Working after retirement may not be the ideal scenario for some, but there may be more benefits to this than is first apparent on the surface. In addition to providing an increase in income, there are many mental, emotional, and physical benefits as well.
As I have mentioned in several previous articles on semi-retirement, there are many options available to us to live a full and engaging life beyond a traditional retirement scenario. Let’s discuss a few of these now.
What Happens When Working After Retirement?
Before we outline a few benefits, let’s briefly discuss the procedural aspects related to social security and working after retirement. The rules have changed over the years, and now a person is able to work and keep all of their social security benefits at full retirement age or older. Otherwise, there are limits to how much you can earn and still receive your entire social security benefits.
A good place to check out for information on this is the publication How Work Affects Your Benefits. This will provide you with the exact rules as specified by the Social Security Administration.
For some additional information on how much you will get from social security check out this article from AARP. It discusses the various scenarios based on past earnings and the age you retire.
Now for some Benefits to Working After Retirement
Let’s now outline some of the benefits of being semi-retired and balancing our work with other activities that we enjoy.
- Let’s Keep Busy — no matter what our financial condition may be, many folks upon retirement do not expect to be confronted by this condition that seemed to bombard them out of nowhere: boredom. Especially when we miss our sense of purpose and social contact that we got from our job or business. Also, staying active will keep us young.
- Less Stress — reducing the stress from a full-time job will contribute to better health and longevity for sure. This is especially true if we did not really enjoy our main job. Also, having a few extra bucks come in will increase our financial stability and help cover any unexpected expenses.
- Social Activity — staying engaged in life through working after retirement helps us to maintain a youthful outlook on life as we continue to interface with people of all ages. We are part of a social network without the long hours of a full-time career.
- Healthy Lifestyle — staying engaged in life through work is conducive to a more active and healthy lifestyle. This is beneficial for both our physical and mental health.
- Balanced Lifestyle — when we work on a semi-retired basis we get the benefits, both financial and social, from our work, but we also have more time for leisure and family activities whether that is a hobby, volunteer work, or just more time with the family.
- Reinventing Ourselves — regardless if we enjoyed our full-time career over the years, this is an opportunity to get our creative juices flowing and try something new. We may have an idea that has been percolating for years, and now is the time to bring it out and go for it. For whatever reason, this may not have been practical for us earlier in our lives, and now is the ideal time to create our dream. With the right attitude, it is never too late. This is something you can prepare for prior to retirement by either starting a business part-time or taking some courses in your area of interest. This is how I prepared for my current digital marketing career which I enjoy tremendously. For those who have the interest to learn how to succeed in online marketing here is my #1 Recommendation for an Online Training Platform.
- More Youthful Outlook on Life — this is probably the most important of all as it fuels all the rest. When we have a youthful outlook we “expect” stuff to turn out well, and we are aware of many ways to stay young and increase our overall happiness and productivity. We are willing to try new things and above all we are teachable. We are not set in our ways and refusing to learn. When we know what we don’t know our progress is rapid.
How Can I Stay Young After Retirement?
I would say the main ingredient is what I have just written above about a youthful outlook on life that leads to a willingness to continue to learn, grow, and experience new things. With this type of attitude, it is relatively easy to fill in the blanks as we progress on our journey.
Now for those who would prefer a more concrete type of suggestions here are a few:
- let go of poor habits
- eliminate negative folks from our lives
- stop worrying by focusing on solutions
- have a good financial advisor/fiduciary
- take positive action in the right way and at the right time
- Exercise on a consistent basis
- create an attitude of possibility
- Take some quiet time daily
- identify what we really desire
- engage in some meaningful work either paid or volunteer
- be honest with ourselves
- have friends from different age groups
- get creative with our free time
- embrace technology at least to a certain extent
This last point about embracing technology does not mean we need to become super proficient unless we really want to. Depending on our current skill level, some improvement can help with getting around the internet to do research and look stuff up to make life easier. Also, younger friends and relatives can be contacted much easier online and through social media.
Working after retirement does have many benefits, and based on our individual needs and preferences we can design the ideal lifestyle that will work best for us. Additional income is nice, but staying active and fully engaged in life is what will produce the most benefits for us.
There is so much to see and do during our brief passage of time here. Living a healthy, fulfilling, and prosperous life is possible at all ages given the proper attitude. It is so true that circumstances do not determine our happiness, but it is our perception of them and our subsequent choices.
“You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.“
— Brian Tracy —
To your Eternal Youth & Happiness,
Joseph William
P.S. For those who desire to embrace their youth and vigor by working after retirement with an Online Business here is My #1 Recommendation for a Training and Earning Platform
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Thanks for sharing a great article to read to learn more about working after retirement, I always believe that works keep us busy and help us to feel good, I used to live in a latinamerican country where just a few people can get a pension, this means many people will need to work until they get pretty old, but I have seen the benefits of that, my grandfather a doctor, kept working until 80 + and he had to keep working because his patients looked for him, I believe, we all need to change our minds about what to do after we get at age of 65 when in many countries people can retire, if we keep a purpose of life, we can keep busy doing what we love and this will help us to keep us in better shape, blogging about things we love to do, has helped me to keep working on something I love to do or make and sharing it with others.
That’s wonderful Alejandra. Staying positively engaged in life allows us to benefit others as well as keep up joyful and young. I enjoy being un-retired or semi-retired doing what I enjoy. All the Best.
Wow some great tips about the benefits of working & staying after retirement ! I am not there yet but i definitely like the idea to keep on going and enjoying life after retiring. There is so much that we can do and enjoy doing. Thank you for all the advice. It is very helpful and comforting to know that life can only get better! I planned ahead and myself have started doing affiliate marketing. I want to make sure that after I retire, I will be able to do whatever I please and not worry about the money knowing that most of all being active will add some years to my life too!
Thanks so much for your comments and thoughts. Much appreciated. It is never too early to plan for retirement by being fully engaged in life in the present moment. Affiliate marketing is a great vehicle. All the Best.
I know full well the benefits of staying busy after retirement is essential to stay healthy. Furthermore, with economic situations being what they are, if a retiree can earn a few dollars on their own accord through the very programs you recommend, Joseph, it would be even better!
I know of one lady who often jokingly “complains” she’s busier now as a retired “old lady” than when she worked at a full-time job. Despite being busy, she’s having fun and making money at the same time. She is in a much better situation now than she ever was while working at her old job! And, she knows it, too!
Thanks for your comments and sharing about a person who is actually putting these ideas into effect in a positive way. All the very best.
Hi, This is a great steer on how to stay young after retirement – My Parents bought ebikes and spend many happy ours outdoors much more than before and I believe are much more active now. Regards
Thanks Dan. I appreciate your input and comments. Biking is great exercise. I mix it up with a number of other activities and enjoy an active lifestyle like your parents. All the Best.