For a while now there’s been a growing awareness that reaching “retirement age” doesn’t necessarily mean we can or will actually “retire”. Even before COVID, many of us could not afford to retire when we reached our mid-60s because we had insufficient savings to allow us to go on without more income. In fact, surveys now show that the majority of workers expect their “retirement” will include a job. And that’s not only for financial necessity but for mental well-being as well. What we previously called retirement is now more likely to look like “work” but perhaps in a different format.

However, in our new COVID world, looking for “retirement work” as an older person may require rethinking your strategy. Particularly as so much work has moved to the “remote realm,” you need to be ready to take on a position that means working from home and dialing in your work product. Fortunately, there are both opportunities and advice available to help in your search. Expert Kerry Hannon has just published a new book entitled Great Pajama Jobs: Your Complete Guide to Working From Home.” In addition to citing valuable resources, Hannon provides critical tips to allow you to successfully search for and fulfill a new remote position. With the upside of eliminating your commute and creating your own comfortable work environment, Hannon offers a range of suggestions to lead you to a successful stint in online work, including ideas for creating work/life balance, taking good care of your physical health, and ensuring you maintain appropriate contact with your new employer. For more of her tips, tap your computer here, and to listen to her discuss how to determine if virtual working is right for you, listen here. And if you’re concerned about some of the “age-discriminating” and potentially “defeating” questions you may face during a job interview, study up on some suggested responses from The Ladders here. Finally, to help you in your search, take a look at these online sources of remote positions for older adults here and here.

And as an older worker, you may worry about how this will affect your Social Security payments. The receipt or potential reduction of such payments will very much depend upon how much you’re earning in your new position and how early you may have tapped into your Social Security benefits. For some clarification of what may be of concern, take a look here and here.