According to Business News Daily survey, 92% of people ages 40 and older plan to work after their retirement. The leading motivation to work after retirement, according to 72% of people, is to stay mentally sharp. When you think about the golden years, you imagine sitting on the beach or hitting the golf course.
It is a good idea to have fun after retirement and do all the things you always wanted to do but never had time for. But you may get bored after some time and want to return to part-time work.
The good news is that there are many fun retirement jobs that pay a small fortune and do not require much of your time. Most of these fun retirement jobs are online so you will be working from home, on your own schedule.
7 Reasons to Work After Retirement
There are plenty of reasons to take low stress part time fun retirement jobs. You remain physically and mentally active and receiving a paycheque after retirement is added fun. Here are some of the reasons and benefits of working after retirement.
1. Avoid Boredom and Loneliness
It is natural for seniors to get bored and lonely doing nothing after they have worked all their adult lives. It is worse for older adults who live alone and age at home. While there are other indoor activities for seniors to keep themselves busy, part-time fun jobs are a good way to avoid loneliness and depression in old age.
2. Stay Physically and Mentally Active
Working part-time help stimulate your brain and keep your mind sharp for a long. Working can delay the onset of age-related diseases like dementia and memory loss. Some jobs require you to move around, like dog walking or photography, which is great for physical fitness and keeps you active.
3. Financial Reasons to Work
Getting a paycheque after retirement is a good motivator to work. Financial needs are the primary reason for many retirees to remain in the workforce. If your savings are not substantial or you want to delay receiving social security, it is a good idea to work part-time and have financial freedom.
4. Explore Something New and Make Money
It is always exciting to learn something new. For example, you can learn candle-making from online videos and tutorials and turn it into a business. You can sell homemade candles on amazon or make your own store to sell online. There are plenty of free online resources to learn anything you want.
5. You Love Your Job and Want to Work
If you love what you do, you can continue the job after retirement. You can teach others through a YouTube channel or make a course and sell it online. Photographers can work after retirement by taking photos and selling them online. Teachers can make a lot of money by tutoring online. Chefs can share recipes online through YouTube or cookbooks. If you love what you do, it does not feel like work.
6. Work From Home
This is another reason to consider working after retirement, doing fun retirement jobs from your home. You have the flexibility to work at your own schedule and avoid the time-consuming commute to work. It is easy to work in cozy clothes and a custom environment. You can maintain a better work-life balance when you do not waste time on traveling for work.
7. Sense of Purpose and Fulfilment
You look forward to accomplishing things when you are working. You often feel fulfilment when the job is done and you complete a task. Using your skills and experience to get work done is a great feeling.
If you find your passion and purpose after retirement, you will experience true happiness and personal fulfilment. Teachers love to teach online and help others while photographers can travel around the world after retirement and make vlogs along the way and take great photos to share with the world.
Whether your reason to work after retirement is financial or to avoid boredom and social isolation, there are many fun retirement jobs that pay a small fortune and are low-stress. Let us discuss some of them.
12 Fun Retirement Jobs That Pay a Small Fortune
The main idea is to have low-stress part-time work that has flexible timings. Most of these jobs are online so you can work from home and decide how much time you want to dedicate to your work.
1. Drive for Uber or Lyft
If you have a valid driving license and a personal car, driving for rideshare services is a fun retirement job. You can earn anywhere $15-$25 per hour when driving for Lyft or Uber. As you learn your way around the city, you will become more efficient and earn more. The best thing about driving for a rideshare service is that you meet new people every day and avoid social isolation after retirement.
You have the freedom of setting your own hours and timing for work. You can take days off whenever you want to. You can also earn money by delivering packages or food items through UberRUSH or UberEATS. Payments are weekly via direct deposit or you can get paid instantly following each ride via a debit card.
The minimum requirements and documents that you will need:
- You must have a valid U.S driver’s license with at least one year of driving experience in the U.S.
- You must use an eligible four-door vehicle
- Proof of residency in your city, state
- Proof of car insurance and car registration
- A passport-format profile photo of the driver
You will have to fill out a driver application form for Uber or Lyft via the web or app and upload all requested documents. They will run a basic background screening for any criminal records and then your driver status will be activated.
2. Photography
If you love photography and have a good camera, become a professional photographer. You can get hired to shoot for events or private photo shoots. Make a website to target your local area.
You can choose to sell your photos on stock websites that pay you a commission every time your photo is downloaded.
You can also write a photography blog or share photography tips on YouTube. Working as an assistant photographer is another option.
- How to make money as a photographer
- 18 websites for selling your photography
- How to start stock photos online
3. Start Blogging
If you are passionate about something, you can make a blog and start writing about it. Blogging takes some consistent writing but you can make a full-time income doing part-time work. You can launch your own product (like an Ebook) on your blog or make money by display ads or affiliate marketing.
