The Hustle High Five - Hustler News of the Week - April 21

Hello Encore Hustlers.

Buckle up and enjoy today's stories.

1)  One of the common concerns we have in our late careers is convincing employers that we have still so much to offer.  Check out this story from Marketwatch about a CFO who couldn't get hired at 61, so he stared his own business.  Also it is never too late to achieve late career success as featured in the interview with Rich Karlgaard, the author of Late Bloomers: The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed with Early Achievement.  In Maine the older worker is hot commodity, they are the largest segement of the labor force, so read about the Boomer Institute that matches them with compatible employers.  One option that many employers now offer is to continue working but remotely from home.  If you think this appeals to you then read this story of What Working Remotely Means For Baby Boomers' Retirement Plans.

2)   Rather than playing the interviewing game to convince employers of your worth, this might be the best time to pursue your passion and strike out on an encore career.  Read these two stories, the first gives an appraisal of the positives and negatives for an encore careen and the second on how to pursue your passion.  Also check this piece on how to retirement can mean reinventing yourself.

3)   If you do return to work after retiring, it is critical that you protect the benefits that you earned before retirement.  This story is about how it will affect your social security.  If you are a retired Federal employee then check this article about how to boost your benefits if you "unretire".

4)  Forbes magazine has great articles about retirement and side hustles.  Here are three stories from Forbes that I really enjoyed. The first is about Becoming An Apartment Rental Agent as an encore career.  The second is how to Increase the Odds That You Can Continue Working In Your Retirement Years. The third is Retirement is Dead!.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

5)  Here is interesting story from the New York Times about a 71 year old artist from California who makes $40K per year driving for Uber.  It details the long hours and expenses involved in being an Uber drive that does not paint a flattering picture of this gig.  Of course, while I am reading it I am wondering why does he keep driving for Uber?  There are many other options for work that he could explore, Trader Joes' is well known as workplace for seniors that provides good salary and benefits, for example.  If your side hustle is not working, it might be time to explore other options.

6)  And here is a bonus story that I just had to include.  You know I am a sucker encore hustlers that are on the long tail of the curve and here is a story about a 100-year-old yoga teacher that is really an inspiration.

As always, enjoy the hustle.

Cheers,
Mr. EH

The Hustle High Five - Hustler News of the Week - March 23

Hello EncoreHustlers

Some weeks when I am researching (aka Googling) articles to feature in a posting there seems to be very few stories that are worth including.

This is not one of those weeks.  And rather than limiting myself to just a handful of stories I have, like Hemingway's six toed cats, added a few digits.  I hope you enjoy reading them.

1)   Deciding at what age to take Social Security can have ramifications that can last decades.  So what happens if you decide to unretire (to return to work) after starting receiving Social Security. Check out this article from MarketWatch How "Unretirement" Affects Your Social Security.  It turns out you have several options including: reimbursing the Social Security Administration for payments you already received, pausing your benefit or continuing to work but being mindful that earnings above $17,640 will result in clawbacks on your Social Security benefit.

2)   If you are looking to work full or part-time here are two good articles to get you launched on your job search: How To Find A Great Part-time Job In Your Retirement from the Oakland Press and Are You A Baby Boomer Looking For Work: Where To Find The Best Opportunities from Forbes.

3)   If you are unsure whether to retire full-time or continue working part-time check out this study from the UK, Average Retiree Grows Bored After Just One Year.

4)   Here are two stories about efforts to lure seniors back to work.  The first is from Maine where seniors are sought by companies due to historic low unemployment rates and the second is from Scotland where retired doctors are recruited to work in underserved rural areas.

5)   Creativity does not necessarily decline when we age.  Read this story from Long Island, New York about three senior inventors who have found their Eureka moment.

6)   The US Bureau of Labor keeps all sorts of interesting employment statics, including worker age and employment numbers.  It turns out that there are more than 250,000 workers aged 85 or older who still draw a paycheck.  But even amongst this cohort the story of a 97 year old veteran, who bags groceries two days a week at a New Jersey store, is an outlier.

7)   This week was the start of baseball season and this story from Decatur, Illinois about a softball umpire school, although published a couple of weeks ago, has come off the bench.  It turns out umpiring for softball is a pretty good encore hustle.  An umpire can earn $35 per game that typically lasts 70 minutes.  During a tournament weekend this could mean hundreds of dollars, not a bad return for participating in America's pastime.

I hope these stories inform you and inspire you to start your EncoreHustle.  And I love to hear your comments and your stories.

So until next week, keep hustling.

Mr. EH