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Marty Bryce, 60, is a retired litigator who used to spend his days representing financial institutions — a career he found unfulfilling. But he didn’t stay retired for long. He now has a second career as a high school teacher.
Bryce told The Wall Street Journal that at his previous job he often felt he was wasting his time with clients who were only focused on money. (1)
When he considered what he wanted to do during the next chapter of his life, he remembered how much he enjoyed being a guest lecturer at law schools and colleges. So, in September 2023, he retired from practicing law and, the same month, started a new job teaching at West Catholic Preparatory High School in Philadelphia.
Bryce, who expects to keep teaching until age 70, provided he stays in good health, didn’t mention how much his new gig pays, but it’s likely that he’s taken a substantial pay cut. However, for this phase of his life, it’s a more fulfilling way to ensure his nest egg is secure.
If you’re thinking of joining Bryce in postponing your retirement, here are a few considerations.
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Not all retirees are content to spend their days playing pickleball or going on cruises.
“Unretiring” is becoming more commonplace — whether out of necessity or to find a sense of purpose or structure in retirement.
In 2024, ResumeBuilder.com surveyed 750 people ages 65 to 85. Just over a fifth of respondents (22%) said they are currently working, four in 10 of them claimed to have previously retired, and, of those who had retired, 13% said they’re likely to start working again. The top reason for contemplating going back to work was increases in the cost of living (69%), followed by boredom (42%), rising housing costs (39%) and paying off non-medical debt (34%). (2)
The rising cost of living and insufficient savings make retiring at 60 difficult for many people. A general rule of thumb is to save 10 to 12 times your annual income by the time you reach your full retirement age (FRA), which is either 66 or 67, depending on the year you were born. (3) (4)
Americans, meanwhile, reportedly consider $1.26 million to be the right amount to retire comfortably.
Many fall short of these targets. According to Empower, the median retirement balance for Americans in their 50s is $441,611, while those in their 60s have a median balance of $539,068.
Meanwhile, a study by Northwestern Mutual revealed that just 44% of baby boomers believe they’ll be financially prepared for retirement, and 40% of them are worried they may outlive their savings. (5)
It’s not surprising, then, that many retirees are unretiring. But there are other benefits of returning to the workforce.
While you can start claiming your Social Security retirement benefit at age 62, your benefit will be reduced by a small percentage each month until you reach your FRA. If you delay taking benefits, your check will increase each month after your FRA until age 70. (6)
So, the longer you work, the longer you can delay taking your benefit, resulting in a larger check when you eventually retire.
If you’re already receiving your benefit but choose to go back to work, there is no limit on how much you can earn while receiving benefits if you’re at FRA.
However, if you begin receiving benefits before FRA, then there’s a limit on earned income, which is $24,480 for 2026. For every $2 you earn above that limit, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will withhold $1 from your benefits. (7)
In the year you reach FRA, a higher limit applies ($65,160 in 2026), and benefits are reduced by $1 for every $3 earned above that limit, but only for earnings before the month you actually reach FRA. After that month, there’s no earnings test.
Note that income only refers to earned income, such as wages or self-employment, not investment income, pensions, or retirement account withdrawals. Moreover, the withheld benefits are not lost forever; once you reach FRA, the SSA recalculates to give you credit for withheld months. (8) (9)
You also have the option of withdrawing your application for Social Security, so long as it’s within 12 months of applying. However, if you’ve received any benefits in the meantime, you’ll have to pay them back. (10)
Health care costs are another consideration. Since Medicare doesn’t kick in until age 65, you’ll need private insurance to fill in the gap. That’s where a second career could help.
Read More: This is the quiet portfolio shift many wealthy investors are making in 2026. Should you consider it too?
While retirees may face barriers to re-entering the workforce, they could also choose to look for jobs in fields where there are shortages — like Bryce did.
“I knew there was a national shortage and demand for teachers,” he told The Wall Street Journal. Luckily for Bryce, who added that he didn’t want to teach at a law school and felt he could have a greater impact at the high school level rather than teaching at college, it was also a job he wanted to do.
Retirees looking for meaningful work have several options, such as teaching, substitute teaching or tutoring. Guideposts.com lists teaching as one of the best jobs retirees can do, noting that “experience is a valuable asset and retirees have loads of it.” (11)
If you previously worked in a specialist field, you could consider teaching it. Alternatively, your experience may come in handy in other professions. For example, if you’re a retired biologist, maybe you’d find it fulfilling to work in the garden department at Home Depot.
If you’re a history buff, maybe you’d enjoy working at the local museum. And if you love being around kids, then maybe a school bus driver would be fulfilling.
Empower claims men tend to return to technical, managerial or consulting roles, while some women seek jobs that align with their passions, and lists health care, education and retail as popular sectors for older workers because they offer part-time roles and opportunities to connect with others.
While unretiring can bring in some extra cash, it could also have health benefits. An analysis of various studies revealed that older adults who return to work can often, depending on the type of job, experience an improvement in physical and mental health, as well as a greater sense of purpose. While Bryce has most certainly taken a pay cut, he’s getting something else out of his new role teaching teenagers.
“While I haven’t discovered the fountain of youth, being around them makes me feel years younger,” he told The Wall Street Journal. “I get a great deal of satisfaction from seeing them grow intellectually.”
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We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
The Wall Street Journal (1); ResumeBuilder.com (2); Fidelity (3); Empower (4); Northwestern Mutual (5); Social Security Association (SSA) (6); (7; (8); Guideposts (9); Empower (10); Springer Nature (11).
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
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