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