Until recently, many baby boomers never considered filing for social security benefits before reaching their full retirement age. Various surveys reveal that boomers who are healthy and relatively content on their jobs plan to continue working indefinitely, but as more middle-aged workers become victims of 
recession-related budget cuts, plant closings, downsizing, and layoffs, many are being forced out of the workplace. For those who are already living paycheck-to-paycheck, having the financial rug snatched from beneath them causes a devastating wake-up “fall” into economic mayhem. Add to the job loss, the subsequent forfeiture of health and life insurance, and then subtract — the different is loss of economic stability and peace of mind.
Contrary to what skeptics believe, most boomers dutifully and frantically job hunt while collecting unemployment benefits. Not only is it implausible to think that the majority of people drawing unemployment are complacent, the reality is that in today’s economy the meager unemployment check, no matter how many ways you stretch the dollars, is not enough to cover basic necessities. The jobless are losing their homes, moving in with relatives and some, having been pauperized, are living on the streets or in their cars. When the job hunt has proved futile and the unemployment benefits are nearly exhausted, some boomers are turning to “last resort” resources for their livelihood. (Read Part II.)