Navigating 'forced' retirement on Long Island

After breaking her hip in 2019, Stephanie Carlino left her marketing job on disability and never returned. Now 77, she said she stays active, but still misses the camaraderie of work..

"I would have continued to work," said Carlino, of Wantagh. "It’s like you lose a part of yourself,"

For some, saying goodbye to the 9-to-5 grind and retiring early is the stuff of daydreams. Others, like Carlino, consider themselves reluctant retirees.

For many Americans, leaving a career is involuntary — the result of illness, family circumstance or workplace changes.

The implications of retiring before planned can be huge, emotionally and financially, experts say. "Retirement is a tremendous transition by itself, made even more difficult if it is not your choice," said Lynn Schaefer, PhD, a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist in Westbury.

Although it can come as a shock, a recent survey shows it is the reality for most Americans.

A 2024 Transamerica Retirement Survey from the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies found that 58% of those polled retired sooner than planned. Nearly half said it was for health reasons such as physical limitations, disability and ill health. Forty-three percent said it was because of their employer for reasons like job loss, organizational changes, job unhappiness or a retirement buyout.

Research from Penn State University revealed who’s getting hit hardest. They found that racial or ethnic minorities were up to 55% more likely than white respondents to report involuntary retirement and those with a college degree or higher were 63% less likely than those without a high school education to say they had been forced to retire early.

According to Schaefer, some people can question their identity, if they have always defined themselves by their full-time role or job. They may question their purpose now that they’ve lost their routine. If they are forced into retirement, they likely feel a loss of control, she said. "People can even develop a learned helplessness, which can result in low self-esteem, passivity, negativity and decreased motivation. Depression is not uncommon."

Earlier-than-planned retirement can carry immediate and long-term financial consequences. Someone who stops working at 60 instead of 67 loses seven years of income, retirement contributions and potential investment growth. Taking Social Security before full retirement age (66 or 67, depending on when you were born) permanently reduces monthly benefits, and retirees not yet eligible for Medicare may face steep insurance costs.

"On Long Island, higher fixed costs — especially property taxes and healthcare — make unplanned early retirement more challenging, leaving less room for error," said Craig Hassel, president of Pinnacle Wealth Strategies Group in Rockville Centre. "The good news is that with the right adjustments, early retirement doesn’t have to derail a long-term plan — it just requires a more thoughtful approach," he said.

For many Long Islanders, adapting to an unexpected retirement has meant rewriting that chapter on the fly. Here are some of their stories.

Stephanie Carlino

Carlino reads a lot, volunteers, spends time with her 22-year-old grandson, travels, goes to the gym three days a week and tries to stay active. "I’m worried about my physicality; I am more sedentary. I used to go shopping [recreationally]. I’ve learned to cook, bake, and I’m addicted to reels on Facebook," said Carlino.

For income she relies on Social Security, her pension, investment income and her partner Bill Rinz, who "contributes greatly." She says financially they are managing, "But prices are out of whack, $3 lettuce, $6 loaf of bread. It’s tough for people on a fixed income. We’re OK, but if things keep going the way they are, I’m not sure we will be OK," said Carlino.

She’s become an astute comparison shopper, making her list, going to a couple of different stores based on which has the best deals. "Me and my 87-year-old neighbor, we know where to see a movie on the cheap, where to get two slices of pizza and soda for $5," she said. "We know where the deals are, we have the time to search them out; we have nothing else to do."

Regina Pasqualino

Regina Pasqualino worked for a healthcare company for a decade, and said she would have worked there longer were she not forced to retire due to family circumstances. When she asked for more flexibility in her schedule to take care of her sick mother, she said the supervisor couldn’t accommodate her.

Since late last year, Pasqualino, 68, of Oceanside hasn’t found a job. She is getting by on Social Security, SNAP benefits, occasional acting jobs and styling hair (she is a trained hairdresser) for family and friends. "It’s a struggle," she said. "I don’t get my nails done, my brother pays for my Netflix, sometimes family members give me money. I take advantage of senior discounts. I do my own hair, take care of my lawn. I prioritize need over want."

While she said she would love to work more regularly as an actress, she spends much of her time caring for and enjoying her two grandchildren.

Pasqualino’s predicament is not uncommon. Women who leave the workforce in their 50s and older to provide care for a loved one can have a tough time getting a full-time job when they try to return, according to a 2016 report from the National Institutes of Health. 

Mary Aguilar

As a social worker Mary Aguilar helped a lot of people. These days, though, she is the one who could use some help. Last summer she was laid off from the nonprofit she worked at for 18 months. Aguilar, 70, of Hempstead, collects Social Security and works seasonally at a department store fragrance counter.

Her vision has been impaired by macular degeneration and her health has complicated her quest for a full-time social worker position. "With my poor eyesight it is difficult to do intake as a full-time social worker because I can’t really drive," said Aguilar, who in her last position sometimes drove clients to appointments and assisted seniors applying for social services.

Her husband, Charles, 72, collects Social Security and drives a school bus part time. "I worry about my health," she said. "If it gets to the point where I can’t work at all because of my eyesight, it will be tough. My husband has issues with his knees. He can’t work as much as he used to.

"My husband and I have had some sleepless nights, shed some tears."

She’s an optimist, though. "I still want to do counseling, to help others. I want to do group therapy online. If I do something on Zoom, I don’t have to worry about driving," said Aguilar.

Celeste Reed

After 30 years working at Nielsen Ratings, where she was a senior contract assistant, Reed said her position was outsourced and she was laid off in 2024.

The 59-year-old resident of Jamaica, Queens, said unemployment benefits and the cash she had saved have run out. In November, she took a full-time job at a grocery store in Hewlett, making an hourly rate less than half of what she was previously earning.

"This was my best option. I wasn’t getting any responses to jobs I applied for," she said. "Ageism is real. If an employer can get someone in their 20s and 30s vs. a 60-year-old who just might have underlying issues, they are going for the younger person. Who wants to hire me at almost 60 years old?"

Reed said she's survived as well as she has because she had no debt, gave up extras like traveling and has avoided doctor visits. "What sustained me was praying," she said.

And there’s an upside: "I sat behind a desk for 30 years. Now that I am on my feet and moving around all day, I’ve lost 30 pounds so far."

If she could do anything differently, "I should have taken more opportunities to grow professionally, stayed up on technology. I’m a dinosaur. My advice to others — keep learning, just in case."

Susan Mack

It’s been a roller coaster for Susan and James Mack. Susan owned a beauty salon in Manhattan that never got back on track after the COVID-19 pandemic. She lost her lease and for a time worked as a greeter and waitress in a coffee shop near their Franklin Square home. But for the last few years, Mack, 73, said she has had no luck finding a job. "I applied for secretarial and receptionist positions, but they want people advanced in computers, which I’m not," she said.

She took Social Security benefits early, at 62, so that has helped. Since closing her shop, Mack had two heart attacks, but is again healthy.

Her husband, who once had a body shop and then a home improvement business, also saw his businesses decline during COVID. After contracting the virus, he developed health issues including COPD and psoriatic arthritis and is no longer working, but he is collecting Social Security.

The couple had owned a two-family house that provided rental income, but no significant retirement funds. "We had to put our house up for sale, with the taxes, landscaping expenses and upkeep," she said.

They just moved into a senior co-op in North Valley Stream. "It’s always something," Susan said. "The transmission on my husband’s car blew, so he’s driving my car. He’s feeling anxious about our future. But I’m still here, I still have energy, that’s the important thing. I am keeping my eyes open for work."