Part time work in retirement

[HarveyS]

I would like to find something part time, but it is not easy to do. I was a hedge fund CFO in my past life, and people look at my resume and ask why would I want to do this job now?

Stop showing them your resume. Problem solved.

 

[rk911]

I have only one bona fide deal breaker as I seek part time work in retirement.

I will NEVER write a performance evaluation on a human being again. NEVER

amen, brother!!

 

[Teacher Terry]

Day late, I saw that you were getting rid of your lawn. We installed Astro turf at the last house and it’s amazing. We bought it from a place in Arizona that mostly sells commercially. After 10 years with 4 dogs it looked like new and never faded from the intense sun. It also didn’t get too hot. We saved a ton of money on water and of course it’s low maintenance.

 

[BruinBones]

I have been a Secret Shopper to a few fast food and casual dining restaurants. The food is decent (and reimbursed), but the pay is lousy. I don't know how some people do it for a living.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Recently I started contracting to provide vocational testing to injured workers. It’s part time and I set my appointments and love doing it plus the money is great.

 

[Markola]

^ Wonderful!

I really hope this interesting thread continues for a long time, because the endlessly creative ways that folks here are choosing how it’s right for themselves, and no one else, to find a middle ground between full bore and full stop, work-wise, are fascinating and inspiring to read.

 

[Markola]

DW and I stepped away from full time careers at age 54, using the Rule of 55 technique I learned about here. Without any plans to work again, we both ended up taking a year off and detoxed, then felt like looking around for some structure and engagement. Now she’s 59 and I’m 57 and we are loving part time, remote, online work. She does public opinion research interviews by phone and in person (not something I’d love but she’s an extrovert and likes the challenge of getting people to talk with her) and she serves on the board of a nature center. I have fallen into an enjoyable set of consulting gigs in my 30 year profession, which I do via Zoom. One of the gigs is fundraising for a conservation group, which also pays me to fly fish with donors, LOL.

Right now, we’ve escaped winter and are “work-cationing” down south for six weeks in a two bedroom condo. Her employer and my clients could care less where were located. We could just as easily be in Argentina if we chose. We are grateful for our lot.

 

[street]

I will help out this summer again at a State Reasearch Ag Facility. I go in and help when they need a hand. I do cut grass on their campus which is about 8 acres I come in early and done about noon. I do that once every week through mid-summer than I may go in one every two week or so.

I poured some concert for them last year and small projects that come up. Last year I made 3400 bucks for the entire year. So very part time I would call my gig. I do it for some social activity and some great exercise to boot.

 

[SJhawkins]

Not retired, yet.

I have done these online surveys over the past few years on and off over the winter months. Made enough for a few cups of coffee, could make much more but I have full time job already!

I typically just do the short 5 minute surveys in subjects I enjoy that I can do on my tablet in my easy chair.

Below is where I go, I'm sure others are around too

https://www.prolific.co/participants

I have zero affiliation with the above.

 

[COcheesehead]

Not retired, yet.

I have done these online surveys over the past few years on and off over the winter months. Made enough for a few cups of coffee, could make much more but I have full time job already!

I typically just do the short 5 minute surveys in subjects I enjoy that I can do on my tablet in my easy chair.

Below is where I go, I'm sure others are around too

https://www.prolific.co/participants

I have zero affiliation with the above.

I did the survey thing briefly. They’ll give a bunch of points early, then slowly give you the rest. In the end you make a buck an hour.
Look at Engage in Depth. You’ll make $150-$200 per research project.

 

[SJhawkins]

Thanks COcheesehead, bookmarked

 

[USGrant1962]

If you are expert in your field you might want to look at outfits like GLG (Gherson Lehman Group, from memory), and AlphaSights. You sign up with them and they arrange one hour consultations in your area of expertise. Usually with Wall Street companies looking at takeovers. They are clueless, so if you know your industry you are what they are looking for.

You set your rate - $250 for an hour is normal. I was doing one every couple of months for a while. Then one of them doubled my rate because I declined a job, and I doubled the others. So now I’m only doing a couple a year.

When my other consulting tails off I’ll probably lower my rate and do a few more consults.

 

[SJhawkins]

USgrant, bookmarked as well, looks interesting.

 

[COcheesehead]

Earned income may make you eligible to contribute to a Roth, FYI.

