YOUR HOME is your castle, the place where you are king or queen.
Your home also can be a place where you can be a ”boss,” your own boss overseeing your own little business.
Using your home as a place to live–and work–can make a lot of sense for people who are planning to retire and for those who are already retired. Some reasons:
— You get double duty out of your home–as shelter and as a low-overhead work site.
— You can work at your own pace in a way that suits you best.
— If you`re married, you and your spouse can work together.
— You can get some nice deductions to reduce the income tax bite.
What can you do at home? Any number of things. But you`re probably better off probing the areas where you have some expertise such as a hobby or form of recreation that consumes your interest.
SOME EXAMPLES:
An Air Force couple at a Florida base turned their love for motorboating into a nice little business. He concentrated on engine repair and maintenance, she worked on designing and decorating cabins.
A widower who loved to make model airplanes built up an enormous list of kit and blueprint suppliers. With his home computer, he turned his list into a constantly updated catalog for hobbyists all over the country.
You don`t have to have a mansion to start up a home business. Any kind of home will do–the one you`re in–be it apartment in town or a house in the suburbs.
There are a number of good books out on the subject of home-based businesses. ”What to Do With What You`ve Got–The Practical Guide to Money Management in Retirement” has a section on working at home. It`s published by the American Association of Retired Persons with Scott, Foresman Publisher at $7.95 in paperback.
”Dollars on Your Doorstep,” by Gregory and Patricia Kishel (Wiley Press, $8.95 paperback), gives you an overall view of what kind of ideas make good businesses at home and how you can get started.
”How to Start and Run Your Own Word-Processing Business” explains how you can make money with your home computer`s ability to be a super smart typewriter. It`s written by Gary Belkin who runs his own word-processing business from home. The publisher is Wiley Press ($8.95 in paperback).
