Showing posts with label second careers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label second careers. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Fun Ways to Earn Extra Retirement Income

Let's face it.  Most Baby Boomers are going to have to do something to earn extra income during their retirement years.  The vast majority of Boomers simply have not saved enough money to live comfortably during their later years.

We see the reality of this around us.  Several times recently I have been in Starbucks or fast-food restaurants and observed that many of the employees are not the young, college-age kids one would expect to see.  Instead, these part-time jobs are often filled by people who are obviously in their 60's or older.  The same is often true of department store clerks and people in other service industries. I can't help but wonder if they are really enjoying what they are doing.

Instead of working in stressful, demanding jobs after retirement, wouldn't it be nice to find something fun to do that could also provide us with an extra income?  Look around, there might be more opportunities than you realize.

Examples of Fun Jobs for Retirees:


Create something and sell it:  I have a friend named Patti who is a retired Realtor and a wonderful painter.  She spends hours painting a wide variety of ocean and mountain scenes and selling her work at Southern California art festivals where she has gotten to know other artists who are doing the same thing.  It is such fun for her!  When I have visited her booth at the festivals, I have frequently observed that she is surrounded by other men and women our age who are making and selling jewelry or lovely boxes and items they have created out of wood or other materials.  A few years ago I bought some earrings from a 60ish man at a fair in Kona, Hawaii.  He told me that his wife made the jewelry, while he went to the fairs and sold it.  You can even start your own website and sell the things you make online!

Start a New Career and Be Your Own Boss:  Another friend of mine retired after decades of working all day as a hair dresser.  She decided to become a Realtor.  She wanted to try something different and has been successful and happy in her new career.  She only sells retirement condominiums in the community where she lives and she has become an expert in that area.  She never has to drive very far, but she always seems to have several active listings and a few buyers.   She is now in her mid-70's, works her own hours and has complete control over her new career.  It has certainly rejuvenated her.  As you can see, a job that has become drudgery for one person can be a fresh new career for someone else.

Write About Your Hobbies:  Do you like to crochet, knit, quilt, make jewelry or other crafts?  Why not start a blog or website and share your knowledge and experience with others?  While you might not make a lot of money writing about hobbies, you could earn a small amount each year to spend on incidentals, travel or Christmas shopping.  Check out this website: Domestic Diva Online.  The author has turned her love of creating craft projects into a successful website where people can follow her detailed instructions and create adorable crafts of their own.

Write About Your Experiences:  Perhaps you don't feel that you have any hobbies to share.  What about some of your life experiences?  Many people have created blogs about their personal life experiences ... traveling to exotic locations, going on cruises or even more day-to-day experiences, such as interesting places to visit in your local community.  You may have fun experiences that you would enjoy sharing, too.  Whichever type of blog you decide to write, you need to learn how to monetize it by adding appropriate ads from companies like Amazon, Google, Chitika, or Vigilink.  You can also list your blog on Amazon Publishing for Blogs, since some readers will subscribe to your blog on their Kindle.  You'll earn a little here, a little there and, pretty soon, it will add up.

Find a Fun Job:  Perhaps you feel that your financial situation requires you to have a regular paycheck and not rely on the advertising fees from a blog or website.  There are a variety of fun jobs available that you might find very interesting and stimulating.  One of our friends retired as a stockbroker and went to work in a health food store.  He had always been interested in vitamins and nutrition.  Another man I know works in an antique store.  He has a houseful of antiques and, although he worked for a large corporation most of his life, he always loved collecting antiques.  Now he gets to work at a store he really loves and share his knowledge.

Teach: If you have knowledge and expertise in an area, and enjoy sharing that knowledge with others, you can earn money by teaching.  Many of the Emeritus teachers at our local community college are in their 60's and 70's ... and this includes the fitness teachers who lead classes in yoga, Tai Chi, chair aerobics, circuit training and much more.  If you know how to play the piano, guitar or any other musical instrument, teaching is a fun way to earn extra money.  

Tutor Children:  Are you an expert in algebra, geometry or calculus?  There is a huge need for people who are patient and can take the time to really explain this subject matter to teens.  If this describes you, check with your local high school to find out how you can get connected with teens who need your help.

Work with other Senior Citizens:  If you aren't interested in working with kids, go to your local senior center and ask about job opportunities for senior citizens.  You might be able to work as a receptionist at the senior center or for a local business.  There are hundreds of senior citizens, many much older than Baby Boomers, who are working in the area around our community ... in the hospital gift shop, as security people at the community gates, for our homeowner's association, and in many other capacities.  Some of these jobs are part-time and others are full time.

