Client login
Client login

5 Boredom-Relief Gigs New Retirees in Denver Should Consider

Saying goodbye to your 9-to-5 may also feel like you’re saying goodbye to a piece of yourself.

After only a brief stint outside of the office, you may quickly realize that your identity is weaved closely together with your job. It’s likely that your former career has given you a sense of purpose and passion, boosting your overall happiness.

Where you work directly impacts the following core aspects of your life:

  • Who you associate with most often
  • The skills you’re most proud of in life
  • What you think about during your free time
  • The conversations you have with friends and family

As you switch life gears and start to examine your personal retirement planning, you should take a deep look at your retirement values. How much did your work shape your day-to-day values? Will you have an activity in place to fill the void? Or do you want to continue to work so you have easy access to social connections and structure, while enjoying the flexibility of a retired lifestyle?

If working in some capacity is more your speed, consider these five gigs that are a perfect match for ambitious, and antsy retirees.

1. Consider Consulting Opportunities

For years, Denver has been called ‘the next Silicon Valley’ as an explosion of tech startups have reshaped the workforce. With the influx of new operations comes a wave of hunger for knowledge, and a new option to consider during retirement.

Modern organizations need traditional insights to build the foundations of their company. That means consultants are in high demand.

Business consultants work with organizations to:

  • Handle growth and development questions
  • Review processes
  • Improve performance

So, let’s say you spent 30 years working in the IT field. You could connect with a new startup in the Denver area that might have questions about:

  • How to build out their IT team
  • Which state and industry regulations to note and how to ensure compliance
  • Best practices to follow when rolling out their products

The bottom line: just because you’re out of the full-time work world, doesn’t mean your years of experience are obsolete. By finding companies that align with your role, and partnering with them on a consulting basis, you can continue working with others - doing what you love - while still enjoying the freedoms of retirement.

2. Keep Your Job...Just Do it Less

denver retirement planning

Your personal retirement plan probably didn’t include you keeping your job; however, if you’re toying with the idea of retaining aspects of your career, let it be known that your organization can’t afford to lose you all at once.

According to research conducted by career site, Monster, Baby Boomers account for nearly a third of all filled jobs in the U.S. marketplace, and over 50 percent of leadership positions. As this age group picks up the pace on retirement, the organizations they leave will feel the impact.

Between losing industry knowledge and filling vacant leadership positions with qualified applicants, the process of losing tenured employees is stressful to all companies. Beyond retirement, why else do these tenured employees leave? As it turns out, many Baby Boomers aren’t leaving their jobs because they want to.

Rather, according to Monster, Baby Boomers are most often leaving due to the following reasons:

  • 60 percent leave due to health problems or what is sometimes referred to as acquired disabilities
  • 22 percent leave to care for a family member or spouse
  • 10 percent retire due to a lack of transferable skills

As a compromise, two-thirds of companies have begun implementing flexible work hours and schedules to keep Baby Boomers on staff longer. The compromise benefits both employee and employer.

The bottom line: see if your workplace will make this type of flexible arrangement with you as you build out your personal retirement plan. This will allow you to remain in the workforce longer, with fewer regulations, and your company can continue to tap into your knowledge to empower younger generations.

3. Take on Creative Freelance Projects

Similar to consulting, freelancers aren’t bound by the structure of a traditional workday and have more flexibility to select projects, and with whom. However, freelancing gives you more opportunities to dabble in new and exciting industries you may not have tapped during your full-time career. Which can be a great way to combine your retirement values with your desire to continue working.

Let’s say you’ve always wanted to spread your creative wings and be a writer or a photographer. Sites like Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer make it easy to test out a new industry, regardless of your experience, with very low risk.

The majority of opportunities advertised on these sites are geared toward novices and pay very modest wages, but these gigs allow for human interaction and real-time feedback on your work, which is especially useful as you try to develop a new skill. Keep in mind that these sites are review-based, so the quality of your work may reflect the number of jobs you’re offered.

The bottom line: use your post-retirement gig as a way to learn new skills and transform your life. If you’re set on traveling while you’re in retirement, snap some photos or write a story about your destination. Maybe you can even get a few dollars for it, and feedback to improve your new freelance gig.

4. Find Seasonal Work

Do your personal retirement plans of staying in the workforce conflict with your new retirement desire to be a snowbird?

Consider finding part-time work during the seasons you plan to stay local:

  • Do you have the credentials to be a tax preparer and only be busy during the first quarter of the year?
  • Could you become a tutor who works only in the summer, or around SAT preparation season?
  • The National Park Service often hires seasonal employees to help with park maintenance, and Rocky Mountain National Park is in Denver’s backyard.
  • Driving for Uber or Lyft is a great option for retirees to work when you want, as you can set your own schedule as a driver.

You can also find part-time and seasonal work wherever you snowbird.

Many campgrounds look for full-time park attendants who can stay in one location for an entire season. If this sounds fun and rewarding to you, consider working with a financial advisor in Denver to see how travel jobs income can potentially fit into your personal retirement plan.

The bottom line: there are many opportunities to find casual work as a retiree; scour job boards, local newspapers, and online sources like Indeed or LinkedIn for up-to-date information about positions that align with your retirement values.

5. Monetize and Socialize Your Hobby

While many of your hobbies may be quite introverted in nature, there are actually ways to socialize and monetize your passions, giving you the best of both worlds: personal enjoyment and the fulfillment of a career.

Let’s say you love reading. Can you start working for the library part-time? Or, maybe gardening is your favorite activity. Is there a local greenhouse or museum that could use an extra green thumb?

The bottom line: by finding ways to turn your hobby into a social activity — and an extra stream of revenue — you can ward off boredom while feeling fulfilled. Your hobby can actually transform into a flexible job you love, which is a key ingredient to making your personal retirement plan work.

If your personal retirement plan feels chaotic, but not necessarily because of the dollars and cents, consider working with a fiduciary wealth advisor in Denver. Expert advisors can help you not only discuss investments, but also your overall wellness so you can enjoy a wonderful experience as a retiree.

Looking for more information on how to live a fulfilling life as a retiree in Denver?

Check out our comprehensive guide on How to Retire in Denver today.


2020 Denver Retirement Guide

 

Ready to take the next step?

Let’s talk!

Explore what’s possible for you during your retirement

Let’s Celebrate National 401(k) Day September 8, 2023 - How to Get More From Your 401(k)

Do we actually need a National 401(k) Day? Actually, it might be more necessary than you think.

September 7, 2023

What Is an Ethical Will? How and Why to Write a Legacy Letter for Your Loved Ones

What do you want your loved ones to remember about you after you're gone? Unlike a legal will, which ensures that your assets are distributed accordin...

May 25, 2023

The Art of Putting Underperforming Assets to Work

Investing in a down market may make you nervous. It definitely doesn’t feel as fun or exciting as when the stock market is on high. But that’s not the...

May 4, 2023