RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Back to Work
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 718
OP 748
DO 10.3368/jhr.45.3.718
VO 45
IS 3
A1 Maestas, Nicole
YR 2010
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/45/3/718.abstract
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.