Here's how you can navigate the decision to retire or continue working in your late career.

Evaluating your financial standing is pivotal for retirement planning. Scrutinize savings, pensions, and potential retirement income to ensure they sustain your lifestyle. Factor in unexpected costs and longevity. If your finances fall short, prolonging work can enhance security and allow for further savings growth.

Financial Assessment: Evaluate retirement savings and ongoing expenses. Health Consideration: Assess health and ability to continue working comfortably. Passion and Purpose: Consider personal fulfillment and desire to remain active in work or pursue other interests.

Navigating the decision to retire or continue working in your late career, especially considering your financial status, involves: Evaluate Savings: Assess your savings and retirement funds to ensure they can support your lifestyle post-retirement. Consider Income Sources: Identify potential income sources post-retirement, such as pensions, investments, or part-time work. Consult a Financial Advisor: Seek professional advice to make an informed decision based on your financial health and retirement goals.

Considering your health is pivotal when weighing retirement options. Physically demanding or stressful jobs may impact well-being, while mentally stimulating work can promote health. Consult healthcare professionals to gauge how work influences health and whether retirement would enhance it.

Assess your physical health: If your job is physically demanding or stressful, it might be best to consider retirement. Consider your mental well-being: If you enjoy your work and it provides mental stimulation, continuing might be beneficial. Check your healthcare coverage: Ensure you have adequate healthcare coverage if you choose to retire. Consult with your doctor: Regular health check-ups and discussions with your doctor can guide your decision.

One very positive benefit of spending a long career in recruiting is the fact that you can really compound a large and engaged network if you continue to exercise it over time! I am not one to tell the future, but it seems to me (either in a good way or bad depending on what stage of your career you are in), that part-time or semi-retired talent acquisition services are going to be a likely option for many companies down the road. If you are thinking about retirement but afraid to "rip the band-aid" off completely, think about putting yourself out there as a part-time or hourly recruiting resource and see what comes back! Make sure you are keeping your skillsets sharp though, you still have to be successful with what you do.

"To stay or to go..." A question we don't pay much attention to in life until you find yourself standing at the precipice. Recruiting, or should I say "effective recruiting" takes time, talent, and energy. Although the decision to retire I'm sure is an extremely hard one to make, if you ever come to the point that you feel that you can't keep up the energy, it may be time to retire, or at least "semi-retire". The good news however is that I fully expect the "part-time recruiter" to be an important contingency to the Talent Acquisition community the further we see the industry evolve - which could make way for a whole new chapter of semi-retired professionals who aren't quire ready to hang it up just yet.

Retirement is a major life change! When considering your options in this stage of life, the first step is to evaluate your priorities. What do you want out of this chapter in your life? Do you have financial needs to meet? Or is that not a factor? For those who are unsure of whether or not a full retirement is the right move, reducing your work to part-time and/or opening a consulting practice could be a great option to "test the waters" and then adjust from there.

A really interesting one! I have definitely seen more people coming out of retirement since covid. I work with a few candidates now who have decided to do some part time temporary work for the fulfilment and purpose this gives them. If you're considering this, speak with recruiters, see what roles they have. From a recruiter perspective sometimes the client is getting so much for their money by taking somebody on that is semi retired! They have a wealth of knowledge and experience to give and aren't necessarily doing it for the money either. Always provide your clients with options, putting forward a candidate who has been semi retired and is looking to do something part time is a great option.

I like to think my career isn't even approaching the halfway point yet, however, even I get caught sometimes worrying a bit too much about the future, even as far out as what does retirement look like for me? Again, I'm not there yet, but I do believe that work/life balance weighs heavily on that decision, and unlike that balance in your mid-30's, you may want the "balance" in your mid-60's to lean much heavier to the side of "life" over "work". I just want to reiterate that I think strong recruiters (if they are staying strong in their skillsets) will find themselves in an advantageous spot as they approach this question. Even if someone doesn't want to go "full retired", there should be a strong need for part-time recruiters.

Retirement looks a lot different now than it did 10-15 years ago. With the elimination of pensions and reduction of social security, it forces those that are not ready to retire, to seek other ways to prepare for retirement. It takes multiple streams of income to stay ahead. I have experience with building assets and sustainable income streams that has helped people better prepare for retirement. I love sharing this opportunity with others!