Most people (we, as \u201cmost people,\u201d assume) dream of the day they\u2019re able to retire from the rat race, sit back, and reap the rewards of decades of hard work.<\/p>\n
But, like the daily grind, retirement, too, can apparently get old.<\/p>\n
At least it did for a group of former British execs, who, with \u201cnothing else to do,\u201d came out of retirement last year to launch the Sapient Foundation<\/a> \u2014 a nonprofit through which they offer their expertise to small businesses and startups, often free of charge, per<\/a> The Times.<\/p>\n A word from the wise<\/p>\n Sapient charges only what they think the fledgling businesses can afford based on their finances. Other times, they\u2019ll instead ask the business to make a donation to a charity after it starts generating revenue.<\/p>\n Sapient\u2019s consultants, who work just a few hours a day with the motto of \u201cno heavy lifting,\u201d also only take on projects they\u2019re interested in. For example:<\/p>\n Accepted: Oraczen, an early-stage agentic AI startup that it\u2019s helped expand across Europe.<\/p>\n Rejected: VC firms, who founder Brendan Logan, a 72-year-old former telecoms exec, told The Times were just looking for \u201ccheap consulting.\u201d<\/p>\n So far, they\u2019ve worked with 12+ companies worldwide (consulting them on funding, tech strategy, governance, etc.) and already raised thousands for an education charity in South Sudan.<\/p>\n Unretiring is trending<\/p>\n A growing number of older adults are reentering the workforce or forgoing retirement\u2026<\/p>\n Roughly one in five Americans ages 65+ are employed or looking for work, ~2x the share in 1988, according to data<\/a> from Pew Research Center.<\/p>\n \u2026 but unlike the seniors behind Sapient, most aren\u2019t doing it out of boredom, or for free: With people living longer<\/a> and as the cost of living rises, AARP found the biggest reason for coming out of retirement is financial<\/a>.<\/p>\n Plus: as the global average life expectancy increases \u2014 today it sits at 71<\/a>, up from 32 in 1900 \u2014 some countries are even considering raising retirement ages. In Denmark, it\u2019s set to hit 74<\/a> by 2060 (RIP).<\/p>\n Meanwhile\u2026<\/p>\n \u2026 as gramps continues grinding away, some 20-somethings are already throwing in the towel. One Gen Z retirement home in Malaysia, which offers accommodations to burned out young workers for ~$490\/month, is reportedly fully booked<\/a>.<\/p>\n But with many Zoomers expected<\/a> to live to 100, unretirement is likely around the corner for them as well.<\/p>\n