Fruits without discounts are possible – and unsolidarious

Almost every second baby boomer retires prematurely. For those born between 1950 and 1964, this is one reason to let the corks pop. For the rest, this means: at least worries, if not frosted.

According to a new study by the German Economy Institute (IW), 1,8 million people retired from the Boomer years. In relation to new players, this is more than 55 percent.

If this trend continues, from 2025 you have to expect a number of early enthusiasts that can hardly be argued: According to the IW study, at least one million baby boomers will retire prematurely annually.

Two questions arise. First, how is that possible? And secondly: how unsolidaric is that?

The baby boomers use this colloquially as “pension with 63” model. Here you can retire after 45 years of insurance – no matter how old you are. So if you went to work at the age of 18, you have 45 years full at the age of 63.

Originally, this regulation was primarily intended for people with particularly stressful professions, but is now used by very different professional groups.

And this is exactly where the model’s big mistake arises: the regulation only builds on the duration of the insurance periods, but not the actual physical or psychological stress in professional life.

Studies show that a significant part of those who benefit from this regulation comes from less stressful professions. According to the IW study, about 70 percent of the West German men of the 1957 vintage, which have 45 years of insurance, were not heavily physically or mentally stressed.

In addition, insured persons in particular have a higher household income for many years and are well trained. The “pension with 63” in particular take advantage of men, specialists and people with a recognized professional qualification.

If you earn less, you can often not afford the early pension – and also indirectly finance the retirement of the same age.

The time for a solution to the pension question in general is urgent: the pension expenses should be more than double by 2045 in view of the aging of the company of currently 372 billion euros. So it can be found in the draft for the pension reform of the traffic light government that had failed at the end.

The expenses will increase more if the retirement level of the pension is kept at 48 percent, as black-red promises. And: According to IW, the summit of the baby boomer wave, consisting of the 1964 birthplace, only reached the standard age limit in 2031. A solution must be found until then.