Marketplace · Friday, July 31, 2026
A recent AARP survey indicates that approximately 7% of retirees 'unretired' last winter, returning to the workforce. While financial need is a factor for some, others are motivated by a desire for creative work and a continued sense of energy and purpose, as exemplified by a former toy store owner reopening a new shop.
“When it is finally time to retire, the idea is you're finally done with work for good, right? But a survey out earlier this year from AARP found that last winter, about 7% of retirees, quote unquote, unretired. Now, there are a lot of reasons someone might go back to the workforce. Maybe they need the money. But for some people, it's not that they have to. They just want to.”
“When I initially started starting my retirement venture, I think everything in my life changed. From the way I'd have my coffee in the morning. To how long I'd stay in bed. Instead of having been up at the crack of dawn and looking at emails. But I think through it all, I am finding that I still have some energy and some desire to to do some kind of creative work.”