Gen X Retirement: How to Make Money Without Selling Your Soul (or Driving your car around with strangers)

Gen X Retirement: How to Make Money Without Selling Your Soul (or Driving your car around with strangers)

Let’s get something straight:

We’re not our parents.
We’re not buying RVs, playing shuffleboard, and calling it a day.
We’re Gen X—the original latchkey kids, mixtape makers, and side hustle pioneers before it was cool (or on TikTok).

And now that retirement is on the horizon (or already here), let me ask you something:

Do you really want to rely on a broken Social Security system, a 401(k) that looks more like a 201(k), a fee-riddled retirement savings/ superannuation account that is susceptible to cyber-attacks and market knee-jerks or some corporate pension plan that vanished in 2008?

Didn’t think so.

Here’s the good news:
Retirement doesn’t mean you fade into irrelevance.
It means you finally get to play your own game—and get paid for it.

So here are 6 no-fluff, Gen X-approved ways to generate income during retirement without becoming someone you’re not (or downloading TikTok):

1. Monetize What You Know (Yes, Even That Weird Niche Skill)

Spent 25 years in IT? HR? Freelancing? Running a business?
Cool. Now turn that into cash.

Start consulting. Coach people. Offer strategy sessions.
There are companies and individuals out there dying for real-world experience (not another 25-year-old “guru” on YouTube).

Remember: you don’t need credentials—you need credibility. And Gen X has that in spades.

Start small. Charge decent money. Deliver real value.
Boom. Side income.

2. Turn Your War Stories Into Revenue

You’ve got stories. Battle scars. Lessons.
You’ve survived corporate America, dial-up internet, recessions, and probably Y2K.

So why not package that into a podcast, YouTube channel, or online course?

You don’t have to be Oprah. Just be you—uncensored, unfiltered, and unapologetically Gen X.

Want proof? There are people making serious income talking about D&D campaigns, old-school vinyl, Gen X parenting, and even retro tech reviews.

Your experience is content. And content is currency.

3. Build Something That Pays You While You Sleep (No, Not Sleep Studies)

We’re too smart for get-rich schemes.
But passive income? Now we’re talking.

Write a book. Launch a digital course. License your expertise. Sell templates, tools, guides—whatever helps people solve a problem.

You don’t need to build the next Amazon. You need something that generates a few grand a month while you’re bingeing old episodes of The X-Files.

Create once. Get paid forever. That’s the Gen X version of a Self-Made Entrepreneur.

4. Invest Like a Rebel (With a Plan)

Here’s the deal: Your savings account isn’t going to save you.

You don’t have to go full crypto-bro, but you do need your money doing more than collecting dust.

Think rental properties, dividend stocks, REITs, or even investing in small, local businesses.
Start slow. Learn fast. Grow smart.

And for the love of Pearl Jam—know what you’re investing in. We’ve seen enough bubbles burst to know better.

5. Start a Micro-Business That’s Fun (and Profitable)

We’re Gen X—we practically invented the side hustle.
So why not start a small business that’s actually fun?

I know a guy flipping ‘80s action figures on eBay. Another rents out his backyard studio for photo shoots. One woman sells vintage band tees on Etsy and pulls in 5-figures a month.

It doesn’t have to be big. It just has to make sense—and make money.

Use your skills. Tap your interests. And monetize your Gen X-ness.

6. Join a Community of GenX’ers Who Are Already Building the Retirement of Their Dreams. Sexy, Lucrative and Fun!

For those without the creative buzz, who want to begin with easy, small steps (the dip your toes in it first type), at their own pace – slow n steady, we might have just the thing for you.

More on this later, grab the guide below for more information.

Bottom Line?

Retirement doesn’t mean you disappear.
It means you finally get to stop pretending you enjoy corporate life and start building something that feels like you.

You’ve got the skills. The stories. The scars.
And now, the freedom.

So go create. Go share. Go get paid.
On your terms.

Because Gen X doesn’t fade out. We sell out—strategically.

Stay sharp,
Brett, GenX Retirement Income

P.S. Want a dead-simple roadmap to start your own retirement-income stream (without learning new dance trends)? Start by grabbing a copy of the GenX Guide to Relief, Prosperity and Freedom below

👊 Let’s go.