B2 – Upper Intermediate
We normally see older people better off than the young ones. That might be acceptable given that they have spent decades working their tails off. However, some believe this is not fair. That
Read the article to learn why, in the present time, it seems that the older generation is richer than the younger ones.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jun/26/fair-older-people-better-off-young
Discussion Questions:
- Is it only fair that older people have more money than young ones? Explain your stand.
- What are the possible implications of elderly people having better lives through their retirement years?
- Have you thought of retirement? How do you imagine your later-years would be like?
- What preparations are you doing for your twilight years?
- How secure is the older generation in your country when it comes to pension and state benefits?
- What are your thoughts on saving for the future?
10 replies on “Older People Are Better Off than the Young”
1.Is it only fair that older people have more money than young ones? Explain your stand.
I think it’s fair that older people have more money since they worked many years to earn it and now it’s their turn to enjoy
2.What are the possible implications of elderly people having better lives through their retirement years?
Life expectancy will increase as there are fewer worries and the government will have to pay retirement pensions for more years
3.Have you thought of retirement? How do you imagine your later-years would be like?
I thought that when I retire I would like to continue traveling around Europe and enjoy life as much as possible.
4.What preparations are you doing for your twilight years?
I’m saving money to pay off my house so I don’t have debt when I retire
5.How secure is the older generation in your country when it comes to pension and state benefits?
Currently the elderly in Spain receive their pensions without problems
6.What are your thoughts on saving for the future?
I think that it is always a good idea to have money saved because you never know what can happen
Great to see you sharing your two cents about this matter. Good job!
Here is how this sentence can be revised:
Keep doing this writing exercise to see your skills progress further.
I think elder people deserve it. The problem isn’t with the people who has money, the problem is with young people without enough money. Trying to create a cause-effect between them is not a good way to looking for a solution.
Elder people live more years so this means more money is needed for them from the government, and the problem is that this money must been paid before, so, as it wasn’t, current generations must give this extra money for that. How to manage this is the problem.
I think we can’t depend on public pensions as are not assured, so we’ll have to look for other solutions in order to have a deserved enjoying life. I hope to be able to spend time with my family and friends no matter what will the reason.
I’m really not doing anything in particular for that yet, but maybe I have to begin to prepare a plan.
Quite precarious as lot of elder people were out of the “system” so they didn’t pay anything during years and now they need (and deserve) it, so it’s a big problem that must be solved prioritizing current government budget in the right way.
We must take care for our future in that sense and not hoping the government would be able to help much us on that.
Very well done answering our questions. Keep up the good job!
Take a look at how you can write this sentence a little better:
Keep going with your writing practice.
Yes, I believe it is totally fair that older people will enjoy the money they saved or the money they gave to the government during the working period because they already worked for the nation and with their retirement is the perfect opportunity to enjoy free time and relax a while.
An implication could be that older people get bored because their routine has completely changed and they don’t get used yet to the new life. In this case, it is important to set a schedule even if you are not working so you can find things to do.
Absolutely, my later years would be good because I will try more recipes and also try to do ambitious projects such as taking care of a bonsai or knitting.
My preparations are: saving money on my own and trying to get my own house before that date, so I don’t get problems with rents and loans.
In my country, it is very common to hear and see the older people being worried about the pensions because there are not enough and the government has issued with the public payments.
Finally, I think that saving for the future is the best we can do because we don’t know what might be happening tomorrow so it is better to save the money on your own and when retirement comes, if you get a pension it would be great but if you don’t then at least you will have your saving.
Thank you for your well-written responses. Well done.
Here is a sentence you can improve further:
Cheers to more entries from you!
1. In your own words, explain what the article is saying about the older generation.
The article talks about why old people have a better life than young people according to some studies, specifically, why they have more money than young people.
At the beginning, the text says pensioners are usually related to a poor life and baby boomers are the ones that had contributed to the economic growth.
However, for the past decades policies have encouraged older people to save money for their latest years instead of trusting a national scheme of pensions. This is how now, people who are retired or will be soon have a better life than people that have all their working years ahead.
Also the article remark that this is something to be proud about, as how old people would feel if after so many years of sacrifice people that recently started to work have a more comfortable life? But these studies don’t show the complete reality. Some doesn’t mean all old people. Also, there is a big part of pensioners that are extremely poor, and cuts is the pension scheme have made them even poorer and extra money in form of benefits were given to them.
The last part of the text is a critique to the pension scheme, which means-tested is detrimental to those who have saved money during their whole life.
2. Is it only fair that older people have more money than young ones?
I think it is. If you have worked your whole life and have made sacrifices to have a better life, of course you expect to have a relaxing and accommodated life. A person who has worked and paid all their taxes wants theirs latest years not worrying about money and enjoying the life they have earned.
3. Have you thought of retirement?
Many times. I don’t think that with this situation my generation is going to have a solid pension scheme. And also, I don’t think that with these shitty salaries we will save enough money to survive when retirement comes.
4. How secure is the older generation in your country when it comes to pension and state benefits?
To be honest with you, I have no idea. I am very far from knowing about this. It is something that I have never talked about with my family, and my knowledge is very limited. I could read more but I see it so far that I don’t want to worry about it at this moment.
Unfortunately, I live in a country that is in a very deep crisis and, as I see it, I will not be able to apply for that pension scheme in the future. I know pensioners are getting less and less money every generation. Sometimes, newspapers talk about a slight increase in pensions, which is maybe 10 or 20 more euros per month.
5. What preparations are you doing for your twilight years?
At the moment I am just working as much as I can and trying to save money to make sure I have a good retirement.
Excellent job writing your answers on this lesson’s discussion questions. Keep going with it!
Just look at this one sentence that you can improve a little:
And also, I don’t think that with these shitty salaries we will save enough money to survive when retirement comes.
1.- In your own words, explain what the article is saying about the older generation.
The article is telling us that newspaper headlines and economic analysis highlighting that older generations have more money than younger generations and, maybe, this could be not fair. After that, we can find some reasons to agree or disagree with it.
2. Is it only fair that older people have more money than young ones?
People, in general, have to have the money they deserve. In my opinion, it doesn’t depend on they are younger or older.
3. Have you thought of retirement?
Not yet. I guess the question is straight forward about thinking in save money to the future, to buy a pension plan with the bank. And, yes, I do.
4. How secure is the older generation in your country when it comes to pension and state benefits?
Until this moment, the state benefits that a pensioner can get in my country are strong and quite save. It depends on what they have paid previously on taxes. But, from now on, it’s getting worse because there aren’t enough people paying taxes to the state.
5. What preparations are you doing for your twilight years?
I’m still paying off a mortgage so the first step I’ve planned has been scheduled the end of this payment before I get retired. Also, I’ve bought a pension plan with a bank and, besides, I try to save some money a month.
Your efforts in writing your answers are duly noted. Very impressive. Keep it up.
Look at the more accurate word choices on this sentence so you can express your thoughts more clearly.
Keep at it!