{"id":472786,"date":"2026-05-29T09:17:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T09:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/472786\/"},"modified":"2026-05-29T09:17:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T09:17:08","slug":"the-people-choosing-half-retirement-in-their-50s-and-60s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/472786\/","title":{"rendered":"The people choosing ‘half-retirement’ in their 50s and 60s"},"content":{"rendered":"

For generations, retirement was seen as the reward<\/a> at the end of working life. Put money into a pension, pay off the mortgage, stop working in your 60s and finally relax.<\/p>\n

But a growing number of older Britons are quietly rewriting the script and opting for what has become known as \u201chalf retirement\u201d.<\/p>\n

This is when someone continues to work part-time, taking on flexible side jobs<\/a> or reshaping their career around their lifestyle rather than ambition.<\/p>\n

Some are doing it because the cost of living has made retirement more expensive, and others want extra money for travel, helping children financially, or simply maintaining a comfortable lifestyle.<\/p>\n

David Samuel, 59, falls into this category. <\/p>\n

On paper, he has reached the point many workers spend decades aiming for. <\/p>\n

He has paid off his mortgage<\/a>, his children are grown up and married, and he has a considerable nest egg to get him through his golden years.<\/p>\n

He has accumulated around \u00a3300,000 since he first started contributing to his pension pot at just 18. But he doesn\u2019t plan on retiring.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite technically being in a position where I could begin winding down towards a more traditional retirement, I have no desire to stop,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead, I believe I have discovered something better \u2013 half retirement. I had an \u2018aha\u2019 moment when I was about 55. I was chatting with a client and suddenly realised I didn\u2019t actually want to retire in the conventional sense. What I wanted was freedom, flexibility and meaningful work,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

After building and running his own business \u2013 which coached other business owners \u2013 from the early 1990s through to 2017, David could easily have stepped away completely. <\/p>\n

But he\u2019s gradually reshaped his working life so it involves less hours.<\/p>\n

He currently works 20 hours a week and laughs at the idea of ever fully being \u201coff duty\u201d. Though he was once a very hands-on boss, he now focuses more on working directly with his clients, and has handed over the reins of managing his company.<\/p>\n

David, from Lymington, Hampshire, added: \u201cI\u2019m still on call if people need help but it doesn\u2019t feel like work in the old sense anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Financially, the arrangement works well, with David earning a comfortable wage<\/a> while intentionally trying to live primarily from his income. This allows him to preserve his wife Linda\u2019s pension savings.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cWe pay the bills, go on holiday, enjoy life and still save where we can. Emotionally and financially, it feels perfect.<\/p>\n

\u201cRetirement is no longer a goal for him, he said. He just wants to stay \u201cuseful, curious, and financially comfortable for as long as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

David is not alone, according to figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), 10 per cent of working adults aged between 40 and 75 are semi-retired.<\/p>\n

\"\"The couple housesit around six or seven times a year (Photo: Maria Cristina Licata)<\/p>\n

Caroline and Murray Sims, both 65, are also among those finding new ways to make retirement income stretch further, by working part-time.<\/p>\n

The Wiltshire couple returned to the UK after spending more than 30 years living abroad in Brunei, South Africa, the Middle East and Luxembourg.<\/p>\n

After relocating back to the UK in 2021, after Murray retired from his role in finance, they began home sitting as a way to maintain flexibility while supplementing retirement income.<\/p>\n

The role involves caring for homeowners\u2019 properties and pets while they are away, and it can earn people up to \u00a3150 a week alongside food and travel allowances, Caroline said.<\/p>\n

She explained: \u201cWe really wanted something that allowed us to keep our independence and continue to travel. Home sitting has given us that flexibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

They do this around six or seven times a year, and the length can vary from a few days to a few weeks.<\/p>\n

The couple said the financial impact has become particularly noticeable during winter months.<\/p>\n

She added: \u201cWith the cost of living as it is, it definitely helps. When we\u2019re away on assignments, especially in the winter we notice a difference in our utility bills.\u201d<\/p>\n

Murray said it provides routine and purpose that many retirees lose after leaving full-time careers.<\/p>\n

He explained: \u201cI always look forward to a sit. You\u2019re in a different environment, caring for animals, and it gives you a real sense of purpose. It doesn\u2019t feel like work in the traditional sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the years, the couple have looked after dogs, cats. Ponies, goats, ducks and chickens, often building relationships with homeowners that lead to repeat bookings.<\/p>\n

Caroline said: \u201cIt\u2019s been a wonderful way to ease back into life in the UK. You\u2019re saving money, doing something enjoyable, and still have the freedom to travel and make the most of being retired.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For generations, retirement was seen as the reward at the end of working life. Put money into a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":472787,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[72,1392,176,61,60,1558,174,175,1611],"class_list":["post-472786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-personal-finance","tag-business","tag-employment","tag-finance","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-pensions","tag-personal-finance","tag-personalfinance","tag-retirement"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=472786"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472786\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/472787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=472786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=472786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=472786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}