By Sharon Wagner
With retirement in mind, it’s easy to envision lazy days spent sipping cocktails on a sun-dappled beach. In reality, this is a rarity. A volatile economy is devaluing retirement benefits while living expenses continue to sore. Not only that, an increasing number of seniors desire more fulfilling lives post-retirement. This is why seniors rejoining the workforce is not unheard of these days.
The benefits of continuing to work past retirement are diverse. Financially, it’s a great way to supplement a post-retirement fixed income, as well as delay tapping into retirement benefits to allow them to grow further. Moreover, it also has the potential to keep one mentally sharp and physically healthy — not to mention that it’s a great time to pursue a fulfilling new career.
On the other hand, this does come with a few considerations — not the least of which is age. Indeed, you’re probably wondering what work you can do after your prime with a much younger workforce to compete against. Well, as it turns out, plenty! Here are a few.
Enhance Your People Skills
After a lifetime in the workforce, you’re most likely an old hat at dealing with people. So, why not put this to good use and pursue a sales or client-based career, say, in the insurance industry? You can make great use of your people skills, work on your own time, and get paid handsomely to boot. In fact, insurance sales agents earn a median of $50,600 a year — a figure that is projected to increase by 10 percent in the next decade.
Lincoln-Heritage-Life-Insurance-Company/reviewsGetting your foot through the door in this industry is fairly easy, as well. Doing your due diligence on the many insurance companies you can apply to is a great way to start. Consider using Indeed, a free website where employees can post honest reviews and other information about companies they work for, to separate the wheat from the chaff and find the best that the insurance space has to offer, such as Lincoln Heritage Life Insurance Company and more.
Contribute to the Community
You’ve had many years of invaluable life experiences, so why not use it to give back to your community? In fact, this could very well be one of the most rewarding things you can do with your time, and not just financially. Consider becoming a tutor. Not only do you get to help shape young minds, but you can also keep your schedule flexible to give you more time for other pursuits. Ditto with working in childcare or as a school bus monitor.
It’s all about keeping a good work-life balance, and generating an income while serving your community allows you to do exactly that.
Share What You Know
Here’s a fact: You have a wealth of work experience under your belt, so why not make great use of this by sharing your knowledge? In fact, many seniors opt to continue working in their respective fields after retirement, usually on a contractual basis.
Consider becoming a consultant or an authoritative subject-matter expert. You can also consider teaching. More often than not, you only need to be an established expert in your field to teach at a local college, so that’s definitely something to consider. In any case, it’s a win-win situation: employers get the benefit of your expertise while you continue to earn money.
In short, life after retirement can be rife with financial difficulties and boredom. However, by simply re-entering the workforce, you have the potential to hit both birds with one stone. Who knows? You might even have fun in the process.
