As a recruiter, many of my clients ask me if they should continue to work in Retirement. Obviously that is their decision to make but there are a lot of benefits to working in retirement which people generally overlook. These benefits can be broken down into emotional and financial benefits, let's start with the financial.
Financial Benefits of Working
Make up for Decreased Value of Savings or Investments.
Low interest rates have made it great for Lump Sums but harder to generate portfolio income. Some people continue to work to make up for poor performance of their savings and investments.
Maybe you took a Merck offer & left earlier than you wanted and less retirement savings than you needed.
Instead of drawing down savings, some decide to work a little longer to pay for extras you've always denied yourself in the past.
Meet Financial Requirements of day-to-day living.
Expenses can increase during retirement and working can be a logical and effective solution to this problem.
Keep Insurance or Benefits
You may choose to continue working in order to keep your insurance or other benefits. Many employers offer free to low cost health insurance, for part-time workers.
Emotional Benefits of Working
Staying Active and Involved
Retaining employment, even if it's just part-time, can be a great way to use the skills you've worked so hard to build over the years and keep up with friends and colleagues.
Enjoy Yourself at Work.
Just because the government has set a retirement age with its Social Security program doesn't mean you have to schedule your own life in such a manner. Many people genuinely enjoy their employment and continue working because their jobs enrich their lives.
A New Job Opportunity comes along.
You might find yourself with very tempting job opportunities at a time when you thought you'd be withdrawing from the workforce.
Some people may be happier sitting poolside enjoying their family, but there are clearly plenty of benefits to weigh in your decision of whether or not to work in retirement. Either way, enjoy!
Sources:
The Retirement Group or www.theretirementgroup.com
“Retirement Plans-Benefits & Savings.” U.S. Department of Labor, 2019, www.dol.gov/general/topic/retirement.
“Generating Income That Will Last throughout Retirement.” Fidelity, 22 Jan. 2019, www.fidelity.com/viewpoints/retirement/income-that-can-last-lifetime.
MRK Summary Plan Description, 2017