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If you were born in the 1800s, you could expect to live to the ripe old age of 29.

Let that sink in – Elizabeth Bennet in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was 20 years old when she married Mr Darcy, which means that they had less than a decade of marriage to look forward to.

Today, life expectancy is on the rise with babies born in the UK in 2018 expected to live up to 90 years, in the case of women.

As life expectancy goes up, so does the age of retirement, which in South Africa is now set at 65. But, as The Conversation points out, this doesn’t necessarily mean your health will allow you to work for additional years.

Healthy working life expectancy tells us the average number of years people in a population are likely to be healthy and in paid work from the age of 50. Healthy working life expectancy focuses on working life after age 50, which is when health problems (such as common age-related diseases, including pain or mobility issues) can make it difficult for people to continue working or find a job that fits their needs.

Our study of healthy working life expectancy found that on average, people […] can expect to be healthy and in work for almost nine and a half years after age 50. However, these years are not necessarily lived consecutively as people may temporarily leave work or experience health problems. These findings came from data on 15,284 people aged over 50 […] who were interviewed several times from 2002 to 2013.

The extent of health problems, access to job opportunities, and whether or not workplaces can accommodate the specific needs of someone who is suffering from age-related illnesses all factor into whether or not a person can continue working after the age of 60.

Most people plan for retirement based on the age for compulsory retirement, but with the age of retirement rising, that’s not always a good idea. You never know what the future holds.

Even those edging towards retirement who think that they’re doing everything right, could encounter some obstacles along the way, including unforeseen health problems and expenses that limit your ability to work.

The easiest and safest way to ensure that you have options when you reach a point where you want or need to retire, even if it’s before the age of 65, is to get an expert involved in your planning and decision making.

Consequence Private Wealth believes that “the consequences of decisions made today will unfold over a lifetime based on the sound principles applied at their inception”.

Think of it as having someone in your corner who can guide you through the twists and turns that you’ll encounter along the way to living your best life after retirement.

[source:conversation]