Will Today's Entrepreneurs Ever Retire? Is your retirement plan to simply keep working until you drop? If so, you're not alone.

By Carol Tice Edited by Dan Bova

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Will Todays Entrepreneurs Ever RetireIs your retirement plan to simply keep working until you drop? If so, you're not alone.

Fewer than half of U.S. small-business owners feel "very or fairly well prepared for retirement," according to a new survey of 1,433 small-business owners with more than $500,000 in sales from the Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute.

What's more, four in ten entrepreneurs said they don't plan to ever fully retire. They imagine they'll probably go back and forth between full- and part-time work.

The main stated reason is simply that business owners imagine they'll need the money. After all, people are living longer, and it's harder to plan for 20-plus years of retirement. People forget that when Social Security was created, it was formulated around the notion that people would retire at 65 -- and then die at 69.

Here are a couple other possibilities for why many entrepreneurs don't envision retiring:

Of course, the past few years haven't been kind to people's retirement savings. So, owners who might once have thought about retiring may no longer see it as realistic.

Another possibility stems from my own experience at my first full-time reporting job, where I interviewed a lot of hardware store and lumberyard owners. I found most of these owners' retirements followed a predictable pattern: They'd sell the store and go on a world cruise -- returning a year later only to buy another hardware store.

Why? They missed retailing. Life was dull as dishwater without the chance to get up early and go down to the store, talk to employees, help customers and make sales.
Entrepreneurship gets in your blood. It's a thrill, building a business and being in charge of your own enterprise. It can be a hard habit to break.

Retirement is for people who hate their jobs. If you love the business you've created, as many owners do, it may not sound appealing to quit and sit watching sunsets instead.

Will you retire, or keep on working? Leave a comment and tell us your plan.

Carol Tice

Owner of Make a Living Writing

Longtime Seattle business writer Carol Tice has written for Entrepreneur, Forbes, Delta Sky and many more. She writes the award-winning Make a Living Writing blog. Her new ebook for Oberlo is Crowdfunding for Entrepreneurs.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Starting a Business

These Yale Students Raised $3 Million in 14 Days to Build Their 'Anti-Facebook' Startup: 'I Can See My Childhood Self Looking Up to Me.'

Two 21-year-old Yale juniors are changing digital networking with Series, an AI-powered platform backed by $3 million in venture capital.

Business Solutions

Why Many Business Owners are Finally Moving on From Microsoft 365

One alternative gives you the same apps for life.

Social Media

How To Start a Youtube Channel: Step-by-Step Guide

YouTube can be a valuable way to grow your audience. If you're ready to create content, read more about starting a business YouTube Channel.

Business News

Google Layoffs Affect Hundreds in Division Working on Chrome Browser, Pixel Phones

A Google spokesperson said the move would help Google run more efficiently.

Growing a Business

How I Replaced a $2,000-a-Month SEO Agency and Built My Own Growth System as a Solo Founder

15 proven tactics I used to grow my startup's visibility and backlinks — without writing a single cold email.