New tricks for old heads

The Life: As many seniors reevaluate their pensions for old age, more of them are becoming so-called "wearies" - working, entrepreneurial and active retirees.

The next generation of entrepreneurs would be retirees looking to boost their financial capabilities. Simon Dawson / Bloomberg News

The picture some pensions providers and experts are painting is one where more elderly people will be running a business via e-commerce sites, or selling items on them, in their later years.

In short, the next generation of budding entrepreneurs could be grandma or grandpa.

"In the wider developed world, retirees are supplementing pensions by renting out second [or] third properties, setting up small businesses such as through [online] auction sites and part-time working," says Michael Brough, the director of the international consulting group at the London office of Towers Watson, a human resources specialist.

But the expected shift is occurring more out of financial necessity than a newfound desire to start a venture of some sort.

A study released last week found 51 per cent of people retiring in the UK said they would be prepared to work part-time to boost their incomes.

As a group, these folks have been dubbed "wearies", or working, entrepreneurial and active retirees, according to research conducted by Future Foundation, a think tank, for Friends Life, which provides financial products and services.

"The real challenge today is to help people with getting into the habit of making savings and then, using behavioural techniques, get them to gradually increase the amounts they are saving," says Martin Palmer, the head of corporate benefits marketing at Friends Life.

"The current economic climate is, however, not helping and people will have other financial commitments or priorities."

Younger people who are still active in the workforce are also mulling over what the future holds for them in their retirement years.

Three quarters of those surveyed who have yet to retire in the UK said they would find part-time work in their latter years, with about one third saying they would run a small, one-person business from home.

Nearly 60 per cent might end up frequenting sites to resell items, such as eBay or Amazon, according to the Friends Life survey.

In the UAE, a small but growing number of employers have been stepping up to provide new retirement savings schemes to help expats from the UK and elsewhere.

Recent research from Towers Watson found 11 out of 17 retirement savings plans that cover employees in the emirates were set up last year, with the remaining six having been established before then.

Yet pension providers, who acknowledge they earn their keep in part by partnering companies to create new schemes, say only a small percentage of the overall expatriate workforce is covered by local employer plans.

"We urge people to 'mind the gap' while they are overseas. They may not be collecting any pensions at all from their employer, and may not be entitled to state support from their home country - which means the onus is on them to make sure they are saving appropriately for retirement," says Nicola Lonergan, an international development manager in the Dubai office of Friends Provident International, which is part of the Friends Life group.