Millennials on Reddit Share Their Bleak Plans for Retirement: 'Work Til Noon the Day of My Funeral'

Millennials are using dark humor to cope with their bleak prospects for retirement.

A viral Reddit thread by user alphaDsony titled “Millennials, what's y'all plan for retirement?” has millennials and some Gen Zers reflecting on the mostly grim—but occasionally optimistic—outlooks their respective age groups have on retirement.

The post, which which has garnered over 16,000 responses, is filled with folks sharing their take on retiring in the face of economic uncertainty, rising inflation, and the increasing difficulty of homeownership. 

Other financial burdens such as wage inequality, rising living costs, student loans, medical debt, and unexpected emergencies were also reflected in the comments.

“Work til noon the day of my funeral,” wrote one user.

“Save a lot, die before retirement, will my retirement savings to my kids so they have a chance,” wrote another.

“Flip a coin. Either I'm not living to see retirement age, or I'll be working til I'm 90,” shared another. “And, just to be clear, I have a well-paying & secure job, no loans, and savings. I'm just confident that shit's going to get so bad that I'll be working until I drop dead.”

A forward thinking commenter wrote, “Live longer than everyone else in the family, inherit their stuff, retire five minutes before I die.”

One of the more grim responses included, “Die at my job. I'm neurodivergent and have never worked anything other than minimum wage jobs. I have no savings and no pension. I'll keel over mopping one day and that will be that. My job will be filled by that afternoon.”

“Literally my retirement age will probably be 10 years after I die. My body will be used to prop open a door by the government,” said another millennial. 

In a February 2024 poll, 30% of millennials told YouGov they expect to retire between the ages of 51 to 60, per USA Today. Data from other surveys show that a smaller percentage of millennials plan to work into their 60s.

However, the financial reality suggests an early retirement may be unrealistic.

A 2024 report from Northwestern Mutual showed millennials can anticipate needing at least $1.65 million for a comfortable retirement. But on average, millennials have only $62,600 in retirement savings.

While the age group tends to start saving earlier than past generations, economic setbacks including 9/11, the late-2000s Great Recession, and the COVID-19 pandemic have hindered their financial progress.

Though some financial experts believe disciplined savings could still enable younger people to retire comfortably, older millennials who haven’t built substantial savings may find an early retirement out of reach.

On the other hand, a study from the TIAA Institute found that 35% of Gen Z (ages 18 to 24) do not save for retirement because they don’t know where to begin, with only 20% actively saving. 

“The traditional path to retirement is simply not compelling to most in Gen Z. They want financial freedom now so they can take professional breaks, travel, and pay the bills,” said Kourtney Gibson, TIAA’s CEO of Retirement Solutions.

Forbes also reports that Gen Z is reshaping work culture with “micro-retirements,” or taking breaks between jobs for personal growth rather than waiting for a traditional retirement.

Meanwhile, more retirees are reentering the workforce due to mounting financial pressures.