Why Do You Want to Work After Retirement?

When I was a boy, my grandparents exemplified the typical American retirement story. When my grandfathers retired at age 65, they never again did paid work. One grandfather kept busy with lots of volunteer work. The other mainly played golf and card games. He read books, did puzzles, and relaxed for the last 25 years of his life. So, I grew up with a vision of retirement as a time for personal fulfillment, play, and, if you wish, service to others. But it was not a time for compensated work. That time ended at 65.

This vision of retirement still lives in American culture and consciousness. You can find it, especially in advertisements for financial planners and senior living centers. One website says enthusiastically,

Retire and make this stage of life all about you. After all these years it’s been about taking care of your job, your employer, and your family. No doubt you stressed about how to juggle time and make everything work. Now it’s time to finally put yourself first in retirement.

Putting yourself first in retirement can mean many things. But in the typical retirement narrative, it doesn’t mean that after retiring you will still be “taking care of your job” and “your employer.” When you retire, you say goodbye to the world of paid work. At least that’s the way the story is told.

A More Purposeful Retirement Narrative is Emerging

Today, a very different retirement story is emerging. No longer will you work for decades to enjoy “workless” rest for decades. Now, increasingly, you will also work in retirement. Yes, I know that sounds like a contradiction in terms. But this is the reality for millions of Americans who talk about themselves are retired.

Today, a very different retirement story is emerging. No longer will you work for decades to enjoy “workless” rest for decades. Now, increasingly, you will also work in retirement.

Now, it is also true that a growing number of older adults are not retiring at 65, but are continuing to work full-time past this iconic age. The findings of a recent survey conducted by American Advisors Group are summarized in this headline, “Nearly One in Three Seniors Plan to Work Past 70 or Never Retire, According to AAG Survey.” A 2023 study by the Pew Research Center found that “Workers ages 75 and older are the fastest-growing age group in the workforce, more than quadrupling in size since 1964.”

But what about those who do retire? The AAG survey of 1,500 adults ages 60-75 found that “A large percentage of older Americans are no longer looking toward a work-free retirement. Nearly half of seniors (46%) said they plan on working part-time or picking up a side job during their retirement.” To put it another way, an August 2024 survey by CNBC found that only 11% of would-be retirees say they don’t plan to work in any capacity after they retire.

Working in retirement! Could this be the new normal? And, could this help us experience more purpose?

Reasons for Working After Retirement

The surprising growth of working after retirement points to an obvious question: Why? Why do you want to work after retirement?

Phrasing the question this way may not be helpful in many cases. Millions of older people “want” to work after retirement because they want to put food on the table and pay their utility bills. Many studies bear witness to this reality. For example, a Retirement Finances Survey conducted by Clever Real Estate in November 2022 found that “44% of Retirees Struggle to Afford Basic Living Expenses.” These expenses included things like groceries, utilities, gasoline, and so forth. If you’re retired but don’t have enough money for basic expenses, then it’s likely you’ll go back to work. (You can learn much more about this reality in the book by economist Teresa Ghilarducci: Work, Retire, Repeat: The Uncertainty of Retirement in the New Economy.)

But millions of older adults who retire are going back to work, not out of financial necessity, but out of a desire for a more active, purpose-filled, and meaningful life. The CNBC study mentioned above found that 52% of current workers plan on working in some form after they retire. Of these, half plan to work to supplement their income while the other half will work because they want to work. An article published by AARP provides eight reasons “Why You Should Keep Working After Retirement.” They are:

1. A cushion for your savings.
2. Exercise for your brain.
3. Overall health.
4. A sense of community.
5. A sense of purpose.
6. A chance to give back.
7. Good times!
8. Serving the great good.

I should note that the “overall health” benefit does not have full consensus among scholars who study the relationship between retirement and physical/mental health. For some retirees, especially those who had physically demanding jobs or bad bosses, retirement leads to better health. For others, especially those whose jobs were engaging and affirming, retirement can lead to diminished health. Marta Zaraska in a Washington Post article, “Retire or keep working? The healthy answer isn’t that simple,” quotes Maria Fitzpatrick, a professor at Cornell University, who observes, “What happens in retirement is going to be different for different people depending on what they did before retirement and what they do after.”

Yet, it does seem to me that an increasing number of studies confirm the benefits of working beyond retirement age or working when retired. Just two days ago an article in the New York Times featured this intriguing headline, “What Happens to Your Brain When You Retire?” Now that got my interest! The first three paragraphs didn’t bode well for cognitive health in retirement:

For the millions of Americans who retire each year, stopping work might seem like a well-deserved break. But it can also precipitate big changes in brain health, including an increased risk of cognitive decline and depression.

Before retiring, you’re getting up in the morning, socializing with co-workers and dealing with the mental challenges of your job, said Ross Andel, a professor at Arizona State University who studies cognitive aging and retirement. “All of a sudden, after 50 years, you lose that routine.”

There’s this idea that the body and brain adapt when they’re “no longer needed,” he added. “That’s when you see the deterioration and its natural response to inactivity.”

Yet, the article suggests that retirement isn’t always negative for your brain. After starting with the bad news, the article adds, “But retirement can also be an opportunity for improving cognitive and mental health, with newfound time to socialize and take on hobbies.”

What Working After Retirement Looks Like

Interestingly enough, there is no suggestion in the Times piece of working after retirement, even part-time, except for a mention of “volunteer work.” That certainly counts as real work. But it seems odd that the article omits various versions of paid work (part-time, full-time, starting a business, etc.).

It’s crucial to understand that working in retirement does not necessarily mean “working for pay.” The point is to be productive in some way that matters, to make a difference in the world, or, as the Bible would say, to be fruitful (see Psalm 92:12-15, John 15:5-8). My grandfather worked for 45 years as a civil engineer, designing and building large buildings. When he retired, he never again did paid work. But he did do engineering work for a variety of non-profit organizations, always pro bono. He once joked to me that he was working just as hard in retirement only not getting paid for it. But he understood that he was receiving ample compensation. His brain was being challenged. He had a sense of accomplishment. He interacted regularly with lots of people. And his life had an abundance of meaning and purpose.

It’s crucial to understand that working in retirement does not necessarily mean “working for pay.” The point is to be productive in some way that matters, to make a difference in the world, or, as the Bible would say, to be fruitful.

The Bible and Flourishing in Retirement

Summing up, for millions of older adults in the US today, working for pay even after retirement is a financial necessity. Yet for millions of other people, working in retirement is more about personal health and fulfillment. Some will work in paid jobs, either part-time or full-time. Others will do plenty of meaningful work as volunteers, caregivers, mentors, and creatives.

No matter the kind of work they do, they will flourish more than those who envision retirement as a decades-long season of play and leisure. They will experience in real-time the promise of Psalm 92:

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon. . . .
They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green (92:12, 14).

We work after retirement because we want to flourish, to bear fruit even in old age and so to glorify God (John 15:8).

If you’d like to learn more about discovering your purpose in retirement, check out our new course Purpose in the Third Third of Life.