|
Best Retiree
Job: Do What You Did Before
One job is clearly the best for any retiree:
Become a consultant or freelance or instructor/teacher
using the skills and knowledge you already have plus any special education
or licensing your field requires. It is the Number One
way you can begin to earn income to supplement
Social Security without spending time acquiring a a new skill set.
Going into a new field,
acquiring new skills, getting additional education and/or
licensing--all of that takes time and money. If you are
thinking seriously about changing your career after retiring from
your primary employment, do the math! It may turn out that
the costs to launch yourself into a new career outweigh the amount
of money you will make. If, nonetheless, you want to
follow a new career track, consider freelancing or consulting
using your previous skill set while getting the education and
training you need for your new employment.
And keep in mind that if you start
collecting Social Security at age 62 there is a limit on the amount of money you can earn
each year prior to your full retirement year before the Social
Security Administration starts taking Social Security back.
For 2008 it is $13,560.
How do you find consulting
or freelance assignments?
Here are four easy steps. For more detailed information click
here.
1.
Look Official. Get business
cards and your own website.
2.
Talk to Your Boss.
Ask your boss or the HR
department if they could use your services part time
after your retirement date.
3. Call
the Competition. Next, call the companies
that compete with the one you are leaving. They may jump at the
chance to employ you, even part time.
4.
Tell Everyone Else. Then call everyone
you know in your field and let them know that you are setting up a consulting/freelance business.
5. Keep At It.
For 6 practical tips about building and sustaining your new
freelance or consulting business click
here.
Important: You should do allthese
steps at
the time you are retiring. Do not wait even a few months to
make the phone calls. You want to be a "Hot
Property" -- not yesterday's news. And it may
take some time for the first assignments to come in.
Other great retirement
jobs using your current knowledge:
About
Temp Agencies: While Temp
Agencies have their place, do NOT attempt to find
consulting work by going through a Temporary Employment
Agency. They take a big cut off the top of any fee a
company pays, leaving you with a much smaller piece of the
pie. It's much better for you to contact companies
directly--particularly companies where you are known--and
keep the whole big juicy pie to yourself!
Saving Face:
If
people start asking you about your retirement finances, tell them
you are planning to step down without completely going "cold
turkey" off your lifetime career. You can also
tell them you will send them postcards from the places you visit
in between your consulting/freelance assignments. |
A
Real Life Retirement:
Susan worked as a secretary in
high-powered law firms in Los Angeles all her life. She was
forced out of her job in her late
fifties. It was an ugly situation, but
she managed to turn it around. All it took
was a few phone calls and she was back to work on
her own from her home, doing contract assignments
for other big law firms. Fortunately, she
was well-known at several other law firms, so they
had confidence that she would complete the work
satisfactorily and on time. She found that
she had ample income and plenty of time for her
passion: gardening. She also earned some extra
cash from gardening. |
|
We also have suggestions for
earning extra cash and
pocket money using your hobbies and personal interests.
| Your feedback and comments
are welcome. If you have experiences or ideas to share, please
send
feedback now. |
NOTE: All names on
this site have been changed to protect individual privacy.
The stories are real, the names are not. |