The Best Ways to Make Money in Retirement (2024)

Ah, retirement!

Those days of enjoying the flexibility of time spent on our schedule are the years many of us look forward to.

When we think of retirement, many of us dream of traveling, additional time with family and friends, and doing all of the things we couldn’t do within the work’s confines.

However, as retirees settle into their new day-to-day routine, many find that their retirement money doesn’t stretch as far as they would hope or, in some cases, boredom sets in.

Thankfully, with work from home jobs skyrocketing in both popularity and availability, entering into the retirement phase of life doesn’t mean the end of money, work, or enjoying a routine you love.

What’s better, with work at home jobs, retirees can enjoy the flexibility and additional income in their retirement years.

Below we’ve listed some of the best ways to make money in retirement from home while enjoying all the flexibility and freedom retirement offers!

1. Transcribing and Captioning Jobs

Do you love typing? How about listening to others speak?

Taking on transcription work as a retiree is a perfect way to bring in extra cash while doing something you love.

As a transcriptionist, you’ll take live or pre-recorded audio and convert it into a written document.

You’ll need a computer, an internet connection, and, in some cases, a headset for listening to audio clips. Here are some companies that consistently hire home-based transcriptionists:

Rev: Earn money as a transcriptionist or captioner. Get paid weekly, choose from hundreds of transcription jobs, and work a flexible schedule. Rev is one of the more popular and trusted transcription sites out there.

TranscribeMe: As a transcriber with TranscribeMe, you’ll provide transcription for medical, educational, and entertainment fields while getting paid to transcribe short, 2- to 4-minute audio clips. As with many of these work from home jobs, you’ll have complete flexibility with your schedule.

Related Reading: Closed Captioning Jobs that Allow You to Work-at-Home

2. Complete Short Tasks Online

From taking surveys to watching videos and more, you can easily make money from home, helping brands understand what consumers love. Here are some fantastic opportunities to earn, doing short, simple tasks online:

• InboxDollars: Complete free offers, search the web, play games, and more to earn money using InboxDollars’ flexible platform.
• Respondent: Earn an average of $60-$140 for taking surveys, testing websites, and participating in focus groups.
• Swagbucks: Earn Swagbucks that you can turn into gift cards by watching videos, taking surveys, and more.
• User Interviews: Take surveys and earn cash! This research platform recruits focus group participants to take surveys and test websites.

Related Reading: 18 Short Task Sites for Making Money from Home

3. Become an English Tutor

Do you love to chat? Get paid for your gift of gab by teaching others how to speak English. From simple, conversational English to teaching younger students all about the English language, becoming an online English tutor is simple and fun. Here are a few reputable English Tutoring platforms you can start with:

Cambly:This is an online tutoring platform that connects you with students who want to learn how to speak English. The best part: no scripted lesson plans. You’ll get paid for simple, conversational English. Students and tutors discuss grammar, punctuation, and slang in a casual environment. Another benefit lies in the platform’s flexibility: login whenever it suits your schedule and speak with students.

VIPKid:VIPKid is an international learning platform that hires individuals from the United States and Canada to teach English to Chinese students ages 4-12. You’ll earn $15-$22 an hour, enjoy the flexibility to tutor from anywhere, and be provided with scripted lesson plans.

Related Reading: Work-From-Home Teaching ESL Classes Online

4. Sell Items

Have designer suits you’re now trading in for yoga pants or sundresses? How about those Jimmy Choos’ you’ll no longer need to wear into the city? You can make great money selling all of those items you no longer need in your retirement years. Perhaps you love to make handmade items? Yep, you can sell those here too!

Whether you’re downsizing your home or cleaning out your closets, there are several buying and selling apps you can use to cash in on items you no longer need. Here are a few platforms to start making money as an online selling maven:

Poshmark:Poshmark is a clothing app that makes selling all of your unused items extremely easy. Grab your smartphone, download the app, create an account, and sell. From clothing and accessories to toys and more, Poshmark is a great place to start your online selling adventures.

Mercari:From new to used clothing and handmade goods, you can sell them all here! This app doesn’t allow meetups for selling your items, but it makes shipping your items super easy. Here’s how it works:

• Sell it:List your items for free and in minutes with a picture, description, and price.
• Ship it:A printable shipping label is emailed directly to the seller.
• Get paid:There is a 10% selling fee charged after the sale is completed.

VarageSale:This app is precisely what it sounds like: a virtual garage sale. You can buy and sell items on here safely and securely within your local community. Here’s how it all works:

• Download the app.
• Connect your Facebook account to verify your identity.
• Post your items locally for sale and check out other items posted as well.

Tradesy:Tradesy is a high-end, online marketplace specializing in designer items for women. Here’s a little more info on using this platform for selling:

• Sell straight from your closet and post unlimited listings.
• Set your price and choose your preferred shipping method.
• Must be located in the United States
• Verify that your items are authentic (no fakes!).

5. Start a Blog

Love to write? Why not continue to help others in your field through a blog? Whether you were in the personal finance niche, education, business, or a stay at home parent, you have the knowledge to share!

What’s even better is that starting a blog in your retirement years is more than just a hobby. You can create a blog and monetize it while writing on topics you love.

Related Reading: How to Start a Blog and Make Money From It

6. Sell Printables Online

Love to create? Take your love of creating and turn it into a profitable online business in your retirement years! Selling printables such as worksheets or graphics is a flexible (you can do it from anywhere) and easy way to continue your love for creating, all while making money.

Other benefits to selling printables online include:

• Zero shipping involved:They’re all downloadable!
• Design with ease:There are many design tools and software programs out there that make creating printables and graphics a snap!
• Sell on a variety of platforms:From Etsy to Shopify, Facebook, and more, there are various ways to get eyes on your beautiful creations to make those sales.

Sound intriguing? Learn more about designing and selling printables online with the E Printables Side Hustle Course!

Final Words About Making Money in Retirement

As a retiree, you may have your days, weeks, and years fully planned out, but there might be those occasions when making money from home (or while you travel the world) may be a necessity or just something you want to do.

Whether completing short tasks or tutoring online, retirees have endless possibilities to make money from home and have fun while doing so!