Suddenly you are faced with the question – what can I do after retirement? You have worked hard all your life and love your job, but then it happens.
The dreaded words -“let go” or retirement come knocking. You are probably still in your prime elements – like many older adults who are in this position, your thinking faculties are still “top-notch”, and you are still very agile.
So are you going to automatically resign yourself to the life of a couch potato when your age is just a number, and you are brimming with life? You ask again – What can I do after retirement?
This article provides you with options – some which you already know, but a few others that you can explore. One option ties together your passion and some of those skills you acquired while out in the workforce and climbing the corporate ladder.
Table of Contents
Forced Into Retirement or Happily Retired? What Can I Do After Retirement?
You may have been happy with your life – that is until your boss called you aside and explained that your company was cutting costs and that you were being forced into early retirement, therefore becoming one of their statistics.
The normal emotion is one of panic. Being forced into early retirement may seem like “the end of the world,” but it really is not.
The Real Reason
Many companies are finding themselves losing money. They are therefore offering early retirement packages to many of their long-term workers, especially those close to retirement age.
Being close to retirement age and being offered a retirement severance package does not mean that you are ready for it.
Early or forced retirement can throw a wrench into your financial plans. A financial adviser can help assess your retirement wants and needs, identify an estimated amount that you need to comfortably live in retirement, and also assist you with a financial strategy.
Take advantage of this service, especially if you received a severance or retirement package.
Most importantly, remember that being forced into early retirement does not mean that you have to stop working. If you were asked to retire a few years earlier than planned, you may be unable to do so financially.
You may be afraid that your money will run out too soon. If so, working may be your only option. But, there are other options that you can explore on the side to help generate residual income into your sunset years.
“Happily retired” on the other hand, implies that you have actually reached the retirement age of 65 and now have to sail into the sunset of the world of retirement. Perhaps you have enough money saved for your retirement, or perhaps not.
Whichever it is, the fact remains that you are retired and have to explore what comes next for you.
What Can I Do After Retirement? – Ideas for the Happily Retired
Top of the list is keeping your body and mental state active.
Becoming a couch potato and stressing on all the terrible financial things you believe could happen to you – especially if you were forced to retire should not be an option!
There are lots of things you can do……
Good Options
- Stay fit – As we age regular exercise is one of the most useful pass times we can have. It keeps us healthy and has a huge impact on warding off depression and a myriad of other ailments. If you choose to do this with a fitness group it also helps ensure you’re getting out and socializing.
- Travel – Of course if you are “happily retired” one of the first things many seniors do is to travel the country and the world. Travel for work – if even to the most exotic places, is very different from traveling for leisure, sight seeing and taking in culture.
- Home Makeover – Give certain rooms in your home a makeover. This could either be through reorganization or full scale remodeling of areas to improve your comfort levels.
- Take on your “Wish List” of hobbies that you were never able to do or do well because you were in the “rat race”. Gardening, reading books (history, politics, art, music, biographies), cooking, learning to play an instrument, learning a new language or diving into “Do it yourself projects” are a few that come to mind.
- Stay active by looking for opportunities to volunteer with charities or church groups
- Find a fun “part-time job” if you are so inclined. The extra income will give you additional spending power.
- Spend lots of time with the grand-children if you have them. They will keep you on your toes – literally, and challenge you mentally as well.
But is all this enough? Many happily retired seniors enjoy the first few months of retirement doing all the above options but suddenly find themselves drifting into the zone of wanting more.
What Can I Do After Retirement? Ideas for the Forced to Retire
This group of seniors have more limited options available to them as they typically may not have the luxury of funds to spend on travel, remodeling and taking time off.
Their options include:
- Finding another job. This may be easier said than accomplished. You may unfortunately have to settle for a reduced income
- Using your acquired skills to either
- Teach what you know. You can create online courses that can generate income through Udemy.com
- Research and write – Become a freelance writer and get paid for this. Check Fiverr.com and Upwork.com. You could also become an affiliate marketer. Read about this below.
- Start you own business – This idea may sound a bit of a stretch – but – it is feasible. There are several government and private groups that can help with this if you choose to go down this route,
A Retirement Idea You Should Explore – Affiliate Marketing
If you are bored with retirement or were forced into early retirement, there is another option you probably never thought about or even heard of – Affiliate Marketing.
What is Affiliate Marketing? It is a marketing arrangement by which an online retailer (such as Amazon, WalMart, and almost every one of your name brands) pay commission to an external website for traffic or sales generated through directing readers to those sites.
You are actually on such a site – and I guarantee you that there are thousands of them out there. Some are better than others, while some are phenomenal.
I encourage you to read ALL the articles under the “Retirement” menu tab of this website to get lots of information on this topic , which address several questions inquiring minds like ours will ask.
Is Affiliate Marketing Complicated?
