Charles Dickens famously began his novel "A Tale of Two Cities" with the line, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."
That same description can be used to describe the dual nature of today's retirement.
Depending on how well you've saved and prepared, you are either ready to enjoy your golden years or wondering how you will make ends meet.
"We really have a portrait of the best of worlds and the worst of worlds when it comes to retirement," said Deborah Carr, professor and chair of the sociology department at Boston University.
Carr's new book, "Golden Years? Social Inequality in Later Life," sets out to explore why. The findings are based on Carr's own research and government data.
The research points to several factors that can set you back during your retirement years before you even approach that life stage.
The first is education, according to Carr. Whether you have a college education helps determine what kind of job you have. That, in turn, determines how long you will work.
If you have a college education, you typically have a desk job that is not physically strenuous. If you do not attend college, your job is more likely to involve strenuous physical labor.
While most college-educated individuals express the desire to retire early, and non-college educated workers want to work longer, the opposite often happens, Carr said.
