More Boomers looking to real estate as encore careers

Retirement is not what Hollywood tells us, with a silver-haired man playing a relaxing game of golf on a sunny day, and later enjoying a relaxing dinner at an upscale restaurant with his wife. In fact, for a growing number of Baby Boomers across North America, retirement is just an opportunity for a new chapter of life to begin, and not the end.

For many Boomers in the United States and Canada, retiring from their day jobs opens up the opportunity, not necessarily to relax, but to find a new job; one that offers more meaning, enjoyment, or a better work-life balance than their previous roles provided.

An encore career is a job taken by a previously-retired person, and it can be anything from working part-time as a math tutor to a Wal-Mart greeter, and the goal is not necessarily primarily financial, but rather to achieve personal or ideological goals.

“Instead of accepting the notion of a career as an arc that rises in youth, peaks in midlife, and declines into retirement, they are charting a new territory - one that for many will reach its apex of meaning and impact when others in past generations headed for the sidelines,” wrote Marc Freedman, founder of Civic Ventures, a San Francisco-based organization which promotes encore jobs, in his 2008 book, ‘Encore: Finding Work that Matters in the Second Half of Life.’

And while encore careers is a growing trend in North America, not all jobs are ideal for already-retired Boomers; some roles are physically demanding, stressful and can be frustrating.

To help Boomers find the best roles for their post-retirement jobs, here are three of the five encore self-employed careers:

1. Consulting: This job offers the flexibility that many full-time workers do not have, and depending on the area of specific expertise, the high hourly pay can offer few weekly hours in return for an enjoyable experience, social outlet, and intellectual stimulation.
2. Entrepreneur: Similar to consulting, this career allows a semi-retired Boomer to determine their workflow and the area they in which they would like to specialize- regardless of whether it is related to their past experience.
3. Sales: This job can be selling a product or a service for another company or agency, or working on commission-only for selling houses in a close neighborhood.

If a part-time or self-employed isn’t the right fit for your encore career, and you’re looking for a head start on finding the right job, visit RetirementHomes.com’s jobs checklist HERE and find yourself the right encore career.