PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Nicole Maestas
TI  - Back to Work
AID  - 10.3368/jhr.45.3.718
DP  - 2010 Jul 01
TA  - Journal of Human Resources
PG  - 718--748
VI  - 45
IP  - 3
4099  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/45/3/718.short
4100  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/45/3/718.full
SO  - J Hum Resour2010 Jul 01; 45
AB  - This paper analyzes a puzzling aspect of retirement behavior known as “unretirement.” Nearly 50 percent of retirees follow a nontraditional retirement path that involves partial retirement or unretirement, and at least 26 percent of retirees later unretire. I explore two possible explanations: (1) unretirement transitions result from failures in planning or financial shocks; and (2) unretirement transitions are anticipated prior to retirement, reflecting a more complex retirement process. I show that unretirement was anticipated for the vast majority of those returning to work, and is not a result of financial shocks, poor planning or low wealth accumulation.