For years, the baby boomers have been the subject of intense media attention. At each life milestone, the media have covered what the boomers are doing. Now, the first boomers are reaching retirement age and the focus is on how they’re handling the transition from work to leisure. For many boomers, the future holds only delayed retirement plans.

A new report shows that many baby boomers are ill-prepared for retirement. Although many have planned well for their golden years, the generation immediately preceding the baby boomers is having a hard time adjusting to retirement, and all signs seem to indicate that the same fate awaits many baby boomers. Thirty percent of people between the ages of 65 and 69 are either still employed or looking for employment.

While a segment of the population will always opt to work as a matter of personal preference, statistics seem to indicate that a growing number of people who want to retire can’t. Many pressures face the newly retired and soon-to-be retired. Boomers who may have waited until later in life to have children, or who have a second family, are finding that their retirement goals intersect squarely with their children’s college years. The true cost of divorce is becoming apparent, as some boomers find their retirement savings apportioned to former spouses. Add in the high cost of health care, and escalating food and energy costs, and you may end up with a large segment of the population that doesn’t have sufficient capital to retire.

Retirement planning can only do so much to help. High performing investments – like those offered by Puerto Vallarta real estate – can help ease the lackluster performance or the loss in value of other kinds of investments. Puerto Vallarta real estate offers the potential of solid returns over a relatively short period of time. It may be the solution to a lagging retirement portfolio and could mean the difference between enjoying a comfortable retirement and struggling through a difficult one.

Photo Credit: Shaun Ellithorpe