He started working at the age of 16, never stopped having a job for decades, and yet, at the age of 80, he continues to work full time because he cannot live on retirement alone. The case is that of Sandy McConnell, a resident of the state of Nevada, in the United States, and has been highlighted as an example of an increasingly visible reality among elderly workers who remain in the market out of financial necessity and not out of choice.
In the United States, the number of people over 70 years of age maintaining a professional activity has been increasing, in a context in which retirement savings are insufficient and the cost of living continues to rise. Sandy summarizes her situation in a direct and crude way: she only has 37 dollars in her bank account, the equivalent of around 31 euros.
According to Business Insider, a website specializing in business and finance, the accountant began her working life as a teenager and faced, over the years, a succession of difficult decisions, many of them taken to respond to immediate needs.
Accumulated debts and family responsibilities
In 1997, after a divorce, Sandy was responsible for raising five children alone. At the same time, he had to ensure payments on his home mortgage, car and several credit cards.
Given the lack of financial margin, he chose not to join the available retirement plan, thus ensuring the necessary income for daily life.
The priority was always to ensure stability for the family. This option, common to many workers in similar situations, ended up having a direct impact on disposable income in old age. Over the years, Sandy accumulated debts while helping family members in times of greater economic fragility.
The impact of the pandemic on financial stability
The Covid-19 pandemic has worsened an already fragile balance. Sandy lost his job and, in 2021, declared bankruptcy, repeating a process he had already experienced in 2004. The interruption in income and the increase in expenses made resorting to this legal mechanism inevitable.
Currently, she works from home for a company that allows her flexible hours, an essential condition for remaining active at age 80. He receives a monthly social benefit of 1,523 euros, an amount he considers insufficient to give up work. The total debt, excluding the house, is around 60 thousand euros.
Controlled routine and small moments of leisure
Despite financial limitations, Sandy maintains an organized and rigorous routine. Carefully controls daily expenses, restricting expenses to essentials, especially food and basic bills. Still, reserve space for small moments that bring you some comfort.
He enjoys visiting his grandchildren, walking his dogs and keeping in touch with former work colleagues. At night, he dedicates some time to online poker, seen as a hobby and not a source of income.
A portrait of a system under pressure
Sandy McConnell’s journey illustrates the weaknesses of a system in which decades of work do not necessarily guarantee financial security in old age. According to the same source, this is not an isolated case, but rather part of a growing phenomenon in the United States, with a particular impact on women who have had careers marked by interruptions and family responsibilities.
Although the context is North American, the situation finds parallels in other countries. In Portugal, many elderly people face economic difficulties despite a lifetime of work, with pensions that do not keep up with the increase in the cost of living or the expenses associated with healthcare.
The need to supplement income through informal or part-time work continues to be a reality for thousands of people, in a scenario in which the aging population places additional pressure on social protection systems.
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