Have you found the articles on MetamorphosisHub informative and value adding? This should be the goal of every affiliate marketing website.
My passion is to understand the aging process (since I am getting up there myself) and help other seniors make informed decisions when researching products to provide continued quality of life.
Wealthy Affiliates taught me how to become a successful affiliate marketer through training to identify my niche (what I am passionate about), easily build this website, and all I needed to know to hit the ground running.
If it could do this for me, then I believe it can do the same for you!
What Can I Do After Retirement to Make Money?
For the purpose of full disclosure, I come from a career in oil and gas, manufacturing and engineering – among other roles.
Along with a host of my colleagues I have found the Wealthy Affiliate training to be a structured entry point into the world of affiliate marketing – quite different from a lot of other programs out there.
Do you like to research and write? Research before you buy things? Can type on the computer? Are you passionate about certain topics or ideas?
Can you follow instructions methodically and be organized? If your answer to all the above is YES, I suggest you check out what Wealthy Affiliate has to offer.
Still Unsure?
Maybe you are still skeptical? This is not an MLM, pyramid scheme or a get-rich-quick scheme! If you want to get rich overnight, then this is NOT for you.
But, if you are looking for an opportunity to build steady and residual income while doing what you love, and having fun within the comfort of your own home, then you should explore this further.
After all, you have all this experience and expertise that you feel you can offer to others, one way or another in a unique niche… Wealthy Affiliates will help you to channel all this experience and keep you excited as well.
As a senior who was forced into retirement – well before I was due, surrounded by a community of colleagues and friends in the same situation, I can emphatically say, take the Wealthy Affiliates 7 day free trial – NO CREDIT CARD IS REQUIRED. Click on the image below to get started……..
Final Words on What Jobs Can Be Done After Retirement
For many seniors, affiliate marketing has been the answer to their question of “What can I do after retirement?”
It may or may not be the right solution for you, but you’ll never really know unless you try it out. I will also be available to assist you as you embark on the journey.
Give it a shot! CLICK on the link below to learn more.
References
Quora (2021) What is the best business for seniors to supplement their income?
Thank you so much for this fantastic article, Ceci! Whether one chooses to retire or is forced into retirement, it’s so important that he or she continue to exercise his or her motor and cognitive skills, and enjoy the retirement journey! Both of my grandparents (God rest their souls) chose to retire, and upon doing so, they both took on fun part-time work (my grandfather became a little league coach, and my grandmother became an art teacher–she always loved to draw and make things. Haha.). They both remained active in our church and in the community, and we regularly took summer vacations. They enjoyed their latter years, and it’s imperative that we all do the same. Great read! God bless you!
Yes, it is so true that people forced into retirement or who retire when due remain active after doing so. Many seniors like your grandparents take on some part-time work, while others venture into affiliate marketing to maintain cognitive function.
Ceci
I know many in the military who were forced to retire. I also know some that have died within a year after retiring because they choose to do nothing with the mind and body. If you become a couch potato after retiring then expect to have medical problems. Anyone heading into retirement should take Ceci’s advice very seriously. Getting involved in online marketing can be a very rewarding business to keep the mind active. As they say, “if you don’t use it you will lose it”. This is an excellent piece of advice for anyone looking to retire. Thank you.
Thanks Rick. Please feel free to share the article with others you know who may benefit from the information.
Thanks for making this article. I know there are many people who wonder what to do after they retire. They think once they don’t have to work anymore that life is going to be amazing, but what often happens is that people stat feeling a lack of meaning in life. The tips you provided in this post will really help people who have retired or are about to retire get some ideas about what they can do. 🙂
Thanks Delyana!
Ceci
Thank you for sharing! Very interesting text. In my country, people do not want to retire and we have a problem that young people cannot get a job. The main reasons why people do not want to retire are poverty and social alienation, so most people associate retirement with boredom and loneliness.
But that doesn’t have to be the case! Just as you described in the post, retirement provides a great opportunity for quality time, to awaken a new youth. It is necessary to always keep a cheerful and almost childish spirit and dedicate ourselves to the older generation because these are our grandmothers, mothers, fathers and grandfathers. It is necessary to improve the living conditions of these wonderful people!
May people have been used to a life of hustle and bustle before they retired and find that they still want to remain mentally active after retiring. There is still a lot they can do, and one of them is affiliate marketing.
Ceci
Great post with plenty choice of what to do after retirememt.
Myself and my partner are already semi retired but have gone down your last path and chose affiliate marketing. It was a wise choice in our opinion with a little money and some time well invested., but certainly not your classic relaxed retirement. Like ay business start-up it can have its stresses and does take some effort.
I hear you! That is why I suggest getting to know the facts and determining if you will have the discipline to stick with affiliate marketing is so important. It is not a get rich quick scheme and it does require upfront diligence and patience!
Ceci