Postpone Retirement and Spend a Few Years in Public Service:  One of the women I walk with every weekend spent two and a half years in the Ukraine after she joined the Peace Corps at age 62.  She had retired from the corporate job that she had held for nearly 40 years, but she wanted to postpone collecting her Social Security or using any of the money in her 401(k).  She did this by working for the Peace Corps.  It was a fabulous experience for her and she still goes on speaking engagements where she is asked to talk about her time in the Ukraine.   If you are interested in doing something like that, check out Encore.org This website will help you find government and private public service jobs that are designed for Baby Boomers looking for encore or second careers.  Many of these jobs will be right in your own neighborhood, in case you are not interested in traveling halfway around the world.  What a fun, interesting and satisfying way to postpone your retirement and increase your retirement benefits! 

Even if your Social Security benefits are not very large and you have been unable to save a lot of money for retirement, that does not mean you have to face a poverty stricken retirement.  There are a variety of ways you can make extra money and many of them will be a lot of fun!

If you are currently planning your retirement, you will want to check out the tabs at the top of this article to find links to hundreds of other helpful articles.

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

Photo credit:  www.morguefile.com

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Get Help Starting an Encore Career

Now that they are reaching retirement age, Baby Boomers are often discovering that they are not quite ready for the rocking chair.  They look at this period of their lives as an opportunity to do the things they always wanted to do when they were younger.  For some, that means travel or pursuing a hobby; for others it may mean doing something meaningful with their lives in the form of a second career.

If you are one of those who is ready to move into a second career, I want to introduce my readers to Encore.org.  It is a website designed specifically for Baby Boomers and others who are searching for a new career in the second half of their lives.

While I only occasionally refer my readers to other websites, Encore.org is so comprehensive and well-done, it would be impossible for me to provide you with all the information they have already put together on this site.

Why You May Want to Have an Encore Career

There are typically two reasons why Baby Boomers choose to start a second career later in life:

Financial Security

With at least 10,000 Baby Boomers turning 65 every single day in the United States, many of them are not financially prepared for retirement.  Having a second career to supplement their Social Security benefits can make a difference in whether they are struggling to survive or really enjoying their senior years.  In addition, people who continue working while collecting Social Security benefits find that their benefits can increase a bit faster than the typical annual cost-of-living increase.

Emotional Satisfaction

Another reason for second careers is that some adults have spent decades postponing their "dream job" because they needed to stick with better paying jobs while raising their families.  As a result, I know Realtors who want to be artists, engineers who long to work as a chefs, office workers who dream of becoming caterers, and teachers who have been writing a novel for years while waiting to retire.  Other people long to do something meaningful with their lives, but they don't know what opportunities are available and how to get started.

How You Can Find an Encore Career

What should you do if you know you want to work after retirement, either because you need the money or you need the mental stimulation, but you feel as though you are groping in the dark for something that would really excite you?  That is where http://www.encore.org/ can help you get started.

Many of the careers they promote are referred to on their website as careers with purpose.  They even sponsor "Purpose Awards" designed to recognize people who have "moved into second acts for the greater good."  These are people who have committed the second half of their lives to solving significant social problems.  Some of these people have been given cash awards of as much as $100,000 for their extraordinary contributions to society.

When you log onto encore.org, be sure to check out the tab labeled Work.  Under it, you will find information about pursuing the top five encore careers:  health care, green jobs (environment), government jobs (including the Peace Corps), working for non-profit organizations, and educational jobs (such as Troops to Teachers).

From there, the website will give you the information you need to get started on your encore career ... whether that means going back to school, applying to a government agency, or using your current education and experience to fill a job opening at a non-profit organization.

How an Encore Career Can Enrich Your Life

I have a friend who joined the Peace Corps in her early 60's after retiring from her job as head of Information Technology for a newspaper.  Her job with the Peace Corps involved teaching parents and teens in small villages in the former Soviet Union about the dangers of human trafficking.  Unscrupulous people had been going to these villages and offering young women jobs as nannies in Europe and the United States.  Once they were out of the villages, however, these young women were frequently forced into prostitution, instead.  My friend remained in her Peace Corps assignment for two and a half years before she returned to the United States and began her official retirement.  However, even though she is now in her early seventies, she continues to frequently meet with other former Peace Corps members and gives speeches about her experience.  Her encore career continues to define and enrich her life.

By the way, when she joined the Peace Corps, my friend told me that there were a number of other people in their 60's and early 70's who were joining at the same time.  So, if this was something you wanted to do in your early 20's, and didn't have the opportunity, it is not too late!

If you are wondering what you might like to do after you retire from your current career, check out Encore.org.  You may be on the verge of an exciting new adventure!

For those of you looking for additional retirement information, click on the tabs at the top of this page for links to articles about where to retire in the United States or overseas, financial information, dealing with medical issues, and a variety of other topics such as family relations and travel.

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

Photo credit of a teacher in a foreign country is courtesy of www.morguefile.com