B2 – Upper Intermediate
How would your life be like if you can go without alarm clocks, when you are not under time constraints, and when you can enjoy the company of your loved ones, and live a carefree and leisurely life?
It sounds a lot like retirement, doesn’t it? But everything around us took a sharp turn for the worse, and now enjoying our later years seems like a pipe dream.
Watch the video, to find out more about why retirement seems unattainable these days and get some tips on how to prepare for it.
Vocabulary Questions:
- What is the meaning of “evolving landscape“? “The process of saving money has become more complex. Despite these obstacles, there are still ways to successfully navigate this evolving landscape.” Use it in your own sentence.
- What does “safety net” mean? “When you stop working, it’s kind of like a safety net for your older years.” Use this expression in your own sentence.
- What does “tucked away” mean?” “Graduating with a substantial student loan debt means that a significant portion of your earnings is dedicated to debt repayment rather than being tucked away for the future.” Construct a sentence with this term.
Discussion Questions:
- What are the 9 reasons mentioned in the video of why retirement is impossible today? Drawing from your experience or observation, do you concur with these reasons?
- How has retirement changed in your nation? and what are the factors that affect it?
- Do you think it’s necessary to make retirement plans? Why?
- Considering the various challenges people have when trying to save for retirement, are there any strategies you can think of to guarantee a better retirement?
- Do you find retiring to be bothersome at this time, given how drastically society is changing over time? How do you respond to it?
One reply on “Retirement Feels Impossible Today”
Vocabulary Questions:
1. the continuous change of something. the evolution of the internet is a evolving landscape
2. protection mechanism. He is always with his wife, she is his safety net.
3. put in other site. He has the need to tucked away the cookies so she doesn’t eat them before the party.
Discussion Questions:
1. Life expectancy is going up, Shift in retirement plans, Rise in the cost of living, rise of healthcare cost, college debt, Low wages, unemployment, evolving workforce and Lack of financial literacy. With most of them yes, although in Spain, having a different pension system, it is easier to retire, but many of the problems mentioned also occur here in Spain.
2. Currently, the retirement age has been raised as life expectancy is higher, and people are starting to have private pension plans to compensate for the government plan.
3. Yes, since no one can work if they are too old, it is important to have economic planning for the future.
4. In Spain, pensions are currently managed by the government, so the money is withdrawn directly before collecting it, so in our case it is difficult to think of other options, since it is mandatory.
5. No, I believe that the world is changing and we simply have to adapt.