enough time to get things done I intend doing!

[Mojo-Jo-Jo]

In the 70s more men earned enough to maintain a single wage family.
It's hardly financially possible to be a housewife these days.

[society]

In those days wages were less and cost of living were much, much cheaper.

The government knows exactly they are doing - raising the retirement age; people are then ill, worn out and with one foot in the grave they won't be around long enough to collect much pension off the government.

[starone]

What annoys me is I still pay income tax on the pension my husband and I worked hard to obtain.

[starone]

I read somewhere that scientists have proved that the earlier you retire the longer you live so I am sad to say you are right dotty.

[petal54]

my father in law died at 64,so payed in & got nowt

[ummmm]

My Dad died aged 59 and worked all his life.

What would you prefer? That we go back to the days where if you lost your job your kids go hungry?

[emmie]

my o/h didn't live to get his pension, it happens, i would rather he had taken early retirement which was possible but he didn't want to. Pointless.

[Iluvspikey]

I think that male or female, if you've worked all your life than you should be able to retire at 55 IF you want to. I'm sure it's do-able, with the job vacancies you would lessen the dole queue, then have more people paying into the system