Post-retirement Career

11 years ago

There are endless possibilities for people who want to have a successful after-retirement job. You only need to make sure that you are skilled enough to do whatever job you want to pursue. Working after retirement will not only benefit you financially but will also allow you to be active regardless of your age. The idea of working after retirement especially fro some who ventures into entrepreneurship can sometimes be daunting but the rewards are fantastic.

What are your thoughts about having a post-retirement career?

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Comments (3)

sushipup1
11 years ago
I see you are new to the Gardenweb and in Australia, from your profile. Welcome!

In the US, earned income until age 70 will reduce your social security benefits. Unless you work where there is a mandatory retirement age, most people simply don't stop working at their regular job, and delay collecting their social security until age 70.
azzalea
11 years ago
Really Sushi--you find most people you know work till 70? Around here, everyone I know is retiring and starting to collect at age 62. For a lot of reasons. If you work till 70, to get the higher SS payements, it takes you well into your 80's to start making a profit. Many people don't know if they'll live that long. Many others are worried that SS is going to run out of money, so they prefer to be 'grandfathered in' (hopefully) by starting to collect earlier.

And you ARE allowed to work and earn money when you're on SS--you just have to keep your income under a specified amount. And it's more than enough that most of us can afford to have a 'little parttime' retirement job.

To answer the OP--I'm a newspaper columnist in my retirement. It's not a fulltime position--I only write occasionally, but it's fun, and I get to use my expertise and training to help others. Doesn't pay enough to affect my SS, either.
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Oh boy, this really is a tough subject area... First thing I wanted to state is that I never wanted to be a plumber or whatever, if that's what I wanted to be, I would have went to school for that. Second, I feel the working at McDonalds reference was a bit extreme, I know for sure I can find better than that. I did have the ability to go to college for whatever I wanted, but the two things I wanted to do is horticulture and cabinet making, which are both considered dead end career paths. Anything else I would be going to school just for money, and not every money making career will necessarily make you money either; my cousin went to college for eight years to be a lawyer, and he's 30 making minimum money as a magazine writer because he can't find a job. The issue with the way I go in the career path is that it may be heavily influenced by future lifestyle changes. Right now, I don't even have a wife and kids in mind (don't even have a girlfriend), and all I need is four wheels, clothes on back, a place to live, and food to keep me happy, I don't need a lot of fancy toys. However though, later on I may care more about supporting a family than I do my job. I may also decide later in a few years that there's a better paying industry I'm into. Right now I'm going to college completely free so it's not a huge loss if I chose to go to college for something else. However, if I stay in the field, I do have some stuff in mind. Right now, it's still early, but I've been the best in my class, and I will make deans list easily at this pace. The ideal realistic careers I want to get into are campus groundskeeper and possibly landscape/garden design. Campus groundskeeper usually doesn't pay well, but it offers great benefits like housing, healthcare, steady employment, and money towards degrees. Landscape design is similar to the cabinet industry; if you are determined to do what you do and make a name for yourself, you will be alright, otherwise though, no. I may actually have an advantage there because I am into that and do it as a hobby currently.
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sushipup1
11 years ago
I know no one who retires at 62, altho some people (like me) collect SS at that age, because I had not worked for several years. But the high-earning professional people I know have no interest in stopping work. You are correct, you can work after full-retirement age (66 for those retiring now) and not lose benefits.

But yes, many people enjoy their careers and continue to work.

From the government website:
"How much can I earn while receiving Social Security retirement benefits?

"The amount you can earn while receiving Social Security depends on your age. Your earnings in (and after) the month you reach full retirement age will not affect your Social Security benefits. However, your benefit is reduced if your earnings exceed certain limits for the months before you reach your full retirement age.

"If you are under full retirement age for the entire year:

" You can earn $14,640 gross wages or net self-employment a year and not lose any benefits in 2012.
"We will deduct $1 in benefits for every $2 earned above $14,640.

"In the year you reach full retirement age:

"You can earn $38,880 gross wages or net self-employment prior to the month you reach full retirement age and not lose any benefits in 2012.
"We will deduct $1 in benefits for every $3 earned above $38,880.

"The same earnings limits apply to a spouse or child who works and receives benefits on your record. You should report earnings to us for any months and years prior to full retirement age."

Here is a link that might be useful: from the SS website

Post-retirement Career

Comments (3)

sushipup1

azzalea

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