Semi-Retirement
July 8, 2025
Abstract
Semi-retirement refers to a lifestyle or employment status in which an individual reduces their workload or transitions from full-time to part-time employment while still maintaining some degree of professional engagement.
Semi-Retirement
Instead of completely stopping work, semi-retirees typically continue working fewer hours or in less demanding roles, allowing them to have increased leisure time, pursue personal interests, hobbies, travel, or family activities, while maintaining some income and professional satisfaction.
Key characteristics include:
- Reduced workload: Shifting from full-time employment to part-time or occasional work.
- Flexible schedule: Ability to choose when and how much to work.
- Financial independence: Usually supported by savings, pensions, retirement accounts, or passive income sources.
- Continued professional involvement: Maintaining meaningful employment, consulting, freelancing, or pursuing entrepreneurial activities.
Semi-retirement is often viewed as a transitional phase, allowing individuals to gradually ease into full retirement or remain active professionally indefinitely at a manageable pace.
Jumping straight from suits and meetings to pajamas and gardening can be a shock to anyone’s system.
Retirement is the period in life when an individual stops working full-time and withdraws from their primary career or profession. Traditionally occurring in later life, retirement often involves living off accumulated savings, pension funds, retirement plans, investments, or Social Security. This stage typically provides more leisure time, allowing retirees to pursue personal interests, hobbies, travel, and spend increased time with family and friends.
Beyond financial aspects, retirement also carries emotional and social implications. Transitioning out of full-time employment can be challenging, requiring adaptation to a new routine and redefining one's sense of purpose and identity. Many retirees engage in volunteer activities, part-time or freelance work, or lifelong learning opportunities to maintain social connections and mental stimulation, promoting overall well-being and satisfaction during retirement.
Semi-retirement is that delightfully ambiguous phase when you're no longer working full-time, but you're not quite ready to embrace endless afternoons of shuffleboard and early-bird specials either. It's the career equivalent of dipping your toes in the pool before deciding to jump in!
Not everyone makes it to this mildstone in life called retirement. I often say we take the good with the bad, and with age comes ailments and physical decline. Adjustments in our daily routines can be annoying, though often times necessary.
