Executives: What They Work At After They Quit Working

For the hard-driving men at the pinnacle of U.S. corporations, the idea of a life without work often seems painful. Yet more and more of them are being forced to retire at 65—an age at which the average U.S. man still has 14 years to live. One of the most troubling questions in U.S. business is what the corporation should do with its overage chiefs—and what they should do with themselves.

In the biggest companies, the trend is to cut off the former bosses rather sharply. Many of the retired themselves sympathize with...