Sort of like the housekeeper who starts out saying she doesn't do windows or laundry. This same senior executive told me that motivated older professionals are often the best hires he makes, and he recalled a number of specific examples. They've already been through the school of hard knocks and earned some pretty impressive degrees there. If they've survived that many years in a profession, they had to learn a little something along the way. Over and over again I find the same story to be true.
Companies are eager to hire and promote older workers.
So instead of buckling down to a new job, he opted to retire with a little less than full retirement and to exit the working world. No matter how old you are, how prestigious your degree is or how well-connected you are, you've got to produce to stay employed. The days of simply showing up at the office to collect a paycheck are over. This is especially hard for some people to accept because they watched other professionals before them slack off as they grew older. People thought it was respectful to let you be mediocre.