If you have a 401K, IRA, or any money invested in the stock market, you’ve likely watched it lose a large chunk of its value in recent months. If you are close to retirement or are currently retired, that decrease in your retirement account balance can be detrimental to your future security. The good news is that, as a mystery shopper, you have a convenient and relatively easy way to protect your retirement plans.
Work More Now. As a mystery shopper, you are able to work as much or as little as you want simply by accepting more or less assignments. Make an effort to work a few extra shop assignments each week. If you aren’t currently retired, put all of your extra mystery shopping into savings. You may be weary of putting extra funds into the stock market now. In this market, you may be right to be timid, as there is no way to accurately predict when the market has actually reached its bottom and will start to head up again. Consider bonds, money market accounts, and even your standard savings account if you are timid about the stock market.
The main goal is to work a little more to save some additional money. You may still need to work at your main job longer because of the economic conditions now, but by increasing the number of mystery shop assignments you take now, you will decrease the extra time you will have to work later.
Work More Later. If you are already retired, you can supplement your income easily by picking up some extra mystery shopping assignments. Or if you don’t want to or cannot put off your retirement plans to a later date, mystery shopping may be the perfect answer to combat your lower retirement account balances.
Chances are that the stock market will improve at some point, although it’s not clear if that will be next year or several years from now. The more money you keep in your retirement accounts now and don’t have to withdraw to live on, the more money you will have in those accounts as the market rebounds. By increasing your mystery shopping income, you will decrease the amount of funds you need to pull from your accounts, giving you a more secure financial future.
Economic times are tough. And unfortunately according to economists and pundits, times likely will only get worse in the coming months. Mystery shopping is a great way to protect yourself from economic woes now and make your plans for future retirement more certain. Not only is it an easy way to make more side money, but you can control the amount of time you commit to mystery shopping and work it around your already busy schedule. You also have the ability to work as much or as little as you need to in order to ensure a retirement lifestyle you want for yourself. When you use mystery shopping to supplement your income and retirement balances, you can enjoy your current lifestyle and protect your retirement plans.
I’m about 10 years away from “retirement,” but am starting to think about it a lot more. I think mystery shopping is perfect for retirees (and anyone else who wants to make extra money), because of the freedom involved, tax write-offs, etc. I doubt I could ever make a living by mystery shopping only, but I know someone who does. It’s all a matter of how hard one is willing to work.