 

[Markola]

Another good reason to keep oars in the water in one’s professional circles: Things change.

My DM is 83 yo and lives in a senior community she loves. Thankfully, she is in excellent health and we fully expect her to live a good long time. Like DW and me, DM and her unmarried, long time partner had a financial plan to sustain them. However, the partner developed Alzheimer’s and has gone to live with her biological family, which is struggling to pay for her care, even after splitting the resources 50/50 with my DM.

My DM is now down to 5 years or so of resources to cover her living expenses in the face of both stocks and bond funds plunging and also inflation.

My brother and I and our spouses are going to have to step up to the tune of $50,000/year soon to help our DM for many years, I expect, in her changed circumstances.

Looks like I’ll be going from semi-retired to a little more semi-w*rking, though I’m trying to be level headed about it and not go all the way back to a full time j*b, and there’s a little wiggle room in DW and my plan.

All just to say, things can change, so I’m very grateful to have part time consulting in my field, which I can ramp up as needed.

 

[vafoodie]

Recently I started contracting to provide vocational testing to injured workers. It’s part time and I set my appointments and love doing it plus the money is great.

Ooh, how did you find that job?

 

[youbet]

I really don't want to do any work, but I like to have some money. Is there a way to do that?

I like the way you think! Extra money to blow would be OK, but after 18 years of FIRE without any work interruptions whatsoever, I'm not gonna start now!

 

[Teacher Terry]

Ooh, how did you find that job?

It’s what I did for my career and I have a master’s degree in vocational rehabilitation/evaluation as well as 30 years experience. Teaching was a part time retirement gig for me for 8 years. I have 2 masters and a PhD so have worked in various fields.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Markola, your mom is lucky that you all are willing and able to provide that much financial assistance. It she was my mom she would have to downsizing her lifestyle to match her new budget. I would think that the spouses might be resentful because no one knows what their future will hold and what big expenses might be coming.

 

[Markola]

^^^^^ I don’t disagree and we’ll see. I’m optimistic that everyone will contribute, and there’s no way to be 50/50 so I’m not looking for that. I’m positioning to provide most of the financial support myself, if necessary, while my brother’s family helps more physically since they live closer. They are both nurses and can help in ways I have no ability to. My DW says she’s committed, bless her.

I don’t need to say it but we don’t feel the same about our dad, whom we do have a relationship with. He divorced my mother and never provided child support, so he’s on his own. In fact, my brother and I have agreed that whatever may come our way from our dad goes directly to our mother. My dad has enough shame and regret for his decisions that I’m sure he’d agree with all of the above.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Providing actual physical help is a lot of work and definitely saves the family money. We bought the house next door to my parents and 6 months later my dad had a massive stroke at 59 and I helped my mom care for him for 14 years and my mom watched my kids when my some of my college classes were at night. It was a great example for my kids that you just don’t turn your back on family when things get tough.

My dad died shortly after we had to move for my career when I finished graduate school. If I had stayed my 2 siblings wouldn’t have lifted a finger but because I lived across the country and one lived 6 hours away and one a hour they did help my mom when needed. By the time she had her 3rd bout of cancer they were retired. There were times she needed someone for a month. During those years I used all my vacation and sick leave to go help. I have no regrets as my parents were wonderful and I was happy that neither ever had to go to a nursing home.

 

[Markola]

^^^^ It’s wonderful you could provide all of that support to them. I feel similarly.

 

[MarieIG]

I stopped working over 13 years ago. In that time, I have done a very small amount of cat sitting. That work has tapered off though, and I have not sought any more. I occasionally think that if just the right opportunity fell into my lap, I might go for it. Thing is, my criteria are very narrow. It would have to be doing something I really want to do, at a fairly high rate of pay, and it wouldn't have to be too hard. Oh - and I could do it when I wanted to, and wouldn't have to do it when I didn't want to. Realistically, gigs like that either don't exist, or they are not going to come my way without me trying hard to get them.

What it really comes down to, if I'm being honest, is that I like doing what I want to do, when I want to do it, and paid employment doesn't fit in with that!

I will admit, I would absolutely love to do cat sitting. I have a long history with kitties, from tame to feral. (I'm not in a position to do so right now, having become the full-time caretaker of DS#1's dog - with whom I have totally bonded with at this point.)