Ahhh…Retirement. We all want to get there. The point in our life when we don’t have to punch a clock, we can roll out of bed when we feel like it…if we feel like it. We can do what we want when we’d like to do it. At least that’s the dream.
The reality is usually much harsher unless you plan. And sadly it has been found over and over not to be the case. A 2018 study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Saint Louis, found that only 27 percent of households have a defined benefit plan (a pension), while only 33 percent have a defined contribution plan (usually a 401(k)).
So where does that leave the rest of us?
The good thing is, there are options.
5 Ways to Earn an income during retirement and stay “retired.”
Once retired, we want to stay retired, right? If we fell into the didn’t plan camp or life threw us some curve balls camp, we want to be able to work on our terms and stay retired.
Here are five ways you can earn what you need and more to stay retired.
Take a gig job.
In the online world of freelancing, you can be and do anything you’d like to be. Do you have a marketable skill and a few hours a day to put toward that skill? Consider signing up at one of the online talent platforms such as Upwork.com, Freelancer.com, or look on job boards such as FlexJobs.com to find part-time positions you can work from home.
Like to socialize?
You may want to consider a part-time job out of the house. Many companies are moving to at home delivery as part of their services. For example, Uber, the call a cab company, is adding on Uber Eats. This food delivery service is much like their call a cab service, where restaurants call drivers to deliver their food to at home customers. It doesn’t stop there. You could consider being an Uber or Lyft driver or Speedee delivery or another local delivery service. Are you handy?
You could spend a few hours a day putting your hands to work helping others. Taskrabbit.com connects people with handy people who can help put together furniture or need help installing a washer and dryer. The sky is the limit as to what you could help someone do.
Want to be outside? 
There are never-ending possibilities. Think of yourself as a roving landscaper. You could mow lawns, help plant gardens and flowers, maintain the current landscaping.
Love animals?
How about being a pet sitter and spending some time with lonely animals while their owners are at work or on vacation? Or a dog walker. You get some exercise, and the pet owner is happy because their pet isn’t cooped up all day, and the burden of taking them for a walk is now off their shoulders.
Are you looking to work out you while you work? 
HealthyWage.com is a company that pays you to get healthy. You read that correctly. They pay you to follow a plan and reach a weight-loss goal. Now if that isn’t the most honest work from home and stay retired job, I don’t know what is. Well, unless you like cake, then you may want to consider the dog walking route.
A quick search on Indeed, a job posting site, for part-time positions in Appleton, WI on June 11, 2019, returned 855 jobs available. You can easily find a position you like for a few hours a day and still stay retired.
Retirement is supposed to be fun, and about enjoying all the money, you earned in full-time employment. Take these five tips on making more in retirement and put them to good use. You may find you’ll enjoy your retirement even more by staying active and connected to your community and others.
For more tips about senior living and making the best of it, visit my blog Senior Series on my website.