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Policy Panorama is a place to discuss the laws, systems, and norms that impact our lives and the planet. We welcome thoughtful discussion on policy and policy-adjacent topics at all levels, from the international to the local.

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I Need More Money to Survive Old Age

5 min readDec 31, 2024

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Don’t talk about money.

That was one of the societal rules I grew up with. Everyone knew it. Most people my age and older still abide by it, and lots of people in younger generations follow suit.

If you have a lot of money and you talk about it, you’re bragging. If you don’t have any and talk about it, you’re looking for a handout. Get a job. If you want or need more money than you already have and you talk about it, stop talking and get a job.

You’re sharing too much. You’re making people uncomfortable. It’s not polite. It’s crass. It’s nobody’s business.

It’s a bullshit rule.

I desperately need money I don’t currently have to be able to retire someday. There. I said it. I just overcame decades of cultural conditioning.

I don’t have enough money. I need much more of it. I don’t want to be 75 years old and greeting people in a big box store because even though I have job skills, no one is going to hire a 75-year-old accountant.

My retirement savings are not adequate enough to see me through the rest of my life even with the help of Social Security benefits. I can’t contribute more of my paycheck than I already do to my 401(k) because I live…

Policy Panorama
Policy Panorama

Published in Policy Panorama

Policy Panorama is a place to discuss the laws, systems, and norms that impact our lives and the planet. We welcome thoughtful discussion on policy and policy-adjacent topics at all levels, from the international to the local.

Maria Shimizu Christensen
Maria Shimizu Christensen

Written by Maria Shimizu Christensen

Writer. Maker. Featured in Medium’s 2021 list of Stories That Started Conversations. I write about life.

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