At 79, Dan Weiss has found an unconventional way to stay active, earn a solid income and connect with people – assembling furniture on TaskRabbit. The retired mortgage manager from Oakdale, Minnesota, earns up to $47 an hour putting together Ikea and other types of furniture, a gig that he says brings in $3,000 to $5,000 a month.
Dan told Business Insider that he retired in 2014 after decades of managing residential mortgage branches. At first, retirement seemed like a well-earned break, but it didn’t take long for him to feel the absence of structure in his daily life. “Going from 100 mph to 0 was very abrupt,” Dan says. “One can only do so much gardening and reading without feeling unfulfilled.”
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After six months of traditional retirement, he sought something to keep himself busy while avoiding dipping too heavily into his savings. Over the years, Dan tried part-time jobs at Costco, customer service roles and driving for Uber and Lyft before reading about TaskRabbit in a local newspaper. Intrigued, he signed up and quickly discovered a gig he enjoyed.
Since joining TaskRabbit in 2021, Dan has completed nearly 1,200 tasks and made over $47,000 in 2023 alone. On a typical week, he handles one to three daily tasks four to five days a week, often traveling within 30 minutes of his home.
His clients come from all walks of life and the variety keeps things interesting. Beyond the income, Dan appreciates the social aspect. “I meet people from all walks of life and find their stories interesting. I enjoy this aspect of tasking the most,” he told BI.
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Like many retirees, Dan has wrestled with the financial and emotional challenges of leaving the workforce. According to Nationwide’s Protected Retirement Survey, 82% of Americans over 45 regret not taking retirement planning seriously earlier. While he’s glad his TaskRabbit income supplements his savings, he’s also aware that better planning might have eased some of the pressure.
