"I despise the humiliating and frustrating process of looking for work," said Hastings, a technical writer who has spent the last three years bouncing through jobs in the Silicon Valley while his wife, Angie, lives in the family home in Federal Way.

Working dad was role model: When Hastings was younger, he never really contemplated retiring. His father was his role model, and even after retiring as a minister he continued to work part time for nine years until he died unexpectedly.

Their investments fall short: At this point in his life, Hastings really has no choice. Although his wife works as a librarian at Sequoia Junior High in Kent, the couple rely on Hastings' income to cover their living expenses. Their investments — mainly real estate — don't generate enough income for the couple to retire on.

Good times squandered: Hastings admits that when the times were good in the late 1990s and he received whopping paychecks, he didn't take out enough money to pay his federal income taxes. At the end of the year, he got hit with a $40,000 income-tax bill, forcing him to sell a piece of real estate he had hoped to count on in his retirement.

It's not just the money that keeps her going: "I've always been in the business world. I like it and I don't want to give that up," said Irvine, 80. As a sales associate at Swarovski Gallery in Bellevue Square, Irvine enjoys mingling with customers and being surrounded by a product line of imported glass crystal that she loves.

Salary funds extras: Her salary is part of her discretionary income, which she uses for occasional travel and spending time with her four adult children.

It's all part of her retirement plan. She lost her husband to Alzheimer's disease more than 20 years ago and from that experience learned to appreciate her good health — and purchased long-term-care insurance just in case she needs it.