Showing posts with label make money from home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label make money from home. Show all posts

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Ten Ways to Make Money After Retirement

If you are worried about the need to increase your retirement income, one solution is to continue to earn money well after you have stopped working at your current job.  However, many people are unsure of the best way they can make money after retirement.

A number of the "officially" retired people I know are continuing to supplement their retirement income by working at a variety of part-time jobs.   Listed below are ten common ways to supplement your retirement income.

Where to Work after Retirement

1.  Continue your current career from home and work fewer hours.  This is the most common retirement career choice for many of the people I know.  A number of my friends have continued to earn money for years after their official retirement by working as substitute teachers, neighborhood Realtors, bookkeepers for small businesses and insurance agents.

2.  Work as a consultant for firms in your former industry.  Two petroleum engineers I know have chosen this route, which has allowed them to work from home.  They earn a high income while keeping their own hours.  They only take on as many projects as they can comfortably handle, so the work is less stressful.

3.  Keep your former job, but work fewer hours.  Many people decide to job share or work part-time for their former employer.  They find this can be a pleasurable way to earn money, stay in touch with co-workers and feel productive well into their late 60's or 70's.  They often discover that their job is less stressful when they work fewer hours, and they do not have to go through the process of finding a new employer or learning new skills.  This is a common choice for people who have worked for retail stores, restaurants, and similar jobs.

4.  Provide services to other senior citizens.  A large number of retirees are discovering that they have skills that could benefit other seniors.  They charge an hourly fee to help run errands for other seniors, drive them to appointments, complete their tax returns, handle their bills (especially complicated medical bills), organize their family photographs into albums, or assist them in writing a family biography.  Many seniors are willing to pay in order to have someone else help them with these chores.

5.  Teach a class.  Several seniors in my retirement community charge a small fee to lead yoga classes, give guitar lessons, or teach their peers how to use a computer.  The teachers often enjoy the interaction as much as their students.

6.  Become a bonded babysitter.  When we took our grandchildren on a trip to Palm Springs, we hired a sitter from a local babysitting agency to care for the kids while we went out to dinner one evening.  The woman was in her late 60's, and our grandchildren loved the fun activities she brought with her to keep them busy.  She told me she only babysits on Friday and Saturday evenings, and she enjoys the extra money she earns.  Depending on how many hours you want to work, you could earn several hundred dollars a month.

7.  Work for your local school district as a crossing guard.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about one-third of crossing guards across the nation are over the age of 65.

8.  Apply for a job at your local senior center or retirement community.  Many of the employees of our local senior center and retirement community are residents who also live here.  Office workers, gate guards, receptionists and many other people who keep our community operating are, for the most part, over the age of 65.

9.  Try that little job that always interested you.  One former stockbroker we know went to work in a health food store after retirement.  Someone else went to work as a part-time receptionist in an art museum.  Several acquaintances of ours are working in gift shops, antique stores and art galleries.  Most of these people had intense jobs when they were younger, but always wanted to have a "fun" job that interested them in their later years.  There is no time like the present to take on an interesting little job that will enrich your life.  Earning an extra $500 to $800 a month can make a huge difference in the life of someone who is living on very little other than their Social Security benefits.

10.  Get creative!  One former Realtor we know is earning extra money on a regular basis by selling her paintings.  She is a prolific and talented artist who now sells her work at a number of Southern California art festivals throughout the year.  She loves being able to paint and earn extra money at the same time.  Other individuals, like myself, earn extra income by writing online articles or e-books.  I know women who sell their quilts and there are men in our community who build cabinets for people to use on their patios or in their garages.  All of these endeavors are a wonderful way to release that pent-up creativity and earn extra retirement money at the same time.

There is another advantage to earning extra money after retirement.  Since many retired workers will continue to pay into Social Security, depending on the amount they earn, their monthly Social Security benefits will be re-evaluated each year.  In some cases, their monthly benefits will be increased, especially if they have fewer than 35 earning years on their record.  This means that the extra money they earn in their 60's and early 70's can pay a small dividend for the rest of their lives. 

With so many employment opportunities for healthy, active senior citizens, there is no need to suffer quietly in poverty simply because you are no longer physically up to the demands of a stressful full time career.  With a little creativity, there are many ways you can supplement your income and increase your financial security as you grow older.

Looking for more financial or retirement ideas?  Use the tabs or the pull down menu at the top of this article to find links to hundreds of additional articles.

You may also be interested in reading:

Do You Need a Million Dollars to Retire?
Cheap Places to Retire
Best Places to Retire on $40,000 a Year
Why Some Seniors are Choosing Cohabitation

You are reading from the blog: http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

Photo courtesy of www.morguefile.com

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Share Your Experience and Make Money Writing Online

Earn Money When You Share
Your Knowledge on Online!
Are you looking for a way to make money from home?  If you can write short articles of about 500 - 1000 words, you can submit them to online websites such as Daily Two Cents,  InfoBarrel, Hubpages or Writedge and earn extra money from the Google and Chitika ads that will be placed on the same page as your articles.