Blogging Provides you a platform to write about your favorite topic and connect with other like-minded people. You do not need any prior experience and there are plenty of online resources to help. So, start writing and share your wisdom through blogs.
- How to start a blog
- Beginner’s guide to blogging: Step by Step instructions for beginners to start a blog
- Why and how to start a blog after retirement
4. Become a Vlogger
If you like the idea of being on camera more than writing, become a vlogger. If you have interesting things and stories to share, record them with your smartphone or camera and share them on YouTube. Some seniors make traveling vlogs while others share tips on retirement life or make lifestyle vlogs.
There are many senior YouTube stars and influencers who make millions of dollars from vlogging.
Vlogging is one of the fun retirement jobs that do not require any investment or prior knowledge and give you opportunities to connect with others via videos.
- Step-by-step tutorial for beginners to create a YouTube channel
- How to start and manage your YouTube channel
5. Freelancing
Freelancing is one of the fun retirement jobs that pay a small fortune. Freelance gigs are very flexible and you can work from anywhere, anytime. There are many online platforms (such as UpWork or Fiverr) that connect freelancers with clients, so you can create an account and start applying straight away. You can write content for websites, do photography work or become a tutor.
According to AARP, 37% of people who do freelance work from their homes are 55 years or older. These seniors love the ability to work from home on their own terms.
- Why freelancing work appeal to older people
- Freelancing as a senior
- Freelancing as retiree
- Join UpWork | Fiverr | Freelancer
6. Sell online
There are many fun retirement jobs for people who want to sell stuff online. You can set up an online store and promote your products via social media or you can sell on Amazon or eBay. You can try to sell some handmade products, crafts or even old stuff that you do not use anymore.
7. Delivery Driver
You can make extra cash by delivering packages, groceries, restaurant meals and prescriptions. You have the flexibility to choose your working hours and work as much as you want. This is one of the fun retirement jobs where you meet new people every day and get a good tip. You can make money delivering packages with Amazon Flex or work for Uber Eats to deliver food.
There are many delivery services for you to choose from. For example, if you want to deliver packages you can work with Amazon Flex, UPS or FedEx. Delivery jobs are fun for people who do not want to sit at home after retirement.
- 13 ways to make money delivering
- 8 food delivery services to earn extra cash
- 13 best delivery apps to work for
8. Dog Walker or Pet Sitter
If you are looking for fun retirement jobs that pay a small fortune and you love animals, this is the best job for you. People love to have dogs but have less time to take care of them. So, they hire dog walkers and pet sitters. There are many online services that connect you with pet owners to get a job.
- Rover – offers pet boarding, dog walking, dog daycare and house-sitting services.
- PetSitter – Over 1,000,000 have used PetSitter to keep their pets happy, You can join as a pet sitter with them.
- FetchPetCare – Join for local pet services like dog walking, pet sitting and overnight care
9. Teach English as a Second Language
The next of fun retirement jobs is teaching English online, as a second language. You meet students from all over the world on your home computer via a website and teach them English one-on-one. Teaching online has many benefits like flexible timings and meeting people from different cultures.
- 8 Amazing companies to teach English from home
- 11 companies that let you teach English without a degree
- How to teach English online and get paid
10. Become a Voice-over Artist
Voice-over artists record audio for tv shows, advertisements, apps, games and other content. It is a fun job after retirement if you have a good voice. If you pursue a career in audiobook narration, the standard rates commonly range between $200-$300 per hour of recording.
11. Rent a Grandma
One of the fun jobs after retirement for women. Rent a grandma specializes in placing caring women with deep life experience with families for different services including Babysitting, baby care, personal assistance, pet care and sitting, cooking and tutoring.
Your wisdom and experience are valuable so you can help the younger generation by choosing what services to offer at Rent a Grandma.
12. Rent Your Space
You can earn extra cash by hosting people from around the world by renting extra space on Airbnb. You can rent a room or an entire home for a night, week or month.
There are also options to make money by renting a parking spot, your garage space or any other free space on your property that can be used for storage.
- Airbnb – Rent out your space to travelers looking for a place to stay
- Neighbor – Rent your space for storage
- Stashbee – Earn extra cash by sharing your space with those who need it
You can have all the fun after retirement like spending time with family and friends, traveling, playing golf or snooker or pursuing other hobbies but it is not a bad idea to find some work that you enjoy and work part-time. These fun retirement jobs that pay a small fortune can help you avoid social isolation and boredom while making you some extra cash. Retirement is not the end of the world so keep yourself active, healthy and connected.