Fun part-time jobs ideas for retirees

Dear Savvy Senior, As a 68-year-old retiree, I’m interested in finding a fun parttime job that can occupy some of my time and generate a little extra income. Can you write a column on low-stress part-time jobs that are popular among retirees?

Part-Time Retiree

Dear Retiree, Working part-time in retirement can be a terrific way to occupy your time and earn some extra income. The key, however, is finding the right gig that’s fun and satisfying for you. While there are literally hundreds of different part-time job opportunities out there for retirees, here are a few possibilities to explore.

Pet Services: If you love animals, consider pet sitting and/ or dog walking. Pet sitters, who attend to a pet’s needs when their

BY DONALD PETERSON

Dear Readers, Should you include funeral and burial/cremation directives in your Will?

owner is away, can earn $15 to $40 per visit. Dog walkers can make $10 to $30 for a 30-minute walk.

To find these jobs, advertise your services in veterinarians’ offices or online at sites like Craigslist. org or Care.com. Or, if you’d rather work for an organization that offers these services, visit Rover.com

Teach or Tutor: Depending on your expertise, you could substitute teach or tutor students privately on any number of subjects. Substitute teachers typically make between $75 and $125/day, while tutors can earn between $15 to $30 per hour.

To look for substitute teaching positions, contact your local school district to see if they are hiring and what qualifications they require. To advertise tutoring services, use websites like

Your specific wishes for your own funeral and burial/cremation arrangements are best done in writing. To avoid any problems, you should communicate your wishes to your family or loved ones in advance. If you leave the original of this writing in your safety deposit box, then you should also have a copy outside of the box and known to your family or loved ones. This is because the safety deposit box is very often not opened until after the funeral has been held.

The same holds true about putting your directives about your funeral and burial/crema-

Wyzant.com and Tutor.com

Or, if you have a bachelor, master or doctoral degree, inquire about adjunct teaching at a nearby college or university.

Drive: If you like to drive, you can get paid to drive others around using Uber or Lyft apps, or become a food delivery driver through Instacart or Uber Eats. Drivers make around $15 per hour.

Babysit: If you like kids, babysitting can be a fun way to put money in your pocket. Hourly rates vary by location ranging anywhere from $10 to $40 per hour. To find jobs or advertise your services, use sites like as Care.com and Sittercity.com tion solely in your Will, as such a document may not be found or reviewed prior to the funeral. Colorado law provides that you may execute a Declaration Instrument (Declaration) that gives specific instructions for disposition of your last remains and your funeral arrangements. The Declaration needs to be in writing, dated, and signed by you. It can be inserted in your Will, or it can simply be any separate writing making your Declaration as to your wishes.

Tour guide: If you live near any historical sites or locations, national parks or museums (anywhere that attracts tourists), inquire about becoming a tour guide. This pays anywhere from $10 to $40/hour.

The Declaration can also be made within a prepaid funeral, burial, or cremation contract with the mortuary or crematorium. In the Declaration, you may specifically direct the arrangements for disposition of your remains and any ceremonial arrangements to be performed after your death. Or, you can direct that the person you name in the Declaration has the authority to make all those arrangements.

If you wish to provide for cremation, be sure your wishes are communicated to all of your family, and that your wishes are properly documented in your Will or Declaration. If not, and if any family member objects, the funeral home usually will not allow cremation.

As a pre-planning option, you may wish to make arrangements directly with a funeral home. However, it is very important to let a loved one know you have purchased a funeral and burial plan from a specific funeral home. This allows the loved one to carry out your wishes.

Generally, you may want to purchase a revocable (can be changed) or irrevocable (cannot be changed) funeral and burial plan. An advantage to an irrevocable funeral and burial plan is that it is an exempt asset if you are attempting to qualify for Medicaid.

If you decide to exercise a pre-planning option, be sure to

Write or edit: Many media, corporate and nonprofit websites are looking for freelancers to write, edit or design content for $20 to $60 per hour. To find these jobs try FreelanceWriting.com, FreelanceWritingGigs.com and Freelancer.com

Consult: If you have a lot of valuable expertise in a particular area, offer your services as a consultant through a firm or on your own through freelancer sites like Upwork.com, Fiverr.com, Freelancer.com or Guru.com

Translator or interpreter: If you’re fluent in more than one language you can do part-time interpretation over the phone or translate documents or audio files for $20 to $40/hour. Try sites like Translate.com, ProZ.com or Gengo.com to locate translation jobs.

Public events: Sporting events, festivals, concerts and shows need ticket takers, security read all of the documents carefully to confirm you are getting exactly what you paid for. It is very important to check for competitive rates. It is also very important to be sure there will not be any additional charges to your estate. The main reason for obtaining a prepaid funeral and burial plan is to pay all of the costs in advance.

If you are receiving state public assistance, such as financial aid payments, or medical assistance, such as Medicaid, you may be eligible to receive a limited contribution of state funds to assist with the expenses of the funeral, burial, or cremation.

To apply for assistance with funeral, burial, or cremation expenses, and to determine whether you are eligible for such assistance after your death, your family should contact the county Department of Social Services that was handling your case during your lifetime.

What are the four key medical/ estate plan documents you need now?

Many of my clients have asked what are the critical documents needed, particularly in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. Simply being married does not give you the legal right to gain access to your spouse’s medical records or make medical decisions on your spouse’s behalf, even in an emergency. To avoid this problem and to help others care for you and to guards, ushers, concession workers and more. The pay is usually $10 to $20/hour. Contact nearby venues to apply.

Tax preparer: If you have tax preparation experience or are willing to take a tax prep course you can find seasonal work preparing tax returns at big-box tax firms like H&R Block or Jackson Hewitt for around $17/hour.

Bookkeeper: If you have a finance or accounting background you can find freelance bookkeeping gigs at sites like Upwork.com and Fiverr.com, or through firms like BelaySolutions.com achieve your overall estate planning goals, the following documents create an effective medical/ estate plan package:

Librarian assistant: If you love books, public libraries hire part-time workers to shelve books, send out overdue notices, help patrons, etc. Contact your local library to see what’s available. If you don’t find these options appealing, try FlexJobs.com, which lists thousands of flexible work-at-home jobs from more than 5,700 employers. Membership fees start at $10.

1. Healthcare Power of Attorney;

2. General Financial Power of Attorney;

3. Advanced Directive for Medical/Surgical Treatment (“Living Will”); and

4. Will (or a Will with a Trust). Careful medical/estate planning should include preparation and signing of these documents, to accomplish your goals and protect you, both during your lifetime, and at the time of passing. The Power of Attorney documents allow you to designate those agents whom you authorize to help you on your behalf during your lifetime, and the Will/Trust documents allow you to nominate others to help with your estate after your passing, as well as to identify the beneficiaries and the distributions to them, to accomplish your estate planning goals. Selected information in this column has been taken with permission by Continuing Legal Education in Colorado, Inc., from the Colorado Senior Law Handbook, 2020 Edition (Chapter 15: Estate Planning: Wills, Trusts and Your Property, Clara Brown Shaffer, Esq.), which is a copyrighted publication and may be accessed and downloaded for free at: www.cobar.org/For-the-Public/ Senior-Law-Handbook