What Should You Write About? 

In the articles, simply share some of the knowledge you have accumulated during your lifetime, or write about news stories, particularly interesting stories in the area where you live.  Most of us Baby Boomers have plenty of information we would like to share!  In addition, I am constantly hearing from my Baby Boomer friends about how they would like to earn a little money working from home.  Writing online is a good way to do it.

What are some topics that you could write about?  If you are like most Baby Boomers, you have more knowledge and experience than you realize.  You have plenty of information to pass on to others.  Here is a short list to get you started:

Tourist attractions in your area.
Vacation destinations you enjoyed.
Skills you learned on your job.
Hobbies and the equipment they require.
Reviews of products you have purchased.


What Do You Need to Get Started Writing Online?

People of all ages are discovering that they have skills and experiences that they enjoy passing on to others, and they can make money from writing sites when they do.  All you need in order to get started is a computer, and basic knowledge of how to write and submit information to a website.  You will need to open an account on InfoBarrel, Daily Two Cents, Hubpages, Writedge or the sites that interest you. Depending on the site, you may also need to open accounts on Google Adsense and Chitika, after you have submitted 10 or more articles.  Google and Chitika will pay you directly, once you begin earning money. 

You might also become an Amazon affiliate, once you start building up a library of articles.  This will allow you to promote Amazon products in your articles and you can earn a commission if someone purchases an item you promoted.

How Do You Get Started?

Once you have started writing on one site, you will begin to think of even more great topics to write about.  As you become familiar with the different sites, you will start to notice that certain types of articles do better on one site than another.

I suggest that people write at least 100 articles on one site before they move to another one.  Go back and check on your old articles regularly, however, and update them when they need it.  As you become a better writer, you will want to revise your old articles.

How Much Money Can You Earn Writing Online?

How much money can you earn?  To be honest, you won't earn very much when you first start.  It will probably take you about six to nine months to reach your first Google payout of $100 or more.  However, most writers who stick with it soon discover that those $100 payouts come more and more frequently, and the writers enjoy being able to earn money while they work at home.

Eventually you may want to spread your wings by starting your own website or writing ebooks.  However, the writing sites I mentioned here are a great way to get started.  Just keep building your online body of work, and the money will come.

The writing income from the sites listed above is residual.  That means you will keep earning money from an article for years after you submit it!  One article can gradually create a regular income stream.  Dozens of articles produce plenty of possibilities for income. The extra money can sure come in handy, too, when you need a little extra cash to pay for holiday gifts or other extras!

If you are interested in learning more about retirement planning, use the tabs or pull down menu to find links to hundreds of additional articles on where to retire, financial planning, family relationships and more.

You are reading from the blog: http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com.

(photo courtesy of Morguefile.com)

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Work From Home and Make Money

Work Wherever You Want!
Whether you are just barely getting by, hoping to raise extra money for your kids' college expenses, saving for retirement, or supplementing your current retirement income, there are many good reasons you may want to earn extra money by working at home.  However, you may be uncertain about the different options that are available to you.

Most work at home opportunities fall into two different categories.  You can either offer a personal service, or you can work online.  Here are some options that you should consider:

Provide a Service 

Babysitting: Our family has hired bonded baby sitters several times while staying at out-of-town hotels.  On several occasions, the babysitters were older women who were earning a little extra money on weekends by registering with a babysitting service.  Another option is to become a licensed babysitter and provide childcare in your own home.  You could do it every day or, if that doesn't appeal to you, you may want to just host a "Mom's Day Out" or "Date Night" service.

Sell a Product:  Companies like Mary Kay Cosmetics, Tupperware and Pampered Chef all have independent sales people.  If you enjoy selling, this can be a fun way to supplement your income.

Teach a Skill:  Retired school teachers often earn extra money by tutoring children.  However, you don't have to be a retired teacher to earn money passing on a skill.  If you know how to play a musical instrument, speak a foreign language, or paint water colors, you can offer classes or private lessons as a way to earn money from home.

Make Money Online

Start an Online Store: With websites like eBay available, you can now easily sell your own crafts and artwork, or collect things from garage sales and thrift stores and sell them online.  It's a fun way to start a business without having to rent a location, spend a lot of money on inventory, or hire sales people.

Freelance Writing:  With sites like InfoBarrel.com you can write articles, post them on the internet and occasionally earn a little money from the advertisers.  You can see samples of the articles I have written there at www.infobarrel.com/users/deborah-diane. If you enjoy writing, you could also start a blog like this one.  Either way, you may not make a lot of money, but any extra income is always a good thing.  In addition, it is mentally stimulating to share your experience and knowledge by writing about it online.

If you are interested in staying-up-to-date with new developments that could affect your retirement plans, you may want to receive regular information through http://baby-boomer-retirement.blogspot.com/.

(Photo courtesy of photoxpress.com)