Personal Finance Insider writes about products, strategies, and tips to help you make smart decisions with your money. We may receive a small commission from …
Personal Finance Insider writes about products, strategies, and tips to help you make smart decisions with your money. We may receive a small commission from our partners, like American Express, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective. The gig economy has changed work in America in a big way over the past several years as former full-time employees turn to freelancing, driving for Uber, or taking one of the growing number of remote, self-employed roles available. And there’s one group that could majorly benefit from this rise in flexible work: retirees. Aging and retirement expert and author Elizabeth White expects freelancing to become a norm for older Americans. During the coronavirus pandemic, when many older workers are being faced with the choice of continuing to work and facing infection, or retiring, the gig economy provides an alternative. In her book, “55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal,” White explains that the boomer generation could not only find purpose in freelancing and gig work during retirement, but also get around ageism in the workplace and pad retirement savings that are often too small.
